I know that in the US, Halloween is a much bigger deal than it is here in the UK. My earliest memory of understanding that was when the film ET first came out in 1982, and I realized that loads of children go out and about in their communities, all dressed up, ready to celebrate the moment.
This simply didn’t happen in the UK back in the 1970s and early 1980s. We were far more likely to take a “guy” around the streets for Bonfire Night on November 5. Since then, it’s become more popular thanks to the gradual adoption of so much from your fair shores. Now it’s big news, and it’s big money. It’s more on par now with Christmas and Easter, and the UK Bonfire Night tradition has taken more of a back seat.
Yet, how do we use this key time in the calendar to make it part of our storytelling in business? And should we?
This is a very personal decision for any business owner or within any company. I personally have never liked Halloween, as I find the whole premise of “trick or treat” quite horrible. It has the potential to be unpleasant, and I have memories in the early 2000s of my Granny, who lived on a housing estate in the county of Somerset, having eggs thrown at her home as she wouldn’t answer the door on the eve of Halloween. I also remember answering the door to a number of teenage boys at my own home who, when I offered up my bucket of sweet treats for them to choose, turned it down and asked for cash instead. I said no. They weren’t that friendly about that. To be honest, for me, we try to go out for the evening to avoid it, and I’ve never encouraged my children to take part. Now they are older, that’s entirely their choice.
My personal views on Halloween, though, are relevant to me and to my audience — so I often share my reservations about it. Your story, or the story of your business, will be very different. Here are my top tips for considering Halloween as a PR hook for your business with the local media, perhaps regional media, in your blogging or on your social media streams:
Is this directly relevant to my business? ie. Do I make sales during this period? If you sell products for Halloween, they should be on sale already and you should have been preparing your social media content, relevant TikTok or Instagram reels. If you do sell products and you’ve been very last minute, start gathering images and reels during this period and ensure you do enough to get ahead next year. Also, when you do buy your products (perhaps in March or May), start sharing those early to build up anticipation.
Look out for journalists’ requests about businesses that sell at this time of year. Also, gift guides for Halloween are important in the media from a few months before. Don’t be afraid to send your “top ten gift ideas for Halloween,” “top ten dressing up tips for Halloween,” or some Halloween recipes (including a couple of your products) to your local paper or online publication. With a good picture and being wider in your “tips” than just your “products,” you may get coverage. Share daily posts on your social media about how it’s all going, invite people to buy in some (not all), and do some blogs about your favorites products this year, your best sellers, etc.
Is this directly relevant to my expertise? This may sound a bit weird, but there are some very viable businesses that are in the “woo woo” space, as we call it, in the UK. These might be businesses that are founded on beliefs around spirituality, i.e., psychic mediums, energy healers, crystal sellers, Reiki healers, and astrologers. While a section of society might think that’s a load of rubbish, these people represent a very successful section of business, even here in the UK.
I live in Wiltshire, which is home to two of the most ancient sites in the Western world, so I met druids, witches, etc, fairly regularly (the sites are Stonehenge and Avebury). This type of business owner might talk about Samhain or, if they are part of the Christian religion, All Hallow’s Eve and All Souls’ Eve. If this is relevant, now is the time to promote any events or classes you may be running around this theme. Don’t be afraid to send those details to your local community newspaper or community radio.
Perhaps you have strong views on Halloween that you are willing to share? You love it, or you hate it. I generally advise my clients to be as positive as possible and not to criticize others for having different views than their own. I’ve mentioned that Halloween is not really my “bag,” but it is for a lot of people. It’s okay for others to have different views, but sometimes an honest or vulnerable social media post or blog can be helpful in driving engagement — or even in being chosen for a debate on local radio, for example. Remember, though, it’s about healthy debate, not unhelpful ranting. Also, ensure it’s authentic, not just jumping on a Halloween bandwagon.
Be ready to act if something goes viral. When you write blogs about this subject, you could do a long social media post or a reel, and the reaction to it is strong, i.e., far greater than you were expecting — take a punt and share that link with your local media. If it’s a slow news time and they are thinking of doing something on Halloween, you will be on their radar as a voice to consider. Don’t be afraid to be proactive with the media about timely and topical subjects. Halloween is just one of those subjects which come up year after year.
Use it to celebrate your team (if relevant). Your team or staff may do things themselves or in their departments to celebrate Halloween, so recognize and celebrate that on social media and through internal comms. It shows the personality of a business and demonstrates team cohesion and a feel-good factor. It may be that someone makes Halloween cakes or cookies in the office. It doesn’t have to be a “big” thing at all. However, this helps with team energy and dynamics and shows that your company celebrates with your people, who are definitely your gold dust.
Look for how Halloween may give you an opportunity to stand out. This is very niche, but it’s very real. I have a client which produces snack products free of the top 14 allergens called Creative Nature (they have actually only recently started selling into the US). For this company, Halloween is a perfect time to talk about what they do. The founder Julianne Ponan MBE has severe allergies, including to all nuts.
An event like Halloween can be a nightmare for those with allergies, and parents of children with allergies. Think about how those children must feel if they need to “police” the type of treats they get or say “no” or get home and their parents have to remove half of the treats as unsafe to eat. This is a time when a company like Creative Nature can do an “appeal” story around considering those children who are excluded from so much because of their allergies — even parties are a nightmare.
For parents organizing parties for many children, do they really want to dictate to all children what they can and cannot eat for the sake of one child with allergies? What happens in reality is that these children are simply not invited. Want to find out more about how to handle this? You might want to read this from a few years ago (but still relevant today).
