Anna Tingley, editor at Variety, focuses on topics related to e-commerce, including entertainment, politics, and online culture.
During the episode, Anna shares what it's like trying to weave e-commerce into the type of coverage variety is known for, how often she's writing throughout the day, the right and wrong ways to reach out to her, and more.
Follow her on LinkedIn and Twitter.
Click below to listen to the full conversation and read below for highlights from the interview:
[00:05:50] AS: So I'm more of an editor in the fact that like I kind of just self-edit, or I also have
– I mean, basically, I'm an editor in the sense that I have autonomy over what we cover and
what the e-commerce looks like. We do have one floating writer that floats between the
Hollywood reporter Variety and Billboard because we're all under [inaudible 00:06:11]. It helps
with some e-comm stuff. So I edit and assign stories to him and some other writers if they ever
have something that kind of aligns with e-comm. Thankfully, at least at this point, I do not also
have to sift through pitch emails, although that would be fun.
[00:06:28] BB: Oh, thank God. Thank God. Okay. That's good. So you're kind of operating as
like a one-woman band over there and with your own discretion, which has to be great, but also
inundating, of course. You mentioned earlier, “Oh, if I can tell it's a fit.” How are you immediately
telling if it's a fit?
[00:06:44] AS: I mean, if it's newsy and entertainment, that's going to be an email that I want to
read, right? If it's the day after the Emmys, I'm probably not going to really pay super close
attention to anything that's not having to do with the Emmys or the Golden Globes or the Critics
Choice Awards. Not what our readers are caring about and writing about. It’s not what people
are Googling.
For example, today, if I'm looking through something and it's not really like Emmys or awards-
related, I'm going to like stow that away for later. But I do have fun when it's like, again, I like to
save things that don't necessarily make sense for a standalone for Variety. I get to have a little
bit more freedom when I'm just doing like gift guides and roundups. Not every single thing that I write about is entertainment, so honestly – and that's probably why it's very confusing for
publicist, too, when they see what I write about because it can run the gamut.
Entertainment-related is better. But, really, I think it's mostly about staying a part of the
conversation. So I'm like always scrolling on Twitter, and it's just important, I think, obviously, in
any media or journalism-related job to just be immediately aware of what people online are
talking about. So, obviously, right now, it's the Stanley Cup and Jake [inaudible 00:07:54]. Just
like what's going viral, right?
[00:07:58] BB: What's your process for staying on that?
[00:08:00] AS: I am just constantly on Twitter. I mean, it's helped also. Again, that's like
probably the hardest part of being a smaller team. Thankfully, Variety, even though I'm the only
one really doing e-comm, we have a huge team. I'm constantly on Slack. We're all very, very
online. I think that's just kind of like a prerequisite of being in journalism. So if I don't catch
something, people are always sending things to me. Thankfully, I don't have to force myself. I
love being online. I love scrolling on Twitter, so it comes naturally.
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[00:16:14] BB: Jumping around, just to hop on that and I'm thinking about like the best pitches
here, you already have up, Anna, your gift guides for Valentine's Day. It is a solid month about.
It's January 16th right now, so we are one month total out. Dang, when do you like to get gift
guide pitches?
[00:16:34] AS: For Valentine's Day, for example, I mean, as soon as like January 1st. I mean,
not that I'm necessarily going to be checking my email on January 1st.
[00:16:44] BB: Yes.
[00:16:44] AS: But it's never too early because, again, like even if I'm not ready to like sift
through those, that'll be just like a day where I sift through and like do my holiday gift guides. So
it's never like annoying to me that people are pitching that because I love having as many
products to kind of go through when I'm putting those together, so like two months in advance. I
mean, Valentine's Day is a little bit different because like you don't really want to be receiving
Valentine's Day stuff when you're already in the slog with like Christmas and stuff. But one or
two months because, really, I mean, especially when you're buying things online, you need at
least a month to shop through those things. So I like to get them out as soon as possible.
[00:17:17] BB: Do you also like to receive the actual products?
[00:17:20] AS: I mean, I'm never opposed.
[00:17:22] BB: Okay, okay.
[00:17:23] AS: But it depends. I mean, we're not like huge testing.
[00:17:27] BB: Yes. You're not a test facility type place. Yes.
[00:17:30] AS: So it's never like a huge necessity. There are some things that I think are helpful.
