Back from Mexico (Again) and Cranking Out Work
Assignments for T+L, Brides, and more + some PR jobs + AMA info
Happy Monday, everyone!
I had a FABULOUS stay at the Conrad Punta de Mita outside of Puerto Vallarta last week. In case you missed my Instagram Stories, here’s the Highlights Reel of my trip.
And here’s a pic I haven’t even posted yet, so you get a sneak peek at the floating breakfast I enjoyed in my own personal plunge pool (I’ll be posting a Reel about the entire experience in a couple hours, so look for that). It was a pretty dreamy set-up (and I made use of my new tripod):
While I was gone last week, several of you alerted me to a journalist who’s charging for their Substack calls for pitches (the publicists who reached out were appalled, and rightfully so). Please let this be your reminder that basic journalism ethics/integrity dictates that leads should NEVER be behind a paywall. The only thing you should be considering paying for is access to extra perks that provide value, such as industry insights that take us hours to write, Zoom calls, individual or agency-wide strategy sessions, etc.
On that note, I’ll be sending out the RSVP list for the upcoming AMA Zoom I’m doing with Sara Karger later this week (see details below) … it’s a deep dive into affiliate marketing (hello, gift guides!). If you’d like to join, please make sure you’ve upgraded to a paid subscription by EOD tomorrow so you get access to the RSVP list.
In random news: I’m trying to start using Twitter more (I’ve never been a fan, but I’m making an effort now), so I’d love some more connections (my lack of connections is probably why I haven’t found it useful). Please follow me and I’ll follow back!
Where am I headed next? Sedona, on Sunday for a few days of R&R with Ryan and our pup. Can’t wait! If you rep any restaurants in the area, please let me know.
See below for the latest assignments I’m sourcing for … apparently Mexico was my good luck charm, as several editors reached out the second I stepped away from my computer ;)
Have a great week,
Jill
PS: New title, who dis? My title at Reader’s Digest has changed from “Affiliate Ecommerce Health Editor” to “Editor-at-large” … this affects you zero percent, but it made me smile :)
***SAVE THE DATE: Just in Time for Holiday Gift Guides***
My next Ask Me Anything session will be held on August 17 at 11 am PST … and I’ll be joined by a special guest: the ultimate affiliate marketing guru, Sarah Karger. We’ll be talking about all things affiliate marketing from her perspective as a publicist who specializes in this and from my perspective as a journalist who writes affiliate-focused product roundups all day long. This is especially timely, as holiday gift guide season is HERE and affiliate marketing programs will be crucial to your clients’ inclusion.
Because I’m having a special guest, I’m requiring RSVPs.
As a reminder, my AMA sessions are a perk for paid subscribers … and through the end of August I’m offering 40% off annual subscriptions (so that more of you can join these sessions!):
I’ll be sharing a link to the RSVP sheet in a separate newsletter for paid subscribers in a couple days, and you’ll also be asked to share one question you have about affiliate marketing, so that we can maximize our time together. In the meantime, please mark your calendars so you don’t accidentally book something else in that time slot!
Sarah and I can’t wait for this session and we look forward to seeing you all there!
PR Job Opps
Wicked Creative agency is seeking a Public Relations Coordinator to work in entertainment, nightlife and hospitality. Excellent writing skills, the ability to stay calm under pressure, attention to detail, and a strong understanding of AP Style are key. In addition to working during office hours from 9-5, Monday-Friday, there are often additional staffing requirements in the early morning, evening, and on weekends as needed for television, celebrity appearances, live entertainment performances, and events, as well as for photo and video shoots.
Dunn Pellier Media, Inc. is hiring a Jr. Publicist. This firm focuses on health, fitness, and wellness PR. Interested applicants can email CEO Nicole Dunn (nicole@dunnpelliermedia.com) or apply on LinkedIn.
Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants is looking for a Public Relations Specialist, with at least two years of PR experience, to support their public relations and social media teams. This is a remote position. To learn more and apply, click here.
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 August 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 (cruise, hotels, airlines, cities), 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!)
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
Taste of Home: Are Pumpkin Seeds Good for You?
TripSavvy: Best Alaska Cruises
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. Travel + Leisure: Looking for the BEST Hotels to Book for a Trip to the Grand Canyon
Please send me a few sentences about the property and what makes it special + a link to the TripAdvisor page. If selected, I’ll send you a specific list of questions to answer about the property.
Keep the T+L brand in mind …. these hotels should be 4 stars and higher (exceptions can be made for hotels with historical value and fantastic service and reputation).
Subject line: T+L Grand Canyon Hotels
Email: JillSchildhouse@gmail.com
Pitch by: EOD Wednesday latest
2. Brides: Best West Coast Bachelorette Destinations (Expert AND Destinations needed)
Looking for a bachelorette party expert to weigh in (send credentials, not commentary … I’ll send you specific questions)
Looking for the best cities in the West to hold a bachelorette party (LA, Palm Springs, Vegas, San Fran, San Diego, Seattle, Scottsdale, Phoenix, Sedona, etc). In your pitch, tell me why this spot is SO great for bachelorette parties in particular.
Within each city, I’ll feature a hotel to stay at, a few restaurants, a club/bar, various places for bachelorette party activities (like a high tea, a cooking class, wine tastings, drag shows, whatever) etc., so please pitch them if you have great options!
Subject line: West Coast Bachelorette Expert <or> West Coast Bachelorette Party Spot (choose the one that fits!)
Email: JillSchildhouse@gmail.com
Pitch by: EOD Thursday
3. Franklin Prosperity Report: Looking for a Travel Agent to Weigh In On What to Splurge On vs. What to Save On When Traveling
Send credentials, not commentary (I’ll respond with specific interview questions)
Subject line: Franklin Travel Agent
Email: JillSchildhouse@gmail.com
Pitch by: EOD Friday
4. Franklin Prosperity Report: Tips for Becoming a Successful Airbnb/VRBO Host (Looking to interview an expert or Superhost)
Send credentials, not commentary (I’ll respond with specific interview questions)
Subject line: Franklin Airbnb 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 2,700+ 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.
I looooved Punta de Mita! Looks like an amazing trip.
Congrats on the new title and OMG -- that pic looks dreamy.