Name: MiMi Johnson
Age: 27
Current City: Atlanta, GA
Job Title: Blogger/Marketing Director
Company Name: F.A.M. Fiend
Length of Time in this Role: less than a year
Web Site: Famfiend.com
Twitter Handle: FAMFiend

Mopwater: Describe your path to PR. How did you wind up in this field? MJ: I have sort of a unique path into the field. I was accepted into college as a fashion design major, but quickly changed it to Marketing in efforts of being more ‘practical”. I graduated from Clark Atlanta University with a BA in Marketing, but also never gave up on my aspirations on doing something within the field of fashion. I later linked up with my super-creative college friend, Alesha Gunn, to start up a blog that displays our common interests for the love of fashion, art, and music. Alesha is more of the creative designer of the site and I’m more of the business/marketing go to person for the blog. I also co-own a makeup/hair/fashion styling agency called P3 Lab and do all of the marketing/PR for that as well.

Mopwater: What aspects of the industry are you most excited about? MJ: I love meeting new people from diverse backgrounds. That is always so refreshing to me. I also love being able to be creative with stories I write up, different angles I take when writing up releases, as well as coming up with cool marketing ideas and having the total authority to execute them.

Mopwater: Describe a typical workday including your work hours. What do you do all day? MJ: My daily tasks change from day to day. I could be interviewing a new artist or designer for a blog feature, typing up posts, putting together e-blasts for clients, researching new products or daily news, attending a special event, meeting with a client, or simply online all day responding to emails. Read the full story

Today’s How to Pitch is all about beauty and relaxation. If you represent a client in the beauty or spa industry, you need to know about Jacqui Pini and her Gannett-backed blog Indulge.  Jacqui writes about high-end cosmetics, the latest spa treatments, and international beauty trends, so if you have a client or two in this industry, you’ll want to really read her pitching preferences.

Even if you’re not in the beauty industry, her tips are great for anyone who is trying to draw media attention to a product, so please read on.  Here’s how to pitch a beauty writer: Jacqui Pini.

Mopwater: What is your name, news organization, current city and beat? What types of stories do you write? How long have you been with your news organization?

JP: My name is Jacqui Pini and I am a news editor and blogger for a Captivate-a leading alternative media company that delivers more than 54.5 million impressions a month, and is backed by the Gannett News Company.  I summarize news, business, sports, lifestyle and entertainment stories. I also write one of Captivate’s lifestyle columns called “Indulge,” where I cover the latest spa trends and high-end beauty products from all over the world. I have been with the company for 4 years and prior to that I was a TV news producer for a station in West Palm Beach, Fla. I have been interested in journalism my entire life and I have a Master of Science in Broadcast Journalism from Boston University.

Mopwater: What kind of stories and products are you most interested in covering, and in what context?

JP: For Indulge, my favorite stories involve anything new, unusual and interesting in the world of spa treatments, beauty trends (for men and women), relaxation and more. Expert interviews are a great way for me to get important technical information to a reader in a fun, personal way.  I also like to cover new products before they hit store shelves – because who doesn’t want to be the first one to report the scoop on a new product? Finally, I have a fondness for studies and reviews, which I like to elaborate on and editorialize on the results.

I truly believe public relations professionals are part of what makes all of the above topics happen. They play a major role in helping journalists bring value and something new to a reader.

I update Indulge 2-3 times a week, but here are a few recent ones:

Hollywood Hairstylist Sally Hershberger

Best Websites to Buy Beauty Products

Eyelash Extensions…Going to Great Lengths

Anti-Aging Around the World

Mopwater: What’s the best pitch  you’ve gotten  recently?  Why did this pitch impress you?

JP: I just received a pitch from one PR exec that was especially well done. It came the morning after the Golden Globes and she sent me a brief email about her product (which was new to me), named a few celebrities wearing her product at the Golden Globes, had an expert stylist available for comment and had attached 1 photo of the product. I wrote her back right away and told her I was interested and wanted some comments from the stylist and she had the information to me within an hour. This is what I liked about this pitch:

• It was a new and interesting product
• The pitch was brief and had everything I needed
• She was responsive, but did not hound me
• The pitch was timely
• She had an expert available for comment
• She included just 1 photo so my email was not overloaded

Overall, she made covering her product very easy and interesting for me. Read the full story