Posted on 05 August 2010.
Soft and sweet with a touch of sexy, a creamy lace blouse can dress up a casual look or add a touch of old-fashioned romance to tough-chic. Style bloggers show how it’s done:
Clockwise, from top left: Second Skin Style, Through the Looking Glass, Simply Hope, Tiff Heart Fashion.
Left to right: Greatest Friend, Shop Ruche, Queen’s Wardrobe
Posted in Bloggers, Styling0 Comments
Posted on 02 August 2010.
Last week we reviewed some of the best ways to create an online visual portfolio, but what if you’re a writer who creates with words instead of images? Don’t feel left out! You should have an online portfolio, too.
An online portfolio boosts your Google-ability, raises credibility with editors, and makes it easy to share and organize writing clips. Instead of sending huge, space-consuming files via email (most editors don’t appreciate that–ahem), send a link to your organized, well-thought-out site!
Your portfolio should contain three to seven writing samples demonstrating a range of styles. Include:
Make sure you have permission to post published clips, and organize your clips by subject or type of publication (i.e. magazine, website, custom publication, etc.).
Take a few lines to explain your contribution to each sample (editing, writing, layout), and the tools and software you used to create them (Microsoft Word, Adobe Acrobat, Adobe InDesign, HTML).
Allow editors to see the clip in the context it was published. You can do this by linking to the site on which the clip appeared, or by the scanning the hard copy. If you choose to scan, save the clips as PDFs instead of JPEGs–you can always include a link to the PDF on your site, or upload it to a site like Scribd, DocStoc, or issuu if you wish to embed it directly into the page.
Sometimes links change once an article gets archived, so check them frequently. If you’re concerned about a website removing your article, take a screenshot and save it for your portfolio. Searching Google’s cached pages is another way to retrieve “dead” articles.
Now that you’ve gathered everything you need, it’s time to set up your portfolio. Some options include:
For $8.99/month, Writers Residence helps you create your own website and easily edit pages, add writing samples, and create a writing resume/CV–all with no need for HTML.
With Big Black Bag, you get a free domain name, multiple templates to choose from, Paypal integration for sending invoices, an e-commerce feature, and custom form creation for $8.99/month.
Your MediaBistro profile features a customized display of your professional background and experiences, provides you with disk space to upload your work samples and writing clips, and is searchable by the 100,000+ editors and managers in mediabistro.com’s member database for $21/month or $145/year.
Set up a “clip book” by inserting your clips into a document or page layout program, then creating a PDF to upload to a site like issuu or Yudu. If you need PDF creation software, you can do it online at Adobe.com, or try a free PDF creator like CutePDF.
If you blog about more than your writing (and really, who doesn’t?), create a separate page for your writing portfolio. Develop categories for the major writing areas or topics you cover, and tag them for greater refinement. Add a link to your sidebar or main navigation to take visitors to a page dedicated to your work.
Posted in Featured, How-to, Tips & Advice, Writing0 Comments
Posted on 26 July 2010.
Many social media gurus say that a blog also serves as an online resume of sorts–and that’s pretty accurate. If you’re into visual arts like photography, illustration, styling, modeling, graphic design, or anything else that shows off your creative skills, a blog gives readers and potential clients insight into your personality and work ethic, as well as the caliber and quality of your work.
However, if you’re dealing with agencies, educational institutions, or more traditional clients, they may want to see your work presented in a more traditional portfolio style–well, as traditional as it can be online. If you find yourself in need of an online portfolio, here are some of the best options:
Carbonmade‘s no-frills setup makes it easy to get started, though customization is limited. For busy creatives, the site features fast and easy batch uploading, video hosting, and web analytics. The free service (called “meh”) allows you to upload 5 projects and 35 images, while the paid (“whoo!”) service costs $12 per month and includes room for up to 50 projects, 500 images, 10 high quality videos, and your own custom domain name.
One of the best known online portfolio sites out there, Behance allows you to create a free portfolio that incorporates text, image, video, and audio as well as embedded media from sites like Flickr, YouTube, and more.
The other well-loved and well known online portfolio creation tool, DeviantArt‘s basic service allows you to use their wizard to create and publish your work. You can host up to 100 images for free, or pay for the Premium portfolio service for more benefits.
Coroflot includes a personal URL, traffic reports to see how many hits your portfolio gets, and unlimited file uploads. Bonus: if you’re available for freelance work, you can sign up for job alerts.
If you want to keep everything in one place and set up a portfolio on your current blog or site, it can be as simple as creating a new page and uploading images of your work. This method will likely require more design and formatting work to look professional, so it helps to know basic HTML and CSS. You may choose to organize by project, client, or skill.
