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.aspfor 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

In The News:

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Los Angeles Times
Early Sales May Not Mean Strong Holidays, Group Says (Update1)
Bloomberg - 6 hours ago
1 (Bloomberg) -- A post-Thanksgiving bump may not be enough to rescue what might be the worst holiday season for US retailers in six years. ...
Holidays still a boon for Alaska retailers Fairbanks Daily News-Miner
Black Friday Results: Holidays off to a Good Start Marketnews.ca
Ready? Set? Start shopping! Vineland Daily Journal
Kansas City Call - Daily Kent Staterall 1,811 news articles

ABC News
E-tailers expect 8% bump for holidays
Atlanta Journal Constitution,  USA - 2 hours ago
By Bob Keefe If there’s any good news for retailers this holiday season, it may be online. While retailers brace for declines in sales at traditional ...
Cyber Sales Mark 2nd Launch Pad for Holidays istockAnalyst.com (press release)
Don't Let That Online Bargain Cost You MarketWatch
Online Consumers to Spend Less in Stores for Holidays Marketing Vox News
San Francisco Chronicle - Sacramento Beeall 1,322 news articles

Dressing the Home for the Holidays - Decor Ideas To Make Spirits ...
MarketWatch - 9 hours ago
To help set the stage for holiday memories, the designers at Art & Artifact offer simple ideas to accent the home for the holidays. ...

Vancouver Sun
Toy sellers slash prices for holidays
Portsmouth Herald News, NH - 8 hours ago
SAN FRANCISCO (MCT) — America's toy retailers want to make this gift-giving season an easier sell for budget-conscious parents squeezed by the deteriorating ...
For the holidays, time is the gift Minnesota Daily
TV deals should last through the holidays San Jose Mercury News
Shoppers Search Out Black Friday Deals KLAS-TV
Minneapolis Star Tribune - TheCelebrityCafe.comall 2,013 news articles

Spend part of your holidays in San Francisco
San Jose Mercury News,  USA - 29 minutes ago
By ROGER PETTERSON AP Writer Take a few spins on an ice rink within view of San Francisco Bay as part of your holiday celebrations this year, ...

'Elf on The Shelf' Flies Back for the Holidays
MarketWatch - 9 hours ago
ATLANTA, Dec 01, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Year after year, children are baffled by the mystery of how Santa knows if they've been naughty or nice. ...

San Francisco Chronicle
Cracking crab and getting ready for the holidays
San Francisco Chronicle,  USA - 2 hours ago
Hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving, finished off the turkey and set your sights on the other upcoming holiday. I love turkey, but I think I'm done with ...

I prefer to celebrate holidays quietly, alone
GoErie.com, PA - 14 hours ago
Dear Abby: Now that the year-end holidays are here, I find myself once again in the sometimes difficult position of having to explain to acquaintances and ...

Holidays in Georgia (Yule be surprised!)
Atlanta Journal Constitution,  USA - 2 hours ago
Yet there are a surprising number of holiday traditions that have Georgia connections —- and ones that we’ve localized in interesting ways. ...

Kansas City Star
Sprint gears up for the holidays, offers free Centro, Rumor
Kansas City Star, MO - 2 hours ago
“During these challenging economic times, it is more important than ever for us to make online holiday shopping effortless with the best overall value and ...

holidays - Google News