Unless your business is sprinkled in Christmas fairy dust or you’ve got real life elves on your team, Christmas is one of the worst times to pitch your story.

Most morning TV shows have planned out their Christmas programming weeks in advance, and you guessed it.. it’s all Christmas themed. How to wrap odd shaped gifts, the best kind of gifts for the foodie in your life how to behave at Christmas dinner (yes its a thing).

If you have a Christmas themed book, business or event… or if you can find a way to tailor whatever it is you do to the season then pitch away. The guy who invented Mensch on a Bench (the Jewish version of Elf on a Shelf) got loads of media attention last week because the pitch was well timed. Other ways to tailor your pitch: a fashion designer pitching a segment on “the perfect holiday party dress”. That can work. Or a fitness trainer pitching a segment on how to get back in shape after holiday binging. That can work too.

Now.. here’s some good news… there is a sweet spot that many people ignore. Between December 27th and January 1st news programs are often hurting for stories. It’s a time of year when nothing “newsy” is usually happening and Christmas is over so they’ve exhausted the holiday themed segments. This is a good time to pitch something fairly newsy but still entertaining. A new and cool app that does something interesting or an inspiring individual or community story. Or a “look back” segment that analyzes some trend about the holidays, whether it be shopping or gift giving.

I read an article recently about a new study that came out showing that the whole Elf on a Shelf thing is subconsciously encouraging our children to accept living in a world where they are constantly under surveillance, and there is a growing number of parents who are feeling like the entire game is a bit creepy. I thought huh, that would make an interesting segment or parenting panel. It would likely be snapped up during that “sweet spot” week I mentioned because it fits perfectly between the holidays: not exactly Christmas themed but still linked to the holidays, somewhat newsy because it’s based on a study and interesting because it appeals to a wide group of people: parents. So if you are a mommy blogger, or a children’s author or have any kind of gift/gaming business related to children, this would be a great topic for you to pitch. You get yourself on that panel, and then get your business mentioned on TV. Win - win!

Make sense? Leave your questions or comments below via Facebook.