How Do Products Get Featured in Gift Guides and Product Roundups?
By Jordan Baker, Founder of Fair Public Relations and former UK national journalist
Getting a product into a gift guide or shopping roundup is often made to sound more mysterious than it really is. There is no secret database of products that journalists automatically choose from, and sending a press release does not put you into a queue for guaranteed inclusion. At the most basic level, a journalist has an article to produce for a particular audience, and they need products that make that article useful, interesting and easy to put together.
That might mean a Christmas gift guide for people who are difficult to buy for, a roundup of products for new parents, a list of useful travel accessories, a guide to products for pet owners, or a selection of skincare products aimed at a particular concern. The journalist is not starting with the question, "Which brands would like some publicity?" They are starting with the question, "What would make this article good for my readers?"
Understanding that changes the whole way I think brands should approach product PR. When I look at a consumer product and consider whether we can realistically pitch it, novelty is one of the first things I notice. I also want to know whether it is actually available, whether we can send samples, whether the brand has good lifestyle and product photography, and whether there is a strong product page online where a journalist can quickly verify what we are telling them. None of those things guarantees coverage, but collectively they make a product much easier for the media to work with.
How do journalists actually find products for gift guides?
There are several routes, and a single journalist may use all of them. Sometimes a journalist starts with their own knowledge. They already know brands they like or products that performed well in previous articles, so they return to familiar sources. Sometimes an editor asks them to produce a particular guide and they begin researching online. They may search retailers, social media, product websites and existing editorial coverage to find possibilities.
At other times, journalists approach PR contacts and ask what they have available. They may put out a direct request saying they need Christmas gifts under a particular price, products suitable for a certain age group or items that fit a specific theme. This is where a PR agency can be extremely useful because we see the request, immediately recognise which clients fit it and can send over the essential information quickly.
Then there is proactive pitching. If we know that a journalist regularly covers a particular type of product, and one of our clients has something genuinely relevant, we may introduce it without waiting for a request. The strength of that pitch comes from understanding what the journalist actually covers rather than emailing every shopping writer with the same generic product announcement.
The common thread is relevance. A brand cannot control whether it is ultimately selected, but it can make consideration much easier.
What is the difference between a gift guide, a roundup and a review?
These terms are sometimes used interchangeably by brands, but they describe quite different editorial environments. A gift guide is normally tied to an occasion, recipient or buying need. Christmas is the obvious example, but journalists produce guides for Mother's Day, Father's Day, Valentine's Day, weddings, graduations, teachers, new homeowners, children and dozens of much more specific audiences.
A roundup is often broader. It might be the best products for small kitchens, useful accessories for dog owners, products for frequent travellers or a selection of home-office essentials. The journalist may include several products that fulfil slightly different needs within the same theme. Buying guides often go further into comparison. The reader is actively considering a purchase and wants help deciding what may suit them. A review can be more evaluative again, particularly where the journalist has personally tested a product.
The distinction matters because brands need to understand what is actually being offered. Being listed in a roundup does not necessarily mean the journalist conducted weeks of testing. Equally, being sent a sample does not automatically mean a positive review is coming. That is why I prefer clear communication. If we are offering something for review, we say so. If we are pitching it for gift-guide consideration, that should be obvious too. A journalist should not have to read half a page before understanding why we are emailing them.
What makes one product more appealing to a journalist than another?
Novelty is incredibly useful. Journalists covering products are exposed to a vast number of launches and pitches. If your product sits in a crowded category and looks almost identical to ten others already on the market, the journalist has fewer reasons to stop and look closely.
Novelty can come from function. Perhaps the product solves a problem in a genuinely different way. It can come from design, materials, audience, price point or the context in which somebody would use it. It can also come from a particularly strong founder story or an unusual reason the product exists. What novelty should not mean is simply attaching words such as "revolutionary", "game-changing" or "innovative" to something ordinary. Journalists see through that very quickly.
Availability is almost as important. Imagine a US journalist producing a guide for American readers and receiving a beautiful product that can only be ordered in the UK. Unless there is a very particular reason for featuring it, the practical problem may make the product unsuitable.
The same is true if the product is constantly out of stock, if delivery will take several months or if the brand cannot give a clear answer about when somebody can actually buy it. For shopping content, usability extends beyond what the product does. The journalist needs confidence that readers can realistically purchase it.
Why good photography matters so much
Product journalism is heavily visual, so imagery is not an afterthought. Ideally, I want both lifestyle photography and clean product imagery. The latter is usually referred to as a packshot, and editors may also talk about cut-out imagery where the product is isolated on a white or transparent background.
A packshot makes the product easy to place into shopping layouts. Lifestyle imagery gives the publication additional options by showing how the product looks in a real environment or how it might be used. The standard needs to be professional. That does not necessarily mean creating an enormously expensive international campaign. It means the images should be sharp, well lit, correctly composed and representative of the actual product.
