Digital PR

7 reasons to use digital PR

As Google and other search engines get smarter, your marketing strategy needs to as well. Getting your content in front of the right audiences is now more difficult than ever with the saturation of web content and the growing number of businesses who have wised-up to SEO best practices.

Luckily, digital PR can help you cut through the clutter. This guest post from Ad-Rank explains how to get the most out of digital PR.

Why you need digital PR in your plan
With over 51% of people consuming their news online via social media, if you haven’t yet implemented digital PR, it’s time to start making it an essential ingredient of your marketing campaigns. Below are just some of the reasons why:

1. Digital PR is measurable

Unlike traditional PR, where readership and television viewers are based on average readers per month and potential audience, digital PR campaigns result in precise measurements.

Where it used to be difficult, today it’s a lot easier to gauge the number of viewers who actually saw a feature or engaged with it. Digital PR campaigns allow you to track everything – from who saw your content to which device they viewed it from. You can see exactly what demographic group your readers fit into and what time of day is more effective, even which links on the page got you the most interaction.

2. Build easily accessible network

Email, online communities and platforms such as Vuelio have replaced what used to be a file of business cards, making outreach and responses easy to measure. While similar to the relationships built via traditional PR campaigns, the beauty of digital relationships lies in the online interactions that can keep your content relevant.

For instance, when a news outlet publishes your online press release on their website, you can tweet a thanks to the writer on Twitter, or send an email thanking them for coverage. This strengthens your relationship and gives you a go-to for your next article.

3. Wider reach

Social media marketers have always understood the value of a share on Facebook or a retweet on Twitter, and a good digital PR campaign needs to exploit this powerful influence as well. When an interesting press release or campaign reaches users on social media, the reach of that campaign can spread like wildfire and get in front of an audience you would never reach simply using traditional mediums.

4. Fuel SEO with backlinks

A key component of digital PR is the value it brings to your business’ SEO goals. When you create an interesting campaign, bloggers and online journalists pick it up, post it on their sites and create powerful links back to the source – you.

Google has long touted the importance of a good link profile, and digital PR directly supports the building of high quality external sources linking to your website as your content is shared and cited on their sites.

5. Build brand awareness

Two aspects of digital PR – wider reach and SEO boosting – combine to also enhance brand awareness. As your campaign is shared and viewed, more and more people learn about your brand’s products or services. The value is two-fold, because as they learn about your brand, they may also research your offerings, giving you visibility in Google and helping you rank higher in search results.

6. Create bespoke content for your audience

Personalisation and customisation are essential to reaching today’s audiences, and with a digital PR campaign, you can do just that. The trick is to restructure your content based on the needs and demographics of the users who will view it from a specific source.

For instance, you can write a formal press release for use in online news publications, but create a fun infographic of the same information to share on Twitter and a sleek video to post on Facebook.

7. Maximise investment in content

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, digital PR helps you maximise your budget. Paid advertising on social media and Google are cheaper to implement and have higher potential reach than a print or television version of the same content.

Plus, the beauty of digital PR is that online content can be used in many mediums, and once created, the cost of sharing it is virtually nothing after it gains traction.

Adding digital PR to your repertoire
Effective digital PR begins with a strong strategy. With the right plan, and people ready to implement your new tactics, you can relish in your newfound digital successes and increase your online presence.

 

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2017 awards for bloggers

Shortlist revealed for the Vuelio Blog Awards 2017

The shortlist for the Vuelio Blog Awards has been announced, with more finalists than ever before. Taking place on 24 November at the Bloomsbury Big Top, the Vuelio Blog Awards 2017 is a highlight of the blogging calendar.

With 84 of the very best blogs on this year’s shortlist, the judges will have their work cut out to determine the overall winners when they meet on 18 September.

This year’s judging panel includes journalists, PR professionals and an award-winning blogger: click here for more information.

The finalists all specialise in one of our 14 categories, and every shortlisted blog will also be eligible for the grand prize – Best UK Blog of 2017.

Without further ado, the shortlist of the best bloggers in the UK and Ireland for 2017 is as follows:

Best Newcomer

  • Best Before End Date
  • That Butterfly Effect
  • Man vs Globe
  • Modish Male
  • A Mundane Life
  • Pip and the City

Arts and Entertainment

  • Creative Bloq
  • FlickeringMYTH.com
  • Nialler9
  • Photography Blog
  • Pop Justice
  • That Grape Juice

Beauty

  • A Model Recommends
  • British Beauty Blogger
  • Caroline Hirons
  • Estee Lalonde
  • London Beauty Queen
  • Pixiwoo.com

DIY & Interior Design

  • Abigail Ahern Blog
  • Dear Designer’s Blog
  • Design Sheppard
  • Fresh Design Blog
  • Love Chic Living
  • Swoon Worthy

Fashion

  • Ape to Gentleman
  • Fashion Foie Gras
  • Fashion Me Now
  • In the frow
  • Menswear Style
  • Raindrops of Sapphire

Fitness & Healthy Living

  • Carly Rowena
  • Fitness on Toast
  • Lunges and Lycra
  • The Fat Girls’ Guide to Running
  • The Runner Beans
  • Zanna Van Dijk

Food & Drink

  • Amuse Your Bouche
  • Charlotte’s Lively Kitchen
  • Deliciously Ella
  • Hungry Healthy Happy
  • Lavender and Lovage
  • My Fussy Eater

Men’s Lifestyle

  • Ape to Gentleman
  • Average Joes
  • Buckets and Spades
  • The Everday Man
  • Menswear Style
  • The Dapper Chapper

Parenting

  • Boo Roo and Tigger Too
  • DadBlogUK.com
  • The Dadventurer
  • The Mad House
  • Slummy Single Mummy
  • Toby & Roo

Political

  • Bella Caledonia
  • ConservativeHome
  • Guido Fawkes’ Blog
  • LabourList
  • Political Scrapbook
  • Wings Over Scotland

PR, Media & Communications

  • MK
  • Natasha Courtenay-Smith
  • NevilleHobson.com
  • PRcareers
  • PRexamples
  • Stephen Waddington

Travel & Leisure

  • A Luxury Travel Blog
  • Bruised Passports
  • Global Grasshopper
  • Hand Lugguage Only
  • Two Monkeys Travel
  • Wish Wish Wish

Wedding

  • Boho Weddings
  • Brides Up North
  • Love My Dress
  • Rock My Wedding
  • Rock N Roll Bride
  • Whimsical Wonderland Weddings

Women’s Lifestyle

  • Coco’s Tea Party
  • Liberty London Girl
  • Lily Pebbles
  • The Londoner
  • Poppy Deyes
  • Poppy Loves

 

Every finalist is listed in the Vuelio Influencer Database.

2017 awards for bloggers

Presenting the Judges for the Vuelio Blog Awards 2017

We are delighted to announce that this year’s judges, who will together decide the winners of every category at the Vuelio Blog Awards 2017, represent a genuine variety of skills, experience and perspectives.

Ahead of the announcement of shortlisted bloggers next week, the judges have been chosen and are preparing themselves for the biggest blogging decisions of the year

The judging panel includes the best blogger of 2016, journalists and PR experts, and they will be choosing one winner from six finalists in each of the 15 categories.

