Blogger Spotlight: Amber McNaught, Forever Amber

Full-time journalist-turned-blogger Amber McNaught provides a window into what she wears and advice on how to earn money blogging through her blog Forever Amber. In this spotlight Amber McNaught, who features on our latest fashion top ten ranking chats to us about why it is important to her to be honest with her audience, why she is not interested in trends and reveals how she likes to work with PRs. 

How would you describe your personal style? Classic with a retro twist.

Why did you choose to blog about fashion? I actually blog about a few different topics, but clothes have always been a big interest of mine, and photographing my outfits seemed like a natural way to help document my life.

Where do you see your blog in five years’ time? Hopefully still running, and still getting at least a few readers!

Do you think that fashion bloggers have a big impact on their audiences’ buying habits? I couldn’t say, but I do know people often tell me they’re more likely to buy something they’ve seen on a blogger than on model or retail wesbite.

What trends do you think will be big this year? No idea: I don’t follow trends at all!

Who are your favourite designers and brands? I wear mostly high street brands like Zara, Boden and ASOS,  but I do have a weakness for designer shoes (Christian Louboutin) and handbags (Michael Kors, Phillip Lim).

How did you build up a relationship with your audience? By being as open and honest as possible: I think it’s important that readers feel like they’re almost having a conversation with a friend, rather than reading a magazine-style article.

What are the challenges of being a fashion blogger? In my case, the weather! It’s so often cold and dark that getting decent outfit photos is a huge challenge, especially during autumn and winter, when we get very little daylight! It can also be tricky to come up with interesting outfits day after day when you’re working with a limited budget.

Do you feel pressured to stay on top of trends? Not at all: I’ve never been particularly interested in trends, and I don’t think my readers are, either – they’re looking for ideas on how to wear “normal” clothes in their day-to-day lives, not to make a big fashion statement.

What have been your favourite PR and affiliate campaigns that you have worked on? And why? I’ve loved working with Boden this year: they’re a brand I buy from regularly (probably a little too regularly, if truth be told!), so it’s a very natural fit for me, and they’re also very good at understanding how bloggers work, and what kind of collaborations will work best .

What advice would you give to PRs who would like to work with you? Take a look at the blog first, to get a feel for the kind of content I produce, and trust me to know what will work best for my audience: I often receive approaches for brands who I feel are trying to force me to be something I’m not (I.e. they’ll want me to create content based around Fashion Week, or awards shows, say, neither of which I’m interested in!)

Will you be working on any exciting projects this year? I will, but I’m not able to say what they are just yet, unfortunately!