How I Landed a Feature in Absolutely Berkshire Magazine

In May this year I was featured in Absolutely Berkshire magazine, as part of their ‘Weddings Special’ issue and interviewed about my experience of working as a Live Illustrator at weddings in Berkshire and beyond.

It was a beautiful 3 page feature, which included photos from lots of photographers that I have worked with at weddings and events over the last few years including Nicola Belson Photography, who I worked with at a Winter wedding photoshoot in the Cotswolds. As well as Sophie Barloc, who I worked with while live illustrating a London wedding at Brunswick House and Studio Rouge Photography, who I met while illustrating at Wasing Park Estate in Berkshire, and finally Faye Hedges photography.

Spotting the opportunity

I pitched for this interview back in July 2025 as I saw that they had a ‘Meet the founder’ interview feature and thought my business would be a good fit for this. 

For this new feature I together a pitch and then contacted the editor Mark who I have worked with before and explained that I have made a pivot with my business into live illustration with a focus on wedding illustration.  I have been featured in the magazine before including a spot in 2022. Back then, it was an article about wild swimming after I designed a collection of swimwear and accessories inspired by outdoor swimming.

Mark said he was interested in featuring me but he needed to find the right issue that would suit a feature on my work.   A few months later he got in touch again to confirm that they would love to run a feature about my live illustration work at weddings. He sent over a series of interview questions for me to answer and I also shared a selection of photos of my live illustration work and me illustrating custom portraits at various wedding venues around Berkshire and London.

From Outreach to Publication

One thing that really helped me secure this interview was having a professional press kit ready to go. It included my bio, high-quality photographs, details about my business, and links to my website and social media channels. Having everything prepared in advance made it so much easier for the editor to quickly understand who I am, what I do, and why I would be a good fit for the publication. It meant responses were prompt and kept the process running smoothly!

I’ve also invested time in learning how to pitch effectively and recently completed a pitching course with Bridie Hinson, which gave me valuable insight into what journalists and editors are looking for and help crafting pitches that stand out. I would definitely recommend her training to anyone looking to learn how to pitch and get more media coverage for their business.

As well as this, I’m also a member of Lucy Werner’s Hype Yourself community, which has been an amazing source of support, inspiration and PR knowledge. When you’re surrounded by other business owners who are actively working on their visibility and media outreach, it helps to build confidence in putting myself forward for opportunities and sharing my business story with more people.

A big thanks to Mark for the feature and let me know if you managed to pick up a copy? I would love to know what you thought!

Why I Decided To Pitch For A Magazine Feature

Running an illustration business means promoting yourself in lots of different ways. As well as being active on social media (you can follow me on Instagram and LinkedIn), I also write regular newsletters (subscribe here) and lots of blog posts, which I also create pins for on Pinterest.

Pitching for press is another part of my marketing strategy, but it does sometimes take longer to come to fruition compared to quick fixes like social media. However, I think it’s really important to pitch for PR opportunities to build trust in your brand, and help you find new audiences.

You can stay in a bit of a bubble if you only show your work to your followers on socials, or your newsletter subscribers. Being featured in newspapers and magazines, or on podcasts or radio, can really help you reach lots of new people that may not be aware of your work.

If you’d like to see more examples of my features in the press, check out this page on my website.

How to work with me

I’m Helen, I’m a live illustrator and art educator based in Reading, Berkshire.  If you’re interested in booking me for your wedding or event, please get in touch at hello@helenridley.com