All about PR = Public Relations

[Chanel_Ivan]

bumping.

[kellness]

FashionMaganista - I'd love to hear about Ruby PR and what kind of things you do and how you're liking it. Update us!

[theprettycat]

I am confused about when it comes to PR. Is it just a course or is there a certain degree? Would you need a degree? Because from what it seems PR seems like something you don't necessarily need to go to school for.
Btw, I love this thread! I've heard of PR but never dove into it until now. It seems really interesting and fun to do!

[kellness]

PR deals with many areas so academically options are endless. Many people opt to take the PR degree route which some schools do offer (or Communications degree with an emphasis in PR) others opt to just take Communications. Also some might take Journalism which seems to go hand in hand with PR. Again you could take something like Business, English, even Psychology could benefit you in PR, so there's not really one route to take. What's most important is to have a bachelors and internship experience.

[clutch22]

^^^^Spot on!
I didn't focus on PR or journalism in college and have been working in PR over a year and LOVE it! In fact, I spent my first three years as an economics major...ugh...then switched to a general marketing communications degree. I've carved out a niche in my company as a trend specialist so I get to present fun things like the Fashion Spot forums to clients/colleagues and discuss relevant business applications (e.g. the importance of engaging in online communities).

Just a heads up...there are a lot of glamorous benefits that come with working in PR (depending on who you're doing it for)...but it generally doesn't pay any better than other marketing jobs. On the West Coast, PR Coordinators start at $30,000 per year give or take a couple thousand. That said, I suggest starting out at an agency b/c they offer more of a learning platform to grow from. Also...benefits are usually great and you'll get experience with different clients.

Love this thread by the way...it's a combo of my two passions! Fashion and PR!

[Fashiongirl1]

Hello clutch22, how did you get into the Fashion PR Industry? I have a degree in business too, and MAYBE lol I would try getting into one of those PR firms. I didn't do an internship either. I live in New York City.

They start with $30,000 when does a person get a raise?

Any tips?

Thanks

[valcee]

Having done two internships with a public relations agency that handled La Perla and La Senza lingerie accounts while I was in school, I can say that fashion pr is physically exhausting. Endless planning of fashion shows, product launches, acting all smiley to lifestyle,fashion and business media, while creating hype over something out of nothing and using the same terms(tasteful,intimate,perfection,soft,luxurious, silky,creamy,sensuous,sinewy,irresistible) I think I've almost ran out of words to describe clothing lol

[heyitsme]

Does anybody know of a good place to look for PR jobs in the LA area? I'm having a bit of a hard time coming across any. I have about 2 years experience working for a top entertainment PR firm, (where I also delt with fashion), but I would like to gear more towards strictly fashion pr.

[attia]

hey, i've been doing work experience in PR all summer (2 months and a week) and i can tell you it was everything and nothing i expected at the same time.

i'm only 16 and its unusual that i got the summer internship with the little experience in work that i have. im quite lucky in that respect. especially in london, competition is fierce and sometimes you have to rely on specialised experience you have regardless of whether it's in the industry you hope to enter (hope that makes sense)...

i absolutely LOVED sitting in on meetings, helping organising the events, assisting with mailings, making press releases, sometimes writing press releases. there's always something going on, it's very creative whilst being structured at the same time, but i think that depends on the agency you work for. the only thing i'd say is that sometimes you have to work from the bottom, unless you form your own pr company. the directors have the most interesting - yet hectic jobs. hope that helps

[attia]

oh and p.s, i'm not being paid for my work exp. but i see it as though the experience is invaluable..i mean they pay for my travel and food during the 'learning experience'... kinda reminds me of the ema scheme in the uk..

if you live in the UK and your parents earn <30k a year, you can get up to £30 a week for continuing your studies after 16. which i think is pretty cool. type EMA (stands for education maintenance allowance) into google and i think its the first one that comes up. would def. help contribute towards travel food textbooks etc. tc xx

[clutch22]

Originally Posted by heyitsme

Does anybody know of a good place to look for PR jobs in the LA area? I'm having a bit of a hard time coming across any. I have about 2 years experience working for a top entertainment PR firm, (where I also delt with fashion), but I would like to gear more towards strictly fashion pr.

Here are some places you could try:
Eileen Koch
Pierce Mattie
People's Revolution
SSPR
SKS
Paine
ID

[omgitschristine]

For those who work in Public Relations, specifically fashion PR, would you mind describing what you do on a typical day? Also, where do you work and what is your job title?

Thanks.

[clutch22]

I don't work in Fashion PR...yet...but I do Consumer PR for some pretty big companies.

Every day is different, but here are some of the things I'm working on today:
· Gave an internal presentation about fashion blogs, who they are, why they matter and how PR should approach them (mentioned tFS like 10 times!)
· Drafting press release for announcement next week
· Developing media outreach plan--who to tell about the announcement and how to tell them
· Drafting media tour proposal to take place in NYC before the holidays--where we'll fly our client to NY to meet with broadcast and print media
· Wrapping up holiday gift guide inclusions with long lead magazines(3-month lead time...all monthly mags like Lucky, Vogue, Maxim, etc)
· Tracking coverage on all clients, flagging anything urgent/relevant
· Developing visual reports to showcase PR results to clients

[ShuggaStiletto]

Do PR/Ad. agencies require or prefer a certain major or track of study in their prospective employees? I'd like to study general creative arts (maybe concentrate in either art history or graphic design) and possibly minor in writing & communication, not sure what the background for PR/Ad. should be though. I feel like connections and having your foot in the door through internships may be the way to go...

[Cicciolina]

From what I've seen no, not really. It's not like accounting, where you need to do an accounting major to be an accountant (at least that's the case in Australia - ie study law to be a lawyer, med to become a doctor, etc - vocational degrees).

My cousin works in PR and she told me to not study PR or marketing in uni - one of her colleagues studied Liberal Arts, the other studied Accounting, and they're both doing the same job as her (and to add to that, she actually did study PR!) I think with PR they look for other skills and characteristics, rather than what major you did And yes, definitely internships and building contacts really helps.