New Source Requests, Lunch & Learns, Milestone Bdays & the Father of the Bride House is WAY cute
Another Sunday edition
Hi all. Hope you’ve had a wonderful week. I’m back to sourcing and pitching after enjoying some great time off. My mom came to visit for the first time in a few years (after many Pandemic delays) and we had so much fun. We went to the beach, Huntington Gardens for the first time (It’s SO lovely), ate tons of great food, did some hiking, went to see Alice Cooper at The Greek, drove by the Father of the Bride house (isn’t it soooo cute)
and then this happened (see pic below). Excited for a new decade. I feel really great about it! It was such a lovely day. :-)
Pitch Me! I’m getting back into pitch mode here after being bogged down with deadlines for the past few months (which I’m thankful about of course). Looking for interesting people to profile, trends to report on in the cultural and health spaces, mental health, home/family topics to cover and more. Send me anything interesting.
I’m also booking summer and fall cover stars at the moment for Parade’s sister publication, Spry Living. For this, I’d need female celebs (must be well known - I’m getting pitched a lot of people who aren’t that I unfortunately cannot do anything with) over the age of 40 who can talk about an upcoming project and health angle. Past covers have included Cynthia Nixon, Laura Linney, Sheryl Crow, Trisha Yearwood, Eva Longoria and more. If you have a client who fits this bill, let me know! We usually lie to tie this to a health awareness month, upcoming TV or film release or memoir release.
Book a Lunch & Learn with me: Thanks to those who have participated in my lunch & learns recently. We’ve had some REALLY great sessions. I’ve done speaking engagements on this topic at universities and panels and have really been enjoying chatting with PR firms in this more personalized format. The feedback I’ve received has been amazing. It seems to really help give publicists a look into the life of a writer and how we can best work together from our two professions. In these hour-long virtual sessions, I cover everything from how to connect with a journalist, what you should or should not have in a pitch, how to break through the hundreds of emails we get a day as writers, how to follow up, what makes a pitch stand out, how to prioritize bigger publications. I also go through examples of pitches that have worked well for me in the past, and answer anything else anyone wants to know (nothing is off the table haha). I also do pitch workshopping in these sessions and help publicists find new angles to pitch clients they haven’t had much traction with in the past…I have talking points that I walk people through but we’ll go over anything you want to prioritize and I make sure you walk away with all your burning questions answered.
Here are a few comments I’ve received after recent sessions:
“Amazing session learning the ins and out of PR best practices to pitch freelancers from@NicolePajer. A MUST-DO for PR pros!”
“Nicole! I can't tell you how amazing today was. You are a wealth of knowledge and cannot thank you enough! I hope more agencies take advantage of these sessions with you. EVERYONE needs to book time with you :)”
“Thanks so much for taking the time to speak with us today! The team found it incredibly helpful and we are excited to work with you more moving forward.”
“Had the best lunch & learn yesterday with @NicolePajer. So much great insight from a #freelancewriter.”
Shoot me an email if you’d like to book one of these with your agency.
Sources Needed: Here are some stories I’m currently sourcing for. As always, email me if you have any clients who would be a great fit. NCPajer@gmail.com.
Shondaland
Looking for chefs, RDs, dieticians to weigh in on:
Corn Syrup Substitutes
12 Oyster Sauce Substitutes
13 Nutmeg Substitutes
Brookdale (the largest senior housing center in North America with 700+ locations)
How to Take Better Photos With Your Phone Camera: Looking for some photography experts or influencers to weigh in.
Mini-Strokes 101: Looking for experts to comment on: (what are they, how are they different from major strokes, who is at risk, what to do if you find out you have had one)
Web MD
For a story on how the pandemic changed us, need a few sources to comment on:
A dentist to weigh in on the science of why we grind our teeth and how stress can be related
Need someone to weigh in on emotional contagion - the concept of how we can “catch feelings” from someone’s facebook post and pick up negative vibes. Why this occurs and how we can counter.
An MD to comment on how bad a sedentary lifestyle really is for you.
A MD to give advice on how to get back into working out after being a couch potato during the pandemic
An infectious disease expert to give a quote on how wearing a mask can be a good idea to help ward off germs when sick beyond the pandemic
We’ve become less trusting during the pandemic. What is the psychological/physical impact of that?
That’s it for now but I will be back soon with more. And please keep any pitches you think would work for me coming.
oxo, Nicole