The Do’s and Don’ts of Fashion Week Coverage
The Fall-Winter 2020 fashion week shows will kick off in earnest this week with New York Fashion Week.
If you are one of the thousands of bloggers, editors, and reporters covering the shows each season, we have a few tips for you on how to provide exceptional and different content in a sea of coverage.
Do Prepare Like a Pro
Each season the CFDA provides a detailed schedule on where and when the runway shows in New York happen. Study the schedule and plan accordingly. You can find similar schedules on the respective official fashion week sites for Milan, Paris, and London. Many shows happen all over the cities and you may find yourself stranded in a traffic jam trying to get to your next show destination. Therefore, it is important to know what shows you are attending and where — which leads us to the next tip.
Don’t Overbook Yourself
You will not be able to attend all the shows, unless you have a car service driving you around town. Fashion shows often start late and bleed into the start time of the next show. Couple that with enormous traffic everywhere, and if you are booked to attend back-to-back shows, well, you may not make it.
Do Try and Create Relationships with PR
Let’s be honest, it is up to the PR house whether you get any access to shows. If you have started to build a relationship with them, odds are you will be invited. That relationship starts, of course, way before fashion week even begins. Send an email and introduce yourself, show off your previous content, and prove why you will be a valuable show-goer for the brand.
Don’t be Demanding with PR
Organizing an attendance list for a fashion show is no small feat. PR teams are bombarded with attendance requests, and unless you already have an established strong relationship with them, only the most patient and polite folks will make the cut. If you get rejected for a show, do not get upset. Politely thank them and ask if you can perhaps be considered for next season.
Do Ask for Backstage Access
If you get invited to a show by a PR agency, do not hesitate to ask for backstage access. Pre-show works best, since things are a bit calmer backstage. Should access be granted, take your readers along via Instagram live. If you also are granted an interview with the designer, use social media to tease your upcoming content to your audience. And don’t forget to respect the designer’s time and keep your questions short and sweet.
Don’t Mimic Other Coverage
Be unapologetically yourself, because it will lead you to create authentic and interesting content. Fashion week is covered by many, many people and its complete visibility online means many eyeballs are seeing very similar coverage. Separate yourself from the crowd with your authenticity. Do pay attention to details, and look out for a trend others may have missed.
Do Tag Designers in Your Social Sharing
It’s one of the best ways to attract attention, especially if you’ve produced solid content. Not only will it put you on the designer’s radar, but if they share your content, it will lead to a bigger audience for your posts.
Do Send Your Coverage to the PR Team
We talked about relationships above. This is a way to continue establishing them. Send all your coverage to the PR agency; they will love it. Thank them for inviting you and express your thoughts on the show.
Don’t Forget to Have Fun
After all, fashion week is one of the most fun events you can attend. Don’t forget that! Dress like you are going to a fashion celebration. Mingle with and network with fellow attendees and attend that after-party! You never know who you will meet there! 😊
Need more help? Check out our previous post Runways and Couture: 5 Tips for Show-Stopping Fashion Week Coverage.
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Anna Marevska is an editor and writer for Cision Blog. She writes media updates, media influencer, and industry features. She also is manager of content and research at Cision’s research department, and the editor of FashionFilesmag.com. Find her on Twitter at @Anna_Mar3.
