Mar 15, 2022
Before sending a pitch to Maine Homes by Down East magazine, listen to the podcast episode. Editor Sarah Stebbins lists what makes a good pitch and a great story for the magazine. Sarah talks about her career from InStyle to Martha Stewart Living and many others, the story behind Maine Homes magazine and where she hopes to see the magazine go in the future. Sarah shares some of the most memorable stories that have been featured in the magazine.
3:35 – Sarah describes how she always wanted to be a journalist. She even applied to Glamour, Marie Claire and Rolling Stone looking for a summer job in high school.
7:49 – Sarah explains what differentiates Maine Homes by Down East.
11:59 – Sarah listed what you should do when pitching Maine Homes by Down East magazine, including being familiar with the magazine and identifying which section you think the story would fit best in. Ask yourself:
- Is it a trend?
- Is there a fresh angle?
- Is this unique?
13:02 – Sarah talks about what constitutes a great story.
17:47 – Sarah shares some people Maine Homes by Down East has featured that have a strong personal brand.
21:14 – Sarah describes what she hopes the future of Maine Homes by Down East looks like.
24:34 – Sarah talks about the Maine Homes section in Down East magazine.
26:34 – Sarah explains what makes the Maine brand so special.
29:43 – Sarah shares some resources that have helped her.
Quote
“One thing since we launched that's been really important to me is to try to show approachable houses. Not museum-y or chill-y houses or houses that you feel like you can't sit on the furniture or houses that make you feel bad about yourself when you look at them. We show beautiful houses that are inspiring and interesting.” – Sarah Stebbins, editor of Maine Homes by Down East magazine
Links:
Vertical gardens: https://mainehomes.com/the-walls-are-alive/
TerraFlora: https://www.terrafloramaine.com/
Shelfie kits: https://mainehomes.com/help-your-shelves/
Of The Sea Studio: https://www.instagram.com/oftheseastudio/
Home Remedies: https://www.homeremediesmaine.com/
Down East Adventures: https://shop.downeast.com/down-east-adventures/
“Just Let Me Lie Down” by Kristin van Ogtrop: https://www.amazon.com/Just-Let-Lie-Down-Half-Insane/dp/0316068292
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About the guest:
A native of Cousins Island in Yarmouth, Sarah began her career at InStyle magazine in New York, where she worked on the launch of InStyle Home. She was later an editor at Martha Stewart Living before moving home to Maine to freelance write for publications such as Real Simple, This Old House, and Southern Living.
Sarah joined Down East in 2016, where she oversaw the relaunch of mainehomes.com, growing it from about 5,000 page views per month to more than 51,000, and expanded home content in the magazine. The success of the website signaled that readers were interested in the kind of authentic home content she curated, and, in 2018, Sarah launched Maine Homes by Down East as a quarterly magazine. The second issue won the Home/Shelter category in the City and Regional Magazine Association’s annual awards contest. Today, Maine Homes magazine has 40,000 subscribers hailing from every state in the country, and 51,000 social media followers.
Sarah lives in Portland with her husband, two sons and rescue mutt in the “starter house” they decided to stay in and perennially renovate.
Looking to connect:
Email: sarah@mainehomes.com
Website: https://mainehomes.com/
Instagram: @mainehomesmagazine