Holidays Information

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.asp
for 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


MORE RESOURCES:

Spring Magic Today (holiday weekend T-storms, 90 by Sunday?)
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Holiday Weekend, Start of Summer 2012 - What Can Go Wrong? A lot can (and will) happen between now and next weekend. Maybe the forecast will improve over time, like a fine (box) wine? We can dream, but keep your expectations low.



Mirror.co.uk

Diamond Jubiliee breaks: Holidays fit for a Queen
Mirror.co.uk
Princess Elizabeth was on holiday in Kenya on February 6, 1952, when she was told she had become Queen. A nine-day, Nairobi to Nairobi, Kenya Camping Safari takes travellers through the Masai Mara Game Reserve. From £1349pp. Instead of celebrating with ...



New Zealand Herald

April visitor arrivals ease due to earlier holidays
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As Easter and Australian school holidays fell earlier in 2012, more people travelled in March and fewer travelled in April, compared with 2011. Even though Easter started on 6 April this year (compared with 22 April last year), more people generally ...
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E! Online

'Mad Men' Watch: Harry, Harry, Krishna, Krishna
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By STEPHANIE GOODMAN In the “Mad Men” universe, holidays are rarely occasions for joyous celebrations, and so it was Sunday night with the episode titled “Christmas Waltz,” which no one would confuse with the “Downton Abbey” holiday special.
'Mad Men' Season 5 Episode 11 Preview: Who Is 'The Other Woman'?Gather.com
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West Sussex County Times

Horsham district bank holiday bin collections
West Sussex County Times
THERE will be changes to the Acorn Plus refuse and recycling collections in the Horsham District over the bank holiday weekend in June. Horsham District Council's Acorn Plus scheme collects recycling and refuse from Tuesdays to Fridays, which usually ...



Daily News

Reduce public holidays for socio-econo-growth
Daily News
I FELT gratified by recent reports that “the Govt. of Portugal has eliminated four public holidays from its calendar to increase national productivity…” [BBC, The Telegraph; EconoWatch, et al: May 9 and 10, 2012]. My gratification was born of the fact ...



Mirror.co.uk

Late holiday deals
Mirror.co.uk
Devon from £95pp : Save £100 on a week at Parkdean's Ruda Holiday Park in Croyde Bay, one of Britain's best surfing beaches. The price is for a Pilton or Hartland Caravan Holiday Home, sleeping up to six, from July 7. Cornwall for £100pp : Celebrate ...



Tempo Holidays launches Bulk Buy and Save program
e-Travel Blackboard (press release)
Leading travel wholesaler Tempo Holidays has launched an innovative program rewarding loyal customers who purchase more than one item from their extensive range. In fact, the more items the customer buys the greater the savings can be.



Germans book 30 pct fewer Greek holidays
EMportal
German bookings for holidays in Greece have slumped by almost a third so far this year, a German Sunday paper quoted a Thomas Cook executive as saying. "By the beginning of the Summer season, booking numbers for holiday in Greece in the German travel ...

and more »


UW aims to treat religions fairly
77Square.com
For years, this calendar has included some of the more well-known religious holidays — Rosh Hashanah, Good Friday, Ramadan — so that professors and administrators can avoid scheduling exams or staff meetings on those days. That tradition has now ...

and more »

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