Episode #58: Pitch a Travel Story with Katie Lockhart

Episode #58: Pitch a Travel Story with Katie Lockhart

“The biggest one is probably responsiveness. If you get back to me within 24-48 hours, even with a "working on this," I know I can rely on you.

-Katie Lockhart, professional traits of “go-to publicists”

Our guest today is active on Twitter and Substack, freely sharing the best tips for journalists in the travel space. In fact, we first heard about our guest through a Tweet she authored that went viral, which sparked conversation amongst journalists on what the best professional traits of go-to publicists are. We talk all about the best responses and what it’s like to pitch and write for the travel industry.

In this episode, you'll learn…

  • Professional traits all publicists should possess

  • Do’s and don’ts of pitching press trips

  • What to pitch a freelance food and travel writer

Our guest is:

  • Katie Lockhart, a travel and food writer traveling the world full-time while writing for publications like Travel + Leisure, CNN, Conde Nast Traveler, The Points Guy, National Geographic and many more. You can follow her adventures on Instagram @findyourhappyplate.

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Show Notes:

:00— Jackie introduces our guest.

1:44— Jackie asks Katie to share with the audience where she is in the world and what time it is. This sparks a conversation about her work schedule. 

5:40– Britt talks about how publicists being open and honest about taking time off is generally accepted by journalists. 

8:40– Jackie asks Katie to read her Tweet that went viral. 

9:14– Jackie asks Katie why she tweeted this. 

10:10– Jackie, Britt, and Katie discuss interesting responses to the tweet. 

11:05– Jackie asks Katie if she ever runs into a publicist being unresponsive. 

12:00– Britt mentioned the response about publicists sitting in on interviews, and just how highly debated this topic is. She asks Katie for her thoughts on it. 

15:32— Katie shares her thoughts on Muck Rack.

17:13– Jackie asks Katie if she shares her stories on LinkedIn. Her answer is music to Britt’s ears. ;) 

17:49– Jackie asks Katie if anything else stuck out to her about the Tweet. 

19:04– Jackie asks Katie to describe what “infographic pitch” means to her. 

20:49– Jackie remarks that they could do a whole episode on the travel industry. Britt opens up about a campaign she worked on within the travel industry.

21:40– Jackie asks Katie how press trips work.

25:30– Jackie asks Katie what kinds of companies pitch press trips to Katie. 

26:10– Jackie asks Katie about the best press trips she’s ever received. 

28:05– Jackie asks Katie what kinds of pitches she’s interested in receiving. 

29:34– Jackie asks Katie if she saves pitches to revisit. 

30:02– It’s shoutout time! Katie gives a shoutout to Ike at Bullfrog and Baum, Jeffrey Wheel, Rachel Harrison Communications, Jessica Bradford, and Victoria King.

Things we talked about…

Connect with Katie Lockhart

Connect with Jackie & Britt

Episode #59: Pivot Your Story Angle with Cloey Callahan

Episode #59: Pivot Your Story Angle with Cloey Callahan

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Episode #57: Pitch a Startup with Samantha Stokes