All aboard the champagne hot air balloon with Suze the Luxury Columnist

Suze, aka the Luxury Columnist, started blogging having been urged by her friends to start sharing her growing collection of amazing experiences and her love of photography – and now she’s on a mission is to help everyone experience a little luxury in their lives.

Why should people read your blog? What makes it different?  I focus on hidden gems to bring you insider tips and also on unique experiences such as champagne hot air balloon rides and dog sledding. My aim is to help everyone enjoy a little luxury in their lives.

How do you measure the success of your website?  Of course, a growing audience is always a pleasure but most importantly, I measure success by readers telling me that they’ve found my features useful, and brands giving me positive feedback.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to start a blog?  To network with bloggers – there are many events out there, to invest in a good camera if you can, and to find a niche. There are lots of travel blogs for example but if you have a unique take on it, such as adventure travel then you’re more likely to attract readers.

How do you work with marketers and PRs?  I like to find out what their expectations are in terms of content and deadline and to make sure that I can meet these before accepting an assignment. I also make sure to let them know once my feature is live.

How do you use social media to promote/share content? What are the challenges? I find social media an invaluable tool in promoting new content and sharing that of other bloggers. One of the challenges is that tweets, for example, have a very short shelf life so it’s important to promote a new blog post at regular intervals when different people are online.

What can PRs do in working better with you? It comes back to expectations: as long as these are clearly stated then everyone is happy! Talking of social media promotion, if PRs share a post of mine publicizing their client on social media then that’s always helpful. Finally, getting feedback from their clients is so invaluable.

What has been your blogging highlight?  There are so many, but meeting all the creative talents behind the companies and hotels that I have worked with is definitely up there – I’ve met a famous artist, chocolatier and plenty more. You can’t help but be inspired by people who have followed their dream and that includes the many bloggers that I’ve had the pleasure to encounter too.

What will be big in your blogosphere in the coming months? I’m heading to Cannes for the International Luxury Travel Market show in December, where I’ll be meeting many luxury tourism providers, and I’ll be continuing my work as media partner of the Seven Stars Luxury Awards, rewarding the best in hospitality and lifestyle.

What does the Vuelio blog ranking mean for your blog? The Vuelio blog ranking is hugely important, as it recognises the most influential blogs in their category and is great publicity!

Luxury Columnist is currently one of Vuelio’s Top 10 Luxury Travel Blogs.