Image: Dunelm

How to get your brand and products on the October editorial calendars, higher up on search and AI engines and in social media

Our October PR toolkit and content calculator is here to help PRs and marketers forward-plan campaigns and pitches armed with some timely and topical angles, plus it’s a checklist for potential campaign hooks.

We’re into autumn, and the nights are starting to draw in, and the heating is probably on.  The media are looking for images that reflect the changes, so anything that looks cosy and warm is suitable; roaring fires, big jumpers, coats, hats, knitwear, scarves, and wellies in a leaf-strewn outdoors – all the clichés – are what the media are looking for.

If you can do some night shots with sparklers, then you’re also ticking the boxes for Bonfire Night next month. We also have Halloween at the end of the month, so if you can get a pumpkin in your images, then you’re hitting two birds with one stone.   

You should be adding Christmas images, and for those magazines with very long lead times, then start to look for the images of people working off the Christmas excesses for the January issues. 

Don’t forget to add keywords like Gifts, Christmas, Xmas, Autumn, Winter, Halloween, Fireworks night and Bonfire night, as they will be looked for from now. Also, PRShots has a worldwide audience, so add those American holiday versions e.g. The Holidays, Fall, Pumpkin Day, Thanksgiving, etc and words like hygge that are starting to enter the language and are associated with the autumn.  

Media will also be searching for party outfits for Halloween, Guy Fawkes, and the office party season - which will soon be with us, as some businesses have their Christmas parties in November. 

The media are also starting to look for and create Christmas gift guides, so try and be creative, do ones for every eventuality e.g. gifts guides for him/her/mum/dad/kids/teenagers/pets etc also gifts under £150/100/£50 and guides for secret Santa’s gifts under £20.

Please put prices on everything!!! Otherwise, you stand no chance of getting into any of the features that include “Presents under £50”, “Party dresses for £150”, etc.   

If you’re a PRShots brand user and you need more ideas, then take a look at the keywords that media are searching for on PRShots and try and add those in.

If you’re looking for more hooks to help promote your brand and products, then see the list of days, weeks and fortnights below.

October Diary - Weeks/Months

October is also known as ‘Stoptober’, which started as a campaign around giving up cigarettes, but is now joined by MacMillans Go Sober for October, so if you have anything non-alcoholic, then get it on PRShots and make sure you add Stoptober and non-alcoholic as keywords.

It’s also Black History Month, Wool Month, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Menopause Month, Vegetarian Awareness Month, Apple Month, Cookie Month, Spinach Lovers' Month, Pork Month, and National Pasta, Chilli, and Pizza Month.

Fashion, Food and Beauty events include

British Food Fortnight (26^th Sep - 11^th Oct)

Shetland Wool Week (27^th Sep – 3^rd Oct)  

Paris Fashion Week (28^th Sept - 6^th Oct)

National Vegetarian Week (1^st – 7^th)

National Wedding Show Birmingham (3^rd -4^th)

Work Life Week (5^th- 9^th)

National Curry Week (5^th-11^th)

British Beauty Week (12^th-25^th)

National Baking Week (14^th-20^th)

National Chocolate Week (15^th-21^st)

Cheltenham Fashion Weekend (15^th-18^th)

National Wedding Show London (17^th -18^th)

The Baby Show Olympia (23^rd-25^th)

National Wedding Show Manchester (24^th -25^th).

October - Days

1^st – World Vegetarian Day

1^st – International Coffee Day

2^nd – Last Day of Sukkot - Hoshana Rabbah – Jewish Holiday

2^nd - Gandhi Jayanthi – The birthday of Mahatma Gandhi - Holiday India

2^nd-3^rd – Shemini Atzeret 

4^th-5^th - Simchat Torah  

3^rd – Mean Girl’s Day (apparently, it’s a thing right!!)

3^rd – Harvest Festival 

4^th – National Vodka Day (US)

4^th – World Animal Day

5^th – UN World Teachers’ Day

6^th – World Smile Day

6^th - National Plus Size Appreciation Day

7^th – National LED Light Day

8^th – National Poetry Day 

10^th – UN World Mental Health Day

10^th – National Cake Decorating Day

11^th – Navratri Starts (Hindu holiday)

11^th – National Coming Out Day (UK/US)

11^th – UN International Day of the Girl

13^th – National Yorkshire Pudding Day (US)

13^th – National No Bra Day

16^th – UN World Food Day

16^th – Department store day

18^th – National Chocolate Cup Cake Day (US)

18^th – World Menopause Day

19^th – International Gin & Tonic Day

20^th – Vijayadashami/Dussehra (Hindu festival)

20^th – Navaratri Ends (Hindu holiday)

20^th – National Office Chocolate Day (US)

21^st – National Honey Day UK

25^th – World Pasta Day

25^th – 2 months until Christmas Day

25^th – Clocks go back today

26^th – National Pumpkin Day

27^th – National American Beer Day

27^th – Global Champagne Day

28^th – National Chocolate Day (US)

29^th – National Cat Day (US)

31^st – Halloween

NB - All dates have been checked, but some events may change due to unforeseen circumstances or have not been fully confirmed for 2026 by the authorities controlling the event(s).