Heatwaves, a summer of sport and back to school: How to get UK press coverage in July

Want to secure media coverage in July? While the summer months may be quieter in many industries, the news cycle doesn’t stop. Journalists continue to need expert sources and information for articles and hundreds use the ResponseSource Journalist Enquiry Service each week to get it. Find out below what they were searching for in June and how you could help this month.

Summer at its peak

Enquiries from journalists about the different seasons are always popular and we are seeing the peak of the ‘summer’ requests at the moment, with just over 9% of the total enquiries last month containing this keyword.

There’s a lot of variety in the requests with journalists looking for summer fitness gadgets and accessories, how to get peonies to produce more beautiful blooms in summer, and a health and safety expert or GP to talk about food health hazards in the summer. These were for titles including The Times, PA Media, The i Paper, and This Morning.

Going forward? July last year saw a small drop in the amount of ‘summer’ requests to 6% but that still presents lots of opportunities to get media coverage. With a big summer of sport ahead (Wimbledon, the women’s Euro’s, Tour De France, and more), plus last-minute requests for holiday getaways and gardening advice, have experts and info ready – you could get featured in the national press or on a broadcast outlet.

The heat is on

The UK has been enjoying an excellent summer weather wise (if you like the heat, that is) and with some high temperatures, both ‘heat’ and ‘heatwave’ have proved popular on the enquiry service. ‘Heat’ has appeared in over 2% of the total requests in June and ‘heatwave’ in 1%.

Journalists at The Sun, woman & home, MailOnline, and Men’s Health have mainly sent requests looking to find out ways to stay cool during the hot weather. But we have also seen enquiries around related topics including one for an UK-based employment lawyer to comment on heat in the workplace.

Going forward? With the hot weather set to continue, we expect to see more enquiries from journalists looking for health-related information. Many will also look to cover it from an environmental angle too or the effect it could have on other areas – on plants and pets, for example.

School’s out (and straight back in!)

There are only a couple of weeks left until schools break up for the summer but journalists are already looking to cover going back to school in September. ‘School’ appeared in just under 2% of the total requests last month, with ‘back to school’ cropping up in many of those enquiries.
Journalists from The Independent, LBC, The Guardian, and Daily Mail all sent requests around ‘school’. The back to school enquiries were mainly looking for products to review and recommend, but other requests covered end of term gifts for teachers and school staff and the lack of financial education in schools.

Going forward? Last year in July, ‘school’ related requests increased by 24% and ‘back to school’ by 70%. This will only increase further in August. If you have school uniforms or accessories that you want to get featured in the media, now is the time to engage with enquiries.

Other opportunities for PRs in July and beyond

While we may only be in the seventh month of the year, journalists are already starting to plan their Christmas content. ‘Christmas’ appeared in just over 1% of requests in June but in July last year that figure doubled to 2.5%. Festive gift guide enquiries will steadily increase from now on, meaning you could get some early media coverage.

‘Gardening’ is a near constant keyword on the service and it usually proves especially popular during the summer months with many garden shows and exhibitions. In July 2024, 5% of the total requests were gardening-related. Journalists are seeking out expert advice, so have comments ready and you could potentially secure coverage in a national press title or consumer magazine.

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