How to Get Featured in a Magazine [UPDATED!]

Learn how to get featured in a magazine as I take you step by step through the process and learn from my failures and successes!

Remember when I first wrote this blog post last December 2020? The goal was to get my home into a magazine for this Christmas 2021.

I submitted a pitch to 4 magazines, and my goal was to get into one.

Read to the end for the UPDATE! 🙂

How to Get Featured in a Magazine

Do you know what my favorite part of a movie is?

It is not the special effects.

It is not the storyline.

It is not the characters.

It IS . . . the behind the scenes.

I remember when the behind-the-scenes footage came out for the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and I binge-watched HOURS in one day. #nerdalert

I am the type of person that enjoys the process as much, if not even more, than the final outcome.

Some of you have been following along in my IG stories and saw that a week ago we had an editorial photoshoot done of our home as I am in the process of attempting to get our home featured in a magazine next year.

I got a lot of DMs and questions about what magazine we are being featured in, how the process works etc.

So I thought it would be fun to take you on the journey with me!

How to Get Featured in a Magazine

#1. Establish Your Why

To clarify where we are at in the process – my home has not actually been chosen yet to be featured in a magazine. I just submitted 4 pitches to 4 different magazines, and I thought it would be more fun to bring you along on the journey from the VERY beginning and keep you updated along the way!

First let’s talk about the why. Why get featured in a magazine?

In the DIY/home decor niche getting your home into a magazine does not directly pay you anything. It does, however, offer notoriety and authority.

A great example of this, actually, is in medicine.

What many of you may not know is that 6 years ago I helped to start up 2 stroke programs from the ground level at two different hospitals and then acted as the assistant medical director ever since (I actually JUST stepped down from this position last month).

I was privileged to speak on behalf of stroke care and prevention all around the country, and in 2019, was published by the American Heart Association (AHA). The AHA did not pay me for this, but it was an honor to be recognized by them as an expert in my field.

That is basically what getting published in a magazine does. It helps to establish your experience and expertise within a community.

And perhaps above all else it is a fun challenge that is right up this girl’s alley!

How To Get Featured In A Magazine

#2. Get advice from the experts

First, I watched videos and interviews with magazine editors (the experts) to hear what they are looking for when someone pitches them to be featured in a magazine.

It is important to know what the industry expects from you.

This is true of ANYTHING. Any goal you want to accomplish – this is how I would approach it.

So what did I learn from the experts?

1. The email contact is on the editor’s page or right after the editor’s page near the beginning of the magazine.

The email address is on the editor’s page or right after.

This was true for all 4 of the magazines I sent a pitch to.

I have to tell you something hilarious. Total newbie here.

See how the above email contact is at meredith.com? Well in my infinite wisdom I thought the person must be named Meredith, so this pitch was addressed to Meredith.

But guess what?

Meredith is the name of a massive media corporation that owns the magazine! Hahahahahaha. Oh well.

Hopefully, if nothing else whoever reads my pitch will smile and not make too many assumptions about the writer’s degree of intelligence.

#2. Know the magazine’s preferred content.

This seems like a no brainer to me, but I guess some do not do their research.

I will give an example of how I applied this.

To one magazine I sent a home tour pitch with mostly zoomed-out photos because my home’s style aligns perfectly with that of this particular magazine.

To another magazine, however, I sent two DIY pitches without wide-angle photos because my home style would not really line up with this magazine but my DIYs aligned well with others they had featured in the past.

Know what will fit in the context of the pages.

#3. Show investment in the magazine.

The easiest way to do this, in my opinion, is to make sure you are following these publications on social media.

I don’t know how closely they look, but if they clicked on my IG profile I would want them to see that I am currently following them and their work.

This will also help you know what kind of work they tend to feature.

#4. Editorial photography cannot be done with a cell phone.

Two options here. Either you invest in a point and shoot camera or hire someone to do the photos for you.

I would LOVE to learn how to use a big girl camera, but this is not the time. So I hired a photographer who has experience in editorial photography to shoot my home.

You can also hire someone to stage your home, but for me, staging is the best part so I did all my own staging. (Read my post on 8 Tips to Staging Your Home).

How To Get Featured In A Magazine

#3. Get advice from the experienced.

This is different then the step above.

I would argue that the “expert” is someone from within the industry.

The “experienced” is someone who has successfully accomplished whatever it is you are trying to do.

In this case, I sought advice from a DIY/decor blogger who has been featured in dozens of publications (check out my friend and blogging mentor Karianne Wood @thistlewoodfarms)!

What did I learn from the “experienced”?

#1. Show context in the photos.

Don’t just show an up close of an object, but make sure that there is a zoomed-out shot to give context and perspective.

This idea has been really helpful to me blogging over the last year – the importance of communicating context through photos.

This is a nice close up shot of my centerpiece. These are taken with my phone BTW. These are not editorial photos.

