Every week, Love My Dress receives a significant number of press releases. Some are warm and well-written. Most are deleted without being read beyond the first line.
I say this not to be unkind to the people sending them, many of whom are talented communicators working within established industry conventions, but because I think it is worth being honest about the reality on the receiving end.
After sixteen and a half years of publishing, I can recognise the structure of a traditional press release within seconds, even when it isn’t labelled as one. The giveaway is rarely the format itself but the assumption buried within it: that a publication will provide editorial coverage, creative time, audience access and promotional effort, without any recognition that this work has value.
Almost every press release we receive contains a variation of the same sentence: “Would this work for any upcoming stories?” It sounds reasonable. But what it rarely acknowledges is that creating thoughtful editorial coverage requires real investment. Writing, editing, image curation, SEO, publishing and promotion to a hard-earned audience all sit behind every story that appears on an established platform like Love My Dress. That work is my livelihood.
The assumption that needs to change
The communications agency sending the release is typically being paid by their client to generate media exposure and that makes complete sense. What tends to go unspoken is the expectation that the publisher on the receiving end will supply the actual coverage for free. The agency secures the placement. The publisher does the work. I don’t believe this imbalance is something most PR professionals set out to create, but it has become so normalised within the industry that it rarely gets questioned, and I think it should.
Independent publishing platforms like this one are businesses. Producing editorial work, maintaining an audience and building a trusted platform requires sustained effort and real resource. When PR outreach assumes that a publication will provide all of this without support, the model becomes increasingly difficult to justify.
The most meaningful work I do happens when brands and publishers work together directly, with genuine alignment and mutual respect. That kind of relationship is rarely established through a cold press release sent to a long list of publications.
The press release was designed for a different media landscape
PR agencies play an important role within the creative industries and this is not an argument against PR itself. Good communications professionals help brands shape their stories, manage launches and build media relationships in ways that would be difficult to manage alone.
The issue is the continued reliance on a format that, in my experience, often doesn’t serve either side as well as it could. Press releases worked when publications depended on agencies to supply ready-made information. That is no longer how independent digital publishing operates. Editorial platforms now build their own audiences, develop direct relationships with brands and produce content in ways that are far more collaborative, meaningful and transparent.
Audiences have changed too – after years of algorithm-driven feeds and near-identical marketing content, people have become significantly more selective about what they engage with. Couples planning their weddings aren’t short of information, what they respond to are trusted platforms that present ideas with care, context and genuine editorial judgement. They want to feel that the businesses being introduced to them have been chosen because the platform genuinely believes in them, not because a PR campaign required a placement.
What working with a publisher can actually look like
There are many ways to work with a wedding publisher like Love My Dress; sponsored editorial features, founder interviews, advertising placements and launch features all allow brands to be introduced to an engaged audience in a way that feels considered and credible.
For smaller or emerging businesses, visibility often builds gradually through multiple digital touch points. A well-maintained and presented wedding directory listing is one of the most accessible ways to begin that process. At Love My Dress, our entry-level ‘Classic’ listing exists specifically for businesses at this stage. And this is worth understanding clearly, because it is often misunderstood: the value of this kind of presence is not always an immediate flood of enquiries. More often it is the gradual accumulation of credibility, discoverability and trust over time.
We are also specialists in producing long-form evergreen content, the kind that introduces you, your story, your brand, product or service to our audience in a gentle and authentic way through articles that will continue to serve your business long after they are published. Love My Dress has a high domain authority and is trusted by Google and increasingly by AI-powered search tools, which means that directory listings and published content on our platform tend to rank well and often quickly.
Essentially what I’m saying is this; Every quality mention, link and introduction to your brand online contributes to a wider digital footprint that helps the right couples find you. You can read more about the value of directory listings here and why long-form evergreen content matters more than ever here.
How to approach a publisher if you’re a small business
A traditional press release is rarely necessary. A short, honest email explaining who you are, what you make and why you think your work might resonate with a particular platform’s audience will almost always have more impact than a formatted release sent to a list.
It doesn’t need to be polished. It just needs to show that you’ve actually looked at the publication you’re contacting and have a genuine reason for reaching out. That small act of care will make an enormous difference to how the email is received, I promise you.
If you think Love My Dress might be a good fit for your business, I encourage you to register here, and if your brand feels like a strong alignment we’ll share our full media pack and options with you. Or simply send an email and introduce yourself. Either way, a genuine introduction will always go further than a press release.
Quality editorial support from an established platform is an investment, and it is worth approaching it as one. That said, I regularly offer preferential rates to smaller or newly established businesses, so if that sounds like you, please do reach out. I’d love to hear from you.
The one thing I’d gently ask is that you come with the expectation of a conversation rather than the assumption of free coverage. A press release dropped into an inbox is not a conversation, and it rarely leads to one. The best working relationships I have are built on mutual respect for what each party brings, and that is always where the most rewarding work begins.
Images used in this article are from the UNBRIDLED STUDIO X FIONA FLEUR collection which we’ll be publishing in full soon. Unbridled are a Love My Dress recommended supplier/vendor – we adore their modern, contemporary and super feminine designs.
Read more business articles in our For The Wedding Industry section.
