Get Publicity by Tying into Observances in May

From Groundhog Day to an Elvis anniversary, it can seem that every day is earmarked for one observation or another. Sometimes it is well-known (e.g., Mother’s Day). Other observances are much more specific and sometimes even obscure.

Observances, however, offer a good opportunity for publicity. The trick is to find and capitalize on the ones that fit your product or service. By tying your product or service into something bigger, you increase your chance for publicity and attention.

For an offbeat example, Limerick Day (May 12^th) provides the opportunity for a school to run a limerick competition, giving them a chance to promote the school’s creative writing department.

While not tied to a specific day, the English Department at San Jose State University has successfully run a similar competition since 1982. The whimsical Bulwer-Lytton contest, which challenges entrants to “compose the opening sentence to the worst of all possible novels,” gets entries from all over the world.

Get the idea? Here are some other potential observances for the month of May:

• Arthritis Awareness Month, www.arthritis.org
• National Bike Month, www.bikeleague.org
• Gardening for Wildlife Month, www.nwf.org
• Get Caught Reading Month, www.GetCaughtReading.org
• Gifts from the Garden Month, www.gardenlady.com
• International Victorious Woman Month, www.victoriouswoman.com
• National Meditation Month, www.thedeepcalm.com
• National Family Month, www.familymonth.net
• National Moving Month
• National Photo Month, www.pmai.org

Here are some observations that last either a day or a week:

• Executive Coaching Day (May 1)
• Keep Kids Alive: Drive 25 Day (May 1)
• Labor Day (May 1)
• National Return to Work Week (May 12-18)
• Anniversary of the release of the movie “Star Wars” (May 25, 1977)

These are taken from 2013 Chase’s Calendar of Events, a resource I highly recommend. Note: Neither Chase nor I warrant this information. So if something here “fits” your product or service, I recommend you check with the sponsors to see if the observation is still being promoted.

 Good luck!