Friday, November 11, 2011

LIM PR Girl: So You Want to be a Fashion Publicist?

Have you been thinking about a career in public relations? LIM PR Girl gives you a little insight into this high-paced field.

“Fashion PR” is a shortcut to saying “Fashion Publicist.” Publicists know the importance of communication and branding. We produce fashion shows, dress celebrities, and push content and products to the media that all of you religiously follow. Fashion publicists get paid for contacts and the relationships they are able to foster to enhance a brands image in the public eye. We make brands famous and there are no set hours on such a task.

Caution: Sleeping with blackberry on your pillow or clutched to your heart is a normal occurrence.

Days are filled with meetings, reports, and pitching to editors. On our downtime, we are tweeting, texting, posting, blogging and practically screaming about how great our client is. Some have even been known to sleep-talk about their clients. (Not that I would know that person or anything…)

PR is so successful because a third-party endorsement is more powerful than an advertisement any day. You see ads all the time and they become boring and lose their impact. On the contrary, when your girlfriend tells you about this hot new yoga mat she saw on her favorite blog, you have to have it. You become prepared to kill for that mat, and you don’t even do yoga. That’s the power of PR.

A career in PR should come with a disclaimer: NOT FOR THE WEAK (or individuals
afraid of chipping a nail). Are you sensitive? Cry outside: as PR goddess, Kelly Cutrone, would say. Are you lazy? The door is to your left. You may look oh-so-glam gallivanting in your stilettos, screaming into your headset, but if there are no brains under that ill-fitting head gear, you’ve already lost the battle. A publicist is smart, confident, resourceful, enthusiastic, quick to action and understands the power of being nice yet assertive. Above all, a Fashion PR is well-rounded and knows topics beyond fashion. #Shocking

You never know when Stylist X needs to dress Celebrity Y. But will Celebrity X fit the demographic of your brand? Decisions, decisions. Obviously, we aren’t performing brain surgery or saving a life on the regular. However, fashion affects everyone and being able to direct how such a powerful aspect unfolds is pretty rewarding.

Sure, as a public relations professional, you’ll be rewarded with free gifts, cocktails and the opportunity to mingle with some of the industry’s most influential and inspiring people. Nonetheless, PR is tough work. If you can’t handle the flames, stay out of the kitchen. For those of you throwing on your designer flame-resistant jeans to tackle the mess, welcome.

Welcome to a world of glamour and stress and stay tuned. :)

It’s been real,

LIM PR Girl

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