Q: Hi Michele! Tell us about Charlotte Parent.
A: Charlotte Parent magazine is made for parents who are local, engaged and involved. We’re a free and local publication and our monthly magazine, website, newsletters and social media networks are created to help make life easier for parents navigating life in the Queen City. We are a one-stop parenting resource, with a daily calendar of events, locally generated blogs, directories and so much more
Q: What does the staff look like?
A: We are small but mighty! We have a calendar editor, seven bloggers, an art director, digital media director, three salespeople and our publisher.
Q: How long have you been here? What did your journey look like?
A: I’ve been here for six years in January. I started when my oldest son was an infant, serendipitous that, as he’s grown, I’ve been able to share what I’ve learned as a parent along the way. I started as an associate editor, moved to web editor and am now the editor. When thinking about editorial content, I always make sure to stop and think about what I want to know as a parent.
Q: There are a lot of different types of parents and kids. How do you reach them all?
A: Our biggest demographic is toddlers to age 10. Of course we don’t exclude tweens and teens and we love babies too! We actually have special issues focused on them.
Q: What kind of information do you like to provide?
A: We have a Growing Up column, health and development content, event listings, best bets and how-to tips. We also keep in mind that many of our readers aren’t from here and they need a resource to get to know our city. We serve the greater Charlotte area, not just the city. Regardless of parenting style, we’re going to help provide as much useful information as we can.
Q: Do you get a lot of opinions/engagement from parents?
A: It really depends on the topic. It’s interesting to see what triggers a conversation, which usually happens on our social media channels. A recent example was regarding a “silent lunch,” meaning children don’t talk during lunch when music is playing. The thought behind it is, when they’re conversing they’re not eating! That received a number of comments.
Q: Tell us about your interaction with people pitching you.
A: We get product pitches all the time and, since we don’t have a new product section, I need to find a larger story within which the product may fit. We wouldn’t typically profile a business, but if you can tie your product or service to something the parenting community is going to care about — perhaps through tips or a how-to — there maybe be an opportunity there for quotes or perhaps a listing. An example of that is a recent article we did highlighting eight family-friendly restaurants in Charlotte
You can reach Michele at [email protected] and subscribe to Charlotte Parent’s free newsletter here.