It may seem as if the Fall leaves have just begun to amass on the ground below, yet the countdown to the holiday season has already begun--as evidenced by the multiple aisles of decorations adorning the shelves at my local Home Depot.
Those decorations are my annual alert to begin pitching client inclusion in holiday gift guides. For longer lead publications (magazines with 6-month lead times), clients may already be too late, but for short leads (today-60 day lead times such as newspapers, radio, TV, online ezines, blogs, etc.), the timing is perfect for holiday-centric pitches.
A useful method for reaching even the most 'unreachable' media outlets such as the TODAY Show or Regis & Kathy Lee, is simply to put into the mail a sample of your client's gift idea with corresponding pitch. I've seen colleagues secure national broadcast attention for their clients simply by doing just this--including an edible resume! (http://www.cakes4occasions.com/).
From now through mid-late November, focus on national, short lead media outlets. The entire month of November should be used to reach out to local newspapers and morning shows in an effort to highlight useful, locally-made gift items perfect for someone on their gift list. Locally-made stories are a favorite for provincial media. Don't forget to also have on hand high-quality images/photographs! Photo PR can be one of the greatest sales advantages to product-oriented clients during the holiday buying season. As the cliche' states, "a picture is worth a thousand words,' or hopefully, a thousand dollars.
