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How to get featured in magazines – part 4

how to get featured in magazinesIn part four of my how to get featured in magazines feature (part one, part two and part three are all available to view too!), I look at you – as an expert. As someone who can share their knowledge on a particular subject for the greater good. This can be a really powerful offer for magazines and is something that has allowed my clients to enjoy a lot of column inches in the past. And you know what’s even better? Everyone wins. The magazines gets free, exclusive content for their readers, the readers learn something the didn’t know before, and you get publicity that could attract work or sales.

So, how does this work?

It can work in a few ways. Some magazines run question and answer sections where, each month, people send in their queries and questions and the most appropriate person from a panel of experts answers it. Or maybe you’re providing a more in-depth feature about a bigger subject, that works alongside a features list or a current, topical issue? Either way, offering your skills as an expert in your field and offering your knowledge for free can earn you brownie points from lots of different directions. Yes, you get the feature in the magazine, but what’s to stop the magazine calling on you again when something else inside your area of expertise comes up? If you’ve played nicely, been helpful and grateful and supplied what the magazine editor or writer has asked for by the deadline they asked for it, very little.

Things to think about…

  • Again, think about looking at the publications you want to feature in – do they have these sections? How do they work? Do the questions being asked fit into your area of expertise?
  • Make contact with the editor/writer responsible for that section. Call or email (see what they prefer) and sell yourself (concisely).
  • Work with them – they might say no, they might have someone who does that area already. That’s fine. That’s life. But be nice about it.
  • Help them. If you get to the point of contributing do all you can to make their life easy – this will mean providing the info they want when they need it, but also sticking to word counts and maybe providing relevant images in a timely fashion. And deadlines. Respect deadlines. It stresses people out when things come in late and you get a black mark next to your name.
  • Be grateful. Yep, you’ve helped the magazine out, but they have helped you too – in a massive way – so show your appreciation for what they’ve done to help you.

What do you think? Have you reached out to any magazines and offered your services? I’d love to hear below.

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How to get featured in magazines – part 3

How to get in magazinesIn part 3 of how to get featured in magazines (how to get featured in magazines – part 1 and how to get featured in magazines – part 2 are here), we look at how to make YOU something worth featuring. Yes. You. Whether you’re a product creator or you sell a service, this can work for you.

Making you the star of the show

A lot of magazines run profiles on people. This could be what they’ve achieved in their career, the people that they’ve helped, the barriers they’ve overcome, etc. etc. If you’re happy to step into the limelight and reach out when relevant features appear (or, even better, get in touch with the magazine with your angle – which must be something that fits the profile of the magazine and fits their style). Some magazines will run a piece like this in each issue. It might be a case study or a profile – or it might have a million other names too. Of course, as with everything in this how to get featured in magazines series, there’s a way to do this. Here are six tips to help you.

  • Think about the magazines you’d like to be featured in and buy them. Get a feel for the magazine, the readership, the writing style and the kind of stories that they tend to publish. Do you fit this? Or can part of your story fit this?
  • Find out who the person responsible for the relevant section/s of the magazine is and get in touch. Email them or call them and make sure you know what angle you’re going for and that you show your knowledge of the magazine.
  • Be prepared to help them out as much as you can. As in how to get featured in magazines part 1, we discussed making the editor’s life as easy as possible when submitting product copy, the same applies here.
  • Be prompt. If the editor needs x, y or z by a, make sure you do your best to get it to them them AND keep them informed if there is going to be a problem.
  • Have imagery sorted. Depending on the title, they might arrange a photoshoot, but it’s always good to have some snaps of you that you’re happy to share with the world.
  • Be nice. Editors are under a lot of pressure. They might say no. They might have a million people who want that slot, they might not think you’re right for it. And that is fine. That’s life. Be nice. Be helpful. Be gracious. Because although you might not be right for this opportunity, you have no idea what they’ll be working on next week, next month, or next year.

Have you been featured in a magazine? Which one and what was your story? Please comment below – I’d love to hear it!

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How to get featured in magazines – part 2

How to get featured in magazines part 2Following on from ‘How to get featured in magazines – part 1’ we now have part 2. The sequel. Let’s
hope that, unlike so many sequels, it’s as good if not better than the first!

Today, we’re looking at the press release. This is the main focus of how to get featured in magazines part 2.

