How To Get Your Product Into Holiday Gift Guides
How To Get Your Product Into Holiday Gift Guides (2025–2026 Complete Guide)
By Publicity For Good: The #1 PR Agency for Purpose-Driven Brands
Holiday gift guides are one of the highest-ROI PR opportunities of the year, driving massive brand awareness, SEO authority, AI search visibility, and direct Q4 sales. In a world where:
Google searches are down 25%,
AI-driven searches are up 300%,
ChatGPT has a Buy Button, and
89–95% of AI citations now come from earned media,
getting your products featured in holiday gift guides is no longer optional.
If your brand isn't showing up in gift guides, it won't show up in AI-driven buying recommendations. You don't exist in the new digital marketplace.
This guide is built from Publicity For Good's experience securing 12,000+ media placements and generating 28,000+ media opportunities. We'll show you exactly how to get your product featured this holiday season.
Why Holiday Gift Guides Matter More Than Ever
Holiday gift guides are uniquely powerful because they:
Drive high-intent traffic
Boost conversions
Provide authoritative backlinks
Enhance retailer presentations
Increase affiliate revenue
Boost AI search visibility (ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity)
Build evergreen "As Seen In" credibility
Unlike ads, which are expensive and saturated, earned media continues to work for you year after year.
How To Get Your Product Featured in Holiday Gift Guides
1. Start Early: Holiday PR Begins in June
Top-tier outlets finalize their gift guides months in advance.
Pitching Timeline
June–July: Long-lead magazines (print)
August: National online outlets
September: Digital shopping editors
October: Short-lead + bloggers + influencers
November: TV + local media
December: Last-minute gift guides + deal sites
Waiting until October is the #1 reason brands miss out.
2. Prepare a Holiday-Ready Media Kit
Editors need fast, clean, complete information. Include:
Holiday Media Kit Checklist
2–3 sentence product description
Price + purchase link
Retailers (Amazon, Whole Foods, Target, Walmart, etc.)
High-res product photography (white background + lifestyle)
Key benefits & features
Brand story & founder story
Holiday relevance
Awards, certifications, or bestselling status
Pair this with an easy-to-share Dropbox or Drive folder.
3. Build a Targeted Gift Guide Media List
Holiday gift guides typically fall into these categories:
Gifts for Her
Gifts for Him
Gifts for Kids
Gifts Under $25 / $50
Stocking Stuffers
Wellness Gifts
Eco-Friendly Gifts
Beauty Gifts
Tech Gifts
Foodie Gifts
Entrepreneur Gifts
Luxury Gifts
Use These Tools to Build Your Media List
Cision
Qwoted
HERO
Google News
Instagram/TikTok creator searches
Editorial calendars
Or partner with a PR team like Publicity For Good with relationships already in place.
4. Craft a Gift Guide Pitch That Actually Gets Opened
Editors receive hundreds of emails a day. Your pitch needs to be short, specific, holiday-themed, and product-focused.
Holiday Gift Guide Pitch Template
Subject: Holiday Gift Guide Idea: Perfect Gift for [Audience] — [Product]
Hi [Name],
Sharing an idea for your [Holiday Gift Guide Name].
[Product Name] is a perfect fit because:
[Benefit 1]
[Benefit 2]
[Benefit 3]
Price: $___ Purchase link: ___ Retailers: ___ High-res photos: [Dropbox link]
Happy to send samples!
Best, [Name]
5. Offer Samples Immediately
Most editors will not feature a product they can't test.
Sample-Sending Best Practices
Keep inventory on hand
Ask for deadlines
Share tracking numbers
Personalize packaging
Follow up after delivery
6. Optimize Your Website for Holiday SEO
When gift guides link back to you, you want to convert the traffic.
Recommended Holiday Pages
Holiday Gift Guide
Gifts Under $50
Best Sellers
Press / As Seen In
Optimize with alt tags, schema, interlinking, and holiday keywords.
7. Affiliate Marketing: Now a REQUIREMENT
Most top-tier outlets won't feature your product unless you have an affiliate program on:
Amazon Associates
ShareASale
Skimlinks
LTK / RewardStyle
Editors receive revenue per purchase through tracked links. If you want features in CNN Underscored, BuzzFeed Shopping, Forbes Vetted, USA Today Reviewed, or Oprah Daily, affiliate is essential.
Publicity For Good can set this up for you.
8. Common Mistakes That Keep Brands OUT of Holiday Gift Guides
Pitching after October
No affiliate program
No samples
No high-res images
No pricing or purchase URL
Long, overly promotional pitches
Not following up
Not giving editors enough lead time
Weak or generic brand story
Not being available on Amazon or major retailers
Fix these and your chances of being featured increase immediately.
9. SEO Keyword List (to Help You Rank in Google + AI Search)
Primary Keyword how to get your product in holiday gift guides
Secondary Keywords
holiday gift guide submissions
how to pitch gift guides
holiday PR
get product featured in gift guides
gift guides 2025
gifts under $50
best gifts for ___
stocking stuffers 2025
top holiday gifts
CPG holiday PR
Add variations naturally throughout the post (already done).
10. Frequently Asked Questions About Holiday Gift Guides
How do I get my product featured in holiday gift guides? You need early pitching, a holiday-ready media kit, a curated list of editors, and strategic follow-up. Publicity For Good manages all of this end to end.
Do I need to send product samples? Yes. Samples significantly increase your chances of being featured.
Do I need an affiliate program? If you want top-tier coverage in Forbes, BuzzFeed, CNN, or Real Simple, yes.
Do small brands get featured? Absolutely. PFG has secured features for hundreds of emerging brands in major gift guides.
Is Amazon required? Not required, but it dramatically improves placement odds.
When should I start pitching? June for long-leads, August–October for digital, and November–December for TV.
Holiday Gift Guide Wins From Publicity For Good
Our clients have been featured in:
Forbes Vetted
BuzzFeed Shopping
CNN Underscored
Good Housekeeping
Real Simple
NY Post Shopping
USA Today Reviewed
PopSugar
Parents Magazine
Glamour
Men's Journal
Entrepreneur Gift Guides
We've secured 12,000+ media features for purpose-driven brands, many during the holiday season.
Want to Get Into Holiday Gift Guides This Year?
With over 400 brands served, Publicity For Good is the go-to PR agency for purpose-driven companies that want:
Massive visibility
High-authority backlinks
Gift guide placements
Strong holiday sales
AI-first SEO visibility
📞 Book a Holiday PR Strategy Call: https://publicityforgood.com/contact
🎁 Enter to Win a Year of PR (Ends 11/17): https://publicityforgood.com/100k
