Happy Friday!
Next week, I’ll be making a very exciting announcement involving something special for paid subscribers! Just a reminder—you can deduct Substack from your taxes.
So are all of my PR services and courses. Here’s the plug:
I have a course called Pitch Please. It’s helpful, it’s entertaining and it can change your business forever.
I also offer a larger package called Help Me Pitch. You get course access, I’ll write your pitches and share a media list so you can hit the ground running. Click the link and scroll down for more info.
Also, follow me on TikTok (this account is all PR tips) and Instagram (because I’m a thirst monster).
Press Opps
I posted these Real Simple opportunities in a previous issue, and the response wasn’t quite what I anticipated. However, this Substack has grown a lot since then, so if you could get these to me by Monday at 9:00 AM PST, that would be great. Please use the subject line: Substack + Article Title.
This Is Why Your Kitchen Looks Dated
I’m not looking for the obvious (like Formica countertops) but for the less obvious. For example, speckled countertops (like 90s granite), no island, fridges with external ice makers (I have no idea why they still make new fridges like this—it looks terrible), etc. Looking for designers here.
Things To Declutter From Your Shower Right Now
Would love to hear from a professional organizer.
Also…
I am going to pitch to Real Simple on Monday, so please pitch me anything new ASAP!
ARE YOU DOING THIS TO MESS WITH WRITERS?
Let’s go back…
Back to the beginning…
Back to when Hilary Duff’s song was the theme of Laguna Beach…
Okay, maybe not that far…
But around 2019(ish).
There was this awesome thing called HARO that was in its prime. It was a platform where journalists could share queries like:
“I’m writing an article about getting stains out of laundry. Would love to hear innovative ways experts remove laundry stains.”
And they’d get answers like this:
“Mary Smith, chief scientist for the Overpriced Laundry Detergent Company, says…”
and
“Jane Doe from DoingLaundrySucks.com says…”
Flash forward to 2023 and early 2024. HARO became a mess. Answers to queries about laundry would come from personal injury attorneys and tarot card readers.
BE SURE TO ADD MY LINK IF YOU USE THIS CRAPPY AI ANSWER I PROVIDED.
DO THEY THINK WRITERS ARE THAT STUPID?
WE HAD A GOOD THING GOING, AND YOU RUINED IT!
FUCK YOU, CISION!
Then HARO became Connectively (or however you spell it).
I’m not trashing other people’s platforms (okay, maybe I am), but I’ve never had any luck with Connectively. I’m not even sure I can sign in. (And definitely won’t be able to after this..)
I know that SOS exists (AKA HARO 2.0), but honestly, I’d rather use Substack or Facebook groups. Maybe I have PTSD from getting hundreds of useless answers over the years.
Yet the same issue persists.
When a writer says they want answers from a particular type of expert, there’s a reason for that.
So, let me pose a question with a very obvious answer:
If you’re reading an article about gut health, how many car mechanics are generally quoted?
Do you think the perspective of a mechanic will be chosen over that of an MD, RD, or PhD?
I’ll let you answer that one on your own.
That said…
There are exceptions. For example, I recently asked for laundry room design ideas, and someone from the lighting industry responded. Not technically a designer, but they made a really good point. CLOSE ENOUGH!
I also love it when my friend Chelsea Marks, co-founder of one of my favorite places to buy furniture online, Paynes Gray, provides commentary. She has a great perspective on trends because she literally sees what people are buying and has access to that information in a way others do not. I’d argue she has a better perspective than an interior designer.
I once had a college professor, Sarah Goodwin from Skidmore College (who may be reading this if she Googles herself—though, if you’re a college professor and Googling yourself, that’s on you, go grade some papers!), who would probably be shocked that I’m a writer because I’m pretty sure she hated me! Either way, she did say one thing in Freshman English that I actually remember:
“If you’re going to break the rules, do it well!”
So, apply that to answering writers’ queries as well. Also, you’re wasting your time. And there is nothing on earth more valuable than time.