In the UK, Christmas is a huge celebration — a bit like the US Thanksgiving — and that generally means many small business owners set down tools for up to two weeks. Some business owners are in the retail sector, and they will be super busy, but for many of us, it’s a time to take the foot off the gas.
For me, while Christmas is a huge family time, it’s also a time for reflection and for thinking and planning for the year ahead. That’s for the business in general and also for planning media stories — for the media, for blogs, and for social media.
If you are taking some time off during this festive period — and even if you are not — then a little planning for 2025 will go a long way in all areas of business. Planning is so important, and I’m not a natural planner.
When I started out as a full-time employed journalist back in the late 1980s, I was taught to plan fastidiously because newspapers have to go out every day — back then, several times a day, so deadlines frame the story of every day.
Moving into television in the 1990s, this was even more important because when you are producing TV programs, you can’t just put out “white noise” — for all projects, there are multiple deadlines to ensure your program or series is ready to go to air. You even had to plan time to spend with lawyers for all programs to minimize risks around inaccuracy or any claim of defamation.
As someone who, at home, barely plans anything, this was a discipline that came through daily experience. Luckily I’ve transferred these skills into my business and into my work with clients.
So How Can 2025 and the New Year Be Used as a Story Hook?
Here are seven ideas to get you thinking. Which ones will work for you, your business, and your expertise?
1. Can you do a review of the year? Can you reflect on those “highs” and possibly the “lows” or even use this as an “excuse” to thank your key clients in a blog post or a number of blog posts?
2. Can you do a listicle of predictions to send to the media relevant to your sector? The media love predictions or trends, especially with some meaty stats included. Also, at least in the UK, it’s a slow news time, so “listicles” are often very handy for the media to use. What about your top five tips for cyber security? Or your interior design predictions for 2025? Don’t be afraid to share them!
3. Can you start to associate yourself with general themes that are likely to keep emerging in 2025? This could include global themes around going green/sustainability/net zero/climate change, sustainable finance, health and wellbeing, menopause, AI, and quantum computing, to name just a few. These are subjects that the media will be looking out for, so start sharing your knowledge in this area. You can start with something really simple, such as emailing your local radio station to say you are an expert in sustainability, etc, and could you help them in 2025?
4. Did you know that 2025 marks the start of a new generation — Generation Beta? Do you have a business with different age groups in your team? Can you share information about how they work together? Are you an expert in generational behaviors? The media will love you if you are. Can you do a survey from your own data of which age groups buy from you? Which products do they like or don’t like? Can you use your data to bring out something of this nature? Send it to your local business or sector media. Even if they don’t use it right now, it’s an excuse to keep in touch with your expertise.
5. If you are running events in 2025, start talking about it now in blogs and social media posts. Getting “bums on seats” for events is really challenging right now, so the earlier you start talking about it, the better. Talk about it now and maybe offer a January early bird fee to get the cash flowing. If you’ve got an interesting speaker involved, then do a media release about it (and make a reminder closer to the event).
6. Do you have a natural connection to any big events in the USA or globally during 2025? Last year, we had the Olympics or Paralympics — what’s going on in the USA this coming year where you have a role? You have expertise to share around it? Some examples might be the Super Bowl, the Future of Everything Festival, or DreamForce.
7. Can you adopt a “charity of the year” — this works very well for local media, so it can be very important if your client base is very local. By supporting a charity in your community consistently for a year, you can build team morale around it through events and fundraising; the local media will be likely to cover those events and it can also show ethics and a willingness to “give back.” Increasingly, this will be important for your recruitment and retention. It helps if you allow your staff to vote on a charity of the year so that you get real buy-in. Set a realistic target to raise money and commit to a plan. Story one would be that you’ve decided to support this charity and that you are pledging to raise $5000 during 2025 (the amount is up to you, depending on the size of your business). If you are a start-up, you can offer time rather than money.
Hopefully, this will help and give you some food for thought about working with your local media and sector media. Wishing you all a happy, healthy and prosperous 2025.
