Time & Life Building
New York, NY 10020
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Beginning in March, SI for Women will be published bimonthly. The March/April issue will hit newsstands on March 5 at a cover price of $3.50. The book is available via subscription too. So far 300,000 readers have signed on. And although its demographic aim is women 18-34, the publication skews lower, hitting a younger high school audience as well. It's a magazine more for women who play sports - not just those who work out, and definitely not for the bleacher type. With 50% of its content comprised of services designed to improve athletic performance, the magazine is shooting for readers who are not afraid to break a sweat.
Sections/Editors/Lead Time
NUTRITION & HEALTH
Liz O'Brien
Liz_O'[email protected]
YOUR ATTITUDE
(SPORTS PSYCHOLOGY)
Carmen Thompson
[email protected]
GEAR (SPORTS SERVICES)
Dimity McDowell
[email protected]
FASHION (APPAREL)
Kristina Grish
[email protected]
GENERAL FEATURE
Sandy Bailey
[email protected]
Starting with the pitch, allow six to eight weeks for the story to print. The time is cut to three to four weeks if the story surrounds a mammoth sporting event like the Olympics.
Pitch Tips
The preferred method is email, followed by fax and snail mail. It cannot be overstressed that unsolicited pitches over the phone are annoying. Also, PR professionals who want the magazine to cover their event must keep in mind the lag time of the publication. It's a bimonthly. It's not realistic for it to cover an event the way a newspaper or even a weekly periodical would. If you want SI for Women to cover your event, its hook has to have a longer shelf life.
Comments
The editors at the magazine are looking for pitches that offer one of two things: inspiration or information. Say you want them to cover your 10K race. Pitching the editors simply on the merits of the race alone will not work. What will get their interest, on an inspirational level, is a human-interest story within the race. For instance, if a three-time race winner who fell to breast cancer is now making a comeback to run again, that would interest the editors. "We don't care if she wins or loses," says Sandy Bailey, "she'd make an interesting story." Remember, 50% of the book is on services. Information can abound in such an area. "There really is no product that would be off limits," says Bailey. But it has to fit within the magazine's scope. Take lipstick. The cosmetic is useless to the magazine unless it offers sunscreen protection, then it becomes a topical candidate for the book.