A few days ago I received an email with a subject line that read “is this for me?”
It was from a founder and soon-to-be author who wanted to know if the pitching challenge I’m hosting was the right fit for her.
Here it is:
That inspired this post, and yes, I’m going to share exactly what I told her at the end…
BUT first I’m going to give you what you came here to read… and that’s because I care enough about you to bypass the marketing rules that tell you to leave the good stuff for the end.
Over here, we lead with the good stuff. You can never say I don’t deliver on the headline promise!!
So I’ll tell you a little story. When I published my book a few years ago (this was prior to me becoming an editor-in-chief—I always slightly recoil when I name drop a title like that because who cares?! But I do want you to know that I know what I’m talking about, ya know).
Anyway, so I publish my book and I had:
0 marketing dollars
0 publicity dollars
1,000 books to sell
So here’s what I did. I knew I was good at pitching, because I’d spent the last 7 years of my life pitching clients to editors.
I also knew journalists weren’t going to automatically care about my book unless I tied it to something bigger than “buy my book.”
So here are three things I did that I think made all the difference (in a way that only Robert Frost could explain, seeing two roads diverged in a yellow wood):
What that means is I found ten different angles for my story. “My story” here being my book. I wrote a book profiling 100 millennial Latinas doing incredible things, across beauty, finance, STEM, and yes, celebrities too (America Ferrera and Becky G were both in it 💅🥹).
So my angles were:
Why had there never been a book profiling millennial Latinas, and why this was the first
What Latinas were actually doing to make money as artists
Why Latinas are dominating the beauty industry
So on and so forth…
All this to say: the first thing I did was actually identify the best angles for press.
Where people usually go wrong is using the same messaging for press that they use for readers, or for their website. And that’s usually just... not it.
The message you send a journalist to get them to write about your book, product, or service is NOT the same message you send your potential buyers.
If there’s one thing you’ll walk away with from The Pitching Challenge, it’s knowing exactly which angles to pitch to press, and which ones to save for something else. I’ll personally help you define both (and I mean like I will help YOU define it, not say some generic thing via email on how you can figure this out on your own and call it a day).
I figured it would be easier to pitch editors myself than to convince them to write about my book on their own. By that point, I’d been working in PR long enough to have extremely realistic expectations of press coverage for a first-time author.
I did end up getting a placement in a Popsugar roundup, but the ones that hit harder were the ones I wrote myself:
Like this story in Remezcla:
And this one in Byrdie:
I loooove teaching authors and business owners that they can actually write about the work they do (and make extra $$$ from it—yes I got paid to write these).
You don’t have to wait for an editor to want to interview you to tap into their audiences. You can write your own byline and it has the same effect.
I somehow got myself on NBC 6… like what?!
That was super cool, but that took almost a whole year to land. It happened because I was persistent with the producer, and because I tied my book’s messaging to Latine Heritage Month, giving it a relevant news hook.
Tying your story to something relevant in the news is probably the #1 tactic for getting coverage without waiting years for an editor to come around.
Usually, you can tie it to:
A season, like “back to school” or “holiday gift guides”
A special date, like “National [thing related to your story] Month”
A current trend (something a celebrity said, a conversation circulating on social media, a trending TV show, etc.)
This is why I sound like a broken record telling people to tie their story to something trending.
Because I didn’t just use these tactics years ago for myself, I literally use them for my clients to this day.
For example: Earlier this year, I was working with a client who’s an HR pro. We were casually talking about the Coldplay kiss-cam incident, and we were having a side conversation about how companies needed to prepare for this internally. Then I said: “waaaaait, this is your pitch!”
I helped her position it and she pitched it to HR Executive. The editor responded in two days.
This is what I’m going to help you identify in The Pitching Challenge: how to use these trends and moments to tie them back to your story.
Now, you can do this all on your own but you’ll likely get stuck around:
“What part of my story should I actually pitch? I just need a sounding board”
“Wait, I didn’t have time to send that pitch today. Let me save it until tomorrow, and then next week, and then next week”… until it’s just always at the bottom of your to-do list."
“What journalist should I contact for this? Are they accepting pitches? Do I have an hour to find that person’s email?!”
OR you can sign up for my Pitching Challenge and get:
✨ daily 10-minute lessons M-F so you always know exactly what to pitch next
✨ live group call every week with me, giving you personalized feedback on your pitches
✨ access to a community of founders doing this with you
✨ a full media list + a fresh drop of editors actively looking for pitches every week (+ how to position your pitches for these editors)
✨ learn how to write your own byline, get quoted as the expert, or newsjack a trending story
✨ know exactly how to pitch like an editor actually wants to be pitched (from someone who used to BE the editor deciding who got featured)
So a few Qs I’ve had asked this past week:
1. Are you only hosting this in September?
Yes, I don’t plan to host it again. TBH, I don’t want to bombard you with emails about it every single month (out of respect for your inbox), and I just don’t love promoting the same thing over and over. So this really is your one and only shot to work directly with me on pitching yourself into the press.
2. Can you help me define what to pitch?
Yes, absolutely! Honestly, this is one of the best parts of the challenge: I’ll help you define your unique selling points specifically for press coverage, and you’ll get personalized feedback from me along the way.
3. What does the VIP session include?
Everything in the regular challenge, plus a 1:1 session with me to define your messaging, annnd direct access to me throughout the challenge (meaning you can text me the second you hit a roadblock).
4. What’s the benefit of getting quoted in publications?
So this is a funny one, because I actually got this message from someone on Instagram:
And then a few hours later I got this comment from someone:
So suffice it to say, getting quoted can truly impact your reach + you can use it for credibility and authority especially if you run a service based business. And most of all, it’s a great step to establishing rapport and a long-term relationship with a journalist who could potentially write a feature on you down the line.
By the end of the challenge, you’ll know how to...
figure out exactly what part of YOUR story to pitch (not generic advice)
find the right journalists and publications to pitch (that will pay you to write it!)
turn your expertise into pitches editors actually want to receive
write your own bylines and get published without waiting to be interviewed
newsjack trends and timely conversations to make your pitch more relevant
build a repeatable pitching system so getting press doesn’t become another thing on your never-ending to-do list
use my exact editor-approved tips, tricks + frameworks for pitching smarter, not harder 💅
So in ONE MONTH (!!) you walk away with at least 5 real pitches sent out, not a someday project. The actual thing.
This is for you if you have expertise people are always asking you about, stories or opinions you know deserve more attention, you want to get yourself into the press without waiting for someone to discover you (+ get paid to share your story), and you’re finally DONE wondering what the hell to pitch.
(Already sent pitches but haven’t heard back?! It’s for you, too)
Doors will close on Monday, SEE YOU INSIDE THE CHALLENGE!!
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