The Meesh PR Update 04
Where we talk HGG, affiliates and rest days.
Welcome to Issue 04 of the Meesh PR Update! I’m starting this from my living room, while I recover from being super social the last two weeks. Hot tip: always schedule a day or two every week to decompress for the week and do nothing if possible. I find having a day to relax at home (that doesn’t include work, chores or grocery shopping) is so absolutely needed, especially after a busy week. Or maybe that’s introvert me talking – but nevertheless, everybody deserves a rest day, as in rest from everything.
Anyway, it’s mid-October – time has flown. But that means we’re in peak-Holiday Gift Guide (HGG) season, and at this point, brands should:
Have their holiday specials ready (if applicable)
Know their Black Friday/Cyber Monday strategy (if applicable)
Be set up with affiliates if they’re planning on attaining holiday gift guide coverage
Already be in the midst of HGG pitching
And if you’re not doing any of the above, you’re either an expert with no product and therefore none of this is relatable, or you’re way unprepared and scrambling. And in that case, here are a few tips I like to give my clients if they want to have any coverage this holiday season:
Have your ducks in order. Seriously – this is the most important step.
Are you signed up for an affiliate network? Whether that means ShareASale, Amazon, skimlinks or something else, set up your affiliates now. Most publications nowadays won’t consider your product without them.
Is your product available for purchase now? Either to ship now or for preorder – both work. Will it be in homes in time for the holidays? When is your shipping cut-off date for holiday delivery? All things to think about.
If you are selling product for the holiday season, do you have clear, hi-res images and a live link (+affiliate link), cost, coupon codes (if applicable) ready? Especially if you’re pitching media – make sure you have this information ready, or have it ready for your publicist.
Do you have stock? And enough inventory to last through the holiday season? And will it be ready and shippable by then?
Do you have samples available for editors to test if need be?
Is your product gift-guide worthy? As in, would people actually gift your product? And if not, then maybe going the HGG route isn’t the best PR strategy for you.
Are you really prepared? Yes, I’m essentially asking this twice because people overestimate how prepared they think they are for HGG season, and then realize they’re wholly unprepared.
Do you know how to pitch HGG to editors? If not, are you ready and do you have the time to learn it all yourself? Know when to delegate and hire a publicist (like me!) to pitch your business, and when you should be pitching yourself.
Community Spotlight
Earlier this year, I met Tori Champine, founder of lil fairy marketplace. She’s all about creative wellness – something I never even thought about when it came to holistic wellness. But she’s right – we should be able to express ourselves creatively, whether that’s through a hobby, having your own personal style, journaling, etc – and to feel accomplished through something other than work, whether that means finishing an art project, making a necklace, or loving an outfit you styled. When was the last time you felt accomplished outside of work? Or the last time you were creative, outside of strategy? If you can’t remember, make some time do something creative.
Tori is also a bundle of sunshine – she’s wicked smart, super stylish and I’m so glad we met at a Good Ole Girls Club event earlier this year. She has some exciting upcoming news, and I can’t wait for all of you to hear more! In the meantime, she has a new product available for preorder (the Fairy Dreambox!), and two amazing upcoming workshops (a Silk Eco-Printing Workshop and a four-week crochet sweater course). I hope you all get to eventually meet Tori (she also does creative wellness workshops for events/corporate gatherings) and have her sunshine and fairy magic sprinkled on you!
I Have Thoughts On…
This whole Bobba situation. If you haven’t heard about it (or all the crisis management after, which was honestly ridiculous), on the Canadian version of Shark Tank (Dragon’s Den), two Quebec entrepreneurs claimed they had “transformed” boba and made it “cleaner and healthier” – and also claimed bubble tea/boba was not an ethnical product anymore. Simu Liu shared valid criticism and concerns about cultural appropriation, and the other judges essentially dismissed his commentary. And if reading all this doesn’t raise your hackles or gets you angry, then I don’t know what to say to you.
There’s a new cervical cancer treatment that cuts the risk of dying by 40%!! This is incredible and I cannot wait to hear more and watch this treatment become widespread across the world.
There are 14 Attorney Generals suing TikTok, alleging it harms kids and makes them social media addicts – and the allegations and findings are INSANE. And this is why I will forever be an advocate of no social media until your late teens.
Um… Americans are getting dumber. Ok, that’s harsh – but they’re way far behind than they used to be. Like forreal – the CDC
lowered the standardschanged the milestones for childhood development back in 2022, and my entire TikTok feed has been filled with teachers begging parents to read to their kids, or help with homework or something because students just aren’t where they used to be even five years ago. And honestly, this is horrifying – if you add in how kids have a lack of attention span and don’t know how to be bored/curious/do things for themselves thanks to algorithms and “gentle parenting,” (aka parents who say they’re gentle parenting but aren’t actually parenting)… I’m not sure I like where all this is going.Those who use a specific IUD may have a 40% higher chance of developing breast cancer, according to a new study. And if you’ve used it for over 10 years, the risk can go up to 80%. God I love being a woman. (Yes, that’s sarcasm in case you didn’t catch it.)
Recent Things I Loved (or just caught my attention)
We could possibly have a Subway World Series! (2000 was INSANE. Also, Go Yankees!)
Giant pandas are back in DC! Which means it’s time for a DC trip.
The new Met Gala theme is the Black Dandy – I’m excited and terrified for net year’s outfits.
I loved reading this article from The Atlantic about America’s misinformation crisis. Not a positive read, but a necessary one.
The Bank of America Winter Village in Bryant Park opens October 25! I love holiday market season in NYC.
Upcoming Fun Events (that you’ll find me attending)
10/16 – Psychedelics: Agents of Change
10/17 – Brands in Bloom by Superfiliate & Superbloom webinar
10/17 – Flourish Heights x The Wellness Den Real Talk: Pelvic Health ($35)
10/18 – Female Founders Market
10/20 – Soul Retreat Morning Yoga | 5B x Soul & Sky ($35)
10/20 – Lynn Yaeger Storage Unit Sale
10/22 – Sync N with your Female Cycle: Empowering Fitness Class ($10.38)
10/23 – Literary League book club
10/26 – Lazy Suzy Fall Market
Let’s connect if you want to explore how we can work together to achieve your public relations goals.