Whether you’re a seasoned beauty journalist, a fresh content creator, or simply a curious beauty girl, chances are you’ve attended a PR event and wondered: Am I doing this right? The beauty world has shifted dramatically—the rise of digital and social platforms, the move from editorial teams to do-it-all creators and influencers, plus a global pandemic that reshaped the way we connect. And with this evolving landscape come new rules of engagement and etiquette.
I’ve worked in PR for over a decade, managing events and guest lists, and I’ve witnessed these changes firsthand. Thankfully, most folks within the beauty community are lovely, but as the pool of writers, editors, influencers, and content creators expands, it’s worth revisiting what’s polite, what’s pushy, and what’s plainly off-limits—so you never end up blacklisted.
Before We Start: Understanding PR (and Media) Events
Media events trace their roots to traditional press conferences, where organizations provide statements and hold interviews with invited journalists. These are common in government, sports, and entertainment, where members of the press gather to ask questions to key stakeholders and use the information for their news reports.
In beauty, these press conferences have evolved into more experiential PR events. As beauty brands seek to stand out from others, they craft and design showcases that allow select media to discover and try the products, so that they can write about and review them in their publications or platforms. Instead of just relying on press information, these moments also allow the media to cover them in real-time for social media. Think: photo and video corners, aesthetic details and décor, and generous goodie bags begging to be unboxed on camera.
The primary objective of these events is to garner coverage while also enhancing their brand reputation and nurturing relationships with the invitees. Of course, the bigger, bolder, and more unique the event, the better chance of the brand getting remembered and written about. While most PR events spotlight new launches, they can also celebrate campaigns, anniversaries, or other milestones.
The Unspoken Expectations
Despite the many changes in the industry, the foundation of PR continues to be the mutual respect and understanding between us (the brands and PR agencies) and our partner journalists, influencers, and content creators. The role of PR events is to secure organic media coverage; this means that there is a social contract that we don’t provide compensation to attendees for their attendance and stories, and at the same time, we know cannot control nor demand the coverage and stories that come out.
From our end, PR practitioners will always try to foresee and fulfill your needs in terms of storytelling and content creation by providing strong story angles, exclusive access or even first dibs, great photo and video opportunities, and, when it comes to events, unique, insightful, and informative experiences that will be useful and helpful for your reports and reviews. In turn, we hope for the media’s or content creators’ consideration when it comes to features and coverage, as well as a positive and professional working relationship that we can keep and continue to nurture.
That relationship, of course, is based on trust and fair treatment, which starts with following the modern set of “rules” when it comes to attending events. These, of course, aren’t hard rules, but more of standards based on delicadeza, the Filipino cultural value that refers to kindness, sensitivity, and tact in one’s actions and decisions based on propriety, moral integrity, and refinement of behavior. While we’ve highlighted these with beauty events in mind, these actually apply to most media events as well.
The (New) Rules
Whether you’re a first-time guest or a regular event attendee, here are some unspoken rules to keep in mind to make sure you’re remembered for the right reasons.
On Handling Invitations
- RSVP as soon as you can. We always try to send invitations ahead of time, so a timely RSVP indicates that you are interested and that you value our invitation and event. If you need time to confirm, it’s a nice practice to respond to say that you’ll check your schedule or check with your editor, so we know you’re considering us, but then please do get back to us right away, hopefully before the deadline we set in our invitation. Since we plan details based on the final guest list, late or last-minute confirmations give us little time to avoid mistakes and ensure a smoother experience for you and everyone else. Declining late also prevents us from offering the spot to another media guest.
- The invitation is meant for you or someone from your media outlet. We carefully curate guest lists, so it’s important that those invited are the ones present. If you can’t attend, we’re happy to welcome a colleague from your team (just let us know in advance). It’s also acceptable to request to bring a photographer or videographer if you need them to capture content—for example, if you need to be in the shot during interviews—as long as they are part of your team. Please don’t use this as an excuse to bring friends and call them your “photographers.”
