How To Get Featured In a Home Magazine (Or on a Home Website)

A spread from an article I wrote for Modern Luxury Interiors featuring designer Summer Thornton

I’ve been a magazine editor for home publications since 2012, and one of the questions I get asked often, by both homeowners and interior designers, is how do I get a home featured in a magazine, or on a magazine website?

Often times, people think they need a publicist or a special connection in order to get their work featured in a magazine. And, while these things can help, they don’t necessarily help, and you can certainly get published without either. At the same time, there are certain things you will almost always need in order to get published, as well as some tried-and-true methods for getting your work in front of the right people.

So, here’s a rundown of everything you need to know, literally, in order to get a home published in a magazine.

How to get a home published in a magazine

Reach out to freelance writers

Most magazines, especially nowadays, rely heavily on freelance writers for their content. These writers often times will pitch story ideas, including house tours, to magazine editors, so sending your images to a writer can be a short-cut to reaching top editors. To get to the writers, just look for bylines in your favorite publications and Google their names, most writers have their own website with contact info.

Look at the masthead

Alternately, you can also submit your images directly to editors. who you can find by simply looking at a publication’s masthead (or the about page, if it’s a website). Home editors (especially digital home editors) are always, always looking for good photos to use for various stories. That said ….

Offer your advice, not just your photos

Web editors are charged with publishing not just house tours, but advice and ideas content. The kind of articles like “75 White Living Room Ideas That Are So Serene,” and “How to Decorate in English Cottage Style,” and. “Small Kitchen Layout Ideas.” For these articles, writers and editors need both expert advice and photos. So, you can always send an email with your photos, as well as a few ideas for related advice you can offer.

An example would be submitting 10 of your favorite bathroom images from your portfolio, and a note that you are available to share your expertise on top bathroom trends, bathroom layout ideas, bathroom design mistakes, or how to make the most out of a small bathroom. Even if an editor doesn’t have a fit for it right away, they will often save those emails for the next time they are assigning a relevant story and need a source.

Have (and submit) professional, professionally styled, photos

Years and years ago, when magazine budgets were huge, designers could get away with submitting “scouting shots” to magazines. These were snapshots often taken by a designer or homeowner that showed the gist of the project. Then, a magazine would review the photos and if they decided to go forward with a project, they would send out a photographer and stylist to photograph the space. The happens very rarely these days, except in the cases of the very big titles that still have photography budgets, like Architectural Digest or Elle Decor.

The rest of the magazines, and almost all of the home-decor websites use the photos you submit. So, they need to be good quality.

Bonus tip? If you use a reputable photographer, they often have their own connections with magazines and may be able to help you land a connection.

Start with a local titles first

If your goal is to get an entire house tour published by a top magazine, but you’ve never been published, start with a local magazine first. These titles are usually more open to lesser-known designers and architects. Once you can show the larger publications some examples of where else you’ve been published, you’re more likely to get their attention.

How magazines decide what gets published

Most print magazines have a rubric, or at least a set of guidelines, they follow when they’re choosing the projects they feature. The goal is to make sure they have projects that offer enough variety, while still fitting within their brand guidelines.

When I worked at New England Home, we liked to make sure that all of our homes weren’t from the same couple of states, and that we featured a range of architectural and design styles. We also liked to make sure that the projects felt seasonal, and that we didn’t feature the same designer, builder or architect too often in a single year.

At Homes & Gardens, we liked to choose at least one international project, and any home we featured had to feel layered and collected, regardless of the design style. There was also an emphasis on color and maximalism.

If you’re trying to figure out where to pitch your work, take a look at a few issues of the magazine you’re interested in to get a feel for the mix of locations, aesthetics, and professionals they feature in each issue.

So there you have it! I hope those tips help, and if you have any specific questions, feel free to reach out to me at kaitlin@kaitlinmadden.com.

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