In addition to being the creator and CEO of Chic Galleria Publications, LLC, Beth B. Anderson is a Lucky magazine Alpha Shopper, Vogue magazine Influencer, Condé Nast Digital The Runway member, Southern Living magazine source panelist and a member of the ELLE.com/ Style Coalition network. Named one of Lucky magazine’s Favorite Bloggers, Beth remains connected to the fashion industry from her home-base in Tulsa, Oklahoma. where she was recently named a Top 10 Social Media Phenom in the Tulsa/Oklahoma City Metropolitan area. She is also owner of The Chic Editor, writing and editing services business.
Chic Galleria began in 2007 as a blog to accompany Beth’s online gift shop, and has since evolved into a must-read for over 800,000 monthly readers.
What was your inspiration for Chic Galleria?
I began a blog to accompany on online gift shop I launched back in 2007. As I found the blog gaining readership, I asked several friends to add guest posts for fun. A few friends turned into many more and Chic Galleria formed out of this group. What started as posts about fashion and style is now a magazine featuring hundreds of writers in four distinct editorial departments: Style & Beauty, Arts & Entertainment, Body & Mind and Home & Family.
We started out as a community of writers all sharing our articles in one space. I call Chic Galleria an online fashion and lifestyle magazine because I equate this [approach] to a print magazine and thus use the terminology in our website description. We are a blog full of amazing people who have all come together to share their thoughts, advice and knowledge on one website.
Who is Chic Galleria’s target audience?
Because Chic Galleria Magazine features a unique combination of content that is presented both wholly and in segmented form, we appeal to a large segment of the online community. But there’s one thing most of our visitors have in common, they’re chic!
Our primary viewership is women readers aged 35-49, of various ethnic backgrounds, college educated and married with and without children. The average household income is $100,000. We like to feature products and price points that speak to our demographic and keep these demographics in mind when choosing what products to feature. Most of our writers are within this age bracket and we write about things that we personally use, wear and love.
What types of pitches are you interested in from fashion designers and publicists, and what makes a pitch or product stand out? What are your editors looking for?
I find that we feature brands, designers and products based on our own style choices. Our Style & Beauty contributors come from all over the world and each bring their own perspective into an article.
We love the personal relationships we have formed with many fashion designers and publicists over the years. Having the ability to meet with them in person, speak over the phone and exchange emails on a personal level is what really makes their products or pitches stand out above others. We are always looking for a personal connection and not just a “To Whom It May Concern” email. For us, picking up the phone is the best way to get our attention!
Though all our event stories from New York Fashion Week are popular, we also find that interviews and tips from professional experts are really well received. One example is a makeup article I wrote recently. We love to mix it up by featuring stylists, designers and makeup professionals in articles along with product features, tips & trends and video. Our Style Video section features some great advice that people can apply immediately. We love to feature new up and coming designers which is why we do a lot of work with Nolcha. We don’t do your standard product review. If we are asked, we tell publicists that we prefer to give the product away to our readers through our Give-away section instead.
Do you prefer a lookbook or samples to be sent?
I personally enjoy receiving both. The publicists, brands and designers I currently work with know my personal style when it comes to suggesting samples. Having a pre-season lookbook is always extremely helpful.
What is the best way to get in touch?
The best way for any publicist to contact me and my editors is via email or phone. My Executive Assistant Letitia handles everything concerning emails, pitches, etc. I always encourage publicists to email Letitia and tell her why they think their client would be a good fit for us. Letitia then has a better understanding of which editor to direct the information to. I love speaking with publicists on the phone; especially when they are passionate about their clients.