If your photography isn’t right, your pitch doesn’t stand a chance

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You’ve got a brilliant product. You’ve emailed the interior stylists and journalists. You’ve followed up.

Still no coverage?

The problem might not be your pitch—it could be your photography.

After years of working with PRs, editors, and brands—and styling more shoots than I can count for interiors and lifestyle features—I can tell you this: if your images aren’t up to scratch, you’re already on the back foot. Especially when editors, writers and stylists are scanning through hundreds of emails every single day.

Last month, I attended the BrightonSEO conference with Nikki Snell from Press Loft. During her keynote speech, all about this very subject Nikki shared the facts and figures of EXACTLY what’s being downloaded by journalists, stylists and writers. Which images are selected for online and print features … and the ones that aren’t. Today I’m sharing what you need to know about getting your photography press-ready—and what every brand should be doing if they want to get noticed, featured and shared.

1. Cut-Outs Are a Must

Let’s start with the basics: clean, white-background cut-outs. These are the images that get used. Over 70% of product press features rely on them.

Why? Because they’re quick and easy for editors to drop into layouts—no faffing, no background removal. They’re the backbone of any ‘get the look’ feature and are perfect for gift guides, sofa round-ups, news pages and more.

You need to know…

• Stick to pure white backgrounds

•  Ditch the grey or off-white—they just won’t make the cut

•  Remove drop shadows—they’re difficult to clean up later. Look at magazine features and see if you can find a drop shadow anywhere.

• Use clear, well-lit shots from the front or a slight angle. There are photographic agencies who specialise in taking cut-out shots. It’s not as simple as grabbing a white background while you’re on set and shooting a range of products. It’s also a lot more cost-efficient to send products out.

Remember: If your image doesn’t communicate what the product is in a single glance, it’s not press-ready.

2. Lifestyle Images Need to Be of Editorial Standard

This is where your product can really shine—but it has to be done well.

The most downloaded press images every year on Press Loft are professionally styled lifestyle shots. That means a strong composition, decent lighting, and styling that adds to the story, not distracts from it.

Many shots are too commercial. They don’t make sure the product is the hero whilst creating an atmosphere of inspiration. You want the viewer to feel like they’re about to walk into the space.

Lifestyle imagery is good for:

• Print features and front covers

• Online articles that need impact

• Showing your product in context

If this isn’t your area of expertise, call in the pros. And yes, InsideStylists.com is the perfect place to find them.

3. Keep It Grounded

One of the biggest mistakes Nikki sees is styling that looks great on Instagram, but doesn’t land with journalists.

“A sofa on a cliff edge or a lamp in the middle of a forest might look dramatic—but it’s not going to sell the story. Editors want to show products in real, relatable spaces.” she shared.

Think kitchens, bedrooms, living rooms—environments readers can picture themselves in. That’s what gets picked up.

Save the arty shots for your wholesale look books and social media. The lifestyle shots are what customers need to see to envision the look they desire. They’re the ones the editors include in features.

4. Shoot with Stories and Seasons in Mind

A single product can land coverage multiple times—if you style it with the calendar in mind.

You need to think…

• Pastels for Easter

• Lemons/strawberries and linen for summer

• Warming textures for autumn

• A sprig of fir and a bow for Christmas

The same product, styled in a new way, becomes relevant all year round. And if you’re on top of trends—country core, dopamine décor, colour drenching —you’ll open up even more opportunities.

I was at the Press Loft round table and asked Executive Editor of LivingEtc, Pip Rich if once photography is featured on line will it be used again and his response was yes. If the shot works for the feature it will be included. So, if you have an item featured in a summer issue there’s no reason why the same product won’t pop up in a Winter one – if the photography is right!

5. Give Journalists What They Need

Nikki may have heard a little woop from me in the audience when she said “The easier you make it for a journalist, the more likely they are to feature your product.” We might need portrait or landscape. Cut-outs or lifestyle. High-res or web-ready. So give us ALL the options.

You need to know we like …

• High-res cut-outs on white backgrounds

• Lifestyle shots in both portrait and landscape

• Download links in a clean folder—Dropbox or Google Drive works well

• Clear licensing info so we know it’s safe to use. We’re hot on Copywrights and art.

And please—no email attachments over 10MB. Add a few low-res images into your email and link out to the full folder. Remember that we get over 100 emails every day. High-res images clog up our inboxes and that’s no way to get featured.

6. Make Yourself Easy to Work With

“Here’s the reality: journalists often work odd hours. If they’re finishing a feature on Sunday night and you haven’t made your images easy to access, you’ll miss the chance of being featured. Or as Nikki put it

“Have everything ready. Be clear, be fast, and don’t make them chase you.”

I have to say that when I first went freelance, I still had little kids and would finish (or even start) features when the daughterlings were in bed. I needed images now, and I needed them fast. PLEASE make it easy for us by sharing your photography where we can get them any time. Yes, this is a blatant plug for Press Loft and yes I do have an affiliate link for you – but as someone who has been using Press Loft since it launched 19 years ago you could say I drink the coolaid!  Get a free 60 day trial for Press Loft here  

Final Thoughts

Even the best product won’t get featured if the photos aren’t right. But with the right setup—and the right support—you can absolutely turn things around.

Focus on:

• Clean white cut-outs with good lighting

• Professionally styled lifestyle shots

• Realistic, editorial-ready settings

• Seasonal and trend-aware styling

• Multiple formats, clearly labelled and easy to access

And if you’re ready to get serious about your imagery? Work with a stylist who knows what makes a shot work for press.

Need help finding one? That’s exactly what InsideStylists.com is for. Get in touch if you’d like me to help you get your team together. Drop me a line here 

Get a free 60 day trial for Press Loft here  

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