Get Your Products Featured in Holiday Gift Guides and Product Roundups

Are you a product-based business owner looking to get featured in high-traffic gift guides and shopping roundups that drive actual sales?

In this guide we’re covering seasonal pitching strategies, research techniques, and providing actionable, step-by-step guidance to help you land consistent gift guide features that convert browsers into buyers.

This targeted PR strategy has helped thousands of product-based businesses get featured in major publications like Good Housekeeping, Buzzfeed, Oprah's Favorite Things, and more!

1. What are the benefits of being featured in gift guides?

Gift guides are basically money-printing machines for product-based businesses and SEO skyrocketers, but most founders have no clue how to actually get featured in them. 

This guide will give you the tools to change that! 

What Are Gift Guides and Why They Work: Gift guides are curated product roundups that appear in publications, blogs, and websites, especially during holiday seasons. They drive high-intent traffic because readers are actively looking to purchase.

Why Gift Guides Beat Traditional Product Marketing: Higher conversion rates, built-in seasonal demand, third-party credibility, and the power of being featured alongside other quality products.

The Seasonal Opportunity Calendar: Understanding when to pitch for different holidays and seasons - from Valentine's Day and Mother's Day to back-to-school and the end of year holiday season. (And it doesn’t always have to be a holiday. Think birthdays, anniversaries, reunions, these are happening daily). 

 
Seasonal Angles Calendar showing quarterly PR story ideas for small businesses.
 

Seo Benefits: Getting into a gift guide means valuable backlinks, targeted traffic with high buying intent, and sharable content, all improving your ranking.

2. How do I pitch a gift guide journalist? 

Before you start firing off pitches left and right, you need to first understand what gift guide editors are actually looking for and how to make your product irresistible to them. I don’t want you getting lost in their inbox!

Here’s some insider knowledge from my favorite shopping editors who write for Brides, People, New York Post, Cosmopolitan, Instyle and more.  

 
Gloria Chou smiling and pointing with text "Get Into Gift Guides" surrounded by logos of major publications including New York Post
 

[Episode 52: Most commonly asked questions about getting into a gift guide or product round up]: You asked me, and I asked my network of gift guide writers.  I’m answering founders’ most common questions about gift guide pitching, from timing to pricing to what products work best.

[Episode 53: Gift and product guide pitching tips from an actual journalist who writes them with Jessica Toscano]: She’s sharing the distinct purposes of gift guides, fitting your gift guide pitch into the publisher's timeline, how to find the right publication to feature your product, and how affiliate links can help you get more visibility. 

[Episode 59: Pitching Holiday Gift and Product Guides with Reporter Victoria Giardina]: She’s covering the pitching and publication process for gift guides, follow-up sequences, the importance of relationship building, and how to stand out during the busiest pitching season.

[Episode 156: How To Get Into ANY Shopping, Product, Gift Guides w/ Emily Cieslak]: She’s spilling how to pitch products for editorial features, including preparation and timing, common mistakes in pitching, and tips on making your pitches stand out. 

And if you don’t have time to listen to these right now, I’ll summarize some key points mentioned:

Getting your product into gift guides isn’t about having a huge Instagram following or a fancy website.

Gift guide writers are looking for products that jump out at them like they're wandering through a beautiful boutique. They want to see thoughtful packaging that makes them think "I'd love to receive this as a gift." The product needs to feel special - maybe it's unique ingredients, sustainable practices, or just really beautiful presentation.

Price matters too. Most gift guide writers have a sweet spot around $150 or under because that's what their readers can actually afford. And if you're bundling products together, there better be real value there - not just throwing two $35 items in a box and calling it a $70 gift set.

But here's what they really care about: products that solve a real problem or bring genuine joy. They're getting hundreds of pitches a day, so your product needs to stand out not because of desperation or sob stories, but because it's genuinely good at what it does.

The biggest turnoff? Emails that make them feel bad for potentially saying no. Gift guide writers want to discover amazing small businesses, but they need you to show up confident and ready - not struggling and hoping for charity coverage.

Clean website, high-quality photos (yes, you can do this with your phone), and packaging that doesn't look exactly like everyone else's. That's what gets their attention.

