PR pros (and especially those in the fashion or beauty industries) often get an unfair rap for being catty, rude, and sometimes downright mean. While in a few instances you may encounter someone who came off the set of The Devil Wears Prada, most of the publicists (and editors for that matter) within the fashion, beauty, and lifestyle industries are lovely, hardworking people just trying to secure some amazing press for clients with their sharp minds and creativity.
Your fellow PR professionals are not the enemy – we are all here to help and support each other, you’re reading the evidence right now as part of this amazing community Crosby has built up through PR Couture. I personally love to build alliances with fellow publicists as everyone – no matter how junior or senior you are – can always learn from and get amazing advice and contacts from others within this industry. We all have different experiences and amazing value that we can bestow upon others from what we’ve learned. Nurture your relationships with fellow publicists as much as you do with clients or editors. See below some top reasons why you should seek to create alliances with your fabulous fellow PR pros!
We all have different experiences and amazing value that we can bestow upon others from what we’ve learned.
Working in PR, either as a solo pro or at the head of your own agency with few senior level practitioners, it can often be a bit lonely to not have anyone to share inevitable frustrations with. We all love our clients, but sometimes day-to-day activities can drive us all a bit nuts! From clients not understanding the importance of deadlines (yes, if InStyle wants this sample tomorrow AM, you need to find a way to get it there!) to feeling stuck on a press release you’re drafting, having someone to listen to any work-related issues you’re dealing with can be truly therapeutic and oftentimes reinvigorating. I’ve often had great brainstorming sessions with peers as well that have sparked some great ideas for press outreach or media strategy!
Do you specialize more in established accessory brands but an emerging shopping e-commerce site reaches out to you looking help? Help spread the love and connect the potential client with a colleague who gets a major thrill from the excitement of working with start-ups. Reversely, sometimes a peer will hear of an amazing business opportunity that you are the perfect fit for and you might just land yourself a new client! Expanding your network is key to PR, and being able to connect others to new client opportunities can be incredibly rewarding.
Probably one of my favorite parts of collaborating with other contacts is being able to share each other’s coveted contacts. Sometimes you really need the direct email for Miley Cyrus’s stylist’s assistant, or a colleague wants the best beauty contact at The Zoe Report. Sharing contacts, story leads (sometimes an editor will reach out to you looking for a product your colleague has the PERFECT fit for!), and general industry info helps us all do a better job. I’ve gotten some great leads from fellow publicists (one landed my client a gorgeous spread in NewBeauty) and, on the flip side, I love when other fashion/beauty PR pros have shared with me that a contact/lead I’ve sent turned into a major win for their client! Good karma can be a beautiful thing!
Photo Credit: icanteachyouhowtodoit
