Why “Everyone Gets Coverage” Is the Biggest Lie in Consumer Tech
People assume that because there’s endless Black Friday coverage every November, it’s easy to land a spot.
Spoiler: it’s not. Black Friday is a battlefield. Every brand in North America is fighting for the same limited attention span (from customers and editors alike). The inboxes of tech journalists look like a Black Friday doorbuster sale themselves: chaotic, overcrowded, and full of desperate pitches.
So if you’re hoping your product magically cuts through the noise without a plan… good luck!
Don’t Even Bother Pitching Unless You’re Actually Ready
Before you send a single media pitch, make sure your house is in order:
1. Establish your affiliate program, and iron out the kinks
And no, “we’re setting one up next week” doesn’t count. It needs to be reputable, such as Impact or Awin, not some obscure network no publisher has ever heard of.
2. Make your commissions irresistible
High-traffic outlets expect compelling incentives. Be ready to negotiate exclusive commissions for high-value media partners because those custom offers get noticed.
3. Ship samples that impress.
They should be ready now, not TBD. Unboxing needs to feel premium: clean design, perfect translations, user guides intact. Journalists will remember your packaging more than your press release.
If you don’t have all three of those boxes ticked, take a beat. The media won’t wait for you to get it together.
Other Hard Truths About Black Friday PR
Dynamic Pricing Is a Communication Nightmare
Yes, we know you want flexible pricing, with different discounts, products, and regions. But if you can’t summarize your promo strategy in one paragraph, you’ve already lost the room. Media don’t have time to decode six-tab spreadsheets.
Give us the topline: the biggest deal, the simplest message, the thing that’ll make readers click “add to cart.” The rest? That’s just noise.
Tap Trusted Relationships Carefully
If you’ve built long-term goodwill with product reviewers, you can (and should) check in early. Ask, tactfully, who’s leading Black Friday and e-commerce coverage this year at their respective outlets. But don’t cold-DM strangers asking for contacts. That’s how bridges get burned.
Target Smart. Pitch Early. Make It Effortless.
Your subject line should scream relevance. Your assets should be ready to go. Your deals should be airtight. The easier you make it for an editor, the more likely your brand makes the list.
Consider AI-First Media This Year
Didn’t land a feature in your dream outlet last year? Time to pivot.
This year, the smartest brands are targeting non-traditional media outlets that rank high in AI recommendation models. Why? Because people are increasingly using their favorite AI tools, not traditional search, for shopping recommendations (see our recent article about What OpenAI’s Instant Checkout means for your brand visibility).
Take the computer peripheral category as an example. When ChatGPT is prompted to surface the best ergonomic keyboards of 2025, the model tends to pull most heavily from:
You’ll note that only Engadget is a tier-one publication. The rest are niche, content-rich sites that AI trusts (and some humans wouldn’t even read). Back in July, PCMag ranked fifth in that dataset. As of October it’s been replaced by Improve Workspace.
That’s your wake-up call. Niche review sites and AI-optimized publishers now have more influence than ever. They’re feeding the recommendation engines that shape consumer choices, and if your brand isn’t there, you’re invisible.
The Bottom Line
If your affiliate setup, pricing strategy, and PR outreach aren’t aligned, you’re not even in the game. And if you’re still ignoring AI-driven search, you’re referring to last year’s playbook.
So this season, tighten up your fundamentals. Get your assets ready. And maybe, just maybe, try pitching to the outlets the bots trust most.
Because in 2025, winning Black Friday coverage isn’t just about getting seen by people. It’s about getting picked up by algorithms.