The best thing about the holidays is that they come around every year.
I realize that sounds completely ridiculous.
Hear me out.
When it comes to getting publicity for your business, the holidays provide a predictable calendar to which you can time your efforts.
Holiday stories are ubiquitous, yes, and they make us roll our eyes, sometimes, but there is always opportunity for you to get your foot in the door with a local producer or blog editor if you provide content that’s unique and timely.
And, this time of year, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. It’s all about the holidays!
So, here’s how to get media coverage for your business during the holidays, whether you want to write a guest post yourself or pitch your business to a local reporter or television producer.
What’s YOUR Angle
Figure out what’s relevant about your business as it pertains to the holidays. If you’re a coach, maybe you can advise people on how not to get caught up in family drama around the holidays. If you’re a financial expert, maybe you could write a piece on unique ways to stay within your budget.
A great example is Home stager Tori Toth, who is in my Facebook group. She will write about how to entertain at home during the holidays while your home is on the market. You can see how this idea take a holiday theme, entertaining at home, and makes it precise so it speaks to her exact audience. As with any holiday theme, family drama, spending, travel, you have to go beyond the theme and find the hook — the twist on the idea that makes it even more specific to your audience.
All About the Bling
Gift guides are a great way to get your business featured if you’re a product-based business, but these also work for service-based businesses. Everyone does a gift guide. (This is my fave.) You should do one, too. If you sell kayaking tours of Delaware, produce a gift guide of the best gifts for the mid-atlantic outdoorsman/woman. If you create coaching programs for moms who want to take better care of themselves, create a gift guide highlighting the best gifts for moms who say they don’t want anything.
With gift guides, you can create a beautiful graphic and post them on your site, featuring other great products you know and trust as well as your own. Or you can pitch your product or service and the idea for the theme of the guide to the gift guide editor of your local paper or favorite website.
Ride the Holiday Coattails
Finally, if you publicity averse, one great way to throw your hat in the PR ring is by simply being responsive. As we’ve established, everyone and their mother is doing a holiday story this season, and they will be doing New Year’s stories in a few short weeks. Stay alert to HARO and even social media feeds for calls for expert insight and input from reporters who need sources. You can be that source.
Let me know what you end up creating. I look forward to some excellent advice on what to do with my holiday season!
