Tell us about EastLife. What is the publication about and what does it aim to achieve?
EastLife is distributed in east Auckland and is aimed at a middle to high income demographic. It is placed in drop boxes at local shopping malls / centres, service stations, businesses and professional rooms throughout the district. These are topped up regularly. The digital version is also available online. Our audience covers a wide age group, but is primarily aimed at people aged in their late 20s and older. While perceived as being primarily aimed at women, EastLife has a male following too, especially its sports stories, which focus on high-profile athletes and personalities with connections to the district.

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What sort of content do you publish, and how often?
Each month there are plenty of "flick through" items among the fashion, beauty, food, home decor, Faces & Places and WIN sections. However, we also feature more substantial articles such as in-depth profiles built around eye-catching photography. These primarily focus on people with connections to our region across a broad subject range. Additionally, we publish regular columns for everyone from young mums through to those with an interest in health, legal matters, investment, renovating, and more.

We also cover stories beyond our borders, including travel destinations, theatre, events, and occasionally, opinion pieces. An example of the latter is "We Know Jacs", which reveals our team’s (often tongue in cheek) take on reports from the offices of the Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern.

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Tell us about your editorial team. Who covers what?
Our magazine team is tiny. It's just the two of us, two freelancers, one for EastLife (the other works for our sister magazine, Rural Living), and our photographer, Wayne Martin.

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How has the publication evolved since its launch?
Our tried and true formula continues to work for us, but we adapt our content as new trends emerge.

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How can PRs work with you? What types of story pitches are you interested in receiving?
I work with a number of great PR companies, many representing food, beauty, seasonal fashion, events and health. I do not promote non-paying retail stores; I expect them to have an advertising budget if they wish to appear in EastLife. I prefer to feature brands that are readily available in supermarkets and pharmacies. I expect PR releases to be brief, around 150 to 250 words for new products. I also welcome items for our WIN pages, which allows promotion for the company and a giveaway for us!

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Do you have any editorial deadlines people should be aware of?
EastLife is distributed on the first Monday of each month. As such, final deadlines for submissions should reach us by the Monday before, although the earlier, the better, as we tend to work ahead. Very often material arrives too late so, please keep in mind we are a monthly title.

Answers submitted by Helen Perry, Editor of EastLife.