Frequently Asked Questions

We help you craft a story for your brand or product/service that appeals to editors. We then shape your messaging into a variety of formats, including full-page features, mat releases, product roundups, infographics and more. Your project is distributed to our network of over 10,000 editors, who receive the content for free. Lastly, we provide detailed reporting and clips at the end of your project so you can easily merchandise and take credit for the results.

We work with leading Fortune 500 companies, top PR firms, associations, commodity boards and government agencies. View a partial client list.

Family Features was established in 1974 and is headquartered in Mission, Kansas – a suburb of Kansas City. This year, we're celebrating 42 years of creating local market content and providing editorial solutions for both our clients and media customers.

Built around a key editorial theme, our 750-1,000 word Feature is a high-impact marketing strategy that positions your brand or product as a consumer solution. Full-Page Features contain multiple photos and sidebar material, and typically receive more front-page placements in newspapers and magazines. View examples of full-page features.

Our Product Roundups highlight 4-5 non-competitive products around a unified theme while delivering full-page placements. They are a cost-effective way to earn editorial coverage for your product or brand. Roundups cover everything from car care and DIY home tips to outdoor living, back-to-school essentials and more. View examples of product roundups.

Our Recipe Roundups highlight 3-4 non-competitive recipes around a unified theme while delivering full-page placements. They are a cost-effective way to earn editorial coverage for your product or brand. Roundups cover everything from healthy living and food trends to party fare, holiday favorites, comfort food recipes and more. View examples of recipe roundups.

A mat release is a short (typically 300-500 words), unformatted consumer-related article that editors use to fill sections of their newspapers, magazines and online sites. Mat releases typically contain light brand messages with consumer tips/takeaways, 1-2 photos and a company or brand website URL. View examples of mat releases.

Yes – we can extend your infographics across our online and print networks. We have multiple distribution options, including: Feature Distribution, which combines your infographic with our Full-Page Feature for high-impact placements; Stand-alone Distribution, where we pair your infographic with a 25-word introduction; and Release Distribution, which pairs your infographic with one of our mat releases. View examples of infographics.

Yes – we can embed your editorial video with your feature or release project for a small fee. We also have an additional option to distribute video content across hundreds of consumer and media sites, including networks such as AOL, The Huffington Post, Yahoo, Monkeysee.com and other sites. We have two distribution options: tip-oriented videos, which are more demonstrative in nature with light branding, and promotional videos, which are a great option for clients with more branded content. View examples of videos.

Tip-oriented videos should be from 1-3 minutes max with a suggested timeline of less than 2 minutes. Promotional videos can be between 30 and 60 seconds.

Yes, tip-oriented videos run as editorial content on relevant sites including Monkeysee.com and often AOL and Huffington Post websites. Promotional videos run as pre-roll content before relevant videos on related websites.

Target your coverage by promoting your content on sites based on website category, location or demographic. Receive guaranteed impressions and reporting on clicks, click rate, time spent on content, click throughs and social shares. View examples of native amplification.

Yes – our social amplification program can help you receive 20 times more impressions than standard postings by securing guaranteed impressions on Facebook and Pinterest with reporting on engagement included. Programs start at two-week duration and scalable options are available. We will promote your content via Family Features’ owned consumer content sites, Culinary.net and eLivingToday.com. View examples of social media amplification.

Yes – we can provide regional distribution. Depending on the product availability and distribution network, you may only need to reach certain states or DMAs. In those cases, we will evaluate your needs to determine if regional distribution is cost-effective and appropriate for your project.

Yes – we provide translation, marketing and distribution to hundreds of Hispanic publications.

We have a network of more than 10,000 editors from over 3,500 outlets who regularly use our Feature and Release products to help fill the food and lifestyle sections of their newspapers, regional magazines and online sites.

Our articles are published by a wide variety of print and online outlets including daily and weekly newspapers, regional magazines and TV and radio websites, as well as local media and community sites who use our web feeds to automatically place our content on their websites every week.

Ready-to-publish, syndicated content helps fill an important need for media professionals today, with two-thirds of editors saying they use it to help fill their food and lifestyle sections, according to a new, national survey of newspaper editors. In fact, the same study revealed Family Features received the highest satisfaction rating among providers who offer free, sponsored content. You can learn more by downloading the study summary here.

We use a variety of marketing tactics to encourage editors to visit our editorial site: editors.familyfeatures.com. We promote our content via one-on-one meetings with editors, email, newsletters, phone contact, advertising and industry conferences.

Allow 1-2 weeks for development and production, but Mat Releases can be ready for distribution in as little as five working days. Features typically require an additional 1-2 weeks.

The earlier the better. We recommend distributing your content 2-3 months prior to your ideal coverage timing. To maximize your regional magazine placements, allow an additional 1-2 month lead time.

Yes – we absolutely can. All Mat Releases and Full-Page Features include free copywriting and editing to AP style. Our professional writers will work with you to craft content that will appeal to editors and their audiences.

Yes – it's been our experience that having compelling and relevant photography increases the pick-up rate of Mat Releases and Full-Page Features. We can provide a range of options for your content from stock photos and illustrations to photo shoots, depending on your budget and needs. Please contact Sarah Fowler, Production Manager, at sfowler@familyfeatures.com for more information.

When it comes to results reporting, we are meticulous about tracking, capturing and verifying your content placements via our comprehensive and easy-to-use reporting tools. We also guarantee there are no "smoke and mirrors" or outrageous multipliers with our impressions or placement numbers. We use outside firms to monitor and report print and online media usage and metrics, including Burrelle's Luce and Quantcast. In addition, we have an in-house clipping service to augment outside services and continually update online metrics.

Immediately – editors start downloading your content once it's posted on our site. Next, we start receiving electronic tear sheets and PDFs from editors within 1-2 weeks. Tear sheets of your project's print placements typically become available within 3-12 weeks of the project release date. We continue to process tear sheets for up to one year following your project's distribution. Online placements will happen immediately based on your desired release date to the media.

All projects include access to our live reporting site, for which all clients are assigned a username and password. Here you can view both top-level and detailed information in regard to editors downloading your content. You are also able to view which publications and media outlets have placed your content in their publications, and easily export and share this information with colleagues. Digital tear sheets and online screen captures are also available on the reporting site. Additionally, we can provide an archive CD or final project summary upon request.

Your results and ROI will vary depending on the content and timing of your project, but we guarantee a minimum of 600 total placements (print and online) and 11,500,000 impressions (print and online). In 2013, we generated an average of 858 total placements and 1,400,000 print clips circulation per project for our clients. Most importantly, these numbers do not include any outrageous readership multipliers or "mystery" placements. Our account managers will work closely with you to set realistic expectations and provide counsel to maximize your results.