You may work from home in your pajamas, but when you are out on the town, you turn heads. For freelance fashion writers, the goal of the game is to provide your clientele with descriptions that wow, and fashion tips that are immediately usable. No matter the format, whether it be educational, informative or promotional in nature, a freelance fashion writer’s ultimate goal is to please the client and engage the audience.
Here are a few tips to make your clients sing praise and shower you with plenty of future work:
Write Sexy, Not Trashy
The biggest tip for writing successfully in the fashion industry is to write in a way that subtly enhances the sexiness of a garment, model or fashion trend. If a reader is reading your article, they obviously care about their bodies and overall look. Therefore, it is vitally important to talk about fashion-related news in a sophisticated manner. Save the “Heidi Klum’s boobs look big in this outfit,” for those Us Weekly or People Magazine type of publications. Your job is to effectively describe Klum’s outfit, and how it enhances the bust area, and/or what accessories can downplay unsightly features.
Fashion is in the Details
The beauty of freelance fashion writers is their ability and freedom to get creative. When you’ve been assigned to a project discussing navy peplum dresses, take a few minutes to educate (if you don’t already know) the best fabrics to wear peplum, what tints and tones (yes, they are different) go with navy, and then do a few minutes research on some latest celebs or models that wore a navy peplum dress that, well, turned heads. You already know it’s about turning heads, that’s what fashion is all about. Similarly, it’s detail that turns heads in the writing world.
Formatting is the Future for Fashionistas
If necklaces and designer bags are the accessories of the fashion world, formatting your piece is the accessory of the writing world. Successful freelance fashion writers know how to put the information they have assembled into an easy-to-scan format. Everybody scans articles these days, so you might as well prepare for it. This means you need to create an eye-catching title, meaningful sub-headers, and please, oh please, keep those paragraphs brief. How brief? Aim for no longer than 150 words. Longer than that and eyes will stray to another blog, site, television show, etc.
Trends are Your Friend
Many industries avoid writing about trends, as it does not promote “evergreen” (content that you can use 10 years from now) content. However, in the fashion industry, trends are your mainstay. It is the changing of fashion seasons that give you a fresh angle. Compare notes with previous seasons or even decades ago fashion, but use what’s current for a fresh approach.
The same rules apply to writing clean, and using your spell-check. As a client of mine always said, “The best writers are the best-rewriters.” Don’t be afraid to let your article sit a day or two before giving it an once-over with fresh eyes. It can make a world of difference.
Alyssa I is a freelance writer available on WriterAccess, a marketplace where clients and expert writers connect for assignments.
