Beyond the big players like Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, there’s a treasure trove of oddball holidays that – if used wisely – can earn your brand valuable media attention.
Those of us in public relations are always looking for the right angle, the right hook to catch a reporter’s attention. That’s where national days/weeks/months of recognition can come in handy! Think: National Ice Cream Day, National Small Business Month, or even National Tape Measure Day (yep, it’s a thing).
Part of our job means helping our company or clients find newsworthy opportunities to raise awareness of their organization, brand, and/or products and services within their target audiences. While it can be challenging, there are some out-of-the-box ways to make news out of seemingly nothing.
As PR pros, we know timeliness is key. But layering on quirkiness and novelty can sometimes be just the thing to catch the media’s attention.
We must keep in mind, though, what makes news “news”?
- Timeliness: Is the announcement tied to a specific day or event?
- Proximity: Does the news impact audiences who reside in the areas the targeted media outlets cover?
- Impact: Does this significantly impact the target audience and that of the targeted media?
- Consequence: Are there significant consequences that may affect the lives or livelihoods of the audiences?
- Novelty: Is this something off-the-wall or unique, a human-interest story, or something with great visuals?
- Prominence: Does this involve a celebrity or high-profile brand?
- Exclusivity: Is the news being offered to a specific outlet before it is shared broadly?
Unique holidays can help check off many of the items on this list, to elevate your client or brand into the “newsworthy” stratosphere.
Follow these five steps to leverage these out-of-the-ordinary holidays to secure news coverage:
Step 1: Compile a Master List of Holidays
When we say there is a day for everything, we mean it. National Tune-Up Day reminds homeowners to schedule maintenance for their heating system before heading into winter. National Margarita Day is the perfect time to throw a fiesta and offer a specialty margarita or discount. International Wheelchair Day is for sharing stories and raising awareness for the importance of wheelchairs and the need for accessibility worldwide. The list goes on! Find ones that are fitting for your business or clients and craft the compelling stories around it.
Creating a list will help to track and manage these opportunities (which are also great social media fodder). When compiling the list, include the date(s), description, and client, service, or product it applies to for easy reference.
Your pitch will be even stronger if there is a special discount, limited-edition offer, social media contest or something similar for people to participate in or take advantage of.
TIP: Creating such an extensive list can be confusing in the future if it’s not properly organized. Think about leveraging a platform that can be shared with multiple users and updated in real-time, such as a Google Sheet or AirTable.
Step 2: Ensure the Holiday Aligns with Your Brand
There are few things more awkward than seeing a brand publicly addressing something that isn’t relevant to their business. There are enough recognition days to go around for every organization, so be sure to find ones that will really resonate with your audience. People can recognize when a brand is capitalizing on a trend that isn’t truly relevant for them.
CASE STUDY #1: For National Steak Day, our team cooked up coverage for a high-end steakhouse by showcasing the chef in a live cooking demo. The segment showed viewers how to prepare the perfect steak at home, boosting brand awareness and promoting sales of the restaurant’s meal kits in multiple markets.
CASE STUDY #2: For National Cut Your Energy Costs Day, our team secured a segment for a nonprofit that provides critical home repairs for people living on low or fixed incomes. One of the professional technicians spoke with a local reporter to share tips around HVAC health and maintenance and weatherization tips to keep homes warm in the winter while raising awareness for the services that the nonprofit provides.
This shows that even if a holiday doesn’t perfectly align with a client’s services, it can still provide a creative platform for storytelling if you tie it back to the mission in a meaningful way.
Step 3: Draft Your Pitch
Now that you’ve found an appropriate holiday for your brand, it’s time to write a pitch to intrigue the news outlets and reporters. Be clear about what makes the holiday newsworthy (or fun!) and include all necessary information the public needs to know to celebrate.
CASE STUDY: While looking for media angles for a local grant-making company, we discovered National Cereal Day. Although this doesn’t seem like an obvious fit for the client, they had recently provided a grant to the only cereal bar in town. Reporters loved the unique hook – and the opportunity to taste test some cereal concoctions — and it led to multiple live TV segments that hat showcased both the business’s deals for the day and the client’s impact in the community.
Step 4: Do Your Research
When researching relevant media contacts for your pitch, consider from which outlets your audiences consume news. Which news anchors and reporters have covered similar topics in the past? Do any of your media contacts have a personal connection to the theme or topic that would pique their personal interest as well as professional?
If you’re pitching something more adventurous, like walking through a haunted house or yoga with buffalo, make sure you add reporters to your list that you know will go onsite and are up for the challenge.
Step 5: Secure Your Coverage
You’ve found the right holiday, the right story and the right media list. Now, it’s time to send your pitch. And never underestimate the power of a follow-up if you don’t get an initial response. Reporter’s inboxes can be a scary black hole so a quick follow-up could get your email back to the top of the list.
Leveraging a whole month? This could be a great opportunity to propose a series of segments.
CASE STUDY: For Bourbon Heritage Month, our team secured a recurring segment on a local morning show, featuring a different restaurant, bar or spokesperson each week. By rotating guests, we not only showcased the region’s bourbon experience but also sustained audience interest and awareness throughout the month. Now that’s something to toast about!
Whether you’re promoting steak and cereal, or nonprofit services, there’s likely a holiday out there for you. Leveraging out-of-the ordinary days of recognition can be a fun and fresh way to garner coverage for your company or client.
A version of this blog was originally published in 2021 and has been refreshed to include relevant client case studies.
Looking for more tips to level up your media pitching? Check out these other relevant posts on the Scooter Media blog:
