As PR pros know, there’s always more to learn when it comes to securing successful media placements for clients.

Yet, there are some things that remain crucial to the process — doing the proper research to make sure your pitch is on target with the pub’s mission, for one.

XXL, a pub representing ‘hip-hop on a higher level,’ is open to PR pitches, as long as publicists prove that their client is in tune with the mag’s credo.

“What falls under the [hip-hop] category is a lot broader than it used to be. We created a television section because we needed to, because more rappers were involved in acting and more actors were talking about hip-hop. The same goes for fashion, with rappers becoming so much more fashion-conscious on a whole different level than [Timberland boots] and a hoodie,” said editor-in-chief Vanessa Satten.

Want to make sure you’re talking to the right editor? Read How to Pitch: XXL.

– Sherry Yuan

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