Six Fashion PR Tips

The fashion industry is an incredibly crowded and competitive sector with numerous brands vying with each other to win the attention of consumers.

To raise brand awareness, it's critical to stand out from the crowd, and one of the most effective ways to achieve this is to develop a fashion PR strategy that is relevant to current trends.

Although major brands have the advantage of having access to more resources, smaller up and coming businesses have good chances of building their name as well, if they focus their efforts on carrying out an effective PR campaign. Here are the top six things to pay attention to when promoting a fashion brand:

1. Do your research 

Before you start planning your campaign, the first step is to get to know your target audience and how to best reach them. Looking at their age, interests and values helps you align the brand’s image with the potential customers. Once you have a good grasp on who your audience is, you can start tailoring your PR strategy to fit that profile.

Finding strategies to stand out amongst the competition requires understanding of who you’re competing against. It might be a good idea to analyse their previous campaigns to see what has been successful and what not. It’s also worth looking into what problems other brands are having, and how your brand can solve those problems. 

2. High quality imagery 

Because the fashion industry is very visual, quality photos are one of the most effective ways to make a good first impression on the fashion press. Good photography is worth the investment if you want to be featured in fashion publications, because appealing photos enhance the appearance of the clothing. It’s also useful to take both lifestyle and on-model shots to ensure that you’re able to provide journalists different options. 

3. Social media presence

Make sure that your social media accounts look aesthetic and consistent across all platforms. Social media helps you reach new and highly targeted potential customers, plus you can humanise the brand by connecting to the followers and sharing user generated content. Authentic content builds trust between the business and the audience, which in turn increases brand awareness and sales. 

You can also boost your social media following by launching giveaways, competitions or starting fun challenges that people can take part in. 

4. Brand ambassadors or influencers 

Many companies are using influencers or ambassadors to promote their products, as a lot of people are more likely to buy something if it's recommended by someone they trust. Influencers produce creative and original content and have a loyal fanbase. 

When choosing influencers to work with, it's important to choose people that fully reflect your customer base and represent the values of your company. Smaller businesses can also opt to work with micro-influencers or bloggers that cater to a more niche audience. 

5. Follow or start trends

Stay up to date with what’s currently trending in the fashion industry, as well as social media, so you can better serve your customers and understand their needs and interests. Active participation in hot topics can help your company become more relevant to its audience and raise brand awareness among your target demographic.

A lot of fashion brands also strive to start trends, and it's much simpler now that you can make your products go viral on social media, as opposed to how fashion trends used to start strictly from the runway.

6. Send samples

Sending out samples can make all the difference when you’re trying to be noticed by fashion publications. Sending out free products to everyone is not very cost-effective, but prioritising a few publications you definitely want to be featured in will increase the chances that editors want to write about your brand. 

It’s good to have at least a few samples in a variety of sizes ready to be sent out in case publications show interest. 

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