Are you wondering what it takes to get on a PR list for makeup? If YES, here are 10 tips on how to get on a PR list for makeup.
As the owner of a beauty blog or booming Instagram page with an active number of followers who steadily interact and like your posts or share them online, you have a good chance of getting in the PR list of makeup companies to get free products to review.
Makeup and beauty companies are renowned for sending free makeup to bloggers or Instagrammers because their followers are actively sourcing products that influencers advertise on their blogs. Influencer marketing is a powerful tool for a brand’s PR and Social Media strategy.
One of the primary responsibilities of a PR manager is to source for influencers with an encouraging community who can connect with their brands. Companies love to develop working relationships with suitable influencers, and if your posts help them sell more products, then it is a win-win for everyone.
Have it in mind that analyzing products and writing blogs on skincare products or reviewing different hair care products on social media can be very expensive and also time-consuming. Seeking to connect with brands for products to review is no big deal and not frowned upon as some people may believe.
However, you have to understand that every brand is different when it comes to who they want to represent their products, irrespective of whether it is on a gifting basis or for a sponsored opportunity.
To be added to a makeup PR list, your content needs to be consistent, enticing and of good quality. Social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram is a heavily image-based platform; bad image quality, lighting, and photography can be the decisive factor that dictates if a brand will reach out to you or not.
10 Tips and Strategies to Help You Get on a PR List for Makeup
Indeed a good number of makeup brands offer influencers and bloggers samples to grow their brand awareness by having them review and advertise products. It simply means you need to give the PR team a cause to consider you. Here are tips and strategies to help you achieve that.
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Build your following
You have to understand that a strong online presence and an active number of followers, as well as high-quality content, is a requirement to get on a makeup company PR List. Although the number of your followers isn’t the most relevant factor, you still have to establish and sustain a personality for your page.
To establish a strong profile, you have to show your specialty and knowledge in your particular niche. Take your time to ask yourself if you want your blog or page to specialize in beauty or lifestyle, or maybe even fashion. Anything you choose or anywhere you feel your expertise lies, focus on it.
Have it in mind that one of the biggest mistakes you can make is to try to cover multiple areas rather than just one. Once you realize the best way to tell your story, you want to begin working to grow your engagement.
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Find brands that interest you and do your research
In this line of business relationship, it is essential to do your research before deciding anything. Research and find other influencers or accounts who tag the brand you are interested in. Take your time or find out what they all have in common.
- Do they have a particular photo style?
- Do they always post about the brand often even when they aren’t posting PR samples?
- How do they convey their story?
- How much engagement do they have?
Note that you need to be aware of this relevant information to enable you to present your account in a similar way. It will indeed make your page more attractive to brands and PR agencies.
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Approach the PR team
Once you feel you have all the resources and incentives required to succeed in this endeavor, try to respectfully reach out to these companies and agencies. Try not to come across as too strong or assume that you are doing the brand a big favor by establishing a connection with them. If anything, it should be the complete opposite. Ensure to let them know what you can do for the brand.
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Produce high-quality content
Everything about PR revolves around quality and class. If, for instance, the pictures you upload on Instagram or Facebook are sloppy or fuzzy, a good number of brands will never consider you.
Although it might seem cruel, but you have to understand that brands have a specific image to uphold, and they are always on the lookout for the ideal candidate to become an extension of them. If you realize that some of your pictures aren’t suitable or do not represent how you want your account to be viewed, you can take time to create a new strategy to improve it.
That of course doesn’t entail that you should immediately go out and purchase the newest technology to take better photos. Equipment can only work as good as your expertise and having the newest or “best” will not guarantee quality.
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Add light filters to your images
Although you are expected to be as honest as possible with your photography, you can still add a gentle filter effect to your images to help the quality and to show the makeup in the way you want. Have it in mind there are numerous online tools out there to add filter effects, including Flashback, a retro image filtering tool.
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Tag the brands you wear or use in the pictures you post
One of the best ways to get a brand’s attention and to exhibit what you are capable of is to tag them in your posts. However, it is imperative to make sure the brand or its product is actually visible in the picture. But if there are other brands in the photo, tag only three or four.
Also, consider interacting with the brand’s social media. For example, engage in their posts or leave comments. This offers more opportunities to be noticed by the brand. Just ensure you don’t become overzealous with too much tagging or comments. You don’t want to be considered irritating or come across as a spam account.
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Make sure your reviews are engaging
Note that if your makeup reviews are engaging, comes with plenty of photos, before and after photos, even videos or Instagram clips, that entails that you’re producing consistent, high-quality content and that you’re advertising the companies’ products in the best possible ways.
Also note that you can stand out by inculcating captions to your products’ photos, polls in your blog posts, and a variety of other multimedia content.
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Become a brand loyalist
It is recommended that you establish some brand loyalty and flaunt it! Note that if a brand realizes that you trust them, they will have an easier time trusting you! You should never try to reach out to a brand saying you have never bought their product but want to try it for free.
Remember to buy the product yourself, understand the brand, choose what you like about it, and then discuss it on your social channel multiple times.
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Always be relevant
You should also strive to remain current on the brands’ products and every other emerging trend in the industry. Note that if you are eager to align well with a brand, don’t post an item from last year’s collection and expect it to be reposted. It is no longer current and may not matter.
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Follow up with a thank-you email
Once you have received your makeup, and have reviewed it, it is quite necessary to send a link of your review or Instagram post to the company and also appreciate them for sending you products to review also. Note that by contacting them again, you’re also enabling a good and reliable working relationship with this company and they may send you products in the future too!
Be respectful and thankful in your email, ensure that the link to your review is clear and quite easy to find, and you’ll be well on your way to developing a working relationship with the company.
Conclusion
Getting on company PR list can be a daunting task, but if you grow your following, do your research, produce quality photos, and reach out, you are on the right track. Receiving your first PR package is a wonderful feeling; however, always remember to tag the brands and PR agency on Insta stories, photos, and captions, etc.