We're all influencers now

#FuturePRoof guide tackles influencer marketing governance for public relations

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#FuturePRoof has published a guide that addresses the need for influencer marketing governance in public relations, with clear guidance for practitioners and influencers. 

According to Markets & Markets the global influencer market is currently estimated to £4.5 billion in 2019.

The #FuturePRoof guide aims to give public relations a voice around the critical area of governance for influencer marketing. It’s a challenging area of practice that sits between marketing and public relations, and earned and paid media.

Click here to read the guide: We’re all influencers now. 

Sarah Waddington, founder and editor of #FuturePRoof said: ‘The #FuturePRoof guide highlights best practice for brands, agencies and influencers. Everyone involved in a campaign has a responsibility to adhere to relevant advertising and media law’.

In the UK influencer campaigns are governed by existing Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) and Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) laws. Chartered Institute or Public Relations (CIPR) and Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA) members are also covered by their own codes of conduct.

Francis Ingham, Director General of the PRCA said: ‘Influencer marketing is a burgeoning area of our practice, but the number of cases brought by the ASA and CMA proves that too many influencers and practitioners are falling foul of the standards we expect. All PR professionals working with influencers have an ethical duty to ensure they – and those they work with – comply with the law. The PRCA Code of Conduct compels professionals to deal honestly with the public – that includes being transparent over any commercial agreements with third parties. Failure to uphold these standards damages trust in our industry.’

The #FuturePRoof guide characterises the market, includes applicable media law and guidance from advertising, marketing and public relations. It covers guidance for campaigns where no money is exchanged, gifts in kind such as accommodation or travel, and financial payment.

The tension between earned and paid campaigns isn’t only a challenge for marketing and public relations practitioners, it has also led to influencers breaching advertising and trading standards law.

#FuturePRoof says that there is a growing need and opportunity for formal representation for influencers. What’s clear from the guide is that PR is in the best position to take ownership of influencer marketing, giving it both structure and clear standards for the benefit of business, influencers and the public.

Scott Guthrie, independent influencer marketing consultant and co-author of the guide, said: ‘The public relations industry has been slow to offer leadership on influencer marketing to practitioners and influencers. We’ve been here before with search engine optimisation (SEO), social media, and content marketing. It’s important that PR doesn’t miss out again’.

The guide has been written by Scott Guthrie, and independent influencer marketing consultant, and Stephen Waddington, managing director, Metia, and Visiting Professor, Newcastle University.

It includes contributions from Rupa Shah, Founder and Director of Hashtag Ad Consulting; Andrew Terry, Partner and Head of Intellectual Property & Media, Eversheds Sutherland; and Vuelio’s Jake O’Neill.

Vuelio is delighted to support the publication and will be hosting an exclusive webinar with Sarah Waddington, Stephen Waddington and Andrew Terry on 7 November. It is free to sign up, and if you can’t join us live a recording will be sent to all registrants after. Register here. 

influencer marketing and the law

Influencer marketing and the law

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Influencer marketing is an industry worth today some £4.5bn, expected to reach £18.4bn by 2024. It has grown fast, driven by an exponential take up of social media and explosion in online publishing across multiple channels.

From Facebook to Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and Medium, we’re in an age where seemingly anyone can be an influencer – whether an 18-year-old producing makeup tutorials in their bedroom or the 98-year-old Iris Apfel who was signed this year to IMG.

Inextricably linked to the rise of the internet and social media, influencer marketing is built on processes and ways of working that are themselves relatively new. We’re at the birth of an industry where influencers, from bloggers and vloggers to podcasters and Instagrammers, and the PRs, brands and marketers collaborating with them are still working out the rules and determining best practice.

To help you understand your responsibilities and how you can comply with the law, Vuelio and the CMA have put together an exclusive guide: Influencer Marketing and the Law, which outlines best practice for influencers, PRs and marketers.

It is full of practical guidance around consumer protection law, terms of contract, social media posts and disclosure tools, and can improve how you approach brand partnerships and help you to achieve best practice.

We’re also indebted to John Adams from Dad Blog UK, the guys at Daddy & Dad, Kate Everall from LesBeMums, Hayley Hall, Elle Linton from Keep it simpElle and Jo Middleton from Slummy Single Mummy, who have each contributed their own experiences of disclosure and compliance.

