From Press Release to Coverage: Winning Holiday PR Strategies
The holiday season is a double-edged sword for PR professionals. On the one hand, people are more active, attentive, and engaged with content. But on the other hand, the media gets extra noisy, journalists are stretched thin, editorial calendars are locked, and many outlets operate on skeleton staff. These pressures make it tough to land purely organic media coverage.
Without a strategic approach or the right Holiday PR support, even compelling stories can get lost in the seasonal noise, buried under countless press releases, gift guides, and promotional campaigns vying for attention.
In this insight, we will discuss some of the struggles PR professionals are going to be facing during the festive season and how to gain media attention for your Holiday PR campaigns.
1. Saturated News Cycle & Pitch Fatigue
During the holiday season, every brand, business, and non-profit is chasing media attention. Journalists receive hundreds of press releases daily, featuring holiday PR campaigns, festive stunts, year-end wrap-ups, and product round-ups, making it harder to stand out.
Our solution for this is to make sure your distribution is targeted directly to the journalist and media contacts relevant to your content. By reaching the right inboxes, your story is far more likely to get noticed, even during the holiday rush.
2. Journalists Are Out of Office or Overloaded
Many journalists work reduced hours or take holidays during the festive season. Some use up their remaining leave, so the “news desks” are smaller, editors are stretched, and response times slow down. Additionally, many outlets pre-schedule their holiday coverage weeks in advance, leaving less room for last-minute stories.
By Early November, many media outlets have already filled their December features, gift guides, and year-end wrap articles.
Our top tip for cutting through the holiday noise is to plan your campaigns early. This gives both you and journalists enough time to develop the story and ensures your content is submitted before editorial calendars fill up.
3. Saturated News Cycle & Pitch Fatigue
During the holiday season, consumers, journalists and bloggers alike are bombarded with festive content from festive advertisements, gift guides, newsletters, social media posts, and press releases.
The best solution for this would be to create a release with a clear focus, unique and timely angles. A well-written, newsworthy and compelling press release can help your story stand out, working alongside a targeted distribution to deliver it directly to the journalists and outlets most likely to engage. This reduces wasted impressions and increases the chances your story will actually be picked up.
Additionally, You Don’t Have to Force the Festive Angle
With the holiday season being a popular time of year, it can be tempting to force a festive angle into every Holiday PR story. However, not every campaign needs to feature Christmas trees or holiday shopping trends to make an impact. In fact, forcing a seasonal hook that doesn’t naturally fit can dilute your core message and confuse your audience.
Instead of forcing a holiday angle, prioritise relevance and authenticity. A well-crafted, newsworthy story will always stand out. If your narrative naturally aligns with the season, then, of course, highlight it, but if it doesn’t, stay true to your core message. Journalists and readers value clear, timely, and meaningful content far more than a forced festive tie-in.
4. Higher Competition for Attention
Even when journalists are open to new stories, standing out is tough. Editors can often favour brands with established press clout or existing relationships, raising the bar for coverage.
To combat this, our best suggestion would be to look into sponsored or syndicated guaranteed publishing. This maximises your content’s reach and guarantees that your press release is published on relevant media websites. This can also establish you and your brand as a leader in your industry and amplify your campaign
Getting organic media coverage during the holiday season is undeniably challenging; however, by working strategically, your holiday PR won’t get lost in the noise. And PR Fire is here to help you overcome many of these Holiday PR obstacles.
We offer a range of pay-as-you-go Digital PR Solutions that work with your brand and increase your online visibility. If you need help, finding the right solution for you. Book a call today, and we can recommend the right solution for you.
Or if you have your press release ready, order your campaign today