PR 101 Using the Holidays as a “News Hook”

The holidays are a perfect time to find out what is going on around you and write about it. People are always looking for events to attend around these times of year. Writing about these events will create what is called a “news hook”. This will give your writing a little bit of an edge when you publish it. With Halloween quickly approaching, let’s look at a few of the places that you can look for a story.

Childrens hospitals are a big hook with holidays. With children undergoing treatments and unable to go out and enjoy the holidays, hospitals bring the festivities to them. For example, some hospitals allow their window washers to dress up along with the staff to bring some joy to the children. Trick-or-Treating is brought inside to the kids so that they can experience some of the fun that other kids are having outside. This would be a great thing to bring attention to by writing about it.

Nursing homes / assisted living centers are another area that can have events for the holidays. These places can often be overlooked and forgotten about. Often these centers will allow children to come in dressed up and Trick-or-Treat. This not only allows the children to experience a new way to spend halloween but also brings great joy to the residents. Writing about these events will spread the word and help spike attendance. By contacting your local nursing home or assisted living home you can get all the information you need to write a story that will hook the reader.

Park districts are a definite catch for holidays, especially Halloween. During Halloween at park districts, they offer Trick-or-Treating. Most park districts incorporate the most popular fall festivities such as, pumpkin picking, hay rides, corn mazes, spooky movies and of course, haunted houses. With a park district involving holidays, such as Halloween, into their events calendar, this allows the park district to involve families into their events as well as allowing families to become involved in the town's park district. Involving the traditional festivities in a town park district gives them an easy promotion because of them offering the families a possible local family festivity.