This is always the most hectic time of year between all the really great things to do and holiday deadlines, so I figured I’d take a minute to address something that I’ve gotten over 30 emails about since Friday. Events. Sheesh, I love a good event… but everyone is jam-packed with deadlines. Everyone.
You are. Writers are. Staff teams are. Art teams are. We’re. All. Packed. In.
I know you know this, but sometimes it helps to have a little proof to deliver to the client when an event doesn’t turn out the way they hoped. So let this newsletter be the easy-peasy proof you need. I want to attend (virtually or otherwise), but churning out tens of thousands of words each week + living regular human life = not much time left over. And newsflash: writers with tons of extra time aren’t really that prolific.
The best time of year for events? Believe it or not, early winter through mid spring. Things are calmer. We still have tons of stories to write, and people are at home doing nothing but reading digital content. If anything, a late January event in hopes of a February/March story is a total honeypot.
All that aside, we all know that the majority of edit staff members have been offered remote roles and/or selective hybrid. That means few are left near offices or major cities. And freelancers, well, they’ve almost always been scattered because nobody tied them to an office (always the lucky ducks!). Sooooo if you’re hosting an in-person event at this point, you’re likely asking a staff editor to request a day off of work to attend your in-person fiesta between commute times etc. or a freelancer to put their piecemeal work to the wayside. In the days leading up to holiday time, I doubt many can afford to do that either fiscally or respectfully.
I hope this makes things easier for you/your clients, and obviously feel free to forward the entire message right along. I keep hearing that brands don’t often believe publicists when they try to convey these points. So here I am—the horse, the mouth… whatever.
Stories I need pitches for now:
Reader’s Digest: I’m rounding up all the best gifts for grandparents of every age and stage. We’d like to keep this fun, practical and light. Think timeless cookware, cozy essentials, supportive footwear & more. Staples for cool grandma, golfing grandpas, etc. Please, no urinary incontinence gear or CPAP machines. Those are not gifts. As always, affiliate-ready links please! bryce@theluxuryspot.com
Family Handyman: The best fleece vests for working outside this fall. You know the vibe we’re going for with this one, and we want it to appeal to both men AND women. Hit us with your best fleece vest action that makes you want to get in there and rake some leaves like a champ. Needs to be major retailer and/or skimlinks-ready (Amazon products need at least 500+ ratings). bryce@theluxuryspot.com
Family Handyman: I’m working on a roundup of the absolute best heated dog beds to keep Fido cozy all winter. This’ll be promoted far and wide, so send your best affiliate-ready products. bryce@theluxuryspot.com
Also, as always, we LOVE brands that share positive press on their social media channels. If your brand is good about it, holler in your pitch. Kind and grateful brands make my ears perk up, ya know?
Also, coming soon (but not ready yet!) I’ll have gift guides for stylish men, gifts for tween boys and gifts for little boys. Yeehaw!
Recently published:
This is all the stuff I’m personally dropping cash on at the Prime Sale. Finding you cheap pita chips is basically the Lord’s work, and these are currently way cheaper than costco. Soooooo that’s a sign from the universe to buy ‘em and invest in dips.
My personal favorite picks for Prime Early Access day one is this magical outdoorsy device + this ridiculously cheap & high-quality mattress topper.
Lots more, but I currently have two writing profiles on each of the magazines I pen for reasons I can’t quite figure out, so it’s getting tricky for me to track the live work. I’ll report back on that soon (well, whenever someone on the tech side can help me out). If you see your brand popping up with a Google alert and my byline, yay. Hooray. #blessed
Jobs:
Lots of shifts this week. I took a couple of days off in observance of Sukkot and came back to find at least a dozen publicists I know and love sharing news of lay offs. Ugh, I hate hearing that, but I’m a firm believer in doors closing so new ones can open. Better ones. Anywho, this love song is for you.
Jessup PR needs a new account supervisor. The team is nice. Fully remote, full time.
Quantum Media Group is looking to hire a veteran PR freelancer. Ideally based in NYC, will help assist on existing accounts. Email your resume to Ari at ari@arizoldan.com.
Carnival Cruises is looking for an entertainment content specialist. Relatively entry-level, fun perks. Work remote.
Food52 needs a commerce editor on staff. Four-day work week, remote is a-okay.
Have a job you want listed here for nearly 10,000 media industry pros? Email me with a fresh listing that hasn’t been promoted elsewhere!
Musings:
I was OOO yesterday anyway for a holiday, but I noticed something disturbing. Seriously, not enough companies gave off for World Mental Health Day. None of my colleagues had the ability to be mentally healthy, and if anything, I came back to an inbox of decidedly unhealthy emails from way-too-stressed humans trying to get everything together before Christmas is over in a couple weeks. As an industry, we need to do better. It’s no secret that media professionals don’t make cardiologist dollars, yet we’re expected to put in the same hours and sacrifice time with our children as if our guides to the best toe separators are out there saving lives. I don’t know which manager I need to speak to, but call me Karen bc all the people deserve to revel in a moment of calm. ALL THE PEOPLE. Be the light and whatnot, give your staff a moment to inhale/exhale/repeat.
I have SO much data you can use ahead of your final holiday pushes, and I’m afraid to dump it into one email. Do you want it broken up into easily digested bits? Let me know, because I’m working on all that jazz now.
The Facebook group. Agh. We have the NICEST group of a few thousand mid and senior level media humans in there, and I’m grateful for it. Loads of stories get written, experts get sourced, publicists get help and give it… and friendships are made. I’m really, really proud of it. We all know other groups that exist just to turn profits on the backs of writers that don’t know they’re being sold (the worst ethical waters to align with, btw), but that’s not what Sharing Opps is about at all. The opposite. I don’t make a single penny from it. It’s all goodwill and love for the sake of karma points. That said, please don’t take advantage of group members (and me!). If you’re in there posting stuff that has a cost (like sponsored segments), it needs to be laid out up front. Using the group we all babied and nurtured for nada in return to make money in a sly way feels… icky.
One of my neighbors adopted a coyote/australian shepherd mix rescue (yup, real thing) and it looks like an oversized dingo. Want to see? It’s sort of amazing.
K, talk sooooooon! And a lot of the holiday content’ll start rolling out this week bc Prime Day is behind us. Yes, it’s over. Stop pitching. YAY.
Yes, we want to see the dingo!
Hm, I applied for the FB group several weeks ago and it’s been stuck at pending. Not sure if that means I’ve been denied or if there’s another way to go about it?
Such important feedback re: events. Thanks so much!