Dripbook makes it easy to create your portfolio using their drag-and-drop organizer, saves countless hours of tedious work by automatically reformatting and resizing your images, instantly synch updates to external sites, blogs, and social networking sites. The service costs $10 per month for a standard portfolio, but you can sign up for a free 30-day trial.
The Viewbook platform makes it easy to you to create unlimited portfolio pages and albums to target to different audiences. You can publish galleries on blogs, social networking sites, and other websites. A standard portfolio costs $9/month and gets you up to 2500 images. You can also sell prints of your work (as a hard copy or digital file) through the site.
Design Taxi is a paid service (9.99 or 19.99 per month), but it is a service. The platform allows viewers to export your portfolio to PDF (much more efficient than emailing a large file), and the company conducts portfolio reviews, publishes interviews with users, and sponsors events that showcase subscriber portfolios.
Posted in Careers, Featured, Tips & Advice3 Comments
Posted on 20 July 2010.
In the personal styling feature in the current print issue (buy it here!), we spoke to Beth of B. Jones Style (she’s doing big things over at her blog–check it out), who wisely advises aspiring stylists to develop relationships with local boutiques.
Making the right connections and cultivating trust with area retailers can help you create a base of stores from which to pull clothing and accessories for photo shoots, fashion shows, and other opportunities that may arise.
So, what’s the best way to go about doing such a thing? Let’s go over some basic tactics:
Do a good ol’ Google search, ask around, or–really, if you’re into fashion, you probably already know the local hotspots. Subscribe to store’s email list, set up a Google Alert for “(your city) boutique”, or subscribe to the feed of a publication that covers local retailers to stay up to date on sales and events.
Plan a trip! If you have a blog, contact owner ahead of time and let them know you’re interested in writing about their store or covering their event. I ran into trouble at an event when there was a paid professional photographer there who felt threatened when I took photos (even though I’m not a photographer), so make sure it’s okay to take pictures.
This blogging thing is still pretty new for a lot of people, so you may need to explain what you do. Send a link to your site so they can check it out before you arrive.
Dress the part for your visit, and when you arrive be friendly and professional. Bring your camera (or your photographer if you’re lucky enough to have one) as well as plenty of business cards to distribute.
Take pictures of the shop, the merchandise, the owner and employees, or whatever images best fit your site content. When taking pictures of other people, make sure you have their permission to post their photo and be sure write down their names–with the correct spelling!
If they’re not too busy, chat with the people running the shop. Ask when they get shipments in, what services they offer, and if they have any special sales or events coming up. The more interested you are, the better!
Buy a little something if see something you like and you can afford it–people support people who support them.
If you had a good experience, post a write-up on your site. Talk about your visit in first person, and make sure the post is attractive–use clear pictures and proper grammar and spelling. If you use a direct quote, make sure it’s accurate.
Easy things to write about include the location, store setup/atmosphere, clothing brands, your favorite finds, good deals, and how you’d style certain pieces. Always write in your own voice and keep it real–your readers are still your first priority.
Send a follow-up “great meeting you” email with a link to the published post to the shop owner. It also helps to attach a few pictures if you got any good ones–people love to receive pictures of themselves. I usually email one or two images of the store owner and employees, along with a link to a Flickr set with the pictures taken. If you’re open to it, let them know they’re welcome to use the photos as long as they’re credited to you.
If the boutique has social media accounts, follow them on Twitter or Like them on Facebook. Send a quick request to link to the shop owner on LinkedIn. If you’re forgetful (welcome to the club!), set up an email group list of all the shops you’ve contacted, and set a reminder on your calendar to contact the list every 4-6 weeks. Sending a quick email to ask if they received anything new or interesting is a simple way to stay in the loop!
Posted in Careers, Styling, Tips & Advice2 Comments
Posted on 22 June 2010.
It takes a lot of work to open an online shop, so what must it be like to open a brick-and-mortar clothing store in a less-than-perfect economy? We headed over to the opening of 4U Urban Fashion Boutique and spoke to freshly minted shop owners Andy and Gio for advice, pictures, and a bit of style inspiration.
We talked to Andy how they went about getting the store up and running in what seemed like a record amount of time–they were painting and putting together furnishing as recently as Mother’s Day!
“For us, it was a magical experience. When we found the space, everything else seemed to fall into place very quickly.”
Got it: For a retail store, location is a top priority. However, not everything is candy and roses all the time, is it? We asked for advice regarding the top three things entrepreneurs opening their own clothing boutique should know:
This includes setting up a corporation, obtaining a tax ID number and business license, understanding zoning regulations, and a bunch of other legalese. “It can be a bit frustrating, because you need certain permits and documents to get started, but you have to have some things in place in order to obtain those pemits!” Educate yourself as much as possible before and during the process.
