It’s The Most Wonderful Time of the Year for Digital PR. Here’s How you can Make your Pitch Stand Out this Christmas

Tis the season to be jolly and here at Embryo, we want to deliver some good news by sharing some helpful digital PR advice which will get you through the festive period. 

December was always a tricky month for getting results for clients as a lot of journalists would be on annual leave throughout the Christmas holiday. However, this year will be different. We have had a massive reduction of OOO emails as the majority of reporters are working from home and have an alternative contact for you to contact if they are absent. 

So, what does this mean for Christmas? Will it be the most wonderful time of the year for digital PR?

The truth is we cannot predict what this month is going to be like in terms of outreach and results as December has always been a challenging month when it comes to coming up with campaign ideas which stand out of the crowd. Rather than regurgitating the same content, you have to be innovative with the way you think, and think of the publications readers and what they want to read in the papers and magazines.

We think outside of the box and understand what makes a good story, and that should always be the root of your thinking when it comes to succeeding in digital PR. This year, we have shown what it takes to be reactive, and we have put together some fantastic campaigns for Embryo and our clients which have got excellent results online and in print as they reflect what is happening right now. 

We have stripped back to basics and understood what people want to read around this time of year and put our Embryo stamp on it by using consumer insights, data and included insights from our other departments to create unique campaigns. So If you have no faith in what you have developed as a campaign, then the likelihood of it being successful in the press is low as you do not believe in what you have made is good. If you are ever in this situation, then you need to go back to the drawing board and think of a fresh idea which fits your goals and hits your client KPIs.

Pitching tips for December:

• Update your calendar – Pay attention to when Christmas falls this year and update your calendar with dates when journalists are most likely to take time off for example before Christmas and in the lead up to New Year’s Eve.
• Pitch early – Being reactive and contacting the journalists who are the most relevant to your campaigns will help you secure an opportunity in the media before the Christmas break.
• Use newsworthy headlines – Use headers that tie into what is happening right now and relates to the publications trending content and connects with their audience. 
• Change up your writing style – Be unique with the way you pitch your story and don’t be afraid to be creative with your pitches or include some festive puns if it’s appropriate for the publication.
• Keep on top of follow-ups – Pick up the phone and don’t be afraid to chase the whereabouts of your press release as they can get lost in the influx of emails that journalists get throughout December. 
• Chase publications for publishing dates –  With most reporters working from home there will be a delay of when articles get published in print or online. So we would recommend creating a tracker which gives you visibility of who you need to follow up with and confirm a publishing date.