711 Third Avenue
New York, NY 10017
646/487-6800
http://www.seventeen.com
Seventeen.com's phenomenal success online - one million unique hits and 17 million page views per month - is due in large part to the recognition of its established brand name.
The print magazine has been a friend to generations of girls. But the site's success in reeling in today's teens is also due to the editors' clever combination of topics girls
love in the mag plus a variety of interactive elements and fresh content that keeps them coming back for more. The site's goal is to establish the same kind of trust among teen
girls over 13 that the magazine has fostered over the years. "We're a reliable big sister voice," says Fashion and Beauty Editor Donna Freydkin. "We're aspirational - someone you
trust and want to be, but not a boring, lame, fuddy-duddy parent."
Content/Contacts
Seventeen.com, unlike many companion Web sites to print publications, is 75% to 80% original content. "It doesn't make sense [to pull content from the magazine] given the lead
time. The magazine's working with a three-month lead time and you can crash stories in on the Web site immediately," Freydkin says. Plus, teen girls want hot new content and the
latest celebrity dish. "We don't have the constraints of printing and space," she continues. "We can cover a wide variety of celebrities."
The site includes coverage of fashion, beauty, celebrities, nutrition, health, sex and the body and school. Horoscopes, interactive polls and quizzes also are popular
features.
Use Freydkin as the gatekeeper for fashion and beauty information. Editors prefer contact via email, but they don't mind follow-up calls.
Contact: [email protected], 646/487-6832
Pitch Tips
Pitch editors with all things teen-related. If you're pitching cosmetics, send samples, not a press release. Covering the new fall colors is tricky if all you have to go on is
a written description.
Also, while the site covers new products, remember that teens are a savvy audience and can smell advertorial a mile away. Editors won't cover a stale product or a promo kids
see every day.
One approach that does work: tie a new product to the way teen girls operate. Freydkin explains: "A representative from BeneFit called saying they launched a body bar that
Sarah Jessica Parker lives for and she has all the girls on 'Sex in the City' using it." By tying a cool product to a cool celeb, the PR rep scored not only a mention, but spawned
a story on products celebrities love and recommend to their friends.
Comments
The main focus of the site, as in the magazine, is on fashion, beauty and entertainment: "That's what kids love," Freydkin says. But the site also runs stories on fitness,
safe sex, college and even current events, so pitch experts for other topics, too.
Seventeen.com works on rolling daily deadlines. Even so, editors prefer lead time on a story. "If you're having an event, let us know more than a day ahead of time," Freydkin
advises. And while the editors prefer to receive tangible materials along with any pitch, "I can't tell you how many times we get a huge press kit promoting an artist's new CD and
there's no CD [enclosed]. Or we'll get a fax saying Disney is releasing a movie." The editors want to see footage and hear audio in order to figure out whether and how a pitch
fits their very discriminating audience.
In The Pipeline
Summer movie season is in full swing, and the editors are covering the hottest big screen stars. A feature on Angelina Jolie is in the works in conjunction with the release of
"Tomb Raider," as is a "first person" feature on Jay Hernandez from "Crazy Beautiful," the new movie starring Kirsten Dunst. The entertainment editors also will cover the latest
Spielberg flick "AI" in some way, though they're not sure Haley-Joel Osment will be the best celebrity peg for a story that appeals to teen girls.
In general, pitching the hottest new movies or teen celebrities is always a win. The latest fashion trends and new cosmetics also are shoo-ins, but keep in mind the site's
young target audience. Price points and age appropriateness are important considerations. Wrinkle cream and $250 shoes are out, but zit zappers and cheap beach finds are in.