By Geetha Kerlin, Vice President Consumer and Travel 

For consumers, the holiday season may still feel months away. For media, it has already begun. 

While shoppers may not start thinking seriously about gifting until fall, editors, producers and reporters begin building holiday coverage much earlier, often in June and July. Gift guides, holiday look books, product roundups and seasonal trend stories do not come together overnight. They require sourcing, vetting, pricing comparisons, product imagery, sample reviews and category balance long before the story runs in October, November and December. 

For consumer brands, that creates a critical communications reality: the brands that show up in holiday media later in the year are often the ones that started the conversation in summer. 

This matters even more as the holiday shopping season continues to expand. Prime Day, early retail promotions and budget-conscious consumer behavior have shifted holiday shopping from a short seasonal sprint into a longer planning cycle. Consumers are spreading out purchases, comparing options earlier and looking for trusted recommendations before they buy. Earned media plays a powerful role in that process because it gives brands third-party credibility during the consideration window, not just at the moment of purchase. 

That means holiday PR should not be treated as a Q4 push. It should be viewed as a long-lead visibility strategy. The takeaway is clear: summer is the time to shape the holiday narrative. 

The first step is understanding what media actually need. Editors are not simply looking for products. They are building stories that feel useful, timely and well-curated. They need gift ideas by personality, price point, lifestyle, relationship, trend and category. They are thinking about variety, visual appeal, audience relevance and whether a product adds something fresh to the broader holiday conversation. 

Brands that lead with “here is our product” often miss the mark. Brands that lead with “here is why this product matters to your audience right now” are far more useful to media. 

Second, brands need to prepare their storytelling early. A strong holiday media strategy should include more than product specs. It should clarify the consumer insight behind the gift, the cultural or lifestyle trend it connects to, the problem it solves and the reason it deserves attention in a crowded season. That narrative discipline is what helps a pitch stand out when editors are reviewing hundreds of options. 

Third, communications teams should think about the cascade of placements from October through December. The modern holiday cycle is layered. A brand may need early long-lead pitching in summer, trend-driven media outreach in early fall, founder or expert commentary as shopping behavior accelerates, and social amplification once coverage begins to publish. The goal is to build repeated visibility and trust across the full consumer decision journey. 

Finally, responsiveness matters. When media request samples, images, pricing, availability or additional context, delays can cost coverage. Holiday stories move through several rounds of planning and editing, and brands that are prepared make the journalist’s job easier. That reliability can become a competitive advantage. 

Holiday media relations starts when editors begin shaping the stories that will influence what consumers discover, consider and ultimately buy. 

In today’s extended holiday season, visibility is built months before the moment of conversion. Brands that wait until October may still be able to join the conversation, but brands that start in June are far more likely to help define it.