RESPONSES TO COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS REGARDING A SHOWCASE FEATURE IN THE CITY & BEACH LIFESTYLE COLLECTION OF ONLINE MAGAZINES (UPDATED 27 MAY 2025 AT 11.47AM GMT)
CITY & BEACH LIFESTYLE: Our brand is privately owned and has been successfully operating for 11 years, since 1 May 2014. The City & Beach Lifestyle Collection spans several online magazines covering luxury travel, home and garden decor, fashion, weddings and events. Our team is multi-national and operates globally.
EDITORIAL & COMMERCIAL TEAM: Our Editor-In-Chief is Iona Lewis and she is responsible for overseeing content across all titles. Different specialists work on different areas including editing, design, e-commerce, tech, accounts, legals, sales.
CITY & BEACH SHOWCASE FEATURES AND SUBSCRIPTION: Our standard package includes the design and installation of a showcase feature on the front page of our magazine website for a period of at least one year from date of publication (‘indefinitely’ is defined by ‘no set period’, as per the Oxford dictionary), for a one-off sum. Updates can be made to content ie installation of new video or replacement images throughout the year for a separate fee.
QUALIFICATION: The contributor must have been operating professionally in the luxury wedding/event sector for at least 3 years, and have an *authentic portfolio of past projects. The images published must have copyright approval from the owner. The contributor must have a website plus a social media presence. *We decline to publish content that has been produced by a newcomer to the sector, a hobbyist, or any content which has arisen solely from a single staged event.
FRONT PAGE FEATURE: A front page feature is positioned at the top of the front page of the online magazine on publication. The content is rotated during the month, however the showcase continues to appear on the front page throughout the month, or as agreed. This offer is invoiced at a set figure.
COVER & POP-UP: The cover is the large image at the top of the site and its associated pop-up. Both images are identical, unless otherwise agreed. The cover is always visible and the pop-up appears for 1-3 seconds every time the viewer accesses a page on the magazine site. A direct link with image also appears on our every email signature throughout the month, or as agreed. The cover image remains central on the pinned row of our Instagram page for the duration of the month. As it affects the tone and impact of the magazine as a whole over the course of a period of four weeks, the final choice of cover image is at the discretion of City & Beach Lifestyle. This offer is invoiced at a set figure.
IMAGERY & CONTENT VALIDITY: As our brand may be held legally culpable by readers should our content not be presented in a factual manner, we rely on the integrity of our contributors. This means that the content submitted to us must be accurate and reflect authentic events. We are happy to publish images from industry workshops and staged weddings, for example, however they will be published with a disclaimer.
SHOWCASE CONFIRMATION: After written confirmation from you, the first step is issue of the invoice by our accounts department; payment is on receipt by you and fully confirms both sides, your and ours.
PAYMENT: Payment is on receipt of invoice (as above). An invoice shall be emailed to you via SQUARE using our generic nickyandco@aol.com email address and requires a very simple credit card payment. At the bottom left of the document is a QR code and you can use that method. Alternatively, you can copy the associated link into your tool bar and access the payment page in that way. Once the client has agreed to proceed in writing ie via email or direct message, a legally binding agreement, payment of the associated invoice is due whether or not the client then wishes to proceed with the feature. You are paying the company for our time, resources, and the promotion itself as presented to our vast international network.
CREDIT CARD PAYMENTS: A small transaction fee is applied to invoices in order to cover banking fees. We do not hold credit card details unless they are given to us directly to retain for future purchases; Square manages all transactions.
COMPLIMENTARY FEATURES: As with most operations, we do not offer our services free of charge, regardless of the quality of the content, as we ensure that ALL content we publish maintains a high standard. The only exceptions to this policy may be for brands that do not charge clients for their own services/products or those that operate in a charitable/fundraising capacity.
COVER & POP-UP POSITION: The cover and associated 3-second pop-up come as a package, change monthly and run from the first day of the month until the last day of the month. The fee for this package varies depending on the time of year.
FRONT PAGE FEATURE: A front page offer includes your showcase being positioned on the front page of the online magazine (as viewed on either a desk top or iPad), is visible once the 3-second pop-up clears. The content rotates around the page during the course of the month so at times a feature may be at the top and at other times further down the page. The fee for this feature varies depending on the time of year.
THE Q&A: Following the receipt of payment, we will proceed to feature your brand on Instagram free of charge and provide you with a personalised Q&A within 48 hours. Our designer will utilise a public image from your account to promote your brand through our platform. If you have any specific images or video content that you would prefer we do not use, please inform us in advance. *Please note, to keep images aligned with the style and format of our page, we reserve the right to slightly edit the image by cropping and/or strengthening the colour. Our team will then create an attractive feature utilising the content you provide. This process includes crafting the bespoke Q&A, along with editing, designing, installing, refining, and publishing it on our magazine site, where it will remain accessible for one month.
CONTENT UPDATES: Throughout the promotion, clients have the opportunity to update the feature with new images and text for a nominal fee.
CONTENT FORMAT: Images can be sent in portrait or landscape, a mix of both is perfect for presentation purposes. In the case of videography, landscape format is preferable.
SCHEDULING: Due to scheduling, all content required by us must be submitted within two weeks of our initial agreement, or the offer expires. The feature will be published within 4 weeks – often much sooner – of us receiving all the content from the subscriber.
CMS ACCESS: Clients do not have direct access to our magazine’s content management system (CMS) under any circumstances, for obvious reasons.
INSTAGRAM: We are happy to publish the one Instagram post and story with link to promote your showcase at no additional charge; we may also occasionally repost the content depending on your engagement and activity i.e. liking, commenting, etc., on our own account which helps boost the algorithm and reach of your own content. A condition of our promotions is that you accept collaborations on content that we post to support your brand. If you then want it hidden from your main page you can archive it.
VIEWING FORMAT: The features we produce are specifically optimised for viewing on an iPhone. Our decision to format the content in this manner is based on comprehensive research indicating that an overwhelming 99.9% of our readership primarily accesses our material in that way.
RECEIVING CONTENT: All content submissions must be sent exclusively through WeTransfer using our generic nickyandco@aol.com email address. Please note that an account is not required to utilise this service. We do not accept submissions via any other method. In order to avoid confusion regarding materials received from different brands, it is imperative that all responses, videos, and images are submitted simultaneously on the same date.
CREDITS: Any credits for images or videos must be provided by the client at the time of submission. It is your responsibility to ensure that all relevant parties are fully credited. After submission to us, we are entitled to make any necessary alterations in terms of cropping, editing or otherwise altering the content to comply with the format and style of our online editorial and/or social media. Further, please note that we do not provide compensation to any second or third parties for usage. Any arrangements regarding credits or compensation must be negotiated separately and in advance between you and any associated vendors, planners, editorial teams, or other stakeholders. Should the client not adhere to these written terms, we (City & Beach) reserve the right to cancel the promotion in full immediately without notice and without refund.
COPYRIGHT: It is the clients responsibility to ensure that video supplied to us is not bound by copyright restrictions ie using music or a soundtrack that belongs to another party. We reserve the right to remove music from the video if it means that the content will otherwise be blocked, and often blocked worldwide depending on the usage permitted by the owner (music company, recording artist, musician, singer).
WHAT WE ARE NOT: Please be advised that, in order to manage expectations, we do not operate as a social media agency, direct sales company, advertising agency, marketing firm, or public relations company. Our focus is on providing the function of an online promotional magazine that offers a showcase feature, rather than engaging in comprehensive marketing campaigns. This approach is reflected in our pricing. Should you require services related to public relations, marketing, sales, or advertising, we are pleased to recommend partner agencies equipped to assist you in those areas. The primary objective of CITY & BEACH LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE/S is to present your luxury product and/or service in a digital format to our extensive global network, thereby providing you with an additional platform to promote your business independently.
DEMOGRAPHICS: Reader and viewer demographics vary due to a multitude of factors. Our focus is on cultivating a high-quality international network of VIPs, planners, and vendors, recognising that the reach of social media and the internet is vast and continually expanding. Please note that we do not track the activity associated with each individual feature, as this engagement encompasses a combination of magazine visits, Instagram posts, and word-of-mouth promotion – both yours and ours. Our magazine site receives well over a million visits annually, and we are currently expanding our video channel in the luxury sector on YouTube. As a result, features and Instagram mentions have the potential to reach hundreds, thousands, or even millions of individuals over the course of a year.
ADDITIONAL SERVICES: Many of our clients are featured on a monthly basis in showcases centered around various themes. Occasionally, we may offer additional services, such as publication in a second language, video reels for installation on YouTube, or direct introductions to further support your brand. However, please be advised that your participation in these supplementary services is entirely optional and you are under no obligation to participate.
ORTHOGRAPHY: We adhere to British English spelling conventions, utilising forms such as ‘specialise’ instead of the American English ‘specialize’.
EXPECTATIONS & RESULTS: Results from our/your related activity can only by assessed over time as responses are rarely immediate. *Please see our WHAT WE ARE NOT section above.
UPDATES: Showcase features published in our online magazine remain visible to the reader for one full month from date of publication after which they can be updated with new content. This keeps the overall impact fresh, relevant and factually correct in terms of images, videos, staffing, website address, written content, contact details and other. This service is offered to the client by us at a nominal fee to cover costs. The updated content then remains online for as long as the client pays the related subscription fee.
COURTESY: We expect all communications addressed to us, as well as discussions about our brand, to be conducted in a pleasant and respectful manner. By featuring your brand in our publication, we are effectively endorsing your service. This endorsement may be compromised if the subscriber chooses to communicate with us abruptly, in a negative tone, or discuss our services in derogatory terms at any time – before, during, or after the promotion. We reserve the right to withdraw any published content from our platforms without refund should the basic standard of courtesy not be met.
COMMUNICATIONS/ INTERACTIONS: We have a large international team working across various editorial projects; therefore, all communications regarding CITY & BEACH LIFESTYLE are conducted exclusively via email and direct messaging. To minimise potential miscommunications, we formalise all actions on your behalf in writing. As such, we do not hold in-person meetings, accept gifts, conduct Zoom calls, or communicate via phone. This policy serves the interests of the numerous parties involved and ensures the protection of our terms and conditions. All email communications are generated from our generic holding company email, nickyandco@aol.com, to ensure that every member of our international editorial team is informed of the actual status of any project.
CONTACT: Our office hours are 10am-6pm GMT, week days only, we do not operate on public holidays in the US, France or UK; please do not expect a response outwith these parameters. Our general incoming email: info@cityandbeachmag.com
DISCLAIMER: All projects are accepted by CITY & BEACH LIFESTYLE on the terms outlined here.We cannot be held liable should a contributor present us with false information or fail to provide us with accurate details.
