How I Pitched to a Luxury Magazine and Was Published!

A Blumenhaus Journal experience - Flower House Mexico

Mar 14, 2025

I had originally planned to post about Chelsea in Bloom, but over the weekend, something exciting happened that I wanted to share. As they say, share your wins, no matter how small. This was a big win for me - more for my self-confidence than anything else. At my current stage in writing and blogging, every milestone counts. While I hesitate to call myself a writer until I actually receive payment for writing, this experience brought me one step closer. It reminded me of the many self-taught florists who, despite years of hands-on experience, struggle with imposter syndrome because they lack formal certification. To them, I say: your work speaks for itself. I’ll reserve that saying for myself until I have a few more years and a paid publication under my belt.

Two months ago, I came across an opportunity to pitch an article following my attendance at Flower House Mexico in Mexico City. I had long admired Blumenhaus, a European, luxurious, oversized art and botanical review magazine that intertwines botanics with art, fashion, and culture. I was so keen to obtain a copy that, back in October, while visiting Lisbon with my husband for his work trip, I made a special train journey just to buy a copy at a stockist. Since no stores in my entire state in Australia carry it, I went out of my way to track it down. I wouldn't have imagined not so long ago that I would have an article with them now!

The beginning of it all at Under the Cover Bookshop in Lisbon (Credit: The Flower Scout)

This was only my second-ever magazine pitch. My first attempt which was successful had been with Flowers Magazine Australia with the publishing of my article ‘Keukenhof Tulip Gardens - World Class Event’, which has a much smaller distribution and was actively looking for contributors. They were grateful for any submission, which made the process less intimidating. But Blumenhaus was on a completely different level.

My first ever article - Flowers Magazine Australia (Credit: O. Triglavcanin)

I knew I had to get my pitch just right. But I didn't know where to start. Google to the rescue. I literally typed in ‘How to Pitch an Article to a Magazine’. I drafted a 3 paragraph pitch describing the workshop journey as a florist, the cultural backdrop of Mexico City, the international floral designers, the exotic flowers and the women behind the workshop harnessing flowers for change and the donated profits that are used for aid and cancer research. I also included a brief bio of myself. I ran it through ChatGPT (yes, I know – but it was very helpful in generating ideas from my information). Edited, re-edited and polished it until I was happy. I simply submitted it in the Blumenhaus website contact form. There was no ability to attach photos, so my words were all important. At that point, I had no idea if it would actually reach the editor. I debated whether I should have tracked down a direct email address instead - would that have been more professional? More effective?

But my pitch was only going to be considered if I had breathtaking high-quality images. Fortunately, professional photographer Corbin Gurkin had generously offered Flower House Mexico attendees the free use of her photographs from the workshop, provided we credited her. My iPhone photos would not have been sufficient for a quality publication like Blumenhaus, so I emailed Corbin seeking permission to use her images if my pitch was accepted.

I had done my homework. I had read the magazine cover to cover, studied their online journals, and absorbed their tone and style. I felt confident that my story - featuring botanic art, flowers, philanthropy, vibrant Mexican flower markets, volunteers, and a mission-driven floral workshop - aligned with their aesthetic. Still, my heart raced as I nervously hit “send” on my pitch.

To my surprise, just two days later, I received an email from Blumenhaus editor Camille. Her response was short, friendly, and casual. She was interested! I bolted into the living room to tell Hubby G. The timber floors in our house amplify sound, so when someone is running you know that it’s either emergency or it’s pure excitement! Camille asked to see photos, so while I waited for Corbin’s final approval, I sent over some of my own images to give her a sense of the event’s atmosphere - florists watching demonstrations, hauling plants and buckets of flowers up ladders, creative chaos, flowers being stripped and arranged, artists climbing ladders to craft installations, surreal photos, I had a good variety.

The next day, Camille replied with a simple but thrilling message that they were happy to feature my experience in the online journal! She clarified that while the magazine didn’t have a budget for online pieces, she reassured me that they did not require exclusivity for unpaid contributions because in her words “that would not be fair”. This was a relief - I had also pitched the story to Flowers Magazine Australia and now knew I could share it in both places. Ideally, I would have loved for my piece to be published in Blumenhaus’s print edition with a paid commission, but this was a huge step in the right direction.

In the meantime, Corbin had kindly agreed for me to use her photographs - thank you, Corbin! Please note that all photographs used in the journal is by Corbin Gurkin.

I was ecstatic. But now came the real work - writing the article that fitted the bill.

Fortunately, I had already written about the experience on Substack in my post The Power of Flowers for a Cause, so I had a strong foundation. I needed to adapt my writing to fit Blumenhaus’s elegant style. I had 130 of Corbin’s stunning images in which to choose from. Camille recommended submitting the article as soon as possible for time relevance. It took me a week to feel comfortable with what I had written, and I hit “send” once again. Relieved, excited, once again I waited.

However, the wait wasn’t long, the following day, Camille replied: she was reading my piece on the train and thought it was perfect! The magazine would try to publish it online the following week, and she’d notify me once it went live. Again, I bolted down the hallway to spread the news to Hubby G.

For days, I obsessively checked Blumenhaus’s website. When do they post new journal entries? How often? What would mine look like? Which images would they select? A week passed. I was quietly confident that it would happen. Then another week passed. Nothing.

Finally, last Friday, the email arrived: “Your beautiful article is live on the website.” I scrambled to my computer. And there it was - my words, my story, my experience, showcased in full Blumenhaus green splendour. For the full story see the link here. I had anxiously told my family and friends that Blumenhaus was interested, but I hadn’t fully believed it until I saw it published online. Now, all 1,000 words and 30 images were out in the world.

You can’t imagine how excited I was to see this! - Blumenhaus Online Journal

Even if I don’t quite feel ready to call myself a writer, I am taking steps to embrace it. I’ve decided to take over the office which I once shared with Hubby G and dedicate it to my personal writing space. His things are moving out (don’t worry, he has his own free-standing office in the backyard), and I’m bringing in pinboards with pretty flower pictures, inspirational images, my flower library, an airplay speaker, scented candle and houseplants. I may even invest in a standing desk - my right hip isn’t loving all the sitting! It’s a small but meaningful step in my new floristry writing direction.