13 things to know about pitching AFAR, whether you’re a journalist, PR or photographer
Lessons I learned from a fascinating webinar with the editorial team last week
It was in Goa, India that AFAR was born more than 20 years ago. Co-founders Greg Sullivan, a former lawyer and investment banker, and teacher Joe Diaz, had gone on a trip together and, while sitting on a beach, they discussed what was missing in travel medial something that spoke to the desire to go deeper, to have more authentic, meaningful and transformational experiences. This is the brand’s history, as recounted by Julia Cosgrove, vice president and editor in chief of the US-based travel media brand, on a webinar last week.
At the time, the dominant travel narrative was still luxury-focused escapism, with high-thread-count sheets and swish beach resorts. Greg and Joe envisioned a brand that championed experiential travel (long before it was a buzzword). In 2008, the duo began building this brand and launched AFAR’s first-ever print issue in August 2009.
What began as a conversation on a beach in India is now a multi-platform media company with 48 million combined cross-platform readers per month across print, digital, email, podcasts, social media and audience extension programmes.
They also have a nonprofit called Learning AFAR, designed to make world travellers out of underserved middle and high school students in America.
Here’s an in-depth overview of what I learned during the webinar, including the kinds of pitches they’re looking for, how to go about getting your by-line across its platforms and what editorial themes are coming up, with tips for journalists, photographers and PRs.
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