Hello, everyone!
Ryan, Lily and I had a wonderful time in Sedona the last few days (and I’ll be posting about the FABULOUS resort we stayed at on Instagram shortly, so watch for those stories) … until I came home with the worst souvenir ever: the stomach flu. It’s been a rough 20 hours around here, to say the least.
Earlier today, I hosted an Affiliate Marketing Ask Me Anything Session and 72 of you attended (it even ran 15 minutes long because we had so much to cover for upcoming holiday gift guides!). Affiliate Marketing Guru Sarah Karger was my special guest (many of you attended because of how much you loved her Ultimate Masterclass and Introduction to Affiliate Marketing for Publicists course) and she answered SO many of your thoughtful questions. You’ll be pleased to know that she’s working on a new course that dives into setting competitive commission rates, choosing the right network for your clients’ goals and will include step-by-step instructions for SAS in particular … she should have that wrapped up in the next month or so. Stay tuned for its release!
A special shout out to my friends Aly Walansky and Alice Dubin for joining me on today’s call … they were there to help since I’m under the weather (it was touch and go for a minute there!), and I know the attendees really appreciated their additional insights too!
Oh, and I’ll be sending out the recording from today’s AMA to all paid subscribers on Friday, so if you weren’t able to attend today you can still catch up! And if you’d like access to the recording, but haven’t yet upgraded to a paid subscription, it’s currently 40% off (I promise, the value of this recording far exceeds the low subscription fee … and you’ll have access to all future AMAs and my exclusive content, too)!
See below for the latest assignments I’m sourcing for… including my first piece for Cosmo!
Have a great rest of your week,
Jill
PR Job Opps
Carma Connected is looking to hire a Junior Account Executive at our Miami Beach office. The Junior Account Executive (JAE) will work directly with Account Executives as part of a team and will be responsible for performing a number of high-level duties and assisting with multiple client accounts. The ideal candidate is highly self-motivated, organized, professional, capable of managing their work load and prioritizing tasks in a fast-paced environment and possesses superior writing skills. Minimum of one year experience in an agency setting required. Email victoria@carmaconnected.com to apply.
If you have job opps for me to share, please send them to JillSchildhouse@gmail.com with the subject line PR Job Opps.
Book Your Pitch Perfecting Party Today!
Still thinking about booking a Pitch Perfecting Party with me? Just shoot me an email (use subject line: Pitch Perfecting Party) and I’ll share pricing details and available time slots for this 1:1 strategy session.
Here are some testimonials from recent sessions:
“Talk about a smart investment — my hour spent workshopping with Jill continues to pay off! Not only did she provide invaluable, insider feedback on how I crafted my pitch and who best to send it to, she encouraged me to host a virtual editor session for a client that has proven to be incredibly fruitful. While the focus of the session is on a specific pitch, the learnings are evergreen and have given me and my team more confidence in how we approach media across the board. Thank you, Jill!” — Lauren Berg Donovan, Owner, Style-Architects
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“As a solo PR pro, there are so many positives to running your own business. But regularly I find myself stuck or questioning the way I'm doing outreach on behalf of my clients and I have no one to 'gut check' with. Jill's new offering solves this problem. Not only does Jill collaborate with me to make sure my pitch is getting noticed, but she educates me on the constant changes in the industry and brings things to my attention that are beyond just securing stories for my clients. Worth every penny!” — Kate Kelly, kkpr agency
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“Wow. I had a pitch review session with Jill and it was both humbling and extraordinary. Humbling because, after 20+ years in the media relations field, there was still so much for me to learn, as I discovered in my session with Jill. It was also extraordinary because Jill quickly, expertly and with warm candor helped me understand what a journalist really needs to build a story. She gave me great pointers and explained the “why” behind her recommendations. PR professionals should make a session with Jill a course requirement – we would do better work and journalists would get the pitches they can actually use.” — Pam Abrahamsson, Director, PRA Public Relations
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“Working with Jill was easy, fun and enlightening. She pointed out several nuances about pitches and subject lines that I wouldn't have known about otherwise. She also shed some much needed light on best practices for pitching an expert that is working with a brand!” — Molly Antos, Dadascope Communications
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“I had the chance to be a part of Jill’s Pitch Perfecting Party, and I found her insight extremely helpful! She critiqued 4 of my pitches and had so many tweaks and suggestions I completely missed or didn’t think to include. When a writer/journalist offers to take the time to give honest feedback on the work you present to people in their field, it’s so valuable. PR can be challenging, especially in today’s market, with Affiliate Marketing and brands not being up to par. But having journalists not open or read your pitch entirely can be awful and a severe roadblock in our jobs. Thank you so much, Jill, for taking the time to pour through some of my pitches and give me your honest feedback. It was worth every penny!” — Amy Bartko, Chatterbox
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“My strategy session with Jill was insanely valuable. I received critical feedback on a media pitch that wasn’t getting any traction. Jill provided feedback on my pitch, the product itself, new story angles, and even publishing verticals I hadn’t even thought of. Nothing compares to one-on-one time with a writer like Jill, I believe it’s a must for PR pros.” — Jordanne Pallesen, Owner, Julep Marketing
Book a Virtual Q&A With Your Entire Agency!
