August 2024 Newsletter
Sawasdee kha from Thailand!
I’ve been back home in Chiang Mai for a week after spending two weeks in Bali. It was my first time back to Indonesia since 2019 and it was so special to return. Indonesia is the last Southeast Asian country I was in before I relocated in LATAM in 2019 which was such a bittersweet move. I loved being back in my ancestral homeland but am overjoyed that some years later I’m now back in Southeast Asia. You can find more on my travels at the end of the newsletter.
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WORK WITH ME
I offer consulting services to PR professionals, brands, and writers. I bring a unique set of skills to the media industry having worked in New York City as a publicist for seven years and as a freelance journalist for eight years. I have a deep understanding of the inner workings of relationships between PR/brands and writers/publications.
Consultations for brands and publicists include insights on best practices for pitching journalists, how to foster relationships with journalists, media training, and more. I’m also available for hire to pen marketing materials such as press releases, media alerts, website copywriting, blog and social media content, and more.
For writers, my consultations include workshopping pitches and for writers to pick my brain about the industry. Writers who book consultations are added to my exclusive Facebook group where I share editors' calls for pitches and provide access to an editorial database of over 3,000 editor contacts. Learn more here: LolaAnnMendez.com/Consultation
I’m also available for paid social media campaigns. I have a community of 21,000 followers across Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook who are interested in travel, sustainability, veganism, women’s health, cannabis, and other industries.
MONTHLY STATS
In August I wrote seven articles (about 5,900 words). All seven were commissioned pitches. I sent 47 pitches this month—two were commissioned, nine were rejected (or I moved on because I placed the story elsewhere or the story was no longer timely), and 36 are pending a response. As of August, I’ve officially sent over 500 pitches in 2024.
NEW ARTICLES
My portfolio can be viewed at LolaAnnMendez.com. In August, I had five articles published, including my debut in Health.com, Scuba Diving Magazine, and The Good Times. I have upcoming pieces in new-to-me publications including the LA Times, Wired, Territory Supply, Mosaic Magazine, and International Traveller.
These are my pieces that were published this month. Each image is clickable so you can read the story.
CALLS FOR PITCHES & PR SOURCES
I always post my calls for sources on Twitter.com/LolaAnnaMendez. Newsletter subscribers get the first look at my current work. PR folks (and individuals, when relevant) are welcome to send pitches for the stories on which I’m currently working.
I’m looking to interview a licensed mental health professional (ideally someone who is vegan and BIPOC) for an upcoming reported narrative.
WHERE IN THE WORLD IS LOLA?
As of September 1st I’ve officially been a full-time traveler for nine years! It’s wild to me that I’ve been living abroad for nearly a decade. To date, I’ve visited 94 countries and all continents. I still have so many more places I hope to experience in this life.
I spent half of August here in Chiang Mai, Thailand, and the other half in Bali, Indonesia. I was there for a press trip and requested to go a few days early to enjoy time in Ubud where I did yoga daily, went for long walks in the rice terraces, and ate delicious Indonesian vegan food — it was my own mini self-guided retreat and just what my heart and soul needed. After my vacation, I visited the two Four Season properties on the island and partook in both properties' cultural and spiritual activities.
September will take me to Seoul for a full-day layover en route to Hawai’i for a press trip. I’m excited to get some skincare treatments and spend the day in a jjimjilbang. I’ll be in Waikiki for work for a few days and then I will scoop up my mom who lives on the island and take her for her first trip to Japan. We’re visiting Osaka and Kyoto — both cities I visited last year — and I’m so excited to show my mom the beautiful temples as well as go for daily onsen soaks.
I’m very open to press trips in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and the Pacific in the coming months. I'm especially keen to visit and write about New Zealand, Fiji, Samoa, Cook Islands, Madagascar, Namibia, Seychelles, Ethiopia, Mauritius, Senegal, Nigeria, Oman, Iran, Georgia, Pakistan, Mongolia, and more!