Happy Friday!
If you pitched me for my Forbes gift guides (all that info is here) and haven’t heard back it's because I probably won’t start working on this until next month. Also, please use the word SUBSTACK in your subject line.
Follow me on TikTok (this account is all PR tips) and Instagram (because I’m a thirst monster).
Just a heads-up: if you were thinking about taking my Pitch Please course or booking a Help Me, Pitch package, today’s the last day for $50 off! If you’re interested in Help Me, Pitch and have questions, feel free to hop on a 15-minute call with me—just send an email, and I’ll be happy to chat. For more details on the services I offer, see below.
I have a course called Pitch Please. It’s helpful, it’s entertaining and it can change your business forever. (It has and it will). SAVE $50 USING CODE LABORDAY. The code expires on Friday 9/6, so use it or lose it.
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. I have a course called Pitch Please. It’s helpful, it’s entertaining and it can change your business forever. (It has and it will). SAVE $50 USING CODE LABORDAY. The code expires on Friday 9/6, so use it or lose it.
On a budget? Download this $47 pitch template. It’s really helpful.
Want to chat online? (I promise I’m almost done), book me on Intro for media relations and interior design help.
If you’re a publicist and you want do something bigger like a lunch and learn, email me. AmandaLauren212@gmail.com
Important Call for Pitches: TODAY’S PARENT — Fast Turnaround!
I’m working on a roundup of costumes available on Amazon or Walmart for kids aged 5-12. They need to be one-piece zip-ups or easy to layer. If it’s simple to put on, it works!
Please email me your pitches with the subject line: Substack Costumes.
Deadline: Monday, 9:00 AM PST!
PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE: Every Time You Do This, A Journalist Dies Inside
Imagine you’re working at Starbucks, a coworking space, or Soho House (I get it, you’re fancy and probably international), and a total stranger comes up to you and says, “Hey, can you do 15 minutes of work for me for free?”
Your first thought would be: “WTF is wrong with you?”
Good—now you know how every writer feels when you ask them to add something to a gift guide, roundup, or article after it’s been published.
What incentive do we have to make changes? The work is done, and we’ve probably already been paid or at least invoiced. Our time is limited, and adding something to an article (and possibly changing the title—like from “11 Holiday Gifts” to “12”) doesn’t benefit us in any way, shape, or form.
Writers often don’t have CMS access, so we literally can’t make these changes. And while our editors might, why would we bother them with this? They’re busy, and it makes us look bad.
The only thing I ever want to say to my editor is “yes.”
But here’s the thing… these requests make you look BAD.
I get that you’re doing your job, but this approach makes me question your strategy. It feels desperate. And coming from me, someone who just called herself a “thirst monster,” (scroll up).
Now, there are exceptions. If we’re friends IRL, I might do it for you. Or if I promised to put your client in an article and forgot—sorry, it happens! I can add to my Forbes gift guides.
BUT IF WE HAVE NEVER BROKEN BREAD OR I’VE NEVER HAD A QUESTIONABLE AMOUNT OF DRINKS IN FRONT OF YOU—WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?
It’s not professional and makes me not want to work with you. And while I only speak for myself, I’m confident 99.99% of writers feel the same way.
As always, please feel free to feed my narcissism in the comments or share any questions.
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