How Tin Shingle's TuneUp Office Hours Is Helping Author Winifred Tataw

During a Wednesday Tin Shingle TuneUp Office Hour, which is open to members from 1-2 pm, I, Katie, got to meet Winnie @winsbooks! Professionally as an author, she is Winifred Tataw, and both her names are part of what we discussed SEO-wise. Winnie is a writer in the Young Adult Fantasy genre, and her book is available on her website.

Part of why Winnie joined Tin Shingle was to improve SEO on her website. “I’ve downloaded 30 SEO apps, and it’s not happening,” she told me on a call before she joined. The simple truth is that those apps won’t help! I haven’t seen everyone, but what has always helped since the dawn of SEO 20 years ago (which is when I started), is creative writing with keywords in mind, and linking out to other related web pages is the perfect combo.

First off, we discussed where Winnie had to put her name on different pages (because her website won’t rank well for her own name if it’s not mentioned anywhere...a common problem of speaking in 1st person...and having her author name on blog articles isn’t weighted enough for Google). We discussed her Author Spotlights, a service she created to spotlight other writers of color who are Black, Brown, Indigenous, and otherwise unrecognized. Being the month of Ramadan, she has been surprised to not see the author highlights of Muslim authors right now.

Winnie interviews the author and does a full feature on the book. While this is in a section called “Services,” she doesn’t charge for this, unlike others in her field. We discussed how she is creating pure publicity for these authors, and while that is a gift/service for them, in the publishing world, it is called something else: publicity ☺️💜

She is going to rename that section to Author Spotlights and feature recent interviews on its home page. Tin Shingle is adding Winnie to our Media Contacts Idea Center, and tagging her as #BlackMedia for others looking to find opportunities. Winnie is Tin Shingle’s youngest member: she is in her 3rd year at The College of Charleston! Which is where I went also! It is an honor having a student trust Tin Shingle enough with her investment. Her eye is on the prize(s).

Why We Talk About Hair Blowouts During TuneUp Office Hours

Not gonna lie, sometimes during the TuneUp Office Hour, we discuss COVID hair blowouts, and how that can become a media pitch idea. Because that is what makeup designer mixologist @nycluckychick has mastered for her curly hair during the shutdown. This is a media pitch that isn’t a feature on her business but can keep her name and company name in the news lightly.

We also discuss things like Grammy makeup themes as seen on the virtual red carpet and how to incorporate that into her customer newsletter to increase sales. In the past, @nycluckychick showed up and we discussed short, quick, and really effective ways of getting her new makeup brand in front of editors. Makeup artists love her brand and have reached out to use it for the Grammys!

Want in on this fun? Office Hours at Tin Shingle is a special opportunity for members only, where they call in with their questions, concerns, doubts, big ideas.

Tin Shingle Members can attend this TuneUp Office Hour session as a way to have a micro-brainstorming session on their own marketing needs. The time will be shared and moderated. Come join us if you haven't yet! Private Training is always available with a discount to Tin Shingle Members, and group connections are always appreciated. www.TinShingle.com/tuneup

New Media Contact: A Writer At Morning Brew

Sketch for Morning Brew of Jamie Wilde

Jamie Wilde has been writing for Morning Brew since February of 2021. Prior to that, Wilde was the Editorial Coordinator for Morning Brew from October 2019 - February 2021. She has also worked for YPulse, Los Angeles Confidential magazine, hollyscoop.com, and The Hollywood Reporter.

Morning Brew is a daily email newsletter covering the latest news from Wall St. to Silicon Valley. It costs nothing to use and it’s quite entertaining! Each morning email has a recap of the stock market, a few short briefs on the most important business news of the day, and a little bit of lifestyle content.

Jamie Wilde is “always looking for a new opportunity to learn about other perspectives and where her personal experience can add something meaningful to the conversation.” Her interests include Art, Bitcoin, Cryptocurrency, Shopping, Video Games, Media, weather, Crypto, Technology, apps, diversity, Inclusion, Entertainment.

Find Jamie Wilde in TIn Shingle’s Media Contact Database along with many others!

Skim Through Tin Shingle's Media Contacts Database

Tin Shingle's Media Contact Database makes your research a little easier. It’s easy! Log into your member account at Tin Shingle, and go to the Media Contact Idea Center. From there, you'd see a box that says "Areas of Interest," and you'd start typing LA or Los Angeles. A list of suggestions would begin coming up. Done! See how to search for media contacts HERE.

Tin Shinglers with the Media Kit Membership get access to any and all Media Contacts. Apply for Tin Shingle membership today to get access!

Get Ideas

Need ideas of why to pitch a specific magazine? Start a conversation in Tin Shingle's Pitch Whisperer. Or tune in every other Wednesday to our members-only group consulting session, Pitch Whisperer TuneUp.

You can also get private, one-on-one help through Private Training.

Tin Shinglers with the Media Kit Membership get access to any and all Media Contacts. Apply for Tin Shingle membership today to get access!

You can also get private, one-on-one help through Private Training.

[PR] TuneUp: What To Pitch The Media This Month: January

Well wow, Tin Shingler! This was quite a news day.

