For PR professionals focused on consumer products, the month of June means one thing – Dads and Grads media pitching. As the name implies, these media opportunities feature highlight-worthy gifts for Father’s Day and Graduations (usually High School and College).
Similar to the Holiday Gift Guides that always pop up during December, many mainstream magazines as well as mommy and daddy bloggers put together Dads and Grads Gift Guides. At lotus823, many of our clients fall into the B2C (business to consumer) category, selling products geared towards a consumer audience.
With this expertise, our PR team has put together the below tips for pitching Dads and Grads Gift Guides.
Be Conscious of Timing
As with any media outreach, timing is everything. As a public relations practitioner, it is necessary to be aware of the lead times for each type of media. For example, print magazines typically work approximately three months out so if a feature were slated for the June issue, we would begin media outreach in March. Blogs and online versions of magazines are considered short lead opportunities. When pitching these outlets, our team will be pitching media in May all the way until the end of June. If our pitch is sent too early or too late, there is a good chance we will miss our window of opportunity to garner the reporter’s attention.
Utilize Multiple Sources
A good rule of thumb when compiling Dads and Grads Gift Guide opportunities is to utilize a publication’s editorial calendar. Many of these magazines will list some type of Dads and Grads opportunity for June.
Another source, especially for short lead opportunities, is a publicity service called HARO (Help a Reporter Out), where reporters can post opportunities seeking sources. Each member of our team at lotus823 receives daily HARO opportunities and throughout the months of May and June, blogs, online publications, and broadcast outlets put out calls for sources for Dads and Grads Gift Guides. This is a great way to pitch our client’s products.
Be Inclusive with Pitching Content
Reporters typically receive hundreds of emails per day. With gift guide pitching, these numbers skyrocket. As such, it is important to keep pitches concise and direct, including all of the pertinent information a reporter would need. This includes the URL for the product, a short description of why it is perfect for Dads and Grads, the product’s availability and cost, and an image.
Similar advice is offered by the PRSA: “For holiday gift guides, the pitch can be even shorter than traditional pitches. Let your contact know what the product is, why it is a great gift idea, give them pricing info and a link to the website or specific page for easy viewing.”
These are only a few tips for pitching Dads and Grads Gift Guides. What tips do you have to share? What has worked and what has not? Let us know in the comments below!