33 East Minor Street
Emmaus, Pas. 18098
http://www.organicgardening.com
Organic Gardening is not just for the crunchy crowd. The Rodale
Inc. bi-monthly, with a circulation of 300,000, was launched back
in 1942, well before organic products came into fashion. The bulk
of its readers live in the U.S., and are fairly well situated
throughout the country, although many readers reside on both
coasts.
The publication covers the entire gardening gestalt. "If it's
toxic, it's not for us," says Scott Meyer, editor of Organic
Gardening. "But there are all kinds of products that are of
interest to all kinds of gardeners." The publication targets
gardeners for every season, a la prepping in the winter for the all
those spring seedlings and in the summer cultivating pieces for
what gardening enthusiasts can do to protect their gardens from the
winter months. "People tend to spend a lot time gardening," Meyer
says.
The magazine also distributes a free e-mail newsletter,
almanac.com, with monthly updates on gardening trends in both the
public and private sectors. The e-mail's monthly to- do list
features gardeners who live and grow in all kinds of climates.
Content/Contacts/Deadlines
The publication's content is driven by the seasons. But many of
the stories that run require a how-to angle, too, which Meyer says
the magazine's readers appreciate most. "The PR person has to give
us a how-to quality in the stories." Along with news and product
information on gardening Meyer also likes stories infused with a
sense of humor. "The magazine is at its best when it's fun," he
says, "and when it's fun different people can fit in for us."
Contact Meyer at [email protected]. Meyer
says he's quick to share information with the rest of his rather
small staff. Far as deadlines go, Meyer says the seasonal elements
covered in the magazine could not be underestimated and that PR
professionals must contact him well in advance in order for him to
consider the story.
"If someone pitches stories out of season, it will just sit on
the shelf and when that happens we lose interest," he says. So, PR
pros have just a couple more weeks to pitch stories that would run
sometime in the summer.
Pitch Tips
Editors prefer e-mail communication but Meyer says good old
snail mail works well for contacting the staff. The least promising
way to get through to someone is via the telephone.
Again, it helps the PR cause if the pitch includes something
that will make Meyer laugh. And when pitching a product, don't just
talk glowingly about it in a press release - send Meyer the actual
product so he and his staff can kick the proverbial tires and
consider whether the product merits editorial coverage.
Comments
Meyer and his staff take humor pretty seriously. So, it helps if
you can hit their funny bones, in addition to providing quality
product and/or news information catering to the organic gardening
set. But PR pros shouldn't be deterred by the tree-hugging conjured
by the magazine's title. All kinds of people garden, and do it a
great deal . Know that, and be aware that the seasons fuel the
content. Get the pitch in early and, with some luck, let it
grow.
In The Pipeline
The magazine is constantly keen on what new gardening products
are emerging. In light of the two-month window that Meyer demands
for story ideas, the magazine also wants to do more
gardening-related stories that could be slightly under the radar,
but are ready to shine. There will also be more gardening stories
vis-a-vis wildlife, like getting rid of those unruly deer and
bringing in birds instead and how what to do about that moose in
your backyard, with usually involves, "a large caliber shotgun"
Meyer says.