The holidays are naturally a busy time of year, busy personally and professionally. In Southwest Florida where we are located, it’s even busier for local businesses. We are in the midst of what we call “season” when our snowbird friends return for a few months. It’s a great, but hectic time of year. If you’re in the public relations (PR) industry, or marketing in general, you might be wondering one or two things: 1) how can I leverage the buzz of activity going on now? and/or 2) how can I stand out amidst the buzz of activity going on right now?

Here are three tips to help you leverage the holidays for PR exposure this year…

Showcase your company’s goodwill and give back

Hosting a food, blanket or other collection/drive is a great way to not only give back to your community, but gain positive coverage for your business. For example, Pushing the Envelope holds a food drive each year, our CAN IT! Campaign. The idea came from a need for food in our community, but it also helps showcase our company culture and builds the goodwill of our business. We give because we care, but it also helps our business.

Your company can do the same. Maybe it’s a blanket drive if you live up north or perhaps it’s a blood drive if you work in the medical field. There are many ways to get involved that help others and help your business gain positive media exposure during the holidays.

Share news about something other than the holidays

Another way to “take advantage of” the holidays is to give the media something else to talk about! As consumers/viewers/readers we start to get sick of reading about this holiday activity and that festivity. We crave information or news about other things. Media does too!

Does your business have something else going on that could make a great story? Contact applicable local media (TV if there is something visual, a daily paper if it’s real time, etc.) and offer it up. Your story could be just what they’re looking for – and it positions you as a resource for that media outlet down the road.

Leverage editorial calendars/topics

Another option for leveraging the holidays for public relations exposure is to use media outlets’ editorial calendars. For those of you who are unfamiliar with ed cals (for short), they are essentially a publication’s plan for topics to cover in future issues/months. Generally, it’s monthly, bi-monthly or sometimes weekly publications that have editorial calendars available.

If your business is hungry for coverage, take a look at the ed cals for applicable publications (local, regional, industry, etc.) and see if you/your business can fit the bill as an expert resource. Keep in mind, magazines work about 3 months out so this will require some pre-planning. If it’s too late for this year, don’t fret! Make a note to take advantage of this for next year.

The holidays are always jam packed, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t still be working for positive publicity/media exposure for your business. It’s my hope that these three tips for leveraging the holidays for PR will help you. However, if you have questions or think you might need some help, feel free to contact us. Happy Holidays!