How do I get my product featured in reviews, buyers guides & roundups?

This guide breaks down every route to coverage: earned PR, affiliate-driven editorial, paid placements, and everything in between – to ensure you fully understand how you can get your products featured in reviews, buyers guides and roundups.

So, how do I get my product(s) featured?

Getting your product in front of a magazine’s readership is one of the most powerful things you can do for brand credibility and awareness. A single placement in a title like Runner’s World, Wired, Women’s Health or Country Life carries an authority that paid social advertising simply cannot replicate.

But, the days of sending a press kit and waiting for editorial coverage are largely over. The modern magazine industry operates on a commercial logic that you need to understand before you pick up the phone.

This guide covers every route to coverage: earned PR, affiliate-driven editorial, paid placements, gifting and everything in between.

We also name the major publishing groups you’re likely to encounter and explains how each of them tends to operate commercially:

  1. How magazines actually make money now
  2. The affiliate reality: why products without programs don’t get covered
  3. The major publishing groups and how they work
  4. Setting up your affiliate program correctly
  5. Earned PR: what still works
  6. Gifting and product loans
  7. Paid editorial and advertorial
  8. Affiliate-first outreach: how to approach editorial teams
  9. Affiliate-first outreach: how not to approach editorial teams
  10. The roundup

How do magazines actually make money now?

Magazine publishing has undergone a fundamental, commercial transformation over the past decade. Print advertising, which was once the backbone of the entire industry, has declined sharply across almost every title and category.

In its place, most major publishers now run on a mixed model with three primary revenue streams:

  1. Affiliate commission from product roundups, buyer’s guides and reviews
  2. Paid editorial and native advertising sold through commercial teams
  3. Display advertising and programmatic revenue generated by high-intent digital audiences

For product brands, the practical implication is straightforward: editorial teams are under commercial pressure to include products that generate affiliate revenue.

This is not corruption – it is simply how the business has had to adapt. A commerce editor building a “best stand mixers” roundup for a food title is operating in an environment where their output is expected to contribute to the publication’s bottom line. Products with active affiliate programs, competitive commission rates and clean tracking make that possible. Products without them do not.

The sooner you understand this, the more effective your outreach will be.

The affiliate reality: why products without programs don't get covered

Let’s be direct: if your product is not accessible through an affiliate program, your chances of appearing in a magazine’s product roundups, buyer’s guides or commerce-led reviews are close to zero.

This applies across virtually every major consumer magazine category – health and fitness, cycling, running, outdoor, home, tech, beauty, food and drink, parenting, interiors. The products that fill those pages are, in the vast majority of cases, selected because they are on a recognised affiliate network and paying a commission rate that makes it commercially viable for the editorial team to include them.

Consider what happens at a title like Runner’s World (Hearst), Cycling Plus (Future), or BBC Good Food (Immediate Media) when a commerce editor is building a “best running shoes under £150” article. 

They are not browsing brand websites and hand-picking products. They are using tools that surface available products in that category, sorted by availability and commission rate. Your product needs to appear in that view, with a rate that holds its own against the established brands also in the mix.

The commission rate matters as much as the fact of having a program. A token 1–2% rate will not motivate editorial teams to prioritise your product over brands paying 5–10%. Category benchmarks vary, but as a general guide:

  1. Sports & outdoor equipment: 8-20%
  2. Clothing & footwear: 8-15%
  3. Beauty & personal care: 8-15%
  4. Home & kitchen: 4–10%
  5. Technology & electronics: 2-6%
  6. Food, drink & nutrition: 8-25%
  7. Garden & tools: 4-8%
If you are a smaller or newer brand, setting your commission rate above category average is one of the most cost-effective things you can do to attract editorial attention without spending a penny on advertising.

The major publishing groups and how they work

Understanding who owns what – and how each group operates commercially – will make your outreach significantly more targeted and efficient.

Future plc

Future is one of the UK’s largest specialist media companies and operates a highly developed affiliate commerce operation across its portfolio. Titles include Cycling Weekly, Cycling Plus, Runner’s World (UK licence), TechRadar, Tom’s Guide, What Hi-Fi, T3, Marie Claire, Woman & Home, Guitar World, PC Gamer and many others.

Future’s commerce editorial team is centralised and operates at scale. Their buyer’s guides and best-of roundups are built specifically to generate affiliate revenue and rank in search, and they use sophisticated tooling to identify products with strong commission rates and tracking reliability. Being on a major affiliate network and paying a competitive rate is essentially table stakes for inclusion. Future is also one of the publishers most likely to respond well to direct outreach from brands who lead with their affiliate program details upfront.

Hearst UK

Hearst publishes some of the UK’s most prestigious consumer titles including ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, Cosmopolitan, Men’s Health, Women’s Health, Runner’s World, Good Housekeeping, Prima and Country Living.

Hearst operates a growing commerce editorial function across its titles, with affiliate-linked product features a significant part of the digital output of most magazines. Good Housekeeping in particular has a long-standing product testing and endorsement reputation (the Good Housekeeping Institute seal) which carries significant consumer trust – and a corresponding commercial structure. For brands in the health, beauty, home, and fashion categories, Hearst titles represent some of the most valuable placements available.

Condé Nast

Condé Nast publishes Vogue, GQ, Tatler, Wired, House & Garden, Glamour, Vanity Fair and The World of Interiors in the UK, with extensive global equivalents.

Condé Nast titles sit at the premium end of the market and their editorial culture has historically been more guarded about overt commercialisation. However, their digital output has grown substantially and affiliate-linked product coverage is now a material part of their digital revenue. GQ’s gear guides and Vogue’s shopping edits are both built on affiliate infrastructure. The bar for product quality, brand positioning and price point is higher here than at specialist titles – a product that fits naturally into a Vogue or GQ context will be considered; one that doesn’t will be ignored regardless of commission rate.

Immediate Media

Immediate publishes BBC Good Food, BBC Gardeners’ World, BBC History Magazine, Radio Times, Olive, Vegetarian Living, Homes & Antiques and a range of specialist hobby and craft titles.

Immediate’s BBC-licensed titles command enormous audience trust and their digital commerce content – particularly BBC Good Food’s product reviews – is highly trafficked. Their affiliate operation is well-developed and their editorial teams are accessible to brands that fit the category naturally. For food, kitchen, garden and home brands, Immediate titles are among the most valuable targets.

Our Media

Our Media publishes Trail, BikeRadar, Outdoor Fitness, Dirt and a range of outdoor and adventure titles.

Our Media operates at the enthusiast end of the market – smaller circulation but highly engaged, highly specialist audiences. This means affiliate commission rates and volume will be lower than a mass-market title, but the conversion rate from coverage can be exceptional because readers are motivated buyers who trust the publication’s gear recommendations deeply. For outdoor, bike, running and adventure brands, Our Media titles are worth prioritising.

Metropolis International

Metropolis publishes titles including The World of Interiors (in partnership with Condé Nast), Wallpaper* and a range of design and architecture publications.

Metropolis titles serve a design-literate, high-income readership. Their editorial approach is visual and taste-led rather than product-test driven. The affiliate infrastructure is less developed than at Future or Hearst, which means direct brand relationships, gifting and advertising carry more weight here than commission-driven outreach. If your product has genuine design credentials, leading with aesthetic and story rather than commission rate is the right approach.

Other publishers worth knowing

Bauer Media: publishes Live For The Outdoors, Cycling Active, Auto Express, and a range of automotive, tech and cycling titles. Strong affiliate commerce operation in the tech and motoring categories.

Haymarket: publishes Campaign, What Car?, Autocar, Stuff (historically) and a range of B2B titles. Automotive and marketing-adjacent brands should be aware of their titles.

National World: regional newspaper publisher that also operates a growing range of digital consumer titles including i-newspaper, Yorkshire Post and The Scotsman, with increasing affiliate commerce output.

Setting up your affiliate program correctly

Before approaching any of the above publishers, your affiliate program needs to be in place and properly structured. Here is what matters:

1. Be on a recognised network

Major publishing groups work with established affiliate networks. Being on a network their affiliate teams already have access to removes friction entirely. If you are in a specialist category such as cycling, running or outdoor, then being on a focused premium network like Avelon can be an advantage, as publishers in that space already have existing relationships through the network.

2. Set a competitive commission rate

Use the category benchmarks above as a floor, not a ceiling. For newer or less-recognised brands, paying above average is one of the most direct ways to earn editorial attention.

3. Provide a clean product data feed

Commerce editorial teams use product data feeds to pull in pricing, images and affiliate buy links. A well-structured feed with accurate pricing, clean product titles and high-resolution images makes inclusion in roundups simple. A missing or poorly maintained feed makes it genuinely difficult.

4. Use reliable tracking

Nothing damages publisher relationships faster than tracking failures. Server-to-server (S2S) tracking is strongly preferred over cookie-only methods, particularly as browsers continue to restrict third-party cookies. Ensure your integration is tested before you start outreach.

We recommend using native plug-ins from networks.

5. Set a 30-day cookie window as standard

Readers of magazine content research purchases across multiple sessions. A 30-day attribution window is the accepted standard. Shorter windows will be noticed and be seen as a negative by experienced affiliate editors.

Earned PR: what still works

Genuine editorial coverage, not commercially motivated, hasn’t disappeared, but the bar is higher than it was. These are the angles that still cut through across most magazine categories:

Significant product launches

A genuinely new product with a newsworthy hook – new technology, a category first, a meaningful performance claim backed by evidence – can earn news coverage. Incremental updates, new colour schemes and line extensions will not.

Data and original research

Proprietary research with a category-relevant angle is consistently attractive to magazine editors. Consumer surveys, performance studies, analysis of market trends – anything original that gives a journalist something to write about beyond “here is a product” is worth investing in.

Human interest and brand stories

A compelling founder story, an unusual manufacturing process, a product designed around genuine need rather than market gap analysis – these are the ingredients of features coverage. They take longer to develop than a product pitch but can generate coverage that no amount of affiliate commission would produce.

Seasonal and cultural hooks

Magazines plan content weeks to months in advance against a seasonal and cultural calendar. A product tied to an upcoming season, event, trend or cultural moment, pitched at the right time, will find editorial consideration it wouldn’t get from a cold, context-free pitch.

Celebrity, athlete or expert endorsement

If a well-known figure in the relevant category is genuinely using your product, that is a news hook. The endorsement needs to be authentic. Magazine editors are experienced at identifying manufactured associations.

Gifting and product loans

Sending product for review remains standard practice across most consumer categories. There are important nuances to get right.

Gifted vs. loaned

Most publications note in reviews whether a product was provided free or as a loan. You cannot guarantee a favourable review by gifting, and attempting to use gift value as leverage is damaging to the relationship. What you can control is making the review experience easy: clear setup instructions, responsive technical support, rapid replacement if something goes wrong.

Research the correct contact

Magazine editorial teams change frequently. A press release sent to a deputy editor who left six months ago is wasted. Check the current masthead, look for a gear editor, commerce editor or relevant section editor, and send a personalised pitch to the right person. Generic press@ emails at large publishing groups are rarely actioned.

What to include when requesting a review

  1. A one-paragraph product description with your key claim
  2. RRP, launch date, and where the product is available
  3. Your affiliate program details (network, commission rate, cookie window, tracking method)
  4. An offer to provide a test sample

That last point (proactively including your affiliate details) signals that you understand how modern editorial works and makes the commercial case for coverage in a single sentence. It makes you easier to say yes to.

If the affiliate is VAT-registered in the United Kingdom but you are registered in the European Union, Avelon will pay the VAT due to the affiliate on your behalf.

Paid editorial and advertorial

When earned coverage is too slow or uncertain, paid routes give you guaranteed placement with controlled messaging. All major publishing groups offer commercial content options:

Native / advertorial articles

Paid articles written in editorial style by the publication’s commercial content team, clearly labelled as partnered content. These live on the publication’s domain, benefit from its SEO authority and audience trust, and are typically built with affiliate links to your product included. They are not cheap – rates at Condé Nast, Hearst or Future titles for a native content piece can range from a few thousand pounds upward depending on the title, length and promotion – but the credibility and search longevity can make them excellent value.

Sponsored category guides

Several publishers, particularly Future and Immediate, offer sponsorship packages for specific category guides or buyer’s hubs. This typically gives your brand prominent logo placement and featured positioning within a high-traffic article that already ranks in search for purchase-intent keywords. For brands launching into a competitive category, this can be a very efficient way to reach in-market buyers.

Deal and sale features

Magazines with strong digital commerce operations – particularly Future and Hearst titles – run dedicated deals and sale coverage around key retail moments (Black Friday, seasonal sales, bank holidays). Paid inclusion in these features drives short-term conversion volume while simultaneously introducing your brand to new audiences.

Newsletter sponsorship

Subscriber email newsletters are among the most engaged audiences a publisher controls. Newsletter sponsorship at a relevant title – Runner’s World, Women’s Health, BBC Good Food, T3 – reaches opted-in readers who have demonstrated sustained interest in the category. Rates are typically more accessible than print or homepage advertising, and targeting is precise.

Print advertising

Print remains relevant for brand building, particularly in premium and specialist categories where the physical magazine commands high engagement and repeat reading. It is less effective as a direct response channel but can meaningfully reinforce awareness built through digital coverage.

Should I pay an upfront fee?

Paying an upfront fee may sometimes be required by publishers. This is called flat fee and covers the cost of creating an article and may sometimes even buy you a guaranteed placement in other articles.

A good example of this is Future PLC. Future understand how powerful their affiliate ecosystem is and if you are new to the affiliate space or not a well-known brand, they may require an upfront payment.

When a publisher requires an upfront fee, then 

Affiliate-first outreach: how to approach editorial teams

When contacting any of the above publishers, lead with your affiliate program. The most effective opening message follows this structure:

“We’ve just launched [product] and we’re live on [network] at [X]% commission with a 30-day cookie window and S2S tracking. We’d love to explore getting it considered for [relevant category guide / review / roundup] at [title].”

This single paragraph tells their team:

  1. You have a program and it’s already live – no setup work needed from them
  2. The commission rate is worth their attention
  3. Your tracking is reliable and won’t create disputes
  4. You have identified a specific, relevant placement

Compare that to the alternative: a press release about how great your product is with no affiliate details and no commercial hook. The former gets a reply. The latter gets deleted.

Direct your outreach to the right person

  1. Commerce / affiliate editorial team: for inclusion in roundups and buyer’s guides. Future, Hearst and Immediate all have dedicated commerce editorial teams. This is your primary contact for affiliate-driven placement.
  2. Category editor (gear, beauty, food, tech etc.): for standalone product reviews and feature consideration.
  3. Commercial advertising team: for paid placements, native content, sponsorship and advertising packages.
  4. News or features editor: only for genuinely newsworthy product stories or pitches with a strong editorial hook.

What not to do when reaching out for affiliate coverage

A few things that will reliably damage your chances with magazine editorial teams:

  1. Don’t pitch without an affiliate program. You are asking a commercially pressured editorial team to do work with no financial return. In most cases, they simply won’t.
  2. Don’t set a low commission rate and expect premium placement. A 1% rate at a time when your category competitors are paying 8% is not going to generate editorial interest, regardless of how good your product is.
  3. Don’t send unsolicited product. Large publishing groups receive enormous volumes of gifted product. Unannounced packages often go unacknowledged. Confirm interest first.
  4. Don’t chase repeatedly. One follow-up after two weeks is professional. Multiple follow-ups create a negative impression that follows your brand.
  5. Don’t make unverifiable claims. Titles like Good Housekeeping, Runner’s World and What Hi-Fi test products rigorously. Overstated claims in press materials will be exposed in the review and the resulting coverage will be worse than no coverage at all.
  6. Don’t treat all publishers identically. A Condé Nast pitch needs to be positioned differently from a Future pitch, which is different again from an Our Media pitch. Tailor your approach to the title’s editorial culture, audience income level and product category fit

The roundup

Magazines remain extraordinary platforms for building product credibility, but they operate on commercial logic that has fundamentally changed. The brands that appear consistently in the pages of Future, Hearst, Immediate, Condé Nast and their peers are the ones who have made it easy and financially worthwhile to be included. 

Get your affiliate foundation right first, layer in strong PR and paid routes where appropriate, and the doors open considerably faster than most brands expect.

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