Targeted at smart and sophisticated woman over 35, More is always bringing savvy content to their readers, which definitely extends to their fashion pages. We chatted with Sarah Lisitski-Gerrish, Senior Accessories Editor at More Magazine, to find out the best way to get on her radar.
Previously an accessories editor at O, The Oprah Magazine and an accessories buyer for OpenSky, Sarah has a wide scope of accessories knowledge. Favoring a personalized approach, Sarah is amazing at maintaining relationships with brands (and publicists) she already loves, as well as discovering new ones to bring to the More reader. Below are this editor’s tips on how to pitch
her!
Name: Sarah Lisitski-Gerrish
Title: Senior Accessories Editor
Publication: More
Circulation: Over a million
Email: sarah.gerrish@meredith.com
I wish I could say via the phone because I value real human contact but email is much more efficient. Traditional mail works too.
3-4 months out but I also contribute to our website which we usually plan a month in advance.
Anytime. We are always on the hunt for new and exciting products.
As the Senior Accessories Editor it is my job to go out into the market and then call in samples for all fashion related stories including our cover stories. Therefore most of the pitches I need are accessory product pitches.
We love to feature female entrepreneurs, executives, activists, etc. so I also enjoy being pitched stories about specific women and the inspiring things they are accomplishing.
When the publicist familiarizes themselves with our publication and the types of stories we usually focus on before pitching me. More targets women ages 35 and up so, for example, music festival themed fashion stories probably won’t work for us.
I will contact the publicist if I am interested.
Lack of time is a constant problem so if we can’t set-up a meeting a personalized email is always good start. Just no cold calls please, they always catch me off guard and most likely my mind will be thinking about a hundred other things I need to do. If you really want to talk on the phone about something email me and we can set-up a call.
Face to face meetings are always a great way to build a relationship. In fact a lot of my real life friends are publicists that I met at my first editorial job 6 years ago.
I really do try to respond to everyone who emails me but it takes time. So please don’t be overly aggressive. Also emails with subjects in ALL CAPS or with crazy subject lines won’t grab my attention; they usually have the opposite effect.
In general I wish that both editors and publicists could be more honest with one another. If something isn’t a fit for the magazine I will tell you and I trust that if the story I am working on isn’t a fit for your brand you will tell me. We can’t do our jobs without each other, we are partners, and I always believe that honesty is the best policy. So when I say that I will consider your pitch for future stories I promise I really mean it.
