Franchise Times: Learn all about the "People Magazine" of franchising

How to pitch to Franchise Times magazine

If your company has anything to do with the franchise industry, Franchise Times magazine is the publication for you. This was the foremost message conveyed during Axia PR’s "Meet the Editor" webinar featuring Franchise Time's Executive Editor Nancy Weingartner. You may watch the Franchise Times "meet the editor" webinar recording and learn about how to get your company or clients into a magazine that focuses on numerous fields under the franchising spotlight.

About Franchise Times

Published since 1999, the magazine has a readership of 23,000 and growing. Its focus is more on business owners and senior executives in the franchise industry, less on those looking for a franchise opportunity. Most of its readers have several years of experience in the franchising industry and are typically looking for advice, such as how to do business better, how to hire the right people, news about what’s going on in the industry and formulas for success.

The magazine tries to cover events where franchisors are going to be, where its staff look for people to talk to and interview. Although it doesn’t currently have opportunities for guest bloggers, the magazine will sometimes give bylines if the writer is an expert on the subject or the information is of a more technical nature.

Some of the more consistent subjects featured include family businesses, real estate, marketing and technology. In addition, the magazine publishes its yearly Top 200 Franchise Systems and the Superbook of Franchise Opportunities. It also sponsors two large conferences each year – one on restaurant finance and development and the other on franchise finance and growth. For the future, the magazine will be focusing on strengthening its website and providing more information about the international franchising scene with unique and helpful correspondence about doing business in different countries.

What’s in it for you?

• Fun, quirky news and trivia about franchising

• A more detailed and insightful reporting of news and how it will impact the franchise industry

• Magazine writers try to mix it up with human interest pieces, celebrities and professional athletes in franchising, award winners and influential franchisors making big deals.
  
  

The dos of pitching to Franchise Times:

Do send information about who’s going where (franchisors on the move).

Do include franchising news with an international angle.

Do make sure anything you send is very franchise-specific.

Do pitch at least two months ahead of your event or news.

Do remember to send good quality photos to accompany your story idea, when appropriate.

Do pitch fascinating profiles where your subjects are willing to let the public see behind the curtain and talk about challenges, problems they encountered and cautionary tales.

Do offer original, interesting content about something different, such as families running child care franchises or children in franchising who have hired their parents.

And now, the don’ts about pitching to Franchise Times:

Don’t try to oversell the advantages without mentioning the downsides and bumps along the way.

Don’t send information a few days before the issue date, even though the magazine has an online component.

Don’t pitch something the magazine has already covered.

Don’t keep calling to ask about the status of your pitch. If they have not used the information in a reasonable amount of time, they are not going to and are unlikely to be persuaded otherwise just because you call numerous times.

Don’t pitch the same story to multiple people at the magazine.

About the webinar

At Axia, we understand the value of making important connections. We regularly sponsor Meet the Media webinars, giving you access to the media professionals who can help you better position your company or client in major news outlets. Check back often for future events or sign up to receive updates.

Lisa Goldsberry is a writer for Axia Public Relations with more than 15 years of public relations experience. She specializes in business, higher education and technology PR. Connect with Axia Public Relations on Twitter at @axiapr.