Holiday and seasonal product pitching is like any other part of a targeted media outreach campaign, except that it just takes a little more strategy and planning. Gift guides are a great way to showcase your brand’s products or services during a time of year when people are actively paying attention to what’s new, cool and trending as potential gift giving ideas for loved ones. 

Reporters working on these types of seasonal or holiday round-ups are often on the hunt for which products to feature, whether it be through crowdsourced recommended products or products that have been directly sent to them to test out and review.

Here you’ll find some helpful tips for pitching your company’s products in the upcoming seasonal or holiday gift guides.

Gift Guide Pitching Tips

• Nail down which publications you want to pitch your product to and track deadlines listed in the editorial calendar. Most publications start planning ahead anywhere from three to six months out for sourcing story ideas, as well as products to feature in any seasonal gift guides they are working on. 

• Review prior gift guides and past holiday coverage to get an idea of the products, themes, pricing, and activities the outlets like to cover. Make sure your brand and product is a fit. 

• Start pitching early! And choose the best items for gifting and focus on those items. You can’t pitch everything you sell. 

• Avoid using terms such as “one-of-a-kind” or “unique” in your pitch, unless you can prove that you have that special item that truly is unlike any other. 

• Do something special, such as offer a holiday discount, a gift with purchase, complimentary gift wrap, donation to a charity, or something that makes your company stand out from the rest.

• Don’t pitch items that are out of season, out of stock or take a significant amount of time to make and ship. 

• Send product samples to journalists after you email a pitch. Follow up to ensure receipt of the product and ask how they liked testing it out. 

• If you have yet to receive a response regarding your original pitch, send a follow-up email with a reorganized pitch/alternate angle and new product image. Re-emphasize your key messages and key differentiators for the product and why their readers would love to have/gift one. 

• Have a specific, strategic subject line. Something as simple as “holiday gift guide” gets to the point and tells them why you’re reaching out.

The Importance of Seasonal and Holiday Pitching

With the proper planning and the right organization, you can be sure to maximize seasonal and holiday gift guide pitching year round. This type of product pitching can also help your business build brand credibility and introduce new customers to your company and your products during times of the year when gift giving is top of mind. 

It is also a great way to pitch new products and showcase how they stand out from the competition. Be sure to pitch the right people who typically work on holiday and seasonal gift guides, so you can get the desired response. After all, what is the point of a holiday product pitch if you don’t sell products and establish relationships with journalists and your target audiences? 

Enlist the Help of an Expert

If you are getting ready to do a holiday or seasonal product pitch, enlist the help of a PR agency or professional. PR professionals can also help you navigate other product pitching considerations that have come into play now with the advent of affiliate marketing. In any regard, gift guide product pitching can be a useful tool for getting your products featured and in front of more potential consumers. 

Start planning now, be strategic and get help if you need. Happy (early) holidays!