Originally Posted On: https://wingnutsocial.com/podcast/the-secret-to-getting-your-interior-design-work-published-episode-272/

What is the secret to getting your interior design work published?

Molly Schoneveld is the award-winning PR strategist behind the luxury public relations firm, The Storied Group. She represents the industry’s top interior designers, celebrities, and hotels, i.e. “Talented faces, spaces, and places.” She has 20+ years of experience with press placements in Architectural Digest, ELLE Decor, Vogue, and more. And she knows the secret to getting your interior design work published. What is it? Find out in this episode of the Wingnut Social podcast!

What You’ll Hear On This Episode of Wingnut Social

• [1:13] Wingnut webinar and wingnut academy updates
• [1:56] Mini News Sesh: LinkedIn’s repost update
• [4:32] Learn all about Molly Schoneveld + The Storied Group
• [7:08] Why proving publications enough images is important
• [10:56] Do you need to hire a photographer with connections?
• [16:06] Can a presence on YouTube help you?
• [17:21] Do you need to have a celebrity client?
• [20:15] Why you need to read photography contracts carefully
• [23:16] Can you post the photos online if you want them featured?
• [26:22] Make your photography stand out by using a stylist
• [28:50] How to get your clients on board with being published
• [33:46] How to stand out (and get hired by celebrities)
• [38:20] The What Up Wingnut! Round
• [40:26] How to connect with Molly Schoneveld

Connect with Molly Schone

• The Storied Group
• Connect with Molly on LinkedIn
• Follow Molly on Instagram

Resources & People Mentioned

• The Mystery Guest by Lorin Stein
• Record your podcast episodes on Riverside
• This is Marketing by Seth Godin

The secret to getting your interior design work published

What’s the secret? It all comes down to photos. Now—likely starting with Covid—many magazines will not do reshoots. What you provide them in your pitch is what will get published. So you need to give them enough photos to publish a full story. Luxe Magazine has design features that can be as long as 10–12 pages. That’s why you need to provide a variety of photos.

But Molly emphasizes that you don’t need the best photographer in the business. Why? You need to be able to afford someone who will provide you with a full range of images. What does that look like? If you want to get featured as a full home tour, you need 25–30 images of your work.

Molly landed one of her clients a feature in AD Digital. It was the home of a celebrity chef and a big-name interior designer. They didn’t reshoot the project. The photos Molly sent them were the photos that ran. The bar is high, and if you want to get into AD, you’ve got to be so much more than good. The photos you send must be shot knowing they’re going to be run in the magazine.

Do you need to hire a photographer with connections?

Molly points out that working with a specific photographer who has previously done work with the magazine you want to get published in can give you an advantage. But the advantage isn’t that the photographer can get you published—it’s that they know what the magazine is looking for. They understand the angles publications like, the styling they like, and the vignettes they prefer. Those are the things a photographer can help with.

But a magazine won’t say yes to a project solely based on the photographer. There are factors at play that are 100% out of your control, like editorial calendars, previously published homes and kitchens, and much more. But you can control your images. So work with a photographer who understands what magazines are looking for.

Make your photography stand out by using a stylist

Look at a potential photographer’s social media. What is their aesthetic? That’s what you’ll end up with for your social media. What else is important? Molly believes that bringing in a stylist to bring life to your images makes the biggest difference. Magazines do this all the time. If magazine editors rely on them, designers should see them as someone who can bring their vision to life in a different way. That—coupled with a photographer versed in magazine photography—can make a huge impact.

Can you post photos online if you want them published in a magazine? Does it pay to have celebrity clients? Molly answers these questions and so much more in this episode. Don’t miss it!