One Crazy Reason You Might Not Be Hearing Back From Media (and you can literally fix this pitching blunder TODAY!)

Plus: Sign up for my How to Become a Journalist’s BFF workshop

Good morning, all!

You may have noticed I’ve been a bit quieter than usual and that’s because my March is wonky! I’m essentially taking 2 full weeks away from my desk this month (Hallelujah!): One will be to spend time with my parents and brother, who all get into town later today, and the other will be later this month to take a California press trip with my mom from desert to ocean to wine country. As such, I’ve taken fewer assignments this month to try and find that elusive work/life balance.

To properly greet my family, I’m currently in the midst of baking a loaf of bread. I made my first loaf ever in my life last week and it was shockingly easy. If you have a Dutch oven (I have a newly acquired Le Creuset obsession, don’t mind me), then this is the no-knead recipe I followed. And if, like me, the thought of baking absolutely terrifies you, I also watched this video like 14 times to mentally prepare. But I promise, this recipe is idiot-proof!

It was DELICIOUS! (I don’t know why this pic makes it look small, but we ate it for like 5 straight days)

If you’re looking for some 2023 industry training opps, check out the sessions Nicole and I are offering at Top Tier Consulting. Have you signed up for our How to Become a Journalist’s BFF workshop yet? Highly successful publicists know that building long-term relationships with journalists is truly the gift that keeps on giving. Learn how to meet new journalists, and discover best practices for staying in touch, following up, and creating meaningful relationships. We hope to see you in our workshop later this month — that link above will tell you how to RSVP!

So, I don’t know who needs to hear this, but please put writers’ email addresses into your email contacts database … especially freelancers who use Gmail. Why?

I’ve responded to a number of pitches recently (pitches sent based on my Substack queries for active assignments) only to get no reply at all to my request for additional information. Hello? *tap tap tap* Is this thing on?

I find it hard to believe so many publicists would be flat-out ignoring me, especially when they took the time to pitch me. So my best guess is that I’m ending up in their spam folder.

I see a lot of complaints from publicists on social media that writers never respond to your pitches … but what if we are and you’re missing it because we’re stuck in your spam folder?? Take some time right now to update your contacts list, please! Because if we don’t hear back from you, we move on to the next pitch and you miss out on the coverage!

Scroll on down to see my current assignment needs and a bunch of recently published articles!

Thanks and have a great week,

Jill

PS: Here’s a fun preview of my yet-to-be published article for USA Today Reviewed … how cool is this lighting product? My living room now appears in a bunch of Gannett outlets across the country, LOL

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Got Affiliate Marketing Questions for 2023?

Yes, most publications require affiliate marketing for inclusion these days. Publicist Sarah Karger created a course called Ultimate Masterclass and Introduction to Affiliate Marketing for Publicists and it’ll answer ALL of your questions!

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Pick My Brain: Book a Consulting Session

Nicole Pajer and I have teamed up for Top Tier Consulting, where we offer a variety of customized consulting packages for agencies and freelance publicists to help take your media hits to the next level. These include:

• Pitch Perfecting Strategy Session: We’ll workshop your pitches and offer suggestions to help improve your open rate and coverage opps!

• Become a Journalist’s BFF: Networking and Relationship Management Session: Highly successful publicists know that building long-term relationships with journalists is truly the gift that keeps on giving, so we’ll give you tips on how to meet new journalists, stay in touch and become their go-to source.

• Hosting the Perfect Virtual and/or In-Person Media Event Session: You’ll learn the ins and outs of how to create a media event that journalists will A) Want to attend B) Will stay engaged at C) Will work into coverage. 

• Agency Q&A Session: You’ve got questions? We’ve got answers! Nothing is off-limits!

• Press Package 101 Session: We’ll help you make your packages more enticing, while actually saving your clients money in the process. And we’ll discuss how to target the right audiences, how to handle post-delivery follow-ups, and more. 

• Press Trips Invites and Itineraries Session: The two most important aspects to pulling off a successful press trip is nailing your invites and itineraries — we will help guide you through both!

Visit our website to learn more about the services and sessions we provide — we’re looking forward to working with you!

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***Recently Published Pieces***
(Thank you for your help!)

• People (my debut!): Best Mediterranean Diet Meal Delivery Services

• USA Today: 8 Home Security Camera Settings You Should Be Using

• Taste of Home: Can You Eat Bay Leaves?

• Taste of Home: Can You Eat Shrimp Tails?

• Reader’s Digest: I’ve Tried Every At-Home Manicure System and This $10 Product is the Best!

• Reader’s Digest: The Best Time to Visit Alaska

• Better Homes & Gardens (my debut!): Best Self-Storage Unit Companies

• Reader’s Digest: 12 Best Oregon Wineries

• The Spruce (my debut!): 6 Best Light Therapy Lamps of 2023

• USA TODAY (my debut!): 10 Features to Look For When Buying a Security Camera

• Business Insider: I’m a Cirque du Soleil Performer. I Grew Up in the Circus and Now I Travel the World with My Husband and Kids.

• Reader’s Digest: 28 Beautiful Gifts for Your Wife That Say I Love You

• TripSavvy: The Cheapest Islands in the World to Visit

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, Twitter and LinkedIn (and please connect with me yourselves!).

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—— Current Editorial Needs ——

 1. Best Travel Credit Cards

• Looking for experts who are well-versed in travel credit cards to discuss the best options.

• Will be examining things like annual fees, points accrued, points translation value, foreign transaction fees, concierge benefits, access to lounges, TSA recheck or Global Entry waived fees, and other bonuses like Uber credits, etc.

• This article will be divided into various sections, like: Good if You're Traveling in the U.S., Good if You're Renting a Car, Good for Overseas Travel, etc.

• Please send credentials AND commentary.

• Subject line: Best travel credit cards

• Email: JillSchildhouse@gmail.com

• Pitch by: EOD Friday

 2. How to Save on These 3 Bucket-List Trips

• Looking for longtime luxury travel agents who can provide hacks for saving money when booking each of the following bucket list vacations: an Antarctic cruise, an over-the-water bungalow in the Maldives (or similar locale), and an African safari.

• Please send credentials AND commentary.

• Subject line: Bucket List Savings

• Email: JillSchildhouse@gmail.com

• Pitch by: EOD Friday

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More Useful Info

• Agency-wide Substack subscriptions available: Want your entire agency to read my paywalled insights? Awesome! 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 4,400+ publicists who subscribe to my newsletter? Contact me today to discuss sponsorship opportunities!

• 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.