How To Get Your Fashion Brand In A Magazine

Now that your business is created and you’re starting to make your clothing line, it’s time to start advertising your fashion brand. Social media and purchasing ads are great, but how can you get a feature story in a fashion magazine? There are ways that you can secure that coveted spot—but how?

To Get Your Fashion Brand in a Magazine

1. Reach out to publications that fall into the same niche as your fashion brand. 
2. Don’t just advertise—create your story. 
3. Network with magazine editors and other high-level employees.
4. Understand publication schedules and pitch your stories ahead of time. 
5. Create the content for your chosen publication.

Getting the attention of the publication may be the hard part, but how to find the right one to begin with? How can you create your story, and what should you include? Read on to find out more.

Reach out to publications that fall into the same niche as your fashion brand

While one of the most important things to remember when advertising, this step can easily be forgotten. It’s obvious—if you’re a women’s clothing boutique, you don’t want to advertise in a men’s magazine. Find publications that are going to cater to the same niche that you’re selling to. Not only will it be easier for you to pitch your fashion brand, but you also can make connections within that magazine that may lead you to other opportunities in that niche. 

Picking a chosen publication doesn’t have to be hard, but it does take research. You’ll need to consider their audience, their reach, and the types of articles they feature. Find out whether they’re including articles like the one you intend to pitch. If you don’t have any potential links from the magazine to you, you may want to try a different publication. Also consider what their price point for the clothing lines and accessories they feature might be. If it’s higher or lower than your typical prices, you may want to reconsider working with that magazine. You should also figure out the style and tone of each magazine, which can help you determine how your articles are written in the long run. You can also tailor your suggestions and pitches to the style and tone of the publication, which can help you get noticed. 

How do you get their attention? Find several publications that may work for you and your audience. Don’t be afraid to reach out to larger publications, but know that they receive solicitations constantly—so your story and pitch have to be solid and unique. Only reach out to those few—spending too much time trying to wrangle dozens of publications will just waste your time and your money. You can also make a long list and hit them a few at a time, meaning you may have the opportunity to share among many different publications. Don’t be afraid to hit those that you might not find as relevant—consumer and trade magazines can be an option with the right story. 

How To Create A Business Plan For A Clothing Line

Don’t just advertise—create your story

People ignore advertisements if it is something irrelevant to them, and they will easily skip past stories that they don’t want to read. So how do you attract that attention—both of the customer and a potential magazine publisher? You create that story and make sure it’s interesting enough to gain the attention of that publisher. 

One way to help get your story in a magazine is by making sure it doesn’t sound like an advertisement. While it is about your brand and your intention is to gain enough attention to make more profit, this isn’t just about brand recognition—it’s about their readers stopping and reading a story about your fashion line. 

How do you do this? Find a noteworthy part of your brand and start creating a story around it. What’s the history of your brand? Did something new and radical inspire you to create your fashion line? Find what’s interesting and start from there. 

Network with magazine editors and other high-level employees

While many people don’t want to admit it, making nice with those who make the most decisions at a magazine can help you get between those pages. It may be daunting, hunting down those editors and creating a relationship with them, but those relationships are lasting and can help you get your foot in the door in countless other publications—and even connect you to other famous fashion names.

One easier way to do this is to not focus all the way to the top. Find someone that you can connect with that may not be your chief editor, but has some pull, and create that relationship. When you’ve already made that connection, it’s so much easier to pitch a story about your fashion line to them—people trust who they already know. 

How can you do this? Look through your target publications and find the names of those who wrote the articles. Make a list of those journalists—and start following them on social media. One way to grab their attention is by engaging with their posts, so start your campaign by liking and subscribing to what they have to say. 

Understand publication schedules and pitch your stories ahead of time

If you’re looking to pitch a story about prom season, you shouldn’t be pitching it in May. Most magazine publications in the fashion world are creating their articles and stories months in advance—think two to five—so you’re going to have to think about that prior to pitching your story. 

How can you make sure your timely story is published in the right edition? Start figuring out dates. Set your schedule for four months prior to when you want your article to go out and start contacting them at that point. It’s even easier if you can leverage your connections to find out the editorial calendar for your chosen publications. If you want to get into a product guide around Christmas, it may be June when you’re making those connections. Note that if you’re off the schedule or pitching things outside of that schedule, you’re more likely to get your article ignored. 

 How to Convince People to Buy Your Clothes

Create the content for your chosen publication

Want to gain the attention of an editor? Write the story you want to be published. Nothing is easier than writing a story that’s already written out—they just need to tweak it for their publication and print. This is also great because you get to control the narrative. Your quotes, information, and entire story should be appropriate and correct by the time you send it in, so their work is nearly done. 

How can you write your own story for a magazine? Create your pitch by focusing on the theme—what are you trying to convey, and how can you convey it? Include quotes from relevant people or employees and make sure it’s written in the same tone and style as your chosen publication. This can also help you get the attention of those editors in the best of ways—they know you’re a good person to work with. Not only can you provide a good story, but you provide it in a way that makes it easy for them to publish it. 

When it comes down to it, your two main items for focus are your pitch and your persistence. Make sure your pitch is personalized and crafted to match the publication of your choosing, but don’t get discouraged. Keep your persistence in the matter and continue to send new, fresh ideas to your publication list. Continue to follow up on your correspondence, and make sure you stay organized so you know exactly who you have contacted and when. What should you do when you’ve made it through and gotten your article published? Make sure you share with everyone—your social media, website, and even personally. The more hype you can generate, the more likely more publications will want to focus on your fashion brand. 

How to Come up With Brand Names for Your Clothing Line

RELATED QUESTIONS

What kind of information should I have ready before I pitch a story to a magazine?

There’s some information that you should have before you pitch, including photography, any sort of fashion examples, and a strong web presence. While not required, you can also write out your pitch to appeal to your chosen publication, making sure to add quotes and additional details where necessary. That website will allow them to learn more about you in the editorial process. 

How do I send a pitch to a fashion magazine?

The best way to contact a fashion magazine with a pitch isn’t through cold calling or generic emails—it’s best when you’ve already made a connection with a writer or employee of the company. Cultivate a relationship before you pitch, and it’ll be much easier to both gain their attention and write that pitch. Avoid being generic, as they will regard it as you sending multiple pitches to multiple magazines. Focus on a few products in your pitch, and keep your details concise. 

To learn more about how to start your own fashion clothing line check out my startup documents here

Please note: This blog post is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Please consult a legal expert to address your specific needs.