This year’s judging panel is:

Katie Constable Vuelio Blog Awards 2017

 

 

 

 

 

 

Katie Constable
Katie currently handles the social media at PZ Cussons Beauty for iconic beauty brands St.Tropez and Fudge Professional. Having worked in the industry for five years across fashion, beauty and lifestyle, she is always on the pursuit for new exciting content to further engage and evolve brands. In launching St.Tropez’s first ever series of Facebook Lives called ‘Studio Glow’, Katie has been working closely with global influencers across a variety of categories.

 

Anna Doble Judge Vuelio Blog Awards 2017

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anna Doble
Anna is Digital Editor at Radio 1 Newsbeat, leading the team’s web, video and social presence. Before that Anna was Head of Online at Channel 4 News and a newsreader at Independent Radio News. She is about to join the BBC World Service as Digital Editor, looking after English language services.

 

Holly Hodges Judge Vuelio Blog Awards 2017

 

 

 

 

 

 

Holly Hodges
Holly Hodges is a senior media researcher at Vuelio. Specialising in bloggers and traditional media, Holly manages the influencer database and has been directly involved with the shortlisting process for this year’s Vuelio Blog Awards. Also responsible for Vuelio’s Top 10 rankings, Holly’s knowledge of the UK blogosphere is second to none.

 

Charlie Lindlar Judge Vuelio Blog Awards 2017

 

 

 

 

 

 

Charlie Lindlar
Charlie is the Blogs Editor at HuffPost UK. He manages the site’s community of 18,000 bloggers, mostly working across current affairs and politics. You can follow him on Twitter @charlielindlar.

 

Frank Marr Judge Vuelio Blog Awards 2017

 

 

 

 

 

 

Frank Marr
Regarded as one of the industry’s brightest stars (he was named in PR Week’s ‘top 30 under 30’), Frank has been behind numerous world-class campaigns and helped shape an agency built on a culture of hard work and innovation. He’s the PRCA Travel & Tourism Chairman and an occasional PR lecturer at Regent’s University.

 

Kate Watson Smyth-Judge Vuelio Blog Awards 2017

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kate Watson-Smyth
Kate is an award-winning journalist and blogger, who in 2016 scooped the prestigious Best UK Blog prize for Mad about the house, at the Vuelio Blog Awards. Specialising in interiors and design, Kate has also published her first book ‘Shades of Grey: Decorating with the most elegant of neutrals’, with her second out in March. She also runs the ‘personal shopping for the home’ service, Mad about your house.

For more information about this year’s Vuelio Blog Awards, please contact Jake O’Neill.

SocialBookshelves.com

Blogger Spotlight: Dane Cobain, SocialBookshelves.com

Dane Cobain is the author behind SocialBookshelves.com a Top 10 UK Literature Blog. With a catalogue-style review site, Dane also constricts his review word counts to the number of pages the book has. Here we spoke to Dane about his favourite novel, the rise of audiobooks and his preferred way to work with PRs.  

How would you describe your blog?
SocialBookshelves.com is a book blog with a difference. I don’t specialise in particular genres, I just keep a running list of reviews for every book that I read – over 1,000 so far. My reviews also have a particular quirk – their word count is the same as the number of pages in the book, so a 350 page book has a 350 word review.

Why did you start your blog?
I’ve always liked writing reviews. I remember in secondary school we were asked to write reviews for every book that we read. For the other kids, it put them off reading because they didn’t want to write the reports. For me, it meant I was writing 3-5 reports per week. The teacher eventually told me I could stop doing them.

I started blogging because when I left university, I got a full-time job in social media marketing. I thought that starting a blog would give me a great excuse to get some hands-on experience with a blog of my own. Once I started, it was hard to stop!

What’s your favourite book, and why?
Northern Lights by Philip Pullman because it’s a masterpiece. He’s got a new book coming out that’s a companion novel and it’s great to see a new generation of readers picking up his books because of all of the publicity.

What makes a good book?
It’s a combination of a whole heap of things, from pacing and plot to aesthetics and the cover. For a book to get a 5* rating on my blog, it has to leave me feeling like a slightly different person after reading it and it has to be pleasurable (as opposed to a chore) from start to finish.

Digital books disrupted an age-old industry, what do you think will be the next big disruptor?
They have, although I personally don’t read them. That’s because I like to collect my books, so I only ever read paperbacks and then I keep them in my rapidly expanding library. I keep needing to move to slightly bigger houses to accommodate them all.

As for the next big disruptor, that’s hard to say. I think audio books will continue to pick up steam and it’ll be more commonplace for people to listen to them, and I think the standard of them will continue to pick up. Over the next ten years or so, there will also be a lot of indie writers breaking through to the mainstream thanks to word of mouth – the market will decide whether their work is good or not , not a literary agent or a junior editor at a publishing house. On top of that, I think we’ll see more and more books coming out from YouTubers, Instagrammers and other social media celebrities who see it as a way to monetise their audience.

How many books do you own (roughly)?
Well I’ve reviewed every book I own and I have 1,129 reviews, so somewhere around that. The true number is probably closer to 1,250 counting the books I haven’t read yet – 1,300 if you count the copies I have of the books I’ve released myself.

What makes your blog successful?
I think consistency and longevity have played a big part. I update it regularly and work with plenty of authors and PRs to add other content such as interviews, and I also run competitions and use social networking sites. I think a big part of it has been the fact that I’m an author myself and so it’s pretty linked to my daily life. It’s just part of who I am.

How do you like to work with PRs?
I like them to email me with a little bit of information about the books and then I get back to them if I’m interested. I don’t get time to respond to every enquiry unfortunately because there are so many of them.

What’s the one thing PRs should know about you?
I only accept physical copies.

What other blogs do you like to read?
I’m going to be honest here – I don’t actually get much chance to read blogs because I’m so busy with other stuff. I do, however, watch a bunch of different ‘BookTubers’ – i.e. YouTubers who talk about books. They mostly talk about YA and middle grade, but I find their passion for books inspiring. Some of my favourites are Jean from Bookish Thoughts, Katytastic and Brock from Let’s Read. It’s great to see how creative people are.

That said, I do follow friends’ blogs as they post – but they’re mostly authors rather than other book bloggers.

Dane Cobain features on the Vuelio Media Database along with thousands of other bloggers, influencers and journalists.

Michael 84

Blogger Spotlight: Michael Adams, Michael 84

Michael Adams is the author behind Michael 84, which was recently ranked in the Top 10 UK Men’s Lifestyle Blogs. Michael is a Newcastle-based t-shirt and fashion designer who writes about the latest style trends, music, films, tech and travel. Here, Michael told us about his favourite collaborations, bloggers moving to Instagram and the modern man.

How would you describe your blog?
Michael 84 is a men’s fashion and lifestyle blog with a focus on menswear and style tips, and covers everything from the usual guy’s life; from tech, travel and products reviews to entertainment including film, TV and music.

Why did you start you blog?
I love technology and the web, and have always had an interest in building and creating things online. It started off with simple websites, then I created forums, e-commerce stores and then I moved into blogging seven or eight years ago, writing about my interests.