You can download the white paper here.

SocialBookshelves.com

Literature blog spotlight: Dane Cobain, SocialBookshelves.com

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Dane Cobain is the author of SocialBookshelves.com, a top 10 UK Literature Blog. A record of all the books Dane reads, SocialBookshelves.com covers every genre and each review is the same number of words as the number of pages in the book.

We spoke to Dane about the book community online, the future of blogging, his favourite new authors and how he likes to work with PRs.  

How do you describe what you do to other people?
This is a great question because I do quite a lot and different people know me for different things. For example, in my local open mic scene, I’m known as a singer/songwriter. First and foremost, I consider myself to be a writer, and so I tell people that I write books and blog posts for a living. Sometimes I’m writing for myself and sometimes I’m being paid to write for other people. So while I am a blogger, that’s not the only thing that I do. I wear a lot of hats!

How much of a community is there around literary bloggers?
For me, I think that it’s more that there’s an overall ‘bookish’ community. Most of the activity takes place on social networking platforms, so there’s a thriving ‘Bookstagram’ community and I myself make ‘BookTube’ videos and take part in the community there. Book Twitter is also thriving but I tend to avoid it as there can be a lot of negativity and there’s a tendency for people to go on witch hunts. At least from what I’ve seen of people talking about it on BookTube, even the people who take part in Book Twitter recognise that it’s kind of toxic at times, although it does of course have plenty of plus sides too. For bloggers, there might not necessarily be a community around blogging, but they’ll typically take part on another platform. For example, perhaps their blog also has a Bookstagram account and they drive traffic and engagement to their blog through that.

What’s the best thing about being a professional blogger?
I consider myself to be a professional writer, of which blogging probably makes up somewhere between 30-50% of my work. My own personal blogs etc. do bring in some income, but only a small proportion. But they do allow me to charge a premium for my services when I write blogs for other people. I’d have to say that the best thing is that I have a flexible job where I’m my own boss, I control my own destiny and I’m doing what I love. It feels as though everything is aligned, so whether I’m writing for myself or I’m writing for a client, I’m pushing my career in the right direction.

What does the future of blogging look like?
This is another good question and it’s a tough one to answer. I suppose that arguably the most important trend will be the diversification of the blogosphere. What I mean by that is that people of all walks of life and with all sorts of different interests will continue to be attracted to blogging, while new platforms will keep coming along to help power those blogs. Other than that, I don’t think anyone can really know what the future of blogging will look like.

What’s your favourite book of all time?
Every time I’m asked this question, I say that it’s Northern Lights by Philip Pullman. That’s because it’s the book that made me fall in love with reading in the first place.

If you could only read in one genre ever again, which one would you choose?
That’s a tricky one because I read across pretty much every genre. I’d probably have to go for the nebulous genre of ‘modern classics’.

Which new author should we be aware of?
How long have you got? I read quite a lot of indie authors and there are some fantastic up-and-coming writers who have far fewer readers than they deserve. One of my favourites at the moment is an author called Charles Heathcote, who’s written the Our Doris series. They’re basically humorous novels following an old northern couple called Doris and ‘Arold a little bit in the vein of Keeping Up Appearances. I very rarely actually laugh out loud when I read a book, but I did with the Doris books.

How do you work with PRs and brands?
I have a PR details page on my site and I’m listed on various media databases. I read all of the emails that I receive but I get so many pitches that I don’t reply to unless I’m actually interested, and these days I probably only accept maybe 2% of pitches. But I’m up for all sorts of things, from basic book reviews to author interviews, giveaways etc. I’ve also been lucky enough to go on some press trips including to York for York Literature Festival and to Latvia on behalf of the British Council to spread the word about Latvian Literature ahead of London Book Fair.

What advice do you have for PRs looking to get in touch?
The best thing to do is to email me. Bear in mind that I get a lot of requests, too. In fact, unless a book is super relevant to my interests then there’s not much chance that I’ll read it, so it helps to get a feel for the kind of stuff I like. It can also help if there’s something above and beyond just a book on the line – for example, I still have fond memories of a PR from several years ago who sent me a hot water bottle to go with the book so I could get cosy while reading it.

