Archive for: Media Database

LifeStyleLinked is the fashion, travel, food, beauty and lifestyle blog that author Becky Bowden started 16 years ago. With everything from product reviews and tasting notes to car-buying advice and interiors tips, LifeStyleLinked is a one-stop-shop for lifestyle content. Becky spoke to us about Christmas, planning content, getting creative with brands and the joy of homecooking.

Why did you start your blog?
I started my blog when my (now 16-year-old) daughter was born. My Dad actually suggested it and even paid for my very first theme and registered the domain name. I have always loved writing and it felt like a great way to share my thoughts and meet other likeminded people online. I knew nothing about the ability to earn from a blog at that stage or how to work with brands and PRs so it really always has been a labour of love!

How has your blog changed over time?
I think as with all bloggers mine has gone through a number of different changes. I found that I wanted to cover many more topics than I initially planned and as the years went by there were so many amazing WordPress themes available that it made designing the blog itself so much easier and effective to navigate.

How do you plan content around such a broad topic base?
I spend a lot of time researching the different trends in all areas that LifeStyleLinked covers. I’ve been lucky enough to build up some amazing contacts with brands and PRs over the years and I do find that it really helps to be on their radar when it comes to new launches and news. These will very often spark an idea for a feature series or a product review that I think my readers would like. I also keep a pretty tight editorial calendar on my PC and a huge notebook of ideas, schedules and daily to-do lists. I’m a bit of a workaholic deep down but I think that comes when you are really passionate about your industry!

What’s your favourite restaurant?
I’m a bit of a home-bird so I love to cook or order in and curl up with the family. If we go for day trips I love finding sweet little country pubs with a cosy vibe. Or just point me in the direction of anywhere that sells amazing pizza and pasta and I’m happy!

How important is Christmas to your blog?
Christmas is such an exciting time of the year for me. I absolutely love planning our yearly gift guides and readers really seem to enjoy those along with all of the festive features. I think there’s such scope at this time of the year to really get creative with your content and write everything from personal blogs about how you celebrate, to image-driven features and gift guides with inspiration and shoppable links.

How do your social channels feed into your blog? Which one is the most important?
I think social obviously still plays a big part in how we promote content and it is great for keeping that line of communication open with everyone. I know Instagram has its ups and downs but I do think it’s still my favourite social platform. I love how interactive the ‘stories’ aspect of Instagram allow me to be and although I don’t shoot the beautifully edited ‘selfie’ type shots that seem to get the big hits on Instagram these days, I do still love giving sneak peeks of products and features that are going out and putting my own spin on things.

What’s going to be the big topic for you in 2019?
Home decor, for sure! We have just bought our first family home here in Somerset and we’re really excited about renovating it. I’m a huge fan of home decor blogs myself so I’m really excited to create blog content around any work that we do to the house over the next few years as well as how we eventually style it. It is such a beautiful Victorian house that there’s going to be some real scope to get creative.

What one thing should PRs and brands know about you?
That I’m always open to new and exciting ways to create content online. I really want to push boundaries with blog content going forward and think that online editorial and exciting copy is still such a solid way to share our passions.

What are the best collaborations you’ve worked on?
I absolutely loved working with Thatchers cider in the summer. Not just because I got to sample a lot of cider-based drinks (honest!) but because they let me be so creative with the campaign. I came up with a summer cocktail using Thatchers and the brand loved my finished drink so much that they ended up taking it one step further and commissioning it for their official website! I really enjoyed styling and shooting the imagery for this one too.

Tesco Jersey Royals was an amazing campaign to work on and once again really allowed me to get creative. I was cooking, shooting and styling content to show some delicious ways to use the potatoes in your summer meals.

I also love beauty and fragrance collaborations. One recent campaign that was really fun to work on was with Nivea. I was challenged to shoot and style an Instagram post for a shower gel release and I really enjoyed using Instagram stories alongside this to explain a bit about why I chose a specific family photo alongside this and what the inspiration behind the finished image really was.

Essentially, I just really love when brands communicate to you the basic elements of what they want from the campaign but allow you that creativity to really put your own spin on the finished coverage.

