Holidays Information

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - How to Tap in to the Holiday Publicity Bonanza


If your product or service can be given as a gift, a publicity
windfall awaits at the end of the year - but you need to start
working in June. Each December, media outlets cover the newest,
the hottest and the most unusual Holiday gifts. The reporters
assigned to develop these pieces typically depend on two sources
of information:

1. Phone interviews with local store owners

- and -

2. Press materials that have been sent by publicity seekers.

Let's deal with Point 1. Here's a cool trick: In early
November, write a letter to stores and major websites that carry
your product. Remind them that they may be hearing from
journalists soon about hot gift ideas, and request that they
consider mentioning your product when that happens. Point out a
few reasons why your product is the newest, coolest, best or
whatever. Ask the vendor to drop you an e-mail or give you a
call if a story results that mentions your product.

Now, on to old-fashioned publicity. When to contact the media
depends on the publication or program's lead time (how far in
advance of publication or airing the material is developed).
Magazines like Woman's Day have a lead time up to six months, so
get materials to them now. Newspapers have a lead time as short
as a week for feature material, so send materials in November. In
between are wire services, medium-lead magazines, "in-flight"
magazines and others. To learn the lead time of a particular
media outlet, call the editorial department. If that doesn't
work, try the advertising department.

What you send should be kept simple -- a press release about your
product/service, a pitch letter explaining why it's such a great
gift idea, and, if applicable, a disk with color product photos.
See our articles "How to Write a Great Pitch Letter"
http://www.publicityinsider.com/pitch.asp and "How to Write a
Great Press Release" http://www.publicityinsider.com/release.asp
for more details.

As you craft the materials, think about where your
product/service fits. Based on its nature, cost, rarity or
usefulness, it may work with a variety of typical Christmas Gift
stories such as: Great Stocking Stuffer Ideas, Gifts for
Teenagers, Gifts for the Person Who Has It All, Gifts for
Executives, Gifts that Relax, etc. By suggesting a category for
your product, rather than simply stating "Here's a product that
would make a nice holiday gift", you're making yourself stand out
-- and maybe even giving the journalist an idea for a story angle
that he or she wouldn't have thought about otherwise. Either
way, your chances of getting coverage are greatly improved.

Bill Stoller, the "Publicity Insider", has spent two decades as
one of America's top publicists. Now, through his website, eZine
and subscription newsletter, Free Publicity: The Newsletter for
PR-Hungry Businesses http://www.PublicityInsider.com/freepub.asp ,
he's sharing -- for the very first time -- his secrets of scoring
big publicity. For free articles, killer publicity tips and
much, much more, visit Bill's exclusive new site:
http://www.publicityInsider.com


MORE RESOURCES:

Canada.com

Queen Latifah Ready to Shed Holiday Pounds
People Magazine - 17 hours ago
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all 659 news articles


WSAV-TV

GSP estimates right on for traffic deaths, accidents during holidays
News-Reporter, GA - 10 hours ago
The New Year's holiday travel period ended at midnight Sunday with 20 traffic deaths reported to the Georgia State Patrol over the 102-hour period. ...
GSP: 16 killed in holiday travel period Cedartown Standard
GSP reports 11 deaths statewide over holiday Cedartown Standard
all 93 news articles


DCSki

Snow trumps recession over holidays for resorts
Denver Post, CO - 1 hour ago
By Elizabeth Aguilera Great snow lured more skiers and snowboarders this past holiday season to resorts than the previous season despite the economic ...
State's ski resorts had good holiday season, report says Daily Mail - Charleston
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DUI arrests up during recent holiday period
MSNBC - 12 hours ago
Arrests of allegedly intoxicated drivers over the holiday period ending Jan. 1 were up in most north state communities compared to 2007. ...
Police double DUI arrests over holidays Bristol Press
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Holiday DUIs, accidents rise in local towns
Meriden Record-Journal, CT - 4 hours ago
Drunken driving arrests and accidents were up over the last two weeks compared to 2007's holiday season, according to statistics released from Connecticut ...


HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL: Holidays sort out contenders
Atlanta Journal Constitution,  USA - 34 minutes ago
By Glenn Lafollette, Rob Morton State championships are not won in December, but holiday tournaments often provide glimpses of what to expect when high ...


Nonprofit donations steady, even up, during holidays, but demand ...
San Jose Mercury News,  USA - 2 hours ago
But at Valley Churches United Missions this holiday season, cash donations were up more than $25000 over last year. "It shows you what happens in situations ...


Recession, bad weather pummel Trans World's holidays
Schenectady Gazette, NY - 16 hours ago
By James Schlett (Contact) GUILDERLAND — The holiday season opened a Pandora’s box at Trans World Entertainment, which saw sales during that period take a ...
Trans World holiday sales plunge on economy, weather Video Business (subscription)
Sales stall at Trans World Albany Times Union
all 24 news articles


Online Glitches Plagued One-Third Of Holiday Shoppers
InformationWeek, NY - 2 hours ago
By KC Jones During the slow holiday shopping season, 36% of people who shopped online encountered obstacles as they tried to buy gifts, according to a ...


Big Brothers Big Sisters Bring Holiday Magic To Children's Lives
The Manchester Times, NJ - 13 hours ago
By Keith Hagarty What is normally your typical upscale banquet facility and restaurant/ lounge was transformed into a child's holiday delight when La Bove ...

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