And the best award season emails go to…
Whether their relevance remains or not (The Hollywood Reporter says the latter), the big film awards have mostly returned with in-person red carpets this year. And so, for us beady-eyed beauty and fashion editors, excitement around them endures. |
During Sunday’s BAFTAs and Critics’ Choice Awards (whose idea was it to hold them on the same day?), we were once again engrossed in the glamour and glory-gown analysis to unlock hidden meanings and determine which will set trends. Having covered award season looks for several years, I’ve found fruitful ways of working alongside PRs on the coverage which I thought worth sharing ahead of the Oscars later this month: – Receiving a heads-up on who your client is working with is invaluable for ‘getting ready with…’ type stories, which will generally be agreed in advance. ‘Get the look’ features might be decided off the back off a red carpet appearance, but early info is still ideal if your client is sponsoring a look.
– For a standalone story, the formula we hope for is usually this: Insights from an exciting stylist/make-up artist/hairdresser working with a rising starlet or industry veteran, plus some glorious insider imagery. Preferably all on an exclusive basis.
– If the insights are centred on make-up, yet you know who did the talent’s hair (or vice versa), sharing this detail is much appreciated. In fact, any added intel will result in brownie points.
– For all sartorial awards-based content – whether in-depth articles or roundups of the standout looks – it helps to have credits complete with product shade names and retail links. When the products used aren’t available to shop, details of alternatives can prove mutually beneficial. (Maximising e-commerce potential is always a consideration of ours – and surely of interest to your clients’.)
– Original imagery is great if a) the quality is high, b) a photographer credit is provided, even if they came from an iPhone, c) they’re not the exact same pictures shared on the artist/talent’s Instagram page – which we can embed anyway, and d) they arrive in a timely manner (not the following lunchtime).
– Providing clear direction on any obligatory inclusions, such as end credits, usually avoids any missed mentions – which can happen when we’re racing to get content live.
So yeah, not much to ask then… |
What Bridget thinks…
“Here’s a great award season ‘get the look’. It has the winning formula of a beautiful ‘do on a rising star by one of the industry’s hottest hairstylists. There’s product links and imagery, Insta Story screenshots, and a detailed step-by-step. Plus it was sent pre-10am – which helps.”