Some good resources for those located in the US:
You may also want to check in with your local chamber of commerce for contacts and information.
As someone heavily involved in theater, Andy notes that he always took notice of scenery and decor both onstage and in restaurants, retail establishments, and other public spaces. A well-developed eye helped them determine the vision for the shop before everything was up and running–essential during the planning and execution phases.
“If you don’t have a vision, find someone to create one.”
Some things will be difficult–you will get frustrated, you will work hard, and you will get tired. Be sure to remember to breathe and relax as you go through the process–after all, it’s all part of the fun!
Says Andy, “Now we get to focus on the fun part–sourcing clothing and accessories. We have great relationships with some really amazing vendors.”
With most of the heavy lifting done, it sounds like Fall will be a breeze.
Posted in Careers, Featured, Interviews, Tips & Advice2 Comments
Posted on 08 June 2010.
As bloggers, we spend a lot (a lot) of time online–which makes sense as that’s where so much of our work takes place. Unfortunately, that makes it easy to forget about talking about your online life with people in real life, but doing so is absolutely essential to growing your readership. While social media has made it easier than ever to connect with people on the web, there’s still nothing like a little face-to-face interaction.
Here are a few suggestions for getting out and making contacts:
They make you seem more professional and help serve as a tangible reminder of who you are and what you do. Someone compliments your outfit? Hand them a card and introduce yourself! People are much more likely to check out your blog if they’ve met you in person.
2. Cover eventsCheck your local calendar listing and see if there’s an event you’d like to cover. If you email the event organizers beforehand to let them know you’ll be there, there’s a good chance they’ll offer to let you hang out behind the scenes.
Note: Showing up with a camera and a notepad pretty much guarantees a certain amount of credibility–people will think you know what you’re doing, even if you don’t. Introduce yourself to these people.
Be sure to email a link to your coverage to the event organizer, and follow up with any connections you make.
Again, these serve as a tangible reminder of your site. As a plus, you don’t actually have to be present to distribute postcards–leave them in your favorite coffee shops and bookstores, and mail them (yes, snail mail with stamps and such) to editors, journalists, boutique owners, designers, galleries, photographers–whomever you think would be interested in your site.
4. Participate in craft shows and street fairs
This is especially useful if you sell stuff–clothing, accessories, jewelry, crafts, even if you offer services. Summer and the holidays are prime time for street fairs and craft shows, so check show listing sites, gather your merchandise or develop a demonstration of your services, and sign up! Be sure to take plenty of business cards to pass out to prospective customers.
Blogging is pretty widespread, and if you live in a reasonably-sized city, there’s likely a group of bloggers that meet to share tips and advice and generally hang out. If there isn’t one in your area, see if you can find a few local bloggers and start one. Search the blogrolls of a local food/relationship/mommy blogger and see who you can connect with. You could also try searching for Tweetups (somebody’s bound to blog) and local social media groups on Google or LinkedIn.
Bonus: If your group grows large enough and happens to include a few people with connections, there’s a good chance you could receive media coverage!
Now get out there, shake some hands, and kiss some babies!
Posted in How-to, Promotion, Tips & Advice6 Comments
Posted on 01 June 2010.
In Part I of How to Write a Media Release, we talked about the basic format for writing press releases and different types of media to include. Now, let’s talk about what to actually do with what you’ve created.
Once you’ve written your release and created accompanying audio, video, or imagery to go with it, you need to make it public! There are a few ways to do this:
If you know who you’re trying to reach with your news, the most effective way to distribute your media release is directly, usually via email. Send an email to specific writers and editors at blogs and publications that regularly cover your area of interest.
A few tips:
You may want to include the “FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:” with a brief description of your news so the receiver knows that you’re sending a press release without having to open the email.
Don’t send the release as an attachment as most people don’t have time to open documents. It’s also best to include a short, personable introduction and a brief reason for sending the release in the email. For example:
Hello NAME,
I hope you are doing well!
YOUR NAME/COMPANY, a popular fashion blog(ger) in CITY, is proud to announce YOUR NEWS. It’s a great PRODUCT/SERVICE that FEATURE, BENEFIT, BENEFIT [include 3-4 features your product/service includes and the way in which those features help your target audience] .
See press release below.
I would love to speak to you about this exciting new PRODUCT/SERVICE since you are an integral part of the NICHE industry.
Please feel free to contact me at PHONE NUMBER or EMAIL if you would like more information.
Best,
YOUR NAME
–Start media release text–
It’s unprofessional to send the same blanket message to every single person you’ve ever contacted. It looks careless, and we all know how annoying it is to receive irrelevant emails…so don’t send them, either.
