BBQ, holiday, and festival season: How to get UK press coverage in May

Looking to make the most out of your media outreach in May? The ResponseSource Journalist Enquiry Service is a solid indicator of what topics journalists will be covering in their upcoming news and features.

Find out what they were asking for in April, and how this could impact what they request this month and beyond.

Summer on the horizon

We may still be firmly in Spring but the recent sunshine has got journalists looking ahead to ‘Summer’ with just under 5% of the total requests containing that keyword. ‘Spring’ meanwhile only appeared in just over 2% of requests.

The summer enquiries in April ranged from looking for summer dinners and puddings/desserts, to outdoor gadgets and activities, and the best haircare products. There were also numerous requests focusing on summer holidays and travel. Journalists at Red magazine, PA Media, Bella and that’s life! all sent requests around summer last month.

Going forward? The amount of enquiries focusing on ‘summer’ will only increase this month and in May 2024, over 8% of requests were sent on this topic. The exact enquiry can vary depending on the category but they tend to focus on products to review and information/images to share. Have these prepared and you could feature in a consumer media title.

Home is where the journalists are

The Home & Garden category on the Journalist Enquiry Service is consistently one of the top performing and last month it finished third. ‘Home’ also finished as the best performing keyword as it cropped up in just under 9% of the enquiries last month.

A lot of the requests focused on home renovation and interior design changes including one for design experts to comment on the significance of the home bar in the interior space. However, journalists were also looking for products and gadgets that could be used around the home – one was looking for a home security expert to talk about built-in safes.

Going forward? Interior design experts are regularly sought after and home style and renovation often gets more engagement as we approach a new season – something journalists will want to get ahead of. Get press releases and experts ready to comment on the latest home inspiration. There is the potential to be included in publications like House Beautiful, Ideal Home, Homes & Gardens, The English Home, and Kitchen, Bedrooms & Bathrooms.

Festival season and BBQs are back

Numerous big music festivals and events are coming up and that was reflected in the number of enquiries, as over 1% of the total requests contained the word ‘festival’. Meanwhile, coinciding with the improved weather, ‘BBQ’ has been cropping up more, with over 1% in April.

Journalists were mainly looking for related products. This included festival essentials and the best accessories and travel gadgets for a festival weekend. BBQ products and accessories were also requested as well as a couple looking for experts to comment on the best position for a barbeque to leave birds in the garden undisturbed.

Going forward? The amount of BBQ requests doubled in May 2024 with over 2% of requests looking for products and experts in this area. Enquiries around festival products and essentials also saw an increase at over 1.5%, so we would expect to see similar volumes this year. You could get your products featured in outlets such as This Morning, Forbes.com, DIY Magazine, and the Daily Mail.

Other opportunities for PRs in May and beyond

The Chelsea Flower Show takes place towards the end of May (20-24) so we will expect to see more gardening requests, specifically around landscaping and more ambitious garden designs. 5% of requests in May last year were looking for gardening experts to share their tips and advice.

AI continues to remain a constant talking point for the media and averages around 3% of enquiries each month (last month it was just under 4%) and there could be more requests around cyber security given recent issues for companies. Plus, with Mental Health Awareness Week (12-18 May) occurring during this month then journalists will be looking to speak to experts, as they did last year when 1.5% of requests focused on this topic.

For more about how the Journalist Enquiry Service can help you secure coverage in the media, check out this explainer.