Tying the Holidays into Your PR Tactics

Now is the time to give your PR strategies and tactics a holiday slant.  Working the holidays into a PR campaign, event, or press release can attract attention when done well.  As a franchise public relations firm we always work hard to ensure that our clients get the maximum amount of coverage throughout the holiday season.  Here are a few tips on tying the holidays into your PR tactics:

1- The holiday pitch: Consider how you will pitch your stories during the holiday season.  Pitching your stories in waves could prove to make your release much more successful during the holiday season.  What do we mean by waves?  By waves we mean pitching your story at multiple, critical times.  Pitch your story well before the holiday, especially if you are trying to get your business or franchise featured in a particular magazine's special interest section which will air at a certain time.  The second wave should be done two to four weeks before the holiday.  Some reporters need stories at the very last minute before a holiday and need a release to fill a vacancy, so pitching last minute could actually prove to be successful as well.

2- Have multiple story ideas: Gearing up for the holidays you should have multiple story ideas lined up way ahead of time.  Having multiple ideas in the works is always a great idea since you never know exactly what journalists are looking for, so give them a little bit of everything to help ensure getting some holiday buzz during the holiday season.

3- Run a contest: A holiday contest is a great PR tactic to have at your disposal.  We have seen some of the best, most effective contests done during the holiday season.  Throwing a fantastic holiday-themed contest could provide your business or franchise with some great exposure during the holiday season.

4- Create a poll:  Another great holiday PR tactic is creating a holiday-based poll.  We have seen some of our franchise public relations clients get some exposure from a good poll.  You could create a poll about "the hottest holiday gifts of this season."  When a poll is interesting, people typically will respond.  This could be as simple or complex as you want to be, but it could generate some buzz around your business or franchise.

Looking for some more holiday-based PR tactics or have your own ideas that you would like to share with our franchise public relations team?  Feel free to leave us a comment below or contact us.