Pitching an Editor
Social media has made promoting ourselves and our work a little easier, but it can still feel awkward reaching out to an editor at a media outlet to pitch yourself as a story. Though marketing yourself is a learning curve for everyone (shameless plug: It’s just one reason why I created my class, Catching the Editor’s Eye), the question I usually get asked is what makes one designer’s story more interesting than another’s? When I pitch a designer profile to any publication, I’m looking for three things: An interesting story arc, how they are trying to fill a need in the market, and timing.
The arc of the designer’s story – how they came to fashion, why they decided to launch a brand, and how they are growing it - are crucial aspects of a designer profile for me, because it’s the key to making the individual interesting to an audience. For example, this month in Denver Life Magazine, I wrote a profile about Erika Dalya Massaquoi and her brand The OULA Company. I first met Erika over a year ago and from the beginning, what really struck me most about her story after several conversations was her breadth of knowledge and experience from working as a museum curator and fashion educator to launching her own fashion company. Despite her impressive background, it has still been a challenge for her to launch and grow OULA and this ended up being a main point in my story: Growing a ready-to-wear brand is tough work even for people with lots of industry contacts and who are considered fashion insiders.
Launching a fashion brand today in an over-saturated market makes it difficult to offer an audience something new. But as an editor, new is something I’m looking for in a designer. So, whether it’s an original design point of view, a new way of working with traditional fabrics or introducing a new business concept to the market, I’m always looking for the unique aspects of a brand to write about. Going back to Erika, the core of her brand is working with African wax fabric and creating size-inclusive silhouettes based on vintage 1970s looks. That’s a lot of content for a writer to dig into, from the history of the fabric to her design inspiration. It’s not just writing about a brand, so an audience becomes familiar with the name, but informing them of why the designer’s concept is fresh and relevant to fashion today.
Finally, there’s the timing of the story. Denver Life’s September issue is usually dedicated to culture and the arts, so it made sense to pitch them a designer profile. But because Erika has an extensive background in art and as a creative, it made her a perfect fit for this issue. But again, it took a year of trying to find a way to work Erika’s story into Denver Life’s editorial lineup.
So, for every designer out there wondering why they are not getting covered when pitching themselves to media outlets, look at how you are telling your own story, if you are speaking to your own unique qualities or business elements, and if you are pitching your story at the right time for the outlet. Reviewing all these elements are crucial to successfully reaching out to any media outlet or journalist. Happy pitching!
Erika Dalya Massaquoi of The OULA Company image courtesy of Denver Life Magazine / photography by Paul Miller
