I have been very fortunate over the past 4 years to have all my styled shoots featured in various magazines and blogs including Modern Wedding, The Lane, Hello May and White Magazine. During this process of getting work featured I have learnt so much and I hope some of the below tips might help others looking at the best ways to get their work featured online or in print.
Firstly if you are planning a styled shoot you need to make sure it is very well planned. Consider doing something a little unique but with on trend details. I would also suggest getting lots of vendors on board – the more vendors you have the most exposure your shoot will gain.
Make sure to research the type of shoots/weddings that the magazines and blogs you plan to target typically feature. For example does your favourite wedding magazine feature more on trend modern shoots or do they have a different look to their magazine. Think about the types of shoots they feature and then make sure the style of the shoot you are planning matches up with this. Next you need to do some research into the submission guidelines for the magazine or blog you plan to target. You will often find submission guidelines on their website. Submission guidelines will cover things like the types of photos they look for, file sizes required, quantity of images you will need to submit etc.
Here is a little tip – if you use vendors in your shoot that advertise with the particular magazine or blog you are targeting then it is far more likely you will have your work featured. Magazines especially really favour their advertisers.
When you have submitted a styled shoot or wedding to one of the magazines/blogs it can often take 2-3 months to hear back if they will feature your work. In the mean time you need to make sure not to post the photos anywhere else. All of the blogs/magazines will want to feature the images exclusively and it wont be until after they have featured the shoot that you can then start to use the images elsewhere.
It can be a very long process from when your images are sent off to when they are actually featured. Sometimes you can expect to wait 6-9 months until they actually appear in print or online. Don’t be disheartened if the magazine/blog you approach first doesn’t want to use the images, there could be various reasons for this so make sure to have a plan B for where you can send the images.
