Summer has arrived, but our Maven minds are already focused on the holidays! Why? Because long-lead publications require a lead time of about six months, pitching for holiday gift guides will need to begin in the summer months.
According to a 2016 Google consumer survey, nearly seven in ten people are undecided or considering multiple gift options for their loved ones during the holiday season. Holiday gift guides published in magazines, on websites and in blogs are designed to guide these consumers and help them find the ideal gifts quickly and easily.
By having your product featured in a holiday gift guide, your brand can experience added exposure, an increase in website traffic, and a bump in sales. When a well-known outlet likes your product enough to recommend it to their readers, your audience will trust that it’s worth buying.
With thousands of products pursuing inclusion in holiday gift guides, it can be easy for your product to get lost in the masses. Here are a few tips to increase your chances of being included:
Target the right outlets: Begin by determining which media outlets you plan to reach out to. These can easily be identified by choosing outlets that have the same target audience as your product. For example, a product primarily geared towards women will benefit from inclusion in a women’s interest magazine such as Cosmopolitan, Glamour, and Marie Claire.
Research editorial calendars: Once you have identified your target outlets, consider the publications’ editorial calendars to determine which publications will be running holiday gift guides this year. If you cannot find this information online, try contacting the editorial desk directly.
Start early: Think Christmas in July for pitching holiday gift guides starting in July. Ideally, December issues will hit shelves November 15, ahead of Black Friday shopping. Though online publications need less of a lead time, you will still want to begin outreach about three to four months prior to the holiday season for your best chance at inclusion.
Follow up is key: If an editor showed interest in your product and requested a sample, you’ll want to check in occasionally to make sure they have all the product information and images needed. And if you have yet to hear back from a media contact, a follow-up email or call will do no harm.
Do you want your product featured in this holiday season’s gift guides? Give us a call at 310-994-7380