It’s hard to believe Christmas is only two months away. Somehow it manages to surprise us every year, cue the annual inbox chaos and collective “Wait… it’s November already?” panic. And while we’re all excited for the sparkle of the festive season, there’s a lot of work, opportunity and earned media to be had before the champagne pops and the pavs hit the table.

Now is the time to wind up before the long-awaited wind down. For brands, the upcoming silly season is a golden window to ramp things way up. It’s when consumer spending hits its peak, inboxes are buzzing, and media are actively on the hunt. Not only are holiday roundups and gift guides in full swing, but there’s also the “best of the year” lists and the chance to land a spot on this year’s ‘INs list’ (that’s still a thing, right?). It’s the perfect moment to maximise visibility and secure media coverage that can carry your brand into the new year.

From as early as September, we’ve already seen brands and agencies start to gear up for the festive rush on Flaunter. There’s been a noticeable spike in the number of brands uploading imagery to their profiles, ready to snag a spot in Christmas gift guides, editorial features and seasonal content. The media are watching - so now’s the time to make sure your assets are polished, your messaging is clear, and your strategy is locked in.

If you haven’t started your festive season PR prep, don’t stress, you’ve still got time to get your ducks (or baubles) in a row. The key is to start now and start smart. We’re here to help you cut through the chaos. From key dates to audience mindset, this guide will walk you through everything you need to know to get your PR strategy sorted before the sleigh bells start ringing.

Be Aware of Key Dates

The first step in any good PR strategy? Get clear on your calendar. The festive season is packed with high-impact retail moments, and if you’re aiming to get featured in media, timing is everything. In recent years, BFCM (Black Friday, Cyber Monday) spending has even overtaken Christmas and Boxing Day shopping—so if you’re not prepping for these dates, you’re missing major opportunities.

Here are the key dates to lock into your calendar:

Melbourne Cup – Tuesday 4 November 2025

Click Frenzy – Tuesday 11 to Thursday 13 November 2025

Black Friday – Friday 28 November 2025

Small Business Saturday – Saturday 29 November 2025

Cyber Monday – Monday 1 December 2025

Free Shipping Day – Sunday 14 December 2025 (last day for guaranteed Christmas delivery)

Super Saturday – Saturday 20 December 2025 (Final Saturday before Christmas)

Boxing Day – Friday 26 December 2025

New-Year's Sales: Ideal for pitching clearance events, “new year, new you” angles, and back-to-work essentials

Get Your Assets in Order

Imagine this (warning, nightmare scenario ahead): A journalist is browsing for products to feature in her 2025 Christmas Shopping List. She stumbles across your brand and finds the perfect product. She downloads the image assets, pulls them into her layout… and then realises they’re low-res. She’s on a deadline, and as much as she loves your product, she simply doesn’t have time to chase down better files. The result? You’ve missed out on coverage and not because your product wasn’t good enough, but because your assets weren’t.

This is why having your imagery sorted is non-negotiable. Journalists need high-resolution images (300dpi), a mix of deep-etched and styled shots, and clear product info like RRP, availability and credits.

If you’re sending samples, make sure you’ve got enough stock to go around and a clear plan for returns. We won’t haunt you with another nightmare scenario, but we think you can imagine the chaos that unfolds when samples aren’t tracked or accounted for (yeah, shivers, we know). Need a little extra help managing your samples and digital showroom? We've got 11 reasons why Flaunter makes sample management easy.

Be Mindful of Deadlines

If you thought editors were busy before, they’re even busier during the festive season. And in PR timing isn’t just important, it’s everything. Editors work weeks (sometimes months) ahead of publication dates, especially during the festive season. That means your beautifully crafted pitch, product imagery and press release need to land before they start curating content—not while they’re scrambling to file pages.

Print Magazines:
These work far in advance, often 2–3 months ahead of publication. For example, Christmas issues are usually finalised by September or October. If you're pitching for seasonal features, you need to be thinking quarterly, not weekly.

But not all print media is created equal. Magazines with weekly or fortnightly turnovers operate on much shorter lead times. So, if you’ve missed the big deadlines, don’t panic, just pivot. Narrow in on those faster-moving titles, tailor your pitch to suit their format, and make sure your assets are ready to go.