If someone does contact you, get back to them in a timely manner. They’re doing you a favor, so be professional and stay on top of it.
Another way to spread the word about your news is to submit your release to media release submission sites. These sites accept submissions across different industries, and may serve as a place for journalists in need of story angles to search for news. There are a number of paid services, but we like free stuff around here. A few reliable sites include:
PR.com You have to register, but this site distributes releases to several online news sites and allows visitors to subscribe to RSS feeds for new releases.
PitchEngine is a social media press release builder and allows for easy integration of images, video, and audio alongside your text release.
PR Log Lets you include HTML links in your media release, as well as an SEO dedicated webpage and PDF version of the release.
Free-Press-Release.com The site looks like Digg, and the most-read releases that are part of paid plan rise to the top of the site.
iNewswire Free submission service that requires registration
Online PR News You get one live URL within the release, and there’s no expiration date.
A note on submission vs distribution:
Submission sites basically allow you to build Google rank by posting your content on several different outposts, and help people find your news by including it in an aggregator.
Distribution includes publishing the release to multiple syndication channels, pushing releases to subscribed editors and journalists, and more traditional wire services like Associated Press and Reuters.
If you have a blog or are part of another online community, why not post your release there, too? Your readers and fellow community members (if the community allows it–check the guidelines first) might be interested in using your product or service, interviewing you about your news, or pointing you towards their cousin who happens to be an editor at Vogue. You never know, right?
Posted in Featured, Promotion, Tips & Advice1 Comment
Posted on 25 May 2010.
A media release (or press release, as they’ve been called since ye olden times) is an announcement issued to the news media and other targeted publications in order to let the public know about news and developments.
Many enterprising fashion and style bloggers are starting their own independent ventures–from online shops, to personal styling services, to marketing consultancies–and everyone deserves a shot at success. Part of that includes treating your small side business like…well, a business, and letting your target audience know what you have to offer.
If you’re opening a new shop, offering a new service, partnering with another blogger or company on a project, or engaging in any other newsworthy activities, a media release might be just the thing to help spread the word.
A traditional press release usually includes background information about your company or blog, the announcement about your new product or service, quotes from the people in charge, boilerplate text, and contact information.
The basic template is shown below. Obviously, you’d want to replace the text in capitals with information that applies to you and your product or service, and the tips in brackets would not be included!
Headline with keywords people looking for your product/service might search for
Interesting sub headline further describing your newsFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: CITY — Month Day, 2010 — YOUR NAME, of COMPANY OR BLOG that DOES THIS STUFF, is proud to announce NEWS. NEWS will become effective as of DATE.
The release of PRODUCT/SERVICE is intended to PURPOSE OF YOUR VENTURE.
[Now you'll explain a bit about your history and include relevant facts/statistics]
YOUR NAME, a YOUR PROFESSION, created COMPANY OR BLOG after seeing an opportunity for HOW CUSTOMERS WILL USE YOUR PRODUCT/SERVICE [it helps if you can relate this to a well-known current event/news item]. Today, the COMPANY OR BLOG has FACT, FACT, STATISTIC [include 3-4 facts and statistics regarding traffic, readers, buyers, clients, etc. about your blog or service.]
“QUOTE FROM YOU ABOUT YOUR PRODUCT/SERVICE,” says YOUR NAME.
NEW SERVICE/PRODUCT was created to fulfill the need for WHAT YOUR PRODUCT/SERVICE DOES and help YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE improve their WHAT YOU OFFER. FEATURE, BENEFIT, BENEFIT [include 3-4 features your product/service includes and the way in which those features help your target audience] make your PRODUCT/SERVICE an essential destination/opportunity for people in need of KEYWORDS.
[Include a bit about future plans:]
Additionally, the PRODUCT/SERVICE plans to include BENEFICIAL FEATURES in the future in order to further help people DO STUFF.“QUOTE FROM YOU ABOUT HOW/WHY PEOPLE NEED YOUR PRODUCT/SERVICE.”
PRODUCT/SERVICE is available at LOCATIONS [online or in real life].
–
[This is where your boilerplate information goes. A boilerplate includes basic information about your blog/company that answers the who, what, where, when, and why of its existence:]
COMPANY/BLOG is a fun and informative site focused on WHAT YOU BLOG ABOUT. Founded by YOUR NAME in MONTH YEAR, COMPANY/BLOG addresses the interests and desires of YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE. Created as a platform to provide style inspiration, shopping tips, and a sense of community, COMPANY/BLOG fulfills THESE NEEDS. For more information, please visit YOUR SITE.
[This is how people that want to know more can get in touch with you or your agent:]
INQUIRIES
For more information, please contact:
NAME
PHONE###
Make sure to:
Now that you have a basic media release (undoubtedly the most important part), you can choose to add additional types of media.
