Securing editorial placement in a major top-tier fashion magazine like Vogue is no easy feat. Consider these five things before approaching editors and pitching your designs to the major glossies.
Plan Your Pitches Using Editorial Calendars
Editors for major publications like Vogue are bombarded constantly with pitches and people vying for their attention. Cut through the noise and effectively grab their attention by referring to the current editorial calendar. While developed with advertisers in mind, this document will tell you when the magazine is planning to write about certain stories or publishing a themed issue. Most often, editors only have time to write about or consider pitches that are relevant to this calendar, so make ed-cal pitching your top priority.
Face Up To Face to Face Meetings
All things being equal, people prefer doing business with friends. To throw in another business cliché, networking is essential in fashion PR. In order to be effective at regularly getting into prominent publications, do what you can to meet editors face to face. Attend similar events or reach out to yourpersonal network and see someone that can get you even 5 minutes of face time. The more familiar they are with you, the more likely they are to respond to your emails, phone calls, invites to get drinks, etc. Be gracious and considerate of their time but persistent.
Publicists spend half of their timebuilding and maintaining their relationships with editors and the other half pitching clients, which is why we are so helpful in getting you published. Take a page out of our playbook and invest in building relationships with editors.
Product Placement Opens Doors
Get your product out there! Send samples to costume designers that work for studios or event coordinators. When your product is seen on an episode of Gossip Girl or is part of a media-covered event, you can then use that information to pitch an editor. Even if she doesn’t have time to take your call, the potential returns from effective product placement cannot be understated.
Broaden Your Circulation
Sure, it would be great to land a great editorial spot in every major fashion publication. But the truth is a bit more tenuous. Don’t expect to be included in every publication. That said, your realized return will be much greater if you reach out to as many publications as possible, and there are likely many publications aside from the big top-tier mags that fit your customer. While it is time consuming to constantly reach out and follow up to multiple publications, it is absolutely essential for effective, consistent media coverage.
Be consistent
Whether it’ s working with a fashion PR firm or simply trying to get access to events you know certain editors will be attending, the old saying goes “ you get what you pay for.” Expect to invest considerable time getting the attention of editors, following up with the appropriate people, and building rapport. As a fashion entrepreneur, your time is money and fashion PR is both an art as well as an investment!
About Polina
Polina Raygorodskaya is an acclaimed analyst and public relations specialist for the fashion industry. As president of Polina Fashion LLC, she has addressed the marketing and public relations needs of countless up and coming designers. For more information, please visit www.polinafashion.com or email info@polinafashion.com.
Photo Credit: Associated Fabrication
