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.

When might you need a media release?

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.

Traditional media release format

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 news

FOR 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
EMAIL

###

Make sure to:

• Write professionally. Spelling and grammar mistakes won’t cut it. Proofread, rewrite, and have someone else look it over for you. Then rewrite and proofread again.

• Include the full URL for links. Some services don’t allow embedded hyperlinks, so mentions of your blog or related sites should be followed by the full URL, for example: YourSite.com (http://www.YourSite.com)

• Identify the source of the information. People want to know who’s “talking” to them–if it’s you, include that information. It builds credibility.

• Tie your announcement to recent news, social issues, or trends if possible. Current events make it easier for the writer to find a hook.

• Show how your newsworthy product or service solves a problem. Don’t expect the reader to make the connection between what you’re doing and how it helps people, even if it seems obvious. Make it easy and tell them.

• Include the pound signs (###) at the end so the reader knows that’s the end of the release. Try to keep it to one page or less.

Adding media

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:

• Include a crisp, high-resolution image of your logo.

• Upload high-resolution images of your product, or of you hard at work.

• Create a video showing off your merchandise or explaining how your service works.

• Conduct an audio interview with a client or customer in which they endorse your product or service.

• Include a shortened URL and 2-3 Twitter-ready statements of 120 words of less to make it easy for people to re-tweet your news.

• Add social media sharing buttons so people can Digg, Stumble, share on Facebook, add to Technorati, and subscribe to your RSS feed.

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.

With one fashion week behind us, one underway, and two to go, fashion bloggers–and by association, blogging–are being discussed by new and traditional media alike. It’s up to all of us to keep up with the good and bad press, so here are a few links –just in case you missed something:

“The new celebrities are the fashion bloggers, who are courted, coddled and charmed like never before.”

from Fashion’s New Fever: Bloggers in Spotlight As They Aim for Fame

Social Media: The New Front Row of Fashion

Style Bloggers in the March issue of Vogue

Social networking pulls mask from fashion world

“Mary Katrantzou…said bloggers offered her useful input, but most critically, put her in direct touch with consumers.”

from Designers embrace power of fashion’s blogging crowd

Bloggers are snapping up front row seats at London Fashion Week

Fashion is Burning!

Highlight of The Week: IFB Fashion Blog Conference

New Digital Era Spells Trouble for Fashion Bloggers

What’s your take on the attention fashion blogs are getting? Is it a boon or a curse?

Ann Colville Somma of Holier than Now covered the IFB Evolving Influence Conference for Style Sample. Here’s her insider’s take:

IFB (Independent Fashion Bloggers) is a community made up of more than 6,000 bloggers around the world. The Evolving Influence Conference, held at the Helen Mills Theater in New York on February 15th, provided a forum to discuss growth opportunities for this now-highly influential arm of fashion media and sought to address the future of monetization, ethics, and influence for fashion blogs.

L to R: Bryanboy, Tavi Gevinson (Style Rookie), Susie Lau (Style Bubble/Dazed Digital)

The day brought together a global who’s who list of successful independent and corporate-sponsored bloggers including Gala Darling (iCiNG), Tavi Gevinson (Style Rookie), Bryanboy, and Susie Bubble (Style Bubble/Dazed Digital). Representatives from new and traditional media like Business of Fashion and The New York Times also spoke. Minx provided complimentary must-have manicures by day, while the Couturious Cocktail Party capped off the event that night with food, drinks, and a photo booth by Weardrobe.

Highlights

The conference consisted of four panels, each rich in ideas:

Philosophy and Pragmatism

Seated, L to R: Pamela Castillo (Market Publique), Corinne Leigh (Threadbanger), Erika Miller (Elle.com), Melody Biringer (The CRAVE Company), Nichelle Pace (StyleMom), Shubhankar Ray (G-Star Raw)

The Fashion Blog Marketing Workshop kicked off the day. Shubhankar Ray, Creative Director of fashion brand (and conference sponsor) G-Star Raw, provided a refreshing context for fashion bloggers. Drawing a parallel between the inception of indie style magazines like I.D., which began as home-made media in punk-rock rebellion against traditional fashion magazines like Vogue, Ray reminded the audience that blogs represent the “democratization of journalism.” Ray urged independent blogs to “be careful about branding” because blogs’ individualism made them relevant partners for traditional brands looking to be “part of culture.”

Practical marketing advice was also shared. Erika Miller (Elle.com) lent her expertise on SEO, stating that “the long tail is your opportunity if you want to capture traffic.” Her tips for optimizing ranking included tagging images with specific, keyword rich descriptions and adding RSS feeds of blogs within your niche to your homepage. D.I.Y hub Threadbanger’s Corinne Leigh reminded bloggers that a simple call to action like “Follow me on Twitter!” is a surprisingly powerful tool.

A Wealth of Business Advice

The Business of Blogging panel brought together experienced blog monetizers including Gala Darling (iCiNG) and Lauren Dimet Waters (Second City Style). Professionalism, integrity, and relationship-building were key themes.

L to R: Gala Darling (iCiNG), Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond (BlueFly.com), Dina Fierro (Eye4Style, Attention! Agency),  Lauren Dimet Waters (Second City Style), Aubree Nichols (Urban Signals). The panel was moderated by Yuli Ziv.

The panel reminded the audience that their blog was the “first impression” on the web and should be a place that brands are proud to be featured. Bloggers were urged to maintain a high level of professionalism in their blog’s appearance and editorial content, and when participating in social media and interacting with marketers.