What other blogs do you read?
I actually don’t tend to read many blogs myself, but I follow a lot of people on Goodreads and watch a lot of BookTube channels. In fact, I think quite a lot of people who follow my blog actually mostly get updates from my Goodreads account, because I cross-post all of my reviews both there and on Amazon.

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Marcus Jaye

Men’s fashion spotlight: Marcus Jaye, The Chic Geek

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Marcus Jaye is The Chic Geek, cult fashion blogging sensation and author of Fashion W*nkers, a new book celebrating fashion passion. For Marcus, the title is a badge of honour and the book covers the dos and don’ts of making your way in the confusing world of style.

We spoke to Marcus about his book, sustainability in the fashion world and how he likes to work with agencies and brands.

Note: surprisingly, this post contains swear words.

How do you describe what you do to other people?
I’m a men’s style blogger under the guise of my alter ego, The Chic Geek. He’s got red hair and glasses, a bit like me, but is much better looking and funnier.

Can you tell us about your book?
My new book, ‘Fashion Wankers – It Takes One To Know One’, launches at the end of October.

Published by Ammonite, the idea is, in the age of Tom Ford’s ‘Fucking Fabulous’, ‘Eggslut’ and ‘Bollocks To Brexit’, the Fashion Wanker is the new fashionista. The truly stylish are the first to poke fun at themselves. It’s all about confidence and being able to laugh at yourself. It’s also a very British thing and what makes us leaders in fashion.

How did the book come about, did you pitch it or were you approached?
I pitched it. I had a previous book in 2011, but I wanted to write something new. This new book is for both sexes and looks at all the different contemporary Fashion Wankers there are and how you can be a better one. Being a fashion wanker is a good thing; a style badge of honour. I wanted to do something that was great for gifting and would put a smile on people’s faces. The world doesn’t need any more boring books.

Fashion Wankers

What was the best part of bringing the book together?
Trying to squeeze all my silly and funny fashion sayings in and celebrating the ridiculousness of fashion, the reason I love it so much.

How important is social media to modern bloggers?
It’s important because it’s your voice. It’s also your ears and eyes to see what is going on in the world. The only negative is the obsession with numbers and vanity side of it.

How significant is waste and sustainability in the fashion world?
Fashion and sustainability are never going to be fully compatible, but there are many things to be done to reduce waste and close the loop on fashion waste and things that are no longer desired. People, brands and companies are making the right noises, but, like with everything, it will come down to the economics.

Marcus JayeWhat’s your favourite item of clothing?
Ooh, that’s a tough one. I bob along on the fashion ocean and am always open to try new things. COS just gave me a trouser/half kilt combo, and, while I was slightly out of my comfort zone, I liked it.

If you had to give one piece of style advice, what would it be?
Don’t overthink it. Ask somebody who you trust and admire for advice. Sometimes it is about stopping wearing something – looking at you skinny jeans – rather than buying something new.

How do you work with brands and PRs?
I want to hear about everything. I particularly like things that are new and never been done before, especially in grooming. You can’t be rigid in this business. What I like/dislike today will be different this time next year. That’s what makes fashion and style exciting and exhausting…

What’s the best collaboration you’ve worked on with an agency or brand?
I really enjoy being able to come up with original concepts and ideas. The Chic Geek is over 10 years old now and I’ve done many collaborations over that time. The best ones are the ones which challenge you and start with a really strong idea. It helps if it’s fun too.

What other blogs do you read?
The men’s community is very supportive and we all see each other at events and launches. I like the ones who have a point of view and opinion and really say something (even if I disagree with it!).

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Mirjam Peternek-McCartney

Travel PR Spotlight with Lemongrass Marketing’s Mirjam Peternek-McCartney

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Lemongrass Marketing CEO and Founder Mirjam Peternek-McCartney has picked up a few travel trade tools during her 19 years working in comms, which includes time at Mangum Management in Germany, working with US account teams for MMGY Hills Balfour, and launching Lemongrass in Oxford in 2007.