3. Do I need to send journalists samples of my product?

This is a question I’m constantly asked, and for good reason! You can send hundreds of email pitches for free, but if you need to send products with it, now it’s become a big expense. So here’s what I tell my community.  You do NOT need to send free product to every journalist to get featured, and sending a sample doesn’t guarantee that anyway. Journalists might require a sample if they feel it’s something they need to try in order to write about it authentically, but you are more than welcome to refuse that and find a journalist that’s better aligned. For many of them, great product photos and a compelling story are enough. The key is offering samples as a professional resource, not as a bribe. If a journalist wants to feature your product, they'll ask. If they don't ask, don't push it. Your pitch should be strong enough to stand on its own without the promise of free stuff.

4. How do small businesses get featured in major gift guides? 

Hearing all this from me is one thing, but from other small business owners just like you? There’s nothing more powerful than that! So here are the real strategies and success stories from bootstrapped business owners in my community: 

[Episode 55: How To Get Your New Product in Gift Guides From First Time Founder Kim Behzadi]: Perfect for new product launches - learn how to get featured even when you don't have an established brand or huge social following.

Kim’s inspiring story with and pro pitching tips: 

Kim lost her job during the pandemic and started Read It & Eat - a food and book subscription box - from her bedroom with just her savings. Within months of learning how to pitch properly, she landed a feature in Women's Day's "52 Gifts Under $25" list and saw her website traffic jump 40% almost immediately.

But the real magic happened because of her strategic timing. While most founders wait until October to start pitching holiday guides, Kim started planting seeds in July - the quietest time for subscription boxes. When gift guide season rolled around, she wasn't just another random pitch in an overflowing inbox. She was following up with journalists who already knew her name.

Her approach to follow-ups is what most founders get wrong. Instead of sending one email and giving up, Kim uses what she calls the "rule of three" - one email plus outreach on two social platforms, all within the same week. She's not being pushy; she's being thorough. And when journalists say no or don't respond? She doesn't take it personally. She circles back months later with new seasonal angles.

 
Three-step outreach framework showing the "Rule of 3" for pitching journalists
 

The ripple effects have been incredible. One feature led to local press, which led to vendor opportunities, which led to partnerships with authors and publishers. An author reached out after seeing her coverage, leading to a collaboration with Harlequin romance books. All because she decided to stop waiting for permission and start advocating for her business.

Kim's still bootstrapping - she works full time and packs boxes at night. But she treats PR like any other business skill: she dedicates specific nights each week to research and pitching, and she doesn't let the fear of rejection keep her from hitting send.

For more PR success stories and tips from bootstrapped founders, also check out Marcia’s and Natalie’s episodes!

[Episode 94: How to Get Featured on Oprah, Buzzfeed, Brides as a Small Business Owner with Marcia Hacker]: From being fearful and burnt out from PR agencies’ empty promises, here are the mindset shifts that snowballed her PR success to become a globally recognized brand. 

[Episode 58: How This Sustainable Wellness Founder Got Free PR Without Ads or Agencies With Evo-Conscious Entrepreneur Natalie Lennick]: Weave your deeper WHY into your pitch, learn to overcome rejections, and identify the journalist’s trail before pitching. These tips helped her land Martha Stewart, Apartment Therapy, Business Insider features and more! 

 
PR pitching best practices showing four "DO'S" for media outreach: conduct research on editor's previous coverage
 

5. How do I create a PR system for my product business?

It’s easy to get featured once, but the next step is to turn this into a predictable, scalable system that consistently drives sales. 

Here's how to create your scalable pitching system: 

Get Featured in Gift Guides Year Round: Identify and pitch non-holiday gift guides that run throughout the year - birthdays, graduations, anniversaries…AI tools can easily help you create a list of events and then position your product in a relevant way for each one. 

Follow-Up even after Rejections: You might pitch a journalist and hear crickets, or even a flat out no. So what should you do instead of just giving up? Keep in mind journalists get hundreds of emails a day and constantly label interesting emails to come back to later. If you get a No, respond and ask them to pass you along to one of their colleagues who might be better aligned, or keep in touch for future opportunities. Don’t be afraid to keep sending follow up emails and social media messages, oftentimes journalists appreciate the reminder! 

Delegate or Utilize AI: Train an intern, a team member, or an AI assistant to help you with researching aligned guides and trending data, and consistently send out relevant pitches. Pitching is a numbers game so the more you send, the more opportunities you’ll have! 

