Learning when to stop emailing a journalist

Every now and again I have to ask a PR to remove me from their mailing list. The request doesn’t give me any pleasure, but it’s often a last resort after receiving too many pitches that I wouldn't cover. I could block them (and sometimes I do) but sometimes I prefer to send through a polite request with a reason so they know why their emails have gone unanswered and perhaps it helps them understand why it’s better to target journalists (something I bang on about in my workshop and course).

I was reminded of this when I saw a journalist publicly flogging a PR on Twitter last week after she posted that she had been repeatedly sent emails about pregnancy and babies which she didn’t wish to receive. I too have asked PRs not to send me emails and then weeks later, they’re back at it. Now I know some of this can be put down to all manner of tech systems and media databases, but if a journalist is telling you not to email them, please do everything you can to respect that. It’s rude to continue emailing when someone has specifically gone out their way to tell you not to, especially about subjects they may find sensitive. However, I will say, there’s always the block button which I am also partial to when a barrage of unwanted and irrelevant emails fly into my inbox.

ps I continually work with AMAZING PRs and have bigged up PRs on here. Also, I'm well aware what a nightmare some of us journalists are too.

An insight into the commissioning process

The topic for this blog comes from a question asked in my last workshop: do editors ask me to write stories on certain subjects or do I pitch ideas?

Good question. I’ve gone through periods, especially back in the day at trade magazines, where pretty much all the feature briefs were fielded out to me by the features editor rather than me pitching. But when I started working for the nationals and consumer titles and those editors didn’t know me from Adam, I had to pitch fresh ideas myself. These days, it’s a combination. Sometimes an editor will drop me an email and ask if I have any ideas and could I send them over, other times they’ll send me a brief and ask if I have availability to work on it. I’d say most of the time now I’m in a fortunate position to work on ideas I want to work on (usually that means they're sustainability focused, or feel-good/solutions-based journalism). One editor knows not to contact me with suggestions as I’m quite particular about what I want to cover for that particular title. I wasn’t always in this fortunate position and I know things could change again and so I don’t take it for granted. Although I’m far from raking it in, due to the media consultancy (the workshops, the online course, the content network agency and the Power Hours), I no longer have to say yes to absolutely every single potential commission that lands in my inbox, giving me the luxury and breathing space to focus more on stories that I’m interested in, and generally for publications I want to write for.

Of course, this is just my way of working. There’ll be freelancers who won’t write for certain publications if they asked them, there’ll be some that due to the terrible rates in journalism need to accept any work that comes their way, while some journalists will only work on particular features for high-paying publications.

If you have any subjects that you would like me to discuss in a future workshop or newsletter, please send them over as I’m always on the lookout for new ideas.

It pays to be kind

I’d finally refilled my Le Labo bottle after several failed attempts and was happily walking to my workspace in London when I was suddenly reminded of an arrogant entrepreneur in one of the beats I used to cover. A veteran in the industry, he was a strong contact of the magazine and was one of the first people I interviewed when I joined. From the offset he was rude, condescending, and always tried to assert control. In order to continue dealing with him I had to put my feelings towards him to one side. When I broke free, I never had to deal with him on that level again – well, till I was freelancing on a newsdesk and I wrote a critical story about his company and then he turned on me. Karma anyone? 

Over the years since I’ve been freelance I’ve had different PR agencies put him forward for interview slots. He might be a name, but when I think of him I just remember that sense of entitlement and his overwhelming arrogance. It’s always a big fat NO from me. We all know it pays to be kind, but if you or your client are rude or a walking ego, journalists (like most people) remember, meaning perhaps they won’t want to work with you or your client again in the future.

Here’s Where More Journalists Are Hanging Out

In the last 48 hours I’ve had at least four alerts of journalists doing the same thing. Ping. Another has joined. And another one has joined. What is it, you might ask? The answer is Substack, the newsletter publishing platform.