What are the latest trends in men’s lifestyle we should be aware of?
It’s hard to say the latest trends in men’s lifestyle, as that could cover a large number of things. Minimalist style, for things such as watches, is big now and has been growing for a couple of years, with more and more brands offering a simplistic style of watches.

How does the modern man compare to men of the past?
I think it depends on how far you go back for comparison; I think that guys are taking better care of themselves more than ever now. Working out or going to the gym has become part of daily life, rather than a temporary or part time activity.

What’s going to be the next big trend in men’s lifestyle?
I think there could be an increase in using smart technology, it’s getting more popular with more brands offering various products from Amazon, Apple and Google, as well as smart home products.

What one thing could you not live without?
I think it has to be my iPhone. As we know, phones these days aren’t just phones, they do so much, so it’s the one thing I’d want to have.

How do you like to work with PRs?
I prefer it when they have a campaign or a clear idea in mind, and let me have some freedom to go with it. It’s always important to be on the same page so we have an understanding of what’s expected and going to happen, as sometimes but rarely there can be some miscommunication.

What’s one of your favourite collaborations?
There has been a few, I was part of a TOPMAN campaign called ‘Great Britain, Great Suits’ which showcased my city (Newcastle) and one of their great suits, and working with LG for London Fashion Week was also a highlight.

What one thing should PRs know about you?
I am always open to work with great brands on different projects, so if they’re looking for exposure or have a campaign which they think may fit, they should get in touch.

What other blogs do you read?
I actually don’t really read too many blogs these days. A lot of other bloggers have been putting a lot more focus on Instagram, so they aren’t updating their blogs as frequently as they used to.

Michael Adams features on the Vuelio Media Database along with thousands of other bloggers, influencers and journalists.

Carly Rowena

Blogger Spotlight: Carly Rowena, CarlyRowena

Carly Rowena is the Top 10 Fitness and Exercise blogger behind her eponymous blog. Covering the simple steps you can take to transform your body and maintain a healthy lifestyle, Carly Rowena uses her expertise as a personal trainer to advise her readers about all things health and fitness. We spoke to Carly about her love of Crossfit, the importance of honesty and working with PRs.

How would you describe your blog?
My blog is a little hub of fitness and lifestyle motivation, it’s a place for all shapes, sizes and abilities. I hope to inspire people to move more, enjoy food and feel incredible each day!

Why did you start your blog?
I started my blog after realising that I wanted to go into detail about certain topics that I didn’t feel suited my YouTube channel. I find writing very therapeutic and loved the idea of being able to bring up different subjects, topics and chat to a different audience.

What makes your blog different from other fitness blogs?
It’s so hard to stand out nowadays as there are so many incredible blogs out there, however I feel my ‘girl next door’ vibe and honesty when it comes to anything from exercise, love life or body parts has always gone down well. There is no topic that I’m scared of talking about and it’s my aim to help as many people as possible.

What’s the next big fitness trend going to be?
I have to admit that I tend to ignore the trends, there is no ‘one way’ for all of us; we’re all individual and as time goes on I think everyone will start to realise that. I would say cutting dairy seems to be the big one this year and it’s one I certainly agree with for ethical reasons but other than that, I feel it’s just nice to see the world relaxing a little – the whole clean eating vibe went a little too far!

What piece of equipment or tech is your go-to workout companion?
I am all about being functional and although my main passion is CrossFit, I have to say my body is my best workout pal, you can literally create anything without the need for anything but yourself, some space and something to strap your lady humps down!

What was your favourite blog post to create and why?
I love creating a post that talks about something most people are scared to discuss. My most recent ‘Orgasm’ post was one of my favourites, I loved the reaction!

How do you see your blog developing in the future?
I’d like my photography to improve, it’s so hard to take epic blog images without the help of a photographer and I’m not a big fan of selfies. I love writing but finding the imagery is certainly the hard part for me!

What makes your blog successful?
Such a hard question, I’d like to think it’s the honesty!

How do you like to work with PRs?
I love working with PRs! In general I prefer to chat on the phone than over email, I hate wastage so I always prefer a brand emails me with any products they think I might like and then I get to say yes or no, and then let my followers know my thoughts!

What one thing should PRs know about you?
I’m very low maintenance and sweaty, I will never be a full face of contour type of girl, however, I will always squeal when a product arrives in the post. I hate packaging and will never lie to my followers, expect me to test out a product for at least a month before ever sharing, I’m very loyal to my followers and their pennies!

What are your favourite blogs to read?
Oh there are so many and all of different topics: I adore Steffy White, InTheFrow and Lottie Murphy.

What’s your favourite workout class or routine?
I adore Crossfit, I have never felt stronger, more functional or more proud of myself than I do right now, I feel unstoppable and it’s the best feeling!

Carly Rowena features on the Vuelio Media Database along with thousands of other bloggers, influencers and journalists.

Playing by the Book

Blogger Spotlight: Zoe Toft, Playing by the Book

Zoe Toft is the mother-of-two blogger behind Playing by the Book. Focusing on Zoe’s favourite family activity, Playing by the Book recently ranked in the Top 10 Literature Blogs. Here Zoe told us about good books, owning a lot(!) of books and working with PRs.

How would you describe your blog?
Honest review of books for children and young people accompanied by the play and exploring they inspire in my family.

Why did you start your blog?
If truth be told, it’s because I have a terrible memory and I wanted to have a way to document, and thereby remember, the good times.

What’s your favourite book, and why?
It’s very hard to pick just one book – it depends on my mood.

What makes a good book?
A good book is any one that hooks a reader. Different people need different hooks to engage them and so I don’t think there’s a single recipe for a good book. For some people, for example, it will be great pace, for others it will be stunningly beautiful writing. Fortunately, like delicious food, there are all sorts of recipes for brilliant books.

Digital books disrupted an age-old industry, what do you think will be the next big disruptor?
I don’t know that I’ve got anything very insightful to respond with. That said I do worry that fear of taking risks and instead becoming over reliant on brands will diminish the industry in the long run.

How many books do you own (roughly)?
About 4,000. Very many of them in piles all around the house!

What makes your blog successful?
My passion. I’ve always worn my heart on my sleeve, and I think that comes through on my blog. Marry my enthusiasm with our family’s sense of playfulness, and the wealth of book knowledge I’ve developed over the past eight years of blogging and I’m pretty happy with the ingredients I have for my blog. I could always do with more time to write more blog posts though!

How do you like to work with PRs?
In a spirit of generosity on both sides!

What’s the one thing PRs should know about you?
Even if I don’t end up reviewing a book sent for review on my blog, it forms part of my bank of knowledge and so that book often ends up being given as a personal recommendation that PRs may not get to see. We all know the power of personal recommendation and so the silent or invisible recommendations I make often have as much impact as the ones that can be more easily measured via blog posts.

What other blogs do you like to read?
All sorts! But three I’ve read today and visit regularly include: tygertale, Rhino Reads and A Fuse #8 Production.

Zoe Toft features on the Vuelio Media Database along with thousands of other bloggers, influencers and journalists.

Snog Marry Avoid presenter

Blog marry avoid?

