Back-to-school essentials, Christmas gifts, and keeping cool: What the media are looking for in August

What will the media be covering in August? The news cycle may be ever-changing and unpredictable at times, but the ResponseSource Journalist Enquiry Service is a good indicator of what is popular.

From how to stay cool in a heatwave, to what to expect from the new Labour Government, below we look at what journalists were sending requests for in July and predict what their focus will be for this month.

Summer is starting to heat up

The UK is finally enjoying some good weather and as a result we saw a new keyword last month, with ‘heat’ featuring in just under 2% of all enquiries. Journalists were looking for ways people can stay cool in the heat, how to keep pets safe in the warmer weather, and how often to water the garden.

‘Summer’ stayed as the top keyword in July, with just under 6% of the total enquiries. This is a 20% increase compared to July 2023. ‘Gardening’ also remains very popular, appearing in 5% of requests. This is a 40% increase in comparison to last year.

Going forward? With the weather set to remain hot throughout August, there are likely to be more enquiries on how to cope with the heat. Have experts ready to provide comment and products for keeping cool, ready to review. Travel advice and holiday destinations will stay in demand throughout August too, so be prepared with experts and information.

Back to school

Schools have only just broken up for the summer, but journalists are getting ahead with their articles and features. ‘School’ featured as a keyword in over 2% of last month’s requests, with around half specifically being about ‘back to school’.

This included enquiries for back to school essentials (new pencil cases and bags), the cost of school holiday childcare, and back to school lunch box recipes. The ‘Education’ category saw a 56% rise in the amount of requests between June and July as a result.

Going forward? Requests around ‘school’ and ‘university’ made up over 4% of enquiries in August 2023, and we would predict similar numbers this year. Review products are usually the most in demand, but there will likely be requests for education experts and teachers to provide comment, as well.

Christmas in July

Despite the fact that Christmas is over four months away, we have already seen our first flurry of festive requests. ‘Christmas’ appeared in nearly 2.5% of enquiries from journalists to PRs throughout July.

As ever, journalists are looking to plan their Christmas features and product round-ups far in advance. Requests varied from travel packages for breaks over Christmas, to top new board games, and eco friendly/sustainable gifts.

Going forward? The number of Christmas requests will steadily increase over the next few months. In August 2023, 6% of enquiries featured the keyword. Journalists at Red magazine, House Beautiful, woman & home, and Good Housekeeping all sent requests in July, meaning lots of opportunities are likely to be featured in consumer magazines in the coming month.

Other opportunities for PRs in August and beyond

‘Christmas’ is likely to take over the Journalist Enquiry Service, alongside with ‘school’ and ‘summer’. But be ready with experts, statistics, and case studies on other subjects – at the end of the month, there is Notting Hill Carnival (25 August) and the summer bank holiday. Journalists will be looking for ways to celebrate the carnival and activities and days out for the bank holiday weekend, so have information ready for both occasions.

Festival season draws to a close with Reading and Leeds (21 – 25 August). Journalists often send enquiries for ‘festival essentials’, which means a good opportunity to get products featured in the media. The Food & Drink category should see more interest from journalists with National Prosecco Day (13 August), National Rum Day (16 August) and National Burger Day (29 August) all taking place this month. If you’re a PR who specialises in food and drink/FMCG, there is plenty of opportunity to get press coverage this month.

To connect with the media on these topics, and much more, check out the Journalist Enquiry Service and the Vuelio Media Database.

Find out more how Vuelio can help you gain and track your coverage in the media here.