Writing newsletters ain’t anything new but there appears to be a new breed of journalists choosing to go down this route. Many writers are jumping into this field because the traditional publishing model isn’t working for them anymore. Maybe there’s fewer opportunities to cover what they’d like to be writing about. Perhaps they view publishing a newsletter as an additional revenue stream, with some asking subscribers for a reasonable £5 a month to read their words. It may well be early days for some of them but they might turn into a strong side hustle or equate to a decent salary.

It’s another place you can get a glimpse into a journalist’s life (if you want to). You might gain more of an affinity or glimpse into their lifestyle which might make them easier to pitch to. Maybe they might cover what they’re working on at the moment (like moi, sometimes), or there could be an opportunity for you or your client’s brand to be featured in the newsletter as some may be landing in the inbox of your exact target audience. It might be impossible to subscribe to all of them (time-wise or money-wise), but perhaps there’s certain writers in your sector, or some you feel more naturally associated with, that you may wish to follow.

Also, it’s always another great way to build relationships with journalists. “Oh, I read your newsletter on and xxxx” etc might catch their attention and make them feel slightly more inclined to respond.

Here’s a few journalists on Substack that have caught my eye recently:

• Kate Spicer

• Tiffanie Darke

• Caroline Criado Perez (starts from £5 a month)

• Flic Bowden-Smith

• Farrah Storr (from £6 a month)

Why we can't respond to every email

Emails. They’re the bane of our lives, aren’t they? I’m not sure how you manage your inbox but for most journalists there’s always a never-ending trail of messages hurtling through at a faster pace than you can ever manage to read them. Probably the same for anyone who works on a laptop.

Now as much as I try to instill kindness and doing good in this world, I will say that for many journalists, it is impossible to reply to every email. Now I had someone pop into my LinkedIn messages disagreeing with me on this recently, arguing that they themselves were a boss, managing a large number of people and juggling lots of various gigs, but they still replied to every email. Good on them. And while I try to respond to personalised emails (rather than generic press releases and pitches that have just swapped a another hack’s name for mine), I know that when you’re on a news desk – when you’re working fast and furiously, focused on that story, building on it, calling sources, meeting people, trying another case study after one just pulled out…while at the same time juggling 12 different stories, as well as perhaps inputting them the system, training the new member of staff, heading to Brussels for a conference and attending yet another internal meeting, it's an impossible task.

I know some people will still argue that we should then continue working till 9pm till we do respond, but I disagree. Instead stories and sources are a priority and producing that TV report for the 7pm news or working on that front page. By the time you want to reply to those emails another 1000 might have come through the inbox. So it’s a trade off: do you want brilliant journalism or someone with a damn good email etiquette?

I hope you understand. We’re not terrible people (most of us anyway) and in an ideal world we’d reply to every email, but the nature of the game means it’s overwhelming (it doesn’t help that our inboxes are often overflowing with irrelevant stories) and impossible without impacting our work or our personal lives.

Thanks for reading,

Susie

Do We Need Another Gift?

Everyone loves a gift, don’t they? I remember back in the day when I worked as an in-house journalist and we’d be sent piles of products to the office to try, to keep, but in reality for many, journalists, to pass on as presents or sell on EBay. It was the height of consumerism. More, more, more, please. 

Now things look a little different. We are more thoughtful about what we purchase, we look for brands that are more eco or are plastic-free. We remind ourselves not to be wasteful.   

Recently a PR dropped me a line as she wanted to send me something to celebrate a client’s birthday. It was a transport company and I wondered what they would send me, if I would use it, or would it be a waste of packaging and product. I politely said that I was cutting back on things I didn’t need/wouldn’t use so if they felt it might sit in that category, I’d decline it.   

Now I’m not saying I don’t like the odd gift – in fact here’s some dairy-free yoghurt coming to me this week – but living in the world where we have too much stuff, we might need to consider how we approach sending products to journalists (I’m not talking about samples, reviews, etc).

