Today we are going to talk all about how to get featured in Grazia magazine.
Grazia is a unique magazine as it’s almost a blend between a newspaper and a magazine and there are no other magazines out there that have really rivalled it in that position.
The editor is called Hattie Brett and she recently shared how Grazia pivoted (like many businesses!) during Lockdown 1.0. Grazia went from a weekly publication to fortnightly during lockdown. As a glossy magazine published every two weeks, the team was able to cover a lot of the changes that were happening during that time. They covered a lot of topics around how their readers’ lives were changed, fitness in lockdown, mental health challenges, interiors (since the whole world decided to decorate at the same time!). They were really reflecting in real time what was going on in the world which is quite a unique approach versus other women’s magazines.
This blog post will cover:
- Who is the ‘Grazia woman?’ – so you can tailor your pitch perfectly
- The deadlines Grazia works to (so you can pitch them at the right time)
- The different sections of Grazia Magazine (that you can pitch for)
So let’s dive into what Grazia is all about!
Who is the Grazia woman?
It’s always best to start with the target audience of any publication or programme so you can check it’s a good fit for your brand and also increase your chances of getting featured.
The Grazia woman is an urban ABC1 woman, who is smart, savvy and switched on and looks to Grazia for advice and guidance. She is fashion and beauty obsessed and fashion is a massive part of the reader’s identity. She is a careerist, her job is important but she wants to be a good partner & good friend. She is engaged in politics but can feel disillusioned with what is going on.
What are their deadlines?
As they are a fortnightly magazine, they have much shorter deadlines than you would have on the traditional glossy monthly consumer magazines. Particularly the news pages which have a 1 week turnaround or even up until the day of print. Press days (when the magazine is finalised and sent to print) are Thursday and Friday every fortnight.
They meet every morning between 10-11 for their editorial meeting. So if you want to pitch to Grazia the best time to do it is before 10am as that is when they are looking for ideas to take into the daily conference.
What Section Do They Have/Topics Do They Cover?
Grazia has quite a small team which is good for those of us wanting to find out who to contact for certain opportunities! Check out the front of the magazine for all the key contacts.
- 10 Hot Stories – these tend to be news and celebrity related stories that are hot right now. It covers a wide range of topics but is all driven by the news agenda which is very topical and timely. These are commissioned on a Monday for the following Tuesday. The editor to contact would be the editor relevant to the topic of the story (i.e beauty would go to the beauty editor).
- Fashion – this is a huge part of the magazine. They are always looking for independent designers and makers of fashion items (including jewellery) as this is what their reader loves!
- Features
- Things You Only Know If – this is in every edition and is a real life story that the reader will relate to, written in the first person and tend to be hard hitting personal stories. (It can be anonymous but isn’t always.)
- Life Skills – this is an opportunity for experts to share their skills. Covers anything from DIY, finances, life admin, parenting, environmental, digital and are generally written by people who have written a book. **They are looking for more pitches on parenting experts or parenting related stories.**
- Lifestyle – their intention with this section is to prepare their readers for what is to come, including any calendar events or lifestyle shifts (COVID friendly right now). Think interiors, fitness, wellness, beauty and travel.
They also do themed features:
- Luxury gifting
- 1st Dec – party issue
- 13th Dec – review of the year (can’t wait for that one this year!)
- 29th Dec – wellness
So Now What? How Do I Get Featured?
- Review the sections within the magazine and see where you fit in order to pitch
- Take note of who writes the section you’re pitching for so you can pitch to the right person.
- Short, succinct emails are the best way to pitch to the magazine. If you attended my media bio masterclass and took action, you will have been through the process of doing the thinking behind your media bio, sharing your expertise and nailing your story which will make your emails super succinct and to the point for the pitch. Here’s the link to the Media Bio Masterclass: https://www.facebook.com/caroline.joynson/videos/10158988395140016
- Make sure you pitch for a page or a section you know exists! This is why it is so important to do your research on the publication before you contact them.
- Always include an image, preferably embedded into the email (<1MB in size for a single image and up three images max.)
Always get used to each publication’s website and magazine and be aware of what opportunities there are there for you and your business.
Good luck pitching!
Let me know if you have any questions in the comments below.
You can catch the video replay now:
https://www.facebook.com/CheerleaderPR/videos/332765577847635/?v=332765577847635
Want to have your all-important PR plan nailed for 2021? So you can get prepared to pitch for magazines like Grazia in good time – at the right time. I’m hosting an all-day online planning workshop on Tuesday 24th November. We’ll work through the PR planning process in real time – using the exact PR planning tools I use with my clients.
By the end of the workshop – you’ll know what deadlines the media work to; how journalists and content creators plan their on-diary stories (that happen regardless of Covid); have a raft of key hooks and angles to use in your pitches AND have your PR plan for 2021 nailed (which you can use year-on-year).
Here’s the link for more information: https://tinyurl.com/PRPlanned20212
