Archive for: PR

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!

Eva Thompson created Eva and Amelia’s World to showcase the dog-friendly side of London. Joined by her Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Amelia, the pair visit parks, cafes and cupcake shops, as well as featuring the latest in dog products and accessories. We spoke to Eva about Amelia’s personality, why dogs are better than cats and how she works with PRs.

Has your blog changed from when you first started?
Unfortunately yes – I long to visit dog friendly cafes and restaurants just for fun again! Life has gotten so busy I really feel I need to refocus!

What’s the best thing about being a pet blogger?
It’s wonderful that people know your dog! It puts such a smile on my face.

How conscious are you of the animal’s personality as opposed to your own when writing?
Oh I very much consider Amelia and myself one and the same! Our personalities bounce off each other.

What’s better (and WHY) cats or dogs?
Oh… dogs!! Dogs will partake in all activities with you throughout the day. However, I must say, some cats are like that too – ragdolls in particular.

Did you have a pet growing up?
I’ve always had various dogs and horses.

What’s the best top tip you have for pet owners?
Spend as much time as you can with your pets – you’ll see the bad behaviours go away and how they adapt to whatever it is you want to do in the day.

How do you work with PRs and brands?
I love working with PRs! The best feeling is getting the same representative come back to you again and again for more work. It’s a great way to make friends in the industry.

What are the best collaborations you’ve worked on?
For me, the best collaborations aren’t the big pay check campaigns but the moderate ones that continue organically for months and months.

What other blogs do you read?
I must admit I tend to keep up with Instagram a lot more nowadays than I do websites. In general my interests are with human lifestyle blogs.

The Dogvine is written by Teresa Keohane as the ‘London Lifestyle Blog for the Urban Dog’. Highlighting the best dog-friendly cafes and restaurants, as well as reviewing the latest products and accessories, The Dogvine features Teresa’s 2.5 Brazilian dogs: Belinha, Moleque and Nina (who comes to stay) and was recently featured in the Top 10 UK Pet Blogs. 

We caught up with Teresa to find out more about the joy of dogs, the benefits of a pet plan at the vets and how PRs works with brands.

How has your blog changed from when you first started?
Everything has changed from the content to the look and feel! I’ve become much clearer about my blog’s purpose although I would still say this is naturally evolving. I’ve also recently started guest features from other London dogs, which has opened up a whole new part of my blog and has been an amazing experience getting to know other Londoners and their pups.

What’s the best thing about being a pet blogger?
Dogs, dogs and more dogs. My day job is not related to dogs at all so for me it’s a passion project and the chance to be creative about something I truly love.

How conscious are you of the animal’s personality as opposed to your own when writing?
Very conscious. Both for my own dogs and of other dogs that I feature. Dogs have such funny and individual personalities that make them so special, so I try my best to capture that on the blog.

What’s better (and WHY) cats or dogs?
That’s a bit unfair as I write about dogs! I love cats too, but dogs are my passion. Dogs truly are your best friend and there’s a human-hound bond that is undeniable. Cats are more independent creatures doing their own thing.

Did you have a pet growing up?
Yes, both cats and dogs and even some goldfish!

What’s the best top tip you have for pet owners?
Last year I signed both of my dogs up to a pet plan at my vet where you can pay one monthly fee which includes unlimited consultations as well as yearly vaccinations and flea and worm treatment. Especially when you have a senior pet, for me this makes a lot of sense both financially and emotionally. It wasn’t something I had previously been aware existed so worth asking your vet if they have one.

How do you work with PRs and brands?
It’s important to have a collaborative approach with PRs/brands to come up with a unique way of presenting the product or service that is genuine and fits with my blog. If a blogger just puts content out for the sake of it (or because it’s sponsored), people will see through that very quickly.

Get in touch and let’s see what amazing content we can create!

What are the best collaborations you’ve worked on?
I’ve been lucky enough to work with some great brands such as Airbnb which is probably my favourite collaboration since starting the blog. This year, one of my most enjoyable collaborations has to be our dog-friendly Go Boat London experience taking several London dogs on a boat down Regents Canal! I also enjoyed working on the recent Fizzy Living collaboration as both the brand and PR company were great to deal with and it felt very collaborative.

Do bloggers need their own industry association?
I think that would be a positive thing for sure as bloggers put in a lot of work to create amazing content and are often not recognised for it as they should be. Especially in a niche like pet blogging which is still developing compared to something like beauty and fashion.

What other blogs do you read?
Lots! Here’s a few… for dog design to aspire to it would be US blog Dog Milk (of course), for UK dog-friendly travel Steph and the Spaniels and for stories that warm your heart, Paw Post.