If the product is brilliant but every photograph looks like it was taken quickly on a kitchen counter, the brand has created an unnecessary obstacle. Publications are visual businesses. Editors need images they can publish.
Why your product page is part of PR
One thing I think brands underestimate is how much journalists check independently. We may send a journalist all the essential information, but they may still click through to the website. They want to see the product for themselves, understand how the company describes it and check that the information is consistent.
A strong product page should therefore make the basics extremely easy to understand. What is the product? What does it cost? What variants exist? Where is it available? Is it in stock? What does it actually do? Are there clear photographs? Are claims supported? The journalist should not discover that the price in the PR material is different from the website or that a product described as widely available is actually impossible to order. Descriptions matter as well.
A lot of founders understand their product so intimately that they struggle to explain it to somebody encountering it for the first time. They use internal language, technical terms or vague marketing phrases instead of simply saying what the product does and why somebody might want it. That is something a PR agency can help with. We can work on how the information is presented, provided the underlying facts are accurate.
Why shorter product pitches can work better
One of the easiest mistakes to make in product PR is assuming that the journalist needs the full story immediately. If somebody is compiling a roundup of 15 products, they may be dealing with dozens or even hundreds of possibilities. They do not necessarily want a lengthy essay before they can establish whether your product fits. They want the essentials.
What is it? Why is it relevant? What does it cost? Where can it be bought? Can they see images? Is it available for review? Are samples available? A useful product information pack begins with the basic proposition, price, purchase link and publishable imagery before moving into background detail. If a sample is available for review, make that explicit.
That does not mean every journalist receives the entire information pack as a cold pitch. The point is that the useful information exists and is organised properly. When we pitch for line-ups, the email itself can be considerably shorter. The journalist should understand almost immediately what we are introducing and why.
Why product pitches get ignored
There are lots of reasons, and sometimes the brand is looking in the wrong place for the problem. One obvious issue is that the product is not particularly novel. If there are already dozens of similar products available, the pitch needs to give the journalist a strong reason to choose this one. Another common issue is simply pitching the wrong person.
You can have the best written email in the world, but if the journalist does not cover that category, the pitch is unlikely to go anywhere. Then there are pitches that never make clear what they want. They tell the journalist the entire history of the company, describe the founder's vision and explain how passionate the team is, but never actually say, "This product is available for review" or "We thought this would be relevant to your Christmas gift guide."
Long pitches are another problem. More information does not automatically mean more persuasion. Sometimes the product is not available in the publication's country. Sometimes samples cannot be sent. Sometimes the photography is poor. Sometimes the brand's online presence looks unfinished or inconsistent. All of these things chip away at usability.
How early should brands think about Christmas gift guides?
For years, people in PR constantly talked about Christmas in July. That was the mantra because long-lead print publications often planned seasonal content extremely early, and it encouraged brands to prepare far in advance. I still think early preparation is sensible, particularly where print media, testing, samples or substantial photography are involved. But the media environment has changed.
In our more recent experience, a lot of useful Christmas product pitching happens later. Late September has become an important period for us because digital publications can work much faster and shopping coverage is often created or updated relatively close to the season. That does not mean brands should suddenly treat the last week of September as a universal deadline. Different publications operate differently.
Some magazines may genuinely be preparing months ahead. A digital shopping editor may be updating an article in November. Another journalist may receive a last-minute commission and need five suitable products tomorrow. The safest approach is therefore to prepare early without assuming all pitching has to happen on exactly the same date. Have the photography ready. Have stock. Have product information. Have samples. Then you can react to the actual editorial opportunities as they appear.
Do journalists need free samples?
For reviews, most journalists will understandably want to experience the product. You cannot meaningfully review how something feels, performs or functions simply by reading a press release. That means brands should budget for product sampling as part of PR where relevant. There are exceptions. Some articles rely on manufacturer information or other reporting rather than direct testing. Some journalists may purchase products independently. And expensive products can require different arrangements. A mattress is a good example.
A brand may be comfortable arranging a loaner for testing rather than permanently gifting a high-value item. The exact arrangement should be agreed sensibly. What matters is understanding that supplying a product does not purchase editorial coverage. The journalist is free to use it, reject it, dislike it or ultimately never publish anything. That independence is part of what gives earned media its value.
What happens after a sample request?
Treat it as interest, not a confirmed result. Respond quickly and confirm exactly what the journalist needs. Check the delivery details. Make sure the product is the right version, size, colour or specification. Include any requested information and make yourself available if they have follow-up questions. Then avoid behaving as though publication is guaranteed.
A journalist may test ten products for a feature and choose five. An editor may cut the article. Publication timing can change. The journalist may simply decide the product is not right. This is why I am careful about telling clients that something is "secured" before it is actually published. Interest is encouraging. A published article is the result.
Are all gift-guide placements earned media?
