What to pitch in February

February might seem like an unlikely time to think about summer barbeques and July 4th celebrations, but did you know that magazine editors start looking for products for their July issues in February? It's a good idea to start thinking now about what products to pitch in February.

By now, you probably have heard me say that your success with publicity depends on this ONE thing: SENDING THE RIGHT PITCH TO THE RIGHT PERSON AT THE RIGHT TIME!

Sounds easy enough, doesn't it?

I know this can seem daunting, so I decided to launch a new blog series called “What magazine editors are looking for this month.”

At the beginning of each month, I'll post a guide to what types of products magazine editors are looking for that month.

My goal is to make getting your products featured in magazines as easy for you as possible! As you know, magazines start looking for products 3 – 6 months in advance, so you have to plan accordingly.

What products should you pitch in February?

There are two types of magazines that you may want to consider pitching – NATIONAL magazines and REGIONAL/LOCAL magazines.

In February, NATIONAL magazines are working on their July issue. Here are the types of products they typically cover during this month:

• American-made products – all types of products, including lifestyle, home, fashion, accessories, outdoor that are made in the USA
• Beach products – books, bags, towels, clothing, SPF products, outdoor games, products that are great for summer activities
• Fourth of July celebrations – food, outdoor, barbecue tools and accessories, fashion, home decor, garden decor

In February, REGIONAL/LOCAL magazines are working on their April issue. Here are the types of products they typically cover this month:

• Green and eco-friendly products – includes clothing and apparel, beauty products, lifestyle products, tech, food, outdoors – ANYTHING that is eco-friendly!
• “Clean” your life – lifestyle, cleaning, organization, home decor, outdoors
• Spring products – products that help in the rain (rain boots, umbrellas, gardening, outdoors, clothing, raincoats, etc.)

Your pitch plan for February might look something like this:

• Week 1 – pitch national magazines for July
• Week 2 – pitch regional/local magazines for April
• Week 3 – follow up with national magazines
• Week 4 – follow up with regional/local magazines

If you are not yet a member of Media Leads, make sure to sign up so you can see all of these opportunities directly. With Media Leads, you'll know exactly who to pitch, what to pitch and when to pitch it for maximum results! And if you haven't yet attended my free training, “Five steps to rapidly increase your eCommerce sales with publicity,” you can reserve your spot here.