Submitted by Peggy Li on | 0 Comments
I’m always on the lookout for a unique opportunity to promote my jewelry, Peggy Li Creations, and last year I set my sights on the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition. You might think, “well, it’s just bathing suits” but it really is more than that. SI Swim is a yearly event with some of the hottest supermodels and, even better, they accessorize with those bathing suits, usually in dainty, delicate jewelry, which is my look. So I felt like I already had a good fit with the aesthetic of the issue, which in my mind, gives me a better chance of being noticed by the editors. I also already knew from looking at previous issues that they use designers of all sizes (not just big fashion brands), so I suspected they were open to any pitch.
The next step was to find a contact to pitch to! I Googled for “Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Editor”, the SI masthead, and visited the SI.com website looking for contact information and an editorial calendar for info. Even though the issue releases in February each year, they take almost an entire YEAR to create the issue. This meant pitching in April/May. When I got a name, MJ Day, I immediately looked for her LinkedIn profile and other social media handles, like her Twitter @MJ_Day. In her Tweet history were mentions of SI Swim, so I knew I was in the right place! I don’t quite remember the sequence of events here, but I would guess I tweeted to her first, then connected over LinkedIn.
I didn’t turn up a direct email, however. So more sleuthing was required – I scouted the SI website and the profiles of other SI writers (on Twitter, on LinkedIn) to see what the email conventions were. I could have also contacted her via LinkedIn, but I preferred being able to send an email. After scouting Sports Illustrated info, I pieced together what the email address would likely be and crafted my pitch. I also submitted my pitch to the Tin Shingle Pitch Whisperer Program for an additional polish (for tips, visit the Tin Shingle guide on How to Pitch the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition by Sabina.
I sent the email and almost immediately received an email from an editorial assistant for additional contact information. About a month later, the magazine sent out a “cattle call” email, an email request for items with information about the theme of the shoot. It’s a huge issue that shoots throughout the summer, so there were at least 2-3 shoots available to submit product to. Timeliness in sending samples I always think is an edge, so I did my best to turn around product within a day or two to the appropriate shoots, following the instructions in the email. I also followed up at various times during the summer (with no response), but I suspected that was no reason to panic. It was in January I received an email request for credit information, which is always a good sign that product has been shot/used, but even a credit request is no guarantee the images will appear in the final print. So it was with my fingers crossed I picked up an issue the day it hit the newsstands!
In the meantime, back in May, MJ Day herself Tweeted an all-call for items in her Twitter feed (you can see this in the Tin Shingle article) with a specific email for submissions! So there was a way to pitch to the issue without a ton of sleuthing work required.
The SI Swim 2014 edition turned out to be their 50th anniversary issue, which was amazing because they put a ton of PR resources behind the launch of the magazine. SI (and sports in general) are also working very hard to use current social media, so there was lots of activity on Twitter, Instagram and dedicated apps for the magazine issue. While the editors have not responded in social media to my shout-outs (it is perhaps too well-oiled of a machine for that and is more about the girls than the goods), which is a shame because I’d love to build those relationships, it certainly was a thrill to be a part of!
