Jessa M.’s Post

Please follow instructions! Every day, I send out my story leads in my free newsletter and ask people to start a new thread and email my personal email address and not the Substack email address. Every single day people ignore those directions. I also often see people ignoring the formatting requests of the pitch, and just sending half or a third of what I need. Or disregarding the deadline. The best way to be included in my stories is, simply, to give me the information I need how and when I need it. It’s that simple. Emails only. I touched on this above, but it’s something I go through a lot. If you want to pitch me, please email me. Do not text me, Instagram DM me, Facebook message me, or call me. It’s the best way to have your email seen and your pitch used. Update requests. This is something that I go through often. If a story has already published, it’s not possible at that time to add your client to the list. I can’t turn a roundup of 10 mocktails to 12 mocktails because you didn’t pitch me in time. You can pitch me for FUTURE content that is similar, but once a story is published, it’s done. Too late to pitch me for it. I can’t “squeeze” you in. Expert commentary. I can’t believe I even have to write this here, but it’s something I have run into for years. If you are responding to a query, you cannot just refer me to your expert’s book or blog post or previously published material. If I am quoting your expert, it has to be content that is fresh and unpublished. If you try to sneak it in and it’s otherwise, I’m going to find out. And it’s going to be an issue. To that end, if I say I need expert sources for a story, please do not send ahead commentary without checking in with me first for guidance and questions (unless I have included those questions in the initial post. You are just wasting your time.) And always include a NAME and title. Social shares. SUPER appreciated. If I include you or your client in a story, please share it on social media. And please make sure to take the time to tag me and the outlet. It’s SO appreciated and so helpful. Samples. This is a big topic all its own. But off the top, please understand that samples are for consideration, and not a guarantee of inclusion. And please always ask before sending something, especially if it’s heavy/large or perishable or requires some sort of signature. Many of us have issues with all of these factors for various reasons and taking a moment to touch base can be incredibly helpful both to the writer, but to you and your client and their budget. Please remember that ethics are a thing. No, we can’t let you see the story before it publishes (wait, what?!). Never use phrases such as “in exchange for” or “gifting” in your pitches or invites — it makes us feel gross and it’s not an accurate representation, and remember that journalism is earned media, not a quid pro pro. The best way to have a great story written about you is to have a great story to be told.- Aly Walansky

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