Social media releases allow you to add download-able images, logos, audio, or video related to your product or service. You might:
It’s easier than ever to spread your news, it just comes down to taking the time to do it–and it does take time. Set aside 2-3 hours this week, try your hand at writing your own release, and let us know how it goes!
In Part II, we’ll go over some of the best ways to distribute your media release online and to publications and individuals who would most likely be interested in your news.
Posted in Featured, How-to, Promotion, Tips & Advice5 Comments
Posted on 06 May 2010.
Style blogger Jessica Schroeder of What I Wore just announced some great news: she got a book deal!
I’m sure there are plenty of other bloggers who are aspiring authors, and while working with an agent and an established publishing house is the most desirable way to write a book, there’s also another option: self publishing.
“Self publishing” is just the term for when authors produce and distribute their written work themselves, instead of working through third-party publishing specialists. Self publishers are usually able to keep a larger portion of their profits, in addition to having more control over content and promotion. The web, blogging, and the increasing number of media channels have spurred the self-publishing movement, and several services make it easier than ever to create your own book!
Print on demand technology (similar to the service we use to create print editions of Style Sample) is probably the best bet for independent authors and bloggers without a lot of capital to invest. You’ll want to look for a company with low-to-no set up fees–which vary depending on the size of the book, number of pages, binding, and cover (hardcover vs softcover).
Book binding options
Some of the most reputable services include:
Lulu is one of the longest-running printing and distribution services online, and offers free publishing (no set-up fees) as well as paid marketing and design services. You choose your book’s binding, size, and paper, upload your files, build a cover, set the price, and start promoting!
If you have a lot of high quality images you’d like to turn into a photo book, Blurb is your best bet. You can download their free BookSmart book-making software (or do it yourself if you’re comfortable with page-layout programs), add graphics, text and images, and place your order for as many as you’d like. I’ve seen some great results with Blurb.
Formerly BookSurge, CreateSpace is owned by Amazon.com and allows you to upload a PDF of your book to their site. You can create a cover using their cover creator, choose distribution channels to sell your book (including Amazon.com, of course), and they’ll provide you with a free ISBN.
Beware of vanity presses, which charge exorbitant fees (up to $10,000) with the promise of printing large quantities of your book (likely more than you need) and distributing it to big box retailers. These presses are similar to the “modeling agencies” that charge hundreds of dollars for headshots and modeling classes–you don’t need all that if you create a valuable product.
The barrier to entry for book publishing is diminishing as technology advances, so I encourage you to put in some work and get your piece of the pie!
Posted in Featured, How-to, Monetization, Promotion, Writing0 Comments
Posted on 20 April 2010.
This is a guest post by Precilla of FashionArtExpression. If you’d like to write a guest post for Style Sample.com, check out the guidelines and submit your idea.
When I started blogging, I came across a lot of confusing things. I didn’t know what to expect or how to best use my resources, so I thought I’d help other new bloggers by sharing some important tips I wish I’d known.
Once you’ve started your blog, you’ve probably realized the readers don’t come to visit all by themselves. You have to put forth some effort to make them come back again and again! Here are a few things you can try:
I’ve seen a lot of blogs do 5-7 posts a week, but the content might be average to not compelling at all. That’s not going to get you more readers, so you need to change your game. Choose quality above quantity! Combining your own opinion with researched facts gives you more credibility and makes it interesting to read. Honesty is the best policy, so don’t lie. Don’t say you like something if you really hate it. People appreciate honesty more than you think.
Here are 10 tips I use that guarantee growth for your blog:
The best tip I can give you is to write as if you’re talking to someone. Express your true opinions and don’t try to write like someone else – find your own voice. Find topics that keep your readers interested and take risks! Don’t be afraid to experiment with different subjects.
Learn accurate punctuation and check your spelling and grammar. This is very important because you want the readers to understand what you mean and to avoid miss communication. Use quotation marks when you’re writing something that is not your own words, and remember to link to those who inspire your ideas.
SEO is short for Search Engine Optimization. It helps search engines direct people interested in what you talk about to your blog. SEO requires a lot of work, but there are a lot of websites that can teach you how to use SEO to your advantage. The two sites that are the best in the field are Problogger and SEObook.
Participating in different communities and social media is also a great way to increase your readership and establish new friendships and business opportunities. Also, don’t be afraid to ask for help! I’ve spoken to a lot of bloggers to see how they’re doing and mutually broaden our knowledge by sharing information.
Some popular communities include:
If you’re leaving comments on other blogs, try to make them more worthwhile. Instead of just saying “cute dress!”, try writing something more in depth, describing why you like something, or what you thought was unique about the post.