The press release

The humble press release is something that is getting increasingly cast aside in favour of others things, and God knows there are enough ‘is the press release dead’ features around. But I don’t think it is. Well, not the way I think about it! In my world, a press release has a very simple aim. To inform the press of news. This could be a new product, a new service, news about appointments and company developments. It’s designed to inform the press as to what is going on in your world, to see if they want to create a story and feature it in their magazine or on their website/blog. Of course, it’s not quite that simple – and a fair chunk of common sense needs to be in play here. Here are 10 things to consider when putting together a press release to help you get featured in magazines…

  • Get the right contacts – make sure you are sending it to the right people or person.
  • Connect with these people before you add them to your press list and make sure they’re happy to be added.
  • Make sure the news you’re writing about is actually news. Sounds silly? You’d be amazed at the stuff I see that is neither new or newsworthy.
  • Be concise. No one has the time to read a huge document to get to the point.
  • Look into how to create a good press release. There’s a method that will be discussed in a future blog. It matters.
  • Check spelling and grammar. Everyone makes the odd typo, but check, check and check again to try and avoid this.
  • Send high res images to support your story – and make them good. Clear, crisp images are necessary for print. Well, for online too. But sending crap images will make you a whole lot less likely to get featured and, even if the story is amazing, you’re adding more work the writer’s plate.
  • Do not break anyone’s inbox. Check your file sizes.
  • Be nice. Send a nice email with your story that outlines what you’re talking about and invites people to get in touch if they need more.
  • Think about the format you send things in. I did a bit of research into this a while ago and found that most of my list were happy with one way, but another group wanted it a different way – so I send it out in two formats. Yep – it takes a bit more time, but it increases the chance of getting coverage, and that is what it is all about!

Missed part 1? Have a read here.

What do you think? Is the press release dead? Have you sent out press releases and generated great results? I’d love to hear…

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How to get featured in magazines – part 1

Many magazines are suffering from a dip in circulation, but there’s no doubt about it, being featured in a magazine is ‘nice’. It’s good for the ego, it can be good for business, and some people feel that being featured in printed media has much greater clout than online. I can understand this thought process (although I don’t really subscribe to this idea myself – as in – both have value and there are a lot of variables to consider). But that aside, there are many ways to get featured in magazines. Or, at least, to put yourself in the best position to get featured in magazines. If that’s what you want. I’m going to break this into a few different blogs to allow us to explore each theme fully. So this is part one. How to get featured in magazines – part 1.

How to get featured in magazines – part 1

Features list

If you have a product, this one is for you. Actually, it’s how I have achieved a lot of media coverage over the years How to get featured in magazinesfor my clients. Each year I receive a media pack from each magazine. This includes a rate card, testimonials, facts, figures… and often a features list. Now, features lists aren’t set in stone and they can and do change, but particularly for monthly titles it gives you a good idea of what themes they’re following. Some features lists highlight buyers’ guides and product features, others show broad themes. And now it’s down to you. You need to put in the legwork.

What do I do now?

You need to speak to the magazines with relevant features and do all you can to make it as EASY as possible for them to pick your product to feature. What does this mean? This means that, when you’ve spoken to the right person at that magazines (the products editor, editorial assistant, features editor – whoever is responsible at that publication, and this varies depending on the size of the publication) you need to do all you can to make their life easy. Concise emails. Correct info in the correct format. High res images. Meeting deadlines. That kind of thing. There are no guarantees that your product will be chosen, but the best chance you have is by providing the right person with everything they need, in the right format, before/when then need it.

Sounds easy, doesn’t it?

Sounds simple, doesn’t it? Well, it is in some ways. However, what also needs to happen is the ground work – so that’s establishing connections with these magazines, it’s being able to write and provide the copy in the correct format, it’s having the high res images, it’s being on hand to help the magazine staff when they need it, to help them achieve their goals. And be a nice person. Please. Magazine staff are under a lot of pressure – deadlines, a million (I don’t know the figures!!) emails a day from PR and the like, editors, subeditors, picture editors – there’s a lot of stuff going on and, sadly, you’re not going to be their number one priority. And it won’t make you popular if you to act like you are. It’ll just (quite rightly!) annoy them. And you don’t really want to annoy people that you’re trying to form long lasting connections with, do you? That’s a pretty poor policy!

This is part one of the how to get featured in magazines series, but you can also read part 2, part 3 and part 4 by clicking on the links.

For more tips on how to promote your business (and to make sure you don’t miss a blog) – why not Like my Facebook page or sign up to my newsletter (and with the newsletter I’ll be picking one subscriber a month to win a box of goodies!!)

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