Why You Shouldn't Wait Until the Deadline to Submit Your Pitches to Writers
Plus: PR job leads, info on my next AMA session (hint: I have a special guest joining!), and calls for pitches
Happy Tuesday, everyone!
It’s finally happened: I’m officially published in Travel + Leisure (and my second piece just published too!). It’s been a minute since I checked something off my career bucket list, so this is a really exciting milestone!
I wanted to touch on the deadlines I set with my calls for pitches … I’ll always give you a date to pitch by (hint: those dates aren’t arbitrary). However, that doesn’t mean that I’m sitting around twiddling my thumbs waiting until that final hour to make my selection(s) on products or sources. The early bird often gets the worm when it comes to journalism assignments, meaning the first PERFECT match I receive is often selected. Now, it might take me until the deadline to receive a perfect match, but sometimes it’ll come in within an hour. Since this is impossible for me to predict, I’d highly suggest jumping on my leads ASAP rather deprioritizing them until the deadline.
I recently had a publicist argue with me when I responded to their 11th hour pitch explaining that I’d already made my selections and written the article: “But your deadline was today,” she complained. I’m sorry, but that’s just not how I (or most journalists) operate. The sooner we can get an interview/article moving, the better.
Finally, I also receive a dozen emails after each deadline saying, “I know I’m a bit late, but hope you’ll still consider XYZ.” That’s highly unlikely, because the article is probably already written and submitted. And if it’s not, please know that I’m prioritizing publicists who met my requested deadline because I like to reward professionals who demonstrate that they value my time/process.
I know we all juggle an insane amount of priorities each and every day (honestly, it’s too much most days) … but your best chance of inclusion is to hop on my leads ASAP. And if you want to read more about why you weren’t included in an article, check out Aly’s great writeup from this past weekend.
Check below for this week’s leads (I’m awaiting August assignments, so you may get another newsletter later this week with more opps) and recently published pieces!
Have a great week,
Jill
***Exciting Announcement 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 soon, 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
Like Minds Communications is searching for an ambitious, detail-oriented Public Relations Strategist to join the team at our office in Houston, Texas. Here's a link to the full job description: https://likemindstalk.com/were-hiring
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 45-minute 1:1 strategy session.
Here are some testimonials from recent sessions:
“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!)
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. Franklin Prosperity Report: Looking to profile someone who has lived on a cruise ship in their retirement years
I’m working on a piece about how living on a cruise ship in retirement can actually be quite economical (not to mention FUN!)
This can be a single person, a couple, whatever … they need to have lived on a cruise ship for at least a year and be willing to talk about the financials of it.
Subject line: Cruise Ship Living
Email: JillSchildhouse@gmail.com
Pitch by: EOD Monday
2. Taste of Home: Need a food safety expert, research chef, or the like to discuss if vinegar goes bad
I need an excerpt to talk about vinegar, how long it lasts, if it goes bad, what to look for, etc.
Do NOT pitch me products
Please send credentials, not commentary. I’ll respond with specific interview questions if your source is a fit.
Subject line: Vinegar expert
Email: JillSchildhouse@gmail.com
Pitch by: EOD Thursday
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 2,600+ 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.
AHH! So excited for you and able to check out those links now. Congrats and excited for Aug 17th with Sarah!
Thank you for sharing this, Jill. As a publicist, I've found the most success when sending requests ASAP as well. The only challenge is waiting for content from your client by the deadline. This is usually what causes issues.