- Avoid asking to bring plus ones—unless stated. While we do understand and can make arrangements for any emergencies, the experience is designed for media and content creators that we’ve put on our list. A plus one removes the opportunity from another journalist or content creator to experience the brand, and removes a chance for us to get the coverage we were targeting. I’ve unfortunately seen people invite a handful of friends just because “they work near the area,” and make the event like their personal treat to them.
- If you suddenly can’t make it, just let us know. We understand that plans can change and emergencies happen, but the best thing to do is to let us know right away. Even if it’s an hour before the event, please do send us a message. It would be helpful if you already have someone from your team who can take your place when you decline!
Honesty also helps—it’s okay if your editor assigned you to go to another event, or if you get sick. However, we hope you can avoid “joy RSVPing” only to drop our event for another. Don’t forget we also look at social media, so we can actually find out if you chose to go to another event instead of “not feeling well.” - Don’t feel bad if you’re not invited. You’ve surely seen brands hold events without you there and felt the sting of FOMO, but please don’t take it personally! As much as we’d always like to invite as many people, we always have to work within constraints like budget, time, and space, so depending on the specific objective and nature of the launch, product, or service, brand and PR agencies will have to prioritize who we can invite for this specific event. But there are several opportunities to work with us beyond single events, and if we keep a good relationship with each other, we can definitely tap you for other things.
On Event Etiquette
- Participate and follow the program. As mentioned, there is a specific experience designed for you, so we appreciate it if you can listen and follow. Some people go to events just to interact with their fellow media and content creators, and shoot their own content unrelated to the brand’s. During events, we definitely always note who seems interested and invested about the brand and learning more about it, and those who are just there to use the environment for their own gain.
- Feel free to capture your own photos, but please don’t turn it into a full-on shoot. While we love to see you capturing shots and clips from the event, please avoid disrupting the program or dismantling areas within the venue to shoot swatches or capture product shots in your own way.
- Ask the brands and PR if you need quotes or interviews. If you have additional questions or would like soundbites for video content, this is a great time and opportunity to do so. Don’t wait until the event is over! We can help by selecting the correct spokesperson who can speak expertly about your concern or inquiry, and even finding you a quiet area. We can also ensure that you don’t miss your chance, because sometimes certain brand spokespeople only have a limited amount of time for interviews.
- Be mindful of embargoes and timelines. Being first to post and report is important, and generally, when we invite you to events, everything that is said there can be shared and posted for the public. Before you post, please ensure that you can post immediately and in real time, especially on social media.
An embargo simply means a temporary hold on publishing certain information until a set date or time. Some events unveil products before they’re available, giving media time to create content and publish once the brand is ready. It’s our duty to inform you if there are strict embargoes, and we’ll always let you know ahead of time. If these are communicated, please follow them strictly—there may even be legal implications if the rules are broken. Otherwise, feel free to post! - If you need to leave early or come late, please inform us. Sometimes there are scheduling conflicts, and usually we don’t mind if you are coming late to or leaving early from an event, but the rule of thumb is you should be present for the program’s highlight and get the key takeaway we designed. It will come off rude if, for example, you attend a lunch event and eat the meal, but leave before the brand can share their news.
We appreciate your effort to be there, but if you think you might miss the highlight, don’t hesitate to reach out. We can let you know whether the time you’re available will be enough, help manage your visit, or even provide information after the event if that’s easier than attending in person. - Stick to the meals and treatments offered. Unless you have very strict dietary restrictions (and no, preferences are not dietary restrictions), don’t order items off-menu. If you have restrictions, let us know ahead of time so we can prepare. This is the same for any beauty or personal care treatments offered during the event; the timings of these treatments are usually taken into consideration. I’ve witnessed a certain guest ask for an in-depth body treatment that was outside of the list offered to the media, and that longer treatment delayed the whole trip, as the rest of the media had to wait for her to be finished.