One route around this might be to ask they journalist if they are accepting gifts and perhaps be clear on what you plan to send – for instance, I’ve had people send me (non-vegan) chocolate before when I’m 98% plant-based now (allowing for the odd slip up when I’m travelling although this rarely happens now). People are also cutting back on booze so sending over alcohol can often be a no no.

Also, be wary of the type of - and how much - packaging you use. I always prefer reused packaging but this might not go down well with your editor at Vogue but perhaps your sustainable approach it can be explained. Too much wasteful packaging and the attention for the product you sent to said journalist at a national might be overshadowed by them flagging up the excess packaging on social media. I see this happen quite often so be wary of that too.

Thanks for reading,

Susie

Are You Making Journalists Jump Through Hoops?

One of the most common questions in my workshops is how to build relationships with journalists. Key to that is simply being great at your job. For instance, here's not to do it:

Recently I sent an email to an in-house PR recently asking if more people had joined said organisation as a result of the pandemic or environmental issues. Instead of explaining in a line or two she sent me a link to the company's latest report- which I had to fill in a form to download and tick to accept to receive further correspondence from them and be added to the mailing list (there was no way round this so I emailed her back just asking for the report as an attachment). I then read the report which highlighted that membership had increased but within the stats there was no explanation as to why. I had to then go back to ask if they thought it was down to those two reasons, and she replied asking how much time she could have to respond.

A very weird dialogue. You'd expect the PR manager of such organisation to be able to just share anecdotally rather than sending you to a form and then pointing you in direction of a report which failed to answer questions. I simply wanted to know if the query was correct so I could inform my editor.

I'm still waiting for answer to a simple question.

I mention this as how you work with journalists means everything. Creating an easy and simple dialogue and answering questions quickly, means we would want to work with you again. Extending the process out, being uninformed (I wasn't looking for a quote) tells the journalists that is going to be hard work.

It also highlighted how much I appreciate it when I work with on-the-ball PRs and businesses. So thank you to all you out there that make our lives so much easier.

Thanks

Susie

Don't Always Blame This On The Journalist

Image by Glenn Carstens-Peters

I grimace when I spot a typo, a grammatical mistake or another kind of error in my published work. Of course, the eagle-eyed amongst you will probably spot one or two in this newsletter, and I can just about live with that. But it's not just my own errors that can really erk me. Recently one of my case studies spotted that 10 years had been shaved her age. I was sure I'd included her correct age. I checked the filed copy. I had. Phew. In another piece the owner of a company grumbled that his company was named incorrectly. Mortified, I checked. Again the slip up hadn't been my fault. I was bewildered that somehow errors had somehow actually been injected into my copy. Of course I emailed the editor who apologised and the mistakes were rectified.

I just wanted to point this out for the next time you're emailing a journalist about an error in an article because there's a very strong chance it's not their fault (unless you know they're the chief writer, sub and editor, and then it's down to the fact that they're simply understaffed).

I don't mind people emailing when they've spotted an error but don't assume it's down to the journalist. And remember, journalists generally don't write headlines. Maybe that's a whole other newsletter.

Thanks for reading.

Susie

When A Brilliant Pitch Lands...

Photo by AbsolutVision

Hi everyone

I hope everyone is well and has avoided THE COLD (I've been hit by three colds and a chest infection over the past two months...woe me!) and Covid so far this autumn.

Earlier this month I received an interesting, unique pitch from a PR which caught my attention. I can't always respond to emails very quickly due to the sheer number that fly in, but I'd met this PR at one of my workshops a couple of years back from which we'd always had a friendly email correspondence. Her email was sat in my flagged emails for a couple of weeks at least but when I had a quiet moment last week I was able to respond.

Due to being a newsletter subscriber too she was able to inject a personal and friendly slant to the email. But the pitch itself caught my eye as it was unique and different (and not directly about her client's business) - I personally hadn't seen a piece about the subject matter in the titles I write for. Straight away I could see myself pitching a few publications on the back of it. There was a strong headline accompanying it, which was in the subject line too. Catching my attention I told the PR I really liked the idea and that I'd try pitching a certain title, which I did shortly afterwards - using a similar headline to the PR and adding my own take on the angle too. And then moments later the editor commissioned me. Voila!

