HOW THE HECK DO YOU GET PR MAIL?! || And other things you need to know about Beauty Media || Rivet Licker

Seeing your favourite Beauty Community figures opening packages they seemingly got for free from brands makes a lot of folk wonder why do they get so many freebies? How do they build up to it? Can I do it too?

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Here in this story, I will lay down the nitty gritty of what it means to be Beauty Media, or an "Influencer", and explain the ins and outs of the illustrious PR mail perks.

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The opinions put forward are those of my own from being in the beauty industry as media for about the past 6 years. My experiences as a blogger are different to those of somebody who has a journalism or marketing background working for a publication with large readership. And to iterate, I am merely one person, doing my own thing, on one platform. I'm just grossly oversimplifying what the industry is like.

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Whatever you want to call it...

Influencer
Beauty Guru
Beauty Blogger
Content Creator
Vlogger

There's no set definition of what somebody in beauty media is called (except maybe someone who doesn't do video isn't a vlogger). I am all of the above, to an extent, but in essence, what I do is represent my own content on a publishing platform. This technically considers me as "media". Any person or commercial entity that publicly communicates news, editorials, video content, photography etc, is media.


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I would like to say that I have never done any formal studies in journalism or marketing (I was always told that I'd do well in those fields, but the only formal qualification I have is a Music Business trade certificate I did in 2006), and the same goes for a lot of beauty bloggers on social media, so the industry practices for communications and marketing have changed drastically, allowing a consumer to be the advertiser.

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So what is 'Beauty Media'?

There are so many different forms of communication in the digital age, that we can only be separated by our choice of platform and sometimes, industry experience.

You have your classic journalists and editors from print and digital. These are the OGs, as their work is based around printed press or broadcast (TV/radio/podcasts).


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Blogs are user created content published on a personal website or blogging platform, like what you're reading this on now! This is usually communicated via writing and photography. Vlogs are just video versions of blogs.


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Content creator is a broad term that applies to all these kinds of fields, but primarily focuses on digital multimedia formats. I also fit in to this.


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Some people have these as hobbies on the side, others do this full time (and if lucky, get paid for it). The one thing everybody has in common, is they have an audience (readers, viewers, followers etc).

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I love beauty, so how can I become 'Beauty Media'?

The distinctions between beauty media and beauty enthusiasts who like to post about things are different in the respect of how it is presented. We all start somewhere. I started as doing product reviews on purchases, then started blogging on Instagram and YouTube. I networked, met people, made contacts, and have been listed as media on Beauty Directory for some years. I entered the industry before it got saturated. There are so many bloggers and publishers out there, that it's difficult to keep track of everyone.


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Trying to put brands together with beauty media is a very tricky process. A lot of brands have minimum readership/follower requirements, which leaves us nano/micro level influencers in the dark. It's not only the popularity, it's what kind of content, styling, niche things that the creator can offer brands, so sometimes brands will go for the nano/micro types, because they are usually more authentic and not have built up to a sense of entitlement (fortunately, this only happens to a few people, but it seems to be the consensus among those who grow very quickly, rather than hose who built up a following over time).

A brand also wants a return on investment (more information about how it's done further down), they ask if their connection with a particular media outlet worth it.

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PR List!

I've come across a lot of people in the beauty community who would love nothing more than to review products supplied by brands, and there are rewards based websites such as Beauty Heaven that allow people to try products for free based on community involvement (posting reviews, participating in forums and discussion on the platform). However, I need to gently remind that PR is VERY different to consumer websites like this.

The "PR list" as you know it is more of an international thing (UK/EU and USA/Canada). Getting on one of these lists means somebody will receive product, but it's not the only thing PR exists for, and it's a little different how it is represented in Australia, given how small of a market we actually are.

PR stands for Public Relations. They exist to liaise with media to focus on the public image of a brand or person. A brand will either conduct in house PR (with their marketing team), or hire a third party to handle press releases and media relationships. These relationships can be made by either party, PR or media, contacting each other for information.

PR's job is to market brands and products to media for editorial consideration, concentrating on press releases, product launches, sponsorship opportunities and advertising, and everything to do with the public image of a brand that is handled by media.

Media personnel can reach out to PR for information about a brand, corporate enquiries, interview opportunities, high resolution imagery, and last, but not least, product seeding/sampling (what is commonly known as the PR sample).

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Traditional vs. Influencer Marketing

Traditional [print] media has slowed down in the past 15 or so years, with many publishers moving to the digital realm and many contributors going freelance. This has opened a can of worms for advertisers - is it worth it to advertise in the traditional method, with billboard campaigns, magazine spreads, television commercials, etc; or is it a better investment to find the most famous person possible and just give them the product so they can tell everybody that follows them that they like it?


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There's your answer. Influencer marketing relies more on using somebody with an audience, which is so easy on social media. The return on investment has encouraged many brands to opt for influencer marketing over traditional advertising in print and broadcast, although large brands still can afford to use both. Smaller, boutique brands may personally reach out to media they wish to work with.

A fictional example.

Jo Bloggs (haha, very punny) is a high couture loving, designer trendsetter who creates flatlays and photographs herself wearing light, editorial style designer makeup, and uses high end skincare, but is always open to try new things. An accessible beauty brand available in pharmacies approaches her about their designer inspired range of products that would fit into the aesthetic that Jo creates. She now has the opportunity to appeal to the many in her audience who obviously love the lifestyle, but may not have the means to actually take part, so if Jo takes this offer, those people will then have access (physical, financial etc) to that brand. This is a seemingly win-win scenario, but it upsets a few followers who only follow for the high end brands. Does Jo take the offer?

It's Jo's call on that. If she feels that this opportunity is good for her (to try some new things) and the majority of her audience would also be able to benefit from this kind of collaboration, then she should take the opportunity.

A real example.

I am a cruelty free blogger who has an alternative style. It's a little bit goth, a little bit unicorn, and very focused on pretty packaging, and functionality of a product. I was contacted by the marketing team from a large umbrella group who as a whole were not cruelty free, but one of their brands that met mine and others' cruelty free requirements was. I requested that if they do send product, that it would only be from that particular brand. I started receiving some PR packages from the non-CF brands under that umbrella, and I had all these products that I wouldn't personally use, nor would I promote on my blog/social. What did I do?

I couldn't send them back so I passed them on to family and friends (donations to womens shelters are also commonplace). This brand decided to not listen to me and waste their time and resources on sending out product (not that it's a huge loss given they're worth at least in the billions as a conglomerate, but it just feels like it was in vain). In the end, I was not a good fit for their PR list and have since been removed.

A new thing I have noticed that a lot of brands on Instagram are advertising to get people on their PR lists. This entire process is run like a contest where you tag a friend to enter and such. Sure, it's usually legitimate; they want their products reviewed, but it ends with livening up the hopes of consumers who post reviews, and then only choosing bloggers/influencers anyway. It has its pros and cons, pros being that it offers opportunities to everyday people, but cons, it kind of ramps up expectations from non-media, that they can get products for free.

I really need to stress that PR is NOT FREE. There are obligations involved, and it's not just a case of receiving product for nothing. Not every product makes the cut to be featured or written about, some products are opened and used once, then passed on. Receiving PR samples just offsets the costs involved with having a publication. If I had to purchase every product I featured, I couldn't sustain my blog at all. It was very much like that in the early days, but a large PR sample bag could sustain content quite some time with various ideas and posts centered around each product.

Influencer marketing is also a risk for PR, and larger influencers have very hefty fees involved with promoting a brand/product (in the form of paid partnerships). They may receive product from most brands anyway, but because of the volume of product, only so many can make the cut for a feature, so it has become a business venture, where the brand still ends up paying an advertising fee, but the advertiser is the talent* itself rather than a publication (e.g. a fashion magazine) or broadcaster (e.g. a paid TV segment). Smaller influencers (I still don't like that word) such as myself, will do contra based deals; product for content. This is what PR originally set out to do, however, in recent times, contra deals may not go ahead for whatever reason, so the investment is merely made for editorial consideration - the act of seeding complimentary product for the chance to be featured.

*Talent is used to denote a person or group of people who are the face/voice of a brand.

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Okay, but seriously, how do I get on a PR list?

