Landing on the cover of a magazine published by your trade association or professional interest group is a coup!
Not because your peers are potential customers, but because it gives you enormous credibility in the eyes of people inside as well as outside your industry.
If you’re itching to get onto the cover, Kirstin Carey shared some advice several years ago that’s as relevant today as it was then.
She was the chair of the editorial advisory board of Speaker magazine, published by the National Speakers Association, one of my professional trade groups.
In the March 2009 issue, Kirstin explained that one of the most frequent questions speakers ask her is how they can get onto the cover of the magazine.
The editorial committee chooses every cover story based on a suggestion from someone on their committee, or a topic or story they thought would be relevant to readers.
The March issue, for example, featured Gerard Braud, who Kirstein met at Camp NSA, a three-day event for all chapter and international chapter presidents-elect.
“I learned that Gerard had been seriously ill and how it impacted his business,” she wrote. “So when it was time to select a cover story about preparing in the event of an unforeseen tragedy, Gerard’s experience immediately came to mind,” she said. “This illustrates how connecting with other members can lead to a cover story.”
In other words, connect with the editorial decision-makers long before you want to grace the cover.
“It’s not what you know; it’s who knows you,” Kirstin says.
Here are three more tips for Publicity Hounds who want cover stories in magazines:
—When pitching a story, never suggest that it would make a great cover story for the magazine. That’s pretentious, and it’s the quickest way to turn off an editor. Featuring you on the cover has to be their idea.
—Be aware of special sections that will be featured in the magazine by referring to the publication’s editorial calendar, the January-to-December listing of all special sections and topics. Editorial calendars exist primarily for advertisers, but they’re road maps for Publicity Hounds because they give you a heads-up months before editors even start planning the section. That means you can pitch early.
—Pitch a great story.
—Find out who edits the magazine. If you’re well-connected in
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