August: often known as the ‘Silly Season’!
Why is August referred to as the ‘silly season’?
The term was first used in 1861 when Parliament and the Courts were and still are not in session and journalists had to go in search of frivolous news stories.
It is still a month that coincides with school summer holidays, when many businesspeople take holidays with their families, including the media, which makes it a very slow time for the media.
Therefore, stories that would normally disappear in the normal hectic news world become headlines. Provincial scandal, obscure gossip, and quirky human-interest stories come to the fore.
Silly Season stories from the past:
*1973 – Harold Wilson Labour leader and former Prime Minister was nearly drowned. The story was that his dog, Paddy knocked him off his dinghy as he was sailing whilst on holiday in the Scillies. Fortunately, some other holiday-makers heard his calls for help.
*2005 – There was a story about crack-crazed squirrels wreaking havoc across Brixton during the summer months! (It seems they are a fixture in the US).
Supposedly, the squirrels were digging up drug stashes that had been buried in the ground and they were getting high on them. Multiple outlets picked up on the story.
*2009 – The Times front page headline was ‘Benson, Britain’s Best Loved Carp, 1984-2009. The fish had been caught 63 times over her lifetime! The owner of the lake where Benson resided said ‘We are all rocked by Benson’s death. She was an iconic carp. We’re still trying to come to terms with her death.’
*Often celebrities are the focus for stories; photographed doing bizarre things (more so than usual) or caught on holiday with their dress-sense or bodies criticized.
Examples being, when the Russian Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin was photographed, bare-chested riding his horse on vacation in August 2009, or in 2005, when Tony Blair was PM and on holiday, it was suggested that his toned physique was starting to sag and the question asked was ‘ who else has got great man boobs like Tony Blair?’
As you can see from these extremely silly stories, some news outlets are desperate for stories.
Keep eye open during this month; are there events taking place locally that would make great stories, that either you or your business might be involved in? ie. summer open garden festivals, where you may have a business stall; music events; local garden fetes. Etc. Take along your camera so you can capture some high-res photos – large, colour and good quality.
Have you got a business milestone this year that you are celebrating during the summer months, or have you recently won an award – this is a good time to share with local media.
You may well be taking part in a summer sports event, raising money for charity. This is about the charity, not the month, so talk about the charity; what it means to you, or why you are so passionate to support it through your business.
Or is sport something that is a passion of yours and you have managed to get tickets to Wimbledon in June or the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup? Definitely something you can write about for your blog, and or share with local media. Especially if you have good photographs.
If music is your passion:
Although, not August, you may have teens/young adults who went to Glastonbury? Have you been in the past? Write a blog about the changes in the way it’s run; what your children’s views of it are compared to yours – similar or very different? Share the blog with your local media, especially if you live in or around the southwest.
However, there are other music festivals taking place during August – Reading and Leeds, so it might be something that the media are interested in, whether you write about them specifically, or something about music festivals in general.
There are also several Opera Festivals taking place in August too – something else to write about.
Remember though, whatever you decide to write about, make sure you have good photographs (high resolution) if you want the local media to use them.