It takes less than 30 seconds for an editor to know whether or not they want to feature a submission. That's all it takes. You have at most 30 seconds to capture an editor's attention. And in this blog post, I am going to share with you what it takes to be featured on Southern California Bride and how to create a winning submission for Southern California Bride.
First thing first:
READ the submission form.
Read what it's asking for.
If you don't, it's going to show me that you don't care about what I'm asking for and that you don't care about my guidelines.
On our form, there are little tidbits of information that state how we want to see or receive things. If it's asking for a curated gallery, do not send a full gallery with all the images from the event. Editors don't want to look through hundreds of images to see if it's a fit - we want a taste of what the event was like and that happens by curating the gallery to show the best images from start to finish.
Alright - so let's move on.
SCB typically features 2-3 submissions a week. Because of this, I try to feature what I feel my audience will enjoy. This is usually weddings that are detail-heavy or a wedding with unique details + or unique venue. Yes, weddings are ALL about two people coming together and their love for one another. But when it comes to features - brides are looking for inspiration for their wedding day and that means they're looking for ideas that come in the form of details. Now, with that being said, details aren't all that I'm looking for. I love seeing beautiful images - I love beautiful photography. Sometimes weddings don't have all the bells and whistles and that is TOTALLY okay.
So... how do I create a submission that stands out?
1. Follow the guidelines.
--- As mentioned above, read through the submission and make sure that everything is filled out correctly.
2. Curate your gallery.
--- This is your chance to wow the editor. Remember, you have about 30 seconds to do! Select good images that share a story of what you're submitting. Look at the type of images featured on the blog and on Instagram and make sure you include those. I can't tell you how many times I've seen galleries that have tons of guest photos or dancing photos when it's something I don't even feature. Make sure the images are in order from start to finish. A big chunk of the photos should be ceremony and reception details, followed by other wedding day details and portraits of the couple and bridal party. Getting ready images should be on the lighter side (we don't need to see 15+ getting ready images!). Make sure the images are resized! Lastly, make sure you rename your gallery to state the venue + photographer name. Naming the gallery to "Southern California Bride submission" will make it hard for me to find your submission when it's time to work on it!
3. Short description of what you are submitting and why it would be a good fit for SCB:
--- this is not the place to enter the answers your bride filled in for your questionnaire. I want to know in a few sentences what you are submitting and why it would be a good fit on our blog.
What is SCB currently looking for right now:
--- Real weddings! I want to see all the weddings from all over SoCal - from San Diego all the way to San Luis Obispo. I want to see more submissions featuring brides of all colors and sizes. I want to see weddings focused on who the couple is. If you're submitting a styled shoot/editorial, it *needs* to include all the details and a full tablescape. Please, no sweetheart tables!
To submit to Southern California Bride, please visit us here.