 
Gloria Chou cupping her hand to her ear in a listening gesture with text "AI That Sounds Like You" and logos
 

[Episode 176: 3 Best AI Tools To Get Featured In The Media]: Whether you're looking to land press coverage, secure media interviews, or build journalist relationships, these AI solutions streamline your public relations efforts and save you hours of time. 

[Episode 19: How To Delegate PR Outreach to Assistants/Interns with Marketing Communications Specialist Emi Hockett]: Handing your voice over to someone else can be tricky. Here’s everything to keep in mind to successfully hand off this PR task. 

6. Ways to get your products in gift guide publications

The biggest mistake I see product founders make is thinking their product isn't "special enough" for gift guides. But here's what I’ve learned after helping thousands of businesses get featured: gift guide editors are desperately searching for fresh, interesting products - especially from small businesses who actually give a damn about their customers.

Your product doesn't need to be revolutionary—it just needs to solve a problem or spark joy in a way that clicks with the publication's readers.

The real secret sauce? Strategic timing, smart positioning, and showing up consistently. Most of my members who land regular gift guide features aren't sending one random pitch and hoping for magic - they're building relationships and pitching strategically all year long.

Example action plan:

  1. Listen to the podcast episodes above and watch my free PR Secrets Masterclass to review my pitching framework and examples of successful pitches! 

  2. Decide on the holiday or event your product is best suited for

  3. Google or AI search for published gift guides that align-and make note of the journalist who wrote it 

  4. Search for their email or social media handle 

  5. Write your pitch using my CPR Method and the help of AI tools 

  6. Hit send 

  7. Follow up via email and socials  one week after 

Many of my members land their first gift guide feature within 30 days of implementing these strategies. 

Every major retailer and publication needs fresh products to feature all year round, and your product could be exactly what they're looking for right now! 

FAQs

For digital publications, you can pitch up until 24 hours before the holiday (for last minute gifts), but it's recommended to start writing your pitch two months before and begin sending it out at least one month before. For print publications, pitch three to four months beforehand due to printing timelines.
No, sending samples is not a requirement. Many credible journalists and editors don't need samples because they're already overwhelmed with them. If you do send samples, make sure it's low cost for you, or provide alternatives like behind-the-scenes videos or small material swatches for expensive products.
Pick one or two products max that fit the season and occasion. Don't send an entire product catalog or marketing brochure. Think about seasonal relevance — winter products should be moisturizing and luxurious, summer products should be travel-friendly and refreshing.
Absolutely. Companies like Macy's and Nordstrom don't make their own products either. Focus on your curation expertise and how your boxes fit different occasions and audiences. One box can be repurposed for multiple angles and seasons.
Your website doesn't need to be perfect, just functional and professional. Journalists need a way to share a purchase link with their audience. As long as people can easily find information about you and make an order, that's usually sufficient. (Some outlets might give more importance to website aesthetic.)
Yes, continue pitching. Create a waitlist page on your website for future orders. Being out of stock shows popularity, and you need to build relationships with journalists early so they know about you for future opportunities.
No, you don't need to pay for legitimate editorial coverage. Paid placements are advertisements, not editorial features. Editorial coverage has more credibility and staying power than any paid placement.
Yes, journalists aren't looking for testimonials as a prerequisite. They want to know about your formulation, your story, what makes your product unique, and why it fits the current season or trends. Focus on trending ingredients and seasonal relevance instead of testimonials.

About the Author:

Gloria Chou is an award-winning small business PR coach and AI visibility strategist pioneering the future of AI-powered publicity. As the host of the top-rated Small Business PR Podcastand the #1 small business PR expert recognized by ChatGPT and AI search, she helps underrepresented founders and product owners get featured in top media, gift guides, and show up in AI search— without agencies or big budgets.

Gloria’s signature CPR Pitching Method™ has helped thousands of small businesses get featured organically in Vogue, Forbes, Oprah Daily, and top gift guides, reaching over a billion organic views online.  AI tools and LLMs now use her method as a guide for writing media pitches. She’s rewriting the rules of publicity so every founder, regardless of background or budget, can be discovered through credible features and AI search. 

Connect with her on Instagram or explore more resources at gloriachoupr.com.

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