375 Lexington Ave
New York, NY 10017
Phone: 212/499-2000
Fax: 212/499-1987
http://www.familycircle.com
It's the same Family Circle readers have known and loved for 70 years, but the woman who reads it is busier than she was five years ago, juggling children, aging parents,
husband and work.
That is, in a nutshell, the most important thing PR people need to keep in mind when approaching the magazine's editors, says Deputy Editor Nancy Clark.
"[Our reader is] perhaps more budget-conscious in this economy, so she's looking for ways to do things that are faster, easier and less expensive," Clark adds.
In addition, the magazine traded its country-kitchen look for a more streamlined, sleek theme, "reflecting the upscale taste level of our readers." On this surface, it is more
similar to relatively new competitive titles such as Martha Stewart Living, Real Simple or O, The Oprah Magazine. The book boasts more than 20 million female readers, all
"managing their households."
Content/Contacts
December content predictably focused on the holidays, with recipes for classic, delicious Christmas cookies, a piece by First Lady Laura Bush on why traditions matter and an
article summarizing the differences between cold and flu symptoms.
In general, the Web site's content highlights the magazine, in addition to supplementing it with features such as a recipe search engine.
Pitch individual editors with appropriate material:
Beauty/Fashion: Linda Moran Evans
Home/Garden: Barbara Winkler
Parenting: Ellen Stoianoff, Angela Ebron
Food: Peggy Katalinich
Travel: Kathy Sagen
Health/Fitness: Jean Maguire, Joanne Van Zuidam
Pitch Tips
Editors at Family Circle are reasonable and friendly -- chances are you won't get the dial tone for a simple phone pitch or a couple letters/faxes. But beyond that, no
promises.
Clark says pitches that are too insistent hardly stand a chance in the magazine.
"One follow-up is reasonable; weekly follow-ups are annoying," she says. Another taboo: editors prefer not to receive email pitches. Call individual editors at the general
phone number.
Keep the reader in mind when pitching stories -- the median age of Family Circle readers is 48; 45.9 percent have children in the house; medium household income is $45,753; 63
percent of readers are married.
Comments
Looking to get ahead of the game on next year's holiday placements? Pitch early. Big issues, such as holiday stories, get planned far in advance. For example, this year's
issue was mostly planned by mid-August, with PR people in the far back of the mind.
"We do not feature gift products except for the occasional beauty/fashion item and hand-crafted or cooked items," Clark says. "We do not cover toys."
However, a good human-interest pitch is less likely to get rejected by the magazine. "We are always looking for especially heart-warming, miraculous stories for the holiday
issues," Clark says.
In the Pipeline
Issues have an approximate lead time of two months, so pitches should be sent at least three months in advance. Issues hit newsstands about one month prior to the respective
dates below.
March 12 : Walking Workout ; Asthma Report ; Super Skin ; Easy Cooking: Crock Pots, Microwaves, Bread Machines
April 2 : Easter Crafts ; Spring Fashion: What's In, What's Out ; Wild for Wildflowers ; The Bathing Suit Diet
April 23 : Great Hair ; Family Travel Report: Plus Discounts!; New Tastes for New Times; Recipes
May 21 : Mother's Day Special (Including Motherhood Survey) ; A to Z Beauty ; Medical Myths and Truths