FASHION WEEK GUIDE TO INVITES
BASICS
If this is your first season attending Fashion Week, there is no secret recipe for getting invites to the shows, it just takes a bit of planning, strategy & follow up. For the most part, brands hire agencies to run their shows, which means you want to get in touch with the agencies so they can divvy out the invites to whichever show they feel you should go to. The agencies will first start with inviting from their current contact roster & A-list attendees they want sitting in their front row. Then, they need to fill the seats from there. Ideally, we’d love for you to be on that A-List but if you're reading this, there is a chance you need our help!
GPS RADAR
Before you do anything, you need to go to https://www.gpsradar.com/ and create an account. This is the platform the CFDA uses to manage invites. You will need this to receive electronic tickets. This is not an option.
IMPORTANT: you MUST sign up with the email address you plan to use for outreach. These emails must match. Otherwise, if a brand sends you an invite with a different email address, you’ll be prompted to create another account or you may have trouble accessing the invite in general. If you already have an account, be sure to make the necessary changes to your contact / account email if you plan on using a different one during the outreach process. Make sure to sign up in advance so your account is ready before outreach begins as it takes a few days to confirm your new account.
Once your account is active, you’ll want to fill in your details. Some agencies will look at this to determine if you’re a good fit for invites. Be sure to download the app, https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/gps-radar-bylaunchmetrics/id461086926?mt=8. You’ll need to present the bar codes from the invites in your app for electronic entry. Do not avoid this. It can cause you to have to stand in line for a paper ticket, which can ultimately cause you to miss the show.
REQUESTING INVITES ON GPS RADAR
There are some shows you can request on your own with the click of a button. Do not miss out on this! This is the easiest way to receive those invites. Once you sign in to GPS Radar, you’ll see a tab at the top that says “EVENTS”. This is where the shows will be listed. Please keep in mind, not all shows are listed here, not all shows will allow you to request an invite and some shows aren’t posted far in advance like others are. You'll need to keep an eye on this daily before and during Fashion Week.
If the show allows you to request an invite, you’ll see a button on the far right hand side of the event info that says, “REQUEST INVITATION” – do yourself a favor and click every single one of those. Once you click this, some will automatically put you in a queue without the need of further actions. Some invites will have a pop-up with a message form that requires a response from you. You are going to add a short, yet informative, introduction and invite request message. (template further down)
I can’t stress the importance of your activity on GPS Radar. If you’ve purchased a service from us, we will help you as much as we can but you’ve got to put in the work on your end to make this a success.
You should be notified by email when you receive an invite but it’s always good to check the app or website to see if you have any RSVP’s that need to be answered.
OUTREACH EMAILS
Emails should be sent about 2 – 3 weeks before Fashion Week or ideally around the same time as the official schedule is released. Organizers have been planning these events for months but contacting too soon can be just as bad as contacting too late so, be sure to keep an eye out on time and what’s going on.
The basic format for an outreach email is simple, to the point and as informative as possible. Organizers don’t care about your life story or how much you love the brand in this particular email, in fact, that’s a great way to get your email deleted.
They need to know the following:
- How valuable your following / audience will be for exposure to their client
- Stats / demographics
- Previous Fashion Week coverage (i.e. blog posts, photos, brand specific style forecasts or other pieces of published content related to Fashion Week or seasonal style projections / reviews that could be relevant)
OUTREACH EMAIL TEMPLATE
Please understand this is a generic template, and each individual has different “sellable” qualities. For example, if someone has 500 followers on Instagram but 10k monthly views on their blog, that should be the focus. You want to emphasize the qualities that are the most appealing.
GREETING: Hey There! (or other greeting you feel is a better fit for your voice)
INTRO: My name is NAME, creator of the blog and brand, (Insert blog URL, name of your brand or most notable social handle) + (a short sentence tagline like, “fashion & lifestyle driven content for mom’s on a budget” – make it very short)
EXAMPLE: My name is Alyssa Melendez, creator of the blog and brand The Haute Brunette – the modern woman’s inspiration to being your own boss & looking good while killing it.
STATS: While I’m located in CITY, STATE / COUNTRY my audience of NUMBER are predominantly GENDER, living in COUNTRY, between the ages of NUMBERS and interested in BLANK content. (you can also just list it or change the sentence to fit your blog traffic if you feel that’s a strong point)
EXAMPLE: While I’m located in New York City, my audience of 67k are predominantly female, living throughout the US, between the ages of 24 – 36 & interested in Fashion content.
I will be in New York for Fashion Week and I’m interested in reporting on any runway shows, presentations or events that you’re involved with.
Please take a look at some of my past work from fashion week:
- URL
- URL
You can reach me at: INSERT EMAIL ADDRESS LISTED ON GPS RADAR
Talk to you soon!
Best (other signature line that you use)
TEMPLATE HIGHLIGHTS
- Always state the following in your email:
- Name
- The shortest amount of words / most effective to describe “who you are”
- Your location
- Your stats
- Brief audience demographics
- What you want from them
- Sample work
- MAKE SURE to send your email using the same exact email address from GPS Radar AND have it physically written in the email.
Please keep in mind, there will be many influencers creating intro emails from the template above in addition to thousand of other influencers reaching out on their own. Be sure your intro fits your voice and use different words or order of information to separate yourself from the other intros.
WHO TO CONTACT
We have 3 suggestions on who to contact:
- Request invites on GPS Radar (explained above)
- You can purchase a contact list (100 +/- agency contacts) from us below
- Modem Online http://www.modemonline.com/fashion/fashion-weeks - under “New York Women’s Fashion Week” there will be a tab that says “press” when the contacts have been released. Send an email to all of them. (if you purchase our list, we’re happy to send you a comparison so you don’t email the same person twice)
THB CONTACT LIST
You can purchase the Fashion Week Outreach service or an updated contact list below. After your purchase, you’ll be sent an additional detailed guide on next steps and what to expect.
ONE LAST THOUGHT
Each agency represents numerous clients; this can change daily and / or they might feel you’re a good fit for a particular brand over another. So, in some cases your intro email may be generally expressing interest in a product or show that you’re not interested in after all. If you feel the offer / invite being extended isn’t a good fit for you, please thank them for their time and politely decline or simply decline the RSVP when applicable.
Good luck and see you at Fashion Week!
x Alyssa & THB Team