So it’s Christmas already in PR land already, or so it would seem, with requests from journalists now coming thick and fast for information on what’s going to be this year’s must have toy for the under 10s and ten gift ideas for Granny.
By October, it’ll be Valentine’s Day with journalists looking for ten ways to treat your girlfriend for under £10 and Europe’s most romantic valentine get-away. This will of course be swiftly followed by mother’s day requests coming through in November and just as we’re all about to close the laptop to start our Christmas festivities, journalists will be knocking on our doors to find out who’s offering the best deals on Easter Eggs.
As a B2B PR consultancy, we generally don’t have to jump into action to fulfil these seasonal-related journalist requests, but just like our fellow consumer PR cohorts, we are also subject to the ludicrously long lead times sometimes set by these publications.
From pitch to page, certainly with monthly titles, it can sometimes take months for one of our client’s interviews to appear in print. It is not uncommon for a client interview that took place in February to suddenly appear in June after a long four month wait. This can be frustrating at times, especially when a client has put time aside their valuable time for the interview only for it be played out several months later.
Of course, understanding these lengthy lead times does allow us to plan ahead and means that us PR types can use certain annual events to piggy back a client story on. Now, better go and start my Christmas shopping…opps no, we’re still in August aren’t we?
