Yesterday was WAY too much fun!
Plus: Details on joining the Affiliate PR Club and leads
Happy Tuesday, everyone!
My first Ask Me Anything session took place yesterday and the PR pros who attended definitely understood the assignment … they showed up with tons of great questions to keep the conversation flowing!
I received some really positive emails afterwards, so I’ll be hosting these AMAs on an ongoing basis. Stay tuned for the next one (probably in June).
One of the topics that came up yesterday was affiliate marketing, of course. And while I’m somewhat knowledgable from the outlet’s perspective, I’m not as well-versed from the client/brand side of things. So that’s why I always tell you about awesome resources that are getting great reviews from PR friends. And today, I want to introduce you to the Affiliate PR Club:
PR PROS: Receive Affiliate PR training + your Qs answered in real-time in the Affiliate PR Club, a monthly membership dedicated to supporting and training PR pros as they pitch, manage, and scale Affiliate PR programs.
WHAT’S INCLUDED: Membership includes two 60-min live sessions (one training, one Q&A) each month, as well as access to all past training recordings + a private Slack community for ongoing support.
NEXT LIVE TRAINING: May 11 at 3 p.m. CST - will cover how to audit and strategically pitch products (even with minimal brand awareness!) to secure coverage.
RESOURCE HUB: Watch last month’s recorded Q&A training with Bryce Gruber.
PRICING: Only $111/month (discounted annual payment option available too).
SIGN UP: You can find more details and sign up here!
I hope you all have a wonderful week. I’m in power-writing mode because I’m traveling quite a bit this month (more on my coast-to-coast travels next week!) and my parents will be in town at the end of this week for my mom’s birthday and Mother’s Day (which means I’ll actually take a few days off for a change).
Scroll down to see my latest published links and what I’m looking for this week.
Jill
Book Your Pitch Perfecting Party Today
Still thinking about booking a Pitch Perfecting Party with me, but haven’t pulled the trigger yet? I’ve completed half a dozen of them so far! Maybe this testimonial will sway you … I swear, I haven’t made anyone cry yet!
“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
Just shoot me an email with the subject line Pitch Perfecting Party and I’ll share pricing details.
—— Current Editorial Needs ——
1. Franklin Prosperity Report: Automotive Aftermarket Expert
Looking for an expert in the automotive aftermarket industry to discuss upgrading the technology/safety/convenience features in your current car vs buying a new vehicle.
Please send credentials, not commentary. I’ll send specific questions to my chosen source.
Subject line: Automotive Aftermarket Expert
Email: JillSchildhouse@gmail.com
Pitch by: EOD Friday
2. Clean Eating: Reef-Friendly Sunscreen Products + Expert
Need experts NOT AFFILIATED WITH ANY BRAND to discuss why choosing clean sunscreen is better for your gut, your skin and marine life (so I’m open to a dermatologist, esthetician, GI doc, naturopath, marine biologist, etc.)
Also looking for sunscreens … they MUST BE reef safe, vegan and cruelty free. This is non-negotiable, so please make it clear in your pitch that the product meets these strict guidelines.
Pitch by: EOD Friday
Subject line: Reef-Friendly Sunscreen + Expert/Product Name
Email: JillSchildhouse@gmail.com
3. Oxygen: Women’s fitness products
The point of this monthly column is to introduce our readers (women ages 25-60 who are HARD CORE gym goers/athletes) to fresh and new stuff that’s caught our eye that will be helpful in the gym or on their fitness-focused journey. I’ll be accepting these pitches on an ongoing basis, since it’s a monthly column.
Please pitch:
New fitness equipment (weights, bands, at-home machines, etc)
Cool workout gear (like clothing or gym bags or brilliant products to throw in your gym bag, etc.)
Fitness technology (like wearables or water bottles that clean themselves or remind you to stay hydrated, or gym towels that don’t hang onto sweaty bacteria, etc.)
Interesting products to support mental/emotional health and wellbeing (things for meditation, goal tracking, stress reduction, etc.).
Don’t pitch: food, drinks, supplements (unless it’s TRULY unique and brand new), beauty products (unless it serves a specific need at the gym), apps, services
Samples are required, because I personally test these items.
No affiliate links required
Subject line: Oxygen Editors’ Picks
Email: JillSchildhouse@gmail.com
Due date: ongoing
Recently Published Pieces (Thanks for your help!)
Clean Eating: 10 Functional Mushroom Drinks
Reader’s Digest: 9 Editors Tested These Amazon Leggings
Reader’s Digest: Best Affordable Face Serums
Fodor’s: 25 Ultimate Things to do In Arizona
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!)
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!).
Become an affiliate marketing master: Still trying to navigate the exciting world of 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!
Instagram collabs: 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.
Sponsorship opps: Do you have a course/book/conference/tool/service that you’d like to promote to the 2,000+ publicists who subscribe to my newsletter? Contact me today to discuss sponsorship opportunities for the month of May!
Thought-leadership pieces: Over the past few months, several PR agencies have hired me to ghostwrite thought-leadership pieces for their blogs (about a particular PR topic, industry insights, etc.). Please reach out if you’re interested in exploring this service.
This was so fun! Thank you again!