Melissa Cassera
Publicity Specialist - TV Personality - Wellness Expert Marlton, NJ
http://www.easyprsecrets.com
Melissa's Blog
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Note: This is a break from our regularly scheduled "How to Pitch" column due to an emergency. What's the emergency? Read on...
It was a stormy Monday afternoon and I was diligently tapping away at my laptop computer. All of a sudden my computer froze. Hmm...no big deal....we can "ctrl-alt-delete" that problem immediately!
Not....so....much.
After many failed attempts, I realized my whole laptop froze to the point that no button, or combination of buttons, could fix it. I held down the "off" button (I know, I know - not the best thing to do) and re-booted. My laptop screen displayed an eerie dark gray glow and then...nothing.
Uh oh.
After a frantic call to my IT guy who assured me he would be over the next day, and simultaneously cursing myself for not buying a Mac, I sucked it up and slid over to my dusty old desktop. This was my college computer - which means it's basically ancient in electronic ages - and the only thing I use it for these days is to download music from iTu [...]
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Many of you refer to Lucky Magazine as one of the ‘Top 10 Outlets I want to be Featured in.' After dispelling plenty of advice to entrepreneurs on how to pitch top magazines, I thought it was time to take action and go right to the source.
I had the pleasure of interviewing Elise Loehnen, Editor-at-Large at Lucky Magazine on the best way to pitch the magazine. Check out the amazing insight she provides for all of you fabulous ladies!
Melissa: When is the best time to pitch you?
Elise: Morning. I usually have the most time to look through my email during my commute! But that said, the subject line is key-since I'm on a portable device, and can't read a full subject line, if it's clearly a mass press release, I'll probably skip over it.
Melissa: How do you prefer to receive pitches (phone, email, regular mail)?Elise: Definitely email. I am terrible about picking up the phone. It might just be me, but I'm not good at downloading information that I hear (the office is also distrac [...]
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This week we have some amazing insight on how to pitch Lingerie and Style Expert Jené Luciani! http://www.jeneluciani.com
Jené Luciani is a trusted source in the fashion, beauty, and lifestyle industries and a strong presence in television, print, and web media with hundreds of bylines and production credits to her name. As a recognized expert and authority in the field for more than a decade, she can be seen regularly on television news outlets nationwide including NBC-4 and Fox-5 News in New York City, and has been quoted in Cosmopolitan, NBC's iVillage.com, and the Chicago Sun Times, to name just a few. Nationally, she has appeared on Fox News Channel, the Style Network, the Discovery Channel, Cosmo Radio on Sirius Satellite and the syndicated morning shows The Daily Buzz and Better TV. Luciani is also a contributing writer and editor to several reputable publications, including iVillage.com, Pink Memo.com, The Wag Magazine, and her own popular blog Beautyandtheburbs.com.
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Jennifer Jolly (http://goodideagal.com) is on a mission to give busy people in a busy world, simple, solid, good ideas they can use right now to make their world a better place to be. She and her tight-knit team cut through the daily clutter of choices to help people save money, save time, better use technology, get happier and stay healthier.
Jennifer was kind enough to share some insight into what kind of TV segments she does (and she does A LOT) and how she likes to be pitched! This information is incredibly insightful and a perfect way to think about pitches for every media outlet!
What kind of TV spots do you typically do?
I typically do "consumer lifestyle" and "healthy living" segments. That means I address everything from saving money, shopping savvy, busy-family technology, health & fitness news and whatever else the average circle of moms might be talking about that day. I was a TV News Reporter for 12-years - during which time I was a general assignment reporter ( [...]
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One of the biggest gripes I hear from entrepreneurs is the difficulty they have getting their products on morning (or evening) television news shows. If you can't secure a whole TV segment on just you and your product - how can you get your product on TV?
One word. EXPERTS!
Media "Experts" are those sunny personalities that appear on many news programs presenting a slew of products under a specific topic (example: Five Items to Organize your Life). These people have worked hard to build a name for themselves and, as a result, producers book them regularly to showcase their top product picks.
Because these experts aren't always easy to find - I decided to do the dirty work for you. Starting today, I'm going to use my Savor blog for the next few weeks to give you the inside information on how to pitch these experts - from the experts themselves!
First up - meet Style Expert Sarah Shirley.
With a penchant for all things chic, Sarah is the go-to source for fashion commentary, [...]
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Sigh.
As many of you know, I'm darn near obsessed with being a QVC guest host. If you didn't know, here is an excerpt from an earlier blog:
I grew up in what I refer to as the 'QVC Household.' This means my mom was obsessed with QVC. She set the VCR to tape the silver show or southwestern style. I hurried home from school each day to hide the little brown packages under my bed so my dad wouldn't see (3-4 every day...I kid you not). We also owned the QVC host Christmas CD and played it every night at dinner. When her yearly Christmas Card would come from them, I swore each host really signed it. Naturally, I spent my days pretending to be a host, selling everything from pencils to pots and pans and even taking 'fake callers!' I will never give up my dream to become a product host.
Anyway, right before the holiday break I had an opportunity to audition for a company that needed a spokesperson for a beauty line. The main part of the job would be to represent them on QVC, selling [...]
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The 2010 Winter Olympics are right around the corner, and I decided to take a little time to research how these spectacular athletes can devote their life to win those coveted medals. What I found is that most of their training and principles parallel those of an entrepreneur. Check out the specifics below to see if you're falling short of the gold this year.Planning and Productivity
Planning those four-year intervals is a huge part of Olympic training - much like we develop our long-term and short-term plans. One element athletes plan for are designated periods of rest, as over-exercising is actually counter-productive. This is often something we entrepreneurs forget - to take time for ourselves and relax. Those moments of relaxation can lead to great success and productivity.Achieve Stability
Olympians have to juggle hectic training and travel schedules, funding efforts such as sponsorships, and personal relationships. Sound familiar? If you're feeling overwhelmed, deal with [...] -
Alternate headline: It Takes a Village to Make <insert name here>
After several months and plenty of contemplation, it's finally here. The proof that hard work, dedication and an entire team of people can create something fabulous. That something fabulous is my new website: http://www.melissaslifelessons.com
Now, don't mistake this blog post for shameless self promotion (although, yes, there is a little bit of that here as well). The point of my posts, as with all the others, is to teach you something based on something I've learned. A life lesson.
So, today's life lesson is showing you exactly what goes into building a visual brand. After spending thousands of dollars over the years building ineffective websites based solely on what colors I liked, or what template was the easiest to manipulate, I decided that if I wanted to promote myself as a true professional, command high paying speaking engagements and go after spokesperson opportunities, I need to clearly articulate who [...]