What other blogs do you read?
I read a lot of renovation blogs at the moment for obvious reasons and I’m loving seeing what other people have done to their homes. I’ll also always have a love of beauty blogs and lifestyle blogs as there’s always something exciting to read about in these topics!

Marcel Le Corgi is the adorable Pembroke Welsh Corgi living his best life in London. A leading pet blog, Marcel Le Corgi is a social media star, therapy dog and the co-founder of the UK Corgi Club. A travel, food and fashion addict, Marcel has worked with leading brands and is often the go-to authority on all things Corgi in the UK.

We caught up with Marcel’s maman, Aurélie Four (who helps with the typing!), and she told us about the joys of being a pet blogger, working with Marcel and his needs, and the amazing campaigns they’ve worked on (and the types they want to work on in future!).

How has your blog changed from when you first started?
‘Le blog’ has not changed so much since I started it last year… I am focusing more on travel and lifestyle now because these are close to our heart and what we’re best known for. I am planning on relaunching it with a new design in the next few weeks, and focus more on my photography (of Marcel, I have my own website www.photobya4.com for the rest). With 2018 having been such a busy year, I’ve focused on social media and my own business more, but being once again named in the Top 10 UK Pet Blogs and being named a finalist at the Vuelio Blog Awards has motivated me to go back to writing and posting more.

What’s the best thing about being a pet blogger?
Getting to do the things we love the most! Spending time with Marcel, travelling and eating good food. I love how it’s improved my photography and writing. We get to connect with some very inspiring people (and pups) too, some have become very good friends and we support each other in our blogging and social media journey. I also love to be able to share and return that love – by using our ‘voice’ to promote causes that are dear to us (and help charities, pet charities especially) but also, and most importantly, making others smile and happy. Two of our personal highs this year were helping a fan propose in July and Marcel being invited as the ring bearer and fluffy guest of honour at the wedding of two fans (we’d helped them propose too) in Tuscany this September.

How conscious are you of Marcel’s personality as opposed to your own when writing?
I write ‘le blog’ as Marcel, so showing his bubbly personality when writing is my main focus, the same as for his social media. He is fun, extremely clever, charming, liked by everyone (and loving everyone back!), enjoys his food very much and to be with us, so becoming a ‘food and travel critic’ was an obvious progression! Our adventure on @lecorgi has always been about him and focused around him and I intend for this to continue.

What’s better (and WHY) cats or dogs?
Do you mean ‘who’ is better? ;) They all are the best! I have a preference for dogs, obviously, but Marcel loves all living beings equally, including cats (they just rarely return the favour).

Do you dress up your pets for Halloween?
Halloween and other occasions, but it’s rarely for more than a few minutes/a few photos and only because he does not mind. We knew that our first few weeks with him were primordial to making sure he had as many experiences as possible and always make sure everything we do with him is a positive experience – from travelling and dressing up to going to the vets or photoshoots. I avoid getting him into situations where he will be uncomfortable and if he shows signs of not being happy, even in the middle of filming, then we adapt, take a break or stop if needed. He is and always will be going first and while everything we’ve been doing during this adventure has been amazing, I insist on him being what we decided to take him for – a dog, a family member and a companion.

Did you have a pet growing up?
Absolutely! I grew up with dogs – a spaniel and then a poodle cross. I also had a fish at Uni. I always knew I wanted a dog of my own but waited until it was the right time and I knew I would be able to give them the care they deserve.

What’s the best top tip you have for pet owners?
Keep every experience as pawsitive as you can and do not force your pets to do anything they don’t want to – this will only damage your bond. Staying positive for Marcel helped me in my own life too! You know your companion more than anyone else and they count on you to be their voice when needed, remember that you chose to have them not the other way around, and you have a duty to make sure they are well cared for and trained (training also helps with the human-animal bound).

One thing that I see a lot with corgis is people thinking them being overweight is cute but it is not. Overfeeding an animal is not loving them, it is reducing their life expectancy. Ah, last one… no amount of ‘likes’ or ‘shares’ is worth endangering your companion’s safety or wellbeing!