- Don’t ask for extra giveaways. Giveaways usually contain samples of the products so you can try them, but these are also tokens of appreciation for you for attending and participating in the event. From time to time, we’ve had guests request extras for family, friends, or even for giveaways to their readers or followers. Please do enjoy the giveaway as we’ve prepared that for you. If you’d like products for other purposes, you can reach out to us directly, explain the story or angle you want, and ask for specific SKUs you need.
- You can inquire if there are any transport or parking reimbursements. Especially for venues that are a bit farther than normal, we try our best to provide reimbursements or options for parking and transportation. This doesn’t apply all the time, but we can make an exception, especially if the venue is out of the way or a bit farther than your usual commute. It’s definitely okay to reach out and ask, and we will help you as much as we are able to. However, please keep your requests within reason. Unfortunately, some media or content creators have become notorious for asking beyond what they need, from accommodations (even if the event is within their hometown and not a late or extremely early one) or their personal shopping. There was a time we took some media on a road trip for a brand, and during a pit stop for coffee, one of them tried to get us to pay for coffee beans for his household back in Manila.
- Take this time to get to know the people behind the brands and PR. This is also our time to get to know each other more, and we try to take note of your interests, concerns, and proclivities so that we can keep you in mind for certain stories and opportunities. We love hearing your feedback also about the products and services, and of course, we also notice who are interested, engaged, and appreciative of the brands and the people behind them, and we are more likely to keep working with and inviting those media.
After the Event
- Write and post if you can. We always look forward to posts and stories about the event and the brands. As mentioned, we understand that your attendance is not a guarantee that you will publish anything. However, as someone who’s been both in media and PR, I can tell you that creating a timely story or a post remains a professional and respectful acknowledgement of the event, and this is always appreciated and remembered by the brands. It doesn’t need to be a glowing review, but from our end, we always take note of the coverage and feedback of the attendees of our events, and consider their impact when reviewing our endeavors or planning for future ones. We also appreciate media and content creators who are regularly updating themselves and their audiences about beauty news, especially events and launches, and if we see you regularly writing and posting, we understand that you have a fuller perspective that we may learn from as well.
If, however, you find yourself unable to post, we also encourage you to politely and privately share with us why. This helps manage our expectations, but also teaches us how to improve or adjust in the future. Ironically, this also sometimes helps us improve our working relationship with you, as trust is built and nurtured with constructive honesty and openness we can have with each other. - It’s okay not to like the product or event. You don’t have to create fabrications when you write about the brand if you were not impressed. In fact, honesty is always helpful for us and the brands. Your POV and expertise is part of the reason why you are invited, and we appreciate this feedback. That said, while constructive criticism is always welcome, we hope you avoid unnecessary or baseless insults meant for revenge or rage bait. And if you do have any issues or concerns, it’s always best to come directly to us—we’re happy to listen.
- Tag and credit the brands when you can. It’s absolutely not a requirement, but tagging the brands and PR ensures that all parties get to see your content also and is always appreciated.
- Some brands and PR may follow up coverage, but please understand that they are not pressuring you or forcing you to publish. As coverage is our goal and our KPI for success, we just need an understanding of what stories we can expect, and we hope you don’t mind us making a gentle inquisition. If you get brands or PR who follow up, you can be honest with them and reply if you’re still working on it or if you’re not running it any time soon. Once again, you don’t need to promise them a date, but a general idea will help greatly.
At the end of the day, a good general rule is: If you are unsure, please don’t hesitate to ask. Once again, we appreciate media and content creators who are willing to work and learn together to treat each other with mutual respect and kindness—things that a beauty community cannot be beautiful without.
Monique Buensalido is VP of Business Development and Operations at Buensalido PR & Communications. With over 15 years of experience, she has led numerous campaigns and events for some of the country’s top beauty, lifestyle, and corporate brands, offering a unique insider’s perspective on how PR, media, and creators can work together seamlessly.
