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With its mix of celebrity news and lifestyle stories, People reaches some 3.6 million people each week. Most who buy the magazine are married women in their upper 30s with some
college education and a family income in the mid-$50,000 range. The magazine also gets passed along to around 13 million men, making it the fifth most-read magazine among men. Be
forewarned: When you invite People in for a chat, don't expect to hold anything back. "When we do a story on somebody, we want to take a picture of them at home, and we are often
fighting over that," says Executive Editor Joe Treen. "We are going to ask a lot of questions about their background, and we are not trying to be intrusive or invade their
privacy. It is just part of the deal. Their age is going to come out and we are going to verify it. If they had a hidden little marriage somewhere, that is going to come out."
Content/Contacts
"We are looking for stories with emotional content, and stuff our readers can relate to," Treen says. "We also are looking for fun stuff - something that would be fun on one
page with a picture."
"We don't want to see new products, we don't need technical stuff, and yet I see those two all the time," he added. "Then I also see socially-conscious overseas efforts: 'Save
the children of Romania' or something like that. Those are not on the money at all."
Whom to pitch? "Regionally we have seven bureaus, and they are responsible
for their specific territories. So instead of coming to an editor here in New
York if I was pitching a story elsewhere in the country, I would go to the local
bureau first," says Treen. Find a complete magazine staff listing, including
specific bureau breakdowns at http://people.aol.com/people/aboutus/
magstaff.html.
Pitch Tips
"We do not like emails. Do not send us unsolicited emails," said Treen. "We would like everything faxed to us or sent by mail. Email is just a real pain in the neck. You'll be
writing in a word processor or editing and you get a little 'bing' to tell you there is an email, so you flick over thinking it's your boss and it turns out to be a new product
pitch - and the entire magazine is doing that at the same time, because the PR people send the pitch to everybody on the masthead. It infuriates everybody."
Treen is not entirely the curmudgeon on the subject of pitch techniques. All he's asking is that you make his life easy. "I just want clarity. I want to pick it up and
understand what it is all about in very short order."
Comments
"We have more fashion and style reporting than we did 10 years ago," says Treen. "Our Style Watch section used to be one page, and now it's three. We have more celebrity
coverage than we did 10 years ago, including a whole section called 'Scoop,' which is news-ish kind of stuff about celebrities. So we are not strictly restricted to two-page
profiles."
The editors cull ideas from local papers and local TV, as well as from PR people. "I don't even know how much stuff we read and watch," says Treen, who urges the PR community
to pursue local media opportunities if they cannot get in through People's front door.
Overall, the best way to get a story in People is to understand the magazine's big-picture focus. "People magazine is a magazine of popular culture, so we are out there trying
to see what popular culture is.
In The Pipeline
Editors are always looking for diet stories, medical-miracle type stories and big authors whose work is of special interest to People readers. "If they are talking about safety
in the home or toxic in-laws, that might be something we are interested in," Treen says.
Among People's famous special issues coming up in 2002 are:
Oscar (r) Style: Who won -- and what they were wearing.
World's Most Beautiful: An intimate look at the year's most fabulous faces as well as the inside scoop on the make-up, workout and style secrets of the most glamorous stars.
Most Eligible Bachelors: From muscled mailmen to sizzling shortstops, Hollywood hunks to the he-man next door.
Best and Worst Dressed: Highlighting the hottest celebrity fashion trends, Best and Worst Dressed issue is America's must-read guide to the season's must-buy items.