Black Friday and Cyber Monday are two of the biggest shopping days of the year and increasingly, they are being covered by media outlets in the days and weeks preceding. In fact, the average Max Borges Agency client earned 23 placements solely for Black Friday and/or Cyber Monday deals in 2021. Additionally, we saw a 90% increase in deal-focused coverage in our 2022 Collective Media Intelligence Report.
With that said, companies that are able to offer a deal during this key sales holiday are likely to earn both media attention and a strong boost in sales if they approach the holiday with a strategic plan in place. In this blog post, we’ll give you some tips on how to improve your chances of being featured in Black Friday and Cyber Monday deal roundups.
Offer a Competitive Deal
While we understand every business needs to take their profit margins into consideration, if you’re looking to stand out, it’ll be important to offer a competitive discount that will make media more likely to feature your brand and consumers more likely to take advantage of the offer. As a general rule of thumb, anything less than 20% for these holidays is unlikely to earn much attention.
Start Outreach 4-6 Weeks Ahead of Time
Begin reaching out to media outlets, bloggers and other influencers at least 4-6 weeks before Black Friday/Cyber Monday. Make sure your pitch arrives well before the date you want your deal to go live; this will give the editor time to review it and make any necessary changes. Keep in mind that most editors receive hundreds of pitches during this time of year, so don’t be discouraged if you don’t hear back right away—they’re probably just buried under a mountain of email!
Get Creative with Deal Offers
Think outside the box when it comes to your deals. Free shipping, percentage discounts, and bundles are all great, but if you can come up with something truly unique, you’ll be more likely to stand out from the crowd. Consider gamifying the sales process, offering free gifts with a certain quantity of purchases, or other playful incentives that get consumers excited about your brand.
Share Affiliate Partners
The line between editorial and affiliate is thinner than ever before. In fact, most Black Friday and Cyber Monday coverage will come from commerce writers at media publications, so it’s important to know and proactively share information about the brand’s affiliate partners so the contact you’re working with knows how they’re able to monetize the deal.
