This Is Becoming A Dealbreaker & Fun Pitches Please
I put up my first OOO in a year and a half but I'm back, baby!
Hey everyone!
Since my last newsletter, things have been BUSY. I had a fantastic four days at ILTM in Singapore, learning about some exciting hotel openings and drinking too much prosecco with writer friends.
We traveled around Taiwan, eating all the xiao long bao I could find, and returned to Hoi An, my second home. Since living here during the pandemic, we visit a few times a year, and it feels so good to be back in this special little community!
So, I’m writing this from one of my favorite cafes while a cà phê sữa đá drips next to me.
The New Dealbreaker?
Let’s talk about flights. More and more, I’m seeing flights not included in both group and individual press trip invites. Flights haven’t always been a guarantee for individual trips, but now they seem to be completely off the table.
Yes, flight prices are high right now, but this means brands need to start rethinking their press trip budgets instead of asking journalists to shoulder the cost. If flights aren’t included, the vast majority of journalists just won’t go, which means said brand won’t get coverage. So, this may mean upping the budget or only inviting a few select journalists instead of big press trips.
While PR may see striking a deal with an airline or another brand as a workaround, please understand this is less than ideal for journalists. It now means we’re expected to provide coverage for two brands, and that isn’t realistic. Journalists should not be responsible for bearing the burden of expensive flights.
The Next AMA For Paid Subscribers!
Excited to talk about all things industry with writers and PR on Wednesday, July 19, at 10:30 am EST.
During this next session, we’ll be discussing:
the right way to follow-up
where to pitch that story you just can’t seem to land
how PR can genuinely connect with writers
how to get your emails seen during these summer months
any and all industry questions
Paid subscribers also get TWO newsletters per month! So sign up to be a paid subscriber for our AMA on July 19.
Private Sessions
We’re heading into the summer lull, so now is the perfect time to reevaluate and dig deeper into how to improve your pitches, how to get and STAY on journalists and editors’ radars and more.
I’m offering private consultation sessions customized to any industry topic you’d like to discuss or need advice on.
Please get in touch if you’d like to organize a session to ask any and all questions.
Favorite Recent Stories
InsideHook: The Perfect 7-Day Greece Itinerary
National Geographic: Here’s Where To Travel In The U.S, This July
House & Garden: The Best Hotels In Greece
Thrillist: Sky-High Views and Bustling Streets Are Back in Asia’s Cosmopolitan Capital
When you share coverage I’ve written on social media, please tag me on: LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter. Don’t forget to connect with me there too!
Editorial Needs
I’m looking for fun and SUPER unique pitches on travel trends, including hotel trends that can be backed up with quantitative data. And if there’s a timely hook there, even better!
Upcoming Travels
July - Vietnam
August - Singapore & Vietnam
September - Nepal & Maldives
October - Bhutan & Italy?
If you’d like to work together while I’m in any of these locations, please send me an email at klockhart14@gmail.com
Please Share This Newsletter With Your Colleagues
I’m always looking to grow and develop my network of travel and food publicists and friends. If you find my newsletter helpful, or if you know someone who might, please share it with them. Thanks!
Other journalist newsletters you should subscribe to: Follow my friends and colleagues so you can stay up-to-date on their pitching needs too: Jill Schildhouse, Alice Dubin, Aly Walansky, Cassandra Brooklyn, Jacqueline Kehoe, Chris Dong, Ali Wunderman and Elen Turner.
Hi Katie,
Happy Friday! i missed your AMA on the 19th, any chance it's on record? TIA.
Chat soon,
amy