Show the World Your Style - Tips for getting your real weddings published
By Allison Kline, ABC™, sash&bow, Green Bay, Wis.
Working hard for our clients is the best feeling—making their vision and plans come to life is a thrill. Getting an amazing, handwritten thank-you note and top-notch review is the icing on the cake. But is that the end?
It doesn’t have to be. Your hard work can continue to inspire brides and other planners via wedding blogs and publications. Seeing your work in publication and repined on Pinterest gives a sense of pride and accomplishment. It also separates you from the competition.
It’s worthwhile, but not easy
Submitting weddings for publication can be a tedious process, and you don’t always get the seal of approval on your first attempts. Editors need to see something different, something unique for their readers. They want images to pop and be of the highest photographic quality. Tonya Shadoan of Circle City Planners in Indianapolis has been published multiple times and says, “having professional photographers showcasing something unusual is the most important element when it comes to being selected.”
Getting started begins when a new client comes to you and puts their dreams in the palm of your hand. “Bring in your ‘dream team’ of vendors from the start,” says Shadoan. From the start, think of designing this wedding to showcase in a wedding blog in which you have always wanted to be featured, and book the venue and the vendors.
Know your style
Submit weddings that represent your company’s style and feature the type of work you want to do in the future. The Internet is a lasting presence. Brides will be seeing blog postings for years to come. “I had a wedding that was featured years ago,” says Shadoan. “I still get calls about that wedding. It was the first wedding on the canal in Indianapolis.”
Also, be sure to submit your real weddings to the publications and blogs that best reflect your style of work. Show them you can do something different. “Be relevant, interesting, but not too edgy. The average reader is looking for something that feels conformable and do-able, but has a unique twist. This way, they will feel inspired to make the idea their own,” says Emily McCollin of Occasions by Emily in Ashville, N.C.
Follow these helpful tips
When submitting real weddings for publication in print or on blogs, in addition to knowing your style and having an eye for selecting the right type of wedding to submit, you must:
• Make sure to read all the requirements before submitting.
• Work closely with a professional photographer to get the right amount and type of images to submit. Image requirements range anywhere from 15– 60 images, with some blogs wanting as many as 90.
• Have or own the rights to all images you submit.
• Not send hi-resolution images, unless the blog or publication requests these up front as they can clog inboxes and overwhelm servers or a computer’s hard drive storage capabilities causing more ill will than goodwill.
• Have the necessary release authorization from your client for the wedding to be published.
• Not submit images that may run in your advertisement in the publication.
• Not submit the same wedding to more than one blog at a time. Start with your first choice for publication, and wait for a denial before moving on to the next. Most blogs do not republish.
• Tell the story of the day in a meaningful, emotive, and well-written manner. What was it about the day that made it so special?
• Be sure to have someone else review the story for grammar and punctuation errors prior to submission. Although the publication or blog will likely do its own edits on your work, poorly crafted work will leave a poor impression and mean your work settles to the bottom of the submission pile.
• Include all details from the wedding—including locations, all vendors, unique touches—in your submission.
• Explain what makes this wedding stand apart from others of similar budget. What were the unique features? What made the difference?
• Submit in the same season in which you want to be published. For example, don’t submit a winter wedding in the spring for a blog. For print publications, the lead-time will be longer. Check the requirements.
• Remember that the wedding you submit will be in publication for years, whether in print or online. In the end, it is a reflection of your work and style, so make the right impression with your wedding selection.
Why bother getting published?
If you aren’t concerned with the publicity or don’t see the value in submitting your work to wedding blogs, consider the impact. Real wedding submissions not only enhance your reputation in the market, but their appearance online will enhance your Search Engine Optimization so your company gets closer to the front of the line for those searching for wedding planners in your area.
Don’t have a wedding yet?
If you are newer to the world of weddings and don’t have a real wedding to submit, you could work with a team of quality vendors and a professional photographer on a styled photoshoot and submit images of that. Be sure to show new and trendy ideas and products. Blogs post more than just weddings, and they are always looking for new ideas.
No matter what type of publication or blog you are looking to submit to, remember, that what you submit is how you will be seen. It’s the face you show the world. Highlight your features. Show your best side. Let the world know why your work is special.
