How PR pros can take advantage of a slow news cycle

With the holidays upon us, it might seem like a quiet time where clients aren’t making any big decisions until January 2017.

This includes press release announcements, new hires and ground-breaking business decisions.

What many brand managers might not know is that end-of-the-year holidays bring a slow news cycle where reporters are searching for interesting news and commentary at a time when there isn't much hard news available.

Senior managers are taking the rest of their vacation time before the end of the year. Those who are in the office are attending holiday luncheons and company parties, realizing they have extra time to catch up on work that they could not get to all year.

That’s good news for you, in terms of PR.

WORKSHOP: Become your own media outlet and apply journalistic practices within your organization.

Take advantage of the slow news cycle. Your target journalists might have more time to review your pitches about your organization and its view on industry trends.

This can also be a good time to test new waters and reach out to reporters that generally would be too overwhelmed over the course of the year with research and guest-written pieces. You might be surprised by the response!

It’s also a good time to think about your PR and marketing goals for 2017. Review what your firm has accomplished in 2016 and how you can improve your efforts for the coming year.

PR pros can also use slow time to lay the ground work for a successful PR year in 2017. This can include:

Reviewing your list of journalists covering your industry to introduce or re-introduce your organization’s spokesperson who can address relevant topics within your respective space.

Putting together key messages and talking points that might be of interest to a journalist covering your space taking into consideration a timely event in the markets that you can tie into your views.

Attempting to schedule a meeting with a journalist when you are in town or at a conference in the upcoming year so you can get on their radar early.

Looking at the editorial calendars that trade publications put out for the coming year and discussing the potential of a byline or commentary on features scheduled for the outlet.

Developing a press release that lays out your organization’s views on trends within your industry, what to expect in the coming year and what your organization has accomplished over the course of the year. This will provide searchable content for journalists looking for end-of-year commentary.

I’m not suggesting that all your PR efforts take place in November and January, but I am recommending that you finish off the year with a bang and think about your PR efforts for the New Year.

As the old saying goes: “A stitch in time saves nine.”

Rosalia Scampoli is a Senior Media Director of Marketcom PR, a B2B-oriented communications boutique. A version of this article originally appeared on the agency’s blog.

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