DIY PR: 5 TIPS FOR FASHION START UPS ON A SHOESTRING BUDGET
Publicity is one of the most crucial elements in any startupâs success, but is also usually seen as a âluxuryâ service that gets shelved until the business is generating enough profit to properly budget for it.  Itâs the old chicken-before-the-egg quandary where financers want to see press coverage before they invest, and startups canât afford PR until they secure funding.
If hiring a top PR firm is out of the question in the early stages, here are a few Do-It-Yourself PR techniques that any fashion designer or start-up fashion brand can begin implementing with limited resources:
1) Do your homework. You canât achieve results until you clearly define what you want. Before starting any PR activity, itâs crucial to identify your goals for publicity.  First, ask yourself whom you want to be targeting through press coverage. Is it potential investors or is it to drive customers to your e-commerce site? Perhaps itâs a combination of the two. Next, establish where the desired audience spends its time, for example: which blogs or media outlets are they reading? Finally, what medium is going to be most effective for you and your brand, ie: magazines, style blogs or TV? Beyond just the medium, decide if youâre targeting a luxury or budget consumer? Then, you can make a properly curated media wish list. Be optimistic and set your sights high, but if Vogue isnât realistic, thatâs ok. Make sure the outlets youâre targeting are relevant, attainable and the most likely to generate sales.
2) Use social media to your advantage. With your wish list in place, you should begin to follow these press outlets on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Ideally, you should zero in on specific writers, editors, bloggers, journalists or reporters who are most relevant to you. It takes time to build a social media relationship, but by providing valuable interaction with your targets, they will start to notice you. This means re-tweeting or sharing their content, answering their questions, or sharing helpful information. Itâs not all about you, so make sure your interaction is not self-serving. If your target is silly, show them your silly side. When the right time comes, ask if you can e-mail over a look book or some info about your brand. Itâs even better if you can refer to a specific column youâd like to be considered for. Perhaps they write a monthly column on the âTop Designers to Watch,â or âLooks for Less.â If they do, be sure to reference the column word for word and be clear on your call to action. Journalists are much more receptive to pitches when they know the pitcher understands their content.
3) If you see something, share something! A big part of PR is tying your company or brand to seasonal trends.  To do this, you need to keep an eye on whatâs going on in the news, or whatâs trending on Twitter, and look for a way to incorporate your brand into that story. For example, if Pharrellâs crazy hats are the hot topic of the week and you run an online hat store, considering running a âPharrell Phlash Sale,â and offer your customers a limited time only deal. Somewhere, there is probably a fashion writer talking about the Pharrell trend, and you could insert yourself accordingly. The goal is to always be thinking with an editorial mind, so whenever youâre launching something new (be it a new website or a new collection), be sure to use this news as a PR opportunity. Make it relevant and share it via social media, e-newsletter, your websiteâs newsroom, or as a reason for a press release.
4) Use a Newswire service. You donât need a PR agency to put something out on the newswire. Whether you have a publicist or not, itâs always a good idea to write and issue press releases whenever you have anything newsworthy to share. You can use free press release engines such as 24-7pressrelease.com, PR.com or NewswireToday.com. Truth be told, simply blasting out a press release will never lead to a flurry of organic editorial coverage, but what it will do is boost your legitimacy, and publish your press release on numerous credible media websites which you could share on the press section of your site. It also provides great SEO (search engine optimization) juice, which will drive more traffic back to you.
5) Become a Talking Head. Nobody knows your business better than you do. Turn your passion into your credentials and become an âexpertâ in your field. Find industry trade publications or blogs that cover your turf and reach out to them about contributing educational guest articles, or perhaps doing an interview Q&A about your experience. This is a great way to build up your expert profile, while also linking back to your companyâs website and potentially, putting yourself in front of a valuable customer or contact.  Aside from writing, you can also look into local events and offer yourself up to speak on relevant panels or to donate auction items to local charity efforts.  There are also free services like HARO (Help A Reporter Out), that send out emails 3x daily with a roundup of reporters who are looking for sources for various articles. Almost every single time, there is a reporter seeking out âSmall Business Owners.â All you have to do is reply via e-mail to pitch yourself, and it could lead to news coverage in online, print, radio or broadcast. These are all ways to start putting yourself out there and to becoming a well-known name in your industry.
Alyson Roy is a Guest Contributing Editor for The PR Closet, and the Co-Founder of AMP3 Public Relations, a boutique publicity agency that specializes in Lifestyle & Fashion PR campaigns. Follow Alyson at @AlyAMP3 and/or www.AMP3pr.com.