I’ve recently discovered something cool: newsletters. There are loads of benefits to starting a newsletter for your blog, including traffic building, monetization and building a rapport with your readers. As I’m working on my own newsletter, I’m thinking about what makes a good newsletter and what makes me mark the sender as spam!
I advise keeping your newsletter small and personal–people love blogs because they have an individual touch. Campaign Monitor offers 30 free email templates, or you can use Feedburner to automatically send RSS newsletters to every subscriber.
| By Precilla Sedney About the author: My name is Precilla and I’m a blogger who loves to express her self in different fashion and art styles. I can sometimes come across as the cute dorky girl. Read FashionArtExpression and follow @PrecillaSedney on Twitter. |
Posted in Tips & Advice, Writing3 Comments
Posted on 15 April 2010.
If you regularly follow any blogging blogs (Problogger, Copyblogger, Daily Blog Tips, etc.) you’ve heard/read the “content is king” speech a skillion times.
The thing is, there are SO many people out there creating content that the information has become somewhat repetitive. It’s usually good information, but much of it is the same stuff…kind of like the ol’ content is king directive. It can get tiring.
It’s very tempting to hop on the blogging bandwagon and do what everyone else is doing because, let’s face it, it works. It’s not called popular culture for nothing. If they’re talking about it on The Cut or Fashionista, it’s probably relevant to your readers, and it’s tempting–even smart–to imitate those who have achieved success. But it’s not very unique.
So, now we’re advised to focus on creating original, useful content. But what does that really mean? What’s the best way to go about it?
The answer: Be yourself. Yes, it’s an After School Special/Very Special Episode cliche, but it’s true. No one can do you like, well…you.
Your image, your thoughts, your opinions, your life are all as unique as they come. There is no one out there who can copy your life experiences, even if they can imitate your look. Instead of trying to be the next Rumi or Tavi or Garance (who are all great by the way, but they’re great because they have and express their own unique perspective), speak in your own voice, post your own pictures, and draw content from your own life.
Many of the most popular bloggers are such because they talk about their personal activities and families and pets and lives, scan their own art, and so on. Instead of trying to imitate the tone of a standard magazine editor, they provide their personal perspective. You can only find most of the stuff they post if you go to their space. Truly unique content is only available from one source, and each and every one of us is a unique source.
Fun, but ubiquitous
Instead of just posting the same images from the latest Paris Vogue spread or the most recent Lady Gaga video as everyone else, put a personal spin on it.
If the Paris Vogue April desert goddess spread featuring Natasha Poly sent you into fits of fashion bliss, try to approximate your favorite look, or break down the pieces used in one of the images.
If Gaga’s over-the-top finery reminds you of the Cirque du Soleil performers you secretly idolize, present a comparison of the two and talk about that.
Dig a little deeper and provide your own perspective. Don’t be afraid to be contrary. Share your experiences with your readers and create a personal connection.
The point here is to tell your story–in words, pictures, drawings, and the way you dress. The more personal it is, the more unique it is. And that’s good content.
Images: Vogue, Interscope, stockxchg
Posted in Tips & Advice, Writing1 Comment
Posted on 13 April 2010.
This is a guest post by Tiffany of I’m a Shoe Whore. If you’d like to write a guest post for Style Sample, check out the guidelines and submit your idea.
When I first started blogging I quickly found out the importance of great/fun photos. Photos are the key to your blog, they help pull viewers in and keep them entertained for the time they spend on your site. Sometimes your photos keep readers coming back to see more fun and sometimes inspiring pictures!
After being bored by my own pictures I went on the hunt for some great free online photo editing sites that would help me dress my photos up! Here are three of my favorites:
I use Photoshop whenever I edit my photos. Its interface is so easy that it makes editing photos incredibly simple. You do have to sign up for an account, but it’s free and your images can be stored online for family and friends to view. I love that you can preview how the image will look just by scrolling over the edit options. I also love the pop color feature on this site. Make sure you have a fast connection–it sometimes takes a while to load the photos.
DrPic is a great site if you need to do a quick edit or crop your photos. There are some fun options you can use to add frames or a Polaroid effect to your images, and I love the grayscale feature on this site. You don’t need an account–just load a picture, edit, and then save to your computer. Simple! One minor annoyance: the Google ad bar at the top of the picture while you edit photos.
FlauntR has some great editing features and frames you can add. The main reason I use this site is for the text feature–I love that there are so many fonts available. I have never seen so many different fonts offered on a free editing site, and you can move and rotate the text anyway you choose. You do have to create an account to use this site-but it’s free!
