Unwrapping Product Publicity Success: 10 PR Tips for Holiday Gift Guide Placements

Securing a spot for your company’s products in 2025 holiday gift guides is one of the most powerful ways to boost visibility, credibility, and consumer sales this time of year. These guides aren’t just fun lists – gift guides published by top media outlets, bloggers, and influencers are trusted by shoppers who are actively searching for the perfect presents. For public relations professionals, pitching products for Christmas gift guide inclusion not only positions brands in front of highly engaged audiences, but also helps them stand out in a crowded marketplace. With the right strategy, holiday gift guide placements can drive traffic, generate buzz, and deliver long-term value well beyond the holiday rush.

Based on our agency’s holiday gift guide success with products from outdoor pizza ovens to specialized beach chairs, here are 10 key tactics to know when working to get your company included in holiday gift guides:

1. Start now! Many media outlets start working on gift guide planning in September, though some start as early as June. Freelance writers likely work on gift guide lists earlier than staff writers. Writers may receive batches of gift guide assignments in September, while others will have rolling deadlines through the week of Christmas.
2. Email subject lines are key. Use a clear email subject line to grab the attention of the gift guide editor. Include “Holiday Gift Guide” or something similar, and be specific, not cutesy, with the product that you’re offering. Don’t feel the need to write the headline for the pitched story – editors will write the headlines for the reporters.
3. Tailor and personalize your product pitch. Individualized emails are guaranteed to be more successful than mass outreach. Whether you’re reaching out to a freelance writer or a Shopping or Commerce Editor, reference your contact’s past writing in the opening of your email. If a PR professional gets a reputation for “spraying and praying”, contacts may start to recognize the senders name and think “easy delete.”
4. Know the audience and theme of each gift guide. Research last year’s gift guides and see what and how their gift guides posted last year. Think curation and price point, too. If multiple products are in your email but don’t complement each other, your message may be deleted because it’s too overwhelming.
5. Be very clear and specific in your pitch. Don’t assume the journalist you’re contacting knows your brand name. Include a live link to your product, price point/range for quick reference, and summarize product details in no more than 3-4 bullet points. Emphasize what makes your product unique, especially in a crowded category – a unique angle may inspire writers to pitch news ideas to their editors, too. For example, one of Maccabee’s newest clients 15 Minute Fun & Done Games doesn’t only offer quick, family-fun games, but the box the game is packaged in offers a “SoundDown Pad” to soften the sound of rolling dice.
6. Highlight themes and trends. Editors are often looking for trending categories (i.e., sustainable gifts, women- or minority-owned companies, TikTok trends, wellness products, small business, tech gadgets, stocking stuffers). Offer a company your subject matter expert to give quotes that validate the trend, too.
7. Affiliate participation can make-or-break it. Digital gift guides often expect products to be available via affiliate links so the media outlet can earn commission. If the product isn’t set up for this, chances of inclusion drop. Amazon is king, then big box retailers such as Target and Walmart. Some writers go so far to say “if a product isn’t on an affiliate program, it’s a non-starter. Major outlets aren’t willing to forgo the money.”
8. Inventory must be available in quantities to support gift guide coverage. Limited/low/no quantities at retail create a bad consumer experience. For inclusion, your product must be in stock and deliverable in time for the holidays. Presale pitches, unfortunately, won’t get coverage this time of year, either.
9. Have all marketing materials ready. Don’t make the journalist work for product information and content assets as there’s likely another product that will take the place of yours if the reporter doesn’t have the info needed in time. The more you ask of a writer, the less likely you are to be included in the gift guide. Embed a low-res image into the body of an email, and include a link to ungated high-res images (without password or expiration date limitations). Offer a sample, and get samples out in a timely manner, too!
10. Leverage amplification on owned channels after publication. To expand the audience of your earned media coverage and the positive exposure and credibility gained from third-party endorsements, share the gift guides in which your product is included across all company-owned channels. This will enhance the company’s reputation and brand awareness, ultimately increasing website traffic and referral sources.

Missing out on holiday gift guide placements can lead your product to be overlooked at the very moment consumers are actively searching for recommendations. Competitors featured in these guides may capture valuable market share (i.e., yours!), giving them an advantage in a crowded holiday marketplace. Without a presence in gift guides, your brand risks lower visibility and ultimately missed revenue opportunities during the most critical sales window of the year.

Have a question about holiday gift guide pitching, or want the Maccabee team to help your brand get into holiday gift guides this season? Reach out to Paul Maccabee, and let’s chat!