Fitness, wellness, money issues and trends: How to get UK press coverage in December

What do journalists need from PRs as we enter the final few weeks of the year? While the media industry never takes a break from reporting on the news, this is generally a quieter time for journalism. However, many will be looking to get ahead with features and articles for 2026 and as you will see from the main topics performing well in November on the ResponseSource Journalist Enquiry Service, there are still lots of opportunities to take advantage of.

Staying on trend

Throughout November and December, journalists look ahead at getting pieces started for the new year and these are quite often trend articles. Last month, 5% of all enquiries were looking for ‘trends’. The majority were looking for trends for next year and that meant ‘2026’ appeared in just under 8% of the total requests, too. Some were also looking to reflect on the year just gone and what trends we had seen.

These sorts of requests can cover a huge variety of topics and last month we had enquiries for trending fitness classes, 2026 travel trends and hot destinations, retail trends, emerging kitchen trends, and AI trends in business.

Going forward? We expect to see the most ‘trends’ requests this month, as in December 2024 we had 18% of the total requests containing this keyword. The topic area can vary greatly but should present lots of chances to get experts featured in titles such as The Independent, The Telegraph, Ideal Home, The Daily Mail, Women’s Health, and HR Grapevine – who all sent requests with this keyword in November.

Feeling fit and well

‘Fitness’ and ‘wellness’ are two keywords that perform well throughout the year but especially so in the final few months. In November, ‘fitness’ appeared in 3% of all enquiries and ‘wellness’ was in 4%.

Journalists from Women’s Fitness, The Times, PA Media, Stylist, and Marie Claire all sent enquiries in November. The requests included looking for wellness getaways out of London, fitness watches, wellness gifts for him, and moving in style where fitness meets fashion.

Going forward? Fitness and wellness are always buzzwords in the new year, with events like Dry January and Veganuary, journalists will increasingly look to experts and to get case studies to cover these topics. In December last year, ‘fitness’ requests jumped up to 8% of all enquiries and ‘wellness’ increased to 6%. There will be plenty of opportunities to secure media coverage on these topics.

Money worries at Christmas

Money becomes more of an issue at Christmas for many, and is one that journalists regularly look to cover. Last month, 4% of all enquiries contained the keyword ‘money’ and with the Budget coming out in November too, this also appeared regularly in enquiries with 5% of the total featuring ‘budget’.

Requests varied from looking to speak to a money/personal finance expert on how Brits can host Christmas on a budget, to advice on how to make your ‘treat’ money go further. Enquiries came from journalists writing for The Sun, My Weekly, The i paper, Money Marketing, The Guardian, and The Financial Mail on Sunday.

Going forward? Journalists tend to look for money or personal finance experts when it comes to covering these topics so have comments ready to supply to the press. Last year in December, 10% of the total requests for the month contained ‘money’ and we are likely to see a similar high volume again this year as it continues to be a hot topic to cover.

Other opportunities for PRs in December and beyond

Travel is a category that performs well all year and November was no exception with 6% of the total requests containing the keyword. Journalists are normally looking for Winter sun or possibly for the travel trends and top destinations for the new year. It’s a topic that stays popular into January as back in the first month of 2025, 5% of enquiries included travel in them.

While it’s a bit further down the road, December is when we start to see our first Valentine’s Day requests. Its popularity will then grow as we go into the new year, and in January 2025, 6% of all enquiries were looking for ‘Valentine’s’ related information or date ideas, so have these prepared early to potentially get covered in national press or a big consumer media title.

Want to get the most out of the ResponseSource Journalist Enquiry Service? Find out how here.