PR Tactics to Increase Holiday Sales

By Frida Johannes

Most business owners take the easy way out when it comes to holiday promotions.

Online ads are one of the more popular ways to get your product in front of customers, but it’s also harder to stand out from the competition since other retailers are using the same online ad strategy.

Public Relations is frequently an overlooked strategy that can raise the profile of any business and at a more cost-effective rate.

PR not only raises the profile of your brand with the media but your news story also remains on the web long after the holidays have passed. With advertising, the publicity ends when your budget ends.

But how do you introduce your product or service to reporters?

The M&A Award winning PR firm, Macias PR, has just published a holiday PR guidebook that can help business owners and entrepreneurs identify the holiday news peg that can get them on the news.

Here are some excerpts taken from the holiday guidebook.

Tactic One – Identify Your Story Angle

Finding a unique story angle is not as difficult as it may sound. You just need to open your mind to holiday events that impact and influence sales of your product or service. Look through the newspaper for news stories on similar topics.

Tactic Two – Pitch the Ignored Reporters

One size does not fit all when it comes to pitching a story idea to the media. In many cases you will have more success with your story pitches targeting the proper news medium and reporter through unconventional ways. Newspapers can be a microcosm for this analysis. In many cases you will have more success by targeting reporters or writers who are overlooked in their newsroom. These journalists can consist of weekend writers or reporters or even freelance journalists who need to constantly prove their value to news managers.

If your story idea involves a niche, focus your time and energy on pitching the news outlet that reaches those targeted viewers and readers. You can better shape the publics opinion by reaching your specific customer and that means going where they are located.

Tactic Three – Identify Your Holiday Gimmick

If you want to stand out at a holiday party, you need something to push you above the crowd. It’s no different with branding a product, business, or service, during the busy holiday rush. You need to discover your gimmick to stand out among the holiday retailers. Finding a retail gimmick during the holiday season will have more success if you can find an interactive element. Is there a promotion you can run that allows customers to help underprivileged children during the holiday season? Can you give away a certain percentage of holiday sales to buy gifts for families in need?

Tactic Four – Establish Credibility With the Media

Credibility matters in life, but it especially matters for journalists. Whenever a business owner is pitched to the media, journalists will quietly and overtly measure his expertise, integrity and experience in the industry. Journalists will want to see proof on why this person is the best expert to add color to the industry. This is why your business must establish credibility in the online world if you want to secure credible media placements. If a reporter doesn’t see a solid online presence, credibility questions will be raised and this includes stories with the other news outlets.

Tactic Five – Prepare for Media Interview

Don’t try to memorize sentences, especially if long sentences because you are guaranteed to forget the words no matter how hard you study. Instead communicate your thoughts in bullet points. These bullet points will force you to learn the topic and understand the issues rather than memorizing words. Study and prepare for the themes rather than for the individual questions.

You can download the Guidebook to Publicity during the Holiday Season by clicking here.