An Open Letter To Everyone With A Publicist

Forward This To All Of Your Clients!

This letter is open. My heart generally is not.

Happy Monday!

I love getting feedback on my Substack (so feel free to utilize the comments section) and one of the things I’ve heard over and over is that my words are often shared with your clients. So today’s Substack was written expressly for that purpose.

An Open Letter To Everyone With A Publicist

You’re probably reading this because your publicist copied and pasted it or forwarded it to you. I want to let you know you’ve made the right choice. You probably spoke to a bunch of publicists, but the one you picked thinks outside the box. There are a lot of ways to try to connect with writers and editors, but Substack is unique because it’s filled with opportunities. Yet, not every publicist has hopped on board this train.

So, let’s cut to the chase here.

Here are a few points your publicist has probably made to you themselves. Maybe you listened. Maybe you didn’t. But they’re sick of telling you these things. So, it’s better you hear it from me. Who am I? I’m Amanda Lauren and I’m a contributor to Forbes, Real Simple, and Today’s Parent among other publications. Follow me on Instagram because I’m also a thirst monster. I mostly write in the interior design/home space but the following applies pretty much anything and everything.

PR Can Take Fucking Forever—Here’s Why

If a writer writes for top-tier publications, they get a minimum of 100 pitches per day. The average person doesn’t even take the time to open those daily promo emails from Revolve or Petco. So, do you think we have time to read every pitch? WE ARE PAID TO WRITE, NOT TO READ AND RESPOND TO EMAILS. So, sometimes shit just takes a while.

If You Sell A Product, You Need Affiliate Links

Did you start your business to make money? Cool. So did everyone else. If your website isn’t enrolled in some sort of affiliate program—in the words of Chappell Roan, good luck, babe. Publishers are kind of fucked right now. Did you hear that hundreds of people have been laid off? Why would we leave money on the table?

Alternatively, you can sell your product on Bloomingdale's, Amazon, or another site that has affiliate links. Sorry, but you’ve gotta pay to play, baby!

Getting A Big Feature Is Hard

I know you’ve seen your competitors get big stories, but it’s not easy. It only looks easy. You also have no idea how that happened or how long it took. Sometimes stories or ideas just click with writers and editors. But just because yours hasn’t doesn’t mean it won’t—have some patience. Trust me, your publicist is working on it. They are pitching, re-pitching, following up, and working their ass off.

But Smaller Mentions Can Have A Big Impact Too

Being in a roundup is SUCH A GIFT!!! It’s a fantastic way to get your brand out there. It’s a big deal. You might not feel that way, but trust me, it is. These things are very competitive and if you’ve made a roundup, it’s something to celebrate. Like order a bottle of Veuve and get out the good champagne glasses!

Being an expert for a service piece is also major. If you share good commentary, we’ll go to you again and again.

Accepting A Pitch Is Rarely The Decision Of One Person

Most of the time, a yes or no (at least for a big feature) is not solely the decision of the writer or editor. The Google algorithm, traffic, what has done well in the past, what other articles are running that month, also dictate whether or not a pitch is accepted. Yes, we must like you or your brand in some way, but it’s rarely as simple as having a relationship with your publicist or even your brand being awesome.

Deadlines Aren’t Usually Flexible

The reason why we need something on Monday at 9:00 a.m. EST or whatever time is because our editors AKA the people who employ us, need the article on a certain date. We have to write the article. They have to edit it. Someone has to put it in a CMS (basically load it onto the website). Imagery must be added. Editors need to publish it at a specific time on the day it’s scheduled—amid all the other shit they need to do that day.

So, if you have a media opp, try your best to get to it in a timely manner. Go to bed late. Wake up early. Skip happy hour (I know it’s hard). Tell your spouse to watch the kid. Put on something annoying so you leave the room—like Baby Shark or Miss Rachel (her voice makes me want to throw myself into a river with weights on my ankles)—but get your shit together, take 25 minutes, and answer the questions.

Now, we all understand sometimes deadlines are tight and shit happens. So if you don’t think you can get it done, tell your rep ASAP, and they will ask us if there’s flexibility.

But please don’t ghost us unless you want to be on our permanent shit list.

We Have No Control When Something Goes Live

So please don’t ask us or your publicist. Could be later in the day. Could be in three months.

If It’s Your Time To Shine, Please Fucking Shine

Two-sentence answers to questions that can be explored are not helpful to us. It’s your time to shine. Don’t get scared or intimidated. Be the expert. More is more.

So How Exactly Do You Answer A Question For The Media?

You’ll have to wait until later this week for that one, and you’ll need to be a paid member. Yes, I’m giving you another email to forward to your clients so they understand the best way to answer questions. I’ll tell them so you don’t have to. You’re welcome.