PR HOOK: MOTHER'S DAY
We’ve only just seen out Halloween and we’re almost 2 months away from Christmas, but I want you to start thinking about Mother’s Day.
Do you have a product or service that can be an appealing commodity for Mother’s Day? The perfect gift? The ultimate pamper package? An indulgent treat? Something special?
Once you’ve established that you’ve got an offering to work with for this PR hook, the next thing is to work out what type of media you’re going to be able to target. Let’s follow the principle of lead times:
Long Lead = 3-6 months in advance
Short Lead = 2-12 weeks in advance
So, we’re about 3-4 months out but keep in mind that the March issues of the long leads will come out in February, so really, at this stage, we’re looking at a last minute push to long lead and a well prepared start to short lead media.
Get your pitch ready, select your imagery and start to pull out the media you want to target. Magazines like the weekend newspaper supplements often give a broad cross section of gift suggestions, meeting all styles and ages. Magazines across the women’s lifestyle sector will create Mother’s Day content. Think beyond gift guides as well - have you and your mother got a unique story to share? Do you work with your mum? Is there something unique about your relationship? There is always scope for ‘real stories’ and this could be an avenue for you to explore across long and short lead women’s media.
Work out where your offering will sit well, do the preparation and start reaching. Tap into long lead straight away to try and catch and last minute activity and look at targeting short lead in mid-January.
Make a couple of calls: ‘When are you putting your Mother’s Day content together?’ ‘Who is the best contact for the gift guide?’ ‘Are you working on any real life stories around maternal relationships'?’ and pitch accordingly.
Timing is everything in PR. If you’re a little early, it’s no bad thing, just make a note of when that magazine will be tackling Mother’s Day content, or try a couple of weeks later.
Make it happen; if you’ve got a great product or service, get out there and tell people about it!