Five Tips for Landing Your Product in Holiday Gift Guides

Author: Emily Roethle

With months in advance of tentpole holidays like Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Christmas and Hannukah, consumers begin to drive heavy search traffic around terms and phrases like ‘what to buy wife for Christmas,’ ‘gifts for new moms’ and everything in between. As search volume around gift ideas increases, timed with consumers actively planning to spend dollars on new products, gift guide press placements offer an annual opportunity to get your brand’s products in front of an actionable audience.

But, with a saturated season, how do you get your foot in the door to secure placements in the right gift guides?

Below are five tips for securing impactful holiday gift guide coverage that will win over reporters, reach your target customers and drive sales for your brand.

Start early. 

The phrase “it’s never too early to start” rings true when it comes to holiday gift guide outreach. For print coverage, we recommend reaching out to the media four to six months in advance to generate interest and start gathering pertinent information, like images, links, pricing and more. And you’ll want to allow ample time for shipping product samples.  

It’s equally important to start early with online publications. With consumers purchasing holiday gifts on advanced timelines to avoid fulfillment and/or shipping delays and with big box digital retailers like Amazon launching pre-Black Friday sales, publications are shifting their gift guides to ink earlier than ever. For many brands, this is an opportunity to start promoting products early to take full advantage of the holiday buying season.  

Determine what is “giftable.” 

As you begin your outreach, assess each publication’s audience. When you look at the outlet’s readers, consider the key interests and target price points for that specific demographic. It can be helpful to explore gift guides from the previous year to discover what themes the outlet focused on and what types of items drove coverage.

With this research and context in mind, determine what products from your brand’s catalog are the most gift guide friendly. Is the product practical, yet unique enough to make it stand out over the competition? Can it be explained in two or three sentences? Is the product priced reasonably enough for someone to gift to a loved one? Does the product solve a common problem or relate to a current trend? Offer context in your pitch (while keeping it brief, of course!) that addresses these questions. Finally, ask yourself if the product is positioned well across your website and social media pages, as reporters consider these factors when selecting gifts to include.

Consider holiday-specific offerings.

Gifting season can present a crowded marketplace – for both brands and buyers. So, consider ways you can stand out for the season in a sea of related products.

As you plan for holidays six to twelve months out, can you slot in special themed products? If you are in the self-care and wellness space, for instance, perhaps you have a special cranberry or holly scent for the winter holidays, or if you’re in the apparel space, consider a new seasonal colorway to match the holiday. If a new product isn’t in the cards this year, are there alternative ways you can update branding or packaging? Brands with cheeky holiday-related sayings on the packaging or with specialty advent calendars can stand above similar products as editors begin to pick their gift guide selections.

In the short term, consider ways to bundle products for a “special” package – with a lower lift. What products in your brand’s line can be paired together with a small discount? Is there a way to create the ultimate “tech” or “fitness guru” bundle to make shopping easier for potential buyers?

Leverage affiliate marketing.

As media outlets look to drive revenue outside of traditional advertising, they are increasingly turning to affiliate marketing programs to bolster their bottom line. When a product is featured in a gift guide and a sale is made through an affiliate link, media entities earn a commission. Therefore, it’s an increasingly common requirement for a brand to have an affiliate program and links to even be considered for gift guide inclusion. Listing your product on Amazon (which has its own affiliate program) or setting up a program through Skimlinks, ShareASale or Rakuten can help your brand get ahead of the competition during a crowded gifting season. For food and beverage products, ensure your products are available on delivery services like Drizly and Instacart, too. When pitching any products for digital gift guide inclusion, be sure to mention which affiliate program(s) your brand is a part of so that editors have easy access to the information.

Visual content is king.

As editors sift through hundreds (if not thousands!) of gift guide pitches, one key element can stand out: imagery.

Readers are drawn to lifestyle brands that they can envision gifting – and quality visuals can help bridge the gap to a qualified conversion. Consider revamping any stale imagery with high-resolution product photos on white backgrounds, as well as lifestyle imagery showing the product in a variety of use cases. As you sift through imagery galleries, ensure you are including a wide selection of horizontal images, as this is the preferred orientation for digital publications.

By implementing the above tips when compiling your holiday gift guide outreach strategy, you’re more likely to secure placements that make an impact on your bottom line, while simultaneously offering something of value to the publication and reporter. 

If you’d like help with your gift guide strategy, reach out to us today.