But this is a context view which is important to incorporate in order to give perspective.

#2. Make your pitch about the magazine NOT about you.

This one is a good lesson on communication in general, but let me show you the difference.

Hi, I am Ahna, author and owner of the DIY lifestyle blog, Hammers N Hugs. My husband and I have renovated 3 homes, and we have turned our current 1960s home into a beautiful French Country Cottage retreat that I believe would be a perfect fit for your magazine…

versus

Hi, I am Ahna, author and owner of the DIY lifestyle blog, Hammers N Hugs. I thoroughly enjoyed your latest edition of French Country Style, and the kitchen of Mr. and Mrs. Smith on page 9 was especially inspiring and captured so beautifully! I am writing to inquire if you would be interested in featuring the kitchen of our latest fixer upper – the French Country Cottage…

Do you see the difference? The first one keeps the focus on me while the second one keeps it centered on the magazine and what THEY are doing well.

Above all else maintain authenticity. If you cannot stand the kitchen of Mr. and Mrs. Smith, then do not say you love it.

Period.

There is too much “fake it till you make it” in this world, and I firmly believe staying honest and genuine even in the little things will always yield better results in the end.

A lesson I have learned over the years is the importance of communicating with confident grace.

Meaning I have no doubt that my work is good enough to be in a magazine as are many others, therefore, I also recognize that it would be an incredible honor to be part of one.

The key is learning to confidently but graciously communicate your position.

#3. Magazines prefer but do not necessarily require brand new content.

I understand that it is preferable to have unseen pictures or fresh content, but it really depends on the needs and requirements of the magazine and what gaps they may have in their content.

I am sharing with you in real time how I have interpreted and implemented the advice I was given, but let me take this moment to humbly remind you that I JUST submitted my 4 pitches to 4 different magazines for the first time ever 2 days ago, so I am making it up (I mean figuring it out, ha) as I go and am bringing you along!

How To Get Featured In A Magazine

#4. Submit your pitch.

I mentioned above how I found the right contact and how I framed my email.

I submitted my photos on a Google drive link and labeled each with a short descriptor.

For example.

Family Room 1 – Antique Fireplace Mantel and Reclaimed Mortar Washed Brick Surround.

Family Room 2 – Tufted Leather Ottoman and Game Table From Theodore Alexander

I ended by letting them know that I would be happy to elaborate further on any of the photos if they were interested.

An important note about your email is to be sure that your email signature includes easy contact information. Make sure there are simple ways for them to click through to your blog, social or website.

Here is what mine looks like. Nothing fancy, but it works and represents my brand. Each image is hyperlinked to the related platform.

How To Get Featured In A Magazine

#5. Follow up

Here is the fun part because I have no idea what I am doing. Haha. In case you missed this, I have never done this before, and I have only just submitted my pitches as of several days ago.

Two things to note here.

If I do not hear from a magazine I will certainly follow up with them in a couple of weeks, but another important follow-up is if and when a magazine responds thanking me for my pitch but informing me they do not need or want my content this time.

Basically my pitch is rejected.

I feel that this part of ANY journey to reaching a goal is where people succeed or fail in the end.

I have NOT FAILED if my pitch is rejected, but I WILL FAIL if I stop there.

If and WHEN this happens I will thank them for their response, and I will ask if there are other content ideas that I could possibly contribute to. I will ask if they would be kind enough to give me feedback on what they saw and how I could improve in the future as I truly value their insight.

Maybe they will respond maybe they won’t, but the idea is that in the end, I will be more knowledgeable and more likely to succeed with my pitch the next time.

A quick love note from me to YOU, my sweet readers.

Rejection is not failure. It is an opportunity to learn, and in this case, I would be more surprised if one of my pitches is accepted, than if it is declined.

BUT if I ever want to be featured in a magazine then the only way to make that happen is to try and learn as I go.

I love bringing you all into the journey at this stage because I bet there are many of you who have a goal or a dream and still haven’t pursued it because you are afraid of failure.

I have a thought for you.

Write this down.

Are you ready?

GET. OVER. IT.

Seriously. Get over the idea that you need to be perfect and that somehow you are to magically get everything right on the first shot. Or even the second. Or the third.

“Perfection is the enemy of progress.” ~ Winston Churchill

Allow yourself to make mistakes, but then own the learning process, slay the excuses, and do better next time.

Ok? Virtual high fives all around.

We’ve got this!!

I will keep you updated on my magazine journey, and I would love to hear ANY experiences you have had or pointers I could learn from you!

UPDATE:

In exciting news, this Christmas photoshoot will in fact be featured in ONE magazine two times! Woohoo!

American Farmhouse Style Magazine (sister magazine to Cottages & Bungalows) is featuring my Christmas home tour in an online article and a DIY project in their printed Christmas issue.

So fun! If you dream of being in a magazine go for it!! You never know until you try!

Pin any of the images below for later, and shop my house.

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