GETTING PUBLISHED WITH THE KNOT
Getting published is one of every planner's goals. As you follow all of the resources out there, it's only natural to want your work to be inspiration shown on those pages, that blog and so on. I know it can seem inaccessible but it truly isn't. I'll be releasing a new course soon where I share my strategies and tips for getting published as well as demystify the entire process. It’s available for pre-order now. In the meantime, I thought I'd share a bit of expertise straight from the gatekeeper, herself. Today, Hannah Nowack, Real Weddings Editor for The Knot is sharing insider advice on what she looks for when publishing content and tapping wedding professionals for their expertise.
From Hannah:
What type of weddings are the readers of The Knot drawn to?
We encourage our users to #MakeTradition—or think about how they can plan a wedding that feels authentic to them. No couple should feel boxed-in, we want couples to be empowered as they plan a celebration that is uniquely their own.
What do you specifically look for in a wedding before publishing?
Our team has a mantra “your wedding, your way” that we always keep at the forefront of our minds as we’re curating our editorial lineup. In essence, we want to see weddings that capture the spirit of a couple and their priorities. While we have a soft spot for romantic weddings, what we’re looking for are celebrations where couples looked beyond the ordinary and made unexpected statements to harness a “you do you” mentality. Perhaps they honored their religions, blended their cultures, or just let go of the old wedding "rules" and wrote their own playbook. Basically, we want you to surprise us if you can! We love everything from a colorful wedding dress to an out-of-the-box venue and beyond.
Any submission tips you can share?
While you’re welcome to simply email over a proofing gallery, your submission is going to be given more attention if you’ve spent time curating it. There’s an old adage that hiring managers only glance at a resume for six seconds. While that isn’t the case at The Knot (I could look at lush blooms and dreamy al fresco receptions for hours!), the thought process behind the concept is worth considering. If you send an editor 150+ images and they spend the first 5 minutes of review scrolling through 30 getting ready shots before they get to the ceremony, reception, and details, you might not be giving the wedding the powerful first impression it deserves. A folder of about 50 strong images that succinctly convey the aesthetic of the wedding—that’s the goal! Show a range of details (stationery, cake, powerful décor moments), but also highlight the emotion and photojournalistic elements of the celebration. You know those smiles that simply ooze from the screen and leave the viewer (even a total stranger) filled with joy? Those are the poignant shots we want to see!
What’s the average time between accepting the submission and the wedding going live?
Because of the unique nature of our publications, this answer varies a little bit. The Knot publishes a nationwide issue quarterly, in addition to 16 semi-annual regional issues. For our national publication, we publish more frequently, which means you may not have to wait as long from submission to print, but we also feature fewer weddings. For our regional publications, we operate on a rolling close basis. What that means is that we work on each Fall/Winter or Spring/Summer issue gradually (it would be nearly impossible to be working on 16 magazines concurrently!). For our Spring/Summer 2021 issues, here is our submission deadline schedule:
Colorado: April 10
Michigan: April 17
Missouri & Kansas: April 24
Texas: May 1
Pennsylvania: May 15
California: May 22
New England: May 29
The Carolinas: June 5
Georgia: June 12
Florida: June 26
Ohio: July 10
DC, Maryland, and Virginia: July 17
New Jersey: July 31
New York: July 31
Minnesota: August 14
Chicago: August 21
Of course, my inbox is ALWAYS open and you’re welcome to drop a gallery my way at any time! When you identify experts to feature articles, how do you decide who to include? I try to always keep a pulse on vendors in the industry to see who’s innovating and creating unique concepts for their couples. And in this day and age, the biggest way I do that is via Instagram. As a small business owner, it is certainly difficult to add yet another thing to your plate, but I encourage vendors to think of Instagram as a business and publicity investment! Taking five extra minutes to post a sneak peek of a spectacular wedding you just planned may be the difference between catching an editor’s eye and getting lost in the shuffle.
You heard her! Her inbox is always open. Feel free to email Hannah, keeping the above information in mind, at hnowack@theknotww.com, and please tell her I sent you. You can also follow Hannah on Instagram @hannahnowack. Good luck!
And if you want to learn more about what you need to think about as a business owner right now, download our “12 THINGS TO DO DURING TIMES OF UNCERTAINTY” and an accompanying worksheet to guide you through your own process.