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

Why You Shouldn't Pretend To Be A Journalist's Biggest Fan

Photo by Austin Distel on Unsplash

I bet nearly every journalist has received an email saying something along the lines of “Hi [name of journalist], I'm such a big fan of your work. I loved your article on X [includes title and link to journalist's most recent article]" before going straight in for the kill: "Today we are releasing a line of new cosmetics and we'd love for you to cover it.”

Look, I can understand that some people think flattery may brighten up our inbox and I certainly agree that it's good to be a nice and kind human being. But you don't have to be a jaded and cynical journalist like myself to see right through the above. If you're such a big fan, why haven't you been in touch before? Why have you never dropped me a line to say how much you appreciated my naked yoga article (yes, I did go the full commando - for my sins) or how my piece on volunteering resonated with you? Telling us you're a "big fan" and then promptly going in for the sell tells me you're not such a big fan. If you admire a journalist so much, they might have seen you like their tweets before or comment on a post on LinkedIn. I'm not saying you need to start asking a journalist for a selfie before emailing them. Rather, just don't say it all.

I totally get that you might wish to engage with a journalist but unless you're going to impart something honest, don't say it for the sake of it in some strange attempt to win us over. It won't. 

 Enjoy the rest of the week,

Susie

ps I know most of you would never dream of doing the above.

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.