3 Things I’ve learned about Holiday PR

Written by our PR Coordinator: Ella Mertz

When I started in PR over two years ago, I was excited for my first holiday season full of festive pitches, cozy content, and fun seasonal angles. While I’m someone who loves celebrating the season early, when August and September rolled around and fall and winter pitch planning began, I thought to myself, "already?" 

Now, after navigating multiple holiday seasons, I've learned that the secret to holiday PR isn't just what you pitch, it's when you pitch it. Here's what those first few seasons taught me.

Holidays Demand Early Planning

When the holiday season rolls around, everyone starts looking for answers to their pressing end-of-year questions. Where should I celebrate Thanksgiving dinner? What gift should I get my coworker? Where can I find last-minute stocking stuffers?

To meet this demand, publications churn out gift guides, holiday roundups, and seasonal features from October through December. But while readers are discovering this content in real-time, it's actually been planned months in advance.

Looking Backward to Plan Forward

Two of the most valuable strategies I've learned are to study editorial calendars and look at what publications covered last year. Editorial calendars provide a roadmap of what topics they're planning each month, but I've found that looking at their past coverage adds another layer. I'll go through the local publications' November and December archives to see what they actually wrote about, whether it was waterfront dining spots for Thanksgiving or spa gift guides in early December. That combination tells me which clients fit and when to pitch them. Working backward from previous publication dates has made my timing much more strategic.

Putting Your Strategy Into Action

When September and October hit, our holiday pitching is in full swing, getting stories out to  journalists before their inboxes become flooded with pitches and open spots for coverage get harder to secure. This is also when follow-ups become your best friend. Journalists are getting hundreds of holiday pitches every day, so it’s easy for your initial email to get buried under breaking news or deadline chaos. A brief follow-up a week later can land at exactly the right moment. I've watched pitches go from radio silence to immediate interest just because the timing of that second email was better.

To stand out during this season, I've learned to keep everything condensed and to the point. Using clear subject lines, bullet points with key details, and having high-res images ready to go increases your chances of getting covered. Journalists are working on tight deadlines, and if they have to email back asking for images or more details, your pitch often gets moved to the bottom of the pile or passed over entirely.

The Takeaway

The biggest adjustment for me was realizing that in PR, you're always working a few months ahead of everyone else. But when December rolls around and your clients are featured in the holiday roundups you pitched months ago, that sense of accomplishment is unmatched. Those placements drive real results and build media relationships that extend well beyond the holidays.