Holiday Gift Guide Pitching

I've been getting a lot of inquiries about Holiday Gift Guide submissions. Here are some common FAQs:

1. Some holiday gift guides close in July. Major magazines such as Family Circle, O Magazine and Glamour are all working on this issue now.

2. Put together a special pitch just for Holiday Gift Guide submissions. It should state why your 'gift' is perfect for that particular outlet and include all of the necessary information such as pricing and where to buy. Popular themes this year seem to be budget gifts (under $50 or under $100) and eco-friendly gifts.

3. Realize that gift guide editors are sometimes a special contributor and not your normal contact at the publication. You'll need to do some legwork to find out the right contact. Or you can hire a publicist with access to the information to do your gift guide pitching for you.

4. Be ready to send samples. If you are limited to the number of samples you can send, reserve them for your most-wanted spots and then divide the rest among other placements. Don't blindly mail samples to a bunch of outlets.

5. Don't ignore newspapers. I know we all want to be featured in O Magazine's guide or on the Today Show - and I don't blame you! But don't forget the Top 250 newspapers and also your local papers. Magazine editors read them. TV producers read them to find segment ideas. I had a client that made all of his holiday sales last year strictly from newspaper coverage. Another client was recently featured in a local NYC newspaper and landed a feature in More Magazine. Newspapers work!