There is a seasonal pattern of topics followed by the media. We know the pattern because over the last 25 years my staff of publicists has booked thousands of media stories about our customers and the products they sell. In the coming months we will be making personal calls to literally thousands of reporters and producers on behalf of our clients whose products fit those timely categories.
If you would like your product mentioned as we do our calling, look at the list below and let us know if your product relates in any way to these hot story categories for May, June and July air/publication dates. If your product is a fit, we need to start working with you now. We’re quickly running out of time to include you in the calls to the media that we will be making.
Hot upcoming story angles:
May
• Mother’s Day: Good because the stories are naturally focused products.
• Better sleep month: A large portion of any media audience will suffer from lack of sleep.
• Hypertension awareness month: A common and growing problem.
• National arthritis month: People in pain need are eager to learn about relief.
• Physical fitness and sports month: People are more athletically active in the summer.
• Stroke awareness month: An aging population needs to be educated
• Women’s health month: Women buy most of the health products sold, both for themselves and for the men in their lives.
June
• Father’s Day: Again, good because the stories are naturally focused products.
• Skin cancer awareness month: A growing topic of concern during peak sun season
• Gardening month: Many folks are in their gardens daily
• Wedding trends: ‘Tis the season for weddings and wedding planning
July
• Places to go, places to see: Fall and winter vacation plans are being made
• Disability awareness month: A heartfelt topic because everyone knows someone with a disability
• Herbal/prescription awareness month: More people are taking health into their own hands
Last week, a company saw our list and contacted us about getting PR for an ingredient that fit one of the May categories. We were able to react fast, and today that campaign is already underway and we including them in our calls to the media.
While we can react quickly, it’s always better to start early. Typically the first two weeks of a new campaign are invested in preparing a media tool kit, which helps us to “co-produce” stories with reporters and producers. We must also account for the media’s lead times, which can range anywhere from two or three weeks to several months. The sooner we can get started, the more media coverage that’s available.
Call me at 952-697-5269 or send me an email at Heather@MediaRelations.com to get started. I’ll guide you through our processes so that you too can have your product mentioned in the news!
P.S.
Some category topics are served by a wide range of products. That means the media has more companies, products and experts from which to choose when they do their stories. These categories tend to book up early and it can be hard to get media coverage on short notice. For example, in August hot story topics will be anything to do with babies, and going back to school. To have your best shot at getting coverage for products that relate to these categories, we should really be starting to work on your campaign now.
If you are wondering what time of year is best to start approaching the media for your product, please call and I would be happy to give you some advice.
