Free ecom media shoutouts (FT, Glamour, Newsweek,etc)

Author

Ada at Sellify
April 23, 2025

In partnership with

Hello, Sellify Star!

Ada here with another round of opportunities to place your store in mega publications for free.

As you know by now, when these publications mention your store, new customers trust your business more, you get better chances of ranking on Page 1 of Google results… as well as getting picked up by AI suggestions (according to Google). That’s why this email is important.

P.S. If this landed in your “Junk” folder, unmark as Junk so you don’t miss out on these free Wednesday media opportunities. Please unsubscribe if you’re not interested - no hard feelings!

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Fashion

Financial Times is looking for fashion brands to discuss Dupe Culture.

QUERY: I’m working on a story for the Financial Times to which I’d welcome some input.

A Daunt Books bag has become a tote and a totem, a statement of a certain kind of smart urban Londoner. In fact, its appeal has gone beyond the UK - I’ve seen them toted and touted on the New York subway. More intriguing, the bag has become such a touchstone there are now dupes of it - let’s not call them fakes - available on Amazon. Tributes to the original, in the same colorway, with LONDON BOOKS instead of Daunts.

“Dupe culture” is a fascinating new sector, and the relationship brands have with these “tributes”/dupes/knockoffs varies. Lululemon, for example, staged an amnesty where people could turn in the dupes they’d bought of its leggings and get a real pair (and the cheap knockoffs were recycled). The brand didn’t litigate, it turned it into a PR moment. (More on that here: https://www.fastcompany.com/90895043/lululemon-dupes-align-tiktok-lululemondupes)

Meanwhile, Cumali Demirci is producing “Birkin-like” bags and offering them right under the nose of Hermès and co on Instagram et al. See, too, the Wirkin phenom: the Birkin-inspired bag which Walmart produced a few months ago, selling it for $78-102 (One waggish commented noted: "Walmart birkinbag is called a wirkin and it's for the wirkin class") It’s an intriguing new see-saw between the brand-damaging problem of counterfeiting and the brand-enhancing cachet of being popular enough to drive fakes.

We want to look at the rise of Dupe Culture in all its aspects viz.

• I want to hear from brands that have embraced dupes, like Lululemon, and cannily deployed them to their own advantage

• Ditto, love to hear from brands that have decided that dupes are not enhancing but solely damaging and pursued proactive action

• Marketing professors and similar: where and when did dupe culture arise, and what does it mean?

• I’d love to hear from business types who can help quantify the value (and values) of dupe culture to the market

• What about buyers: folks who proudly prefer dupes to the “real thing”?

• Curious, too, to hear from psychologists who can unpack our shifting relationship between what’s real/authentic and what’s not (and why we now perhaps feel less shame to champion the cheaper option)

Please send me a single para on any and all of the above.

*** PLEASE REMEMBER - NO ATTACHMENTS - ALL EMAILS WITH ATTACHMENTS WILL BE DELETED UNOPENED ****

LOGISTICS: As always, please -

• Submit all info to me by 17h00 Eastern on Wednesday April 23. This deadline is firm so please don’t send pitches after that date. I’d hate to waste your time collating if it can’t be considered. If the deadline has passed, I won’t be able to consider a pitch so please do NOT send it.

• Feel free to pass on this email to anyone who might be able to offer useful input.

• Mark the subject line: DUPE CULTURE

• Reply directly to this email, rather than emailing me via other methods.

• Skip canned quotes. I am increasingly receiving press release-style quotes, attributed to so-and-so client, as a pitch. This won’t work at all. A pitch relies on your excellent ability to sell why a client or their expertise should be featured, rather than a pre-written quote from someone whom you represent which no reputable journalist would ever upcycle, so please respond thoughtfully and deliberately bearing this in mind.

• Avoid relying on an AI interface as a substitute for your expertise. I am also increasingly receiving overly long, clearly AI-written answers which, like those canned quotes, will never result in coverage.

• Just a gentle reminder that following up is not necessary, and won’t be acknowledged since I receive so many pitches. Don’t call or Tweet at me (email is fine) - apologies in advance that I can't get back to everyone, but will definitely be in touch if I need more info. I assure you that I do read each and every pitch in full, as I respect and appreciate the time anyone takes to put one together.

Glamour is looking for experts + Real-Life User Recs Needed on Best Period Underwear for a range of ladies. Pitch Tabitha directly with a user experience using the HARO email below.

Query:I'm writing a roundup of the best period underwear. I need experts and real users to recommend period underwear based on their real experiences/expert insights.

I need to know: How well the undies hold up / Any details you can give on longevity How many hours you can wear them What the leak protection is like Notes on absorbency, material, etc. Pros/Cons Why do you like them/why not?

Would love to get photos of them (you do not need to be in the photo; just a photo of the undies clean/new on a flat surface works!)

Experts, please weigh in in any of the following areas: Best period underwear for teens, Best period underwear for heavy flow. Best period underwear for plus size, Best disposable period underwear, Best organic period underwear, Best overnight period underwear. Best period underwear for postpartum, Best cotton period underwear, Best affordable period underwear, Best reusable period underwear

Home/Lifestyle

Newsweek is looking for the best sheets (yes, duvets count), pillows and air purifiers for Newsweek’s readers’ choice.

QUERY: I’m working on early summer series “Best of” for Newsweek. This is going to be a home goods feature that will run in late May / early June. All of my research and responses are due by May 10, 2025. I’m looking for the best sheets (yes, duvets count), pillows and air purifiers for Newsweek’s readers’ choice. There are a handful of editors and we submit our favorites for the nation to vote upon.

The Oklahoma Homesteader is looking for product recommendations for Homesteading & Being Self Sufficient. Pitch Melissa directly via her email below.

