I said to myself that I would write this when I felt as if I actually accomplished something as a blogger. I started seriously blogging in May of 2009 and my goal was to get at fashion week(or at least outside) MAJOR FAIL. I was invited to Christian Siriano's show which I believe was a mistake hey I'm not complaining, I read multiple blog posts on how to ask for reviews, request samples and eventually it got really serious.

WHAT HAVE I LEARNED
I have learned that bigger is not always better, yes I would love to be on the press list for Marc Jacobs but I also want to be on a press list that's interactive. I would like for people to actually answer my emails and not send me generic ones.

SO WHAT TO DO?
Go to the brands you love most, wear most, shop at etc. As much as I love Marc Jacobs, I only have about 15 items from him. My closet is made up of F21, h&m, hellz bellz, Zara, t&l amongst others. So I contacted the people I wear most. The response was great and personal. The PR people of my favorite brands actually interacted with me and because of that, I have been invited to so many parties, launches and events. Being on their list put me on dozens of other lists.

I blame my first success on IFB because of their stints and tips I was able to land a successful connection.

THE CONTACT
In my search of how to correctly contact PR agencies, I found myself drafting a generic letter and sending it to all companies. To me this was the wrong approach. I received MORE responses when I said something along the lines of "My name is Rana, I write for the Brooklyn Posh Blog, we love this brand and would also love to be put on the pr list for upcoming promotions and events" Of course more professionally written but you get the drift.

When you write it like that, it doesn't seem as if you're trying to getfree clothes, or asking the PR rep to do something outrageous, you justwant to be in the know.

I personally stray away from telling the PR person how many hits I get a month because I don't want them to deter me based on that. If you don't offer this information they can either 1)ignore the email and delete it or 2)physically go to your blog themselves and determine whether or not the brand they represents seems like a good fit.

Even if you are put on a generic list, reply as if you're not.

DON'T FALL INTO THE MONETIZATION TRAP
There's nothing wrong with making money from your blog. Everyone loves money! Just don't let the image of the affliate or the ad compromise the integrity of your brand.

EXAMPLE:
I read clutch magazine a lot, they have many quality posts and authors. Last week I was on the site and there was a post about African American Women having and loving their natural hair. Directly next to the post was an ad for Indian weave. I kind of felt a way about it so I left a comment basically saying how it was contradictory. The editor commented immediately saying the ads pay the bills. While understandable, in a situation like that, it's definitely a bad look for your brand!

If you plan on monetizing your ad, becoming an affliate, make sure the mission of the brand somehow or some way coincides or overlaps with the mission of yours!

Of course, this is just my personal experience, feel free to add tips and dips to this. No one is perfect and we are all beginners!