I just wanted to highlight how a strong headline and a personalised and a distinctive pitch (which I know a lot of you do already) rather than press releases (which form the bulk of my inbox) can land to coverage. I'll flag up the pitch in my workshops.

Enjoy the rest of the week.

Thanks
Susie

Avoid Doing This To A Journalist...

Hi everyone

Hope you're all doing really well. I'm feeling inspired and invigorated after spending a week up in Glasgow for COP26. 

I talk about relationship building heavily in my workshops (one coming up in London on December 16 – details below) and my course, but I was just reminded to bring it up after I chased and chased an external PR over the past month. And then again this week. While 'ghosting' is a term often flung around in more dating circles, it's happening more and more in the professional sphere too (I'm sure you're always on the receiving end of it from journalists too). It took several emails to grab the attention of the press team, then once they told me they'd look into the enquiry and come back to me, they ignored the rest of my emails. It wasn't at all a critical story where they might have thought the ignoring tactic might make the journalist disappear, but I was mystified as to why the PR did not respond (I did also try to call). It was only when I cc'd in two of her colleagues that she finally came back to me (blaming the client, of course). I know we're all busy but ignoring a handful of emails doesn't make for good relationships.

Thanks
Susie

Remember To Include This In Your Emails To Journalists

Photo by Brett Jordan

Hi everyone

Hope you're well.

Remember when you're pitching or answering a ResponseSource to explain what your or the company you represent actually does. I often receive emails eagerly replying to a call out with things like 'CableRA' can comment on this and then detailing the ways they can get involved. Or similarly just people introducing their companies to me by email and yes with a handy hyperlink but not providing any description as to what the business is. A description is such a simple (and necessary) point to add and can mean the difference between a time-poor journalist just deleting your email (as you know some of us are receiving hundreds a day) and choosing to respond to another email which has explained what kind of company it is you're talking about.

Some good news: I'm back on the road again! Well, I've just booked to hold my first physical PR workshop in London in almost two years on December 16. I hope some of you can make it. Please do share with your teams or contacts. I'm holding it in north London as it's a much bigger space than my previous London venue.

Also, if you can't make it, fear not. There's LOADS of tips throughout my online course, Lessons from a Journalist: How to Secure Press Coverage, which is packed with detail on everything from how to write a successful press release to interesting ways to build relationships with journalists. There's now 10% off the course. Just enter the code Winter10 at the checkout*.

Also, head below to check out the AMAZING email I received (without any prompt!) hours after a PR enjoyed a successful Power Hour with one of the brilliant journalists in my network.

Have a lovely rest of the week.

Thanks

Susie

ps If you have attended the same-name workshop or webinars, you're entitled to 50% off my course. Just drop me an email and I'll sort it out for you.
 

How Not To Handle Phone Calls

Photo by Annie Spratt

Hi everyone
 

Hope you're well.

Firstly, thank you so much for your kind messages and support after my last email. Many of you shared your own personal experiences of brain fog and fatigue, showing clearly that there's definitely a kind of pandemic burnout hanging over us. Or indeed, long Covid.

I've wanted to talk about phone calls for a while. I was prompted to cover the subject earlier in the week after a PR left me a voice message. Now I know cold pitching is god damn hard, never mind when you're trying to sell in a story over the phone and I note it's often the younger PRs encouraged to do this. Now in the most recent voicemail left by a PR I couldn't even tell you what she said, who she was, or where she was calling from. She clearly wanted to get the call over and done as soon as possible, but it just left her message completely incomprehensible. 

Another thing to be beware of is the length of the voicemail. Often I have messages from PRs that are three minutes long. THREE MINUTES. No one should leave a voice message that long. And often what I'm hearing is a whole press release being read out to me. "Hi Susie, I'm calling from x. Our client is launching a new solutions tool to create the perfect hybrid office." I know many experienced PRs don't do this, but just to say, please don't come across as robotic or as if you're reading from a press release. If you need to leave a voice message pitching in a story, and to be honest, no one really does for me (I don't work on a news desk), make it brief, interesting, and get to the point quickly: why should I be writing about it?

