Family Features creates and delivers branded content to millions of consumers
using digital, print and
social media.

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Family Features creates original content and leverages our comprehensive network of more than 4,000 digital, print and social media partners to deliver high-impact results.

Hundreds of brands, agencies and commodity promotion boards rely on us to create and deliver relevant, branded content to consumers.

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Mat Releases | Earned Media Coverage | Family Features Editorial Syndicate

Family Features staff standing in front of an old van in 1974/1975Family Features is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year and it's been an interesting journey to say the least. From our humble beginnings above a Chinese restaurant, to the multi-faceted, content marketing and distribution company we are today, we've experienced some interesting shifts in our business over the years.

Here are some highlights from the last 40 years.

The Early Years
Family Features was born out of an idea that founder David Selders had following a successful career in the advertising agency business. Seeing that newspapers needed feature material for their Wednesday food sections, David and his son George created a full-page feature format complete with recipes, high-quality photography and subtle branding within the article.

The business model was based on national sponsors providing recipes that were developed in professional test kitchens from top food brands, photos and copy points. In exchange for a fee, Family Features would write and assemble the pieces into a formatted feature article, distribute it to editors and gather tear sheets as proof of publication for the sponsors.

Newspaper editors loved it – they received free, quality content on a regular basis, sold relevant advertising to local grocers in the adjacent space, and readily accepted the subtle branding within the article. Conversely, sponsors were thrilled to have their national brands showcased in newspapers across the country for a fraction of the cost of advertising.

Content Trends – Then & Now
Comfort Foods Feature from the 1970sIn the 1970s, food editors looked for easy-to-make, family and entertainment-themed dinners, with more emphasis on taste, rather than nutrition. Back then, crock pot cooking, pot roasts, carbs and casseroles were the mainstays of the dinner table.

Through the years, food themes became more about nutrition and convenience. Low carb, low-fat, gluten-free, low-sodium, organic, convenient, grab and go and kid-friendly became the new normal. But despite changing tastes, family and event-themed material (including holidays, celebrations and other special occasions) always seemed to tie everything together cohesively. Not surprisingly, the holiday periods are still the busiest time of the year for us.

Later, Family Features added lifestyle content to its offerings, including health and pharma, home improvement, lawn and garden, finance, automotive, pets, careers and crafts—literally, anything in or around the person or place—and provided it to a rapidly growing media network numbering in the thousands.

From a media perspective, newspapers have always been an important market for us. But as consumers' media consumption habits changed, thousands of magazines, online outlets, community sites and a variety of content aggregators were added to the media mix—all looking for a reliable source of free, quality content.

To keep up with the ever-changing needs of the media, we added more products and formats, including mat releases and other short form content, infographics, listicles, product round ups, online widgets and gift guides.

From Film Separations to the Cloud
Production – what a strange trip that has been. Back in the day, film separations (remember those?) were sent to editors upon demand—nothing digital mind you, as this was the pre-computer 70's. Over the years, our content formats shifted from film to diskette to CDs and finally (and thankfully!), digital files – which had a huge impact on storage and production costs, environmental footprint, speed of delivery and accommodated a larger variety of formats.

Similarly, our tear sheet collection and tracking shifted from internal, labor-intensive processing to employing nine different monitoring services and finally, to scanning techniques and automated web screen captures that are digitized and stored in the cloud. We still process thousands of print clips, as there is something about the impressive and tactile feel of a full-page newspaper or magazine placement that resonates with PR pros.

Everything Old is New Again
Recently, I was talking to some colleagues in the advertising business who were remarking about the concept of native advertising and how it's changing the business. But the truth is, it's really just another iteration of a mix of traditional PR, advertorial, sponsored content, branded content, content marketing and embedded advertising. The concept is not new to us – we've been successfully blending sponsored messages with high-interest editorial for decades.

So as time marches on, and themes, formats, outlets, nomenclature, customers and clients change, there are a few basic tenets that remain timeless in our business:

  • Quality content will always matter to editors and readers
  • Content must be delivered in the way that consumers want
  • And, most importantly, providing great customer service and employing outstanding people that truly care about what they do and understand who they really serve...YOU

In the end, you're the reason we're fortunate to be celebrating 40 years in business. The trust you place in us and your continued patronage is never taken for granted.

So from all of us at Family Features...Family Features Staff Photo

THANK YOU!

Brian Agnes
President