I have a big candle roundup and perfume roundup and specific things that are really saturated
spaces. I mean, there are like a million scents and candle brands that I do like being able to
experience them, smell them. As many products as I include, I really don't like writing about
something that sucks, obviously. I want to genuinely know liking the product.
I don't necessarily ever need to get something sent to me. But if they offer it to me and it's
something that just would be helpful to experience. It also just like helps to write about it if you
experience it, especially if you really, really like the product and you're using it. It's just like, “Oh,
my God. That'll inspire me to –” One of my favorite things that I wrote about was the Solawave,
which is a skincare ultra-red or infrared light skincare wand. I actually don't even think the brand
sent it to me, but it was in our Power of Woman gift bag, and I got it.
That's just an example of a very expensive skincare device that I would never ever pay money
for. I always think those things are hoaxes. But I actually ended up trying it, and I could not
believe how much of a difference it made for my skin. I would never –
[00:18:38] BB: Really?
[00:18:39] AS: Whole story about something like that if it really didn't work with me. So that was
an example of something being really helpful to actually have experienced and –
[00:18:47] BB: Just to be clear, you got it in a Variety gift bag.
[00:18:51] AS: Yes. I got it in a Variety gift bag and just so random. We have gift bags.
[00:18:55] BB: I see it here on the article. Yes. This little pink – it kind of looks like a razor with
little dots on it.
[00:19:00] AS: It's so strange, and no one ever believes. I mean, I'm like the biggest proponent
of this thing. I like – it's awesome with my like personality traits at this point. But it's huge
because it's basically what every Hollywood star uses to prep their face before red carpet. So
that's like a huge entertaining –
[00:19:14] BB: This thing? This little stick? Wow.
[00:19:18] AS: Yes. You basically like rub it on your face for like 20 minutes after you put like
moisturizer on. It just [inaudible 00:19:23] your skin – or absorb all of your skin care product.
[00:19:27] BB: There's been a lot of these, yes, over the years and stuff. But, yes, they've
gotten lots of coverage. Okay.
[00:19:34] BB: Okay. Anna, I have a quick rapid-fire question series here if you're ready.
[00:19:42] AS: Okay, let's go.
[00:19:43] BB: Okay. Video or phone interview?
[00:19:46] AS: Video.
[00:19:48] BB: Bullet points or paragraphs in a pitch?
[00:19:51] AS: Bullet points.
[00:19:53] BB: Short or long pitches?
[00:19:55] AS: Short.
[00:19:56] BB: How short?
[00:19:58] AS: I kind of like when like literally a couple sentences to like show if I'm interested.
Then I can like say if I want more information or not.
[00:20:05] BB: Images attached or Dropbox zip file?
[00:20:08] AS: I’d say Dropbox, I think.
[00:20:10] BB: Okay. Email or DM?
[00:20:13] AS: Email, for sure.
[00:20:16] BB: Direct or creative subject lines?
[00:20:26] AS: Direct.
[00:20:27] BB: Press release or media kit?
[00:20:29] AS: Press release.
[00:20:31] BB: Time you prefer to read pitches? You talked a little bit about it.
[00:20:34] AS: Yes, morning.
[00:20:35] BB: Morning, ET time, as we talked about the other day.
[00:20:37] AS: Yes, yes. So if you're on the West Coast, sorry.
[00:20:40] BB: Yes. Sorry, we'll schedule that stuff. We all can schedule emails. Any
preferences on sources right now?
[00:20:47] AS: Preference on sources.
[00:20:50] BB: Like is it stylists you want to hear from or just PR people who have celebrity
clients or et cetera, et cetera?
[00:20:58] AS: Yes. I mean, I'm always interested in talking to hair stylists, makeup artists,
people that are kind of behind the scenes that are very kind of hands-on with these products in
the industry. But I'm also – it's always nice talking to like experts in the field. I'm trying to think of
like an example. But for like an example, I'm working on a story right now kind of related to basic
like social media stars going into comedy. So rather than just talking to the social media stars
themselves, I'm interested in talking to kind of the people you wouldn't think about that are like
in these venues, like whether they're just kind of like the ticket [inaudible 00:21:36].
[00:20:58] BB: Like a [inaudible 00:21:36]. Yes.
[00:21:38] AS: Yes. People like that are in the space that like are kind of firsthand seeing these
shows and change and vibe, but they're not necessarily the first person you would think to talk
to. I think I always love when –
[00:21:47] BB: Interesting angle. Yes.
[00:21:49] AS: Yes. When articles just like include unexpected sources. I mean, it's just is
always refreshing.
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