Speaking of end-of-year trends, while Black Friday and Cyber Monday have always been significant drivers of sales opportunities for brands, media coverage during this time continues to rise year on year as more and more media outlets count on the affiliate revenue these placements drive. As a result, Black Friday and Cyber Monday coverage is even surpassing Holiday Gift Guide coverage in total volume, making it essential that brands plan ahead for attractive deals to stay competitive and relevant during this key time of year.
According to freelance journalist and friend of the agency, Trae Bodge, here are a few tips on how to land deal coverage:
#1. Scroll social media to find opportunities for deal coverage:
If you’re looking for some new names to add to your outreach list, take some time to scroll through social media, searching for hashtags relevant to your specialty, as well as hashtags like #giftguide, #holidaygifts, and the like. Use Help a Reporter and similar platforms to find requests for gift guide submissions and conduct online searches for TV shows that aired gift segments last year, as it’s likely they will do the same this year.
#2. Make your deal (and your assets) stand out from the competition
Your prospects are probably being approached left and right these days, so how do you stand out from the competition? Make sure your outreach materials are buttoned up, be open to sending samples, and make your recipients aware of any exciting initiatives you have planned, like promotions, deals or charitable partnerships. Once a prospect has expressed interest, ask if there are things you could offer that would be helpful to them, like product giveaways, exclusive coupon codes, affiliate links or other collabs. You could reference these offerings in your introductory materials, of course, but be subtle. You don’t want to appear over eager.
#3. Strategically time your discounts and promotions
Offering deals during the holiday season is particularly important. And I don’t only say this because I write about sales and savings for a living. We’re a promotional culture, and this craving for savings reaches a boiling point around the holidays. I spent a large part of my career on the brand side of the fence and I understand that it can be difficult to find wiggle room in your pricing after you’ve lost a huge chunk of your margin to your retailers and spent a fortune on your marketing efforts. So, maybe you pick and choose, offering a discount to one retailer who you know will give you more visibility in exchange and then offer a discount on your own site, where the margin is more in your favor. Do what works for you and your brand and you’ll be well on your way to a successful holiday season!
For innovative consumer brands looking for media relations support, Max Borges Agency offers full service PR services and 20+ years of experience working with brands in this space. Contact us today to learn more about how we can support your brand. Here’s a peek at coverage we landed for MBA clients in 2022 Prime Day:
