“It’s always impressive when people are
willing to listen and provide what’s
needed. That also makes me want to work
with them again!”
— Linda Kossoff, deputy editor of DAYSPA
PITCHING
TOOLS
W
hen pitching a
story, Keller advises
arming yourself
with the right tool, such as
the media kit. For instance,
American Spa’s media kit can
easily be accessed online
(spatrade.com) for valuable
pitching tools like:
● A full editorial calendar
● A tip sheet for submitting
items for editorial
consideration
● Editorial deadlines
become annoying inbox clutter.”
Moynihan offers a piece of advice on
the best way to reach out to the media.
“Email is always best. I rarely have time to
talk on the phone unless it’s about something specific and we decide to talk about
it after we’ve had an email exchange
about it. Calling to see if I have an interest
in a pitch before sending is not helpful—I
won’t know if I have an interest until I
know something about the pitch. Email
me, and if it’s a fit, I’ll follow up when I
get there. It might not be on your preferred timeline, but I’m working on my
own timetable; if I’m full for a particular
issue, I’ll hold onto pitches and revisit
them down the line. We hold onto most
pitches and return to them when we’re
looking for ideas.”
Linda Kossoff, deputy editor of
DAYSPA magazine weighs in on how a
PR person missed the mark the first time
and later won her over. “It has happened
a few times, and it was when a PR person
went back and did more homework, then
re-approached with better and more targeted material, Kossoff says. “It’s always
impressive when people are willing to
listen and provide what’s needed. That
also makes me want to work with them
again!”
OTHER TIPS OF THE TRADE
Invest in quality photography. The lack
of great spa photography or spa-related
images is a missed opportunity. Editors
are always looking for beautiful imagery
to accompany their articles. Streamline
the process and add high-resolution
downloadable images to your website for
editors and journalists to access at their
convenience. Make it quick and easy to
retrieve images, logos and supporting
materials to improve the chances of your
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 40)
“Editors these days are so busy, and frequent emails asking if we've had a chance
to look over the pitch become annoying
inbox clutter.”
— Robyn Griggs Lawrence, editor-in-chief of Organic Spa
38 PULSE
■
March/April 2012