Wedding PR Tips 101: Want Press? Don’t Release Your Wedding Images Prematurely

 

il_430xN.84141165In an industry that capitalizes on the importance of the little details, it can be challenging to take a step back and see the bigger picture. What are your goals for your business? Are you getting any closer to bringing them to fruition? Allow me to offer some helpful wedding PR tips in regards to what I get the most inquiries about: getting Press. This will not be a step by step explanation about how to submit your work and to whom, what I would like to share today is how to quickly not be considered for online and print press.

Magazines and high traffic wedding blogs want to feature new and fresh content. They do not want their readers opening their magazines or going to their blogs/websites only to find images they have already seen and notice articles they have already read. Most savvy, popular bloggers know what their peers are featuring and most of the editors I work with are always looking at blogs for content and new vendor inspirations too. Recently I called the editor-in-chief of a well known national publication to ask her if she knew that a recent wedding they had featured had been all over the wedding blogs about 6 months prior. The reaction: pure shock!We agreed that it made it near impossible to provide a unique product and service that makes them the best at what they do if they are using content vendors are submitting that has already been seen. If you want your work featured in a magazine, do not even think about blogging it or giving the images out. I write this from the perspective of how its going to affect YOU- the photographer and YOU the planner/designer who worked so hard on this. I have had national magazines drop consideration for my clients’ work because the photographer gave them to an online outlet and they saw it before I could do damage control! Maybe you think that if you do not have a high traffic site, it will be ok. Nope, wrong again. What has a tendency to happen is one of those blogs with a strong following, may blog the photos you release on your personal blog or website and then the magazine staff who scours all the blogs will see your images and  will no longer consider your work for a spread. May I add as well…more power to those bloggers who grab the content from their favorite vendor websites and blogs- they are wise and know where to find the amazing content that makes them so unique. They know what they are doing and they do it well- now its your turn to have your wits about you and make your marketing and media choices wisely.

You may be dying to show everyone what a cool shoot you just wrapped, or your last amazing wedding but if you want media outlets to even consider you, hold your horses! This doesn’t just limit you in blogging. Do not twitpic or tweet the specifics of what you are putting together either. I have seriously gotten frantic calls from editors about tweeted images that are slated to soon appear in their magazines AND please don’t put them on your personal website until the images have been released online or in print. Remember patience is a virtue, and in the case of sharing magazine and online bound work, a necessity! Image from the fabulous Paloma’s Nest…I am obsessed. can you tell? only used her images 3 weeks in a row!

 xo, Leila Lewis, Wedding PR

0 responses to “Wedding PR Tips 101: Want Press? Don’t Release Your Wedding Images Prematurely

  1. Don’t put it on my blog? Don’t send it to the wedding/bridal blogs? Love everything you do, Leila, but now you’ve got me all confused. 🙂 Maybe just hold back the super-killer-definitely-magazine-worthy ones? And then figure out a way to explain to my brides why they never made it to my blog… ‘Because you’re TOO awesome!’ 🙂

  2. jared…your work is great! dont stress .. but essentially YES that is what i am saying! brides will make your blog (eventually) if you want to make it in print then do so as follows. Ive run into it a ton! I promise not to lead you all in the wrong direction. The online media world is really evolving. Its going to be a whole new animal in the next 6-12 months.

  3. This is such good advice. I totally understand why a magazine wouldn’t want to feature something that has already been featured on a blog or elsewhere. Why would someone want to see something they have already seen somewhere else? Thanks for the great post.

  4. Makes sense. It’s probably better to wait on the print press because the popular blogs update so frequently that your featue doesn’t stay on top for long. Good advice as always – thanks.

  5. Great advice! I heard you say this at the We Wed Brunch in Florida, and the following weekend I completely a fabulous wedding. The first thing I did after the wedding (figuratively speaking) was have a one-to-one with the photographer regarding release and distribution of the images. So glad that I followed your advice & took the time to do this because a few of the vendors called the photographer directly to request images; he told them his hands were tied.

    Only problem is, now I have my exclusive images, but I’m not sure where or to whom to send them…?

  6. this is wonderful!! so glad you blogged about this. as an owner of a state wide wedding magazine, we are running in to this very same issue. the photographers are eager to get their work out there, but that means it’s harder for us to find those fabulous never seen before weddings. thanks for posting!

  7. Leila, I understand what you’re saying here, but it’s really difficult advice for us boutique-businesses to follow: we don’t DO a massive number events, but at the same time, we need to be showing off our work. And turn-around times for magazine publications are pretty monstrous. I’ve seen vendor blogs give little “previews” with photos from an event without sharing the big picture- is that okay? Or is it really necessary not to release anything at all if I’m trying to get an event published in print?

  8. Leila, great advice! I’m wondering if you would address this related issue — should we submit to high-profile blogs, or hold out for magazine publication? It’s conceivable that more people read blogs, than read wedding magazines these days, at least that’s what I have found with my own brides.

  9. i just think your so fabulous to be sharing such valuable information with your blog readers. i agree with previous comments about how it is hard to wait to put up your work on your blog or website because you want to show it off to potential brides, but that is the sacrifice you make. i am willing to hold off on an incredible shoot or wedding so it get’s published! it is well worth the wait!!! xoxo

  10. Leila, this is such an enlightening article for me since all I’ve been doing is updating my site to include stuff that could get published. You know, this all makes sense now. Thanks so much! -Danny

  11. Hi Lelia,

    One of my friends passed along the link to your blog, and as a young PR professional, I find it fascinating. This particular post caught my eye because I currently work in the film industry, which makes getting publicity a tricky sport based on strategy and numbers. Many factors go into deciding which sites, TV spots, or events will be the first to get certain assets.

    One thing I’ve learned in my short career is that the content creator should have a very specific goal for each asset. Is it to get eyeballs and raise awareness? Is it to position yourself in a certain way? Is it to drive potential customers to your website, and, eventually your front door? Is it to spark a viral movement online (post on one site, have that link picked up and disseminated across other sites). Etc. Once the MAIN goal is determined, it’s easier to decide if going to online, print, live, or televised media is the best decision to make.

    Thanks for your valuable insight! I’m looking forward to learning more from you in the future.

    All the best,
    Meg

  12. This is soooo hard for me because I hold weddings until we send stuff out but then no one ever gives us a yes or no so I’m never sure when I’m free to post my own images. It’s so maddening. I wait and wait and hear nothing yes or no and then randomly one day I’ll see a prominent blog finally post the images even though they never told me they were going to. It’s really frustrating for a business owner who is trying to stay organized. :/

    Ok… enough complaining (can you tell this has been frustrating me lately?) I love the blog. And I’m dying to work with you. *Keeping my fingers crossed for openings in your calendar*

    😉

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