I remember the first time I saw an animated graphic. I was awe-struck, then jealous because I wanted my own! Soon I was off on an internet hunt for sites to help me create animated graphics. There are a few sites out there, but I always turn to one site to help me create my own animated images.
Gickr is free and easy to use–no account needed. You can select up to 10 images at once, the size of the image, how fast the image will move, then hit create. That’s it! Wait for your image to load and you should see the animated image. (I often hit create a few times trying out different image speeds to get the right one.) There are many ways to save it, but I always right click on the image and click “Save Image As”.
Now, loading the image on your blog can be tricky. You first have to upload your animated image to a hosting site like tinypic.com (it’s free). Once you’ve uploaded it to the site you can select the “HTML code for Websites” or “Direct Link for Layouts” code. You’ll then have to put the code into your post via the html/edit page. I’d be happy to help if you ever have any questions!
| By Tiffany of I’m a Shoe Whore About the author: Tiffany is a professional day dreamer, budding photographer, and fashion lover. Living in a small town she needed a place to express her love for fashion and life- that’s when her blog “I’m a Shoe Whore” was born. |
Posted in Featured, Photography, Technology6 Comments
Posted on 18 March 2010.
In the current issue of Style Sample, Ceri from Style Eyes Fashion Blog provides some valuable advice on working with public relations agencies and press reps. Here are a few more tips:
At the very least, using your name in the email is polite. You do not have to respond to mass communications that don’t address you directly.
When pitching to you or making an offer, a PR should be honest and clear in the first paragraph about exactly what they are offering.
If you do not want to do something, say so and offer an acceptable alternative.
If you have a very small readership, it is unlikely that you will get very expensive designer clothes sent to you each season. However, it would not be unreasonable to ask for collection previews and images to be sent on a regular basis.
Image: Allerina and Glen MacLarty
Posted in Monetization, Tips & Advice4 Comments
Posted on 11 March 2010.
This is a guest post by Crystal of 11:11. If you’d like to write a guest post for Style Sample, check out the guidelines and submit your idea.
Some of Crystal’s self-portraits
The easiest and most efficient way to take self-portraits would be to purchase some sort of remote for your camera. They can run fairly cheap to mid-range, and depending on the brand, they can work up to 300 ft away. I currently use a Phottix wireless remote that I bought on Ebay for about $40.
For those who don’t have remotes, there are a few tricks I’ve learned to help better my self-portraits:
1. Set up your tripod and figure out where you want to stand in the photo in relation to the framing of the camera.
2. Once you’ve picked the spot find some sort of found object such as a rock, a stick or even line up your camera to a crack in the sidewalk and focus your camera on that object.
3. This works best if you focus your camera on that spot and then switch your camera over to manual focus so the focus doesn’t change with each shot.
4. Set your self-timer and go stand next to your found object. The photo should be in focus each time.
I tend to stick to only natural light so I don’t have to worry about lighting and shadows when I can’t really see the overall effect in self-portraits.
To create better interest and better photos, the most important factor to remember is the time of the day when you’re shooting. For even and attractive lighting to better highlight your look, I suggest shooting a little later in the evening or early morning. The mid-day sun usually provides a harsh light that does weird things to colors and is just difficult to shoot in overall.
When you have a remote I think it makes posing a little easier just because it’s easier to capture continuous motion. I tend to do small turns or movements to show off the clothing and just press the shutter button several times throughout the movement until I get that one ideal capture.
Move it, baby!
For people who use timers it’s a bit more difficult but not impossible. To avoid looking stiff I just have to emphasize the importance of moving!
It doesn’t even need to be anything drastic, even just a slight shoulder/hip shake to keep things from looking forced. I usually count down until I get to that last couple of seconds to do my movement so it doesn’t look like I’ve been holding the pose for a lengthy period of time.
In the beginning to have a few poses that you can perform in just a few seconds. There are some simple things you can do to make the pose look more casual such as a lift of a leg, looking at the camera from over a shoulder etc. that don’t require much thought and from there just move around.
It’s important that you keep your camera’s shutter speed on a mid-range speed to fast to capture these movements. If you have a camera where you can control the shutter I would suggest using a minimum of 1/50 speed for motion photos otherwise blurring might occur.
Posted in Bloggers, Photography, Tips & Advice0 Comments
Posted on 23 February 2010.
In the last issue of Style Sample, Alicia of Instant Vintage shows us how to set up an online shop step by step. Setup is relatively simple, but once you have your store up and running, you have to get out there and promote it! Here are some easy and (mostly) free ideas:
1. Put a link to your shop in your email signature, blog comments, and forum and message board signatures.
2. Create a Facebook fan page for your shop or line. Post pictures of customers wearing your products, links to articles about your shop, and info about how you create your merchandise.