We are delighted to announce the host of the Vuelio Blog Awards 2017 is the fantastic Ellie Taylor. A confident and hilarious performer, Ellie will be entertaining our audience of world class bloggers and communicators on 24 November at the Bloomsbury Big Top.

Get your tickets here

Perhaps best known for presenting BBC 3’s cult hit Snog Marry Avoid?, Ellie has recently appeared on Live at the Apollo and Mock the Week, as well as getting magical on Let’s Sing and Dance for Comic Relief.

Ellie’s extensive credits also include The Now Show, The John Bishop Show, As Yet Untitled, 8 out of 10 Cats and Drunk History as well as playing lead roles in the new Disney series The Lodge and Comedy Central’s Brotherhood.

Ellie will present fifteen awards to the top bloggers from the UK and Ireland across a range of different categories including Best UK Blog and Best Newcomer.

Taking place in the Bloomsbury Big Top, the awards ceremony will be part of an amazing night of food, drink and celebration as the most influential bloggers rub shoulders with top PR and communication professionals to celebrate all that’s good about the world of blogging.

Tickets are now on sale – please visit our dedicated ticket website to buy yours today. 

Beyond the Headlines

Brexit. Trump. Corbyn. Why did no one see them coming?

Thing is, people did.

Call it alt-media, post-truth, fake news – there is a growing body of information available online that’s setting agendas that challenge the mainstream media. It’s increasingly influential too: the most-shared story of this year’s General Election wasn’t from the BBC, the Sun or the Daily Mail, but from a one-man blog written out of a Yorkshire bedroom.

Monitoring the media in the post-truth world has never been more important – Vuelio webinar ‘Beyond the Headlines’ explains how you can keep track of all the latest developments in news and politics, and find the right content across millions of sources while being able to analyse the results in real-time.

Beyond the headlines banner

 

cathy winston

Blogger Spotlight: Cathy Winston, Mummy Travels

Cathy Winston is the author behind Mummy Travels, a Top 10 Family Travel Blog. The blog covers everything family-travel-related from the exotic trips abroad to fun days out in the UK. Cathy spoke to us about her love of South-East Asia, what family-friendly really means and how she likes to collaborate with PRs.

How would you describe your blog?
A family travel blog that aims to inspire and inform parents who love to travel – and prove that having kids needn’t stop you doing that. Focused mainly on travel with a baby, toddler, preschooler and the first school years, there are tips and advice, reviews of products and accommodation, and tales of my travels with my daughter, from first flights to long-haul, a road trip, cruise and heading off the beaten track in South East Asia and Africa, along with days out in the UK, beach and city breaks.

Why did you start your blog?
I’ve always loved travel and have made it part of my career – but when I became pregnant, everyone told me I’d have to stop. The blog started to try to answer that question: can you keep travelling with a baby and kids? Happily, I think we’ve proved it’s a definite yes!

What makes your blog stand out against other family travel blogs?
The mix of destinations we cover is unusual; there’s content on Cambodia, Burma and Cape Verde, but also London museums, UK seaside breaks and most things in between. I do a lot of solo travel with my daughter. Although I’m not a single parent, it’s often just the two of us for all or part of the trip, including our recent two weeks in Cambodia, so I can bring that perspective to it, as well as giving us a lot of flexibility in what we can do. I have a career as a travel journalist as well, winning several awards, so there’s that professional approach and experience as well as the personal element.

What’s the best place you’ve been as a family?
We’ve visited some amazing countries so it’s really hard to pick one. Our adventures in South East Asia over the past two years have been hard to beat though, so a tie for first place between Burma and Cambodia, I think. But I never tire of a day out at the beach, whether that’s the UK coast or a tropical stretch of sand, and the luxurious Beaches Turks & Caicos Resort was fabulous.

What’s the worst place you’ve been as a family?
Touch wood, we haven’t had any disasters – perhaps the worst was a UK holiday camp. It wasn’t the place itself, which is really popular, but it’s much better for families with older kids. My toddler daughter was too young to enjoy the activities, and we ended up rushing dinner then sitting on the bed in the dark all evening while she slept. A good reminder that family-friendly means very different things depending on your individual situation.

What makes the ideal family holiday?
My daughter would say a beach or swimming pool and ice cream! I think it has to be something which keeps everyone happy. I can’t imagine spending two weeks just lying on a beach, but trying to pack too much in is a recipe for disaster with her, so somewhere which has plenty to explore but where we can enjoy some downtime as well.

Very few places don’t work at all with kids, unless it’s very active or adrenaline-fuelled when they’re little (or the Antarctic). The big difference is often the welcome for kids: plenty of places say they’re family-friendly but children are just tolerated and it’s very hard to relax, while places where kids are the centre of attention are so much more fun, even if you don’t have the facilities you might get at home.

Where haven’t you been that you’re desperate to get to?
SO many places! My bucket list gets longer with each trip, as I always want to go back and see the things we missed or spend more time there. Vietnam, the Philippines and Indonesia are high up though, as we’ve had some wonderful holidays in South East Asia and I haven’t visited any of them yet. But I’d also love to discover more of South America: Peru, Belize, Guatemala, the Galapagos and Costa Rica (for starters) – along with Cuba, Namibia, Oman, Montenegro. I could go on…

How do you like to work with PRs?
Collaboration is a bit of an overused word, but I think that’s the only way to work – any project has to suit both PR and blogger to be a success. For me, it’s really useful to know what the PR wants to get out of a trip, to be really upfront about what they’re hoping it will achieve but also to be flexible, whether that’s tailoring the itinerary to the demands of a small girl or working with me to include the quirky, the unusual, the offbeat things which I think will appeal to the blog’s readers.

Lastly, I pride myself on being very professional, always delivering as promised (and more) and never missing deadlines, so having the trust from a PR about that rather than being too prescriptive, and allowing me to be creative makes a huge difference. The fact that I have some great long-term relationships, working with the same people again and again is something I’m very proud of too.

What is the one thing PRs should know about you?
I get hundreds upon hundreds of emails every day and it’s easy to tell which ones have actually read the blog, or have personalised the email. Those are the ones I prioritise, unlike the ones which use my email address as salutation or put Dear Minnie (the pseudonym I use for my daughter on the blog). Oh, and I’m not a big fan of camping…

What are your favourite blogs to read (outside of your own!)?
Almost too many to mention! I love My Travel Monkey, Globalmouse Travels, Five Adventurers and Tinbox Traveller, who all have kids a similar age to my daughter, but also The Travel Hack and On The Luce, plus Suitcases and Sandcastles and One Tiny Leap for their beautiful photography.

Cathy Winston features on the Vuelio Media Database along with thousands of other bloggers, influencers and journalists.

thewashingmachinepost

Blogger Spotlight: Brian Palmer, thewashingmachinepost

Brian Palmer is the top 10 cycling blogger who writes thewashingmachinepost. Brian writes about the latest cycling goods and posts pictures of his scenic bike rides on the Isle of Islay. We caught up with Brian who told us about the joys of cycling, being friendly with PRs and the reason he doesn’t read other blogs…  

How would you describe your blog?
An overview of road bike culture.

Why did you start your blog?
To improve my writing skills.

