Lots of thoughts today! But first, and perhaps most importantly, I’d like to update you on the pugs. On Friday I shared via LinkedIn that someone requested to book one of my family's rental properties to house their 22 pugs whilst their own home was being renovating. For three months, specifically.
As if 22 pugs weren’t enough, it turns out they smoke (not shitting you, friends—posted details here.) Obviously, this rental didn’t work out for us. I’m really bummed about the smoking (that’s a hard no from me) because I think I’d like an opportunity to welcome 22 pugs into my life.
Anyway, I know you’re wondering who on Earth is even THAT pug-obsessed? I have the answer:
Working on now/need pitches:
Reader’s Digest: Best winter scarves for women. Think high-quality, ultra cozy and warm. Silk doesn’t make sense here, sorry! MUST be affiliate-friendly. If you’re pitching amazon, that’s okay, but we need at least 500 ratings. Otherwise, skimlinks-ready retailers are boss. bryce@theluxuryspot.com
Reader’s Digest: Best micellar water cleaners and skin products… only got a few good pitches! Send more. We love Amazon, Target, Walmart, Ulta etc. bryce@theluxuryspot.com
Family Handyman: Gift-worthy gadgets, gear and goodies you can buy at Lowes.com. Obvi need a lowes.com link for this one, ya know? Hit me! bryce@theluxuryspot.com
Recently published:
You’re going to love these gifts for neighbors <3
Unique gifts for everyone on your list
My updated Helix Luxe mattress review (bc now I’ve slept on it for nearly a year and journalism counts)
Jobs:
Shutterstock needs a new head of external comms. Are you that somebody?
DDM also needs an associate commerce editor, food-focused.
Musings:
Alright, alright. My pal Bill recently posted this in Sharing Opps. Let’s get into it.
Why is content production slower in Q1, anyway? I have a few very specific reasons I’d love for you to consider. These apply to many publishers (if not most).
If you’re pitching products, Q4 is the main event. I always say it, but it’s because I mean it—think of your own shopping behavior. In November an December you’re making a mad dash to scoop up cool weather clothes, decorations and gifts for loved ones. By the time January rolls around, you’re tapped out. Or you only need one or two gifts for the upcoming Valentine’s Day celebration. Maybe you don’t even celebrate that one at all. There’s less to talk about in Q1 product-wise. Story loads may shift slightly to reworking service-type content or covering newsier things. On commerce teams, writers/editors are doubling down on SEO performance, tweaking content that already exists and burrowing into cozy-season pieces about bedding and snuggly stuff.
Lotsa publishers take the entire week between Christmas and NY off. That means there’s a whole week without content being produced. By the time everyone is back (and time off IS NECESSARY BECAUSE WE’RE ALL HUMAN), there’s a little delay/lag. Now, consider all the ed and art teams who saved their vacay days for this time of year. They’re extending those holidays. Very often, teams are fragmented from about Dec 18 through Jan 7 or 8. Fragmented teams = slower turnaround times and just less content comin’ out.
This year is going to be very different. Did you already hear the layoff news? Basically every major publisher has begun *more* print teams off and anyone on digital sides that could be seen as unnecessary. I’ve heard different figures from different insiders (ahem, shmotshmash, shmenshke and shmearst), but as much as 10% of edit and production staff could be wiped clean from payrolls in the coming several months. The large-scale hiring we saw in Q1-3 of this year has all but come to an end. Party’s over, and that means fewer people are going to do more work. Ex. If 50 employees turned in 100 stories a day before, now it’ll be 45 employees expected to turn in 98 stories a day. Those figures are my guesstimates, of course, but you understand what I’m getting at. Less hands available to do all the work you're hoping for. And yes, freelance budgets are being slashed too. I had a phone call with a friend at Bustle yesterday who basically said “I have no idea how I’m expected to get all these stories up with half the freelancers and less top editors.” I know I’ve been screaming this from the rooftops since last spring (and nobody wanted to listen), but now it’s here.
Good news! There are exceptions. Commerce teams are far safer than traditional print and/or edit sides. Commerce makes money, ya know? That’s a big deal right now. It’s also a big deal for you, because your PR client is only as good as the invoices they pay… right? Selling their products keeps you in good shape.
I know what you’re thinking. Don’t do it. Don’t do that thing. Resist the urge.
For whatever reason, every time it becomes public that even a few eds were laid off publicists start sending emails like “I’ll write the story for you!” or “my client will pen a piece on [ insert whatever self-serving topic ]” and it seldom works. I talk about it all the time in my paid newsletter, but seasoned writes know those are cheap content ploys that only serve the PR person/their client. Some issues:
They almost never come off sounding editorial. They’re always “I’m king of this hill and this is a commercial for me.” No need for that, eh?
Readers have basically no interest. Overly promotional content turns readers off. Publications work hard to gain the trust and admiration of their audiences. No desire to kill it.
It still costs a fuckton in production. Yeah. Art teams, SEO teams, top edit etc still have to devote time from their day to get that story live. Better to just write a piece properly. Maybe AI will change that down the road. Not today though.
If it’s products, yours aren’t properly vetted. You’re biased and definitely partial, and that’s unfair to readers unless there’s a major disclosure there and then… who even cares about the content?
SEO, sigh. I feel like my next group course to offer is SEO for PR. If I taught that, would y’all be interested? I see everyone trying but totally missing the mark. Help us help you, ya know? The point is this: most stories need significant SEO legs if they’re for digital. And I mean, errthang is digital now.
Now might be a good time to pause and request that we all pour one out for the print teams. I mean it. Praying every brilliant, creative person out of a job finds something they love ASAP. As always, happy to keep finding and posting jobs as I see ‘em come through. Pretty sure every editor I know shed a few tears for colleagues/friends this week.
More on all this tomorrow in the Affiliate Tribe newsletter and my personal opinions on how best to get ahead. In the meantime, yes, content slows down a bit in Q1 and I hope all that explained the early 2023 bottleneck in enough detail.
ps see you on the other side of Extra Good next week, ahhhhh!!
As someone who has been harassing you nonstop for SEO advice, I'd like to respond to your question with a resounding "YES" - please! A course on SEO for publicists! I'm first in line. :)
The smoking aspect is gross but as a pug mom I would love to be in that house with 22 pugs! Oh the noises they would be making!