New Year inbox-detox

That said, there’s certainly still a place for resolution-themed content – though, mercifully, everyone knows better than to use ‘New Year, New You’ as a hook. Dated clichés like this motivate an eye roll and little else.

On the subject of fresh starts, I’m considering how to inbox-detox for 2022.

First up: the spammy. Those unsolicited, repetitive emails that say my name but don’t speak to me – or who I write for – are being swept to junk. 

So are the inaccurate. Any bumph scaremongering and talking generically about ‘nasties’, and ‘harmful’ toxins in beauty products should come with input from experts if they want to be taken seriously. (I’ve harped on about this before.)

Then there’s the presumptuous or pushy. I’m afraid moving straight to setting up calls with brands before gauging my interest may lead to ghosting.

And lastly: the lazy. As fellow Roxstar Richard Mellor put it the other week, simply asking a journo ‘what are you working on?’ can read like a lacklustre plea for coverage. Why not give us something new to pursue instead? Now is the perfect time.