What’s your favourite post?
The first interview I conducted with Richard Sachs.

If you were talking to a non-cyclist, how would you convince them it’s great?
Take them for a bike ride.

What’s the best cycling experience you’ve ever had?
It’s a tie between riding in Provence with Rapha and this year’s HOTCHILLEE London-Paris ride.

What’s the worst cycling experience you’ve ever had?
Probably trying to find my way round London.

What makes your blog successful?
I’m darned if I know.

What’s your favourite bike (ever)?
A Colnago C40.

How do you like to work with PRs?
In a relaxed and friendly manner.

What’s the one thing PRs should know about you?
I don’t take myself too seriously.

What are your favourite blogs to read?
Embarrassingly, I don’t read any other blogs in case they’re all better than mine.

Brian Palmer features on the Vuelio Media Database along with thousands of other bloggers, influencers and journalists.

Blogger Spotlight: Victoria Bowskill, Vamper.cc

Vamper.cc is the Top 10 Cycling Blog from Victoria and Matt. Covering the full range of cycling content, Vamper.cc also specializes in women in cycling – from suitable fitness clothing to encouraging more engagement. We spoke to Victoria Bowskill about the pair’s favourite bikes, worst experiences and how they work collaboratively with brands.

How would you describe your blog?
Vamper.cc is a cycling blog dedicated to seeking out style and performance on two wheels. We deliver product reviews, cycling tips and write-ups of our experiences on bikes in – we hope! – an approachable, personal way. We share everything that we find seductive about cycling, from the coolest kit we’ve spotted on our travels to amazing cycling routes. We regularly feature reviews of cycling kit – and they are unbiased and unpaid. Brands don’t pay us to feature their products, which makes us wholly impartial.

Victoria and MattWhy did you start your blog?
Vamper.cc was conceived to provide a platform for review and opinion on cycling fashion, trends, accessories, bikes and technology in a slightly different voice from mainstream cycling media.

While there are a number of popular news and review sites and cycling blogs, we believe their angle and bias can sometimes alienate riders who are perhaps new to the sport or who appreciate a more balanced outlook.

When we founded Vamper.cc two years ago, we also felt strongly that the representation and tailoring of content towards women’s cycling left a great deal to be desired. That is beginning to change, but we are still keen to further the reputation of women’s cycling and to raise the standard and quality of women’s cycling clothing and kit.

What’s your favourite post?
It’s a fairly old post now, but this one remains a favourite and has proved very popular – it seems to resonate with a lot of female cyclists.

If you were talking to a non-cyclist, how would you convince them it’s great?
For people who don’t cycle, it might seem incomprehensible that our best weekends involve stupidly early morning bike rides. But the greatest joy we’ve experienced on two wheels always comes from getting out at the crack of dawn while the roads are empty, and fitting in 30, 40, 50 miles before most people have picked up the Sunday paper! It’s the peace and tranquility of early morning rides, the flush on our faces after hours of exercising, and the exhilaration of fast hill descents that makes it such a fantastic activity. Even the challenge of hill climbing comes with rewards; it might hurt at the time, but the satisfaction of conquering a hill on your bike, the view from the top, and the speedy descent make it all worthwhile!

What’s the best cycling experience you’ve ever had?
We’ve had quite a few great experiences and it’s hard to narrow them down! The weekend where we completed the Huntingdon Steeplechase Sportive on the Saturday, followed by the PlanetX Oulton Park 100-mile challenge on the Sunday stands out as one of the most exhausting but also one of the most fun.

The Prudential RideLondon 100 never fails to bring a smile to our faces – the turnout of supporters along the route is a joy to behold.

And we had a fabulous outing with Yorkshire Velo Tours in the Yorkshire Dales – it was utterly beautiful, not to mention gruelling!

What’s the worst cycling experience you’ve ever had?
For Matt it has to be getting cramp at mile 67 of the Tour of Cambridgeshire. He had decided to ride the 84-mile sportive without taking a break in 28-degree heat, rode himself into the ground, and developed excruciating cramp which left him barely able to pedal. That wasn’t a good one!

For Victoria, it was riding her new bike with deep rims in Yorkshire on a particularly windy day. Utterly terrifying, she was certain she was going to be blown into the path of an oncoming lorry and had to get off and push.

What makes your blog successful?
Firstly, the two voices; we have a uniquely male/female perspective at Vamper.cc which makes the blog appealing to both male and female cyclists. Brands seem to really value the emphasis that we place on coverage of women’s cycling.

Secondly, the tone of voice; we have a conversational style that readers seem to find they can identify with. We don’t pretend to be better cyclists than we are; we don’t pretend that we don’t suffer on our bikes. We’re approachable (in life and on screen!)

Matt VamperWhat’s your favourite bike (ever)?
For Victoria, it has to be the Canyon//SRAM Ultimate CF SLX – utterly gorgeous.

For Matt, it’s the Dassi Interceptor, the world’s first (and only) graphene bike. We saw it at Rouleur Classic and we were blown away by it. A thing of beauty, with incredible, cutting edge technology. Wow.

How do you like to work with PRs?
We’ve worked with some fabulous PRs who are really proactive and passionate. We like to foster a close relationship with PRs to help to us to better understand what will bring the most value to their clients. Truly innovative PR campaigns come from a marriage of ideas and we like to think we can bring something different to the table.

We invite all pitches and approaches and we are always happy to look at any review request, trip or opinion piece to see what Vamper spin we might be able to put on it!

What’s the one thing PRs should know about you?
We have high standards. We won’t regurgitate poor press releases, and we won’t praise terrible products. If a poor product is sent to us to review, we’ll gladly pass our (constructive) criticism on via the PR so that the issue can hopefully be addressed rather than slating something online, but we won’t wax lyrical if we don’t like it.

What are your favourite blogs to read (outside of your own!)?
We’re big foodies, so we read a lot of food blogs – particularly Cookie & Kate, which is probably our current favourite.

In terms of cycling, we like the Australian blog Cyclingtips.com – it’s good for reading about cycling from a different perspective.

Victoria Bowskill and Vamper.cc features on the Vuelio Media Database along with thousands of other bloggers, influencers and journalists.

Kirstie Pelling Stuart Pelling

Blogger Spotlight: Kirstie Pelling, The Family Adventure Project

Kirstie Pelling is the Top 10 Family Travel Blogger, who along with husband Stuart, runs The Family Adventure Project. With content advocating being active and outdoors with your family, the blog’s ethos is always the spirit of adventure. Kirstie took some time to tell us about the magic of Iceland, loving cake and working creatively with PRs.

How would you describe your blog?
The Family Adventure Project is a magazine-style site that publishes feature style content about travel, adventure and outdoor activities. The site aims to share ideas, inspiration and practical advice to help people get out, get active, and explore and adventure together, whether for a day out on their doorstep or on a year-long journey around to the other side of the globe.

Why did you start your blog?
We started it because lots of people told us we couldn’t or shouldn’t adventure with kids. We kicked it off with a year biking New Zealand with our two toddlers. We wanted to connect with others who had a different view and to share our own ideas, inspiration and advice to show the amazing things that are possible with kids of all ages and experience.

