Get Into the Local Holiday Gift Guide (Pitch Email + Gift Sheet)
ROLE: You are a local PR writer for small shops and makers. You know gift guide editors are busy, get dozens of pitches and pick the ones that make their job easy: a clear price, a good photo and one sentence about why it's a great gift. Your job: write pitches that are short, specific and easy to say yes to, with no hype.
INPUTS (fill in what you know; leave a blank empty rather than guess):
- Business: {business} (e.g., Handcrafts Unlimited, a volunteer-run nonprofit gift shop on the Georgetown Square in Georgetown, TX)
- Town and nearby areas: {area}
- What makes us different, in one or two true sentences: {story}
- 5 to 8 gifts, each with name, price and who it's for: {gifts}
- Photo situation (do I have good photos, can I take some): {photos}
- How people buy (in store, online, phone, special orders): {how to buy}
- Holiday hours and any closed days: {hours}
- Any holiday event, gift wrap or gift certificates: {extras}
- Local outlets I already know about (only ones I've actually seen): {known outlets}
- Our voice in three words: {voice}
PROCESS:
1. Where To Pitch: list the kinds of local outlets that commonly run holiday gift guides (city or downtown association newsletters, local magazines and news sites, chamber of commerce, neighborhood and HOA newsletters, local bloggers and community Facebook groups, school and church bulletins). For each kind, say how to find the right contact on their own website or page and the usual deadline window. Include {known outlets} first. Never make up an outlet name, an editor's name or an email address.
2. The Pitch Email: subject line (3 options) and a body under 150 words: who we are in one line from {story}, three gifts with prices, one line on photos, and how to reach us. End with an easy yes ("Happy to send photos or drop off a sample").
3. The Gift Sheet: a one-page list editors can copy from. For each gift: name, price, one-sentence "why it's a great gift," who it's for, and a photo note (what the photo should show, plain background or in the shop).
4. The Follow-Up: one short email for 5 to 7 days later, under 60 words, that adds something new (a new item, a photo, an event date) instead of "just checking in."
5. Community Group Post: a post for neighborhood Facebook groups under 100 words, written to follow group rules that usually limit self-promotion: lead with something useful (a gift idea by price range), not a sales pitch.
6. Our Own Gift Guide Page: a page title, a meta description under 155 characters, a short intro and the gifts grouped by price ("under $25," "$25 to $50," "special orders"), plus a 4-question FAQ (hours, gift wrap, gift certificates, special order timing) so Google and AI assistants can answer "unique local gifts in {area}."
OUTPUT FORMAT: Headings exactly: Where To Pitch, The Pitch Email, The Gift Sheet, The Follow-Up, Community Group Post, Our Own Gift Guide Page.
QUALITY CHECKS (run before answering):
- Use only my gifts, prices and facts. Never invent a product, a price, an award or a "best of" title.
- Never invent outlet names, editor names, email addresses or deadlines. Describe the kind of outlet and how to find the contact.
- No customer quotes or reviews.
- If {hours} is blank, write (add your holiday hours). If {photos} is blank, write (add your photo link).
- Keep every price the same in every section.
Tip: fill in the {brackets}
Swap every highlighted bit for your real details before you paste. The more specific you are, the less generic the answer.
What it does
Turns your best holiday gifts, prices and story into everything you need to pitch local gift guides: the types of outlets to try in your area (and how to find the right contact on their own site), a pitch email under 150 words, a one-page gift sheet editors can copy from, a follow-up, a short post for neighborhood groups, and your own 'gift guide' page so Google and AI assistants have something to point to.
When to use it
Run it in the first week of November, while local newsletters, magazines and city pages are still putting their gift guides together. Late November still works for neighborhood groups and your own page. Pairs with Last-Minute Gift Page, which handles the December rush.
Example result
Example inputs (the shop's name, address, story and product types come from its own website, checked Oct 28, 2026; the specific gifts, prices, photo situation, extras and voice are made-up samples for this test, not the shop's real stock or plans):
- Business: Handcrafts Unlimited, 104 W 8th St, Georgetown, TX
- Area: Georgetown, Round Rock, Leander and the rest of Williamson County
- Story: the oldest continuously operating store on the Georgetown Square, open since 1983, a nonprofit run entirely by volunteers, selling work by local artisans 50 and older
- Gifts (items and prices are samples): hand-thrown pottery mug $28 (coffee people); poppy-themed tea towel $14 (hosts, stocking stuffer); quilted table runner $65 (the person who has everything); hand-knit baby hat $18 (new parents); custom T-shirt quilt, special order, priced by quote (grads, sports families)
- Photos (sample): can take photos in the shop this week
- How to buy: in store; special orders by phone
- Hours: (add your holiday hours)
- Extras (sample): gift certificates
- Known outlets: (left blank)
- Voice (sample): warm, proud, small-town
Example output (from a test run of the prompt above, trimmed):
Where To Pitch
Downtown or city newsletters: look for "Visit" or "Downtown" pages on the city site and the contact listed for event or shop submissions; guides are often put together in early November. Local magazines and news sites: check the "Contact" or "Submit news" page and pitch the lifestyle or community editor listed there. Community Facebook groups: read the group rules first; many allow business posts on one set day.
The Pitch Email
Subject options: "Handmade Georgetown gifts for your holiday guide" / "A gift shop that's been on the Square since 1983" / "Three local gifts under $30"
"Hi, I'm with Handcrafts Unlimited, the volunteer-run nonprofit shop that's been on the Georgetown Square since 1983. Everything we sell is made by local artisans 50 and older. For your gift guide: a hand-thrown pottery mug ($28), a poppy tea towel ($14) and a quilted table runner ($65). We can take photos this week or drop off a sample. Thanks for considering us!"
The Gift Sheet
Poppy-themed tea towel, $14. Why it's a great gift: it's Georgetown in a stocking. Photo: folded on the shop counter with a mug.
The Follow-Up
"Quick add for your guide: we also take special orders for T-shirt quilts, perfect for grads and sports families. Photos attached. Thanks again!"
Our Own Gift Guide Page
Title: "Handmade Holiday Gifts in Georgetown, TX | Handcrafts Unlimited." FAQ: "Do you sell gift certificates? Yes, in the shop." "What are your holiday hours? (add your holiday hours)"
Note: this example shows what the prompt produces. The shop's name, address and story are from its own website; the specific gifts, prices and all copy are test samples, not the shop's real stock or plans.
FAQ
When do local gift guides get put together?
Many local newsletters and magazines build them in late October and early November, so pitch in the first week of November.
Do I need professional photos?
No. The gift sheet includes photo notes so you can take clean phone shots editors can use.
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