In 2007, when Apple launched the first ever iPhone, Steve Jobs made a profound statement: ‘Today, Apple is going to reinvent the phone’.   

That one line wholly captures the essence of Lifestyle PR. To make the promise of a better life, and to do so effectively. Just as crucially, to do it with authenticity.  

Over 2 billion iPhones have been sold since Mr. Jobs made that statement. More importantly, life has changed fundamentally because of its impact on the smartphone industry.  

Today, the essence of lifestyle PR remains the same. The paths to get there, however, have become increasingly diverse and complicated.  

PR Distribution to Lifestyle Publications: 7 Powerful Techniques 

1. Precision Targeting 

An exercise in knowing the audience or the ‘customer persona’ plays a central role in identifying the most effective publication to make that pitch. 

Is your audience made up of tech-savvy geeks or diet-conscious consumers? Are they fashionistas or people who are fast-driving gearheads?   

The needs, values, aspirations, preferences, and purchase behavior of different types of audiences are often as distinct as Sushi and Soda. 

Once a customer persona is established and the publications are identified, many businesses tend to believe the job is done. Each publication has a distinct set of reporters. All with distinct beats, styles, and sentiments. They all have their reputations, tendencies, and specializations.  

That is why exploring the profiles of such reporters or journalists within the targeted publications is key. 

2. Content and Storytelling 

Harley Davidson creates content and stories that celebrate a sense of freedom and rebellion. In essence, Harley-Davidson’s lifestyle PR approach is all about crafting narratives that go beyond selling motorcycles.  

Their content is mostly about selling a way of life, a sense of belonging, and the embodiment of freedom and rebellion. 

It has been shaping the lifestyle choices of those who resonate with their vision of the open road and the freedom to explore it. 

That is why effective content and storytelling are the cornerstones of building a trustworthy lifestyle brand. 

The top lifestyle publications receive hundreds of pitches each day. For them to zero in on your pitch and devote resources to publishing something on it, the editor needs to believe it can make a meaningful connection with the target audience. 

<H2>3. Collaborations and Partnerships 

Building strong relationships with lifestyle publications happens over time. It demands consistent effort, commitment, and endeavor from the business. Such efforts are truly the secret sauce of many winning brands across industries.  

1. Interaction: Engage and interact consistently with the publications across all channels. It implies that you are genuinely interested in the publication beyond your business objectives. This means being a consumer of their content, following all the publication’s social media channels, and actively engaging through likes and reposts.  

2. Customization: Personalize your pitches to the furthest extent possible. Tell them why you’re right for their publication with clarity, purpose, and emphasis. 

3. Contribution: Anticipate their needs and offer timely and relevant contributions that would help their content, initiatives, and causes. This is one way to create value before you seek it in return. 

4. Collaboration: Identify key influencers in the niche. Forge meaningful relationships with those influencers whose presence aligns with your brand. 

5. Authenticity: Be authentic in all communication and effort. This is so important in all spheres of business because it reflects the personality of your business to a significant extent. 

6. Campaign Partnerships: Consider partnering with a similar brand with a mutually beneficial objective and shared values. While extending your reach, it also empowers your brand in powerful ways. 

7. Cross-Promotion: Explore opportunities where you can cross-promote certain brands and publications through your own media channels. 

8. Consistency: In lifestyle PR, it is important to show up consistently for your target audience. So, think about long-term collaborations most of the time.  

4.  Data Analytics and Measurement 

Data Analytics helps PR teams in many ways. To learn from insights on the go, to make well-informed decisions, and to adapt with agility are the primary reasons.  

While such analytics and measurement are a significant advantage for many industries, it is a compulsion for a few industries.  

For example, trends and customer behavior change rapidly in the health and wellness industry. So is the case with the fashion industry. Uni-Sex fashion and the rise in demands for athleisure are a case in point. 

The key performance indicators (KPIs) from such analytics vary from industry to industry. The most common and fundamental ones include 

• Media mentions in lifestyle publications 
• Website Traffic 
• Engagement across social media handles  
• Rate of growth in email subscribers  
• Impact on Lead Generation  
• Quality of lead engagement  
• Conversion to Sales  

• Possibility of retention  

When lifestyle businesses can leverage their data and measure KPIs tailored for their business, they are in a good position to improve on their successes. Such an exercise also eliminates a lot of decisions made out of uninformed whims and a sense of gambling.  

An AI tool can come in handy. A powerful PR AI tool such as Interdependence’s Interviewed can empower the whole process and beyond. It opens up real-time media opportunities for business leaders looking to maximize the benefits of contextual media placements at the most opportune times. 

5. Setting the Scene 

Rolex has a rich history of equipping prominent figures with watches of exquisite craftsmanship. Rolex Explorer is often worn by prominent astronauts, mountaineers, deep-sea divers, and the like.  

This version of Rolex has become so synonymous with explorers that it is often called The Explorers Watch. If ever there was a masterclass in outdoor lifestyle PR, this must be Chapter 1.  

In 2012, Nike ran a campaign called #FindYourGreatness. The campaign was a subtle dig against its fierce rival, which had bagged the title rights to the 2012 Olympics. 

It promoted everyday athletes and sportsmanship in heartwarming ways. Many industry reports suggest the campaign outperformed its rival during the Olympic period in significant ways. 

In the 1942 movie Casablanca, Humphrey Bogart wore a Burberry trench coat. The type of placement in the movie has made Burberry trench coats an iconic symbol of elegance and sophistication to this day. This is a powerful cue for luxury lifestyle PR.  

The subtext of all these examples is that effective lifestyle PR can propel a business to much greater heights. More fundamentally, a successful placement does not have to be in a magazine, newspaper, or social media handle. Impactful placements could very well be through movies, merchandise, theme parks, events, and more. 

6. Timing and Relevance 

Have you noticed the surge in Apple products debuting each September? It’s no accident. Similarly, see how Starbucks transforms itself across the holiday season with special seasonal drinks. 

At a time when the idea of traditional travel was becoming mundane, Airbnb took the market by storm with its #LiveThere campaign 

Coke is yet another case worth studying. The #ShareACoke campaign was launched in the summer season to capitalize on a season of togetherness and thirst.  

And, when the idea of beauty was being challenged, Dove turned heads with the #RealBeauty campaign which celebrated authenticity over superficiality.  

With the above case studies in mind, it helps to pitch across lifestyle publications with these hacks: 

6.1 Search for the editorial calendars of targeted publications 

Most lifestyle publications have an editorial calendar planned months in    

advance. Thorough research of such calendars helps identify the most  

opportune time to make that pitch in a certain publication. 

But how do you find such calendars? 

1. Get an editorial calendar on their website. You might find a tab on their website that says “editorial calendar”, “media kit” or “advertise with us.” This will take you to their editorial calendar. 
    

2. You might also want to visit the website of the parent company of the publication and find a list of all the titles listed there. You can often find the same resources there. 

6.2  Long lead or short lead media? Place it where it belongs  

Long-lead media refers to magazines, most television shows, and other media that plan their content well in advance. On the other hand, short lead media refers to digital publications, blogs, local television news shows, and newspapers.