The Hearst Editors Talk

The Hearst Editors Talk; an event where editors of various magazines come together to offer advice, tips and dish out the "inside gossip" of life in the magazine industry. And what a wonderful evening it was! As Public Relations students, we felt that this event was extremely relevant to our course, a chance to interact with such influential people who deal and work within the "zine" industry. 

The event took place on Monday 4th Nov in the Millennium Mayfair Hotel, a beautiful and elegant building just around the corner from Oxford Street. Four of my favourite PR girls attended the Editors Talk with me and we had such a lovely time. Most likely helped by the warming welcome we received by the Millennium Mayfair Hotel who kept the champagne flowing and canapés circling.

Once everyone had had their fair share of champerz and nibbles, we were invited into the main room of which we were greeted by a bag full of lovely freebies for everyone to take away! The room was quickly filled by hundreds of aspiring women and men ready to listen and interact with the editors (Louise Court from Cosmopolitan, Victoria White from Company Magazine, Sarah Bailey from Red, Mandie Gower from Zest and David Moynihan from Digital Spy.) 

Throughout the Talk various questions were raised and answered. Flowing from topic to topic: the use of social media, branding, new technologies, brand consistency, blogging etc.  All topics of conversation were extremely interesting but, for me, the impact of new technologies and social media on the magazine industry were intriguing. I didn't realise how constantly moving and evolving the industry was!  The constant flow of communication that magazines have to deal with is a continuous "24/7 job." It got me thinking... Could I handle working in that way? The amount of platforms that a magazine communicates through has grown over the years, from Twitter to Facebook to blogging. It is all extremely fast paced!

A question was raised regarding the Public Relations sector: "How should we pitch to a magazine company?" Here are a few things that the experts replied:

- Make sure you direct your pitch to the right member of the team; don't email the editor and expect a reply. 

- Do your research. There is no point in pitching to a magazine something that does not correspond to its style, tone or appeal to its audience.

- Sarah Bailey commented in how you have to "make yourself irresistible." 

-"The best features come out of relationships..." Pretty self-explanatory. Build and maintain good relationships, gain their trust.

All the words of wisdom were inspirational. I can only dream of working alongside these individuals one day... A girl can dream! I could go on writing and writing about the evening. I have a notebook full of notes and quotes that I scribbled down throughout the Talk. So, I will leave you with a few of my favourite quotes and more pictures. Here they are. 

Love♥

"A magazine has to be visually beautiful, as well as being appropriate in content..."

"Women have a desire for a publication that relates to them... The 'me too!' factor..."

"The best features come out of the best relationships..."

"Dress for the job you want, not the job you've already got..."

"PRs need to think outside the box, everything inside it has already been touched upon..."

"Always be irresistible and open minded..."

"Be nice on Twitter, be nice on Facebook, Be nice behind a screen... But always be nice in person..."

"Be smart, be extreme, beat the deadlines and bring cupcakes!..."