It's a matter of creating content for an audience. If this sounds like you, it may be high time to get a brand's attention. Social media seems like a great way to get in touch with a brand, but unless they encourage it, it's usually not good media practice.


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There are industry only databases of PR, brand and media contacts. This is primarily how I do my networking, but have also made use of trade shows and other events where beauty brands may be present. I have met many brand representatives in my years as a blogger, and forged relationships based on creativity. I've even made some friends this way, which is even better, because having these people in my life brings me such joy! I am proud and privileged in that respect.

My approach was to introduce myself and my brand of blogging, send my press kit or offer my business card, see whether our relationship could be mutually beneficial, and went from there. I started like everybody else - buying and reviewing products. I did it for so long that my opinion and experiences were sought after, and that was my ultimate goal, to share them with my audience that I grew organically over the years.

Basically, I worked my ass off to get where I am. I think a lot of people who idolize Beauty Gurus and such miss this whole aspect - the brainstorming, production, others behind the scenes, finding your niche and own voice (mine is Cruelty Free Beauty). Hours of not so glamorous work goes into this. This life is not a lap of luxury, especially when there's personal aspects involved - a family, day jobs, illness/medical bills (this one is me!) - it's still a job for many. If people really were rewarded for hard work, there would be no such thing as poverty. The Bougie beauty products I get to play with are a form of hedonism for me in my otherwise mediocre life, and I absolutely appreciate the shit out of it. My mission as a blogger is also to offer my readers a way to decide on whether the product would be suitable for them to purchase and use. I love doing it and having others enjoy it with me, or have them asking for my advice because they value my opinion, that's the takeaway from it, everything else that comes with it is just an extra bonus.

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EXTRA PERKS AND STORIES OF ENTITLEMENT

The PR event is the biggest extra perk of the job. It usually reserved for print and digital beauty editors (journalists), but influencers have also been an integral part of them, particularly for brands that have influencers as their talent. These absolutely unnecessary for me to do my job (except for consumer/trade events that require media coverage) and I am grateful for every event I have ever been invited to and attended, as they are few and far between. In the end, it's like going to a work presentation with food and drink. Yes, we get to take home products and liaise with the brand/s, but the whole point of the event is to entice media to talk about it.

There is one story I need to share, because it left a really big burn behind - I really don't know if it was trolling or just naivety, but I was in this state of shock when I read it. There was this popular beauty brand event where all the big influencers in Australia were invited. Somebody posted in a beauty group complaining that they wanted to go but they weren't invited (N.B. this was not a public event, nor one that you could get tickets to). After I went in and explained the nature of the event, how it is for beauty media, this person went ahead and ignorantly claimed that bloggers/influencers don't work hard to produce content, it's easy to do and takes more or less 2 hours to get a video or blog post done and dusted, and then in the most entitled way possible, said that they should've been invited to the party because they are a loyal customer of the brand.

This was definitely a one off incident, but it hurt to know that this is what people think of the industry. Please know that just because we make it look easy, it really doesn't mean it is, just ask someone who works in the field what happens behind the scenes of a 15 minute video or a dense blog post (hi - I spent about 4 hours writing this thing over 3 days). I do admit that I got a little emotional over it at the time, but it still astounds me that there are people out there who think this.

I just feel that for those of us who do take this work seriously (for whatever reason), we're still mocked because a select few personalities in the field got too big and arrogant. The little guys are still here, and still trying to reflect authenticity, just by doing our jobs. At the end of the day, bloggers, journalists and influencers are people, so it's really appreciated if we are treated as such, no matter if there are bad eggs in the bunch (and those who I've met are good eggs).

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Are you in Beauty Media? What are your thoughts and key points to get across about the industry to your audience and budding beauty enthusiasts? Leave them in the comments below!

Further reading...
10 Misconceptions About Beauty Bloggers, As Told by Rivet Licker (2016)
Rivet's 'AUSSIE AS' Cruelty Free Brand List (2019 onward, my big project, my baby)
Beauty Heaven Member Natural Beauty Month Event (2019, example of a beauty community run event that I covered as a member of Beauty Heaven, but in the way I would lay out a media experience)
Mesoestetic AOX Ferulic & Genesis Device Launch (2017, example of a media event that I covered with my own form of copywriting)

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