The average person has no idea what a publicist actually does. When you mention that you handle beauty press coverage for brands during NY Fashion Week, it gets even more confusing! So here's a breakdown on what is required for us Beauty PR Pros.
Long before fashion week begins, as a beauty publicist you have to work with your clients to see which shows they will be involved in. Will they be part of the actual hair/makeup/nail teams working backstage? Will they sponsor shows? Will they provide products for the gift bags? If it is September, will they be participating in Fashion's Night Out? Once you know HOW they will be involved, you can start to plan!
Let's tackle the creative team - hair, makeup, nails. Generally found backstage creating the new and hottest looks for the next season. When you are flicking through magazines each month and see the lip color you will be wearing from Spring, or the best nails colors for fall, that is the creative team we publicists, have managed to get press coverage on. So, how do you secure coverage on your clients work?
The first step is to create a targeted media list of who may be interested in attending the show you are working on and featuring your client. Next up, scheduling appointments backstage during the shows with key beauty editors, bloggers and sometime broadcast outlets. The goal is for them to LOVE what your client is doing and blog about it, include in a write up in one of the upcoming issues or feature your client in a broadcast segment. You can also pitch and set-up exclusive feature stories to key media to ensure you get an even lengthier write-up on your client beforehand. Backstage beauty media coverage is extremely hard to secure, as obviously, the focus is mainly on the fashion/ clothes. So make sure you are going to editors with something exciting, new, and a strong client (hairstylist, nail brand, makeup artist etc).
Backstage at the shows, it is your job on the day to make sure that all the confirmed editors' names are on the list at the door - you don't want them being turned away. It is then your responsibility to introduce the editors to your client and most likely the client (although, if they are busy you may need to step in) will take them step-by-step through how to create the look for the show, what inspired them etc.
Post-show, you need to follow up with the beauty media. Send them the company bio/overview and any other relevant info needed to write up a recap. Do they have a step-by-step for each look? Do you have images to illustrate what their work? Do they have the details on what inspired the look and how it compliments the collection. Make sure you are ready to follow up almost immediately after the show to secure maximum short lead (web and newspaper) coverage. The early bird catches the worm.
Regarding sponsorship, it is your role to work with the marketing team to identify appropriate companies and designers to for your clients product or service. Is the company you are partnering with brand appropriate? Will you reach your target customer? Is it the correct alignment for the brand? Not every opportunity is the right opportunity, so think about WHO you are partnering with.
Finally, Fashion's Night Out (FNO)! Introduced only a couple of years ago, this annual event has become a big part of the September shows and kicks of Fashion Week. Again, it is your role as the publicist to identify the correct opportunities for your clients. What will they get from taking part in FNO? How will it help the brands image? These are all the things you should be thinking about before signing up. Essentially it is all about cross-branding and providing a fun service for consumers. You will not make any actual money that night, but brand awareness is priceless.
Overall, Fashion Week is fun, but intense. You'll be working long and unsociable hours (not really new for publicists), you'll lose weight as you won't have time to eat (a definite bonus!) and you have to take the appropriate action steps to ensure you hit all the correct beauty media outlets. It's hard work, but the results are SO worth it.
You can join me on Twitter on Friday September 9, where I will be tweeting live backstage at the Costello Tagliapietra show from Milk Studios. I will also be uploading videos and pics directly to my Facebook page so be sure to check those out.
Happy Fashion Week! :)
Image: via WSJ.com
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