4517 Harford Road
Baltimore, MD 21214
410/254-9200
http://www.girlslife.com
Girls' Life celebrates its eighth birthday by treating itself to a makeover. The new look includes a streamlined "GL" logo, new columns and features and even higher-quality
paper for the cover. The magazine stands out in the teen category as one of the rare pubs that targets the "tween" segment with a lighthearted approach to topics that can be
decidedly racy in other girls' mags. With a very respectable rate base of 400,000 and readership around 3 million, the magazine may not be the biggest in its category, but as its
founder says in this month's letter from the editor, "We aren't trying to be the biggest. We aren't trying to be the bawdiest. We're trying to be the best."
Content/Contacts
This mag takes a fresh, fun, age-appropriate look at life as a young teen. While the book has evolved since its inception to attract a slightly older audience, it won't cover
"stuff so inappropriate it's scary" - i.e. the edgier sexual content of some other teen mags. "Our reader is 10- to 15-years-old," says Karen Bokram, publisher and founding
editor. "She's not driving or looking at colleges or holding down an after-school job. And she's not buying Chanel products or spending $400 on Prada boots as Teen Vogue would
have us believe."
Contact editors at 410/254-9200:
Karen Bokram, publisher and founding editor; Kelly White, executive editor; Sarah Cordi, senior editor; Alicia Clott, assistant editor; Jennifer Park, editorial assistant;
Suzin Boddiford, contributing editor (fashion); Kim Childress, contributing editor (books); Jennifer Lawrence, contributing editor (technology).
Pitch Tips
Bokram is looking for stories that reach her audience. "I get things that are appropriate for babies - these people think my readers are two." While Bokram and her staff are
glad to donate the plush toys and other kiddie items to local charities, she'd rather not get them at all. What the editors do want is products appropriate to the tween/young
teen age group they serve. "If you can send a product, always do," Bokram says. "Too many people send me the press release, and then we have to do a follow-up call [requesting
support materials]." A recent mailing that grabbed Bokram's attention: a shipment of holiday products from a cosmetic company wrapped up like holiday gifts. "It wasn't just
another No. 10 envelope."
Comments
Bokram's straightforward advice to PR pros: "Mind your manners and have a little social intelligence." When an editor doesn't sound receptive to your call or you sense it's
not the best time for a pitch, don't plunge ahead with a 10-minute recitation of the finer points of your product. A PR pro from Fleishman Hillard recently contacted her at
closing time after a particularly arduous day. When the communicator heard Bokram's voice, she wisely decided to call back later. "It's one thing if you have something 100% on
target for us or there's a timeliness issue," Bokram allows. "But I guarantee you, she knew she had a stretch and knew she needed me in a better mood. I don't care what she's
got, when she calls back, I'm going to listen."
In The Pipeline
The editors work on a four-month lead, so skip the back-to-school pitches and head straight for festive holiday features. The Web site, however, is a good bet for stories with
shorter leads - online editors need only a month's lead time, and the site is a powerful tool with young girls. "Don't think the Web site is a second-class citizen," Bokram
advises. The laid-back editorial team doesn't have a hard-and-fast editorial calendar for upcoming issues - "Just as long as it's on target" for their readers, it'll fly. To
accommodate the niche, pitch products that meet tweens' needs. In a recent feature, for example, five readers tested leading facial oil-control products. The mag also tackles
more serious issues, like underage drinking, and highlights remarkable young teens as well as older women who can serve as inspirational role models for readers.