Data Privacy Day: Four top tips on getting value from awareness days in PR strategies

‘Awareness days’ have long been a staple of the PR calendar. They present a helpful hook for reaching out to the press and opening the door to coverage and other opportunities like social media engagement.

There is a seemingly endless list of them for any occasion. Last week alone included both the whimsical Squirrel Appreciation Day and the more serious Race Against Dementia Day.
The cybersecurity industry has a full calendar of awareness days too, with the first notable date of the year being Data Privacy Day tomorrow on Tuesday 28th January. The day has gathered an impressive head of steam since it began in 2007 and is now recognised in dozens of countries and backed by organisations including the FTC and FBI.

Although these dates can be an effective opportunity for commentary and newsjacking, it’s important to be selective and think strategically about how they are used. With so many awareness days cropping up all year round, news outlets can be saturated with incoming comments. It’s important to get your outreach balance right, seizing the right opportunities without jumping on so many it dilutes your message.

Here are four quick tips for getting the most out of your 2025 awareness day calendar.

Make sure it’s relevant
There’s a day for almost anything, but it’s important to stop and consider if it’s worthwhile getting involved. Prepping comment for World Environment Day is great if you have a strong green focus, but best skipped if you’ll need to do some awkward shoehorning to align with your brand’s values.
This is particularly important in a specialist industry like cybersecurity where reporters will have a dedicated remit.

Do you have something meaningful to say?
Next, it’s time to consider whether you really have something meaningful to add to the conversation or risk being seen as jumping on the bandwagon. Commentary needs to come from a place of authentic knowledge or personal experience.
For example, we’ve secured multiple comment spots and longer feature opportunities for International Women’s Day for our clients with female leaders and practitioners sharing their advice and insights.

Think about your wider strategy
So, you have a knowledgeable spokesperson armed with insightful insights, and the awareness day is a good fit for your brand. Time to start securing some coverage!
Next, it’s time to consider what wider company initiatives and marketing efforts you could connect with the awareness day. Rather than a one-off comment opportunity, awareness days could be tied into other activities like blogs and video content. Consider what existing efforts are a good fit, or if it’s worth starting a new initiative off the back of a particularly high-profile and relevant awareness campaign.

Plan ahead
Having a calendar full of awareness days can help bring some structure to the year ahead.
It’s also important to keep regular tabs on events to help with planning. Here are ..
some key IT and cybersecurity adjacent dates coming up for Q1 2025: Data Privacy Week – 27th – 31st Jan
• Data Privacy Day – 28th Jan
• Safer Internet Day – 11th Feb
• International Day of Women in Science – 11th Feb
• International Women’s Day – 8th March
• World Backup Day – 31st March
Checking out dates in advance means you can avoid a last-minute scramble, allowing for some breathing room in assembling solid commentary that will really resonate with both your brand and your key press.

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