AuthorHolly Mason
LinkedIn
When it comes to creating a digital PR strategy for the festive season, it's important to adapt your roadmap to keep the momentum going. December can be known as a slower month, with journalists on well-earned breaks and general news giving way to festive stories.
At NOVOS, we tailor and implement digital PR strategies for eCommerce clients to improve organic performance. Here are some proven tactics to maintain and build brand visibility during the festive season:
Proven Digital PR Tactics
Respond To Journalist Requests
Journalist requests are valuable all year round, but they're particularly effective during quieter periods as they can be a quick tactic for building backlinks. Using platforms such as Response Source and the 'Journo Request' hashtag on X means you can keep a close eye on what journalists are writing during these periods and be the first to respond.
Focus on Link Hygiene & Link Reclamation
Use this slower period to focus on link hygiene and reclamation. This includes identifying and fixing broken backlinks, converting brand mentions into links, and following up on previous out-of-office responses to secure link placements. This is good practice to do once a quarter, if possible, as it can be a low resource way of driving a positive impact to overall SEO performance.
Pitch Seasonal Evergreen Content
During the festive season, make sure the content you're pitching is evergreen, seasonally relevant, and informative to both journalists and their readers. Journalists may have limited time in December and will want to focus on covering the stories that add the most value.
Offer New Year Predictions & Trend Pieces
As the year draws to a close, journalists are often interested in trend predictions for the coming year and any key round-up data or statistics for the year. If your client can provide journalists with unique sales data, use this to your advantage and position your clients as industry thought leaders in their niche.
Schedule Outreach Between Christmas & New Year
Many PR practitioners assume that outreach will go unnoticed between Christmas and New Year, but journalists who are still working may have fewer pitches to sift through. So, it's still worth scheduling outreach during this time to increase your link building opportunities.
Start Outreach Earlier Than You Think
In print, 'Christmas in July' is when journalists start sourcing holiday content. While digital has a faster turnaround, early outreach (starting as far back as summer) will help get your clients' on journalists' radars sooner. Don't hesitate to outreach your content, start now!
Prepare for Last-Minute Christmas Gift Guides
For e-commerce clients, ask for their final delivery dates to capitalise on the 'last-minute gift' or 'still available for Christmas Day delivery' angles that journalists will be actively looking for as the big day approaches. Every year around Christmas, journalists search for the best last-minute gifts, so ensure you have a press release ready to go when these come through.
Tailor Your Emails & Media Lists
Tailoring your media lists is important all year round, but it's especially important during the festive season when fewer journalists are working and covering pitches. Make sure your pitches are targeted and relevant. Send product pitches to shopping editors and use personalisation to help your emails stand out in crowded inboxes.
Diversify Your Content Beyond Christmas Themes
Not all journalists will focus solely on festive stories and have specific niches they cover. If you can, plan ahead for topics such as New Year's resolutions, health and wellness for January, winter blues, and Valentine's Day, and pitch the journalists who are the most relevant.
While Christmas content is essential, diversifying your topics to include these upcoming seasonal trends can help keep your outreach timely and effective, setting you up for a successful start to the New Year. Read more about our Digital PR service and get in touch today!
