How to Get Your Product Into Holiday Gift Guides

A mention in the right holiday gift guide can put your product in front of thousands of ready-to-buy shoppers. Editors, bloggers and creators build these lists every year, and many of them actively look for small, independent brands. This guide shows you how to find the right guides, prepare a strong pitch and follow up without being a nuisance.

A group of wrapped presents in patterned paper tied with colorful ribbons and bows — Gift guide editors want products that are easy to picture under the tree and easy to buy.

Key takeaways

Gift guides range from big magazines to niche blogs, newsletters, local media and social creators. Smaller, focused guides are often easier to get into and convert well.
Many publications plan holiday content months ahead, but plenty of blogs, newsletters and creators still add products into December.
Prepare a simple media kit first: great photos, a short description, prices, links and stock details.
Pitch a specific guide and a specific reader, in a short, personal email.
Make it easy to say yes, follow up once or twice, and thank anyone who features you.

This article is about getting your product into other people's gift guides. If you want to create a gift guide on your own website, that is a different job, and the two work well together. Being featured by an outside publication or creator brings you new audiences, borrowed trust and often a useful link back to your shop.

It is also realistic for small businesses. Writers need a steady supply of interesting, giftable products at different price points, and an independent brand with a good story is often exactly what they are missing.

Understand the types of gift guides

Not all gift guides are equal, and the biggest name is not always the best target. Think about where your ideal customers actually read and scroll.

Type of guide	Who runs it	Why it can work	What to expect
National magazines and newspapers	Editors and commerce writers	Large reach and strong credibility	Very competitive, often planned months ahead
Niche websites and blogs	Specialist writers in your category	Readers with a clear interest in your type of product	More open to small brands, may ask for samples
Email newsletters	Independent writers and curators	Loyal, engaged readers	Shorter lead times, personal tone
Local media and city guides	Local journalists and bloggers	"Shop local" angle, nearby buyers	Love local stories and founders
Social media creators	Influencers on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and Pinterest	Visual, fast and shareable	Some feature for free, many charge or use affiliate links
Retailer and marketplace guides	Shops and platforms you already sell through	Buyers already on the platform	Check how the platform chooses products

Pro tip

Start with guides that match a specific person or interest, like "gifts for gardeners," "gifts for new parents" or "gifts under a set price." It is far easier to be the obvious fit for a narrow list than to stand out on a broad one.

Know the timing

Larger print magazines often plan holiday gift content many months in advance, sometimes in the summer. Online publications usually work on shorter timelines, and many publish and update their guides from October right through December. Newsletters, blogs and creators may decide only a few weeks, or even days, before they publish.

So if you are reading this in November or December, you have not missed your chance. Focus on:

Online guides that get updated during the season, especially "last-minute gifts" and "gifts that arrive in time."
Newsletters and blogs that publish weekly gift picks.
Local media running "shop local" and Small Business Saturday features.
Creators who post gift ideas through December.
Other gifting moments coming next, such as Valentine's Day on Sunday, February 14, 2027, UK Mother's Day on March 7, 2027 and US Mother's Day on May 9, 2027.

Common mistake

Giving up after missing the big magazine deadlines. Treat this season as research: note which guides featured products like yours, who wrote them and when. Then pitch the same writers early for next year and for the spring gifting dates.

Prepare a simple media kit

Before you send a single pitch, gather everything a writer needs into one place. A shared folder or a simple press page on your website works well.

What to include

High-quality photos: at least one on a plain white background and a few lifestyle shots that show the product in use or wrapped as a gift. Offer both landscape and portrait versions.
Product details: name, short description, key features, size or variants and the retail price.
Direct product links: one link per product, going straight to the product page.
Shipping and stock information: where you ship, your holiday cut-off dates and whether you have enough stock.
A short brand story: two or three sentences about who you are and what makes the product special.
Contact details: a named person, email and phone number for quick questions.

Hypothetical example

Imagine a two-person ceramics studio. It creates one press page with a short founder story, three products that make good gifts at different price points, white-background and lifestyle photos for each, and a clear note that orders placed by a set date arrive before Christmas. When a newsletter writer replies asking for images on a Friday evening, the studio sends a single link within minutes, and the mug appears in Sunday's issue. The details are invented for illustration.

