Eleanor Pendleton On Gritty Pretty’s 30th Issue & Winning Over Advertisers

To celebrate Gritty Pretty’s 30th issue we sat down with publisher and editor-in-chief Eleanor Pendleton to pick her brain on all things publishing.

The 30th issue features powerful and beautiful images of inspirational icon Turia Pitt and Pendleton couldn’t more pleased with how it’s all come to life, “The choice to feature Turia Pitt on our special 30th issue was an easy one; she embodies everything I love most about the Gritty Pretty community. Turia is strong, resilient and passionate about raising women up, and that is something to celebrate,” Pendleton  said.

It’s easy to see why, the photos are simply breathtaking.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Gritty Pretty (@gritty_pretty)

But let’s go back to the beginning, Pendleton launched Gritty Petty when she was just 25 years old. She resigned from her job as a beauty editor at InStyle magazine and took the leap.

For Pendleton, while it felt like a risk and a jump it also felt a bit natural, after all, she’d been in publishing for over six years and she excelled at creating relationships, “I  had 6-7 years worth of fostering valuable relationships with beauty brands, brands managers and publicists.

“Because I came from an editorial background, what I lacked was relationships with advertising agencies such as OMD or MindShare. And, so before I launched the first issue of Gritty Pretty Magazine, I picked up the phone and hit the pavement.

“I cold-called agencies to find out which account managers looked after the likes of Estée Lauder Companies, Coty and LVMH brands.

“I arranged meetings with them and went in with all but a second-hand iPad to show them my design mocks of what Australia’s first interactive digital beauty title would look like.

“Then, like the bold and tenacious (or naive?) 25-year-old that I was, I flat out asked them to advertise by booking traditional brand ad placements within my yet-to-be-launched digital beauty magazine.

“At the time, there were no other digital magazines in the media landscape so trying to educate and get advertising agencies to switch their frame of mind and move their traditional marketing spend from print to digital was still relatively premature for the time.

“I certainly encountered many people that just didn’t understand how valuable having their client or company playing within the digital space would be. How times have changed,” Pendleton explained. 

By the time the first issue launched she’d managed to score Balamin Fragrances as the advertiser. You’ve got to respect her hustle!

Still, while that is incredibly impressive, the first issue with such a big brand behind it! Pendleton has also always been aware of what Gritty Pretty has to offer advertisers, even when it was yet to launch! Sure, it’s great to snag a big name but Pendleton always knew Gritty Pretty’s worth.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Gritty Pretty (@gritty_pretty)

Pendleton told B&T,  “Gritty Pretty offers beauty & lifestyle brands a 360 approach to local digital content campaigns: from video or photographic storytelling and journalist-written content through to podcast placement, magazine brand ads or advertorials, event sponsorship and social media content creation, we really do offer the full gamut to brands who want to connect with consumers.

“Our audience is niche – they’re Australian women who live and breathe beauty and they know their niacinamide from their retinol – and it’s that direct 1:1 connection and conversation the Gritty Pretty team has daily with these intelligent and savvy women that truly sets Gritty Pretty apart as a publisher.

“It sounds simple, and perhaps it is, but at Gritty Pretty, the reader is at the forefront of everything we do.”

Since, Gritty Pretty has gone on to work with luxury beauty brands including CHANEL, Dior, Estée Lauder, La Prairie, Elizabeth Arden, Lancôme, M.A.C Cosmetics, Bobbi Brown, La Mer, Versace, Hermès and many more. 

Gritty Pretty with Pendleton at the helm has continued to flourish and the magazine always features an array of the most talented and sought after beauty writers and experts. It’s all about quality in 2022 the brand plans to get back into reader events and beauty workshops and evolve its VIP readership base. 

Pendleton might also be ready to look for potential partners,  “I’m extremely proud to have built the company without any capital investment however as we look to scale and grow Gritty Pretty even further, I’m now open to having these conversations with potential equity partners,” she said.