Now counting W Dubai, Lanserhof and Martinhal resorts as clients, Mirjam works with high-end luxury properties and destinations with a ‘360-degree’ approach. We spoke to Mirjam about how she and her team tackle challenges, the advantages of keeping it in-house when it comes to travel and what she makes of hotel towel art…

Having worked in comms for 19 years, what have been the biggest changes you’ve seen in the industry, and what do you see as the next potential challenges for PR?
With the explosion of channels now available to consumers, the biggest challenge for travel brands and luxury hotels is to really understand how each of these impact the customer’s booking journey across all of those touchpoints – and to make sure they are present with messages that reflect the traveller’s intent and helping meet their particular needs.

Many hotels want to increase bookings in low season, and we have developed a proprietary methodology and process to identify potential bookers and capture their attention to achieve just that. A big challenge for the industry has always been how to measure what we do, providing proof of return on investment and how that translates into tangible business outcomes. With mobile and big data we are now, for the first time, able to do that – and that excites me! The shape and meaning of PR is involving and the future poses challenges – but I always think that along with all of those challenges, there will also be plenty of opportunities. As an industry we need to move away from a siloed way of thinking. Hotel PR, sales, marketing and reservations teams all need to collaborate more closely to ensure a seamless dreaming/planning/booking/sharing experience for the end consumer – the traveller.

Lemongrass boasts a ‘360-degree service’, with PR, sales, brand partnerships, and social teams – what are the advantages with having all of this in-house?
It comes back to what I mentioned above. We are luxury hotel marketing experts – this means we need to understand every touchpoint of the vastly changed customer journey in order to help our clients boost low season bookings, find hidden revenue opportunities (often where our clients haven’t looked before) and then translate those business challenges into meaningful campaigns across PR, marketing, social/digital, sales etc. This means we have a core team across all of those disciplines inhouse, and expert associates in super specialised areas that we draft in if we feel it is beneficial to the client. Our integrated way of working means more rounded campaigns, cross pollination of ideas, efficient, flexible and agile working practices, and ultimately heads on beds for our hotel clients, all year round!

Can you give us a few examples of particularly challenging/difficult briefs you’ve worked on in your time in the industry?
We’ve had some challenging briefs – of course! But interestingly, it’s never been the technical stuff. Challenging briefs usually had more to do with the fact that our values and those of the client didn’t align. We are fairly unusual in the travel marketing and PR world in that we speak the language of business and creativity, and always link the brief back to the core business objectives of the client. The clients we work best with really appreciate and understand that, and many have been with us from the very early years of Lemongrass Marketing, over a decade ago.

How does Lemongrass work with influencers and bloggers – despite some negative publicity around bad examples in recent years, how are these sections of the media useful for gaining cut-through for a hotel brand?
Influencers are a hugely important part of the customer journey, especially in the ‘dreaming’ and ‘planning’ stages of their holiday. It’s interesting that only 18% of all travellers are set on a hotel brand or destination when having an ‘I-want-to-get-away’ moment. In those moments, people are exploring destination options and ideas with no firm plans – people are looking for inspiration. That can come from a huge number of sources, including influencers.

However, it’s really important to define what we mean by influencers (they could be micro influencers, for example). Influencers may not even have an online presence; they could be people with a golden contact book of friends aka future hotel guests. We work with these ‘connected clans’ a lot, too. Ultimately, you need to do your research, be clear on the objective and deliverable, and advise your client accordingly. We get an influx of requests from influencers on a daily basis. Having put them through all of our analysis, research tools and database, we then only work with about 2% of them.

Moving to ‘traditional media’ – who are some of your favourite journalists in the travel/hospitality space, and why?
I always, without fail, read Sophy Roberts’ stories and the photography on her Instagram account is inspiring. Jane Anderson has an unparalleled knowledge of family travel, but then there are so many great travel journalists out there: Lisa Grainger, Jane Knight, Claire Irvin, Issy von Simpson, Francisca Kellett and lots of new talented writers coming through, too! I prefer straight talking journalists who know what they want and what they don’t want; it is easier for us to create tailored pitches and share stories that will resonate with them.

