The Pitching Season for the Holidays

Never assume that it is too late to secure editorial coverage!

Sure, we post deadlines for a reason. Editors give them to us. But, we constantly find outlets throughout the pitching season that are still in search of the next best thing.

There are several things to keep in mind when pitching for the holidays…

• Persistence pays off.
• The Gift List can be used continually through the season to identify and secure editorial possibilities.
• You should be flexible with your schedule and expectations in order to work with demanding editors.

The Holiday Pitching Season

The Gift List for Holiday 2008 Deadlines.

The Gift List for Holiday 2009 Deadlines, data collection to-date as of September 1, 2009

*You can see by comparing the graphs, that the shake-up in the media world that took place during the fourth quarter of 2008 has really pushed deadlines this year. Data collection at the time of gathering numbers for the 2009 graph had not begun for all outlet groups, which is why they are not all represented in the 2009 graph.

May/June

We start posting long leads including national high-circulation consumer magazines in early May.  National magazines are shown in blue on the graph.

As you can see by the graph, the season starts off slowly with only a few publications seeking information with a 7-month lead-time.  There are a couple of reasons a magazine might need a long lead time, such as sending products out to a panel of readers, developing recipes in a test kitchen or holding focus groups.

These very early deadlines oftentimes are not the most obvious outlets, for example this year Fit Pregnancy, Skywest Magazine and All You all had June deadlines.

July

Long leads continue to be posted as editors begin to collect submissions for their holiday issues.  Deadlines start extending into August and September as editors try to hone down a focus for their holiday gift guides and feature focuses.

As you can see by the graph, this will be your busiest time for national magazines.  Examples of July deadlines are Playboy, Ladies Home Journal, InStyle, Self, Glamour, Family Circle and so on.

Deadlines for regional magazines also start in July, such as Midwest Living and Los Angeles Magazine.

August & September

Regional magazines start making decisions on their editorial calendars for holiday features and gift guides. Deadlines generally range from July to October, peaking in September.  Regional magazines are shown in red.

National weekly magazines such as People and US Weekly start making editorial decisions for holidays and set deadlines in September through November.  Deadlines generally range from September to December, peaking in early November.  Weekly magazines are shown in green.

News Wires and Syndicates are the next category to make an appearance.  Early deadlines may include outlets such as Copley or Associated Press.  News Wires and Syndicate deadlines start in early September, peaking in November.  News Wires and Syndicates are shown in orange.

October

Newspaper special sections are planned and the majority post deadlines in October for Thanksgiving-related content and November for Christmas and Gift Guide content.

Daily newspapers have a short period of time when they collect product information.  Generally it is from early October to late November, peaking in early November.  If you had all your newspaper pitches ready to ship on November 1 you would be in good shape.

November

Local and regional newspapers start making decisions on content for holiday gift features. Radio and television shows start looking for submissions for holiday broadcasts.

December

Newspapers, radio, broadcast and online editors continue to look for last-minute gift ideas and the latest trends to include in shows, features, blogs and newsletters.