Drive External Traffic to Your Amazon Listing—Free Holiday PR Strategies
If you sell a product on Amazon, you know how vital Q4 sales are. They can, indeed, make or break your annual revenue. And as an FBA seller, you’re probably well-versed in paid advertising and marketing options.
So today, we’re going to focus on how to drive external traffic to your Amazon listings through completely free public relations strategies.
Why Use PR for Holiday Marketing?
According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), holiday sales in November and December account for an average of nearly 19% of annual sales for retailers—with that figure much higher for some retailers. While paid advertising costs spike during this period, PR offers a cost-effective way to reach holiday shoppers.
So, whether you’re bootstrapping your Amazon product’s marketing or looking for the perfect complement to your paid marketing strategy, PR is a free option to drive organic traffic to your Amazon listing. Better yet, the holidays are the perfect time to get started because everyone in the media is looking for new products to share with their audiences.
Media coverage during the holiday season can provide:
- Higher conversion rates from qualified traffic
- Long-term SEO benefits from backlinks (those gift guides don’t disappear after the holidays!)
- Credibility through third-party endorsement
- Widespread visibility as articles get shared across platforms (social media, email newsletters, search results, etc.)
As PR professionals, we’ve used earned media to drive traffic and boost holiday sales for our clients, and we’re here to share the “secret sauce” with you.
This article will teach you how to reach potential holiday shoppers through PR strategies that multiply your Q4 sales and drive qualified traffic to your Amazon store.
1 - Perfect Your Amazon Product Page for Media Coverage
Before reaching out to media contacts, optimize your Amazon listing to be media-friendly. Journalists and editors need to quickly understand why your product makes a great gift.
Key elements to optimize:
- Create gift-focused titles in your copy (e.g., "Perfect Holiday Gift for Tech Lovers")
- Include clear gift recipient categories in bullets (e.g., "Ideal for: Dad, Grandfather, Tech Enthusiast")
- Add holiday-specific keywords that media often use (e.g., "stocking stuffer," "unique holiday gift")
- Add high-quality lifestyle photos showing gift-giving scenarios
- Include gift-ready packaging information
Pro Tip: Study holiday gift guides from previous years to identify common phrases and categories journalists use, then incorporate these naturally into your listing.
2 - Target the Right Media Opportunities
Holiday gift guides remain the holy grail of holiday PR. Using Media List Market's 2024 Holiday Gift Guide Media List for Amazon Products, you'll get access to over 100 verified media contacts actively seeking products for their holiday coverage. Or, you can take the time to do the research yourself.
Different types of holiday coverage to pursue:
- Traditional gift guides by recipient (For Mom, For Dad, etc.)
- Price-point roundups ("Gifts Under $50")
- Interest-based collections ("For the Coffee Lover")
- Problem-solving features ("Last-Minute Gifts That Will Arrive Before Christmas")
Want to learn exactly how to pitch your product? Download our Free Holiday PR Toolkit for expert tips and templates to make your holiday outreach a success.
3 - Leverage Existing Media Relationships
Has your product or brand been featured anywhere in the past? Previous media coverage is gold for holiday pitching. While the holidays are the perfect time to step into PR, any existing media relationships can fast-track your holiday PR success.
Here's how to maximize these relationships:
A: Review Past Coverage
- Create a database of journalists who've covered your brand
- Note which products they featured
- Track their current beat and outlet
B: Craft Personal Follow-ups (and we mean personal—a copy + paste can be sensed a mile away!)
- Reference their previous coverage
- Highlight what's new or holiday-specific
- Offer exclusive angles or deals
C: Expand Your Network
- Look for journalists who've covered similar products
- Connect with them on LinkedIn
- Engage with their content before pitching
4 - Activate Your Community
PR isn't just about media relations – it's about public relations in its broadest sense. Your existing community can be your strongest PR asset during the holidays.
Think of your online community, in-person relationship, email subscribers, professional network, social media followers, and anyone else you can think of to engage with during the holidays. In your messaging, be authentic, aim for connection (rather than selling), and try to be genuinely helpful to your audience.
How to activate your community:
- Create shareable holiday content for social media
- Develop an email campaign highlighting gift-giving stories
- Engage local community groups and organizations
- Partner with complementary brands for cross-promotion
Why community PR works:
- Messages come from trusted sources
- Content feels more authentic
- Shares and engagement boost organic visibility
- Creates multiple touchpoints for potential customers
Common Holiday PR Mistakes to Avoid
When it comes to holiday marketing for your Amazon product, PR might seem deceptively simple—just email some journalists and wait fo the media coverage to roll in, right?
Unfortunately, many Amazon sellers sabotage their chances of getting their product in holiday gift guides before they even hit send on their first pitch. So, before you start your holiday PR outreach, let’s look at the most common pitfalls that derail Amazon sellers’ media coverage opportunities.
General PR Mistakes
- Generic pitch emails without personalization
Yes, journalists and editors can really tell if you’ve just copied and pasted the same email a dozen (or a hundred) times. Take the time to make your pitch personal; otherwise, don’t waste your time sending generic pitches and risk getting blocked or flagged.