Knowing your blog’s metrics, understanding the ad rate marketplace through resources like BlogAds, and devising unique revenue streams (Gala sells podcasts) were all cited as powerful tools for monetization. While ads and sponsored newsletters can be key revenue sources, the panel warned bloggers to “read the fine print” before signing up with ad networks.

Opinions and Outbursts

Navigating Blog Ethics paired bloggers like Jessica Schroeder (What I Wore) and Diane Pernet (A Shaded View on Fashion) with new and traditional media gurus including Imran Amed (Business of Fashion) and Clark Hoyt (Public Editor, The New York Times) to discuss this controversial topic.
Alluding to the strict ethics code of the Times (journalists cannot accept gifts of any kind), Hoyt pointedly asked Schroeder and her fellow bloggers why it was “O.K. to accept gifts from someone you’re covering.”

Schroeder offered up honesty and transparency as the solution to this complex issue. Gina Garrubbo, EVP of women’s blog conglomerate Blogher suggested that a “separation of church and state” can ensure ethical practices, describing the company’s defined “reviews” sections (which are set apart from blogs’ editorial wells).

Amed felt strongly that compromising ethics meant compromising the blogger-reader relationship. He reminded bloggers that “the whole reason blogs have emerged as such a powerful and influential force is because everyone was really saying what they think” without the bias of financial incentive. “That’s why your audience is coming to you.”

The panel and audience struggled with the idea that blogs should be held to a higher standard than traditional fashion press, who receive countless incentives from brands, P.R. firms, and advertisers. A particularly defensive audience member drew gasps with a comment about the age-old practice of “bartering,” an outburst deemed highly inappropriate for its reference to a particular religion. Scandale!

A-List Inspiration

Tavi Gevinson (Style Rookie), Susie Bubble (Style Bubble/Dazed Digital), Phil Oh (Streetpeeper)

The Future of Fashion Blogging panel ended the day on a high note. Featuring blogosphere stars Tavi Gevinson (Style Rookie), Bryanboy, and Susie Bubble (Style Bubble/Dazed Digital), as well as Phil Oh (Street Peeper), Britt Aboutaleb and Lauren Sherman (both of Fashionista.com), the panel’s arrival had the crowd buzzing. The house filled with late-coming luminaries including Garance Doré, Scott Schuman (The Sartorialist) and Rumi Neely (Fashion Toast).

The panelists expressed excitement and confusion about their new place at the forefront of fashion media – all with a sense of humor and recognition of their humble beginnings. Bryanboy joked about the reason for his blog’s initial popularity, saying “Everybody loves a trainwreck on the internet!”

The group seemed unified in their wish to be an integral part of fashion media – neither stars nor pariahs in the eyes of the industry. “It’s not about replacing [mainstream] press,” said Bubble, it’s about being “a part of a fashion consumer’s daily routine.”

Sherman summed up the day with a simple maxim for bloggers hoping to rise to the top: “Don’t do it because you want attention, do it because you love it, and people will come to you.”

Why Should I Attend?

Clockwise from top left: Diane Pernet (A Shaded View on Fashion) and Tavi Gevinson (Style Rookie); Scott Schuman (The Sartorialist) and Garance Dore; Rumi Neely and Colin Sokol (Fashion Toast)

The IFB community has been a forum for sharing inspiration and wisdom since 2007. Like Tavi Gevinson and Bryanboy, the organization was thrust into the spotlight this Fashion Week, and Jennine Tamm (IFB’s founder) rose to the occasion by nearly single-handedly pulling off an event that exceeded expectations. For only a $20 suggested donation, bloggers were able to share stories and advice, learn from experts, and mingle with their heroes and heroines at a cocktail party that became the place to be on a night packed with fashion soirees.

The success of this year’s event sets the stage for future IFB conferences, and though they may become larger than this 300-person affair, they will certainly only become more valuable for the blogging community.

The IFB site is free to join and provides access to events throughout the year.

Jane of Sea of Shoes and her mom Judy of Atlantis Home are in the August issue of Vogue!

SF Indie Fashion blogger Lorraine was interviewed in an article for the San Francisco Bay Guardian.

Taking over the world, guys!

Do you have news you’d like to share with the fashion blogging community? If you’ve

• Opened new shop
• Done a collaboration
• Been featured in a news article
• Launched a product or service

and you’d like some free publicity, submit your story to magazine@thestylesample.com with “News” in the title.

Please note: Each item will be reviewed for relevance and timing and may or may not be published accordingly.

Teen Fashion Blogger to Design for Urban Outfitters
Jane of Sea of Shoes “recently designed a line of shoes, Sea of Shoes by Jane, for Urban Outfitters; three pairs are set to debut in July and three in December.”

FTC to go after bloggers for not disclosing freebies, payments
“Yuli Ziv is a fashion blogger and is working on one such effort at self-regulation, helping craft an ethics policy for about 15 websites as part of the Style Coalition started in January to help bloggers become more professional. “

Twit twit twitter
“UK Fashion Blogger Suzie Bubble was asked by designer Pam Hogg to take down photos of her collection from Suzie’s blog… Is all publicity good publicity? Not any more. Bloggers are the new tribal chiefs.”

Style Bloggers Get Personal About Fashion

The LA Times website recently published an article about fashion bloggers, including June/July cover girl The Glamourai!

Here’s an excerpt:

For the curious and open-minded reader, the best of these blogs are a real-life
fulfillment of the promise Lucky magazine once made to its readers: that the
editors would vet the wide world of shopping and help the average female sort
out where to splurge and how to find great clothes on the cheap.

You can read the full article here. This is yet another testament to the talent and passion fashion blogs add to the industry as a whole!