How to Prepare for Holiday Gift Guide Pitching

In real time we're just kicking into the summer season, but in the PR world, especially the "long lead magazines" (magazines that come out every month, and work about 3-6 months ahead of time) it's nearly time to begin pitching the holiday gift guides!  I KNOW!  It may be hard to get your mind into the holiday spirit when it's warm and sunny outside, but for buzz building success you have to get your business into winter mode pronto!

This week we'll be hosting a member #TuneUp sharing our #TinShingleTips that will get you pointed and rolling in the right direction, and early next week we'll have a full podcast revealing everything from "how to right the perfect holiday pitch" to "how to hunt down the magazine gift guide editors".  Until then, however, you have your work cut out for you.  Here are a few things you should begin working on this week (we're serious - this week) to get your pr campaign in holiday pitching shape.

HOW TO PREPARE FOR HOLIDAY PITCHING

• Get your ducks in a row: This means figure out what your holiday offerings are and be sure you have high resolution images of them, get any product fact sheets or linesheets in order, make sure you have samples of everything you'll be pitching and so forth.  You cannot tell an editor "it will be ready come holiday season" when pitching them.  Whatever you want to offer for their gift guides must be ready when you pitch them.

• If you are an expert, get your holiday tips and story ideas ready.  Whether they be holiday travel safety tips or healthy "swaps" for favorite holiday snacks, you need to have a bulleted list of ideas that match the outlet you're piching them to.

• Prepare a media tracking sheet you can use specifically for your holiday outreach.  Often the editors you'll be reaching out to are not the same people who cover your normal beat, so you may need to make some new relationships.  Also, keeping this list separate from your usual outreach list keeps things clean and organized, which leads to faster and more precise outreach to magazine editors.

• Do some research.  Check out what your target outlets covered in the past to get a vibe for how they "do holiday".  Sure they may change their tactic completely this year, but checking out past holiday gift guides (you can often find these online) will help give you an idea about what their demographic and editorial team are interested in, product wise.

• Finally - and most importantly - make a buzz building game plan now.  Set aside time in each week to meet your prep goals and actual outreach goals.  The holiday pitch cycle runs through end of August and you want to be sure that you are keeping time open in your schedule to make it happen.  This is definitely a case of early birds getting the worm, so making it a priority will help ensure you don't feel to under pressure or behind the eight ball!

Want more juicy holiday pitching scoop?  Be sure you're signed up for tomorrow's #TuneUp and keep you eyes on our social media feeds to find out when our Holiday Pitching Podcast goes live!

*Hoping to participate in tomorrow's live, digital #TuneUp but not a member yet? You're in luck! We have a membership sale going on through June 2nd - sign up now and join us live tomorrow!