Exactly How Much TIME Goes Into The Wedding Submission Process
A common question we encounter when chatting with people interested in hiring us is “why should I pay you to submit my weddings when I can do it myself?” If you’re a planner or photographer, chances are you’ve submitted a wedding in the past and know how much time goes into it. And if you’re not a photographer or planner, you know how tricky it can be to have a say in where your work is placed.
Most people are surprised to learn that managing successful submissions requires in-depth knowledge of media outlets and their editorial content, a trained eye, strong writing skills, and a little bit of detective work. Not to mention a whole lot of patience and perseverance.
We’re here to give you a breakdown that shows how much time you can save by outsourcing your wedding submissions to an experienced PR team:
1. Pairing down the gallery
The most important part of a submission is pairing down the gallery. While couples of course want to see every moment captured, media outlets do not. Wedding galleries can have upwards of 3,000 photos, and the aim is to pair them down to the 75-100 best photos that capture the details, emotion, and special moments of the day. Trust us, it’s easier said than done! Pairing down a gallery for our experienced team takes around an hour. And part of the reason we’re able to do it that quickly is that we have a trained eye, we aren’t emotionally connected to the photos, and we know what shots outlets prioritize.
2. Properly formatted vendor information
A submission should include all the vendor information. That includes a list of the credits, each vendor hyperlinked and all Instagram handles linked. For even the most fluent Google-r and copy&paste-r this can take 15-20 minutes, depending on the size of the wedding.
3. Determining realistic outlet options
Another crucial part of the submission process is matching the style of the wedding to the wedding media outlet. After submitting *thousands* of weddings, our team can review a gallery link and almost instantly know which outlet(s) it’s most likely to find a home with. We also have the added benefit of hearing directly from bloggers and editors about what they do/don’t like about a submission, which is feedback and knowledge we use to determine where to pitch an event. Without this, you’ll likely need to spend hours reviewing blogs and websites to get a thorough understanding of the photography and detail styles certain outlets gravitate toward. After that, you’ll need to research the submission requirements for each outlet to ensure you’re meeting them.
4. Discover how and who to pitch to
When submitting, you’ll most likely be submitting it through a form and sending it into the abyss, with no way to check in or follow up. If you want to send it directly to a contact at an outlet, you’ll need to set aside some time to find out who that is and what their contact information is. If submitting directly, you’ll need to write a pitch email. It should be long enough to give the outlet an idea of the style and highlights of the wedding, but short enough that the editor or bloggers aren’t overwhelmed. Unless you’re one of the lucky ones, you likely won’t hear back on your submission right away. Expect to have to check in regularly on the submission anywhere for 2-6 months.
5. The waiting game that is lead times
When submitting, you’ll most likely be submitting it through a form and sending it into the abyss, with no way to check in or follow up. If you want to send it directly to a contact at an outlet, you’ll need to set aside some time to find out who that is and what their contact information is. If submitting directly, you’ll need to write a pitch email. It should be long enough to give the outlet an idea of the style and highlights of the wedding, but short enough that the editor or bloggers aren’t overwhelmed. Unless you’re one of the lucky ones, you likely won’t hear back on your submission right away. Expect to have to check in regularly on the submission anywhere for 2-6 months.
Outsource your wedding submission process.
Offloading the majority of this legwork to a Wedding PR firm can free up time to spend on other things - your clients, your social media strategy, growing your business, time with friends and family, etc. As you can see above, it's not an exaggeration to say we've saved our clients literally thousands and thousands of hours. It's important for your work to consistently be featured - for SEO, for clout and credibility, and for expanding your reach. Either way it requires an investment - your time or your money - and in some cases, the most effective option is to hire a professional to manage it for you.