To get you back into the groove of your business, we are keeping this TuneUp open for all to stream for the next few hours. Today's performance and insurrection was a culmination of the distraction that we have all been dealing with for the past 9 months. Ironically, during this TuneUp, Katie pointed out that the media is getting into its groove with the pandemic and social revolution, being that it was not operating in crisis mode during the last few weeks. Crisis mode is where the media cycle is interrupted by crisis and planned news stories are dropped in favor of what is happening right now.

On the other hand, how the media handled today was not very reassuring, as they asked the current president to show leadership and tell his people to "go home." This president has been consistently encouraging today's actions to happen. So for the media like CNN not to recognize that, was disappointing, yet not surprising to the Black community, who have watched and endured this type of coverage for a long time. Or since forever.

Shaking our heads, and enraged that there has been little news coverage of any arrests of those who rioted, trespassed, and stole or lifted government property. Was anyone arrested? Sadly, it is being reported that one woman who stormed inside the Capitol was shot by police and has died.

Social media giants did take action. Twitter and Facebook locked him out of his accounts, and YouTube removed his video telling his people to stay peaceful, in which, he could not have looked happier. Read all about it here at Deadline.com.

At any rate. Get many ideas for how to pitch the media this month. And energy! This was a great TuneUp, and will jazz your brand. It's free for all to stream for limited time, and then will be available to Tin Shingle Members to stream 24/7.

TODAY: The Live TuneUp Returns

What To Pitch The Media This Month: January 

When: Wednesday, January 6, 2021
Time: 1pm EST
Where: At your computer or on your phone
Price: Free for all during this live broadcast

The live TuneUp is back this week for a look at what you can be pitching the media this month for coverage in national magazines as well as blogs and TV. There is a lot to cover, including ideas for, Home Decor, Finances, Taxes, Healthcare, Health Insurance, Amazon VS Shopify, Voter Rights, Mutual Aid Networks, and More! Get your 2021 Editorial Calendars out and let's go!

Get ideas! Join us live on today's broadcast! 

If you can't make it to this free broadcast, Tin Shinglers with the Media Membership get 24/7 access to watch any TuneUp whenever they want. Apply for Tin Shingle membership today to get access!

Where Can You Watch TuneUps You Missed?

If you miss any live, free class, you can watch all of Tin Shingle's Training TuneUps from our website! Tin Shingle's Media Membership gives you unlimited streaming of all online classes we recorded. Organized by topic, including Instagram, Photography, Facebook, and more. Browse our library of TuneUp Replays here.

Tin Shingle is your partner in getting the word out about your business. Generating buzz is our jam, and it can be yours too.

Loving what you're hearing in the Training TuneUps, but need help applying it to your business? Schedule a Private Training Session with Katie to get you on track. Share ideas, doubts, and goals. Come away with actionable items you can start on now to carry out your marketing campaigns. Tin Shingle Members get a Discount on this service. Contact Us for coupon code.

You Had Ideas Today - Put Them Here!

Hello, 2021!

You had big ideas today. You need to log those into your group Editorial Content Planner that you share with your team, or share with yourself on the go when you upload it to your Google Drive.

Today was the big Re-Entry Day as everyone completed the Holiday Season, and were Back To Work. Slack crashed, and new emails of intentions flew into inboxes.

HOW THE EDITORIAL CALENDAR WORKS
When you have Big Idea for content - like when you are going to launch a new program, need to get a press release out and want to make sure you have content published on your website to back up this initiative - you plot this out in your 2021 Editorial Calendar that Tin Shingle designed for you.

Created as an Excel document with 12 tabs - a tab for each month - every single day of the year visible to you very easily. Daily ideas are also included for each month, so you know when to plan for Martin Luther King Day or National Mentoring Month.

FREE: This Editorial Content Planner is free for Media Kit Members of Tin Shingle. Activate your membership today to download this and all of our exclusively produced Templates.

FREE: If you are not a member, but purchased this template in the past, you are able to download this year's - and every year's - for free. The investment that keeps giving.

INCLUDED WITH THIS 2021 EDITORIAL CONTENT PLANNER TEMPLATE

• Organization: Article Assignment Slots for 12 Months, 365 Days Broken Down Into Weeks
  Every single day of the year is organized into 12 monthly tabs for your viewing and organizational pleasure.

• Content Ideas: Over 250 Hot Topics & National Days for Instant Ideas for Fresh Content

• Social Media + Newsletter Options: Dedicated columns to call out when you are sending a special newsletter to your customer base or subscriber list, and when you need to publish a social media post, and not necessarily publish an article to your news or blog section.

• Who Does What: Tracking Who is Writing, Who is Making the Art, and Who is Posting the Article, and Socializing

• Forever Access: Always have free access to next year's Editorial Planner Template

• Free for All Access Tin Shingle Members: If you are an All-Access Pass Member of Tin Shingle, you automatically have free access to this Template. Just hit that Download button when you are logged in!

WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE

Media Monitoring And Planning Ahead: Men's Journal

Catching up with Men’s Journal. Every article was pandemic or protest related, with a series on men in Minneapolis rebuilding their businesses, building community, training Black youth to gain certifications in outdoor activities like mountain biking paddling, etc. (paid for by Ramsey County) so that Black people might be more comfortable learning from someone who looks like them, and providing food for those in need. Cooking and gathering for social distance, and the usual gear recommendations that Men’s Journal is known for. The Holiday Gift Guides were in this issue, with the usual themes.

For ideas on how to pitch the media, join Tin Shingle to get access to our Media Contact Idea Center, and start a conversation with fellow members in Tin Shingle’s Google Group.

*Remember: print magazines work 3-6 months in advance. In pandemic times, changes to editorial may be squeezed in to reflect a big, huge change. But generally, think a few months out.

Media Contacts Updated! The Conversation, Mindbodygreen, MedPage Today, Podcasts, And Many More

MEDIA CONTACT UPDATES

The Conversation, Mindbodygreen, MedPage Today, Podcasts, and many more have been updated in our Media Contact database and what is a better time than now to pitch pitch pitch!

A few examples include:

Beth Daley who is the Editor and General Manager for The Conversation and specializes in all things, Kids, Environment, Genetics, Climate Change, Food Labeling, Fishing & Journalism.

Bruce G Wilson Jr, who is the Chief Innovation and Development Officer of The Conversation specializing in, Business Development, Strategic Branding and Communications, Publishing and Content Monetization, Building Sales and Marketing

And to name a few more (because we like you...)

Jason Wachob, who is the Founder of Mindbodygreen and Co-Founder/CoCEO of the MBG podcast has been added. His areas of interest include, Psychology, Wellness, Health, & Digital Media.

And another one! Stephanie Eckelkamp, who is a contributing writer for mindbodygreen specializing in, Health, Wellness, Nutrition, Natural Remedies, & Natural Beauty.

There are many more Media Contacts who have been added to our database! Plus, it is super easy to use! We made a short video to show you how to search for media contacts in our database. View it HERE.


Tin Shinglers with the Media Kit Membership get access to any and all Media Contacts. Apply for Tin Shingle membership today to get access!

Get Ideas

Need ideas of why to pitch these shows? Start a conversation in Tin Shingle's Pitch Whisperer. Or tune in every other Wednesday to our members-only group consulting session, Pitch Whisperer TuneUp.

You can also get private, one-on-one help through Private Training.

NEW! Community Network Tool

We heard you! You want to network with other members, right now, this instant. And we want to also! Therefore, we have created a new community in Google Groups where you can email the Tin Shingle Google Group and instantly reach other Tin Shingle members with your question, desire for feedback, or just sharing something new that you are launching.

Tin Shingle does have a forum on our website, which we will be retiring, because it is old. And unimpressive. However, should we wish to custom design it in the future, we will always have that ability that we've always had. For now, we think that you want to use modern tools at places you know, like Google.

You might be wondering why we are not using a Facebook Group. Tin Shingle is not a huge fan of Facebook in general, and we have an issue with how they use your data and how their groups work. This way, with an inbox based group, we feel that you will be able to connect with each other and build relationships in a way that is not overwhelming, is safe, and gives you notifications when you need them.

HOW THIS WORKS

This is in beta for now as we get used to it, but here is how this is going to work:

• Tin Shingle Member: you need to be a Tin Shingle Member to use this. It is a private group. Once you become a member, your email will be added by our team and you will receive an email notification. If you are already a member of Tin Shingle, your email has been added, and you should be getting a notification shortly. If you are a Tin Shingle Member, and do not want to be in this group, that is fine! Please email us and we will remove you. *Please note, just because you are receiving this email, it does not mean you are a Tin Shingle Member. You are a member if you are paying a member subscription. If you do want to be a part of this group, and you are not a member yet, click HERE to activate your membership now!

• Email The Group: When you're ready to reach out and network, you will send an email to the Google Group via a special email address. Only Tin Shingle Members will have this email address, and if you are a member, you will get it in a separate email.

• Rules: We are developing the rules of behavior and appropriateness, but you may use this group to help other members by answering their questions, network when you are launching or promoting something, etc. We want you to use this group to give and get support.

[PR] TuneUp: What To Pitch The Media This Month: October

It's time for our monthly series where we start a new month and plan ahead for what we are pitching! October is a special month because...it's your time to begin pitching Valentine's Day. Oh yes. If you missed your chance last year, and found Tin Shingle when you were Googling "how to pitch valentine's day gift guides," and discovered that the time is not January, but is October, then this is your time to shine!

In this TuneUp, we went over ideas for national print magazines (6 months ahead), local (2-3 months ahead) and trending news stories right now.

Plus, we shared a special Motivation Minute- slowing down to a slow jam.

HOW TO WATCH

Anyone can watch a Tin Shingle TuneUp from their computer, mobile phone or tablet. The process is different for premium members and the public.

MEMBERS OF TIN SHINGLE (FREE)

Stream any TuneUp Webinar anytime with your Tin Shingle membership. No need to purchase it, this TuneUp is ready to play from this page! When you are logged in, you will see a big screen.

NON-MEMBERS ($65)

Once you buy a TuneUp, you own it forever. The video or audio recording will appear on the TuneUp page that you just purchased from, and all you need to do is press play.