Media trends: How to get UK press coverage in November

What will go off with a bang in the media in November? Many people will be celebrating Bonfire night with fireworks this evening, and journalists, broadcasters, and influencers have been using the ResponseSource Journalist Enquiry Service to source information about this and other topics.

Find out below what the media wanted from PRs over the last month, and how to get coverage in November.

An avalanche of Christmas content

‘Christmas’ has been the number one keyword used by journalists in enquiries for a couple of months now, and October was no different – the festive season featured in around 17% of the total requests. Nearly 10% of the enquiries included the words ‘gift guide’ with ‘advent calendar’ on 3%.

While the vast majority of requests were for products, journalists looked for different angles as well, including how to avoid social burnout in the lead up to Christmas, and for comment from a historian on British Christmas heritage.

Going forward? Have products ready to review for gift guides and information about the perfect Christmas dinner and events to get out to (amongst other topics). Journalists at The Sun Online, PA Media, Daily Mirror, and The Guardian all sent requests last month so you could get national press coverage.

Political interest and money matters

Rachel Reeves’ first budget announcement as Chancellor of the new Labour government was always going to be a big talking point, and so it proved with ‘budget’ featuring in 4% of all enquiries throughout October and ‘Government’ in 3% of those containing that word.

GB News, The Independent, The Sunday Times, The Daily Telegraph, and ITV News all sent requests around the budget. They asked for opinion on how the Autumn statement would affect different areas, such as pensions, tax rises, the bus fare cap, and specific industries including tech.

Going forward? Politics is always a popular news topic with the media and journalists are regularly using the Journalist Enquiry Service to get insight and information. They will also want expert reaction to and comment on the US Presidential election, plus the recent Conservative leadership race. Personal finance experts will also continue to be in demand for advice on the on-going cost-of-living crisis.

Winter is coming and so are more features on AI

Journalists regularly use the enquiry service for seasonal content but despite still being in Autumn, Winter is now their main focus. 4% of the total requests in October featured ‘winter’ in them, double the amount that had ‘Autumn’.

Another topic that regularly gets a good amount of requests each month is ‘AI’. Nearly 4% of the enquiries last month were from journalists covering artificial intelligence’s impact on businesses and people’s daily lives.

Going forward? AI has been a big topic of conversation for a while now but journalists continue to use the enquiry service to get expert comment. If you have someone that can provide a quote or advice then you could be featured in the Metro, IT Pro, Evening Standard, or BBC News Online.

Winter requests have ranged from choosing the best duvet and skincare products, to knowing the signs of norovirus. If you have winter-specific information or products, you’re very likely to find relevant media opportunities.

Other opportunities for PRs in November and beyond

Black Friday arrives at the end of the month, so journalists will be looking for information on the best deals, as well as products to try out and review themselves.

Health and medical specialists will be in demand ahead of World Diabetes Day (14 November) and environmental experts may be required for comment for National Tree Week (23 November – 1 December). The whole of November is also World Vegan Month, so have information ready on the benefits this can bring and you could get media coverage as a result.

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 about how Vuelio can help you gain and track your coverage in the media here.