Hello there
September is here, schools are back in session, and autumn is in the air. Keep an eye on the PR calendar for key dates this month and next to get your pitches in.
Ready to hit the gift guides? It’s the perfect time to upgrade to Pro and start sending your Christmas product suggestions.
COMING UP:
Welcome Call
📅 Tuesday, 9th September | 🕤 9:30am
Join live here when the call starts.
Q4 Strategy Live
📅 Wednesday, 18th September | 🕐 1:00pm
Upgrade to Pro to apply for the live brand audit and get a custom strategy mapped for the quarter ahead. Join live here when the call starts.
Guest Workshop: Lara Sheldrake
📅 Wednesday, 2nd October | 🕐 1:00pm
Topic: Balancing purpose, visibility & profit as a founder. Join live here when the call starts.
Guest Workshop: Char Dixon
📅 Wednesday, 16th October | 🕐 1:00pm
Topic: 6 marketing must-knows to sell through social media this Christmas. Join live here when the call starts.
Rosie & team PR Dispatch
New season, new press angles
Hello, September 👋.
Now that the summer slowdown’s over, journalists are switching gears and Q4 calendars are filling up fast.
Here’s a snapshot of what’s hot this month:
❄️ Autumn and winter stories are in the spotlight
It’s not just about pumpkin spice. Cosy home, food, fashion, lifestyle – seasonal products and stories are in demand.
🔮 Fresh PR trends
Taylor Swift’s new album has spoken: orange is everywhere this season, so if you’ve got an orange product, pitch it.
Also, check out Pinterest’s latest trend report for inspiration, and don’t forget to dip into our PR Strategy: Planning resource for key awareness and national days.
🎯 New year, new you
Calling wellness, fitness, healthy food & drink, and organisation brands… long-lead press are already working on January features, so get your products and story suggestions in while the window’s still open.
In an Hour This Week
Give your homepage a seasonal refresh
Take an hour this week to update your website homepage so it reflects the shift into autumn/winter. Swap out any summer-focused imagery or messaging for content that feels relevant to the season ahead. Think warmer tones, seasonal photography or highlighting giftable products. Journalists often check brand sites when researching, so a fresh, seasonal homepage instantly makes your brand feel timely and PR-ready.
Christmas Gift Guide Checklist & Hooks
Christmas is in full swing. This checklist has you covered, from timelines and must-have assets to punchy hook prompts and ready-to-use templates to help your pitches stand out.
What To Do This Week
-
90% of your PR efforts should be proactive.
WHAT:
Pitch to 5+ ‘Proactive Opportunities.’ Across product placement or profile press.
Follow up on last week’s pitches.
Why? Journalists often check their inboxes first when looking for products or businesses to feature.
-
Core requests
Press requests offer great opportunities, though journalists often check their inboxes first, so proactive outreach is key. Around 10% of PR involves responding to these fast-turnaround requests.
Gift guide requests
Christmas gift guides ramp up from July to December. Dedicate extra time to these during the festive season. Upgrade to Pro here for Gift guide database access.WHAT:
Check ‘Request’ page.
Only respond to relevant requests to ensure you are building positive press relationships.
Why? You’ll instantly increase chances of being featured because the press are actively looking for that certain product, comment, experience or opinion.
-
The press often features brands without replying, so track potential coverage and quickly share mentions across your channels to maximize impact.
What the Press Are Working on in September
Long-Lead
JUL
AUG
SEP
APR
MAY
JUN
OCT
NOV
DEC
Short-Lead
APR
MAY
JUN
JAN
FEB
MAR
JAN
FEB
MAR
SEP
JUL
AUG
OCT
NOV
DEC
Daily & Online
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
NOV
DEC
Recently Updated
Current Request Opportunities
Current Gift Guide
Requests
Academy+ September Highlights
AI prompts
Our AI prompts are here to help you come up with press-worthy angles, write subject lines that get opened and tweak your pitch in seconds.
Christmas checklist & hooks
Christmas press is in full swing. This checklist has everything you need to jump in, assets, timing, and punchy hook prompts to make your pitch stand out.
Monitoring coverage
As we gear up for festive PR, make sure you’ve got media monitoring set up so you never miss a piece of coverage.
What We’re Reading & Listening To
Drowning in admin? 14 hacks to take back control
Guardian
September has always carried that back-to-school energy, inspiring productivity hacks. From inbox resets to smarter diaries, to bring focus and a sense of calm.
The 2025 Pinterest Autumn trend report
Autumn is bringing more than just pumpkin spice. Check out Pinterest’s latest report to see what’s trending this season: from beauty, fashion, food and homeware.
Brand awareness + performance = BFFs
Tracksuit
Latest research from TikTok and Tracksuit shows that brands people already know get nearly triple the conversions of those they don’t. Download the report here.
Newsjacking
Newsjacking puts your brand in the spotlight, turning trending topics into your chance to stand out and keeping your brand part of the real-time dialogue. It boosts your chances of press coverage and shows you're a leader in your industry.
Find out more about aligning your brand with trending conversations here.
Upgrade to Pro for access to our weekly newsjacking topics and be ready to jump on the next relevant trend.
Personal Brand Framework
What do Grace Beverley, Richard Branson, and Jo Malone have in common? They’ve each built a standout personal brand—and with our new Personal Brand Framework, you can too.
Today, the press and audiences want more than a business; they want the story behind it. Your perspectives and opinions.
The framework is now live on Academy+ available to Pro and Enterprise members - upgrade to access.
