Should you still be doing PR
during the festive season?

The festive season is just about here, and a burning question on every startup’s lips is, “Do I have to stop pitching during the festive season?” The short answer is no. There is no need to slow down on your pitching and media outreach. The media will be slower, but you can use that to your advantage, and this is how you can do it. 

The festive season will give you an unexpected gift in slow news day. Quieter news days are likely to provide journalists with a spring in their literary step as they will be actively on the lookout for stories (even though, let’s face it, 2020 was not short on news). Take this time to connect with journalists who aren’t on leave (let’s leave the journalists on vacation alone to avoid a 2021 filled with journalists who hate you) 

You can, therefore use the festive season to inspire your PR efforts and help you gain more media coverage, reach your target audience and build your profile. 

Here are a few things to keep in mind: 

#1: Plan ahead because Summer Editions of magazines and newspapers are created in winter. 

You’ll see Christmas editions of everything, everywhere you look and even if you weren’t consciously aware of the fact that these editions were created in Summer, you know a lot happens behind the scenes. This festive season, don’t stop pitching because it’s slower. 

Reach out to journalists that you know are not on leave (research is critical here), and pitch something they might be interested in for this season or start pitching for next season. No matter what you decided to pitch on, plan as far ahead as you can and keep your action points clear. 

#2 Don’t Stop Pitching.

Staying relevant is essential regardless of the season you are pitching in, but if you’re looking to be relevant to the festive period, make your stories tie into a bigger story (newsjacking will help you a lot here – read more about that here), and position your angle to tie into a holiday theme. 

Avoid pitching your big news announcements during December as it is a busy month and you do not want your statement to be snowed in (depending on where you are, this could be more literal than intended). 

January will be busy, but if you plan ahead and pitch the right story to the right people, you will be ahead of the curve when the new year arrives. 

#3 Social Media might be your better option. 

Depending on your story and your pitches, it might be better to switch to social media during this time. Focus on creating more content on your social platforms and speak to your audience directly there. 

Digital users are generally more active and engaging on social media during holiday periods. Create content that feeds into their scrolling patterns. You can create a substantial reach during this time if your content is targeted to the right audience. 

Final tip; PR is centred around planning and this upcoming season will give you more slow news days than you might have had in 2020 – use them for your January or Quarter 1 planning because before you know it, 2021 will be here.