Why Do Writers DO That?! Exploring the Things Publicists May Not Understand

We'll talk ghosting after receiving a press sample, not including your client's quotes in a story after doing an interview, not sending you a story link when it goes live and more.

Happy Wednesday, TTC subscribers!

You probably noticed we were MIA last week … Jill was in Paris celebrating her birthday on a Viking River Cruise and Nicole was with her family in Maui. It was lovely to have an actual spring break, but now we’re back in work mode!

This week, we’re diving into a topic that we believe will help take the mystery out of some of the behind-the-scenes stuff that occurs after a publicist sends an email pitch, a journalist does a client interview, or a journalist accepts a press package. We’re going to talk about:

Things writers do that you may not understand… and why!

We’d like to preface this conversation by saying that yes, as writers, we know these things are not ideal. But we know they happen (we are guilty ourselves). And they are things that many publicists may not understand. We often get emails and questions about them. So we’re diving into a look behind why writers:

• May not reply to a PR email

• Might not acknowledge that they received a press sample

• May have received a sample they showed interest in for a particular story and the product still didn’t make it into the story

• May not include your client’s quotes in an article even after doing an interview with them

• Showed interest in a pitch then ghosted

• Don’t tell you when a story goes live

• Don’t share the link with you when a story their client is featured in gets published

Before we dive in, a few things you’ll want to know about …

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Book a May Consulting Session with Jill & Nicole — We’re Offering 20% OFF for a Limited Time

Here’s a reminder of the sessions we offer, both to agencies and solo/freelance publicists:

All Your Questions Answered Session

Have a bunch of questions you’ve been dying to ask two top-tier journalists? Here’s your chance to learn about what goes on behind the scenes. Book a panel with us and prepare your list. You’ll walk away with all of your questions answered, plus we’ll sprinkle in our best practices throughout the session to help give you (and your clients!) an edge in this highly competitive media landscape. 

Pitch Perfecting Strategy Session

Ready to take your pitches to the next level? Or are you wondering why certain pitches aren’t getting much response? Learn how to take your emails from, “Here’s a client I represent,” to “Here’s a story idea you can’t possibly turn down.” Between the two of us, we receive thousands of pitches per week, so we have many tips — and examples — of what works and what doesn’t. From coming up with the perfect email subject line to improve your open rates to sealing the deal with your closing remarks, your word choices matter throughout the entire pitch. We’ll help you perfect them.

Become a Journalist’s BFF: Networking and Relationship Management Session

Some publicists seem to have a transactional “wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am” approach to their work, but highly successful publicists know that building long-term relationships with journalists is truly the gift that keeps on giving. Learn how to meet new journalists, and discover best practices for staying in touch, following up, and creating meaningful relationships. You’ll also discover how to become a writer’s go-to source, how to stand out when answering a writer’s call for sources (whether that’s on HARO, a FB group, Twitter, or Substack), how to avoid common writer pet peeves and more. 

Press Package 101 Session

Looking to mail out samples of your clients’ products in hopes of landing coverage? Great, but there’s a list of things you should know before dropping them off at the post office — things like planning, packaging, and communications will make all the difference in your ROI. We’ll help you make your packages more enticing, while actually saving your clients money in the process. And we’ll discuss how to target the right audiences, how to handle post-delivery follow-ups, and more. 

Press Trips Invites and Itineraries Session

The two most important aspects of pulling off a successful press trip are nailing your invites and itineraries. First, we’ll dive into journalist targeting and invitation etiquette do’s and don’ts. Then, you’ll learn how to build a press trip itinerary that will actually land you coverage. We’ll focus on striking the perfect blend between offering media the chance to experience a destination, while zeroing in on quality and unique experiences that can lead to coverage — and help you find that elusive balance between keeping writers entertained vs. not overbooking them. 

Hosting the Perfect Virtual and/or In-Person Media Event Session

Events are efficient ways to connect with a lot of media in one setting. During these sessions, you’ll learn the ins and outs of how to create a media event that journalists will A) Want to attend B) Will stay engaged at C) Will work into coverage. We’ll teach you how to target the ideal attendees who are there for article ideas and not just the free swag. We’ll talk venues, guest lists, and what to say in your presentation, plus how to coach your clients to interact with media at events in the most beneficial way.

Your Custom Session

The above options are just a sample of topics, based on questions we get asked about most frequently. But if you have something you’d love to discuss that you don’t see on the list, we’re happy to create a custom session around it. Let’s dive deeper!

Interested in hearing more? Email us at info@toptierconsulting.NET.

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Recording Available: Become a Journalist's BFF Workshop (All Our Best Tricks and Tips!)

Did you miss our Become a Journalist's BFF: Networking and Relationship Management" workshop last month?

We went through our entire 50-minute presentation on best practices when it comes to meeting new journalists, networking with journalists, and becoming a writer’s go-to source.

Then we had a robust Q&A and discussion that was SO GOOD that we ended up going way past the initial hour.

It’s not too late to get caught up!

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Now back to this weeks’ topic, which we know you’re going to find super helpful in taking some of the mystery out of why journalists do the crazy things they do.

Not replying to your emails

Writers get a TON of emails. Sometimes we’re talking a few hundred a day, sometimes — in busy season, like during holiday gift guide pitch — thousands. Nobody likes reading a pitch that someone put their blood, sweat and tears into and then not acknowledging it. As writers, we recognize that someone put a lot of time and effort into a pitch. Writing isn’t always easy after all. But if writers sat down in front of their computers every morning and answered every email, they’d never get any actual work done. Sure they may get through the morning batch or responses but emails keep coming in all day long.

If a writer isn’t writing back to your pitches, that doesn’t mean they aren’t seeing them. In fact, Nicole & Jill often talk about how they at least scan through every single email in their inboxes. Just know it’s not intentional. It’s really not you, it’s them.

For more on a real-life example of how writers handle pitches in their inboxes and their various systems of assessing them, read:

PART 1: A Look INSIDE the Process of How Writers Handle an Inbox Full of PR Pitches

PART 2: A Look INSIDE the Process of How Writers Handle an Inbox Full of PR Pitches

Shoot, there’s a paywall and SIX MORE TIPS beyond it! Not a paying member? Here’s what you’re missing out on:

• Full access to our weekly newsletters

• Access to our extensive archive of paid posts on every PR topic under the sun

• The ability to attend/participate in our monthly Zoom Top Tier Talks

• Discounts on all our most popular group workshops (like our upcoming Pitch Perfecting Workshop)

*Note: Our consulting sessions, workshops, Zooms and Substack newsletters are strictly educational. Signing up for anything has no bearing on landing coverage in any of our outlets. Our role is to fine-tune your approach and tactics so that you can apply these learnings when pitching other journalists.