Episode #38: Pitch a Daily Newsletter with Neal Freyman
“The nature of our product is not going out and meeting PR people for various stories because we have such a limited scope of our work-– It’s a short email every day. But, I do have publicists with whom I’ve developed relationships with, and it’s so great to just hit ‘Reply’ instead of ‘Compose New Message.’ ”
-Neal Freyman, on building relationships
Daily newsletters are hot right now, and brands want in. But, it’s not that simple! In this episode, we speak with the editor of one of the most popular daily newsletters at the moment– Morning Brew. Our guest discusses the power of the newsletter and gives a behind-the-scenes look at how a daily newsletter is produced. With limited space, exceptional curation, and a fast-paced, round-the-clock news cycle, our guest works with repeat-publicists in ways that are unique to the art of newsletter publishing.
In this episode you’ll learn…
How stories are chosen for a daily newsletter (and how publicists may help!)
How to get a newsletter editor to contact YOU first (spoiler: more relationship building tips!)
Why online press kits are still important (yes, even in 2022!)
Our guest is:
Neal Freyman, a managing editor at Morning Brew, where he writes and edits the flagship newsletter that's sent to more than 3.1 million readers around the world 7 days a week. As one of the first employees at the company, he helped grow the Brew's workforce from 3 to 120 and launch new newsletters, podcasts, video products, and even trivia! (Neal writes A LOT of trivia questions for the Morning Brew audience.)
Stories we talked about:
Love this episode? Subscribe on Apple Podcast and please leave us a review on iTunes!
Show Notes:
:00 — Britt introduces our guest.
1:31 — Britt asks Neal for an overview of the story we’ll discuss in the episode.
3:32 — Britt asks Neal his process for finding contact information when planning to interview guests for his segment.
6:44 — Jackie expresses the importance of an up-to-date press page on a company website to facilitate easier inquiries for journalists.
7:29 — Neal describes why it was easy to work with the Pushkin Industries publicist for a second article.
9:27 -- Britt asks Neal if he has any tips for publicists looking to set up interviews for their clients.
11:26 — Neal discusses the value of professional relationships in the industry.
12:18 — Britt asks Neal for suggestions on how publicists can maintain relationships with journalists.
13:48 -- Britt, Jackie, and Neal discuss his experience in journalism at Morning Brew.
14:20 — Jackie asks Neal about his work prior to joining Morning Brew.
16:01 — Jackie relates Neal’s journey to Morning Brew back to his advice for PRs.
17:57 — Jackie asks Neal about the pitches he receives.
21:07 — Britt asks Neal for any tips for PRs pitching him.
22:59 — Britt asks Neal about the prep work and collaboration involved for the interviews on his segment.
26:08 — Britt, Jackie, and Neal talk about the unique aspects of pitching to a newsletter editor.
28:10 — Neal expounds the power of the newsletter.
31:16 — Jackie asks if Neal has an example of a negative experience with a publicist.
32:53 — Jackie asks Neal what his day-to-day schedule looks like.
34:47 — Britt asks Neal if the newsletter team works remotely or in the office.
36:56 — Jackie asks Neal about how his team brainstorms creative content ideas while working remotely.
38:22 — Jackie asks housekeeping questions regarding Neal’s role as editor in the newsletter.
41:04 — Shoutouts! Neal gives a shoutout to Nicole Morano, Publicity Director at Pushkin Industries.
Connect with Neal Freyman
Connect with Jackie & Britt