Find the right people to pitch

A good pitch goes to a specific person who covers your kind of product. Spend time on research before you write.

Search for existing guides. Look up last year's gift guides for your category and audience, such as "gifts for coffee lovers" or "gifts for runners."
Note who wrote them. Find the author's name. Many writers list their preferred contact method on their website or social profile.
Check what they feature. Look at price ranges, styles and whether they include small brands. If they only feature big names, move on.
Build a short list. Aim for quality over quantity: a focused list of well-matched writers usually beats a mass email to hundreds.
Track everything. Keep a simple spreadsheet with name, publication, guide topic, date pitched, follow-ups and result.

Rolls of festive gift wrapping paper with a pair of scissors and scattered confetti on a table — Show your product ready to give. Gift-ready photos make an editor's job easier.

Write a pitch that gets read

Writers receive a lot of pitches in the holiday season. Yours needs to be short, relevant and easy to act on.

The structure of a good pitch

Subject line: name the guide and the product, for example "Gift idea for your gardeners guide: handmade seed kit."
Opening line: show you know their work, such as a sentence on a recent guide you enjoyed.
The product in one or two sentences: what it is, who it is for and why it makes a good gift.
Key facts: price, a link, shipping regions and your holiday cut-off.
The offer: high-resolution images, a sample if appropriate and quick answers to questions.
Sign-off: your name, role and contact details.

Keep it to a short email that fits on one phone screen. Attach one small image or include a link to your media kit rather than several large attachments.

Samples, fees and affiliate links

Some writers ask to see a product before they include it. Decide in advance which items you can afford to send as samples and to whom. Some publications and many creators also earn money through affiliate links or charge for sponsored placements. That is normal, but understand the arrangement. If you pay or gift products to a creator, advertising and disclosure rules in the US, UK and Europe generally require the relationship to be made clear to readers. Check the guidance that applies where you and the creator operate.

Earned gift guide features

Independent editorial trust
No direct fee
Often a lasting link to your shop

Paid or affiliate placements

More control over timing and wording
Costs money or commission
Must be clearly disclosed as advertising

Follow up and make the most of features

If you do not hear back, a polite follow-up after several days is fine. One or two follow-ups are usually enough. If someone says no, thank them and ask whether you can contact them for future guides.

When you are featured:

Thank the writer and share their piece on your channels, tagging them where appropriate.
Check stock and links, so new visitors find the product available.
Add "as featured in" mentions to your site or emails, where the publication allows it.
Track results by watching traffic and sales from the link, so you know which guides are worth pitching again.

Your gift guide pitching checklist

Choose two or three giftable products at different price points
Prepare photos, descriptions, prices, links and shipping dates
Build a short list of well-matched guides and writers
Write a short, personal pitch for each one
Track pitches and follow up politely once or twice
Agree samples, fees and disclosure before any paid placement
Share and thank every writer who features you
Note results and plan earlier pitches for next season

Frequently asked questions

Is it too late to pitch holiday gift guides in November or December?

Not for every guide. Big print titles plan far ahead, but many online guides, newsletters, blogs, local media and creators publish and update gift picks well into December. Focus on those, and on last-minute gift angles.

Do I have to pay to be in a gift guide?

Not always. Many editorial guides are free to appear in, though writers may earn through affiliate links. Some creators and publications charge for sponsored placements. If you pay or give products, the relationship usually has to be disclosed.

How many products should I pitch?

Keep it focused. One standout product, or two or three at different price points, is easier for a writer to consider than your whole catalog.

What if my product is not traditionally giftable?

Think about who would love receiving it and frame it that way, for example as a treat for a home cook or a starter kit for a new hobby. A gift set or a gift-ready option can also help.

The bottom line

Getting into holiday gift guides is less about luck and more about preparation. Know which guides your customers read, prepare a clean media kit, pitch the right person with a short, specific email and make it easy to say yes.

Even if this season brings only a few features, you will finish December with a list of writers, a proven pitch and a head start on next year and the spring gifting dates.