Online Publications:
These are more agile, with lead times typically around 2–3 weeks. Editors may still plan for major events (like Black Friday or Christmas), but they can also accommodate faster turnarounds, especially for trending topics or product roundups.

Social media & Influencer Content:
Lead times here can be as short as a few days, depending on the creator’s workflow and the complexity of the content. However, influencers working on sponsored campaigns or brand partnerships may require 1–2 weeks for planning, approvals and production.

The key takeaway? You need to be ridiculously organised. The best way to support media (and yourself) is by having everything ready to go, before they even ask.

Respond quickly. Provide everything upfront. And as we’ve said already, make sure your imagery is tagged with key info like RRP, availability, and credits (we cannot stress the importance). This reduces back-and-forth and makes your content easier to publish, especially when they’re filing pages at 11:59pm.

Keep Your Audience’s Mindset in Mind

After a challenging year, people are craving connection, celebration and simplicity. As much as the festive season is about shopping – it's about feeling good, winding down and reconnecting where it matters. Whether we see a social media slowdown or a surge in online engagement, your messaging should reflect the mood.

Avoid heavy topics and lean into joy, ease and togetherness. Think: “gifts that spark joy”, “products that make life easier”, or “ways to celebrate without the stress”. This is the time to position your brand as part of the solution, not another thing to add to the to-do list.

Reposition and Repurpose

Good news: you don’t need to reinvent the wheel to get your brand ready for Christmas. Forget launching entirely new campaigns or product lines, instead, think smarter by repositioning what you already have and repurposing it for the season.

Start by creating a dedicated Christmas edit on your website or media kit. Round up all your green homewares, red fashion pieces, or anything that screams “festive” and group them into themed collections. These edits make it easier for editors to visualise your products in gift guides and roundups, and easier for consumers to shop.

Pitch with Purpose

Once your assets are sorted and your edits are live, it’s time to pitch. But don’t just hit send on a generic email and hope for the best. Tailor your pitch to the publication, the journalist, and the moment. Editors are flooded with festive content so make yours stand out.

Think about what makes your product relevant right now. Is it perfect for last-minute gifting? Does it solve a seasonal problem? Is it part of a trend that’s gaining traction? Lead with that. And keep it short, no one wants to read a novel when they’re on deadline.

Most importantly: avoid the panic spiral. We’ve all been there. You’ve waited a little too long, the deadline is looming, and suddenly you’re panic-pitching at 11pm with a subject line that reads like a cry for help. You’re sending emails to every contact in your media list, hoping someone (anyone) will bite. It’s the PR equivalent of texting your ex on Christmas Eve.

Take a breath. Refocus. And send something thoughtful, timely and relevant. If you’re short on time, lean into what’s already working. Repurpose existing content, offer a fresh angle, or suggest a last-minute roundup inclusion. And if you don’t hear back? That’s okay. Follow up once, politely, and move on. The festive season is full of opportunities, but you don’t need to chase every single one.

Ready to Wrap Your PR Strategy?

Whether you're doing DIY PR, managing PR for a small business, or just figuring out how to promote your brand, the festive season is your moment to show up, stand out, and get seen.

And if you're wondering where to start? You need a platform that works as hard as you do.

Meet Flaunter - your digital PR assistant and all-in-one PR software, built to help brands connect with media, manage samples, and get discovered. It’s a public relations platform designed for real-time visibility, making your assets accessible to journalists, editors and creators 24/7.

With Flaunter, you can:

Upload and organise your imagery using an online PR tool

Track samples with sample management software

Build your outreach using a media contact database

Monitor coverage with PR analytics software

Create reports with PR campaign reporting

Access the best PR tools of 2025—without needing a full agency team

To discover all the goodness Flaunter has to offer, head to our website and see how we can help you do PR, better.

So, if your brand’s not on Flaunter yet? It’s time to change that.

Sign up to our 2-week free trial, or reach out to our team for a complimentary discovery call: hello@flaunter.com. 

Say goodbye to the chaos, it’s time to use Flaunter to PR like a pro.

How to Prep Your PR Strategy for Festive Season