Consider Scrolling Down

There’s no denying it, we are well and truly into Christmas season now. I even found myself becoming part of a feature when, during an ideas meeting, I admitted that I barely plan ahead at all for the festivities. I tend to potter to the shops on the 23rd or 24th and scoop up what I can find. Cue much horror/puzzlement/interest around the table.

You can read the results here, as I go up against the brilliantly organised (and rather better groomed!) Xanthe Clay.

As is often the case, and I’m not sure PRs always get involved with this, but it’s the readers’ comments that are most instructive. Their informal feedback – or sometimes their more formal ‘letters to the editor’ – shows what they think about our content but often their own moods and habits. It can really help tailor what we do next.

With a Christmas planning feature, it could be more about feasts for two (which seems to be a bit of a theme), or which wine when. It might be more surprising: are people planning to dine out on the big day in larger numbers, or are they returning to turkey after years of dabbling with alternatives?

Sure, it’s not a specifically scientific way to tailor a pitch, but can be really helpful, particularly if you’ve got your eyes on multiple outlets and platforms.

Years ago, after a series of particularly bruising comments from readers about my appearance, a colleague told me ‘never read the bottom half of the internet’. These days I can bear the occasional brickbat if it means I can gain insights into who is reading our features and what they’re interested in. Perhaps make it a coffee break task for your teams to scroll down too.