Christmas content, money issues and fitness fanatics: How to get UK press coverage in September

Wondering how you can get expert comment into the press in September? With the kids heading back to school and a new season beginning, there is plenty of new topics and issues for journalists to cover. Find out below what they have been looking for in August from requests sent via the ResponseSource Journalist Enquiry Service and how this will impact what they are looking for this month and beyond.

Holidays are coming

Whether you’re a fan of Christmas or not, journalists are already looking to get ahead with their gift guides. In July, ‘Christmas’ appeared in just over 2% of enquiries and this figure more than doubled to just under 7% of requests in August.

It’s not all been gift guide requests, though. There have been enquiries for festive/winter feature ideas and celeb interviews, historic houses decorated for Christmas, and winter books. Journalists at The Telegraph, The Independent, House Beautiful, and Bella all sent requests in August.

Going forward? September is likely to see the amount of Christmas requests double again. Last year, 14% of enquiries in September were for Christmas, with about 9% for gift guide products and 4% for advent calendars. Be prepared with samples to send out for review, and you could be featured in the national press.

Money issues a concern again

Both energy bills and food prices are set to rise over Autumn and Winter meaning that money concerns are once again high on the news agenda. This was seen on the Journalist Enquiry Service in August, with just over 3% of the total requests featuring ‘money’.

Outlets such as Raconteur, Sifted, Saga Money, Money Marketing, and The Sunday Times all sent enquiries around this topic last month. Many of these were looking for case studies, with asks for single people to chat about managing finances, a business owner who is worried about business rates, and for someone who has inherited a decent amount of cash because of IHT reasons.

Going forward? Journalists are likely to be writing advice pieces over the coming weeks and months about how people can save money during Autumn/Winter. We will see a lot of requests for money and personal finance experts. Plus, the Autumn Budget isn’t too far away, so journalists will need experts to explain any changes that will affect household budgets, and possibly case studies of people that will be impacted.

Fitness in fashion

The peak time for fitness is usually in early January, which we saw earlier this year with nearly 4% of requests containing the word ‘fitness’. However, we have seen another spike in August, with 2.5% of enquiries looking to cover this topic.

Outlets such as Men’s Fitness, Fabulous, The London Standard, and Cosmopolitan all sent requests last month. The majority were looking for fitness experts to share their advice and opinions but we also had enquiries looking for fitness bootcamps, home gym equipment, and fitness etiquette.

Going forward? National Fitness Day is coming up on 24 September, so we are likely to see more requests for experts and information on different exercises and classes that people can take up to get fit. Have comments ready to send out and you could get featured in a consumer magazine.

Other opportunities for PRs in September and beyond

Party conference season is nearly upon us and journalists have been looking to get ahead of this with 2.5% of requests containing ‘government’ and 1% for ‘Labour’. Enquiries are likely to focus on getting expert opinion on new policy announcements, and speeches, and conventions from the major party conferences. You can also keep up with the developments from the party conferences by subscribing to our newsletter.

Peak holiday season may now have passed but the media are already looking to get ahead and cover Autumn and Winter travel ideas and holidays. ‘Travel’ appeared in 5% of the total enquiries in August with the majority looking for experts to share their tips and advice on places to go. This is likely to continue throughout September with journalists seeking information on half-term holiday suggestions.

Want to get the most out of the ResponseSource Journalist Enquiry Service? Check out this explainer.