Have a great rest of the week.

Thanks

Susie

An opportunity to hear from City journalist Alex Lawson

Photo by Sam McGhee

Hi everyone
 

Hope you're keeping cool in this sweltering weather.

Just a small newsletter this week before I head off to Latitude festival (shout if you're going too!).

If you're interested in finding out what kind of stories City journalists are after, I have a very useful pre-recorded webinar with the lovely Alex Lawson, senior City correspondent at the Mail on Sunday, available for you to watch.

Costing just £9.99, over the duration of the webinar Alex discusses:

* How and when best to pitch him

* What kind of stories he's interested in

* Other parts of the business section companies and individuals should target

* And much much more

I've known Alex for about eight years and I really think it is worth watching if you're a PR.

You can sign up for the webinar here.

The good news is that if you're a subscriber to my paid newsletter, the webinar will be completely free and you'll have access to it next week. You can join my paid-for newsletter for as little as £5 a month. You'll receive 10% off my course and a free ebook when you sign up.

Thanks

Susie

What Would You Like To See From Me In 2021?

Hi everyone,

Happy New Year. I hope you were all able to find some joy over the festive season despite youknowwhat.

Have you set yourself any goals for 2021? Although I'm sure 2020 taught us that sometimes even just basic survival is a good enough intention, I've set myself a few – from the ambitious (book editing and trying to create a physical space for a Library of Things in Margate) to the more achievable (hello adventures in the campervan and scouting out new wild swimming spots).

As you might be thinking about your press coverage goals for yourself or your client, I'd love to know what you'd like to see more of from me in 2021. Are there any subjects you'd like me to cover in the newsletter? Would you like a workshop on a particular subject? Please do drop me a line.

In the meantime, I've rounded up a handful of ways that I can possibly help you in 2021. You could:

Watch my FREE Twitter webinar How to Tweet Your Way to Media Coverage (if you enjoyed it, I'd love it if you could share it on social media - please note I'm in the process of adding captions)

Read my (free) How to Pitch to Journalists During Coronavirus and 17 Insider Tips On How to Pitch to Journalists During Coronavirus (now just £5)

Take my in-depth course Lessons from a Journalist: How to Secure Press Coverage – with a festive 10% off now extended to the end of January. This is half price for anyone who has taken my workshop or webinar - just email me for the code.

Check out my February 6 and 13 webinars and my pre-recorded webinars

Organise a brainstorming session with a journalist, an overhaul of the copy on your website with a copywriter, or any other content such as blog posts or an award entry, through my network of professional writers.

Reserve a Power Hour with myself or another journalist.

Explore booking a PR for a short or long-term project. I have many I can recommend.

Here's to a calmer 2021* 

Thanks

Susie

* although after watching the storming of the US Capitol yesterday even that may be too strong to ask for.

How To Tweet Your Way To Media Coverage Webinar

Hi everyone

I don't know about you but I absolutely adore the build up to Christmas. My diary is usually packed with Christmassy events from watching the choir at St Paul's Cathedral to organising a festive lunch for freelancers in Margate. While most of that is obviously off the cards, I'm still trying my damn hardest to make the most of the season with mulled wine by the beach with friends and mince pies by the fire.

Talking about Christmas, I also have a little gift to give to you, my lovely readers. When I first began this newsletter back in the spring, I'll readily admit I didn't have a plan. But I've found I love having this corner of writing that belongs to me (free of what an editor wants) and your emails and messages each week responding to what I've said in the newsletter or professing how much you've enjoyed it or found it helpful have really meant a lot. Thank you. 

As you might have guessed, the Christmas treat isn't a box of chocolates or a bottle of wine. Instead, it's a webinar on Twitter. I know some of you might not be on Twitter while some of you might be quite prolific on the platform. Wherever you stand, I'm hoping How to Tweet Your Way to Media Coverage will help you come away with a better understanding of how journalists used the platform and you'll pick up a few tips on how to bag more press for your or your client. The 30-minute webinar is yours to view over the next month.

