Now is the ideal time to develop your optimal holiday gift guide strategy to drive increased brand awareness, social content and sales. Plus, your retailers will love to see your products featured in the media!

Here are 10 steps to maximize impressions and impact:

1. Narrowly Target Your Audience and the Media that Reach and Influence It

• Understand Your Audience: Know who your ideal consumer is and what types of gift guides they are likely to read.
• Select the Best Media Outlets: Identify relevant blogs, magazines, newspapers, and online outlets that publish gift guides. Focus on those that most closely align with your product’s unique value.

2. Curate a Media List

• Compile a List of Contacts: Gather contact information for editors, journalists, and creators who are responsible for creating gift guides. Tools like Cision, Muck Rack, or even LinkedIn can be useful.
• Segment Your List: Categorize contacts by the type of guide they typically work on (e.g., tech gadgets, luxury items, culinary tools, eco-friendly products).

3. Write a Compelling Pitch

• Craft a Strong Subject Line: Make it attention-grabbing but concise.
• Personalize Your Email: Tailor the pitch to each journalist or creator, referencing their past work or how your product fits their audience.
• Include High-Quality Images: Link to professional product photos that are sized horizontally for media versus social content that can be easily used in a gift guide.
• Make Samples Available: Always offer to send a sample, as this increases the likelihood of your product being featured.
• Build in an Affiliate Program: Make sure you have an affiliate program in place. (Tip: If your product is sold on Amazon, you already have an affiliate program baked in.)

4. Timing is Crucial

• Pitch Early: Start your outreach 2-3 months before major gift-giving seasons (e.g., Christmas, Valentine’s Day). Editors often plan these guides well in advance.
• Follow Up: Send a polite follow-up if you haven’t heard back within a couple of days.

5. Leverage Social Proof

• Showcase Reviews or Testimonials: If your product has been featured in a noncompetitive media outlet or has positive reviews, reference this in your pitch.
• Highlight Awards or Certifications: Mention any accolades or certifications that lend credibility to your product.

6. Utilize Standard Media Tools

• Press Release: Distribute a press release with detailed information about your product, emphasizing why it’s a great gift.
• Media Kit: Includes press release, high-res images, video, product details, and any other relevant information that journalists might need.
• Dedicated Webpage: To avoid sending attachments, create a dedicated webpage or shared online folder to make accessing media assets easy for reporters.

7. Engage on Social Media

• Tag Journalists and Media Outlets: When sharing content related to your product on social media, tag relevant journalists or outlets in a non-intrusive way.
• Use Relevant Hashtags: Include popular gift guide-related hashtags to increase visibility.

8. Monitor and Track Coverage

• Set Up Alerts: Use tools like Google Alerts to monitor mentions of your product or brand in gift guides.
• Thank Journalists: Always send a thank you note or email to journalists who feature your product as a means of building positive, long-term relationships.

9. Amplify Coverage

• Share the Coverage: Once your product is featured, share the coverage across your social media channels, website, and newsletters.
• Leverage Testimonials: If allowed, use quotes or excerpts from the coverage in your marketing materials. You may also be able to leverage them in your online product description pages.

10. Let Us Do the Heavy Lifting: Take the guesswork out of generating gift guide coverage and let us handle the details. Our team has been working with gift guide media for more than 30 years. In 2023 alone, we generated more than 2 billion impressions, which contributed to reaching their sales goals. Schedule a 30-minute consultation here, or reach out at hello@wilksgrp.com.

Image was imagined by AI, inspired by creativity.