Recap: How to Pitch Beauty & Fashion Brands as an Influencer

It helps to get the real deal from an insider and we definitely got that at the September meetup. Fashion and beauty PR pro Cece Feinstein gave us some great advice as we met in the luxurious dining room of Truluck’s Restaurant. It’s located in The Galleria at Fort Lauderdale, our sponsor.

This meetup was timely as influencer marketing is now heavily used by fashion and beauty brands. In fact, a study by Socialbakers  shows that 2/3 of Instagram content from the 100 biggest beauty brands and ½ of content from fashion brands mention another user. This implies they’re sharing influencer content and/or partnering with influencers. (Source)

Cece’s clients also work with influencers and she sees many pitches from fashion and beauty bloggers. Based on her experience, she gave us some honest truths about what to do and what not to do when pitching.

Read on for some of her advice.

Show them you’re in sync with the brand

Are you in sync with the brand and what they stand for? That’s the first question a PR pro like Cece will ask herself. If the brand is about modern lines or minimalism and your blog is all retro, it won’t be a good match.

If you are in sync, reach out with an idea that shows how.

Pitch an idea for a collaboration

You won’t get very far with a general message like, “I’d love to work with your brand. Here’s my blog and my stats / rates.” To stand out from the many emails hitting her inbox, tell her HOW you want to work with the brand.

Offer an idea that’s a win-win for both of you. Are you planning posts for the coming season or for a holiday or on a specific look or style? Try to include the brand in one idea and pitch it. The example she used was to pitch a post about the top red lipsticks for a 1950’s vintage look. If her brand is a good fit for your idea, she’ll consider it.

A media kit with rates is useful to offer, but she suggests starting the conversation with an idea first. If she’s interested, then she’ll ask for more details.

Strive for a longer-term relationship

If you do work with the brand, follow through on your posts, then follow up with an email or a wrap up. She needs to report to her clients and appreciates bloggers who stay in touch during the collaboration and who come back later with other ideas.

After a successful campaign, her and her clients are happy to continue working with that blogger, so keep those ideas coming.

We appreciate Cece’s advice and wish her the best. You can find her online at FeinbergPR.com and on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

Sponsor Love

After discussing fashion and beauty brands, there was also much sponsor love from The Galleria at Fort Lauderdale and their store brands. They featured their many high-end shops and asked a few to participate. Michael Kors, Ann Taylor, J Crew, Flora Ottimer Children’s boutique and Godiva Chocolates all provided gifts. Thank you to all!

We also enjoyed fine dining and seafood (including Lobster Rolls) from our host, Truluck’s Restaurant. Two happy bloggers won Truluck’s gift certificates as well.

Both The Galleria at Fort Lauderdale and Truluck’s spoiled us for future meetups. Thank you both!

Scroll for photos. Various photos provided by Nohemy Adorno.