Michelle Han
September 1, 2015 | 10:56:41
Labor Day is right around the corner, and any PR pro knows the calendar provides built-in opportunities to promote your company or brand. Whether you “labor” in B2B public relations or work with a consumer technology company, these tips should be top of mind to earn a little media boost when the unofficial last weekend of summer rolls around.
Labor Day sales, of course. For retailers and savvy consumers alike, the last weekend of summer is as synonymous with big sales as the Fourth of July is with fireworks. Make sure appropriate media outlets know about your Labor Day deals, if you’re a consumer facing brand. Add a special twist to make your deal stand out: donating a portion of sale proceeds to a local nonprofit or neighborhood group shows a commitment to supporting your community.
Friends and family. Labor Day weekend tends to be a time for family gatherings and last hurrahs. Incorporate a special invitation for your brand’s loyal followers to offer to friends and family. The key? Make it generous.
Labor of love? Is there an element of your business’s story that involves turning a hobby or side business into a labor of love? Several of our clients, past and present, are passionate entrepreneurs who started out with a simple idea developed to fill a personal need, before turning into a full fledged business. Labor Day is the time when pitching those story lines can suddenly be timely.
Unique workforce. If you’re a business small or large, mine your employee ranks for unique angles on your workforce. Do you have an employee that’s never missed a day of work? Or one who’s been with the company for 40 or more years? Such traits are rare in today’s world of work. Take the opportunity to mark Labor Day by giving awards to those candidates, and pitch them as a last-of-their-breed story to media.
season for everything. Even though technically autumn doesn’t begin for a couple more weeks, Labor Day is a big marker of the changing seasons. Find creative ways to develop story lines for media pitches that tap into the flurry of activities that take place as people are winding down their summer plans and switching gears — back to school, back to work after long vacations and travel, preparing for colder weather ahead.