Are PR pros pitching media during the holidays?

You bet they are pitching media during the holiday season. The holidays often means a respite for journalists from covering a continual news cycle. But as the season nears, story ideas are not as plentiful and, as such, this becomes a prime time to position your client in the news. You can still have effective media relations and engage with journalists to get the best results for your client during the holidays.

Yes You Can Pitch the Media at Holiday Time

Do not be daunted by the copious amount of “out of the office” responses — journalists are still tasked with reporting and producing the news. So make your pitches! Here are some media outreach tips during the holidays:

1. Pitch evergreen story ideas and content — As the pace of news slows, mid-December to early January is the ideal time to pitch feature stories and thought leadership profiles. Reporters want to file their articles prior to taking time off. A journalist is more likely to use your story during this period if it does not rely on current events.
2. Do Not Pitch Holiday Stories in December — Editorial calendars are already rife with holiday content; it’s unlikely that a seasonal pitch, in December, will generate coverage. Media outlets plan holiday stories well in advance — if you’re pitching media in December do not wrap (pun intended) your client’s message in a holiday package.
3. Make Predictions and Be Inspirational — Predictions for the coming year can earn media mentions for your clients as experts in their professions. The holidays are also the perfect time to pitch positive stories. The media always gravitates towards a feel-good narrative during this time of year. Consider examples of outstanding customer service, volunteer activities of employees, or the benefits of company donations.
4. Broadcast Media — Broadcast media are always reliant on guests. Many television entities conduct interviews remotely. So pitch your client to national producers in this situation which is a great opportunity. At this time, producers are not inundated with story ideas! Sparsely populated email inboxes are your friend, and a strong pitch could set your client up for success.

Do not go completely dark with your pitching efforts during the holidays. This time of the year offers a unique opportunity to secure great placements.

We Are Grateful For Our Work and Our Clients

There are blessings aplenty to be grateful for this year. We are coming in hot from several days of a very successful video and photo shoot with an amazing client. Hard work, yes. But we have joy and gratitude for the opportunity to work with smart, collaborative partners. As a bonus, the client’s entire team flew in from Arizona, California, Colorado and Florida. And others drove in from North Texas and Houston.

We worked hard, didn’t play enough. But we are grateful for the positive energy, in-person conversations and teamwork. These people, and the work we are doing together, were inspiring and will get us through the holiday hustle.

In addition, over the past several weeks, our network introduced us to amazing new connections. As well as, we have onboarded rocking’ new clients.

We Are Grateful For Our Team

Moreover, the team is shining. The rock stars are taking on new responsibilities. Jumping in when and where needed. And I won’t get started about our interns. Besides their energy, hard work and great contributions, one is now a master teleprompter engineer.

In addition to blogging about expressing gratitude to your internal team, clients and advocates, here are a few other things to consider. Not rocket surgery or brain science, but we all need refreshers from time to time, right?!?!

How To Show Gratitude To Those You Work With

Determine your key audiences and the best way to communicate gratitude with them using some of the following tactics:

1. Phone calls — As the great Stevie Wonder sang, “I just called to say …” Pick up the phone. Express gratitude to your team, clients and advocates.
2. Emails — A quick thank you with a custom expression of why you are grateful for colleagues, peers, networks and clients.
3. Old fashioned greeting cards — These are a fav of mine. Make sure to include a handwritten, message.
4. Custom holiday cards — Design a branded card or note card. We can help you with that.
5. Handwritten thank you note — Use your branded company stationery to send a few sentences to those who you are grateful for.
6. Zoom or Teams — For those busy folks or those not near, schedule a 15-minute video conference to tell them what they mean to you and your company.
7. Coffee or lunch — Some still prefer face to face meetings. Schedule a few. Make it happen. For introverts like me, this is hard. But they are necessary.

If you want to chat further about how to express gratitude in business, contact us. We would love to help. Cheers to rolling into the hectic holiday season with a thankful heart. We are grateful for you, our readers.

On the Porch, we are honored to market brands at different stages, from marketing plan to exit plan. We partner with businesses in start-up, growth, established and exit stages. Our team recently celebrated a business owner whose brand we evolved. This business owner sold the business to a larger company. When this happens, we take great pride in the role we had on the journey. We tangibly helped that owner and business reach their end game.

So how does marketing change at the different stages of a business? Just like a person growing from a baby to an adult, your business has different needs at every age to thrive.

Start-up Stage Marketing

Branding is paramount in this phase. Brand architecture and identity development are critical out of the gate. Once that is complete, the rest flows from there. The foundational collateral, like business cards, letterhead, and the like are developed. After that, website development and digital strategy follow.

Growth Stage Marketing

Businesses in the growth stage come to us as they are looking to target a new demographic or geography. They may expand their product or service offerings. Or the business owner wants to grow existing business. Typically, a new marketing strategy and execution are developed. This involves increasing existing marketing spend. Sometimes, rebranding is needed.

Established Stage Marketing

Your brand is established. But growth is still a desired outcome. How can you market differently at this stage to stay relevant? Updated market research and consistent data analysis are critical. Now may be the time to take risks. What haven’t you done? How can you push the envelope on creative or campaigns? Are your current marketing initiatives consistent? Do you need a brand audit?

Exit Stage Marketing

Ready to position your brand for living on its own, without you at the helm? Although it may seem counterintuitive, now is the time to invest in your brand. First, revamp your marketing strategy. Next, follow industry best practices. It is critical to be the brand authority. Then, increase brand awareness, all the while increase sales. Finally, audit marketing content. How is your website UX/UI? Do you have technical gaps? Make sure sales and marketing are aligned.

What stage is your business in?

Don’t know which one of the different stages your business is in? Let us help. However, if you do know, we can also be your branding and marketing partner. We take pride in our relationships with brands. And we are honored to work with smart, innovative business owners and leaders. So let us help you reach your end game however you define it.