Introducing Top Tier Consulting + what I'm sourcing for this week
Tune in to take your media game to the top + lots of calls for sources
Happy Monday. Kicking this right off with some very exciting news!
Introducing: Top Tier Consulting
Jill Schildhouse and I have teamed up together to launch a media consulting business. We’re two journalists at the top of our game on a mission to help you stay at yours.
With a combined 37 years in the industry, we’ve been drawing upon our vast background in the media world, individually offering 1:1 coaching sessions, speaking on panels and delivering talks at universities and agencies, receiving rave reviews along the way. We both deeply value the relationships we’ve built with publicists over the years and thoroughly enjoy helping guide them to the next level. That’s why we are so excited to put our heads together to make our strategy sessions even more beneficial to publicists as a powerhouse consulting duo. Welcome to Top Tier Consulting.
As seasoned freelance writers, copywriters, reporters and editors, we’ve experienced it all, working with countless publicists along the way. We know exactly what writers and editors are looking for — and we’re here to help you tap into that winning formula.
From entertainment to health, travel to pets, finance, culture, food, and beyond, we’ve covered it. Between the two of us, we’ve written for nearly every major publication out there, whether it’s a print magazine, newspaper or online outlet, crafting profiles, services pieces, gift guides, tutorials, essays, reviews, reported features and every other type of article you’ve heard of. We’ve worked with hundreds of editors, thousands of publicists and have looked through more pitches than you could possibly imagine.
We formed Top Tier Consulting to help you benefit from all of this experience and educate you on how to best work with writers so that you can become even better at your jobs. We offer a variety of consulting packages — where we dive in and discuss your goals, talk about what’s working and what’s not, and help you walk away with actionable plans that will help you work with journalists to take your media coverage to the next level.
In fact, we have SO much to say that it also warrants a newsletter of its own — sign up for the official Top Tier Consulting Substack here.
As a subscriber, you’ll not only get our weekly wisdom delivered to your inbox, packed with tips that you can immediately start implementing, but you’ll also be privy to additional perks like first access to new programs we launch. Want direct access to us every month? Founding Members get an extra perk: They can partake in our monthly Ask Us Anything sessions.
We’re excited about this new venture and look forward to helping you become even better at what you do. Visit our website to learn more about the services and sessions we provide — we’re looking forward to work with you!
Website: www.toptierconsulting.net
Email: info@toptierconsulting.net
Articles I’m souring for this week:
WOMAN’S DAY
For an upcoming print feature, I’m looking for looking for women who perform annual seasonal acts of kindness around the holidays. Note: We’re not looking for women who have done a one off thing for the holidays but are focusing on those who spread seasonal kindness every year. This is for the December issue so must have a holiday spin; not looking for non seasonal everyday acts of kindness.
If you have a woman who is a fit, please send me a little blurb about the ways in which she spreads seasonal kindness and include her full name, age, job title, location and include a photo of her (this won’t be the final photo that would be published so don’t worry on finding the perfect one).
CHEGG LIFE, a publication from the leading student-first connected learning platform.
I’m working on a series that will focus on different first-time experiences people have around money, life and career. The audience is primarily Gen Z, so looking to chat with celebrities, founders of interesting companies, authors, artists, creators, etc. that would appeal to the demo. Especially looking for people who have had some interesting career trajectories.
SPRY LIVING
Looking for female celebs ages 40+ to be cover starts for Parade’s health and wellness oriented sister publication. Past covers have included Laura Linney, Cynthia Nixon, Katherine Heigl, Elizabeth McGovern, Gloria Estefan & more. Must be a well-known personality. We’ll tie to a star’s upcoming projects.
GREAT PET CARE
Best Cat Halloween Costumes: Looking for costumes to feature + veterinarians or cat experts to talk about cat Halloween costume safety
Best goggles for dogs: Looking for dog goggles to feature + veterinarians or a dog behaviorist to talk about finding dog goggles with the perfect fit + safety tips when wearing them.
ADDITIONAL THINGS TO PITCH ME RIGHT NOW
I’m wrapping up a bunch of deadlines this week and will be heavy in pitching mode after that. Here are some things I’m looking for at the moment:
Female business founders who have a compelling backstory and have founded a clean beauty or natural-oriented healthcare business - think a woman who noticed a lot of skin damage and set out to start a clean sunscreen line, a woman with PCOS who went on to launch a company to help other women balance their hormones and get pregnant as a result, a woman who had intense menopause symptoms and started a program to help others manage this naturally.
Looking for interesting ideas for mental health, relationship & finance stories. What’s new in this space? What people should I know about? Trends to discuss?
Always, always, always in the market for interesting cultural trends that haven’t been heavily reported on yet
That’s it for this round! I will leave you with this: I took a break from working on Sunday to check a super random thing off my bucket list: metal detecting. I’ve always watched people do it at the beach and have wanted to give it a whirl. Well thanks to a post on Instagram that connected me with a local gal who metal detects for a hobby (gotta love the Internet), I was able to try it. We met up at a local beach and let’s just say I had a blast! I crammed a lot into this newsletter so I will send you a picture in my next update & let you know what I found during my first attempt. :-p
Please send potential sources & pitches to NCPajer@gmail.com. I do my best to respond to everyone and am not always able to but I promise I am reading and reviewing everything you’re sending me! And it’s always appreciated. :-)
And come say hi on socials! I’m always asking for sources on Twitter and posting articles as they publish + random writer’s life updates on both platforms. Also expect lots of dog photos.
Till next time!
<3 Nicole
Thank you! I will sign up!
Quick question. I signed up for Jill’s fee-based membership service and thought I had signed up for yours, too but I don’t see a paid notation? It appears Top Tier Consulting is separate from your individual accounts so do you have a fee-based personal account, too? Just trying to make sure I have covered all the bases! Thx!