by PR Couture | March 8, 2010

Contributed by Taryn Scher, president and founder of TK PR, with clients in the fashion, beauty, wine and literary fields.

So, you think you want PR?

I get piles of inquiries from fashion brands and small companies on a weekly basis who THINK they want PR. Often times, the “potential client” is fresh off a trade show and for three days they heard the buzz from the booth next door each time they flashed their media clip book and now they’ve decided they want a piece of the PR pie too. But all too often, fashion companies have no idea what they’re really getting themselves into.

Thanks largely to the economic conditions, the pressure has accelerated on publicists to do our job bigger, better and faster than ever before. Clients want results yesterday despite the fact that fashion PR remains an industry that requires time and patience. Sure we can line up some quick blog features for you in just a few short weeks, but us seasoned publicists know it takes months to see actual results. We begin pitching holiday gift guides in June. JUNE, FOLKS- for December gift guides in the major magazines.

So relax, breathe and buckle up for the long haul.

Answer these Questions to Find Out if You are Ready for Fashion PR:

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by PR Couture | March 5, 2010

…The from my amazing hotel bed with 8,000 pillows in Austin (please just one more day to shop!) edition…

21 Mistakes Fashion Designers Can Make (via Fashion Incubator)

• 7. Not learning about marketing your product. Find a good marketer or sales rep and explain your product and sales vision then listen and decide. Diane Von Furstenberg represented her line successfully in the beginning. Anna Sui did very well for years with a sales rep until she went out on her own. Know your marketing capabilities or find an expert.

Is  Fashion Week Worth the Bother? (via The Cut)

• Do fashion shows still matter? And are these clothes worth the nine-hour flights? Everyone can view the collections online, and more houses each season are live-streaming shows online.

Fashion’s Strong Electronic Push (via JC Report)

• Efforts from brands and retailers continue to be focused on new and interesting ways to engage users. It is now beyond offering editorial commentary or special features that integrate customers into the curatorial experience.

How to Write for Search Engines Without Knowing SEO (via Social Media Explorer)

• Here’s a quick way to get started with smart SEO copywriting without having to know a lot about search engine optimization. Let’s start simple. Drop your website’s URL into the free Google Adwords Keyword Tool to see a list of what Google thinks your website is about. (Don’t worry with what this tool is supposed to be used for.

Fern Mallis: Bloggers Need to Unionize (via IFB)

• Granted these days, bloggers can get into the tents quite easily, the accreditation process is rather hit or miss, established bloggers have a hard time getting into shows, while brand new bloggers get in with no problem. There is a disconnect as fashion houses, PR agencies and organizations like IMG act as gate keepers, but still don’t know how to handle the change in fashion media.

by Crosby | March 3, 2010

The indie fashion PR component to top fashion PR blog PR Couture, Show Me The Pretty is a two part series that features 5-question interviews with hand-selected indie fashion labels. PR Couture shares the pretty and then, in part two, turns it back to the designers to ask questions and get advice and feedback about their own fashion PR strategy from a variety of industry experts. Sound like fun? Email info[at]prcouture.com for more information.

Visit Part 1 – Show Me The Pretty – Hopeless Lingerie – to get caught up!

In terms of Social Media, how do you manage your personal and business profiles when they are so closely related?

PR Couture Says…

For a long time, I tried to segment a personal Twitter account as well as a “PR Couture” account and the whole thing got quite confusing. Especially because the PR Couture account was growing much more rapidly than the personal account. I made a decision to be both personal AND professional on the PR C account and I think this has greatly contributed to our success (we just hit 15k followers). I don’t think there really is any public/private anymore, and most people get that, and they want to be able to connect with you above and beyond your product, so I say, find a happy mixture. On Facebook, keep a fan page and a personal page and be vigilant about your privacy settings.

– Crosby

Being present as the face behind the brand is undoubtedly important, but that doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice your online privacy or give the entirety of your personality to your public business branding.  Keep personal things personal, and always be aware of your own online security.  If you want to be seen, get a set of pro shots done for public use, or use ’behind the scenes at work’ or ‘out at an event’ images, and keep everything else for yourself and your friends.  Keep something back and it won’t consume you; social networking is a tool, not a job.

– Sarah-Jane Adams, Fashion Journalist, www.sarahjaneadams.com

As a designer, you have to separate the two. The lines between personal and public are increasingly blurred, our personal selves are often the representation of our brands – your public image represents your brand. So to me, there’s no distinction, what you do in private is public. Act accordingly on the web

- Macala Wright Lee, FashionablyMarketing.Me

Your business and personal profiles can definitely compliment each other. Often times your personal contacts can become your customers and want to know what is going on just as much. Obviously it is all about your comfort level regarding whether or not you want to cross over the two but it definitely doesn’t hurt if you are willing.

- Polina Raygorodskay, Polina Fashion

If you can’t keep two separate accounts, you need to be careful.  What you say on behalf of your business should support your brand image.  I often compare it to a cocktail party- it’s okay to have fun but don’t say anything you would be embarrassed to say in front of someone you work with, or would like to work with.

- Melissa Davis, Founder and Co-Owner of Ruby Press

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