As editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan, Jessica Pels oversees the world’s largest young women’s media brand, blending print legacy with digital innovation. Her career spans leadership roles at Marie Claire, Teen Vogue, and Glamour, marked by a focus on data-driven storytelling and audience-centric content.
Pels’ work has been recognized by Adweek and CEW for redefining women’s media. Her editorial philosophy prioritizes stories that empower readers to navigate systemic challenges while celebrating joy and self-expression.
We’ve followed Jessica Pels’s rise from NYU film student to leading one of the world’s most influential women’s media brands. Her career began with internships at The New Yorker and Vogue, followed by editorial roles at Condé Nast titles like Glamour and Teen Vogue. A pivotal shift to digital leadership at Marie Claire in 2014 marked her transition into hybrid editorial roles, where she tripled site traffic and honed her data-driven approach to content.
By 2018, Pels joined Cosmopolitan as digital director, revitalizing its online presence with a 185% surge in subscriptions. Her promotion to editor-in-chief that year made her the youngest leader in the magazine’s history, overseeing print, digital, video, and emerging platforms. Under her guidance, Cosmopolitan has amplified its focus on mental health advocacy and intersectional feminism while maintaining its signature voice in beauty and pop culture.
This groundbreaking interview reframed mental health as a policy priority, blending political analysis with personal storytelling. Pels structured the conversation around Harris’s legislative efforts and self-care practices, creating a blueprint for discussing systemic change through individual experiences. The article’s viral success demonstrated her ability to elevate Cosmopolitan’s political reporting while staying true to its service-journalism roots.
Pels’s travel writing combines practical advice with cultural commentary, spotlighting women-owned businesses and sustainable tourism. Her curated itineraries reflect a shift toward experiential storytelling in lifestyle journalism, emphasizing how destinations intersect with identity and community-building.
This celebrity fashion analysis showcases Pels’s knack for decoding cultural moments through style. By juxtaposing Jenner’s homage with Beyoncé’s original ensemble, she explores how fashion serves as a dialogue between generations of women in the spotlight.
Pels prioritizes stories that challenge stereotypes about women’s interests, as seen in her Marie Claire piece on female nuclear weapons technicians. Pitches should highlight underrepresented industries or innovative approaches to gender equity, particularly those with actionable insights for readers.
Her redesign of Cosmopolitan’s digital strategy relied heavily on audience analytics. Successful pitches will pair emerging trends (e.g., clean beauty innovations) with demographic research or sales figures, mirroring her approach to the 2019 skincare coverage that drove 41M annual visitors.
The Kamala Harris interview exemplifies Pels’s interest in mental wellness narratives that address race, policy, and workplace culture. Proposals should connect individual experiences to broader systemic issues, avoiding generic self-care tropes.
Her Catskills guide emphasizes eco-conscious businesses and local histories. Ideal pitches will highlight destinations or brands advancing sustainability, diversity in tourism, or community reinvestment.
Pels frequently examines how Gen Z reshapes media consumption, from viral TikTok trends to streaming habits. Forward-looking analyses of entertainment platforms or creator economy developments align with her editorial vision.
Adweek Editor of the Year (2019): This honor recognized Pels’s digital transformation of Cosmopolitan, particularly her integration of audience analytics with editorial intuition. The award solidified her reputation as a bridge-builder between traditional magazine values and modern media consumption patterns.
"I am not the boss of this brand—the reader is the boss of this brand."
CEW Achiever Award (2021): Awarded by Cosmetic Executive Women, this celebrated her leadership in beauty journalism and advocacy for diversity in industry representation. It underscores her dual role as cultural commentator and corporate influencer.
At PressContact, we aim to help you discover the most relevant journalists for your PR efforts. If you're looking to pitch to more journalists who write on Lifestyle, here are some other real estate journalist profiles you may find relevant:
