PR 101: Your Essential Checklist Before Starting a Beauty PR Campaign
Launching a beauty PR campaign is exciting, but success depends on having the right foundation in place. Before reaching working with a top public relations agency, it is vital to make sure your brand is fully prepared. This checklist outlines the essential steps every beauty brand needs to take before beginning a public relations push.
1. Make Sure Your Products Are Available Online
It may sound obvious, but it is the most important starting point: writers will not feature a brand or product unless it is available for purchase online. If an editor loves your product but cannot link to it, the opportunity will almost always be lost.
2. Connect to an Affiliate Network
Even if your products are available online, editors and publishers often require affiliate support before they feature them in a story. If you sell exclusively on your own website: connect your e-commerce platform to an affiliate network (such as AWIN, Rakuten, or Impact) and layer on an affiliate tool like Skimlinks. If you sell through third-party retailers: retailers like Amazon, Ulta, and Target handle all affiliate needs for you. This is one of the key perks of retail partnerships.
3. Prepare High-Resolution Photography
Strong visuals are non-negotiable for any beauty PR campaign. You need a mix of:
- Lifestyle imagery: your product in use, styled, or shown in context.
- Cutout imagery: crisp, high-resolution 300 dpi JPEGs on a pure white background.
Lifestyle images bring your brand personality to life, while cutouts are often required for online features, print magazines, and retailer listings.
4. Assign a Dedicated Internal PR Contact
Every successful beauty PR campaign needs a clear point of contact between the brand and agency. This internal brand contact should be responsible for facilitating media opportunities and interviews, responding quickly, and keeping communication seamless. The phrase to remember is: the early bird catches the worm. Editors often work on tight deadlines, so a fast and reliable response to your PR agency can mean the difference between being included in a story or missing out.
5. Ensure Proper Timing and Inventory
A successful beauty PR campaign can generate demand quickly. Make sure you have enough inventory ready to fulfill orders, and plan your campaign timing around key moments such as holiday gift guides, seasonal beauty trends, or major shopping events. Shipping times are also important. Media samples need to go out in a timely manner. Otherwise, story mentions can be missed.
Are you a beauty brand in need of expert PR support? We would love to connect and explore how we can help elevate your visibility, build lasting media relationships, and craft a strategy that aligns with your overall brand goals. Whether you are launching a new product or looking to boost ongoing awareness, our dedicated team of seasoned professionals specializes in strategic, results-driven beauty PR.
Have any questions or comments? Please contact us and reach out anytime. We are happy to offer a free consultation to help you find the perfect PR partner for your brand.