I know that I already sent out an email today, but sending out a second one as a special breaking news announcement you’re going to want to jump on ASAP.
Well, I warned you the holidays were coming. We’re at the point where the holiday gift guide pitches are flying, samples are shipping, follow-ups are following up, links are linking, and every single one of us is wondering: Am I doing this right?
So, we’re going to talk about it.
On Wednesday, September 16 at 11 a.m. PT / 2 p.m. ET, I’m teaming up with my dear friend and fellow lifestyle journalist Alice Dubin for a live virtual Holiday Gift Guide Ask Me Anything.
And when we say Ask Me Anything, we mean it.
Whether you have a question about when to pitch, whether you should follow up, whether you should send a sample, how early is too early, how late is too late, or what trends editors are seeing, it’s your chance to ask us.
Alice and I will field your questions from the journalist/editorial side of holiday gift guide season: What we’re seeing, what works, what doesn’t, what makes our lives easier, and what may quietly be making your pitch harder to cover. And we’re bringing in reinforcements: Another enormous piece of modern gift guide pitching deserves its own expertise.
Our dear friend Sarah Karger will join us as a special guest panelist to tackle the affiliate side of the conversation. Many of you already know Sarah from previous sessions we’ve done together—and from us constantly telling you how smart she is about this stuff.
Sarah specializes in affiliate marketing and teaches publicists how to understand and navigate affiliate networks and relationships. She’ll be there to help answer questions about things like affiliate networks, retailer links, commissions, commerce requirements, and the increasingly complicated relationship.
In other words: You’ve got two journalists and an affiliate expert. Bring us your holiday gift guide problems.
Pretty much anything related to holiday gift guide season. Pitch timing. Pitch angles. Samples. Follow-ups. Subject lines. Images and assets. Gift guide trends. Affiliate links. Retailer availability. What journalists actually need from you. What you’re doing that you think is helpful but perhaps...is not. And yes, you can absolutely bring us those weird, hyper-specific situations where you’re thinking, OK, but what would YOU do?
This AMA is a special event for paid subscribers to my Substack or Alice’s Substack. If you’re already a paid subscriber: THANK YOU. We can’t wait to have you. (Due to Zoom’s capacity limit, we have to cap at the first 100 signups, so you won’t want to wait too long on this one, we always fill up super fast.)
If you’re currently a free subscriber and you’ve been considering upgrading, this is a pretty great time to do it. Your paid subscription doesn’t just support the work we do here—it also gives you access to special sessions like this one, where you can actually bring your own questions and situations directly to us.
RSVP below and send us your questions!
Get 30% off a group subscription
And considering how much can ride on a successful holiday gift guide season, having a room full of people you can ask before you hit send on that pitch might be rather useful.
Holiday Gift Guide AMA
Wednesday, September 16
11 a.m. PT / 2 p.m. ET
Live on Zoom
RSVP FORM IS BELOW THIS line — and send us the holiday gift guide questions you want answered and we’ll make sure to have it added to the top of the queue!
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