321: Power Talk Friday - Ashley Hotham Cox: Why Regional Press is Important

Welcome to today's episode! We are really happy to have Ashley Hotham Cox with us and she's going to be a really hot topic on the show today!  Ashley comes with a significant level of experience. She used to be with Traditional Home and now she is the newly appointed editor-in-chief of Home Design & Decor. Listen in today to find out what Ashley has to share about promoting your design work through features in interior design magazines.       Ashley is a long-time Charlotte local- with a twist. As a North Carolina native, she graduated from the University of South Carolina with a bachelor of arts degree in fashion and a master's degree in journalism before earning her experience as a writer at Charlotte, Charlotte Wedding, and Charlotte Home & Garden magazines, and also as an editor at Traditional Home in New York. She is also a designer, having earned her certificate in interior design from the Parsons School of Design. Ashley returned home in 2016 to join the team of Home Design & Decor. Listen in now to find out more about how to pitch successfully, to be featured in design publications. Show highlights: Ashley discusses the big differences between what she was doing at Traditional Home and what she's doing now as an editor-in-chief at Home Design & Decor. Ashley discusses an overview of the editorial calendar and what she's looking out for, and how this affects you, as designers. Finding the cut-off dates for specific features. What you can do if you miss the cut-off date for a certain feature to promote some work that you've done. Weighing up if you should publish on Instagram or not if you have missed a deadline. Everything is always subject to change in time. Becoming really familiar with a specific publication before pitching your work to them. Ashley discusses what her front-of-book looked like for last year. The exceptions to the rule of featuring new design projects only. The kind of pitch that really gets Ashley's attention. What you need, in order to be considered for a magazine feature. Why you shouldn't be discouraged if you get a 'no' from an editor. Photography is not cheap, so should you supply your own photos for a magazine feature, or not? Why you need to turn the lights off when taking pictures for a publication. Photographing interiors is very different to taking real estate shots. Why Ashley doesn't really buy into trends. Why you need to really get to know about a publication before pitching them. Ashley's favorite thing about her job. Things that will really make your project different, bring life to an interior- and a great story! Social Media: Instagram: @AshleyHCox @Clt_homedesigndecor @tri_homedesigndecor