No. This area can become confusing because editorial shopping content, affiliate commerce and paid placements can exist alongside one another. A publisher may use affiliate links and receive commission when somebody purchases a product. That does not automatically mean the brand paid the publication to be included. Some publications also offer sponsored articles, advertorials, paid listings or other commercial opportunities. Those are different arrangements and should be described honestly.
There is nothing inherently wrong with paid promotion where it is properly disclosed. But it should not be presented as independent earned editorial coverage. Fair PR's role is primarily around earned media opportunities. We can pitch the product and explain why it might suit the journalist's article. We cannot responsibly promise that paying us guarantees editorial inclusion.
Can unknown brands really compete with major names?
Yes, particularly when the product is genuinely novel. Journalists often enjoy discovering something readers may not already know about. A smaller brand can therefore have an advantage if it offers a genuinely interesting solution or product. But the product cannot rely on novelty alone. The website still needs to inspire confidence. The images need to be strong. Samples should be accessible. Stock should exist. Claims need to hold up.
A large brand comes with built-in familiarity. A smaller brand has to replace some of that familiarity with preparation and credibility. That is perfectly achievable. What matters is making the journalist comfortable featuring something they have never encountered before.
Can coverage help sales, search visibility and brand credibility?
Potentially, yes, but I would be careful with promises. A strong gift guide can introduce a product to new people. It can give a brand independent third-party coverage to reference elsewhere. It may become something the sales team or retailer conversations can use. It may also result in a backlink if the publication chooses to include one. But none of those outcomes should be treated as guaranteed.
A publication can mention a product without linking. A piece can attract a lot of attention without converting into sales. Search engines decide rankings through much broader systems, and AI platforms decide what they cite or recommend independently. The sensible value proposition is broader. Earned product coverage can contribute to visibility, discovery and credibility. It becomes one part of the public evidence surrounding the brand.
How Fair PR approaches product coverage
Our approach is to work out what legitimate editorial routes exist rather than forcing every product into the same template. For one brand, gift guides might be ideal. Another may be better suited to reviews. A founder story could be stronger than the product launch itself. An expert associated with the brand might have useful commentary. A seasonal angle might suddenly make the product more relevant.
Our moonbird campaign shows why having several routes can be useful. Fair PR's case study records 25 published articles across 20 publication titles during a six-month campaign using a mixture of product reviews, gift guides and expert-led commentary. That is an example, not a benchmark or promise. Every product, journalist and market is different.
So, how do you actually improve your chances of getting into gift guides?
Make the product easy to understand and easy to use editorially. Have something genuinely interesting about it. Know who the buyer is. Keep stock available. Make sure journalists in the target market can actually access it. Invest in professional images and clean packshots. Make your website credible and accurate. Prepare samples where appropriate. Explain clearly whether you are offering a review, roundup inclusion or another type of opportunity. Then pitch journalists for whom the product actually makes sense.
The objective is not to persuade every journalist that every product deserves coverage. It is to identify the situations where your product genuinely improves the article they are trying to create.
FAQs
Can a small brand get into a national gift guide?
Yes. Brand size alone does not determine inclusion. A smaller product that is relevant, distinctive, available and easy for the journalist to work with can be a very credible option.
How early should I pitch Christmas gift guides?
It varies. Long-lead print media may prepare months in advance, while digital shopping content can be created much later. We increasingly see meaningful Christmas pitching around late September, but I still recommend having your materials prepared before then.
Do I need professional photography?
I strongly recommend it. Shopping journalism is highly visual, and good lifestyle images plus clean packshots give publications far more options.
Does sending a free product guarantee a review?
No. Samples enable journalists to consider and test products. They do not buy a positive review or guarantee publication.
Can expensive products be loaned to journalists?
Sometimes. Higher-value products such as mattresses may be provided temporarily for review where the journalist and brand agree suitable arrangements.
Can an ecommerce-only brand get coverage?
Yes, provided the publication's readers can actually order the product and the brand looks credible online.
Can an unknown brand beat a famous one?
Yes. Genuine novelty can make a smaller product much more interesting than another familiar item from a major brand.
Are gift guides always independent editorial coverage?
No. Some publications use affiliate commerce, sponsorship and paid content alongside earned editorial shopping features. Brands should understand which arrangement they are being offered.
Could Your Product Be Suitable for Media Gift Guides?
Fair Public Relations works with suitable consumer product brands on gift guides, reviews, shopping roundups and wider journalist-led PR opportunities. We help brands identify where products genuinely fit, prepare the information journalists need and build outreach around realistic editorial opportunities.
Written by Jordan Baker
Founder of Fair Public Relations and former UK national journalist
Jordan Baker is the founder of Fair Public Relations and a former UK national journalist with more than a decade of PR experience. He writes about earned media, journalist outreach, consumer product PR and how brands can make themselves more useful to the media.
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