221 E. 29th Street
Loveland, CO 80538
970/663-4700
http://www.itconsultmag.com
Business-to-business publisher Penton Media has been watching the success of its ITconsultant magazine in the U.K. for about six years. In a down media market in the United
States, the firm bravely decided it was time to launch a version of the title stateside. The aptly-named ITConsultant will differentiate itself from other technology publications
by gearing its content at IT consultants, "someone who is able to provide clients with the big picture and can recommend, advise, deliver and implement IT solutions," says Co-
Launch Editor Jeanne Huff.
Huff was the editor of Penton's Selling eServer Solutions, so she knows her technology media.
The new U.S. pub will publish bi-monthly beginning with a January/February issue in 2003, and will also publish a weekly e-letter. The magazine will reach 25,000 IT
consultants, the majority of whom work in small consulting practices.
Content/Contacts
The content, Huff says, will be a mix of industry news, critical analysis, executive interviews, case studies, industry data and trends and product news, all with a consultant
spin. There's a "mock issue" available on the Web site which offers a better feel for potential stories, including "A Surfeit of Certifications, a Dearth of Data," a look at
whether the wide variety of certification programs available to IT consultants are worth it. The sample issue also includes stories on security and an interview with an HP
executive.
Contact Huff or her co-editor, Dale Agger, at [email protected].
Pitch Tips
Huff prefers email pitches and wants a teaser that offers her enough information to decide whether the story is right for ITconsultant. If she thinks it is, she'll email you
back. She dislikes attachments because of security concerns, so just send a straightforward email.
Ideal to pitch: Huff is on the lookout for great case studies, which she says are always in demand among the readers ITconsultant will be targeting.
Comments
The majority of the content will be written by freelance writers as the magazine gets off the ground, so if the editors like your pitch, expect to work with a freelance
reporter.
The deadline for the January/February launch issue has passed, and the deadline for the March/April issue is Dec. 18. Although Huff doesn't have a specific lead time, she say
she wants materials "as early as possible," so aim to give the editors as much lead time as you can.
In The Pipeline
Check out the editorial calendar available at the publication's Web site under "Media Kit." Topics for upcoming issues include security, the wireless sector, bottom line and
ROI, and legal issues "which are pretty big for this group," Huff says.