fashionhodgepodge

I haven’t been blogging about my internship as much as I would’ve liked to, but again busy busy busy. As I thought about how things are going and what I have accomplished thus far I actually surprised to have a few tips to share as this week I saw all my efforts of sample trafficking and contacting editors pay off with placements in Seventeen, Teen Vogue, and InStyle Magazine. Here are a few things I’ve learned:

1) It takes dozens and dozens of sample loans and returns to get one piece covered in press. The saying it takes “10 auditions to land 1 job” is the same for PR product placement.

2) Time and patience are key. Press doesn’t always happen right away especially if its for magazines. Magazine issues are shot months in advance. If you send placements today, sometimes they wont be previewed in the magazine until 4 months for now. So your efforts wont be recognized right away.

3) Time is also of the essence. You have to be thinking PR 24/7 and take immediate action. There is no 9 to 5 job. You get a request you to need to honor it by the deadlines no matter what. ( I remember this happening a lot during fashion week. Remember my drop-off in Tribeca at 12am? Or the trek in NY’s worst blizzard in years to pick up a dress for Kyra Sedgewick?)

4) Social Media Matters. It doesn’t matter that you’re not interested in social media if your consumers are. For it to work, you cant simply update your blog, Facebok Fan page or Twitter here and there. It needs to be updated consistently across all mediums and with exclusive content.  Fans want to see the behind the scenes of the day to day happenings.  Otherwise the content screams in-authenticity and is likely not going to be as successful as it could be. Only pushing out discounts and sales will not get consumers to engage with you. Reacting to people’s comments and sharing of your content will help build a community around your brand.

When I accepted a fashion PR internship in February 2010, I didnt think that I would be getting to do as much as what I am doing now. I saw the below article and found that I get to do and participate in the majority of the Director of Communications does and related to much of what is said, which I am very fortunate for.

It may seem silly that a multi-year marketing veteran such as myself would want to step back into the role of an intern, but Lindsey is right. You really cannot learn any of what I have learned at my PR internship in a classroom. I wanted brand experience and I haven’t gotten so much from my internship and continue to love every moment of it. I didnt really realize it until I read the post below, but I am getting exposure to experience that I never thought I would have the chance to do, such as communicating with magazine editors, working with celebrities and stylists, and being a part of fashion week events.  While it can be stressful at times, I do find that I thrive off the fast-pace environment and love what I accomplish at the end of the day.

This interview gives a great little peek into what my current world is like and what fashion PR is all about.

This article was written by Brooke Moreland and originally appeared on The Gloss. View the original post. Also syndicated on PR Couture

… What exactly do people in Fashion PR do? Could it really be as crazy as the ladies and gents at People’s Revolution make it seem? Is it fun? So I decided to interview Lindsey Green, Director of Communications for Jill Stuart, to help me clear some of this stuff up.

What exactly does a fashion publicist do all day?

I’m the Director of Communications which is PR but also covers more. Basically all operations regarding name, the brand, press, image, magazine credits, you name it- all goes through me. It’s my job to make sure our company’s image is presented in the best way possible. Fashion is a big world and it can be hard to control. You do spend time putting out fires, but mostly I spend my days focusing on gaining exposure for our line, whether is communicating with editors and seeing what styles they need for upcoming shoots, talking to celeb stylists and coordinating which looks would be great for their clients, setting up photo shoots and interviews and generally handling all business Jill Stuart related.

Is your job a glamorous one? Do you have to go out to parties and mingle for work? Is that fun, or is work always work?

There are certainly glamorous aspects to any fashion job but it’s not the kind of glamour people perceive when they see movies or watch reality TV. It’s tough, hard work with long hours, lots of details and responsibilities. Going out to events is often a part of my job. Sometimes it’s really exciting as there’s so many great things going on in the fashion world, but obviously some nights you’ve been working all day and it can be tough to then go out. I find the experience really fun and I feel really fortunate to be able to be a part of it. Who’s going to complain about free cocktails and mingling with interesting people? I’m not.

Can you explain the different types of fashion PR?

There are a few different types. What I do is called “In House PR” meaning I just work in house for one brand. I love this because it gives me the ability to really connect with our line and have a relationship with editors, stylists, our design team etc as the face of the brand. They can all come to me and they know me. I’ve been with Jill for over two years and we’re like a family. I absolutely love it. Working in house also means you take care of many day to day things and also have a lot more business thrown your way than just PR. Fashion is, after all, a business and being inside a house you gain that exposure in huge levels. Then there’s Agency PR. We work with a fantastic Agency, Alison Brod PR. They rep lots of different brands, yet somehow manage to make us feel like we’re their only client, which is the trick to running a good agency operation. Alison is never out of reach to me, we talk almost daily, I also have constant communication with her VP of fashion. Agency PR gives you the very face paced experience of working with LOTS of difference brands. There’s more pitching stories, more events to work and set up and plan for, lots of clients to juggle and different personalities to navigate. ABPR helps me handle almost all the details of our show such as our invites, seating chart (that’s a big one, and I love them for it!) making sure the celebrities coming have everything they need, they set up backstage interviews and requests for me to approve. We still over see everything, but they are there to make sure it goes exactly to our liking. I think to be great in Fashion PR it’s vital to have some experience working at both an Agency and In house. For someone just starting out an agency job can be ideal. You get so much exposure and you learn quickly, because you have to…

Have you seen the Bravo show Kell on Earth? Do you think it accurately portrays the industry? Do you like it? Is everyone really as stressed out as the employees of People’s Revolution? Is it really that miserable? (I’m obsessed with this show and really curious about other people’s take on it.)

Um yes and I LOVE IT! First off, Kelly Cutrone is one of the best in industry and with good reason. She trusts her employees with immense responsibilities because she’s kept her firm small and intimate, which for clients is ideal, this is why people flock to that firm for representation. Is it that miserable during fashion week…it can be, but at the same time you still enjoy it, if you can’t enjoy it even in the stressful times, then it’s not the right industry for you. I love watching the show because even though my situation at Jill is very different, I can still relate to it. Obviously on reality TV the drama is going to be played up and the stress is going to be played up, but fashion is a high stress industry and if you can’t handle that pressure then you’re not going to succeed. This, as I like to say, is a world for the tough.

PR revolves around words, written and oral. Perfect both skills. – From the ever fabulous PR Couture