Holiday gift guides are one of the highest-ROI PR opportunities of the year, driving massive brand awareness, SEO authority, AI search visibility, and direct Q4 sales. In a world where:

• Google searches are down 25%,
• AI-driven searches are up 300%,
• ChatGPT has a Buy Button, and
• 89–95% of AI citations now come from earned media, getting your products featured in holiday gift guides is no longer optional.

If your brand isn’t showing up in gift guides, it won’t show up in AI-driven buying recommendations. You don’t exist in the new digital marketplace.

This guide is built from Publicity For Good’s experience securing 12,000+ media placements and generating 28,000+ media opportunities. We’ll show you exactly how to get your product featured this holiday season.

Why Holiday Gift Guides Matter More Than Ever

Holiday gift guides are uniquely powerful because they:

• Drive high-intent traffic
• Boost conversions
• Provide authoritative backlinks
• Enhance retailer presentations
• Increase affiliate revenue
• Boost AI search visibility (ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity)
• Build evergreen “As Seen In” credibility

Unlike ads, which are expensive and saturated, earned media continues to work for you year after year.

How To Get Your Product Featured in Holiday Gift Guides

1. Start Early: Holiday PR Begins in June

Top-tier outlets finalize their gift guides months in advance.

Pitching Timeline

• June–July: Long-lead magazines (print)
• August: National online outlets
• September: Digital shopping editors
• October: Short-lead + bloggers + influencers
• November: TV + local media
• December: Last-minute gift guides + deal sites

Waiting until October is the #1 reason brands miss out.

2. Prepare a Holiday-Ready Media Kit

Editors need fast, clean, complete information. Include:

Holiday Media Kit Checklist

• 2–3 sentence product description
• Price + purchase link
• Retailers (Amazon, Whole Foods, Target, Walmart, etc.)
• High-res product photography (white background + lifestyle)
• Key benefits & features
• Brand story & founder story
• Holiday relevance
• Awards, certifications, or bestselling status

Pair this with an easy-to-share Dropbox or Drive folder.

3. Build a Targeted Gift Guide Media List

Holiday gift guides typically fall into these categories:

• Gifts for Her
• Gifts for Him
• Gifts for Kids
• Gifts Under $25 / $50
• Stocking Stuffers
• Wellness Gifts
• Eco-Friendly Gifts
• Beauty Gifts
• Tech Gifts
• Foodie Gifts
• Entrepreneur Gifts
• Luxury Gifts

Use These Tools to Build Your Media List

• Cision
• Qwoted
• HERO
• Google News
• Instagram/TikTok creator searches
• Editorial calendars

Or partner with a PR team like Publicity For Good with relationships already in place.

4. Craft a Gift Guide Pitch That Actually Gets Opened

Editors receive hundreds of emails a day. Your pitch needs to be short, specific, holiday-themed, and product-focused.

Holiday Gift Guide Pitch Template

Subject: Holiday Gift Guide Idea: Perfect Gift for [Audience] — [Product]

Hi [Name],

Sharing an idea for your [Holiday Gift Guide Name].

[Product Name] is a perfect fit because:

• [Benefit 1]
• [Benefit 2]
• [Benefit 3]

Price: $___ Purchase link: ___ Retailers: ___ High-res photos: [Dropbox link]

Happy to send samples!

Best, [Name]

5. Offer Samples Immediately

Most editors will not feature a product they can’t test.

Sample-Sending Best Practices

• Keep inventory on hand
• Ask for deadlines
• Share tracking numbers
• Personalize packaging
• Follow up after delivery

6. Optimize Your Website for Holiday SEO

When gift guides link back to you, you want to convert the traffic.

Recommended Holiday Pages

• Holiday Gift Guide
• Gifts Under $50
• Best Sellers
• Press / As Seen In

Optimize with alt tags, schema, interlinking, and holiday keywords.

7. Affiliate Marketing: Now a REQUIREMENT

Most top-tier outlets won’t feature your product unless you have an affiliate program on:

• Amazon Associates
• ShareASale
• Skimlinks
• LTK / RewardStyle

Editors receive revenue per purchase through tracked links. If you want features in CNN Underscored, BuzzFeed Shopping, Forbes Vetted, USA Today Reviewed, or Oprah Daily, affiliate is essential.

Publicity For Good can set this up for you.

8. Common Mistakes That Keep Brands OUT of Holiday Gift Guides

• Pitching after October
• No affiliate program
• No samples
• No high-res images
• No pricing or purchase URL
• Long, overly promotional pitches
• Not following up
• Not giving editors enough lead time
• Weak or generic brand story
• Not being available on Amazon or major retailers

Fix these and your chances of being featured increase immediately.

9. SEO Keyword List (to Help You Rank in Google + AI Search)

Primary Keyword how to get your product in holiday gift guides

Secondary Keywords

• holiday gift guide submissions
• how to pitch gift guides
• holiday PR
• get product featured in gift guides
• gift guides 2025
• gifts under $50
• best gifts for ___
• stocking stuffers 2025
• top holiday gifts
• CPG holiday PR

Add variations naturally throughout the post (already done).

10. Frequently Asked Questions About Holiday Gift Guides

How do I get my product featured in holiday gift guides? You need early pitching, a holiday-ready media kit, a curated list of editors, and strategic follow-up. Publicity For Good manages all of this end to end.

Do I need to send product samples? Yes. Samples significantly increase your chances of being featured.

Do I need an affiliate program? If you want top-tier coverage in Forbes, BuzzFeed, CNN, or Real Simple, yes.

Do small brands get featured? Absolutely. PFG has secured features for hundreds of emerging brands in major gift guides.

Is Amazon required? Not required, but it dramatically improves placement odds.

When should I start pitching? June for long-leads, August–October for digital, and November–December for TV.

Holiday Gift Guide Wins From Publicity For Good

Our clients have been featured in:

• Forbes Vetted
• BuzzFeed Shopping
• CNN Underscored
• Good Housekeeping
• Real Simple
• NY Post Shopping
• USA Today Reviewed
• PopSugar
• Parents Magazine
• Glamour
• Men’s Journal
• Entrepreneur Gift Guides

We’ve secured 12,000+ media features for purpose-driven brands, many during the holiday season.

Want to Get Into Holiday Gift Guides This Year?

With over 400 brands served, Publicity For Good is the go-to PR agency for purpose-driven companies that want:

• Massive visibility
• High-authority backlinks
• Gift guide placements
• Strong holiday sales
• AI-first SEO visibility