5 PR ideas to get Christmas media coverage for your business
By Publicity Heaven writer Adam Constable
Getting media coverage over the Christmas and New Year period is actually much easier than you think.
You may notice there is a distinct lack of topical content in the papers and on radio. This is because there usually isn’t much news, and there’s only a skeleton staff on duty.
More than usual, journalists are reliant on the story suggestions that you make to them.
Papers and radio stations will be spending this week putting together content for right over Christmas. So here are 5 opportunities to help your business end this year and start the next on a PR high.
Community work: Supporting your local community is a great way to generate publicity for your business. Almost every town in the country will have Christmas lights, and these don’t come cheap. Neither does Santa and his grotto at the local primary school. By helping to cover the cost of events such as these, you will be showing your business’s commitment to the community – which will gain great publicity. There’s a fantastic example in Bedfordshire where a town council cancelled its Christmas lights due to the expense. However a businessman pulled together other business contacts in the area to pay for the lights and the switch on, generating heaps of publicity in the local media.
Make a prediction for the year ahead: At this time of the year prediction stories are always likely to generate media interest. What does your gut feel say will happen in your industry next year? How could the economy or other factors affect it? Most importantly, what could the impact be?
Or a year-on-year sales comparison: Comparison stories generate interest as people like to know how businesses are performing. Try relating to the economic climate or consumer behaviour. Comparisons can be made on any product or on sales in general. You’ll need to explain why sales are up or down.
Create non time-critical releases: When journalists are struggling for stories – as they usually are over the holidays – stories without a deadline are often their saviour. A good non time-critical press release could be you offering your expert tips and advice to people. For example if you are an accountant, you can give tips for how businesses and consumers could save money. Tie it in to the new year in some way and you’re onto a winner.
Make yourself available for interviews: Radio stations in particular continue to find it difficult to find stories and people to interview over Christmas, so why not make it easy for them? Always finish press releases writing that you are ‘available to be contacted for an interview at any time over the Christmas period.’ List your mobile number. If you’re easier to contact than anyone else you will get more publicity.
You should follow Paul Green on Twitter here.
Be notified about new articles automatically
Sign up for Publicity Heaven’s free Tuesday PR & Marketing Tips email newsletter:
