Meet The Press: Q&A with Editor-In-Chief of My “It” Things, Yuli Ziv
On a quest to further explore the concept of PR 2.0 and how people in the industry are reacting to it, I asked Yuli Ziv (someone I consider to be at the forefront of what this is all about) to sit down with me for an interview on the subject. Yuli is a Web 2.0 entrepreneur and an online strategist with an extensive marketing, creative & publishing background. Today, she is also the co-founder and president of online fashion publication and community, My “It” Things – an outlet that defines the evolution we’re starting to see snowball with traditional print media.
AC: What inspired My “it” Things and how/when did you bring it to life?
YZ: MyItThings.com started in 2005 from my idea of simply having a fashion blog, but rather than being a “lonely blogger,” I was more excited about allowing other people to contribute and upload their own content. After a long brainstorming session with my techie friend (who is my biz partner today) the concept evolved into an online fashion magazine, created entirely by people online. We established a company in early 2007 and launched the site in March 2007.
AC: How did you initially spread the word? Are there any defining moments or key milestones in the growth of the site?
YZ: Our marketing strategy relied a lot and still does on creating contests that would attract the fashion crowd online. Our first contest in May 2007 was for the best fashion article, and we managed to get Santino Rice, then fresh Project Runway alum, to judge the best entries. The word had quickly spread in the blogosphere and a few hundreds of entries were submitted within a couple of weeks. Today we have a community of more than 10,000 site contributors and more than 200,000 visitors every month. 2008 marked 400% growth for the site and we hope to keep a similar growth pattern in 2009.
While we do use external PR services to approach industry publications, mostly we’ve been relying on creating successful promotions and using our own network to spread the word.
The major growth milestone was in 2008, when we launched our own online version of “Project Runway” named “It” Designer, and invited aspiring designers to submit portfolios for a chance to have their own runway show in NYC, judged by industry experts and press. The contest, which run for several months, was record breaking both in traffic and press MyItThings received, including the prestigious designers feature in Women’s Wear Daily.
AC: My “it” Things allows users to use all kinds of fun tools like creating a virtual closet – which function is your favorite?
YZ: I like the idea of providing users with all kinds of tools to make expressing ideas easy: from bookmarking favorite products, to making a wish list, uploading a video or showcasing latest sketches – we try to cover any feature our audience would possibly want to use and hope to become a one stop shop for them to share their point of view on style.
AC: So you guys allow users to post their “it” things and post their own columns which might end up as features on the site. Have you discovered any fashion editorial superstars this way?
YZ: Plenty! Our starts could make “Stylista” contestants look like interns. I’m very proud of our Top 50 List, which includes some of the best fashion bloggers, who regularly contribute content, as well as fashion students and stylists who use the site to share their knowledge with the community.
AC: I learned through “Girls in Tech” that it was you who spearheaded the Fashion 2.0 Meet-Up! Tell us about it?
YZ: Fashion 2.0 is a monthly networking gathering of like-minded people who have three things in common: internet, fashion and NYC. Each event we dedicate to exploring a different subject within the fashion industry in relation to web 2.0. This month, the panel discussion will revolve around Fashion PR 2.0, and the way the traditional PR industry is adopting the online space. As the group continues to grow, I’ve realized that the events are bigger than just a social get-together – we are initiating the much-needed conversation between the new online world and the traditional fashion industry one. The new generation of designers, consumers and trendsetters is about to transform this highly hierarchal world and I’m thrilled to be part of a group which leads this change.
AC: So, I’ve been following you on Twitter, and you know that I found one of your recent tweets fascinating: that you had actually been pitched by the NY Times. You know the industry is going through a change when it’s no longer just PR people pitching media outlets, but it’s now also traditional (print) outlets pitching other online outlets such as yourself. What was your response to this pitch? And have you had others like it?
YZ: The interesting part about this pitch was that it was successful – I got an early sneak peek into the NYT new style magazine issue and was excited to share it with my readers. Beyond the obvious flattery, it was encouraging to know that traditional media recognizes the power in independent online publishers – the power to spread the message to the audiences they don’t necessarily have a connection with. It was probably the only case of this kind I’ve seen, but I won’t be surprised if Vogue didn’t start sending sneak previews to selected fashion bloggers. In fact, I think they should.
AC: What is your experience with PR people as Editor-in-Chief of My “it” Things? How many pitches do you get a day and what, in your eyes, makes a successful pitch?
YZ: I get somewhere between 20 to 50 pitches, most of them are just forwarded press kits with a bunch of visuals attached. A successful pitch would include one of the following: 1) piece of news that relates to our site content, 2) curious story behind product/ trend/ label 3) unique angle for MyItThings.com – for example why this product is the latest “It” thing.
AC: What do you love and hate about PR?
YZ: I love the idea that people spend the time to craft interesting stories and help me find the best angle to tell my readers. It makes our work easier, and personal contact allows asking followup questions, requesting more material on the subject and so on. One thing I hate about PR is the tone some of the PR people are using: from too personal to template-like, rarely it sounds just right.
AC: Because of the impact of Web 2.0 on traditional media and PR — where do you see things moving in 2009? Predictions?
YZ:
- Brands will continue to explore and occasionally get burned from the so called “social media” engagements.
- Magazines will (hopefully) start integrating online features into existing publications, rather than simply republishing the content online and attaching a blog to it.
- Fashion designers will finally start taking advantage of the low barrier to entry in the online world and the free self-marketing tools it has to offer.
- People will continue to define style, online and offline.
FASHION RAPID FIRE:
Who’s your favorite designer? Marc Jacobs to watch, Max Azria to shop.
What accessory can you not live without? 12″ HP TouchScreen notebook
Heels or flats? Heels!
What was your “it” thing of 2008? My list of top 10 is here.
Favorite cosmetic? Mac Studio Fix Powder Foundation
Fav discount finds? Black Patent Corcovado Tote, from Hayden-Harnett for $110 instead of $650 during Twitter-exclusive Christmas sale.
Fav outlet or blog to read (besides your own!)? The Cut by NY mag
Fav online store? Net-A-Porte to watch, Nordstrom to shop.
Fav offline store? INA vintage in Soho
Fav Tweeples? Impossible without leaving out anyone, so http://twitter.com/yuliz/friends
PR: Yay or Nay? Yay to PR 2.0!
*Yuli Ziv: Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief of My “It” Things
For more information on Yuli Ziv, you can check out her official website: YuliZiv.com, her business: MyItThings.com, or you can follow her life in Fashion & Web 2.0 via Twitter @YuliZ.
[Alyson Campbell for It's All Very PR]