Many consumers will no longer stay in Trump-affiliated hotels, and chains owned by Brunei – what would you and Lemongrass do to turn around public opinion towards brands with a bad reputation? Do you think it’s possible to overcome political public opinion in the current climate?
I think public opinion can be a force for positive change. If there is a problem at a hotel that needs rectifying, then you must be transparent with your client. It’s no good brushing it under the carpet, throw PR budget at it and hope it’ll go away. It won’t – not in the days of social media. So, while I feel for all the people working at the Dorchester Collection – those hotels are impeccably run by professional and hardworking teams – I think it’s high time some governments stepped in to review their human rights record.

What are your aims for Lemongrass over the next five years?
As well as continuing on our organic growth trajectory, we are planning to become a B-Corp and are all incredibly excited about it. B-Corp is the Gold standard of socially responsible businesses and about creating a new kind of business that balances purpose and profit. As such, we are the perfect partner for sustainable hotels and hotel groups with a purpose and we would love to work with more of those.

And very important – what’s your take on towels shaped into swans on hotel beds? Do you think they should be in the bathroom?
Haha! I like animals, just not on hotel beds! I am not a fan of hotel towel art in any way, shape or form. But I’d love to see hotel guests reuse their towels more. The cost to the environment of daily towel changes is astronomical.

Find Lemongrass Marketing on Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram, and connect with top travel influencers and journalists on the Vuelio Media Database.

Online Influence Awards 2019

The Online Influence Awards: judges and host announced

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The finalists have been announced, top guests are booking up and the final nominations are coming in thick and fast – the Online Influence Awards are just 46 days away.  

We’re excited to announce that this year the Online Influence Awards will be hosted by critically-acclaimed comedian, Jen Brister, as seen on Live at the Apollo. Brister has recently released her first book The Other Mother and will be touring her latest show, ‘Under Privilege’ around the UK in 2020.

Later this month is the all-important judging day where our panel of experts will spend several hours, and numerous cups of coffee, deciding this year’s winners. The judging process is crucial to what makes the Online Influence Awards unique; we will never ask for public votes or make finalists work for their win, so every victor knows their triumph is truly deserved.

This year’s judges include: Lawrence Gosling, editorial director at Bonhill Media; Liz Wilder, head of financial services at Fleishman; Mike Harris, founder of 89UP; Scott Guthrie, influencer marketing expert; Stephanie Boland, head of digital at Prospect magazine; John Gregory-Smith, chef, author and presenter; Jo Parker, CEO of Chime Specialist Group; James Herring, co-founder of Taylor Herring; Dan Hudson, podcast co-host of A Gay and A NonGay; and Rahul Titus, head of influence at Ogilvy UK.

Nominations
If you think you can impress this panel of influencer experts there’s still time to submit your entry for our four campaign categories: Best B2B Influence Campaign, Best B2C Influence Campaign, Best Cause-Led Influence Campaign and Best Content Agency.

We’ve extended the deadline for entries until Friday 11 October, plus there’s no fee to enter and all shortlisted campaigns will receive a pair of tickets to the big night on Friday 22 November at the Bloomsbury Ballroom.

Tickets
We’ve also extended the deadline for our early bird ticket rate until Friday 11 October, so if you’ve not secured your place at the Online Influence Awards make sure you do it soon!

Best of luck to all our finalists and anyone entering the awards, we can’t wait to see you on the night.

John Roberston

Men’s Lifestyle spotlight: John Robertson, The Everyday Man

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John Robertson created The Everyday Man in 2012 and it’s now one of the top men’s lifestyle blogs in the UK. Covering everything from art and culture to fashion and grooming, John has built a loyal audience with his honest and insightful advice for the modern man.

We caught up with John to find out what it means to be recognized as one of the top 10 men’s lifestyle blogs, the future of blogging and social media, and one of his favourite collaborations.

What does it mean for you to be ranked in the top 10 men’s lifestyle blogs?
It’s a really nice feeling to be recognised for something that you love doing.  When I started The Everyday Man, it was my hobby so for it to have grown over the past eight years into what it is now is something that I still find had to believe.

How much of a community is there around men’s lifestyle bloggers?
I think the community is split into different groups dependent on niche and location. There are a few others who I’ve kept in touch with for a very long time and whom I enjoy chatting about projects and ideas with. This can be a quite a solitary job so it’s nice to have others in the same boat you can chat with.

Did we miss anyone?
There’s loads of guys out there doing great stuff but I think you definitely covered all of my favourites.