How do you work with PRs and brands?
I only work with brands and PRs that have ethos similar to ours. Paid or not, I would not accept to recommend or feature a product or experience that we did not enjoy or that I would not be comfortable using for Marcel and/or myself. I love to communicate, discuss ideas, being allowed to be creative and for my work to be respected and valued. I also love to think and go outside the box and get to work with ‘human’ and lifestyle brands. No one knows our audience better than me and I like to work with PRs and brands that take this into account.

What are the best collaborations you’ve worked on?
They’ve all been amazing, so I’ll only select a few that I know we’ll all enjoy. I have wanted to visit the Isles of Scilly for years, and to get Marcel to fly (but not in the haul) so when we got to do both for our wedding anniversary this summer (we had to postpone plans for a big tropical trip after both our car and boiler had to be replaced within weeks) in collaboration with the local tourism board, this was extra EXTRA special! And it turns out there is no need to leave the UK to get that tropical feel!

2018 has been quite the year with many travel opportunities (including to our beloved Scotland, twice, to shoot a festive campaign on board the Royal Britannia Yacht and on a ski press trip – and also filming in France with Eurotunnel Le Shuttle); our first lifestyle collaborations (the latest one being with MADE.com); a campaign to encourage and promote dog-friendly restaurants (with Compare the Market); and going ‘mainstream’ when we started reviewing dog-friendly eateries and activities for the Evening Standard’s GoLondon digital platform (Marcel is one of their first rePAWters, but really I write and take the pictures).

Do bloggers need their own industry association?
Absolutely! So, they can get support and information, exchange more, collaborate, grow and know what’s ok or not, what the rules and regulations are. Right now, the rules are very confusing and I feel like the fraudulent actions of a few throw shade on all of us. It’s an industry that is often more used (and trusted and has more impact) than traditional media. I feel like we need to talk more between us and that will benefit everyone – so there is less abuse too (both from bloggers and the brands that work with them).

What other blogs do you read?
After meeting them at last year’s Vuelio Blog Awards, I started reading Katzenworld and love their work! City Dog Expert and Miss Darcy’s Adventures have been an inspiration too and I’m glad to have connected with them all! I also read quite a few travel, food, lifestyle and beauty blogs – monitoring trends on social media and blogs used to be my job until I made the switch to freelance last year.

The Baking Explorer is Kat Buckley’s Top 10 Baking Blog. Running since 2012, The Baking Explorer promotes achievable bakes that are both delicious and fun to make. Covering a huge variety of recipes, Kat also creates dairy-free baking and has a loyal vegan following. We caught up with Kat to find out how the blog has evolved, the best collaborations she’s worked on and what PRs need to know.

How has your blog changed from when you first started?
I’ve been running The Baking Explorer for over six years now and it’s come a long way in that time! My photos are considerably better, the recipes are clearer and better laid out, I’m vegetarian now and I make vegan recipes too occasionally – overall it’s more user friendly, veggie-friendly and easier to find delicious treats to make at home!

Why baking?
I was inspired to start my blog by The Great British Bake Off. I loved the challenge of baking new things and feeding my friends and family with my creations. I still get the same buzz from creating a new recipe and seeing people enjoy it.

How do you make your blog stand out?

I always try to be creative and come up with fun recipes for my audience to try themselves at home and showcase my style of baking.

What’s the best bake you’ve ever made?
My favourite cake of all time has to be my Chocolate Guinness Cake with Baileys Buttercream, I make it every year for my birthday.

What one thing should PRs know about you?
I’m vegetarian and I don’t drink tea! I get a lot of emails about tea as it goes so well with cake but sadly I don’t drink it.

What are the best collaborations you’ve worked on?
I really enjoyed a recent collaboration I did with Berry Gardens where they sent me some of their amazing UK grown cherries and I made a White Forest Cake with a cherry & kirsch jam – it was divine!

Do you think bloggers need their own industry association?
I think we are well regulated at the moment in terms of making it clear when we’ve been paid to advertise a product, as it’s so important for the audience to make an informed decision.

What other blogs do you read?
Mostly other food and baking blogs! I have a lot of blogger friends in the community so I’m often checking out their recipes.

