What should we be doing in terms of PR and marketing activity over the summer?
Often worrying what to do for your PR and marketing activity over the summer? Break free from outdated advice and capture the attention of a captive audience. Check out our top tips for making use of your summer PR and marketing activities.
Do not release any important announcements or content over the Summer! This used to be the advice to PR professionals across Europe each year.
The only campaigns that were delivered were those that were designed for what was, affectionally, known as ‘silly season’. The fun, light-hearted stories that would capture the imagination of journalists and readers over the holidays.
But, as it did many things, the pandemic disrupted this familiar routine. With everyone stuck indoors and unable to travel as usual, months and seasons began to blend into one.
The increased blur between home and working life, accelerated by the pandemic, means we are now much more likely to read work-related content, during our time off, than ever before.
According to Wordsrated, a non-commercial, international research data and analytics group, sales of books on business and economics rose 10% in 2021. And, when it comes to e-books, Amazon reported that the business and economics category came in 3rd looking at sales data from 2022.
So, contrary to previous beliefs, there is a captive audience ready to read the right, engaging content over the summer. It is not the time to relax and down tools. The reality is, if you stand still, your competitors will leapfrog over you.
Our 3 top tips
Instead, we’ve mapped the three things businesses should do to capture market attention and garner exposure over the summer months.
1. Keep pitching: Journalists are still writing stories and still need good content so keep pitching. Just understand you'll need to do more digging to find the right people with lots of out of offices, so preparation time to generate results will be longer. Results, also, may take more time to materialise but don’t be disheartened – persevere and you will get the cut through you are looking for.
2. Release opinion-led articles and blogs: Potential customers are also still reading content, with many likely to be catching up on industry news and conversations on holiday given the passion-led industries we operate in. Release opinion-led articles and blogs for them to delve into and promote this content across LinkedIn.
3. Research and develop thought-leadership content: Avoid the scramble that is September and use the summer months to build a hero thought-leadership report, having everything ready to launch at the beginning of the month (while competitors are still finalising assets).
Need help?
If you're looking at a blank communications campaign planner for the summer, some of our content writers and press officers still have some capacity, so get in touch to discuss how we can help you fill this in the most effective way.