What makes your blog stand out against other family travel blogs?
We have a clear focus on active and adventurous travel and broad experience travelling independently and on organised trips. We’ve been publishing a long time, over 10 years. We pride ourselves on the quality of our writing, photography and videography and have won multiple awards that recognise this. We are well connected and collaborate with other digital media professionals and collectives to extend reach and influence.

What’s the best place you’ve been as a family?
Iceland made an indelible mark. Everywhere you look magic is happening in or above the ground. And you can’t put it all down to the elves! We spent seven weeks touring the country and taking cycle trips on some of its remote roads. We can confirm that the dream road was dream cycling. We also went white water rafting, glacier hiking and Icelandic horse riding. Icelandic horses are the perfect size for kids.

What’s the worst place you’ve been as a family?
We work hard to embrace anything and everything we encounter! There are no worst places – we often pull together best as a family when we are out of our depth or in challenging terrain or environments. We always figure as long as we have a tent and the kids with us we’ll be fine anywhere.

What makes the ideal family holiday?
Going somewhere new, doing something we’ve not done before, being active and outdoors. We are also pretty fond of cake.

Where haven’t you been that you’re desperate to get to?
Alaska and Greenland. Not necessarily in that order.

How do you like to work with PRs?
We love a collaborative approach. We love to bring our ideas and experience to contribute to campaigns or to shape them in a way which will appeal to our audiences and niche.

What is the one thing PRs should know about you?
You can rely upon us to deliver.

What are your favourite blogs to read?
Alastair Humphreys, Escape Artistes and Inside the Travel Lab.

Kirstie Pelling features on the Vuelio Media Database along with thousands of other bloggers, influencers and journalists.

Cold call

Is Cold Call PR Dead?

Most good PR professionals know how to work the phone and email, constantly pitching to journalists and editors and hopefully getting them to buy into whatever they have to say that particular day of the week. But is this style of ‘cold call’ or ‘drive by’ PR actually the most efficient or effective use of your time?

How many sales calls or email pitches do you personally ignore, cut-short, delete without a thought – before ploughing through your contact list blindly pitching in the hope that something sticks?

Here’s a hint. Journalists hate this cold approach to pitching. It is untargeted, untimely and ultimately does more to destroy your reputation than win any new friends for your clients. In some cases, persistent drive by pitching is borderline harassment. If it’s a practice you personally indulge in, you might find yourself wondering why your calls go unanswered and emails are never returned.

Hint: It’s not OK to get stroppy with a journalist because they never return your calls. If they have never really engaged with you before on a professional level – they really owe you nothing and if you continue to ‘spam’ them, your pitches will be treated as such.

So what’s the point of having a contact list if you’re not going to work it?

Well that depends on how you are going to work it.

A decent contact list should be seen as the starting point of conversation that leads to a real relationship – and make no mistake, a good PR relationship needs to be worked on.

Pick-up the phone or send an email – but before you pitch do your research, use Vuelio’s Media Database to check out your target contact’s social media profiles, scan their posts, read their articles and work out what makes them tick. Then when the time is right – contact them to ask a question and learn something new about them.

Compliment them, tell them you’ve enjoyed their work and ask them about what projects they are currently working on and if there is anything you can help them with – it’s amazing how, when you have this information to hand, great things can happen. In the perfect world you’ll have shared a cup of coffee with your contact (even if that coffee is shared on Skype) before you start pitching.

When you build relationships, phone calls get answered, emails get returned and cold call PR suddenly becomes warm call PR.

How have you nurtured your contact lists before going in for the kill and pitching?

Blogger Spotlight: Elliott Rae, MusicFootballFatherhood.com

Elliott Rae is the founder and editor-in-chief of MusicFootballFatherhood.com. The site covers a range of topics around fathers and their interests, with a small team of writers specializing in different areas. We caught up with Elliott who told us about his fatherhood community, the five things that help balance his work/life and being at ease with PRs.

How would you describe your blog?
MusicFootballFatherhood.com (MFF) is the UK’s first parenting and lifestyle platform for diverse fathers. It offers them a safe space to explore the roller coaster of parenthood through think-pieces, recommendations, conversations and community. We’ve been called the ‘Mumsnet for dads’ which pretty much describes what we are!

What prompted you to document your life as a father in a blog?
I started MFF when my daughter was three months old, on New Year’s Day in 2016. I had loads of questions about fatherhood and wanted to hear about others’ experiences.

I had all the normal questions that new parents have: ‘How were they managing with the lack of sleep and complete change in their lives?’ ‘How did their relationships with their partners change?’ ‘How did they adapt their working pattern to ensure they had a good work-life balance?’ All these questions were on my mind and while there were platforms out there with this content, none of the articles were written by people like me, for people like me. There was nowhere online that I felt I could read or discuss all the questions I had, so I started MFF to provide that space. Since then, the platform has grown into an established website with several contributors and a team who help me with marketing, strategy and management.

How do you help your readers in their journey as a parent?
We encourage and empower dads to be free to talk and read about things that are important to them; stuff like work-life balance, money management, relationships and, of course, music and football. We share stories from fathers through blogs, review family days out and parenting products via the #MFFrecommends series and host conversations in the community via the weekly #DaddyDebates Twitter chat.

What is a typical day in your life?
On a weekday my alarm goes off at 6.30am although I usually press snooze a couple of times so it ends up being around 6.45am when I actually get up! I then have a quick shower, change and race out the door to be at work for 8.00am.

I’ll do a day’s work (I have a very responsible corporate job) and try and get out of the office at 6pm. If I’m lucky I’ll see my daughter before she goes to bed. I’ll then usually quickly have something to eat, then work on the website for as long as I can before I get too tired! I work compressed hours which means I fit five days into four. So it’s long hours from Monday-Thursday but come Friday it’s daddy-daughter day and we have the whole weekend together as a family. This really works for me and means I can spend quality time with my family.

Fiday and the weekends are usually spent at various baby groups, birthday parties or other activities designed to make sure our daughter is tired enough to sleep come bed time!

How do you manage to balance your blogging career and being a father?
It’s tough! It takes a lot of dedication and I am tired a lot of the time but I love living life to the full which means taking advantage of every minute to do something fulfilling and productive. I’ve actually written a post about this very subject and there are 5 things that I think really help me to balance all my responsibilities.

  1. It’s about having a routine so everyone in the family knows what’s happening and who’s doing what, when. This really helps to plan stuff and makes sure I don’t double book!
  2. It’s all about teamwork! Sometimes my wife will cover for me and I’ll cover for her. It just depends what we have going on but as long as we communicate and support each other there’s always a way.
  3. It’s about being efficient. If I am writing an email or doing pretty much any other work-related activity, it’s about finding the best and quickest way to do it while still maintaining the desired quality.
  4. It’s about changing and evolving. When you have a baby for the first time it’s a massive change in your life and you need to adapt the way you do things. This doesn’t mean life stops, it’s just about doing things differently. Be smart about how you do things and anything is possible.
  5. Lastly, and sadly, I do unfortunately sometimes sacrifice sleep. I try to look after my health in general but there are the days when I get less sleep than I should so I can work on my website. I’m trying to get better!