Jonathan Gutteride writes The Money Shed, a leading money-making blog that was recently ranked in the Top 10 UK personal finance blogs.  A community and forum sharing and tips and tricks to make money from home, The Money Shed has grown a huge loyal audience and made them thousands of pounds. We spoke to Jonathan about how the blog has grown, why making money is better than saving and why he never has to contact PRs.

How has your blog changed over time?
Its tone has grown a lot. At the start I wanted it to be about how to improve your life by saving money or doing online work for pennies but it is very much a site that tells people those things are a waste of time and instead you can make your life easier by doing well-paid work online!

How much do you plan your posts in advance?
Not at all. Maybe five days or so! I’ll think of an idea on Monday and write the content on Friday! I don’t make blogging the long drawn out, overthought job that I see a lot of bloggers seem to relish.

What’s the biggest takeaway from the Autumn Budget for our personal finances?
Do you know I’ve not even watched the budget! I think at 37 I’m just immune to it all now and just wait until one of the budget changes impacts me directly!

Is it more important to save money or find new ways to make money?
Make money without a doubt! Why scrimp and save and cut corners on your lifestyle when you can instead just earn extra money and live a better life.

How do you work with PRs for the blog?
They contact me, we agree a price and the content goes up. I can’t even think of the last time I reached out directly to a PR as I guess after five years, The Money Shed has enough clout and authority that they want their content/backlinks on there.

What campaigns have you collaborated on that were really good?
I’ve done one for Universal in Orlando that was a good look at if the costs of theme parks are really worth it. I’ve worked with everyone from HSBC and Aviva to Quidco and Risk Free Matched Betting Firms. They all want to tap into the loyal Money Shed readership!

What’s best practice for working with PRs?
Set your budget expectations from the start! If you charge £250 for a pre-written post then make that clear at the beginning as if they can’t pay that then you are just going to waste your time going back and forth with them.

Do you think bloggers should have their own industry association?
Hell no! Blogging is far too varied for some kind of ‘bloggers union’. Every niche works so differently we wouldn’t be able to agree on anything!

What other blogs do you read?
None specifically but if I see your content come up on tweetdeck and it’s around blogging/money/starting a business etc. I will more than likely give it a click. I find 99% of my new content through social media.

The Little Blog of Vegan is the leading vegan baking blog written by Holly Jade. Ranked in the top 10 UK baking blogs, The Little Blog of Vegan was started after Holly suffered health issues and decided to switch to a vegan lifestyle. We caught up with Holly, who told us about working with her favourite companies through the blog, the joy of coffee-flavoured baking and her favourite blogs to read.

How has your blog changed from when you first started?
I started it a few years back when i was struggling physically and wanted to be creative while at home. This was at a time I decided to go vegan too. Since then, its become a business for me, working with companies all around the world, making cakes and bakes for parties… it’s a dream come true!

Why baking?
I’ve always loved baking since I was around four years old (back then I think I just liked making a big mess in the kitchen – ha ha!). Now I have a strong passion for everything baking and cooking. I love to see how you can create a beautiful dessert/dinner from scratch! Plus, it’s really fun!

How do you make your blog stand out?
I work 24-7 on my website and try to make it friendly for everyone to visit, vegan or non-vegan. I have a strong passion for food photography too, even though I only really picked up a camera around three years ago.

What’s the best bake you’ve ever made?
Ooh, from people telling me and from what I tasted myself, I think it’ll have to be my Biscoff cake! It went down a storm.

What’s the best bake you’ve ever eaten?
To be honest, all of my cakes are my favourite! I’ll just have to go with anything with coffee in it: Y-U-M!

What are the best collaborations you’ve worked on?
I think that would have to be working with companies such as Kitchenaid, Smeg, Wilton… just a few of my favourite companies that I’ve had the privilege to work with!

Do you think bloggers need their own industry association?
YES!!!

What other blogs do you read?
I mainly read food blogs for writing inspiration. My favourites are: Deliciously Ella, Minimalist Baker and The Loopy Whisk.

