How to get featured in a magazine, and what it costs

There are three honest ways to get featured in a magazine. An editor chooses you. You pay for a page that says it was paid for. Or you are named on a list or an award. Each one works, and each has a different price.

1. Earned: an editor chooses you

This is the feature most people picture. A journalist writes about you because your story is news, useful or remarkable. It costs nothing but time, and it carries the most weight, because the reader knows nobody paid for it.

How to give yourself a fair chance:

• Read the magazine first. Find the section you belong in: a profile page, a "women to watch" list, a column on founders. Pitch that section, not the magazine.
• Find the right editor. The section editor's name is usually in the masthead or on recent stories. A pitch to a general inbox is rarely read.
• Send a short pitch. Three or four lines: what you built, the one fact that makes it a story now (a launch, a number, a turn in your life), and why their readers will care. Attach nothing large; offer pictures on request.
• Be ready. Good photographs, a one-paragraph biography and figures you can prove. Editors move fast once they say yes.
• Follow up once, then let go. Silence usually means "not this time", not "never".

The catch: you control none of it. The editor decides whether, when and how you appear, and what the story says.

2. Paid: a page that says so

Many magazines sell pages about people and companies: sponsored profiles, advertorials, partner features, "brand voice" sections. Done properly, they are clearly labelled, and you know exactly what you are paying for.

What paid features usually cost depends on the magazine's readers and on what is included. At Prive Pages our founding prices are:

What	Founding price
A profile	from ₹60,000 · $900
The cover	from ₹3,00,000 · $4,500
A solo edition (a whole issue on one person)	from ₹3,50,000 · $5,000

Each includes a recorded conversation with our editor, a photo shoot, pages you approve, numbered print copies, a page of your own online and a press kit. Paid pages carry our Prive Profile mark. Our cover voices are always invited and never pay. You can read how we choose.

Before you pay any magazine, ask five questions:

1. Who writes it? An editor, or you?
2. Is it labelled? It should be. Readers trust a magazine that tells them.
3. Do I approve it? You should see the text before it prints.
4. Who reads it? Ask for print run, readers and where copies go.
5. What do I keep? Copies, the online page, the right to share the pictures.

3. Listed: awards and lists

"Women to watch", "40 under 40", "top founders" lists are a third road. Some are chosen by editors on merit, some ask for nominations, and some charge an entry or "recognition" fee. All three exist; only the first two carry real weight. Read who won last year before you enter.

Warning signs

• "Guaranteed placement" in a famous title sold by a third party. Big magazines do not sell their editorial pages through middlemen; what is sold is usually a contributor's blog post, a paid section, or a reprint.
• No label. A paid page dressed up as news can hurt you when readers find out.
• No approval. If you cannot read it before it prints, do not pay for it.
• A price with no list of what is included.

Where to start

If your story is news, pitch editors first. It costs nothing. If you want a page you control, made well and printed beautifully, choose a paid feature that is labelled, approved by you, and read by the people you want to reach.

If that is Prive Pages, tell us what you have built. Our editor reads every request and replies personally within the week.