The hard truth is that getting published in a magazine is more than just pretty pictures!

I have been regularly contributing to several major Australian publications for a number of years now. And when I have a shoot in a publication it most likely has happened one of two ways, either:

the publication has commissioned me (asked me directly) to shoot a story for them
or, a client shoot has been bought from me by the publication to use

One of my most frequently asked questions is how to “get published”.

Having a beautiful suite of images is a great first step and one I recommend highly, however there are probably a few things to consider before and after a shoot to increase your chances of potential publication.

I was planning on doing an FAQ on this topic, however, I feel that a better approach first might be to turn the questions back to you, to ask yourself to discover the way to put your best foot forward in getting your business published.

Take a look at your business subjectively. And think about ultimately what the product of your business is.
Your product could be
- a thoughtfully designed interior
- organic garlic
- or boutique ceramics.
Ultimately your product as well as the story behind what you do is what you will be pitching.
So the previous question shouldn’t have been too hard to answer. This question may require some research!
Publications usually have a certain “style” or value that they are niched within. So conduct a recon mission, go out and buy some magazines that catch your eye, or research online publications.
Look mainly at ones that have an aesthetic that both appeals to you, but also ones that have similar values and aesthetics to your business.
Another thing to consider is whether your audience reads that publication - as the whole point of getting published is for a bit of free promotion right? And you want to be placing yourself where your ideal audience will actually see you.
Thinking back to the first question, what is your product? Keeping this at the forefront of your mind will help you learn which section of a publication you would be best placed within.
Flick through the magazines or digital publications you feel that you are well aligned with or that your audience might be reading and take note of the sections that feature other businesses or stories similar to yours!
- Does the publication feature a section about accommodation?
- Does it feature the studio space or story of a creative business?
- Are there multiple sections within this magazine that your story might fit within?
Also consider whether there is an alternate angle you can take on promoting your business. You might have a beautiful home or garden that you are comfortable sharing with others, and this in turn could be a small promotion for your work.
This is my hottest tip…
The publications I deal with the most (probably because I am an interior photographer!) are always looking for homes to feature, they simply can’t get enough of this content.
And when I say home, I mean the house you live in, not a hosted home. If you feel like this could be an avenue to explore, jump back to the second question and consider the aesthetic of your home and what publication it might fit within the pages of. This could be a great alternate way of promoting your business.
Once you have picked out the best publications and a regular feature they publish that is a good fit with you and your business, you need to take a look at the photographs that you have currently…
Are your images magazine worthy!? Magazines like clear, contextual, story-telling imagery with a mix of wide, and closeup shots that share the story of a business or space. Portraits of you in your space or “doing” things to do with your business are also key.
Having images ready to go can be beneficial and see you putting your best foot forward in terms of getting published. Read on to the following question for further details.
Fom here you have a few options:
1. If your current suite of images are magazine worthy and you feel that they fit the feel of your ideal publication, you can speak to your photographer about how to go about sharing these with the publication. If your story and photographs are a hit with the editor, they may be happy to feature a story on you with the existing images.
2. If your photographs are not magazine worthy you can either get in touch with a photographer to help you complete option, or, you can simply pitch your story directly to the magazine yourself. You will need to pull together a convincing story pitch with whatever content you do have, sharing links to your relevant social media profiles and website. If your story is of interest to the publication they will likely opt to commission a photographer that they regularly work with to shoot the story for them.
There is a catch here that I want to point out:
If you commisison a photographer yourself to capture photographs for your business, you will be given a license to use those images for most purposes relating to your business. Sometimes using a photographer that has a working relationship with your ideal publication is useful as they might be happy to pitch your story for you. Also, they will know what the magazine will be looking for in terms of content and can ensure that this is captured on the shoot day, making it an easier decision for the editor to say yes to publishing the story.
If a magazine commissions the photographer to capture images for an article, the images will not be available to you to see until after the publication date and usage is restricted to promotion of the magazine article only.
- Know the publication you want to be published in, inside out. Be familiar with the features they do regularly that your story would be the best fit for. Be familiar with stories that may be too simiar to yours - you might need to consider waiting a while before pitching your story
- Accommodation is not always a good fit for a home editorial
- Make connections with writers of your favourite publications on social media, as writers are often on the lookout for a story to pitch
- Reach out to your other connections for their experience and knowledge
- Getting published sometimes takes time, and can also be all about perfect timing when sending your pitch. Publications are busy offices and sometimes you won’t hear back.
- Consider not only national printed and digital publications, but local culture websites, as well as the local newspaper glossy pull-outs