What did you learn about yourself after becoming a parent?
Oh my gosh, so much. I think the main thing is patience. I think I was pretty patient before but parenthood really tests that and takes you to the brink, especially in the early months. I’ve learned to be self-reflective and think about my behaviour because I now have someone looking up and learning from me. It’s a massive responsibility but the greatest gift. Every time I look at my daughter I am just filled with so much love and amazement. Seeing her grow and learn is the best thing ever.

Elliott Rae and daughterWhat are the main challenges that fathers face?
I’ve got a few! I think discipline is a hard one. It’s tough to know when and how to discipline your child and it’s difficult to find that right balance between being an authoritative figure and a friend. I’m not sure anyone is really sure if they are getting it right but you just have to go with what you think is best for you and your child.

I also think work-life balance is quite difficult. Fathers often feel pressure to provide the best for their family so they work really hard to be able to do that. But that means missing out on being a present dad which can be difficult. I think there are things in place to help change this (like the Shared Parental Leave policy) but it’s difficult. I think those are the two challenges that most fathers will face but no doubt there are many more that are specific to everyone’s personal situation!

How do you like to work with PRs?
I like to work with PRs that really value the platform we have and understand what we are trying to achieve and what we stand for. I am generally flexible as to how we work with PRs but I think the main thing is just to have a nice human relationship with the PR company. Behind the platforms we are all just normal people so I really like it when I can be myself and have a laugh and joke while still being able to have serious conversations about T&Cs, expectations and money.

And how can PRs improve their blogger outreach?
Ermm, good question! I’ll talk about the experiences I‘ve had which have gone well. So where it’s worked is where the PR has taken the time to understand MFF and pitched a product or service that clearly fits with the platform. The approach has been nice and friendly but also succinct and clear about what the overall offer is. I like it when we can then work together to come up with a creative idea and then agree a fee and T&Cs. I think it’s really important with what happens after the campaign is finished too. I like to provide a report on how the campaign went and it’s always good to get feedback from the PR, this way we can both improve how we do things the next time and this usually results in us collaborating again!

What advice would you give to a new dad or dad-to-be?
To embrace it all and dive straight in! It’s so important to bond with your baby from the very beginning so my number one piece of advice is to immerse yourself in the whole experience and be as involved as you can. Even though you’ll be knackered it will be worth it in the long run because the bond you build with your child will see you through all the challenges that come in the months and years ahead.

What is it that helps you to cope when the going gets tough?
I really enjoy blogging and running MFF so I wouldn’t say things get tough in that area, if anything it’s supposed to be the stress reliever! But life can get tough sometimes and so I always make sure I take some time out. Whether that’s watching a movie or going to visit friends and having a drink, just switching off from it all for a while is really important for me.

 

Elliott Rae features on the Vuelio Media Database along with thousands of other bloggers, influencers and journalists.

Blogger Spotlight: Jo Morgan, Resourceaholic

Jo Morgan is the Top 10 Education Blogger who writes Resourceaholic. After spending seven years in the city, Jo retrained as a maths teacher and now shares ideas and resources on her blog to make other maths teachers’ lives easy. Here Jo told us about the recruitment crisis in education, the online maths teaching community and inspiring teachers.

How would you describe your blog?
My blog exists to make maths teachers’ lives easier. I write about my experiences in the classroom, reflecting on what works well and what I could do better. I carefully collate resources, ideas and information to support teachers, both in the UK and further afield.

Why did you start your blog?
During term time, a teacher’s workload is overwhelming and relentless – we rarely get time to reflect on our subject knowledge and think about whether we’re using the best explanations and resources. When I went on maternity leave in 2014 I took the opportunity to gather my thoughts. I started a blog to keep track of all the ideas that I wanted to try when I returned to work. Then I joined the maths teaching community on Twitter, and it was a revelation. Suddenly I was overwhelmed with ideas, advice, resources – it was amazing! I blogged about everything that inspired me. Three years later, I’m still doing that.

What’s the biggest issue facing education at the moment?
The challenges are plentiful! Speaking specifically about maths education, the recruitment and retention crisis is a huge concern. We simply can’t find suitable people to teach maths lessons. Official government measures mask the extent of the problem – in reality, many schools are really struggling to recruit and retain specialist maths teachers. This puts huge pressure on teachers, who are already buckling under the weight of a heavy workload, continuous curriculum change, serious budget constraints and challenging student behaviour.

Jo Morgan - Resourceaholic 2What’s the best thing about the education sector in the UK?
The collaboration is wonderful. In the last few years, social media has become a highly effective mechanism for sharing ideas and debating the big issues. This shift has hugely benefitted our profession. Teachers are now better able to keep up to date with research, to critically evaluate curriculum and pedagogy, to access new resources and to share best practice. In the best interests of their students, teachers now collaborate like they never could before.

What was your favourite lesson at school?
I did Politics at A level and a newly qualified teacher started teaching my class at the start of Year 13. He quickly realised that our knowledge of politics was awful, and he immediately threw his lesson plans away and started from scratch, explaining the very fundamentals of the political spectrum with expertise and enthusiasm. Suddenly I was filled with confidence and intrigue. It was probably one of the first lessons he ever taught as a qualified teacher and he’ll never know how much impact it had.

Who was your most inspiring teacher at school?
Every one of my teachers was inspiring in their own way. I had the same maths teacher for four years before he took a sabbatical – I remember him as highly knowledgeable, calm, well organised and utterly reliable. In terms of how I teach now, he was a huge inspiration to me.

What is your favourite post from your blog?
A few years ago, the Government launched the Maths Hub initiative and, perhaps understandably, it was met with a lot of scepticism from maths teachers. I went along to a hub launch event with low expectations and was pleasantly surprised when I came away buzzing with ideas. The post I wrote about this event Ideas from Shanghai set out mathematical ideas that my readers really enjoyed exploring. It generated a lot of discussion, and perhaps sparked some curiosity. It was the first post that got my blog noticed by teachers in the US.

How do you like to work with PRs?
My blog is just a hobby really… I don’t promote products unless they are free and I think they will genuinely be of interest to maths teachers and will benefit their students.

What one thing should PRs know about you?
I’m on Twitter all the time!

What are your favourite blogs to read?
Tom Sherrington’s teacherhead is one of my favourite blogs about education in general. It’s fantastic. I think that subject-specific blogs are incredibly important in our profession – blogs written by history teachers about teaching history, blogs written by English teachers about teaching English and so on. These blogs make a huge difference to what happens in our schools. I love all maths teacher blogs, including Mel Muldowney’s JustMaths blog, Kris Boulton’s blog …to the real and Mark McCourt’s The Emaths blog.

Jo Morgan features on the Vuelio Media Database along with thousands of other bloggers, influencers and journalists.

Iron throne

Can Vuelio win the Iron Throne?

The challengers to the Iron Throne are now in full combat mode as Game of Thrones Season 7 started this week.

But the burning question on everyone’s lips is, ‘what PR tools would benefit the respective kings and queens?’ Well ask no longer as here we present the top challengers and how they’d take over if only they had a good internet connection and a computer.