Katzenworld is the brainchild of Marc-Andre Runcie-Unger and Iain Runcie-Unger and was recently named the number one pet blog in the UK. Together with a team of cat-lovers (cat-obsessives!), the pair cover everything feline from cat cafes and reviews to products and poetry. We caught up with Marc-Andre who told us about the blog’s development, the cats’ personalities and working with PRs.

How has your blog changed from when you first started?
When we first started our blog it was a very simply blog hosted on WordPress.com and we quickly realised that in order to get it known and out there we needed to increase its usability, content and design. Initially, we moved to a custom domain and WordPress-own themes to improve this but eventually our blog outgrew what WordPress.com can offer even on their paid-for packages.

We did a lot of research and decided to self-host with a UK hosting company called 34SP that specialises in dedicated WordPress hosting. They helped us move our blog and its readers, and it enabled us to completely overhaul our theme and blog features. Today the blog runs on a custom designed themed that allows us to interchange blocks and create engaging and visual sections for our readers.

Content-wise our blog has always stayed true to its key principals of providing the cat-loving people with a place to mingle and interchange their views and opinions, find product reviews, read the latest cat news and more!

But we didn’t just stop there… we actually took our Blog out on the road and have been running stalls at various cat shows and big events like the National Pet Show to talk to people about our Blog, provide them guidance on all things cat as well as sell some of the products we as a team loved the most!

What’s the best thing about being a pet blogger?
Well apart from that our pets are an integral part of running a pet blog and being our family there is also the people you get to meet! Networking is such a fun and important part of any blogger’s life. The pet industry especially seems to be full of amazing individuals.

How conscious are you of the animal’s personality as opposed to your own when writing?
The personalities of our cats are the most important thing to me! This is why most of our product reviews and advice posts are written from the view of our cats. It’s all about getting into the mindset of what our cats would have to say about things.

What are better cats or dogs?
Well as cat bloggers one could say we are biased on this… but I truly believe cats are better as they are much more independent and us humans have to earn their respect!

Do you dress up your pets for Halloween?
We don’t. It’s just much more difficult with cats than with dogs and most cats don’t appreciate the extra ‘coat’. Though one of our guest bloggers dresses up her cat regularly and her cat looks happy and doesn’t mind at all!

Did you have a pet growing up?
I had fish as a child as my mother was highly allergic to cats and dogs but I always wanted a cat as a pet. Iain, on the other hand, grew up with cats and it was him who got us to adopt our first cat (Oliver the Tuxedo) shortly followed by Nubia (the black cat), Renegade (the oriental) and Freya (the straightcoat Peterbald).

What’s the best tip you have for pet owners?
Cats are trainable! Many people think cats can’t be trained but you just have to take a slower and different approach to how to train a dog. It’s all about finding the right reward for good behaviour with them. Oliver, for example, will come when called.

How do you work with PRs and brands?
For me it’s important to understand the company/project I work with fully. A collaboration should be about mutual benefit and you can’t achieve that if you don’t fully understand the brand or product you are working with.

What are the best collaborations you’ve worked on?
One of the best collaborations we have done and in fact do every year is awareness of the effect of fireworks on pets. The dog of one of Iain’s sisters was never the same after he got scared by fireworks and thus we wanted to raise awareness of preventative measures on this anyway! Each year we work with a selection of companies around top tips and advice including herbal remedies

Do bloggers need their own industry association?
Yes! We are lucky as there is the international Cat Writer Association that we are part of to provide us with important journalistic resources, but a dedicated Blogger association would be able to address specific topics that only come up for Blogs even better.

What other blogs do you read?
Bionic Basil, Catster, Tuxedo Cat and Großtadtkatze.

Becky Excell writes the number one baking blog in the UK. Originally started as a way to share gluten-free recipe ideas, the blog has become a major resource for a vast audience with its tasty treats and practical advice. We caught up with Becky to find out how much the blog has changed, the joy of her grandma’s ugly cake and all the different channels PRs need to know about.

How has your blog changed from when you first started?
It’s changed loooooads since I first started. At first it was just a little project I did to keep me sane in my final year of university. I’d review products, restaurants and sometimes create recipes instead of revising (oops). Now my blog is my job and while it’ll always be a passion project first and foremost, it’s taught me a lot and it’s grown with me.

