Every December, PR teams across industries fall victim to the same assumptions: journalists are checked out for the holidays, news cycles have slowed, and pitches won’t land until January. It’s a familiar ritual that feels practical, even strategic. However, it doesn’t reflect how newsrooms actually operate.
Reporters don’t close shop for the month. Many are filing year-end stories, reaching out for last-minute quotes to close those pieces, or preparing coverage that will run in early January. And because PR teams tend to pull back, inboxes get quieter. But rather than thinking of December as a dead zone, think of it as one of the most efficient, high-signal periods of the year to reach journalists. Provided, that is, your pitch is relevant and on-point.
Pubs Still Need Stories
December doesn’t halt the news cycle so much as shift the kinds of stories editors are willing to take on. Reporters are wrapping up year-end analysis, refining trend forecasts, and assembling short, practical pieces that help audiences prepare for the year ahead. I see the same patterns every winter: business desks asking for quick hiring snapshots, retail reporters pulling together “season recap” pieces, and tech writers looking for short AI or security trend wrap-ups. In this stretch, editors and reporters naturally gravitate toward pieces that are easy to slot in: clean angles, tight framing and minimal back-and-forth.
That shift creates an opening for PR teams that can deliver fully formed, ready-to-execute ideas. I’ve had recent success pitching a new client simply by tracking what a publication was already covering and offering a spokesperson who could deepen that discussion. That tactic doesn’t always work, but this time it did. December is quiet enough that a pitch with a clear takeaway, timely relevance, and no editorial lift can get a quick response. When an idea arrives in that shape, it’s exactly the kind of assignment editors can greenlight quickly.
The key is alignment. When your story matches December’s priorities–simplicity, clarity and speed–you’ll find that demand hasn’t gone away.
Space for Overlooked Ideas
Again, many PR teams pull back in December and wait for January to restart their regular pitching cadence. But that’s less-than-ideal timing. Early January is exactly when inboxes fill up with new-year campaigns and dense trend packages. December offers a less competitive environment and a higher chance that a reporter will actually read your pitch rather than delete it outright.
That quieter backdrop is a strong fit for stories that are solid but often overshadowed during peak season. Think emerging trends that deserve a clean, straightforward explanation; subtler data insights that become clearer when they aren’t competing with dozens of louder narratives; or sharp, contrarian takes that benefit from a bit more editorial consideration. These angles tend to perform better when there’s space for them to be heard.
And if a pitch isn’t quite ready for publication, December still provides room to reconnect with reporters, float a light idea, or set up a stronger story for January, when competition for attention spikes. I connected with an editor recently who was genuinely relieved to be asked what they needed at that moment. Everyone else was sending blanket pitches, and that quick check-in led to a longer conversation and eventually a monthly contributor slot for a client.
To make the most of this window, tighten the delivery. Keep subject lines direct. Get to the point within the first sentence or two. And follow up thoughtfully. Reporters are more likely to respond when they don’t feel under siege.
AI for Holiday Bandwidth
Holiday schedules often leave PR teams stretched thin. This is where AI becomes especially practical. Used well, it strengthens the fundamentals of good outreach. AI tools can identify reporters who are still publishing in your sector, identify timely angles that fit December coverage patterns, and highlight stories that are more likely to move when inboxes are quiet. I’ve had moments where a quick AI scan of recent bylines surfaced a reporter I would’ve otherwise missed, and that led to a same-day conversation.
AI tools can also generate multiple pitch variants for different verticals, draft concise summaries from long internal documents, or analyze send-time patterns so your outreach lands when reporters are actually checking email. These capabilities don’t replace judgment, but they do streamline the work. They help small or lightly staffed teams stay responsive and prepared during a month when internal bandwidth is uneven.
Starting Q1 Ahead
The notion of a holiday lull is more tradition than truth. PR teams have far more to gain by challenging it. Those that stay visible in December enter January with ideas already circulating, relationships warming up, and earned coverage landing before competitors are fully back in motion.
What the industry needs isn’t a pause, but a different way of looking at the month. December isn’t downtime; it’s a window with more room to maneuver than most teams realize. Staying active now sets you up to move faster when the year turns.
Daniela Bartoli is PR principal at Intelligent Relations.