3. Create a behind-the-scenes video like this one about The Brush Factory. Post it on YouTube, Metacafe, MySpace, blip.tv, Vimeo, and others using an all-in-one video posting service like tubemogul.com.
4. Use descriptive keywords in your item description so people searching can find it easily. Instead of “vintage dress”, try “red cotton vintage sundress size 6.”
5. Post classifieds on free sites like Craigslist and Kijiji.
6. Send email newsletters announcing a new line or collection. If you have a small list (under 500 subscribers), try a free service like MailChimp.
7. Promote offline, too! You can get inexpensive business cards from Moo.com or OvernightPrints and hand them out to friends, family, and potential customers.
8. Participate in area craft fairs or trunk shows. Hand out those cards!
9. If you’re interested in selling offline, create postcards to mail to businesses and publications who might be interested in selling or writing about your products. Be sure to do your research when preparing your pitch.
10. Write press releases when something big happens–a new collection comes out, you snag an investor, or you’re carried at a new store. Submit your release to writers who would be interested in your story and online newswire services like iNewswire and PRLog.
11. Join an ad network–as an advertiser.
Besides blogging, how do you promote your store?
Posted in Featured, Promotion, Tips & Advice0 Comments
Posted on 11 February 2010.
With many of the New York and London shows being live-streamed and photos available on sites like Style.com mere hours after the shows are over, independent writers have more access to the fashion industry than ever (though apparently Donna Karan wishes it were still 1983 in that regard).
However, more access means more people covering the same information. Make your posts stand out by differentiating yourself from the usual onslaught of wannabe Wangsters, and address fashion week from a different point of view!
Here are a few suggestions:
Fashion editors understand their readers, and you know your readers best: do they like sweetly feminine styles, hard-core rocker chic, or full on Hollywood glam? Do they prefer to see big-name designers or smaller, more modestly priced lines? Are they into avant-garde or classically pretty? Report on what your readers want to see.
Focus on one aspect of the shows: Shoes, hair, jewelry, bags, backstage happenings, interviews with designers, runway and set design, what Japanese fashion editors are wearing, etc.–and compile as much information as possible about that topic. Do some research and make your posts the go-to resource for readers searching for specific information.
Describe the progression of styles from one season to another. People appreciate looking at relationships between similar items in different ways.
Do some research and find a correlation between past fashions and present styles being shown. If you primarily talk about vintage, show how what’s currently on the runways is similar to styles from the past. Who doesn’t appreciate a comparative retrospective that illustrates where the top designers draw their inspiration?
Instead of just posting pictures of your favorite looks, create a video or slideshow and narrate your thoughts on the trends and styles being shown.
Focus on lesser-known independent designers or Fashion Weeks happening in other cities and countries. Style happens everywhere!
Posted in Featured, Tips & Advice, Writing0 Comments
Posted on 04 February 2010.
If you’re a fashion blogger, chances are you’ve experimented with taking self portraits. Let’s face it, even if someone else usually takes your pictures, it’s likely that they’re not always around when you need them.
Self portraits can be fun because you can be as creative and goofy as you want sans embarrassment, you have plenty of freedom to practice your Tyra-approved Top Model poses, and they’re a great way to learn to direct other people. On the other hand, running back and forth to re-set the camera mode and hit the shutter while maintaining enough composure to take a decent photo can be a bit of a pain. Here are a few tips to help you get through it:
They’re invaluable for maintaining a steady yet adjustable base for the camera. They’re not that expensive either, and can usually be picked up for around $25-$30.
If you have a camera with a remote option, pick up a remote. It’s so much easier than running back and forth from the camera to your photo spot.
A neutral background means the focus will be on you, a busier background adds interest but also means you have to share the spotlight.
Take a few test shots with different settings. Check the images and note the settings that make you look the best (because really, that’s the main concern, right?). Use those settings for your remaining photographs–it’s easier to keep going if you know your lighting and composition are on point.
Shoot from different angles and position the camera above, below, or to the side. Include a prop that helps your photo tell a story. Over- or underexpose the image. Try something different!
No one expects you to be Demarchelier on the first try. Play some music, do a little dance, get a little silly, and have fun with your pictures!
Posted in Featured, How-to, Photography, Tips & Advice0 Comments
Posted on 02 February 2010.
Fashion week is coming soon! Here are some great articles full of tips, behind-the-scenes information, and everything you need to make the best of blogging fashion week:
How to Cover NYFW…When You Are Not There
Blogging Fashion Week: The Dos and Don’ts
Debunking Myths About Fashion Week
McDonald’s Gets McFancy for Fashion Week
10 Things I Don’t Want to See at a Fashion Show
Posted in Tips & Advice0 Comments
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