By Andrew Blum*
You might call the last two weeks of December the black days of PR but it’s not for sales or best retail deals. While the world is running around getting ready for the holidays, shopping or taking time off, PR people should avoid making most pitches or announcements. No one is paying attention.
Yes, the press is always there but in the dead zone starting December 15 or so, the audience isn’t focusing on news nearly as much. A lot of reporters take time off and some trade publications have traditionally stopped publishing for the two-week period. I liken this period to the last week of August and Labor Day weekend in the U.S. when most people are on vacation.
So, don’t pitch the media, but keep monitoring anyway; the press still has stories to write. If you must put some news out, do it on your web site or social media channels. The only reason for pitching the media during the last two weeks of December is if something just can’t wait or if you want to bury a story.
Instead of pitching media, use time to plan and strategize for 2015. Talk to your PR staff and PR agency and see what can be done new or differently next year. And find out what newsworthy initiatives your company or client has in the works for next year. Or invite your client out to lunch.
Using the PR dead zone wisely lets you be ready to hit the ground running after New Year’s with your pitches and will get the coverage your client or company deserves.
Happy New Year!
*Andrew Blum is a PR consultant and media trainer and principal of AJB Communications. He has directed PR for professional services and financial services firms, NGOs, agencies and other clients. As a PR executive, and formerly as a journalist, he has been involved on both sides of the media aisle in some of the most media intensive crises of the past 25 years. Contact him at ablum@ajbcomms.com or follow him on Twitter: @ajbcomms