What’s the best thing about being a professional blogger?
It’s all pretty cool. I guess getting to test and trial products before they hit the market is very cool. I also love to travel and have been very fortunate to get the chance to head off to some rather cool places on work trips.

What’s does the future of blogging look like?
Who knows? I hope that we’ll start moving away from individual influencer social media style blogs and more into magazine format again as I’ve always preferred those.

What’s the best collaboration you’ve worked on with an agency or brand?
There are so many that it is hard to choose. Though I took part in a road trip with Mercedes last year over in Texas and that was a sure highlight. I got to drive an awesome car through some unbelievable landscape; it was extraordinary and I really loved the content that I gathered too.

What advice would you give PRs looking to get in touch?
Email is always best for me. It helped to be clear of your expectations and wishes from any partnership off the bat too. I hate the ping pong back and forth and I hate contact over social media (Instagram DM) even more.

How important are social media channels to your work, will they ever replace the blog?
For me the blog has always been and will always be my primary channel. Social is great too but I love having the space to really tell a story properly and find that easier on the blog itself.

What’s your favourite outfit?
My style is super classic (maybe boring to some). You’ll normally find me in black jeans or chinos, and a white or black t-shirt. I recently picked up a new jacket from Belstaff as part of a collab though and I love it.

What other blogs do you read?
I love Hypebeast as I’m big into my sneakers and they always have the news on the latest drops.

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Pulsar Access Intelligence

Access Intelligence acquires Pulsar to accelerate social media capability

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Access Intelligence, the parent company of Vuelio, has acquired Pulsar, the leading insights and social listening company.

Pulsar uses AI to analyse conversational and behavioural social media data to help brands understand their audiences and create impactful content.

It will join the Access Intelligence portfolio of products that enable businesses to understand, target and engage key opinion leaders according to their brand, product or industry. This includes Vuelio, the platform that helps organisations make their stories matter, and ResponseSource, a network connecting journalists and influencers to the resources they need, fast.

The deal will drive improvements in our capabilities, notably in trend forecasting, social listening, audience segmentation and evaluation including campaign attribution. The combined customer base will now include more than 3,500 global brands, as well as over 200 employees across London and the US.

Joanna Arnold, CEO of Access Intelligence said: ‘Pulsar is the best enterprise social intelligence platform in the market and a great addition to the Access Intelligence Group. This acquisition will enable us to keep our clients ahead in a world where influence shifts in real-time across multiple channels.’

Joining Access Intelligence will allow Pulsar to create a proposition directly connecting insight generation to marketing strategy and activation, while unlocking opportunities to reach new audiences.

Francesco D’orazio, CEO of Pulsar said: ‘Access Intelligence is an ideal new home for Pulsar, and their focus on SaaS makes them a great strategic partner to scale the business and expand our footprint in the PR and communications industry’.

The deal took the form of stock-swap between Access Intelligence and Cello Health, Pulsar’s previous owner. Cello Health will be retaining an interest in Pulsar through Consideration Shares.

PRCA Legal Group’s Meet the Legal Editors

What journalists want from PRs

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What makes a good story to pitch to legal journalists? It’s not as straightforward as you might think, according to the panel at the PRCA Legal Group’s Meet the Legal Editors event.

Legal Group Chair Gus Sellitto of Byfield Consultancy led a discussion with Rose Walker, news editor at Legal Week; freelance journalist and former barrister Catherine Baksi; Eduardo Reyes, features editor at the Law Society Gazette; and James Booth, a reporter at City A.M. covering legal and insurance topics.

No matter what industry you’re working in, the panel’s advice can be used by PRs to shape their pitch and build meaningful media relationships.  

Like any other area of PR, know your audience and understand what they want 
Catherine Baksi said that as a freelance journalist she needs to know the publication thoroughly in order to sell a story and PR professionals need to do the same – read several issues, know the audience inside out, and be certain that the story you pitch is what you would expect to read in that publication. When she’s writing for the national press, she’s looking for a wider consumer angle or impact.  

James Booth also said his readers aren’t focused on legal intricacies. They’re in a hurry and have little specialist knowledge or interest in law firms so they want to hear about City scandals, pay-outs and financial angles, or huge court cases and appeals rather than corporate news. However, both Rose Walker and Eduardo Reyes had recently turned down stories around divorce law as their readers focus on corporate law, or are already clued up on family law. 

