How To Break Into Fashion PR
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6 Top Tips For Breaking Into The Industry by fashion & beauty search platform Goxip
Managing to secure your first step on the career ladder can be a difficult challenge, even more so when you’re trying to break into an extremely competitive industry, so Fashion and beauty search platform Goxip has compiled six top practices for aspiring public relation professionals wanting to break into the fashion industry and land their dream job.
Insider tips have been exclusively compiled by Goxip’s Global PR Manager, Yasmine Bachir who has 6 years experience in the industry.
1. KNOW THE INDUSTRY
That means everything fashion and everything relating to fashion. Use modern day technology to your advantage. Instagram is one of the best platforms for uncovering leading fashion trends and this is the time to utilise it in your favour. By following every major fashion designer’s Instagram page, you can build knowledge of their styles and how they like to present their collections at Fashion weeks. Don’t stop at fashion brands alone, some of the biggest fashion trends are influenced by celebrities and Instagram influencers, and these are sometimes the best sources for recognising key trends, so start following a list of fashion influential icons.
2. PRACTICE YOUR WRITING
Writing is one third of the job, the other two thirds are creativity and relationship building. Although many aspiring writers own blogs these days, the point is not to compete with them, but to keep your writing skills activated. It also gives you your own portfolio of posts you can share with potential future employers, which they will always check out if you’re a potential candidate for the role. It shows passion and it will boost your internal confidence, giving you a fantastic way to document your style.
3. GET AHEAD OF THE GAME BY BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS WITH JOURNALISTS BEFORE YOU NEED TO
With an interest in fashion PR, you should be reading the fashion and lifestyle news routinely, everything from your daily nationals to the lifestyle publications. Get to know your favourite writers by reading their columns regularly and by studying their writing style. This includes the tone of writing as well as the topics they tend to cover the most. Ask yourself what the key points are in their articles that make their stories so newsworthy. You’ll become so engrossed in what makes a good story, that you will have a million ideas to present in your interviews when the time comes. It’s always a good idea to build connections ahead of time and you can do this by adding your favourite journalists on social media channels. Linkedin is a fantastic professional platform that you should start building connections with early on too.
4. REACH OUT TO FASHION PR AGENCIES & FASHION BRANDS
Get on fashion PR agency and fashion brand’s radars before your final year ends. There will be a flood of interest from graduates as the final year comes to a close and you want to reach out to potential employers before the rush. Make sure your CV is up to date and reach out to their office manager or HR department and never forget to address it to an official name in the email. Mention that you would be interested in interning for them as soon as you finish university and try to showcase significant, transferable skills learnt in your degree that could make you stand out. It’s also important to illustrate why their company or brand is where you would like to gain experience. You want them to know that you did your research.
The tough news is you must be prepared to take an internship or two, to acquire experience in your desired area before a company will take you onboard full time and unfortunately they are not always paid. You may only get your travel and lunch expenses paid but the value and office experience gained from these internships are essential building blocks for landing your dream job. An internship could always turn into a full time role but undertaking more than one internship is never something to look negatively upon. Pick up key skills from the companies and learn the differences in their PR approaches.
Every company has their own techniques and grasping what you can from each will give you an invaluable advantage…and lots to talk about in interviews!
5. PRACTICE ADMIRABLE SKILLS IN YOUR FREE TIME
Modern technology is becoming increasingly important within the PR sector. Having skills in this area will give you an edge compared to similar candidates. There are so many benefits of social media in public relations, such as faster and wider spread coverage enabling instant sharing of information, as well as enhanced visibility, improving public’s awareness of your fashion brand, client or company.
You’ll notice at fashion shows, people are live streaming runways through their social channels, because it’s the fastest way to share in real time to a wide audience. Social media can also be used to increase your chances of your PR story reaching the right people through targeted adverts. You don’t need to wait until your first job to be taught how to create a facebook or instagram advert. There are tutorials online across Youtube and getting to grips with how this works will set you apart from others.
With so much transferring digitally, knowledge and an understanding of SEO is fundamental, so it’s worth spending the time to research the importance of SEO as part of PR efforts for fashion brands and companies.
6. USE THE POWER OF VISUALISATION
The moment you decide what you want is the very moment your desire begins processing into action. And even for those that don’t believe in the power of visualisation, it’s worth testing its potential by trying this small task. Once you rise in the morning, spend a full five minutes telling yourself you are going to have a great day. Imagine it, the more details the better. Watch how this magically sets the tone for your day.
The power of visualisation sets your intentions and begins the creation of a new reality. It’s important to speak only positive things into existence. If a negative thought arises, it can take your end goal two steps back. For every negative setback thought, tell yourself an additional two reasons why you could overcome this. Visualisation boosts confidence and enhances your mood to align with what you’re thinking. So dream about your role, see yourself attending fashion weeks, talking to journalists, writing stories, and feel good while you’re thinking about it!