Just like you, writers are extremely busy during the holidays and don’t have time for a back-and-forth conversation to get all the information they need to include your Amazon product in a holiday gift guide or product round-up. Make sure you have everything they need to share with their audience and all your assets linked in the very first email pitch.
Don’t know what to include? Get our FREE 2024 Holiday PR Toolkit for a complete checklist of what to include in your pitch and a few email templates to get started.
You’d be surprised how many FBA sellers miss out on media opportunities by not having their logistics ready for earned media coverage. Be sure the pitch products that are stocked and have plenty of inventory so you can take full advantage of the holiday sales from your media coverage.
Media Relations Mistakes
- Pitching without reading previous coverage
Just a quick readthrough of their work will do. Make sure your product is relevant, and that they’re still writing for the same media outlet (check the published date of the most recent articles).
Samples are not required for most holiday PR coverage these days. And unsolicited samples are typically not welcomed. Save your inventory for your sales and focus on being genuinely helpful to your media contacts.
Journalists can get hundreds of pitches a day. It’s your job to stand out by crafting a great subject line to get your email opened, not by emailing too frequently or capitalizing more words in your subject line.
Follow-ups are entirely normal but do so considerately. Think of it as an opportunity to try out that creative second subject line idea, and keep it SUPER short. The substance is in the first email; don’t make them read it twice.
- Not providing unique angles for different outlets
Every outlet has its own audience and style. Blasing the same “perfect holiday gift” pitch to everyone is like wearing the same Christmas sweater to every holiday gathering this season. Sure, it’s festive, but you might stand out at that black-tie gala.
Study each outlet’s previous gift guides and find their patterns, tailoring your pitch accordingly. This doesn’t mean rewriting your entire pitch—just adjusting your lead angle to match what each outlet’s readers care about.
Community Engagement Mistakes
- Over-promoting without providing value
Everyone is selling something during the holidays. Try to be a breath of fresh air to your community by giving them something. This doesn’t mean you can’t drive traffic to your Amazon listing, it just means to focus more on the giving rather than receiving.
Give them the opportunity to be the best gift giver, to solve their last-minute gift idea, or to buy one and get one to treat themselves. With this mindset, your messaging and copy should read a little less salesy and a little more in line with the holiday spirit.
It happens to every Amazon seller. Address your negative feedback, solve the problem if you can, and use it as an opportunity to answer any questions that might arise from it for future customers.
Don’t forget your local community of newspapers, magazines, bloggers, and events! There are plenty of locals who are looking for the perfect holiday gift, too.
Set up your Google Alerts, if you haven’t already, and make sure you’re ready to share your coverage to multiply the results!
Get Started Now!
At Media List Market, we want to make your PR outreach simple.
We know you’re busy running your Amazon store, so we’ve tried to save you time with a few resources to get you started on your holiday PR outreach today.
If you’re ready to start pitching but don’t know who to pitch, get our 2024 Amazon Product Holiday Gift Guide Media List. We’ve compiled over 100 media contacts looking to feature new Amazon products this holiday season and organized all the contact information you need in an easy-to-use spreadsheet.
If you need a little more information on how to conduct your holiday PR, download our free Holiday PR Toolkit. In it you’ll find a step-by-step checklist, email templates, a media list template, and 20 free media contacts to pitch this season.
Remember: The best holiday PR campaigns combine multiple strategies – media outreach, community engagement, and optimized content – to create a comprehensive approach that drives qualified traffic to your Amazon listing.
As you implement these strategies, keep track of what works best for your brand and refine your approach. The relationships you build during the holiday season can continue to benefit your brand throughout the year.
Frequently Asked Questions
When should I start holiday PR outreach?
You can start pitching major holiday gift guides in July-August. For online outlets and smaller publications, September-October is ideal, but journalists and editors are still searching for last-minute items to complete their gift guides into December. Don’t shy away from reaching out, even if it’s later in the season.
What makes a product attractive to holiday gift guide editors?
Unique features, clear gift recipient alignment, compelling visuals, and reliable availability are key factors editors consider.
How many outlets should I pitch for holiday coverage?
Quality matters more than quantity. Start with 20-25 carefully researched outlets that align with your product and audience, and pitch more as you find more relevant media contacts. Personalize each pitch rather than blasting hundreds of generic emails.
Should I include pricing in my holiday pitches?
Yes, always include MSRP and any planned holiday pricing or deals. Editors often sort products into price-point categories (“Amazon Gifts Under $50,” “Luxury Gifts,” etc.). Being upfront saves everyone time.
I sell my Amazon product on my own website, too. Which should I pitch?
We are all for maximizing your profits, so we understand wanting to promote your store online for media coverage. Our advice: Include links to your Amazon product listing and the product page on your website.
Amazon products naturally have more media opportunities since so much holiday shopping is done on those sites. Publications also heavily rely on online commissions and linking to Amazon products is a potential income opportunity for them, too. For new brands, your Amazon product listing is likely more trustworthy than your website, but it’s still worth including if the journalist wants to include it.
Have more questions?
Send us a note at hello@medialistmarket.com and let us know how else we can help!