Deck the Halls with Story Ideas at Christmas

By Joan Stewart
The Publicity Hound

The weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year’s can be painfully slow at newspapers, magazines, and TV and radio stations because newsmakers are doing things other than making news.

Talk show guests are in short supply. Reporters often find it difficult to track down the people they need to comment on a particular story. And because newspapers sell more ads in December, that means more news pages to fill.

Here are ways your publicity effort can capitalize on the holidays:

• Tie your story idea to Thanksgiving, Christmas, Yom Kippur or New Year’s. See Special Report #14: How to Piggyback Your Story Ideas onto Holidays and Anniversaries.
   

• If your school has an unusual Christmas party or tradition, let the media know.
   

• Write letters to the editor and opinion columns for publication during the weeks immediately before and after Christmas, when submissions usually drop off. See Special Report #4: How to Write Crisp, Compelling Letters to the Editor.
   

• Call your local newspapers now to see what special sections they have planned during December. Your story idea might be a perfect fit. Pitch your idea immediately because these sections are sometimes done weeks in advance. See Editorial Calendars: Roadmaps to Publicity.
   

• Stay alert for breaking news stories on which you can provide expert opinion, even if the topic doesn’t have anything to do with the holidays. If a story breaks, call newspapers and TV stations and offer to comment. See How to be an Expert Spokesperson the Media Love.
   

• Write or call magazine editors, who usually work six months ahead, with story ideas for late spring and early summer. See How to Write a Pitch Letter More Powerful Than a News Release.