3 tips for writing a fabulous fashion news release

Got a passion for fashion? Great.

But when it comes to writing a story about fashion, how do you dress it up to woo your viewers? An increasing number of companies, including the “higher forces” fashion and beauty industries, are realizing the importance of utilizing news release distribution services to amplify their messages. After all, it does not matter how appealing your piece of clothing is if no one can see it. Yet, in today’s age of everything newer-better-trendier, how do you write a “stylish” story so it immediately catches the attention of all the fashionistas, even to the point of getting them to respond to your desired call to action? Read on for several tips to help you start polishing your story:

1.The no-brainer: Fashion is all about appearance

Fashion is all about “the look”, just as your story. It is essential to make your story look just as amazing as what you are selling – it defeats the point when you are hosting a modern, crisp and ground-breaking fashion show when you have a dull and vibe-killing story. Very often, when your readers read a press release, their attention is not first drawn to the content of the article, but the accompanying images. Therefore, you need to include one or even several high quality pictures to enhance the readability of the press release.

This April, PR Newswire published a press release entitled Diesel Art Director Presides Over Shanghai International Fashion Week that reaps the benefits of using powerful and relevant images to help the audiences quickly grasp the essence of the story — what the event was about, the setting of the scene, as well as the look and feel.

2. Unique and interesting formats are emerging and are quickly becoming popular

As one of the most influential fashion designers, Coco Chanel once said, “In order to be irreplaceable, one must always be different.” With the multiplication of emerging media platforms, news releases are also constantly evolving and companies are finding new ways to connect with their ever-changing audiences. That also means as marketers, you have to be agile and keep thinking of ways to stand out from the competitive crowd. As today’s technology offers more room for brands to be creative with their content, companies should take the liberation in delivering higher quality of content to their viewers. Don’t be afraid to add some attention-catching videos and other multimedia assets to your story – it helps the viewers visualize the content and drives more visibility to your story.

Givenchy’s latest multimedia news release is a good example of utilizing multimedia assets to tell a better story — the content serves as a backbone in providing all the details (yes, also a downloadable fact sheet) to the reporters who need to cover the story, then they tossed in a good variety of compelling videos and images to reinforce the message, and making it shareable by using all the social media buttons.

3. Like fashion, your press release should “wear” all the right elements.

I am sure you’ve heard of a list of fashion rules like “Oh dear, brown and black don’t mix” or “Petite girls shouldn’t wear maxi skirts”. Similar to fashion, a good press release needs to be statement-making and unique; yet, there are some “rules” that you need to abide.

• Be clear on your objective. For example, if your release is about your company, make sure you are communicating the core message your company wants to express, and not merely giving a bland introduction to the company’s products and services.
• Fluffs are always unflattering. Don’t simply glorify how fabulous your brand is or how you are the best/most prestigious/most respected brand out there in your story. Our increasingly sensitive and smart readers don’t want to read fluff. The advertising-like news release will not be picked up by the media. The trick? Up your storytelling game by angling your story in a way that matters to your audience and helping them connect to your core message. Don’t be boring and let your brand’s personality shine in your story.
• Be timely. What’s the latest topic in the industry? Can you create your own hot trend? Remember to be newsworthy – like fashion, news need to be fresh and proactive.
• Answer the “so what”: What makes you stand out? Identify your uniqueness and how your story relates to your target audience. Communicate early and effectively on why they should care.
• Don’t forget the 5Ws and 1H: A clear mention of when, where, who, what, why and how. The majority of these facts should be included in the most significant paragraph to allow the readers capture the important elements in the beginning.
• Keep an appropriate length. Like clothing, your story shouldn’t be too “loose” or too “tight”.  You want your story to have concise wording and look put-together. So reduce the use of clichés, superficial words and jargons. As a general rule, the ideal length of a news release in most cases is between 400 and 800 characters.
• Finally, the facts must be accurate.To respect the discerning reader, contents should neither be exaggerated nor deal in hyperbole.

Using supermodel and television host Heidi Klum’s quote on Project Runway to wrap this up, “As you know in fashion, one day you’re in, and the next day, you’re out.” Writing a remarkable fashion news releases requires one to be skilled in bringing all the right elements together, while knowing when to break rules and be creative enough to add some super-chic twists to their story. There is no really fixed formula on writing a perfect fashionista story, but the key is to practice more and have the audacity to own your story. Have fun!

The blog post was translated and adapted from this original article written by Jill Li, Audience Development Executive for PR Newswire. Please indicate the source and link for reproduction.