QUERY: I am writing a few articles for my Homesteading community theOklahomaHomesteader.com which syndicates to MSN as well as a few gift guides. We have a Facebook community of 1.2 million. I am also going to be writing some stories for Yahoo Creators on Living off the grid, being self-sufficient and more.

I am looking for the following items:

  • Gardening items/Garden Decor

  • Canning

  • Freeze-Drying

  • Cheese Making/Bread Making/Soap Making/homemade balms ( that kind of stuff)

  • Plants/ Patio fruits trees/bushes

  • Home Health and wellness

  • Natural hot tub supplies

  • Oils (essential oils/ walnut Oil, Grapeseed oil that kind of stuff )

  • Solar Items

  • Hydroponics

  • Off the grid/self sustainable

NOTE: I do not need any interviews from experts at this time. Strictly product focused. Samples must be provided.

Send pitches to: [email protected]

General ecom Business Strategy

Observer.com is looking for CEOs of retail brands to talk about how they are managing changing tariff landscape The Trump tariff wars have forced retailers and those that feed the retail supply chain to drastically rethink their sourcing strategies. They would like to talk to CEOs of retailers and brands that feed into retail for their thoughts on how they are guiding their companies through these uncertain times. Pitch directly via Qwoted (2 free pitches)

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American Recycler is looking for paper packaging companies and experts to discuss the evolution of paper-based recycling and how the industry is shifting away from composite packaging to paper-based packaging. Pitch Maura directly using the email below.

QUERY: I need to interview experts about the evolution of paper-based recycling and how the packaging industry is shifting from composite packaging to paper-base packaging and what that means for the recycling industry

Wavecomber is looking for engaged or married individuals/jewelry designers to weigh in on why more couples are choosing colored gemstones over traditional diamonds

QUERY: I’m a freelance content writer who contributes stories to CBS News, ConsumerAffairs, CNN Underscored, and more. I’ve also started an independent publication on Substack, Wavecomber, for in-depth insights about YMYL topics, including finance, health, shopping/commerce, and more (wavecomber.com, wavecomber.substack.com).

For this Wavecomber article, I need engaged or married individuals and jewelers/jewelry designers who can speak about why more couples are choosing colored gemstones over traditional diamonds.

To be considered, please answer the following questions (all or the ones you can answer):

  1. Engaged or married couples: What convinced you to choose a colored gemstone? In other words, what was your reason (or reasons)? What gemstone did you pick and why? If it has personal meaning, explain. The more details, the better.

  2. Retail jewelers/engaged or married couples: What questions should couples ask when shopping for colored stones?

  3. Jewelry designer: How do specific colored gemstones allow couples to tell their unique stories? Explain — the more details the better.

  4. Jewelry designers/gemstone appraiser: How does the price-per-carat compare between diamonds and colored stones?

  5. Gemologist/jeweler: What design techniques protect softer gemstones for everyday wear? Are colored gemstones durable enough for everyday wear?

  6. Gemologist/jeweler: Are there gemstones that look similar to a diamond? (e.g., white sapphires, moissanites) Explain the possible benefits of going this route.

  7. Gemologist/jeweler: How do you care for a colored gemstone ring? (It varies depending on the stone, so here it would be helpful to focus on one kind and give tips, like tanzanite, for example)

  8. Engaged or married couples/influencers: How have digital platforms changed engagement ring expectations?

  9. Jewelry/gemstone appraiser: Will a colored gemstone retain its value over time?

  10. What transparency advantages do colored gemstone supply chains offer? How should someone go about ensuring their colored gemstone is ethically sourced?

Any other insights you might have to share on this topic would be greatly appreciated too, even if it falls outside of these questions :) Bonus points if it comes from personal experience/client experience rather than general knowledge.

Finally, please provide:

  1. your role/title, a link to your LinkedIn profile, and company website (if you're a couple with no company title, just indicate name/relationship status — engaged or married)

  2. a good email to follow up if needed (MUST be the source’s email if you are a PR company/rep — if I don’t get the source’s email, I cannot use the insights)

IMPORTANT: We can’t accept/use AI-written responses, or responses you’ve already submitted elsewhere (we WILL check so please don’t waste anyone’s time). Also, I’m not looking for surface-level information easily found online. These questions are meant more as a guide to get more nuanced, in-depth expertise from you :) Please share relevant common hypothetical scenarios or client experiences to back up answers.

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Travel

USA Today is looking for holiday travel safety products. Pitch Christopher today using the email below.

QUERY: I'm researching an article about travel safety during the upcoming holiday travel season (Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's). I'd love to hear from anyone who has travel plans this holiday travel season. What kind of safety concerns do you have? How are you planning to address them? I'm also interested in hearing from safety and insurance experts. Is there a list of common travel fears for the holiday season? How is this holiday travel season different from previous ones? What can travelers do to address these concerns, like buying travel insurance or luggage-tracking technology?

Please read this before answering. I’d be very grateful if you could send an initial response to my questions by email ([email protected]). Please do not respond with a note that says you would like to be considered for this story or want to set up a phone interview with a source. I'm happy to consider you for this story. I've included all of my questions in this query. Please take a minute to briefly answer them. Kindly do not cut-and-paste answers from previously published materials, such as press releases or blog posts. Do not use an AI to generate a response. If a phone interview is necessary, I will follow up right away. Be sure to include your full name and a jargon-free, brief (two- to three-word) description of your company or affiliation as you would like it to appear in the article. I will do my absolute best to acknowledge that I received your pitch and will make every effort to let you know when the story appears. No travel bloggers, SEO specialists and influencers, please. This is not an appropriate query for link-building or improving your SEO. I can't guarantee a link back to your website or business. More information on my queries can be found on my site: https://www.elliott.org/frequently-asked-questions-about-christopher-elliotts-media-queries/

Till next week,

Ada