Blog post by Fiona Anderson, GEC PR Company Director
On reflection, I am pleased to say that my degree was not wasted on me, as there are still a few things I learned as a journalism undergraduate many years ago (okay, decades ago!) that have served me well in my PR career.
One learning that comes to mind around this time of year is the concept of ‘the silly season’. This season essentially falls across the summer months, when hard news usually takes a back seat, due to Parliamentary recess and the school holidays. Softer less serious news therefore gets more visibility.
Rather than the summer being an excuse to down PR tools, it’s actually an opportunity to come up with great story content that can amplify a brand via lifestyle and personality stories. I encourage my clients to think ahead, and give media, influencers, and creators the content they’d like to share to keep their audiences entertained, informed, and engaged.
So far so simple. But what counts as an engaging summer news story when you need one? Well, thankfully there are perennial subjects and events that you can peg your story to that many media outlets and creators will feature, so here are four suggestions of ways to get your content summer ready:
- Father’s Day gifts or experiences: Do you have a gift idea that could make someone’s Father’s Day extra special? Make sure you reach out relevant gift guides well in advance of the date to pitch to them to secure that opportunity.
- Ways to entertain the children this summer: This is a favourite topic across lifestyle media in the warmer months, and so a great opportunity for lifestyle brands geared towards the family market.
- Products or experiences that will make the summer holiday better/easier/more memorable: This makes for useful content for lifestyle and weekend supplements.
- Summer holiday life-changing stories: Did you form your business idea while on holiday? Numerous media outlets and news agencies could be interested in sharing this kind of story during the summer months.