What makes a good story for the legal press? 
Scandals; ‘firsts’ like a ruling, case or failure that has happened for the first time; and exclusives, particularly if it offers novelty or controversy. Your story needs to be fresh and not something that’s ’months old’ or has been used recently, even in another publication – again this is where being familiar with the outlet you’re targeting will help. (Eduardo Reyes said if you can get a picture of dog in the story, that will help…).  

The difficulty with good quotes 
James Booth said that he will often turn to a reliable source he can trust to offer quotes that are colourful, challenging or entertaining as well as accurate – and that this is easier said than done. Eduardo Reyes reminded PRs to brief their law firm clients that while accuracy is crucial, media quotes don’t need as much precision as when offering legal advice. Catherine Baksi also asked for novel, interesting and succinct quotes in plain language, from spokespeople confident about speaking to the media. Both Baksi and Reyes warned against asking to check quotes or headlines – both time and ethics mean this is impossible. Another tip was to remind clients to sound ‘more like a person than a lawyer’ and avoid starting quotes with bland clichés like “I’m delighted…”.  

One audience member said that it can be difficult to get a client to accept their PR expertise to make a quote interesting and not just accurate. The panel suggested asking further questions can help to get an interviewee to say something in a different way and result in a quote that’s more punchy, non-generic and easy to digest – and ultimately one that’s more headline-worthy. Going back to your client and saying confidently ’this is what the journalist says they need’ can help.  

What does ’exclusive’ mean to a journalist and when can you offer an exclusive to another journalist? 
This is all about honesty and clarity. The panel agreed that an exclusive doesn’t come with qualifiers – it means it’s something that’s not been covered before, in any sector or outlet, and you’re sharing it with that journalist or publication alone. However, you can give a clear deadline so that if they aren’t interested or can’t use it, you can offer it to another outlet. If you offer an exclusive to a journalist and they accept, you should commit to that or it can damage your relationship with that outlet or journalist in the future. 

This also applies to your own company or client blog. The panel again agreed that you should offer news first to journalists, who don’t have time to monitor individual websites. If a journalist picks up your story (including appointments, reports, or opinion pieces) you’ll reach a wider audience than if you post it on your company blog or website first. 

The mechanics of pitching 
Give plenty of thought to your email subject line – this helps a journalist decide quickly on whether they want to use your story (or find out more). This should contain the sexiest bit and the first line should sum up the story. Catherine Baksi said it’s important for there to be contacts available to answer further questions after you send out a story. If you’re offering a range of spokespeople on a topic, partners can be more confident and quotable than associates who may lack confidence, but fresh and diverse voices are also good for journalists.  

Building a relationship with journalists 
All the panel agreed journalists are increasingly short of time, especially with the ’24-hour deadlines’ culture of online content. Email overload is still a problem and at the same time they’re monitoring social media for trends and stories and facing more scrutiny. However, you can support your journalist contacts by following them and sharing their content on social media (just don’t DM/@ them unless they say that’s their preference – a well-targeted email or phone call remains the best way to contact them).  

Meetings in person need to be brief (coffee rather than lunch), convenient (near to their office) and have a point. Rose Walker said one hour out of the office can mean missed deadlines or losing the opportunity to make several phone calls so it’s important that the journalist gets something concrete out of a meeting – for legal PRs that could mean bringing one of the firm’s partners along.  

Do: 

  • Do read the publication you’re targeting  
  • Do follow the journalists you want to work with on social media (and a retweet doesn’t go amiss) 
  • Do support your client to come up with colourful, succinct quotes  
  • Do ‘treat journalists like human beings and they’ll reciprocate’ 

Don’t: 

  • Don’t ask to check the quotes 
  • Don’t offer an exclusive that’s not exclusive 
  • Don’t use jargon (either PR or legal) 

Vuelio can help you identify the journalists, outlets and influencers relevant to you and your clients. This allows you to quickly target contacts and build new, lasting relationships based on a genuine understanding of what journalists want from you. Find out more. 

