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5 Ways to Find Contact Information for Fashion PR Agencies

working laptop blinds backBeing connected to fashion publicists is great. You get the inside scoop on all sorts of great designer collections, events and opportunities to partner with brands for fun and fame and financial gain. However, not all agencies (or publicists) are created equal, and some are more blogger-friendly than others. Some agencies focus solely on getting product onto celebrities or in TV shows and the movies, or only do production (events, runway shows), some are really focused on the digital space, and others have really honed their skills with getting products into print magazines. The more you understand about the agency, their client list and specialization, the better equipped you will be to reach out in such a way to pique their interest.

Last week I shared a few ideas about how you should go about reaching out to a PR agency here's how to assemble a list of agencies to target.

Be a LinkedIn Search Savant

Comb through your existing LinkedIn connections, join groups for fashion PR and marketing professionals and follow company pages for PR firms.  Pay attention to the “you might also like” functionality in the bottom right that includes related companies to find even more agencies to follow. For example, here is the page for Agency V, Bollare and HL Group. Once you've got a name, you are that much closer to finding out an email address. You can always add connections through LinkedIn, but it will depend on how often your contact checks the site. A direct email is best, which you can often find by getting the “info at” email address and then playing around with typical email nomenclature

Google Brand Name + Press Release

Fashion brands don't always distribute press releases online, but when they do, it's a great way to find a press contact for a brand you are interested in. You might find a PR representative at the brand itself, or the contact information of the lead representative at the agency. Here's a press release about a partnership between J. Mendel and Hunter Boots. It include a contact at J. Mendel as well as a contact at their PR agency, Linda Gaunt Communications. Snap! Even if the agency no longer works with that client, you've still got a name. Even if the publicist no longer works at the agency, you'll likely get an auto-responder with the contact of someone who does.

Read PR Couture

Ah, a bit of self-promotion. On PR Couture we regularly interview fashion publicists on our “Front Row Fashion PR” series, which is a great way to learn more about different agencies and who is at the helm. We also have a directory of fashion PR firms, most of whom are blogger-friendly.

Ask Fellow Bloggers

Ask your fellow bloggers which agencies they like working with and if they have any recommendations for you based on what you cover and your particular aesthetic. Then, kindly ask for an email introduction to their contact. As mentioned, working together with several bloggers to pitch an idea to a PR agency is a powerful tactic – and there is value in helping one another out.

Join LookOnline

For a fee, you can access a list of the “Who's Who In New York Fashion Public Relations,” which includes contact information and a summary client list. If you are interested in having access to the agencies on this list, email publisher[at]lookonline.com for the details.

What are other ways you have discovered PR agency contacts?

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11 Responses

  1. WeeVoyages

    I think first of all you should have a certain number of pageviews before connecting with PR agencies.

    Reply
  2. CynthiaCM

    Networking events, fashion events, etc… In Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, we can rely on fashioncalendar.ca for fashion-related events. For those which are RSVP-only, you can send an email to PR to see if they can put you on a media list.

    Reply
  3. Nasreen

    I’ve read a lot about PR agencies and how to get started but I really don’t GET it. I know brands and online stores collaborate with bloggers and I know PR agencies do that too but I can’t even explain what I don’t understand, I just don’t know the basis of PR’s and what exactly their function is and how to start off as a beginner.

    I’d love to see a back to basics post on PR agencies!

    http://lazyobsession.blogspot.ie/2013/06/floral-bomber.html

    Reply
  4. Tsvetelina

    Great suggestions. I need to work hard toward getting more followers and later contacting PR agencies.

    Tsvetelina

    Reply
  5. Shammara Lawrence

    Finding contact information for people in fashion PR was relatively easy for me when I had to call various people for samples during my internship. If you live in New York, there is a directory of showrooms on modemonline and it has contact information for well known publicists. Nonetheless getting out there to network and build relationships with people in fashion PR is the best way to go !

    FashionPopQueen

    Reply
  6. Silvia de Almeida

    Definitely saving all these information as I try to build my blog and heading the direction to contacting the PR agencies. Such exciting stuff!

    Reply
  7. DiEm

    Great information! Really usefull for fashion bloggers who want to create a big blog!

    Reply
  8. Lauren Coppin Campbell

    I’ve only been blogging for a few months and my pageviews are about 2,000. Would it be too early for me to connect a agency? Or could this apply to me?

    Check out my blog please: fashkiller.blogspot.com

    Reply
  9. Naheed

    Shazia nazir from jersey city and Niki Ali from boonton nj and mohomammad nia from Hackensack nj are the most hideous delusional disgusting desperate polish people out there trying to shoe off such a bad reputation in every industry – their with Gordon brown I’m with moyad

    Reply