Normally you get a Wednesday newsletter from me, but this week I managed to turn minor case of the flu from a while back into some full-on pneumonia, bleh. So I took yesterday off to mostly be flopped over in bed and catch up on laundry bc moms don’t get sick days.
Anywho, I’m back at like 75% capacity and writing from sweatpants in a bra-free environment. Seriously, my doc was like “bras compress the chest, your lungs are working hard enough.” …What a blessing of a prescription (along with actual meds, obvi). Let’s hop into all the things I’m working on now, catching up on after a day off in the height of holiday mayhem and Part 2 of my SEO explainer crash course for publicists.
And I’m clearly not a doctor, but today I’m prescribing a bra-free day for the rest of us! Let freedom ring! Sue me for malpractice if you think you’ve been harmed by this advice.
Working on now:
Reader’s Digest: The best down comforters for sounder sleep, and yes, must be affiliate-ready. Also yes, real down. No faux down for this one, sorry! bryce@theluxuryspot.com
Family Handyman: Heated gear for working in the cold that makes frigid temps way easier to handle. Think heated gloves, heated jackets etc. We love major retailers like Lowes, Amazon (at least 500+ ratings), Nordstrom, Wayfair, etc. bryce@theluxuryspot.com
Family Handyman: Best rooftop and hitch-mounted cargo carriers. You know the drill with affiliates! Tight deadline here. bryce@theluxuryspot.com
Posted on LinkedIn: Looking for all your favorite Substack reads/suggestions to compile a list of must-support newsletters. Not just in the media industry. Hit me with your favorites talking about everything from travel to taco recipes, friendship to fashion. Whatever—just make sure they’re the newsletters you MUST open and can’t wait to read more of. I want to highlight and support the greats. Comment here, LinkedIn—whatever’s easier for you. I’ll look.
Recently published:
22 Beautiful Gifts That Give Back (RD.com)
A very important sheets review for RD that includes my youngest kiddo being mega happy. Spoiler alert: she loves the sheets and won’t get outta my bed. I don’t hate it. When it’s your last kid you sort of cling to that stuff.
A bunch of jazzy Amazon Gifts Under $20 and Amazon Gifts Under $50. If you have more you’d like to pitch for these, I’ll keep updating. No min ratings/reviews requirement here. Just trying to be helpful to y’all and make everyone look good before EOY reporting. Social shares make the world go round though, ya know?
Jobs:
Beam Suntory is hiring a PR manager. Beverage PR experience strongly preferred.
Ars Technica needs a new sr. commerce editor. I’m hearing this CN gig has a fair amount of freedom, so let your wings spread!
Forbes needs a new explainers & trends ed. Work remote. Nice team!
For the Affiliate Tribe:
I meant to share this Digiday story I was quoted in earlier, but forgot to on Monday so it’s here now. I think it provides a nice look at the state of current stories and pitching, and YAY! This Substack and my gal pal Jill’s were both mentioned.
That leads me back to the SEO-related issues at-hand. Search is king, and it’s something I started to outline in last week’s newsletter. Understanding the value of search traffic and how to pitch against it can make or break product-based clients, and truly I think the same is likely true with all other types as well (experts, research, etc.).
Rolling right into member questions (and offering a 50% off deal for agencies with four or more users).
“Do you have any insight on how this applies to travel content? We do notice so much more content focused on gear, Airbnb listings and links to Tripadvisor—so clearly those are affiliate.”
Yes! You picked up on a major trend/industry shift. All the big publications have gone from “look at these pretty images of life-changing beaches” to “check out this stuff.” There are a few reasons why that’s happening, beginning with affiliate scaling.