Holiday gift guides are a golden opportunity for companies to showcase their products to a targeted audience using stories and photos. What’s better, it’s free. However, there are a number of key elements that companies need to keep in mind as they begin the gift guide process, if they want to be successful.

1.Long lead-time. Most large publications have a 3-4 month lead time for editorial content. And since holiday gift guides are typically published in late November and early December, this means companies will have needed to submit their product content to the editors in August or September, if not earlier.

2.Product vision. Due to this long lead-time, companies must have a fairly concrete concept in August and September of the product they are bringing to market in December. Even more importantly, the product must be available for purchase to consumers in November and December so that readers are able to buy the gadgets in time for Christmas or Hanukkah.

3.Don’t send attachments. These clog up reporters’ email, get caught by spam filters and are typically ignored by media. Initially, send your pitch in the body of the email and include a link to the product page. You can send high-res images to the reporter once you have their interest.

4.Include a call to action. In your pitch, ask the reporter if they need more info, want to speak with the company directly, or even would like a product sample to test.

5.State why your product is unique. Let the reporter know why your product should be included in the gift guide. How is it different or better than comparable products currently on the market? Does it tie in a hot trend? Is it eco-friendly? Is it the first of its kind?

It is common that product launch timelines do not always stay on schedule. As a result, when there is uncertainty of how products will map out 4-5 months later—or even if the product will launch on time—in many instances, content will not get submitted within the window of opportunity for gift guides for most publications. So, when clients ask in December why their products are not in the print publications for the holidays, it could be because product information was not available several months ago.

There is still hope!

Even if a company missed the August/September window to submit product information, there remains an opportunity to get inclusion in certain holiday gift guides. While the large print publications may be a “lost cause,” there are still opportunities to get into some of the blogs. Many bloggers post their own gift guides for the holidays, and since blogs have a significantly shorter lead-time, companies can still pitch their products in October and November.

Some of the more well-known blogs and websites that post holiday gift guides online include Engadget, Gizmodo, GigaOm, TechCrunch, SlashGear, CNET, ZDNet and Digital Trends.

Go out and get started on those gift guides if you haven’t already! Good luck!