How to get the most out of your Christmas PR campaigns

Christmas is one of the most competitive times of the year for brands, and for PRs, that means a season of both opportunity and chaos. Whether you’re working on a data-led story, launching a product, or crafting a heartfelt festive campaign, a strong strategy can make all the difference between being featured or getting lost in a journalist's inbox.

Here’s my take on how to make sure your Christmas PR campaign works harder before, during, and after the festive rush.

Before: Set yourself up for success

1. Go multi-channel

A great Christmas PR campaign doesn’t just appear in press coverage. Think about how it can show up across your client’s owned, earned, and even paid channels.

• Can you share the campaign creatively across social media?

• Are you amplifying press coverage (within usage rights)?

• Would an influencer partnership help extend reach?

• Could the creative be featured in email marketing or even out-of-home?

The more touchpoints you find, the stronger and more cohesive your campaign will feel.

2. Start earlier than you think

If you’re targeting long-lead publications, you need to be pitching in July or August. That doesn’t mean every campaign asset needs to be finalised but editors will want early visibility on what’s coming up. 

For example, if you’re promoting a new novelty festive flavour for a food brand, share the concept and data first, then follow up later with lifestyle photography once it’s ready. Perhaps controversial but at Christmas, I will argue that early is better than perfect.

3. Learn from last year

Look back at what worked and what didn’t for previous festive campaigns. Which headlines landed? Which ideas fell flat? Identify your winning formats (emotional storytelling, regional data, consumer insights) and build on those foundations.

It’s also worth running a quick Google search for relevant campaign roundups, such as “Christmas 2024 campaign [industry]” or “best festive PR campaigns [sector]”. You’ll quickly start to notice trends and this will help you identify overused ideas to avoid, as well as emerging approaches that could be worth exploring. You can also search for popular headlines or keywords you often see in coverage of PR campaigns, such as “survey,” “reveals,” “top cities for X,” “new research,” or “how to X this Christmas.” Filtering by date will help you uncover effective Christmas campaign formats from last year.

Some of my favourite PR campaigns from last year included Royal Mail’s data-led story on the top toys children are asking for in Father Christmas letters, Deliveroo and Oreo launching an emergency cookie delivery service for Christmas Eve, and Utilita Energy reassuring Brits that they don’t need to cut back on Christmas lights to save on energy bills. Each campaign felt highly relevant, backed by a strong insight and an emotive hook. For more campaign inspiration, PR Insider’s Campaign Mastersheet is a fantastic resource to explore.

4. Find multiple angles

Christmas is short, noisy, and moves incredibly fast. The more angles you can build into your campaign, whether they are data-led, emotional, financial, regional, or targeted to a specific audience, the longer it will stay relevant in the media. A multi-angle approach creates more opportunities to pitch, respond to trends, and stay reactive as the news agenda shifts.

The goal is to ensure your story is not a one-hit wonder. It is worth taking the time to educate clients on why this matters at the sign-off stage so ideas are not watered down to the point where they lose momentum. When a campaign is built with multiple layers from the start, it keeps you agile, increases your chance of landing consistent coverage, and makes it easier to sustain attention throughout the entire Christmas period.

5. Don’t force it

Not every brand needs a Christmas campaign, and it is our responsibility as PR’s to push back on clients if we think it is not suitable. Ask yourself whether this client would naturally be talking about Christmas. If the answer is no, forcing festive relevance rarely works. It is far better to skip a seasonal story entirely than to try to wedge in an angle that does not fit the brand’s identity.

For example, if you represent a B2B software company, a press release about Santa’s workshop going digital is likely to feel contrived. A stronger approach is to focus on relevant data, such as December’s online shopping spikes, and craft a seasonal story that feels authentic. This type of angle not only works during the holidays but can also remain relevant into January, giving the campaign more longevity and credibility.

During: Stay agile

Christmas is a crowded period, and similar ideas often surface at the same time. Most PR professionals have felt their stomach sink when a competitor launches a campaign before they do. To avoid being caught off guard, prepare for the worst and always have a backup plan in place. This could include a reactive media angle, an alternative data hook, or a fresh creative twist to help your story stand out.

Being nimble and ready to pivot can make all the difference. It allows your campaign to stay visible, maintain relevance, and avoid getting lost in the holiday noise. Planning for flexibility not only protects your work but can also open up opportunities to outperform competitors even after they have launched.

After: Keep the momentum going

When Christmas ends, don’t let your campaign disappear with it. Look for ways to extend the story into the new year. Can you reframe it for January? Could it be made relevant for the whole winter period, or approached as a reflective ‘looking back on Christmas’ angle to ensure broader seasonal relevance?

The post-Christmas period is usually quieter, and a smart follow-up can help your campaign cut through once the festive rush has settled.

The most successful Christmas PR campaigns are strategic, relevant, and well-timed. They start early, span multiple channels, and have the flexibility to evolve as the season unfolds.

It is also worth remembering that a Christmas campaign is not mandatory. It is an opportunity. When it fits naturally, it can generate impressive brand awareness and media coverage. When it doesn’t, it is better to save your creative energy for the next big moment.

This post was written by Amelia Evans, Freelancer PR Consultant at Amelia India PR

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