For those who only dream of sitting front row for Marc Jacobs, you might ask – how can I get there? A great way of creating unique and interesting content for your blog is to get out from behind the computer.

Finding Events

The more events you go to the more contacts you’ll make… and the more you’ll be invited to. It’s all about getting out there and looking for them.

Clothes swaps, gallery shows, collection sales and fashion shows organised by your friends and local brands represent potential content for your blog and can lead to contacts that might have access to even more events in future.

Some sources to check are:

• Local newspaper listings – check them regularly for smaller events and find out from organisers if they will be doing similar events down the track
• Flyers in shops – check the windows and counters for flyers, even if the shop isn’t a fashion boutique. You’ll never know what you may find out one day!
• Attend unrelated events – it won’t hurt to attend other events like music gigs and gallery openings as you might just make some contacts that are involved in fashion
• Take your camera with you everywhere – you never know who might run into or where you could be going
• Sign up for website newsletters – if there are places local to you that have newsletters or social media, sign up

Covering Events

Covering events for the first time can be incredibly nerve-wracking, so put your professional head on and talk yourself up. I would even suggest printing some simple but quirky business cards to hand out to people you meet.

Take photos of people wearing super cool outfits so you can blog about your observations – and give your card to them. People love seeing their photo on a fashion blog.

There are some Do’s and Don’ts you should definitely consider:

Don’t…

• Turn up with a hoard of friends – depending on the event you may or may not be able to take a friend or partner. If you feel it’s appropriate to take someone with you, make sure they’re capable of looking after themselves while you work.
• Be late – do your research and plan how you’re going to get to the event in advance. It’s not cool to be late. Put simply, it’s rude.
• Get drunk – at some of these events there will be free booze – a lot of free booze – so stick with orange juice or mineral water until the party is well underway. Being drunk is not professional and you don’t want to wind up with a bad reputation.

Do…

• Introduce yourself – email the organiser in advance or seek them out and introduce yourself on arrival. Remember, this is how you end up getting introduced to other people who might be organising events in future.
• Be prepared – go with a list of questions you might want to ask just in case you find yourself in a corner having a drink with the designer.
• Take the right kit – a camera that takes half decent photos, a note book and a handful of business cards are essential if you’re planning to come up with a decent post afterwards. Invest in an over-the-shoulder bag so your hands will be free to write and take photos.

Writing About Events

Once you’ve been and had a fabulous time and written all those notes, the hard work begins. Here’s how to make the most of it for material for your blog and turn that new material into new readers:

• Keep it timely – when it comes to writing up the event make sure you do it promptly. Leaving it any longer than a couple of days will make you look unprofessional. Remember, blogging is online and anyone can jump on at anytime so you want to make sure your blog is up-to-date.
• Be honest – try to add value to your readers and tell them what you saw, including photos of you at the events so you’re building your brand.
• Stay in touch – email all the people you’ve met with a link to your website. Don’t just shamelessly self-promote, but thank them for such a fantastic event and ask them to keep you up to date with what they’re doing in the future.
• Promote yourself – shamelessly. I know I just told you not to, but this is different. If you’ve written up an event then let attendees and potential attendees know about it. Add a link to your post to the event’s Facebook page and make the most of the opportunity to reach out to new readers in your niche.

Remember, just because an event is fashion-focused doesn’t mean it can’t be interesting fodder. Happy blogging!