‘Tis The Season

For this freelancer at least, spring is the peak travel season — a time of getting trips sorted and (hopefully) multiple pieces written so that readers might replicate them in early or peak summer. That’s the idea at least, hoping that the articles actually run…

From February onwards, I tend to find myself declining trip invites due to an already-too-full diary. As such, the next weeks are when you should be planning and finalising press trip offers. It might feel too early — we’re not even in 2024 yet, chill out Richard! — but I promise that it’s not.

You’ve got a good few weeks before the need to send out invites becomes pressing. I’d aim for January 20 as a rough deadline for that. But these things obviously take planning, with clients being, sigh, clients, so there’s every reason to get cracking now, and to be as pushy and proactive as you can be with those clients.

This is truer still when it comes to Valentine’s Day press releases. Lists hooked on that will probably run a week or so before February 14, meaning they’ll be written around a fortnight beforehand, or possibly more, by writers working for short-lead publications (newspapers and digital). Again, I’d suggest January 20 as an ideal, rough target for when you want to send out ideas.

Finally, if it needs saying, get anything related to the new year — learning holidays, detox retreats, weight-loss trips — out now, this week, if you haven’t done so already. The sooner the better.