Is it just us or does Christmas seem to get earlier every single year? The run-up to the festive season seems to be creeping forward earlier and earlier and this year thousands of Brits chose to bring the festive joy early by putting up their Christmas trees in November.
Christmas tends to take over the media; shops and advertisements often launching Christmas campaigns before it’s even Halloween. So, with all the Christmas noise, how do you use PR to get your news seen this Christmas?
We tend to say that anything we PR after the 15th of December really needs to have a festive spin to get noticed. Major announcements in December are a no and we recommend you focus on getting the big news out there before the 1st or wait until the new year. Though it might be difficult to be heard clearly over the jingle bells, there are plenty of ways to make your PR count this Christmas.
Don’t stop communicating
Don’t fall into the trap of thinking you don’t need to worry about producing content in the run-up to Christmas. This is the perfect time to be considering what to put out there.
Publications often call for content before the holidays that they can schedule over the Christmas break. Some would argue that these slots aren’t as valuable as typically fewer people are reading at this time, but think about the advantage you have as a business if you’re communicating while your competitors are silent.
Christmas content is a great way to maintain your presence in the media and keep your messages consistent. Not to mention, as work sometimes dies down over the holidays, perhaps this is the very period in which you have the most time dedicated to writing content. Now is also a great time to pull out your evergreen content.
Be prepared for the new year
January is typically very busy in the media world as everyone floods back into the office. Be prepped and ready with your content.
Having it polished before the holidays means that when you return in January you can avoid the rush of trying to compete with everyone else attempting to kick the new year off with a bang. You can get in there early and have quality, calculated content already lined up.
Know your audience
With Christmas break calling and the clock ticking away, it’s even more important you’re pitching right.
Get the right contact and make your pitch pithy and relevant. Christmas brings out the best in people, yes, but let’s be honest, we’re all impatient for some time off this year and so making mistakes is even more likely to lose you an opportunity.
Timing is everything throughout December and so make sure you consider each journalist and publication you target carefully.
It’s also worth noting that while some publications will go Christmas crazy, some won’t and it’s key to take of note of this when pitching.
It’s time to get introspective
Christmas is a time for reflection as well as looking forward to the future and this goes for your business too. Think about content related to what you’ve learned over the past year, what advice you would give, what your predictions are for your industry in the future.
Jump on the old me, new me mentality, and apply this to your business.
Think about giving back
And no, not as a PR stunt but as a genuine act of kindness. A good deed doesn’t stop being a good deed because you PR it – so long as it’s done with the right intentions and tone. Think about an event or charity fundraiser you could do within your community. It’s a win-win. What’s not to like?
As a final bonus tip for 2020 in particular, bear in mind how difficult this year has been for some. Yes, 2020 has been challenging for us all, but some have been devastated by the pandemic and other events during the year. Consider how you phrase your celebrations and think of the struggles that both your customers and competitors have had to face this year. Read our post on PR during the pandemic for more guidance on this. Nat Sharp at Sharp Thinking Marketing, has also written a fantastic post on marketing ideas for Christmas 2020 and how to market during a pandemic over the holidays.
So there you have our top tips for PR this Christmas. We hope you all have a wonderful festive season and keep putting yourselves out there in the right way over the holidays.