Published: August 26, 2026
Every week we talk to brands about getting started and growing within PR, affiliate marketing and GEO visibility. Through Great Scott’s work in the e-commerce landscape, we’ve pulled together a few stories worth sharing.
We’ve certainly heard the question before: “If we start PR in September, is it too late to get into gift guides?”
And the answer is no! One of the great things about Q4 is that there are more digital gift guides than any other time of year, which means holiday gift guide pitching has more opportunities to secure coverage. But if you’re looking for print coverage, June and July are typically your deadline. Beginning in September, editors are churning out recommendations and updating annual guides. That being said, if you want to hit the ground running and have the best chances for success, we recommend that brands have certain things in place.
Here are a few common questions we get about pitching for holiday gift guides:
Do I need an Affiliate Marketing Program to get into gift guides?
Yes, your affiliate program should be up and running with editorial partners like Skimlinks, Hearst, Condé and People Inc. on board with premium rates. If you’re a brand on Amazon, make sure your reviews are in order and you have Creator Connections activated. We always advise lifted commissions through Q4 since it’s a competitive time for placements.
Do Amazon listings increase my placement odds in gift guides?
Yes, but only if your product has great reviews and is a trusted brand. Amazon gift guides (and links) are popular with publishers because it’s the simplest checkout process for consumers. And Amazon gives a commission on the total cart value, not just a commission on the item in the gift guide.
My product is sold by a major retailer, should I need to prep anything before pitching?
Yes, for holiday gift guide pitching, if your brand is carried by a retailer like Walmart or Target, make sure that your imagery is updated, product descriptions are accurate, and pricing is correct since editors may refer to your PDPs when fact checking. Product images should have a clean white background and please remove any AI lifestyle photos; we can tell, so can editors. This goes for your DTC website, too!
What information do editors need from my PR team to pitch gift guides?
Make sure that you have your brand “About” and a one-liner ready to go! Your PR team will also need talking points for each hero SKU and the brand. It’s also helpful to share products that have gone viral through Instagram or Tik Tok or have glowing reviews on retailers.
Editors also need promo and sale details. Your agency will start getting requests for Black Friday Cyber Monday sales as early as September so have finalized promo details, including the discount, dates and codes, available. You should also have your final ship dates for holiday deadlines confirmed. And make sure influencer codes are not on coupon sites or floating around the web!
Do I need to send samples to get my product in a gift guide?
Yes! Sampling is key for coverage. And specifically, samples for editors that do not need to be returned. While there are always high-ticket products that may need to be loaned out and returned, it’s very rare for editors to include products that they haven’t tested firsthand. And that product needs to ship to them fast. We lose momentum if an editor expresses interest, requests a product, but doesn’t ship for several days and it doesn’t arrive at their home for 7+ days. You’ve likely missed a deadline for inclusion by this point!
Can I just ask a writer to add my product to a gift guide that’s already been published?
No! It’s never appropriate to ask to be added to an already published gift guide. At this point, the writer has already researched, written, edited, and pulled all assets needed for the guide and sent it to be approved and published by their publication. Updating and adding content is not an easy task, and asking to be added after publication might ruin your relationship with that editor.
So yes, it’s always possible to secure press in Q4 but being prepared on the back end will set your brand and agency up for success!