Top tips for fashion PRs from Alice Newbold at Vogue

In the hot seat:

Alice Newbold: News Editor at Vogue

Alice’s Focus:

• Alice sets the news agenda for the team by 7:30am each morning
• In the office at 8:30am and the first stories are online by 9:30am
• Her working day is 8:30am – 4:30pm
• Focus is fashion, other areas such as travel can sometimes be appropriate but must be looked at through a “vogue lens”
• The team are constantly looking for inspiration and stories online and from social media
• Meeting PR’s
  • Can’t do breakfast as pitching starts from 7:30am
  • Lunches are perfect – time to be productive and build a relationship
• Press trips – needs to be a strong editorial angle for her to take time out of the office
• Events – the Vogue team have a weekly meeting to decide who will attend events
• Vogue team have to donate to charity (equivalent worth) if gifted an item

Vogue:

• Embargoes are still relevant – most news stories are under embargo. Ideally this should be for a minimum of 1 hour
• Team are super reactive and turn stories around within an hour
• Longer lead times of a week are for profile pieces with interviews
• Celebrity content works really well
  • Vogue don’t usually cover unknown people unless they are an emerging brand. Stories about people are more appropriate for Miss Vogue’s “Girl on a mission”
• Sustainability is a huge focus and will continue to be a big focus for 2020
• Influencers – Vogue don’t directly promote them but they will still work with brands who work with influencers
• The Vogue edit: each week Alice writes about her top picks from the week (books, hotels etc). PRs can pitch to her for this, but anything non-fashion should be pitched with Vogue’s style-edge to it

Top Tips:

• Emails need a strong subject line – Never put “breaking news” and avoid puns. Be original. Use key words in the first few sentences. Keep the email short and concise
• Keep pitches simple and honest – avoid buzzwords, sell the product for what it is
• It’s best to check with the team before sending PR packages to be more sustainable. Packaging should be simple and to the point
• Pitches referencing sustainability need to be well-educated and give more than top line information
• Images – prefers wetransfer to dropbox. Include images in the copy of emails in a slick format or attach them in a pdf. Avoid using word
• Depending on time sensitivity, wait a couple of days before chasing and send an email rather than calling. Will only speak to a PR on the phone if it’s been pre-arranged or is urgent
• Be mindful of the fashion calendar – i.e. don’t pitch on the day of the Oscars, do pitch ahead of fashion month
• Best to pitch to Alice on Mondays and Fridays ahead of the big ideas meeting on a Monday where the weekly agenda is set