Pitching to magazines...

[Jackson Pennell]

What would you guys say is the best way to "pitch" or "sell" a shoot to a magazine to be published.

I have a shoot that I really want to get published and the owner really wants it as well, what would you recommend I do to capture the editors attention so they pick the car?

[Jacob Leveton]

hae you worked for them before? or any magazine?

if you've never been published, i think the approach is very different than if you have done published work.

[Jackson Pennell]

I've been published in Eurotuner this month.

[Jacob Leveton]

I've been published in Eurotuner this month.

If it's another primedia magazine, then it should be easy. Just send them photos, tell them that you're in ET, and use Greg as a reference.

[John Jovic]

I have a shoot that I really want to get published and the owner really wants it as well, what would you recommend I do to capture the editors attention so they pick the car?

If you've already shot the car then maybe you can send the editor 'contact sheets' (from photoshop or similar) so that they can see what they will be get. If they are happy with the job then you wont have a problem.

On the other hand, I don't really think there is anything you can do to 'sell' a car that the editor isn't interested in, outside of providing stunning and original images which might 'carry' an otherwise ordinary car. Good luck with that.

I think that the most important thing that you can do is to actually pick up a telephone and actually speak with the editor, after emailing them. The reason I think this is so important is because we are all busy, none more so than most editors. If I were an editor, very busy, receiving all kinds of emails from all over the place, and I received an email about a prospect from someone I've never heard of then I would promptly ignore it. It's unsolicited and therfore technically SPAM. To get yourself some email attention you should cement your identity and integrity with a telephone call. It seems to make the world of difference.

How old school, actually talking with people...

JJ

[Phil Royle]

Send a very short email with a pitch and thumbnail images and follow up with a phone call. Editors don't particularly care if you've shot for Automobile, Motor Trend, and Evo, if the work you're submitting sucks, and you have a horrible attitude on the phone, then they won't work with you. It's that simple.

Also, keep in mind the magazine's content. Does the feature you're pitching legitimately fit with that magazine? If not, pitch it to a publication that it fits nicely in.

[Jackson Pennell]

thanks for the help everyone, never thought of a followup call but thats awesome advice, just like a job interview, which it kind of is! hah thanks!

[Daniel Buck]

hm... sounds like good advice, the phone call! I managed to get in-touch with the editor of Hot-Rod via email a few years back, I probably should have given him a call after :-( I'll try again someday maybe!

[Mike Ditz]

Send a very short email with a pitch and thumbnail images and follow up with a phone call. Editors don't particularly care if you've shot for Automobile, Motor Trend, and Evo, if the work you're submitting sucks, and you have a horrible attitude on the phone, then they won't work with you. It's that simple.


Some editors DO care who you have shot for in the past, it can give you some street cred. A lot of editors are not real keen on taking risks so if someone else has hired you in the past, it's a good sign as they won't be the first. And if it's a mag that is "higher on the scale" one that the editor /AD respects, it helps.

And what about if the work that you are submitting doesn't suck, and your attitude on the phone is not horrible, what then? It's not as simple as you make it out to be. There are many variables to take into consideration just like any job. A lot of it is a matter of timing, being in the right place at the right time with the right thing they want. Pitching "Speedy Asian Tuner with Hot Babes Monthly" shots of a slammed '52 Ford Merc ain't gonna fly.

[John Thawley]

Send a very short email with a pitch and thumbnail images and follow up with a phone call. Editors don't particularly care if you've shot for Automobile, Motor Trend, and Evo, if the work you're submitting sucks, and you have a horrible attitude on the phone, then they won't work with you. It's that simple.

Also, keep in mind the magazine's content. Does the feature you're pitching legitimately fit with that magazine? If not, pitch it to a publication that it fits nicely in.


I like this approach. And, I think you're right... who you've shot for is not a "shoe-in." Personally, I think editors like to have their own discoveries.

Good advice, Phil.

[Phil Royle]

Some editors DO care who you have shot for in the past, it can give you some street cred. A lot of editors are not real keen on taking risks so if someone else has hired you in the past, it's a good sign as they won't be the first. And if it's a mag that is "higher on the scale" one that the editor /AD respects, it helps.

And what about if the work that you are submitting doesn't suck, and your attitude on the phone is not horrible, what then? It's not as simple as you make it out to be. There are many variables to take into consideration just like any job. A lot of it is a matter of timing, being in the right place at the right time with the right thing they want. Pitching "Speedy Asian Tuner with Hot Babes Monthly" shots of a slammed '52 Ford Merc ain't gonna fly.

My advice is aimed toward photographers trying to get published for the first time in a "small" (used as a relative term) publication, not Motor Trend. If you wanna shoot for the big boys, you need experience (there are exceptions). Beginners should be realistic with where will publish their work. Sure, if you're good enough (or you're in the right place at the right time) you could jump straight into the big league, but more often than not it takes time and persistence, and at that point you need to be consistant, reliable, nice, and good (in that order). If you start with the magazines that don't pay that much, their standards will be lower and you can get your break there. This is true with any job in any profession. You start with an easy job and work your way up.

I think a lot of people are so scared to actually talk to an editor that they never even begin the process. Unless you have a relationship with the editor, an email is never good enough.

[Michael Duval]

Phil is right. Developing relationships with editors is the most important part. I got my first gig by politely asking if I could do photography during a cruise that was sponsored by a magazine. Later on that day, I saw one of the magazine guys carrying around a 300mm or 400mm lens during the car show and I remarked that the lens might be overkill. "What are you shooting with that thing? Valve Stems?" or somehing to that nature. The reply was that it just looked cool to the chicks. And so a magazine relationship was born. After that, my work had to deliver, and I had to take it the extra step from just doing small show coverage, to pitching a unique feature.

-Mike