How to get your interior design projects published
Getting your projects ready for 2022 and beyond
For interior designers, having recommendations and advocacy are an important part of the job and new business is often generated that way. But when you have a project you are particularly proud of or would like to showcase to a wider audience, you could consider media publication.
Our recent article focused on the benefits of hiring a PR agency to help you do this but what if you are not sure you are ready to engage the services of a public relations expert? How can you prepare before you approach an agency? Or is PR something you could realistically consider doing yourself?
Setting your PR objectives
When we start working with interior designers or others design professionals we spend a lot of time upfront thinking about what their objectives might be and how we will measure success. Whether you get to the point of engaging an external PR or you aspire to get your interior design work published yourself, it is a worthwhile exercise for you to do before you invest time and budget into a PR plan.
Understanding why you are looking to have your design work published is an important first step.
For example, objectives might include:
Increased awareness of your brand
Increased awareness of your product i.e. your services
Having your project publicised in a magazine or online publication
Enhancing your search rankings
Measuring your success may come down to the number of publications covering your project, website traffic or social media follows.
What is the difference between long and short lead publications and digital press?
The long-lead press has timelines of around 3-4 months minimum. Editors prefer news that is exclusive. They are often consumer publications (e.g. interior design magazines such as The World of Interiors, House & Garden, LivingEtc), are more often than not split between specific areas such as contemporary design or country design or are trade publications (e.g. Sleeper, ICON).
Short-lead press work fairly obviously to shorter timelines, usually 6-8 weeks lead times for supplements or for newspapers - the next day. They too can request exclusives.
Examples may include daily newspapers (e.g. The Times, FT, Evening Standard, Metro), weekend supplements (e.g. The Telegraph Magazine, Style) or weekly titles e.g. Time Out, Stylist, and so on.
Digital press work on much quicker turnaround times usually or replicate offline publication. Examples include Dezeen, Architectural Digest or Yellowtrace.
How to build relationships with the media
Again, a good PR already has excellent connections within the industry so can be a huge support for forging those relationships. However, as a starting point, get to know some of the key journalists by reading previous articles, publications, blogs and their social media feed. Know what their specialisms and expertise are in and whether you might be a good fit. Twitter is still popular with the media so take a look and see what they are sharing, engage (authentically!) and listen.
The importance of photography
We are in the business of beautiful spaces…the magazines the journalists publish, the blogs bloggers write or the images Instagrammers post, it’s all about the image.
Consider some initial low res images to give a flavour of the project that will accompany your text and help increase your chances of being selected. The magazines may have their own teams who will look to have your work professionally photographed if selected or you may need to consider your own photoshoot for any high-resolution images.
Pitching - telling your story
So you have done the hard work of creating these beautiful interiors, now it's time to tell the story of how they came about and what the result is.
PR is all about storytelling and it’s something we at Sandford are passionate about. Even if you’re not writing a formal press release, try to take this approach when writing your pitch. You want to create inspiring content that is both factual and interesting without too many flowery words to summarise what the story is.
And don’t forget the basics:
Your logo
Contact information including email address
Website
Add social media handles
About Us/You – your boilerplate
Sharing your coverage
If you are successful in your pitch, don’t forget to shout about your coverage! From your website through to social media and newsletters, it helps to enhance your online presence and show appreciation to the journalist and publication. Just be mindful of any licensing agreements that may be required.
If you feel like you might not be able to fully commit time or expertise to pitch your project, then Sandford will, of course, be happy to help. Get in touch with us to discuss your plans in more detail.
