Marketing Strategy: Catholic Gift Guides
Plus a list of gift guides for you to consider!
I previously discussed finding your product’s Unique Value Proposition and what makes it stand out. Part of this is identifying whether your product would make an excellent gift for a particular occasion. If so, I’d strongly encourage getting your product into Catholic gift guides.
Gift guides are great for a few reasons:
Those reading a gift guide are typically ready or highly interested in buying.
These guides often have great SEO (Search Engine Optimization). When someone searches for a particular gift online, the top gift guides appear. If your product makes it into one of these, you can continue to get clicks for years to come!
Guides are usually focused on a specific theme which can attract a niche audience.
Tips For Making It Into A Gift Guide
Be proactive. Never assume you’ll make it into a gift guide. Even if you’ve been in it the year prior, always reach out to see if you can be included again.
Start early. Editorial teams like to have gift guides put together well in advance of the holidays. Many will start working on a Christmas gift guide in September so it can be released prior to Thanksgiving, in time for Black Friday sales.
Think about your product in terms of a gift. For example, if I’m selling my Catholic baby memory books, I’m going to try to get into gift guides related to: Baptisms, sacraments, Catholic moms, Catholic baby showers, etc. Really think about your product and what type of gift it could make. If it seems like a stretch, it’s probably not the right fit.
Do your own searches first. Pretend you are looking for this gift. In my case, I’d type into my web browser, “Catholic baptism gifts.” Then, see which gift guides pop up. Not only does this tell you which sites are creating gift guides, but the gift guides that pop up on the first page are likely coming from sites that have strong SEO and good web traffic.
Research the site. Find out if they do a yearly gift guide and if there is any information on how to be included. Read other articles on the site to see if it appears they serve your intended audience.
Reach out. Some will have a formal process or application for this. Others will provide an email address. Some sites provide hardly any information, and you just have to find the best email listed. Ask if they would consider including your product in a future gift guide AND explain why your product would be a good fit. What is obvious to you may not be obvious to the person curating the gift guide. Some sites will ask for a free product to review first, and others will be good with simply seeing your product listing and photos.
Don’t take it personally. For every gift guide I make it into, there’s another list I don’t make it on. The best thing you can do is make note of the guide for next year and plan to reach out to introduce yourself. If you already applied and weren’t accepted, you can always ask if you can be considered again for the following year or perhaps a different holiday that would be more relevant.
Not All Gift Guides Are Created Equal
Most gift guides are free, but some do require a fee. Others require free product for review or for giveaways. It just depends. The gift guides that I have found to be the very best have a few things in common:
They are highly selective and curated. They are very thoughtful about which products are included. Not everyone who applies is accepted, especially if the product doesn’t fit the theme or aesthetic they are looking for. This makes for a really special guide.
They are limited to a certain number of products. It’s more challenging to get eyeballs on your product when you are in a guide with hundreds of other products. I find top 25 lists, etc. are much more valuable.
They allow product images and have a professional, clean, website layout. Gift guides that are hard to navigate with many popups, or guides without product photos can make it hard for customers to browse efficiently. Alternatively, I’ve seen beautiful gift guides with photos and product descriptions that make it super easy for shoppers.
They allow website links, social media links, coupon codes, and/or shop info. This is such a nice bonus if you are allowed to promote yourself in the post.
The author of the article includes in their own words why your product makes a great gift. This feels more genuine and helpful than marketing copy submitted by a brand.
The gift guide gets heavily promoted and has good web traffic. I’ve been in some gift guides that continue to send me sales year after year because the site ranks so well on Google!
Want to see some examples of Catholic gift guides? Paid subscribers get access to my list of gift guides and why I think they are worth considering. See the short list below!