BEWARE: SPOILERS AND FRIVOLITY LIE AHEAD

Cersei Lannister – Influencer Rating
Cersei is the current ruler of Westeros so can call the Iron Throne her own. After destroying the Faith, and many of the country’s elite, her public stock is at an all-time low. An unpopular leader doesn’t bode well, often leading to riots and challengers to the crown – though Cersei has those in abundance anyway.

The main issue with Cersei as a Vuelio customer is she just doesn’t care. There’s very little to suggest Cersei wants to improve her standing with the public, using fear and secrets to keep the people in their place – so what good would Vuelio be?

Influencer rating
Vuelio’s unique Influencer Rating will give Cersei immediate access to the most popular people in Westeros and snuff them out before they become challengers. The influencer rating makes it quick and easy to find people who are influential by topic or outlet, allowing Cersei to quickly weed out her enemies. Cersei would obviously try all she could to manipulate the system so she was the only one with a score of 100, but as it is infallible she’ll have to settle for destroying the other influencers.

 

Jon Snow – Horizon Scanning
Jon’s had a mixed bag of public relations experiences – gaining support among many noble families who are happy to declare the honourable man ‘King in the North’, but struggling against those who believe he should never have let the Wildlings through The Wall (the ones who murdered him, for example). After his victory over Ramsey Bolton, he also has his cousin Sansa Stark to work with (while Littlefinger continues to whisper in her ear).

Horizon Scanning
Jon’s a busy man and has a number of competing priorities, that’s why he needs Vuelio’s Horizon Scanning. A custom report from the Vuelio team will give Jon everything he needs to know about his stakeholder community, including: key events among the noble families, the latest reports from his competition and Castle Black, and debates between allies and foes. Jon will then be equipped to take on all his challenges with one concise report.

 

Sansa Stark – Stakeholder Management
While Sansa doesn’t claim to desire the Iron Throne, Littlefinger’s persistent meddling is clearly niggling in her mind and she’s shown strategic brilliance before now that can’t be ignored.

Sansa wants her voice to be heard, and she’ll be making use of Vuelio’s engagement tools internally as much as externally.

Stakeholder management
Working closely with Jon, Sansa will be able to track every item of communication which comes from their joint claim to Winterfell. She’ll be able to see what messages Jon’s spreading and also log her own, so they can share the success as a team. This also means that next time there’s a battle, she doesn’t have to keep the Men of the Vale a secret.

 

Daenerys Stormborn of the House Targaryen, First of Her Name, the Unburnt, Freer of Slaves, Queen of the Andals and the First Men, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, Breaker of Chains, and Mother of Dragons – Media Monitoring
Daenerys is effectively entering a new market, bringing a new product (House Targaryen) and looking to quickly become the most-loved brand.

Waging war is tough, people die and the public’s emotions are up for grabs. Tackling the Lannisters head on will likely gain the Mother of Dragons early support but Westeros is bigger than King’s Landing and there are many other pretenders standing in her way.

Media Monitoring
Daenerys needs to keep track of her progress as she invades her homeland, monitoring all the coverage whether it is in Dorne or the Riverlands. Is her brand’s message being spread in the right way? Do people love the Targaryen name once again? With built-in sentiment tracking, Khaleesi will always know where she’s loved and where she’s not.

 

The Night King
The Night King doesn’t need PR software, he has influence over all the dead and in war, there’s a constant supply. Also, his icy touch would struggle to operate cutting edge software and at the moment Vuelio is only available south of The Wall.

Optimising content

How to optimise your blog post after publishing

Most businesses will already be familiar with the basic process of optimising blog content before it’s published. Keywords, meta descriptions and relevant H1 tags are all features of today’s content that brands and bloggers need to implement, but what about existing content that has already been published? Creating a blog post is only the beginning, there are multiple ways to re-use and enhance your content after it has been published.

Optimising existing blog content in order to drive traffic and achieve your marketing goals, can be broken down into two key steps: repurposing the content and promoting it.

Improving old blog content
The first step in optimising your existing content is to go back and give it a makeover. Just how much you change is completely dependent on the blog post itself – this could be a gentle refresh, while others may need to be repurposed to achieve a different outcome.

Identifying what content to improve
Identifying and refreshing old blog content can be a time consuming process, especially for company blogs which contain many blog posts. Prioritise your time by determining which posts hold the most potential and tackling those quick wins first. For instance, if an old blog post is ranking from #11 – #20 on Google for a high volume keyword, then traffic, engagement and conversions across your site could see an immediate boost if the post moves up to page one in the rankings.

How to refresh existing blog content
More often than not, a simple review of your old blog posts will present any standout issues. Start by analysing the post in terms of keyword relevancy and add well optimised headings if needed. It’s also a good idea to ensure that any data you’ve referenced is up to date. Finally, read any similar content that your competitors have posted, particularly those ranking higher than you. This should give you a good idea of where your own content could be improved.

Promoting existing blog content
While brands will share blog content on their social channels when it’s new and fresh, the hard work doesn’t necessarily stop there. Reviewing and sharing existing evergreen content is one way to ensure that your blog posts continue to drive valuable traffic to your website.

Content optimisation through social shares
Sharing old blog content on your social media channels not only alerts new followers to posts that may be of relevance to them, but keeps your social networks fed with applicable content. If the topic of a blog post you wrote five years ago finds itself in the news again there’s no reason not to share the content – once it’s been updated accordingly.

Content optimisation through backlink building
Generating a catalogue of high quality backlinks that point to your blog content is no easy task, yet it shouldn’t be overlooked if you want to get the uppermost value from your company’s blog posts. Once that publish button has been hit, be sure to send the link to any relevant parties and get your content seen. The Vuelio Media Database is a great source for finding bloggers and journalists interested in the content that you produce. Snag a backlink from a key influencer and your blog post will instantly grow in SEO value.

Engaging with new MPs after #GE2017

So, on the 8th of June, there’ll be some brand new faces sitting in Westminster. Knowing who they are, their political interests and, most importantly, the best way to engage with them is crucial to the success of your public affairs strategy in the coming parliament.

GE2017_WEBINAR

If you want to keep ahead of the game why not tune into our upcoming webinar ‘’Engaging with new MPs after #GE2017’’ for a complete guide to identifying, engaging and influencing the new MP intake which takes place on Tuesday 20 June at 11:00 am BST.

During the webinar we’ll be covering everything from:

  • Identifying the right MPs to engage with based on their political interests, such as select committee membership.
  • Access over 4,000 political contacts including MPs’ staff– the most effective way of reaching MPs.
  • Achieving ROI on your engagement with email tracking and comprehensive reports that measure the success of your campaigns.

Save your spot now on our up and coming webinar to see how our political database can help you!

The Dos and Don’ts of Social Influencer Outreach

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Influencer marketing is evolving – but are you left feeling like you’ve missed the boat or just can’t quite get it right?
 
PRs are still making mistakes when it comes to influencer outreach, and YouTubers, Instagrammers and influencers of all kinds are fed up.
 
Our tip sheet, ‘The Dos and Don’ts of Social Influencer Outreach‘ gives you all the essential and practical advice you need to start building authentic relationships with online influencers.
 
Download our tip sheet today and master influencer marketing.