Where Has This Month Even Gone?
Plus: Assignments for TripSavvy, Insider and Taste of Home
Happy Thursday!
It’s been a super busy past week around here, beyond my normal assignments! Earlier this week, Alice Dubin, Aly Walansky and I joined a PR agency’s team of 40+ attendees for a virtual holiday gift guide consulting session. If you’d like to book the three of us for a similar engagement (on this or any other hot topic), please reach out for pricing and availability!
And late last week, I spoke on a media panel at a PR workshop in Scottsdale at the request of the amazingly talented PR pro Nicole Myden. The goal of her workshops is to help small business owners in Phoenix and Scottsdale get in front of their local media (I was joined by another reporter and a podcast host), build relationships and learned how to get featured. We had a blast fielding questions and sharing best practices! (And no, we didn’t plan for our wardrobes to match, LOL!)
If you missed my jam-packed affiliate marketing Ask Me Anything session last week, you can still view the entire hour-and-fifteen minute recording here. And if you aren’t yet a paid subscriber, upgrading to an annual plan is 40% off through EOD TOMORROW.
As a reminder, I’m just one week away from my 12-day Alaskan press trip adventure with my dad … so if my editorial opps are looking a bit sparse, it’s because I’m essentially taking 2 weeks off of work (and I’ve never done that before, gulp!). Also, you won’t be receiving a newsletter the week of Sept 5th, FYI. But I will get one more out next week before I go.
Scroll down to see my current needs for Sept assignments. Just this morning I was told I’ll have my Reader’s Digest gift guide assignments in mid-Sept, so gift guide opps ARE coming!
Have a great rest of your week/weekend,
Jill
PR Job Opps
Ink Link Marketing is looking to hire an account executive! The agency works mainly in food & beverage, health, tech and franchising. Seeking someone who has strong PR knowledge and will work a hybrid schedule in its Miami office.
Zapwater Communications, an award-winning integrated communications agency with offices in Chicago, Los Angeles, and Miami, is looking for account executive(s)/publicist(s) to join the travel and lifestyle team in the South Florida office. Applicants should have three to five years of experience with great writing skills, strong media relationships, and a desire to travel. Experience in travel, food and beverage, and lifestyle brands is preferred. Please email resumes to holly@zapwater.com.
The Hoyt Organization is seeking a full-time account executive. Interested candidates can email Amy Mosher, amosher@hoytorg.com.
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!)
***Note: All of the Reader’s Digest pieces I’ve submitted in the past 2 months are on hold while they fill open roles and catch up on editing … so if you’re waiting on one of the 8-ish articles (including all the butt-related pieces) I submitted a while ago that haven’t published yet, we appreciate your patience!
Good Housekeeping: Make Back-to-School Easy with CVS
Oprah Daily: Which Journaling Style is Right for You?
Taste of Home: How Long Do Hard-Boiled Eggs Last?
Taste of Home: Does Vinegar Go Bad?
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!)
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. TripSavvy: Best Alaska Hotels (Anchorage and Fairbanks predominantly, but I’m open options in other cities if they are really special!)
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.
Subject line: Alaska Hotels
Email: JillSchildhouse@gmail.com
Pitch by: EOD Tuesday
2. Taste of Home: Looking For an Unaffiliated Registered Dietitian to Talk About Apples + Diabetes
Need an RD to talk about if apples are a healthy choice for those with diabetes
Please send credentials, not commentary. If chosen, I’ll send specific questions
Subject line: RD Apple + Diabetes
Email: JillSchildhouse@gmail.com
Pitch by: EOD Tuesday
3. Insider: Looking For a Travel Nurse Who is Willing to Discuss Their Lifestyle and the Money They Make (and if it’s worth it or not)
Please send credentials, not commentary. If chosen, I’ll send specific questions
Subject line: Travel Nurse
Email: JillSchildhouse@gmail.com
Pitch by: EOD Tuesday
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.
Excited for you to unplug and enjoy the cruise!!
i don't know what i'm going to do with you gone for 2 weeks!