How Micro-Influencers Can Kill It During Fashion Week

new york fashion week*The only show I attended this year was to support my good friend Gina and her line Trade by Gina La Morte – a socially conscious brand that helps prevent human trafficking and abuse.

To be completely honest New York Fashion Week stresses me the F out. There is so much pressure from a blogger standpoint to be at the forefront of all the shows, dressed to the nines, going to all the events, and networking the crap out of yourself, all while documenting the whole experience via social media.

Micro-influencers have it even tougher because they just want to fit in. They want to be with the cool kids so they try to convince PR companies and brands that they’re worthy of a golden ticket.

And that’s where you’ll fail.

Stop trying to be like the rest of them. Why do we want a backseat perspective on fashion week when we can get the real deal PLUS all the behind-the-scenes action from macro-influencers like We Wore What and Peace Love Shea?

So the older I get the more I realize it’s not worth the angst. Will I go to shows? Sure, but I’m not killing myself over it nor am I going crazy over the fact so and so got invited to this event and I didn’t. To me, Fashion Week is about the fashion and supporting the designers who worked their entire lives for the moment their models walk down that runway. Whether it’s their first or fifty-first time being at NYFW, this is the brand’s moment (not ours) and it’s important to acknowledge that.

Now that we’ve cleared that up, let’s talk about how micro-influencers can kill it during fashion week…

being the first to see emerging designers

karlie kloss*I stumbled upon Karlie Kloss in SOHO during NYFW opening for Baja East.  

As you can probably guess, YSL and Zimmermann aren’t knocking on micro-influencers’ doors begging them to attend their shows. But there are plenty of designers who would love to have you at their shows and it would be a big missed opportunity on your part if you didn’t take advantage. This doesn’t mean you should go to every single show, but you should go to the shows that make sense for your brand.

And when you find brands makes sense for your brand, you’ll be adding value to your followers’ lives because the brand will most likely be something they’d be interested in too. Plus sharing emerging brands’ shows gives your followers something different from the shows they see from pro bloggers.

The difference between micro-influencers going to a YSL versus an emerging brand’s show is exposure and collab potential. A lot of the people who attend the larger brand shows are super well connected, which is great, but they’re also so well connected that it’s hard to become connected to them. Meaning, they have their go-to bloggers for collabs, they have their circle of friends and as a micro-influencer, it could be hard to convince them why you’re a good fit for the brand or how you can benefit them.

It’s like being the new kid in school trying to become BFFs with the most popular girls who have all been friends for 10 years. It doesn’t happen overnight and your chances are slim.

But when you attend an emerging brand’s show, you’re all new kids which is the common denominator. They’re new designers, you’re a new/smaller blogger, it just makes more sense.

The emerging brand is more likely to focus on you because you have that niche, tight-knit community they’re trying to reach. You’re more likely to be photographed, more likely to be taken seriously, and more likely to make authentic connections that will actually go places versus throwing your business card at people you don’t have anything in common with.

When you’re surrounded by people and brands who are in the same boat as you, it makes collaborating easier and more effective: you’re able to grow together. And growth is ultimately what every blogger wants.

getting “tagged” at events

Most of the events you’ll get invited to as a micro-influencer will consist of other micro-influencers which is great news for you because there will be a LOT of Instastorying and Snapchatting. It’s rare that big bloggers will tag you on IGstories or Snapchat because they have tons of people coming up to them constantly and to Instastory every encounter would be a lot, plus it might not be at the top of their priority list, but it should be. (Lauryn from The Skinny Confidential does an excellent job at consistently acknowledging her readers which in turn helps grow her brand.) However, if you go to an event full of micro-influencers they are so Snap happy they won’t hesitate to document their experience and tag you in pics/videos.

When you’re tagged on anything on social media (especially Instastories) it’s exposure and the more exposure you can get, the better. You have the potential to capture other bloggers’ audiences which is how you grow. When people don’t know you exist it’s impossible to gain new followers and engagement.