As you know this year has been tough for journalists with many publications going under and budgets slashed. The next line doesn't come naturally to me (and probably most of us) deep breath...if you like the webinar and it helps you, any contributions to my PayPal would be kindly appreciated.

In the future, I'm considering an advertising and/or subscription model for the newsletter, which would help me pursue more investigative journalism, which can be time-consuming and as with most things media-related, not of huge monetary value.

Of course, if this year has been tough for you too – I know many on my newsletter are hunting for jobs – please don't worry about donating.

So here it is. You can click the link here to watch it.

If you do enjoy it, I'd love it if you could mention it on social media. It really does help.

Despite all the uncertainty, I really hope you have a lovely Christmas.

Susie

It's not too late to pitch for Christmas guides

Photo by Micheile Henderson

There's still plenty of time to get your/your client's product featured in Christmas gift guides. While the monthlies have already gone to press, newspapers, weekly magazines and online titles will still be running Xmas guides until the 24th (when we'll see a run of guides of what presents to buy last-min etc.).

A few things to consider before you pitch:

• Which publications does my product suit?

• Does the readership match my audience?

• Is the price point a good match for this publication? For example, your £4 bath bombs might work for Stylist but not the FT.

• Be targeted in what type of gift guide it might suit: one aimed at men, women, travellers, pets, tech lovers, kids, or the ethical shopper?

• Be specific in your email subject line. For example, Christmas gifts for travellers: Personalised vintage-style maps.

If you want more tips and a great case study of a pitch and press release that led to a business being featured in a Stylist guide, a whole chapter in my course is devoted to pitching for Christmas (and Easter/Mother's Day/Father's Day etc) and product round-ups. Click here for more info.

One thing not to include in an email to a journalist

Photo by Adam Solomon on Unsplash

Hi everyone

I could probably write a Buzzfeed style listicle of what not to include in an email to a journalist (maybe that's a newsletter I'll write one day), but I wanted to hone in today on founders and PRs needlessly apologising to journalists when they're emailing them.

I'll give you a couple of examples of emails I've received recently:

“Sorry to bother you but I thought you might be interested in news that....”

“I apologise for messaging...”

Now I know journalists are inundated with emails (who isn't?) but as long as you've done your research in targeting said journalist and the publication, there is nothing to apologise for if you're simply sending over a pitch. You're just doing your job. And remember, this is what freelance journalists do for a living – they pitch into the void too.

Sorry can be like a verbal tick, especially to us Brits who seem to have a real penchant for the word. But apologising for sending a pitch won't impress a journalist, it just makes the sender look like they're lacking in confidence. Instead of apologising, just go straight into the pitch.

Of course, if you screw up (which we all do sometimes), then by all means say sorry. But otherwise, stop apologising.

Have a great rest of the week.

Thanks
Susie

Why I'm Not Going To Be Covering Your Press Release

Every day my inbox is teeming with press releases. News of a new launch. A new product. A merger. A new campaign. Some of the news I might have written in my old life as a reporter, whereas the title might indicate, my job was to cover news in my industry. During that time, strong interesting stories pinging in my inbox were gratefully received.

But not now. Today, like many freelancers, I write features. So those press releases dropping in my inbox are often a waste of time for everyone. As well as most not concerning the sectors I write about (that's another newsletter), the simple fact is I don't write news stories so I'm not going to be reporting on your press release. I no longer sit on a news desk writing about new launches so the hard truth is that unless you're able to come up with a solid feature idea (something I talk about a lot in my webinars and online course) related to the press release, it can be just a waste of an email.

Also, it's worth pointing out that if the news is going to get picked up, it will be covered by an in-house journalist so if we pitched the idea to an editor – it's already out there. And they're not going to pay us to write up a news release. As much as I wish during these challenging times.