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Wish List

Act Now If You Want Your Products Featured In Holiday Gift Guides
By Mindy Charski

Hoping to land a product in a 2010 holiday gift guide? Then now’s the time to make your sales pitch.

Editors at many national magazines start looking for gift items as early as May. Their peers at smaller publications may begin hunting a few months later. Reviewers at newspapers, television and radio stations, Web sites and blogs often seek pitches in the fall.

If you want your hottest selling product to make consumers’ holiday wish lists, start promoting your products to the media now.

Pitch Far And Near
Many small retailers and manufacturers share the aspiration of winning a free mention in revered publications like O, The Oprah Magazine or on respected programs like the Today Show.

If that includes you, why not aim high? But be realistic, too. The more popular the outlet, the more competition you’ll face.

Woman’s Day, for instance, typically receives hundreds of pitches for its holiday gift guides, according to Melissa Matthews, the magazine’s beauty editor. Only about 80 total products nabbed spots in 2009’s main gift features, which included a November showcase of presents under $50; a December roundup of gifts under $5; and an online piece about gifts for the home.

Better your odds by also pitching niche-oriented markets.

For example, Olive, a wholesaler and online retailer of eco-friendly dog products, has reached out to the green...