So the best, best, best way to get people to know you exist is by forcing them to see you through someone else’s profile. And the easiest most authentic way isn’t #followfriday, it’s in person at events. At smaller events, you’re a big fish in a small pond versus major events when you’re a small fish in a big pond. Make sense?

relating more to your audience

Micro-influencers are probably the most relatable because well, they’re micro. They’re still at an attainable level for aspiring bloggers and fashionistas. Their followers can shop their fashion week looks without breaking the bank and their content is more… real. Of course, that’s not to say pro bloggers are completely unrelatable because that’s not the case but micro-influencers have a competitive advantage when it comes to being relatable. They’re not quite at that celebrity status so it’s easier for their followers to put themselves in their shoes (aka they’re not being flown on private jets with Jonathan Cheban to Paris Fashion Week).

Not to mention micro-influencers can still respond to every comment and DM without it taking all day. Bloggers like Something Navy, who have millions of followers, wouldn’t be able to get off Instagram if they responded to every single comment every day. However, as a micro-influencer you can and by doing so you form a deep bond with your followers.

So when those Fashion Week questions come rolling in, guess who will be the first to answer? That’s right, you baby!

What’s your take on bloggers during fashion week? Tell me in the comments below!

xx

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10 Comments

  • Reply
    Jerrieal lumar
    10/03/2017 at 9:00 pm

    I love this post! As a micro blogger myself I definitely want to attend fashion week but it can get quite intimidating with all the macro bloggers out there! Thanks for a good read. 🙂

    • Reply
      Brittany
      10/04/2017 at 1:16 pm

      Totally! You’re not alone in feeling like that Jerrieal. Thank you so much for reading. Please stay in touch! xx

  • Reply
    Sheree
    10/04/2017 at 3:25 am

    What a great post Brittnay! I have yet to attend a single FW, but I feel the same way already. It is so much work and anxiety to attend and trying to compete with pro-bloggers who has a team to help them with cranking out real-time contents. Not to mention it cost a friggin arm and leg.

    xo Sheree
    PoshClassyMom.com

    • Reply
      Brittany
      10/04/2017 at 1:34 pm

      Yes Sheree! Typically these bloggers (even micro-bloggers) attend shows/events for free but that’s with a ton of hustle behind it – reaching out to PR companies, reaching out to brands, being well connected in the industry, etc. Thanks so much for reading and please let me know if you ever have any questions! xx

  • Reply
    Rachel
    10/04/2017 at 2:12 pm

    I could not agree with you more! I’ve been going to shows for years everywhere between Budapest, Paris, London, Nashville, Berlin and more. I always ended up at these shows and events through friends and family who work in fashion and my work connections being a stylist when I lived in Germany. I never actively sought to attend anything, and half the time I got invited at the last second. It’s about enjoying the experience and being in the moment. If someone is at fashion week just so they can post about it on their blog, and they just want everyone to know they were there, they’ve missed the point of fashion week! it’s like going to the Louvre and taking a selfie in front of the Mona Lisa JUST so you can post it to the ‘gram! #notthepoint!
    Rachel recently posted…National Consignment Day with The Real Real #NeverThrowAwayMy Profile

    • Reply
      Brittany
      10/10/2017 at 10:35 am

      Well said Rach! I totally agree! And lucky you. That’s amazing you’ve been to so many fashion weeks! Thanks so much for reading and please stay in touch. xx

  • Reply
    diana
    10/06/2017 at 11:07 am

    I agree that micro bloggers have more freedom and have a level of honesty to their content because they are not sponsored by brands to attend. x
    http://sweatshirtsanddresses.com/three-ss18-trends-i-cant-wait-wear/

    • Reply
      Brittany
      10/10/2017 at 10:37 am

      Yes! I do think there is honesty in macro-bloggers attending fashion week but I’d love a different perspective on shows I haven’t seen 50 times via other bloggers’ Instastories! Thanks for your comment love. You are KILLING it. xx

  • Reply
    Helen Phillips
    07/21/2018 at 9:54 am

    Hi Brittany!

    Thanks for writing this! Not that it needs to be said, but WOW this was so helpful! I always trust you to tell it like it is. Thanks again!

    Best,
    Helen Phillips
    Style Inherited

    • Reply
      Brittany
      10/04/2018 at 10:42 am

      Thank you so much Helen, that’s the sweetest thing I’ve read all day. Keep killing it and let me know if you ever need anything! xx

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