08/14/2012 (press release: emilie.legrand) // Leicestershire, England // Jessica Ward
Professionals in the fast-paced public relations industry should make it a priority to plan ahead for campaigns as the Christmas season approaches. Failure to take into account longer lead times can result in missed coverage opportunities, says integrated PR agency Punch Communications.
Summer brings with it connotations of sunshine, holidays and relaxing time off work. However, for the PR industry, this time of year signals Christmas in July events, the chance to arrange media visits to showcase products for vital seasonal gift guide coverage. Long-lead publications will begin finalising Christmas issues towards the end of the summer, therefore forcing PRs to be proactive when it comes to planning features and product placement at this time of year.
Kirsty Shaw, account director at Punch, says: “When it comes to coverage opportunities at Christmas, long-leads fill up extremely fast. With this in mind, public relations consultants should be pitching stories, features and products to the press now in order to avoid disappointment. By the time autumn comes, all of the long-lead publications, especially lifestyle glossies such as Cosmopolitan and GQ, will already have closed their pages. In addition to this, many weekly and online outlets will be already in the process of shortlisting, so the key is to strike while the iron is hot.”
Kirsty continues: “As the field becomes increasingly more competitive, and magazine space is decreasing due to cuts in advertising budgets, it is now more important than ever that PRs plan ahead to secure that much needed coverage. Media visits for showcasing products should be done well in advance, enabling journalists to experience the products first hand and giving more of a chance to build that face to face relationship for future opportunities. If more than one media visit is required, arranging several back-to-back is the best way to utilise time. Equally important is researching the journalist responsible for collating the gift guide content at each publication. This will save time in the long run as well as help reduce the risk of missing out on coverage opportunities.”
Punch Communications is an integrated PR, social media and search agency with a client base from start-ups to global brands. If you are interested in seeing what an integrated approach can do for your business, including services such as online PR, call Punch on 01858 411600.
Social Media Tags:Public relations, Christmas campaigns, online PR
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