Pitching Photography Projects to Magazines and Blogs

Listen to my interview with PR expert Sara Hussey about pitching stories to magazines and blogs. While Sara’s experience is more in the realm of pitching lifestyle stories for her clients, she has some really fantastic advice on best practices when drafting a submission, who to contact, how to find those contacts, and how to follow up. Listen here.

Please don’t get discouraged if you don’t hear back right away on your pitches. Keep sending them and following up. I found this gem from Vogue Italia photo editor @chiaranonino on Instagram last week:

I also had the opportunity to interview Stephanie Broad, Managing Photo Editor for Modern Luxury Media last week. I asked her opinion on sending a pitch idea vs. sending a final story, and she said that both are great for her magazines. Sending a final story takes a lot of work off of her plate, but she also enjoys being able to collaborate with photographers on how the stories are planned, produced, and photographed. Stephanie says that it’s acceptable to pitch stories to photo editors as well as other editors. “I’m always open to receiving work by email. You might not hear back from me, but I do keep things and go back to them. Pay attention to the vibe of the magazine and ask if there are any upcoming themes.” Stephanie said she’s also a fan of a cold call, that’s how she landed her internship at Vogue a few years a go!

One thing we haven’t mentioned yet, make sure when submitting content that you are transparent with your team (models, stylists, location, etc.) and make sure you have their permission to submit their work/likeness/names for publication. You will also want to include their credits with your submission including their agency names if applicable.