These days, I love creating recipes more than ever (especially baking!) but also foodie travel guides, gut health discussions and light-hearted lifestyle pieces too. The blog is more about me and what I’m interested in these days – not just about reviewing products. I like to think that the quality has improved too, just from experience. Sometimes I do go back and read old posts, look at the photos and think ‘gosh, that’s awful!’.

Why baking?
I’ve always loved baking and I’ve been baking since I can remember. I would stand on a step-up as a young girl when I couldn’t reach the kitchen worktop and help my Mum make cupcakes. Fortunately, I can reach the worktop all on my own now!

But when I found out that I couldn’t tolerate gluten, my mission was just to simply recreate all those cakes I used to love as a kid – but 100% gluten free. I find baking really therapeutic too. I’ve had a bit of a rocky relationship with food but baking always reminds of being a kid and being totally care free.

Plus, you then get to eat it at the end!

How do you make your blog stand out?
Hmm… probably a combination of injecting my personality into my writing – along with sharing my life experiences and improving my photography. That’s been the magic combo for me.

I always think to myself ‘anyone can buy a WordPress theme exactly like mine, so how am I going to make my blog unique?’ and the answer is always… me.

So, I worked on my photography, wrote my blog posts in the chatty way I’d talk IRL (complete with terrible jokes) and shared experiences from my own personal life. My blog is basically me!

What’s the best bake you’ve ever made?
I’d have to say my gluten-free Battenberg cake, but probably not for the most obvious reason! Basically, I’d tried to make a Battenberg at least three times in the past and it had always gone horribly wrong. Half the time, the pink sponge would come out as if I’d never put any colouring in it in the first place or just I’d fluff up assembling it (then curl up in a ball and cry).

But literally like two years after swearing I’d never bother baking one ever again… I did it! And not only did it turn out well, but it gave me the confidence that I could actually make cakes that look nice. If it wasn’t for that Battenberg victory, I don’t think I’d ever have attempted to make half the cakes on my blog today.

What’s the best bake you’ve ever eaten?
This might sound really boring, but I’d have to say my Grandma’s Victoria sponge. She wouldn’t mind me saying this, but it was such an ugly cake! Sadly, I don’t think she’d ever be able to have a baking blog, but it tasted absolutely out of this world. It didn’t even have jam in it, just the buttercream alone was amazing!

For a long time I thought that making ugly cakes that tasted amazing ran in the family… but I think making that Battenberg might have managed to break the curse for me!

Who will win The Great British Bake Off?
It’s got to be Rahul, right? I can totally relate to being a nervous baker with zero confidence, so I feel like if he can just keep it together then he’ll smash it!

What one thing should PRs know about you?
I guess that I’m a passionate creator of all different types of content, not just blogging. I’m not sure that most PRs even know that I’m really into videography and often I create recipe videos, travel guide videos and vlogs. I also often speak in public about my gut health and I’ve done tons of baking in front of the camera and at live events too. I was on BBC radio a few times in the last year talking about gluten free food!

Basically, I’m full of ideas and no matter what the medium, I’m always up to the challenge. Baking and beyond!

What are the best collaborations you’ve worked on?
Oh wow that’s tough. I loved travelling to Palma earlier this year with Jet2 to experience the food of Majorca. I’d love to do more things like this and create content for those going on holiday who are in need of allergen-friendly places to eat.

Do you think bloggers need their own industry association?
It would definitely be useful. There is a lot of misunderstanding when it comes to this industry and it would be nice to have a place to go where all the ‘rules’ are laid out clearly and updated regularly.

What other blogs do you read?
I tend not to read a lot of food and baking blogs really. Instead, I read a lot of lifestyle blogs. I really enjoy Hannah Gale’s blog for her down to earth realness – it’s so refreshing, relatable and funny all in one.

Want to work with content creators like Becky? You need the Vuelio Media Database, which lists thousands of bloggers, vloggers and Instagrammers alongside journalists, editors and broadcasters.