Holiday Advice From The Archive

Marketing & press support.

The Broccoli Report 
Friday, October 22, 2022
Time to read: 3 minutes, 18 seconds. Contains 662 words.

Above: Jess Ebsworth for Broccoli Issue 10

Holiday Advice From The Archive: Marketing & Press Support.

This time last year, there was supply chain mayhem. Inventories were in limbo; brands were discovering that their orders of holiday gummies were stuck indefinitely at the Port of Los Angeles; customer service reps were explaining to stressed-out shoppers that no, whatever they ordered wasn’t going to be there in time—it was not a merry season. And this holiday season has its own doomy vibe. Before anyone even had a chance to bust out the Halloween decorations, inflation was here to haunt us.

Maybe in response to all of this chaos, people are shopping earlier. Sales on Black Friday and Cyber Monday declined in 2021, and 54% of shoppers took advantage of holiday deals before Thanksgiving, including me. I was done with my holiday pickups before Cyber Monday rolled around last year, simply because earlier sales had come across my price-sensitive radar. Inflation-driven rises in price may speed up this already expedited holiday shopping time frame, so this may be the year to experiment with early sales if you are a brand selling to consumers. Another option to explore is bundling, or grouping together themed collections of products. It’s an appealing way to entice consumers while nudging up their spending.

Cyber Monday may be flailing, but Green Wednesday remains a major calendar moment that cannabis-related brick-and-mortars can lean into, knowing shoppers will swing by dispensaries before the long weekend.  And even with inflation hitting their wallets, folks still have gifts to buy. According to a recent Klaviyo survey of 3,500 North American consumers, 65% plan to spend the same amount or more on 2022 holiday gifts compared to last year. They’ll just likely be smarter about it this year—as should small businesses vying for their clicks and eyeballs.

To help our small business subscribers thrive this season, we’ve gathered all the past Broccoli Reports offering expert, experienced advice on DIY marketing, getting press that will move products, and the nuts and bolts of affiliate networking (a.k.a. The secret to getting on all those gift guides). This roundup covers it all, and a whole lot more. If you aren’t yet a paid subscriber, sign up to follow all the links to these archived posts. And once you do, you’ll feel the warm, fuzzy feeling of supporting independent, ad-free journalism. 

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The Best of the Broccoli Report’s Shopping Season Advice

How To Get Featured In the Broccoli Report and Handle With Care: Honest and lovingly harsh advice from yours truly on cold emails, outreach strategy, and sample etiquette when it comes to weed media.

Gift Guides, Unwrapped: Bracingly unfiltered advice from established editors and writers on the real rhythms and relationships that set the stage for gift guides each season and how to make an impression.

How To Do Your Own PR: Takeaways from Monica Khemsurov’s AMA on doing your own PR. The Tetra co-founder worked in media prior to running the cannabis accessory site and offers advice on contacting media, strategizing launches, affiliate percentages, and when it’s time to hire the PR pros. 

Real Talk: Does PR Work?: The co-founders of PRISMATICS, a full-service creative communications agency serving brands in the cannabis and psychedelic space, offer guidance in how to find the right PR agency for your business and insights on how to measure success.

Affiliate Networking 101: Want to get on a bold-name gift guide this holiday season? You need to be an affiliate. This explainer breaks down the jargon and reveals how this system works for brands, media operators, and influencers. 

First-hand Advice On Navigating Affiliates: TONIC tells us how they use affiliate marketing year round and why they find it key for web traffic and press plays. 

Affiliate Network Comparisons: Trying to figure out which affiliate network is right for you? Read this side-by-side comparison of popular networks and costs/pros/cons of using them. 

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To one of the last obligation-free weekends of the year 💨,
Lauren Yoshiko