We’ve talked a bit about this before (both in issue #6 of Style Sample magazine and in a follow-up post here), but we’ve always wondered:

How are fellow fashion bloggers responding to PR pitches?

If you’ve been blogging long enough, you’ve likely received a few eager emails from PR agencies or press reps asking you to cover a new line or informing you about a new online boutique. Some pitches are more professional than others, but the idea is the same: they want you to tell your readers about their stuff.

The Rules (sort of)

While there are no hard and fast rules about responding to PR pitches (relevant or not), basic manners apply.  Here are seven guidelines that you should follow as a blogger when dealing with public relations pros (taken from a fantastic article called Blogging etiquette in the face of a PR pitch):

Rule #1: Act professionally.

Remember that professionalism is everything. This relates to courteousness too. Keep your tone polite.

Rule #2: Be humble.

By blogging, you’ll reap some nice rewards (and awards). Don’t let that fame get to your head. You might be great and receive a lot of accolades, but it doesn’t make you any better than the people you deal with. In most cases, you’re not as important as you think you are.

Rule #3: Remember who you are dealing with.

PR people aren’t in the ad sales industry. Their goal is to send press pitches, not to buy ads on your site. If a blogger outreach consultant or social media agency emails you a story pitch, read their signature. If it doesn’t say “media buyer” or if they haven’t explicitly asked for your media kit, chances are they can’t follow through with an ad buy.

Rule #4: This could be the start of something big.

The right PR person is just as connected with the rest of the world as they are with bloggers themselves. In fact, a relationship that starts on the right foot might actually translate to better things down the road, including special event invites and freebies that might as well be equivalent to a really good ad deal. Perhaps, real ad sales will follow. A bad first impression will never get you to that point. A great first impression can be very rewarding.

Rule #5: It’s a relationship, stupid!

Did I mention at all in this article that these are still interpersonal relationships? To quote The Happiness Project author Gretchen Rubin, act the way you want to feel.

Rule #6: Remember where you were when you started.

There’s more to blogging than just dollar signs. There’s relationship building (see rule #6), influence, branding, and more. Don’t have a narrow focus because the grass seems greener when the riches are easily attainable.

At the end of the day, blogs are a relationship-building tool. That’s probably how you got to where you are now, by sharing your voice and providing insights that helped build those relationships, like having your readers trust you. Think about what you did before to get you where you are today. Never stop doing that either. The options might be more plentiful nowadays but you should stay true to why you started blogging to begin with.

Rule #7: You need PR people as much as they need you.

Maybe not now, but your future could depend on them.

It’s a reciprocal relationship, for sure. Bloggers need content. Brands need coverage. So, if the product or service being pitched is a good fit for your blog, do you tell your readers about it? If you think the stuff they’re pitching is godawful, do you respond? If/when you do respond, what do you say?

Images: Polaroidki-02 by Marta Lamovšek, Papermag.com

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.

A few options

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:

• Send it directly to people or publications you think would be interested in your news

• Submit it to a press release distribution site

• Post it online for increased Google juice

Send it!

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:

Include a good description in the email subject line.

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.

Include the release in the body of 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–

Don’t send email blasts

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.

Follow-up

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.

Submit 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.

Post it!

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?

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:

What you should expect from a PR

An individual approach

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.

Openness

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.

What a PR will expect from you

Be clear on what you will accept

If you do not want to do something, say so and offer an acceptable alternative.

Be reasonable in what you request

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

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?

If you haven’t already read PR Couture‘s post regarding free samples for bloggers and the reaction of the PR community, check it out here.

I’ll start you off with an interesting quote from the article:

“I love print, but we are witnessing a paradigm shift to the web,” said Matt Meyerson, RPRT Communications and Management, who spent years working in product placement for fashion brands. “When you think about it, a blogger covering your client is doing you more of a favor than Vogue in a lot of ways, they are spreading the word immediately and to an international audience,” he concludes.

It gets better, so read it now.

Does this change the way you think about approaching PR companies for free samples?

In the current issue of Style Sample Magazine, Sarah of Looking Sharp! interviews Crosby Noricks, the brains behind PR Couture.

If you’re interested in learning more about fashion PR (and really, who isn’t?), Crosby also conducts interviews with key industry players on her Blog Talk Radio series. Check them out at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/prcouture