An effective PR campaign needs to take into account media lead times to ensure that coverage opportunities are maximised. Lead times can vary from seconds – in the case of a big news story that is being pitched into a national news outlet – through to six months and over, when it comes to selling in products to monthly magazines. Depending on what is being promoted and where the Holy Grail of coverage should land, it is crucial to ensure approaches to media are being made at the right time so that you don’t miss the boat. For us, that means we have liaised with journalists about Christmas when the rest of the nation is sweltering on the hottest day of the year, and five minutes later pitched an alfresco dining features to short lead media.
The good news for brands that might be on the back foot with their PR planning, is that the ever-evolving move into digital media means that the majority of media outlets now have shorter lead times. Therefore, apart from monthly magazines and some weeklies, there are still myriad opportunities to generate coverage in Valentine’s Day articles and composite product pages. Influencers, websites, newspapers (national and regional), some newspaper supplements and weekly magazines are still looking for products that are perfect for the most romantic day of the year. If you have a product that is ideal for Valentine’s Day and want to know what opportunities to tap into PR-wise, then get in touch at hello@stormcom.co.uk. Or if you know now that you have products that are suitable for other diary occasions – Easter, Mother’s Day, Halloween, Christmas to name just a few – then we can advise on how to maximise your PR approach to create a strong pipeline of coverage ahead of the occasion.
