Consumer brands often make the same seasonal PR mistake: They start pitching when shoppers begin buying. Editors, however, start planning those stories months earlier.
While marketers and communicators focus on summer promotions, Prime Day and vacation season, many commerce editors are already building coverage around back-to-school shopping, holiday gift guides and Black Friday deals. The result is a timing gap that causes many brands to miss some of the year’s biggest earned media opportunities.
The brands that consistently secure seasonal coverage aren’t always the biggest or best funded. They’re the ones that understand a simple reality: Editorial calendars move much faster than consumer calendars.
If you’re a consumer brand, here are three shopping seasons you should already be pitching, and how to do it effectively.
Back-to-School: The $39 Billion Opportunity
Back-to-school shopping has become one of the largest retail moments of the year. According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), combined back-to-school and college spending is expected to exceed $39 billion, making it one of the biggest seasonal shopping periods outside of the holidays.
But editors aren’t waiting until August to plan coverage. Many publications are already building stories around:
- Dorm room essentials
- Student tech
- Organization products
- Meal-prep tools
- Budget-friendly home upgrades
- Small-space living solutions
- Study and productivity products
Check out how publications structure these stories:
- The Cut: “29 Dorm Essentials On Sale for Prime Day”
- New York Magazine’s Strategist: “Dorm Essentials On Sale for Prime Day”
- Tom’s Guide: “Amazon Slashes Prices on Back-to-School Essentials”
The brands winning these placements aren’t simply pitching discounts. They’re pitching solutions.
A mini fridge isn’t a mini fridge. It’s a "dorm-room essential." A storage cart isn’t just organization, it’s a "small-space living hack." Instead of: “We sell a portable blender that’s 20% off,” try: “With dorm kitchens shrinking and students looking for healthier meal options, our portable blender helps college students make smoothies, protein shakes and quick breakfasts in small spaces.”
The more clearly you connect your product to a student pain point, the stronger the pitch becomes.
Holiday Gift Guides: The Pitching Window Is Much Earlier Than You Think
This is where many startups miss opportunities. By the time consumers begin holiday shopping, many editors have already identified products, requested samples, started testing and begun drafting gift guide coverage.
Publications like Wirecutter have publicly shared that product recommendations are built through extensive testing, expert interviews, research and comparison frameworks—not last-minute product discovery. See: “How to Pitch Wirecutter.”
Many publishers also operate on editorial calendars that require holiday submissions months before stories go live. And the scale of the opportunity is enormous. According to the NRF, holiday sales reached record levels in recent years, with consumers spending hundreds of billions of dollars during the holiday shopping season.
Look at how gift guide coverage dominates major publications:
- Good Housekeeping Holiday Gift Guides
- Wirecutter Gift Guides
- Forbes Holiday Gift Guides
- CNN Underscored
One of the biggest mistakes brands make is pitching a product without giving editors a clear gifting angle. Instead of, “We’d love to be considered for your holiday coverage,” try, “Our smart mug is ideal for remote workers and coffee lovers, making it a strong fit for gift guides focused on productivity, work-from-home professionals and practical tech gifts under $100.” The more specific your gifting category, the easier it becomes for editors to place your product.
Black Friday and Cyber Monday: Not Just a Deals Story
Most brands assume Black Friday pitching starts in November, but many commerce editors would disagree. Black Friday coverage has evolved far beyond “best deals” roundups. Editors now build stories around:
- Trending products
- Viral TikTok purchases
- Editor-tested favorites
- Travel gear
- Home upgrades
- Wellness products
- Beauty routines
- Tech essentials
The biggest winners are often products that already have a strong review volume, consumer demand, editor familiarity, reliable inventory and a compelling story beyond the discount.
Adobe Analytics reported that consumers spent nearly $10 billion online during Black Friday 2024, underscoring the incredible staying power of this shopping event. And just like Prime Day, major publishers build extensive editorial ecosystems around Black Friday.
Many of those stories begin taking shape long before Thanksgiving. By the time consumers are refreshing deal pages, editors have often been evaluating products and planning coverage for weeks, or even months. Instead of leading with the discount, lead with demand. Rather than, “We’re offering 30% off for Black Friday,” try, “Our best-selling standing desk has become one of the fastest-growing products among remote workers this year, and we’ll be offering our deepest discount of the season during Black Friday.” Editors want products that readers are already interested in, not just products that happen to be on sale.
The Real Competitive Advantage
Whether it’s Prime Day, back-to-school, holiday gifting or Black Friday, the brands that consistently earn coverage usually have one thing in common: They start earlier.
Editors aren’t planning around today’s shopping behavior. They’re planning around next season's. And increasingly, commerce coverage is built around products that have already been tested, vetted, reviewed and aligned with broader consumer trends.
Lindsey Bradshaw is an 18-year PR specialist and founder of lab.Comms, a boutique PR consultancy helping Series A-D startups get discovered through earned media.