I’m booking Ask Me Anything sessions with PR agencies, where I provide industry insights (I’ve been in magazine publishing for 22 years), pitching and follow up best practices, feedback on your pitches, and more. Email me (use subject line: Agency Q&A) for pricing/availability.
Here’s a few testimonials:
"We are so grateful to Jill for an honest discussion on what REALLY works when pitching! It was also helpful to get insight into what a writer/editor's day looks like and how to better accommodate flooded in-boxes. Once again, the landscape of PR is changing, and we really appreciated that our team could ask Jill questions on how to best navigate the current media climate. I highly recommend booking a session with Jill!" — Chelsea Gladden, Founder, Everything Branding
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“Having Jill as a resource is worth every penny. She provided some great insight and tips for our agency to perfect our pitching skills. I would highly recommend her to every PR pro!” — Robyn Patterson, Founder, Mack Media Relations
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“Thank you so so much for taking the time out of your day to conduct the agency Q&A! It was so helpful to hear your insights on building relationships and standing out in an over-saturated market. My agency loved it!” —Aaren Rott, Account Executive, Stanton & Company, LLC
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“Our team learned valuable tips about pitching travel media from Jill Schildhouse. Her expertise provided tremendous insight and we all came away with new ideas to help us better serve clients.” — Stephanie Wilson, Owner, Wicked Creative
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“Media is changing at a rapid pace and there are inconsistencies from outlet to outlet. Publicists are struggling to keep track of it all while trying to foster relationships and advise clients on best practices. I’ve been receiving Jill’s newsletter for almost a year and have always appreciated her candidness. When I saw she was offering these Q&A sessions, I jumped on the chance to learn something and have fun doing it. I can’t say enough wonderful things about our experience with Jill. We talked about everything: from email subject line and the information she likes to see in the body of an email, what she deems to be the appropriate followup methods, to the way her editor's assign stories, the importance of affiliate platforms, and we even taught her a few things about branded partnerships! Her insight was invaluable. We plan to make this a regular activity!” — Sara Spiegel, founder of w/ Sara PR
Let’s Collaborate on an Instagram Campaign!
Follow my travels on Instagram — and with 17k followers, I’m available for your clients’ brand campaigns and collaborations, too! Happy to share my media kit and rate sheet upon request.
Got Affiliate Marketing Questions?
Do you have questions about navigating affiliate marketing? Publicist Sarah Karger and former editor Dana Baardsen have co-created a course called Ultimate Masterclass and Introduction to Affiliate Marketing for Publicists and it’ll answer ALL of your questions!
Please Share this Newsletter With Your Colleagues
If you find this newsletter valuable, please click the share button below and send it to your colleagues …. I’m especially looking for more travel publicists, publicists who rep healthcare and wellness professionals (dietitians, doctors, mental health, etc.), and of course product-focused publicists too! The more, the merrier!
Recently Published Pieces (Thanks for your help!)
Southern Living: How to Boil Corn on the Cob (this is my first published piece for SL!)
Reader’s Digest: 27 Things You Shouldn’t Say When Talking To a Flight Attendant
TripSavvy: Sandals’ New Adults-Only Curacao Resort Is the Ultimate Romantic Escape (yes, this is based off my press trip from June!)
Reader’s Digest: Ice Globes Are the New Skincare Trend You Should Know About
TripSavvy: 13 Best Beaches in the United States
Travel + Leisure: Hotels to Book for a Trip To Napa Valley
Travel + Leisure: Hotels to Book for a Trip to San Antonio
Now, it's time to get the word out! When you and your clients share your coverage on social media, please be sure to tag my accounts: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn (and please connect with me yourselves!)
—— Current Editorial Needs ——
1. Cosmo AND Women’s Health: Need UNAFFILIATED Nutrition Experts (URGENT!)
This article will appear in both publications (online)
The angle is: A Millennial’s Guide to Supplements
Send credentials, not commentary … I have specific questions that need to be answered about vitamins A, B, D, Chromium, Probiotics and Omega 3s
Do not pitch products/supplements
Sources must not be tied to any brands
Sources must be available to answer questions no later than Monday
Subject line: Millennial’s Guide to Supplements
Email: JillSchildhouse@gmail.com
Pitch by: EOD Thursday (tomorrow!)
2. Franklin Prosperity Report: Looking For a Cruise Expert to Discuss How to Save on Cruises for 2023
Looking for a cruise expert (travel agent?) to talk about some great ways to save when booking cruises for next year
Subject line: Cruise Savings Expert
Email: JillSchildhouse@gmail.com
Pitch by: EOD Friday
More Useful Info
Agency-wide Substack subscriptions available: Just shoot me an email with how many publicists will need access to my paid newsletter and I’ll send you a custom quote (which includes a group discount, of course!).
Sponsorship opps: Do you have a course/book/conference/tool/service that you’d like to promote to the 2,800+ publicists who subscribe to my newsletter? Contact me today to discuss sponsorship opportunities for the month of August!
Other journalist newsletters definitely worth subscribing to: Be sure to follow my trusted colleagues so you can stay up-to-date on their pitching needs: Alice Dubin, Bryce Gruber, Aly Walansky, and Nicole Pajer.
Thank you ladies so so much for taking the time to share all that valuable information. It was great seeing your beautiful faces too!
that's what friends are for!!! and i had a great time <3