 

(Image by kind permission of Byfield Consultancy – http://byfieldconsultancy.com) 

Online Influence Awards 2019

Online Influence Awards nominations deadline extended

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The Online Influence Awards are the first UK Awards designed to celebrate the very best in influence, insight and intelligence from across the world of vloggers, bloggers, Instagrammers, podcasters and campaigners.

Alongside subject categories, from lifestyle and fashion to tech and politics, this year we’ll also reward the best online influence campaigns from organisations and agencies. We want to celebrate the hard work of those reshaping public debate using the power of online influencer marketing.

Taking place on 22 November, the Online Influence Awards are the only UK awards for influencer marketing that combines quantitative analysis with peer review and as such becomes a mark of excellence that distinguishes the high quality of winners’ work.

Nominations are open for agencies and in-house teams with no fee for entry. The new deadline for submissions is Friday 11 October, download your nomination forms here.

The categories are:

Best B2B Influence Campaign
Recognising the very best online influence campaign targeting B2B audiences in 2019.

Best B2C Influence Campaign
This category rewards the very best consumer focused influence campaign in 2019 based on creativity and impact.

Best Cause-Led Influence Campaign
This has been created to recognise the most impactful cause-led online influence campaign for 2019.

Best Content Agency
The award for best agency with a specialism in online influencer marketing able to demonstrate sustained excellence in strategy, business development, talent retention and campaign delivery.

For inspiration, check out our top tips for writing award-winning nominations here.

Good luck!

Labour Conference

A deputy leader coup, Brexit position and Supreme Court decision: Labour Party Conference 2019

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The Labour conference in Brighton was overshadowed by three factors: an attempted coup on the eve of conference to abolish the post of Deputy Leader; a fraught debate over the party’s Brexit position in the upcoming election; and, most spectacularly, the Supreme Court decision on Tuesday morning that ruled the Government’s prorogation of parliament was void and of no effect.

This unanimous judgement by the 11 Supreme Court Justices had a serious impact on the duration of the Labour conference, as it meant that the leader’s speech was brought forward a day to Tuesday afternoon.

Jeremy Corbyn’s speech began with a call for the Prime Minister to resign following the Supreme Court ruling. He said: ‘Let me send this message to Boris Johnson: if you still lead your party into an election, we know your campaign will be swimming in cash.

‘But we’ve got something you haven’t – people in their hundreds of thousands rooted in all communities and all age groups across Britain and we’ll meet you head on with the biggest people-powered campaign this country has ever seen. And if we win it will be the people who win’.

Corbyn promised a radical programme, not least the nationalisation of mail, rail, national grid and water. He also pledged to make research funding conditional on firms providing cheaper drugs and the establishment of a publicly-run firm to produce generic medicines. This followed a long running campaign to ensure the drug Orkambi is available on the NHS for sufferers of Cystic Fibrosis and other conditions.

Many MPs then left Brighton one day early to ensure they were able to sit in the Commons from 11.30am on Wednesday.

This last minute change to the agenda meant that Deputy Leader Tom Watson waived his deputy leader’s speech slot and even though he was apparently offered a chance to speak on Wednesday, he declined, tweeting: ‘I’ll have to save the speech until the next conference.’

The Momentum-led attempt to abolish Tom Watson’s position as deputy leader, was designed to remove him from post after policy differences with Jeremy Corbyn as well as his position on Brexit. Jeremy Corbyn ensured that this row did not completely dominate the conference and stepped in, personally proposing a review of the role rather than an outright vote on immediate removal of it.

The conference itself gave Labour the opportunity to set out a bold programme for Government including John McDonnell’s pledge that Labour would implement at 32-hour working week within the next decade: ‘It will be a shorter working week with no loss of pay’.

He added that a Working Time Commission would be set up to give people more power over their working lives.

The Shadow Chancellor added that the main challenge for an incoming Labour Government would be to ‘rebuild local democracy, rebuild those local council services decimated by the Conservatives and, yes, the Lib Dems as well when they were in Government.’

He also pledged to fund personal care, free at the point of use in England, to be funded through a fair taxation system.

Shadow Foreign Secretary, Emily Thornberry, used her speech to attack Boris Johnson who she shadowed during his tenure as Foreign Secretary: ‘In my entire time in parliament I have never shadowed anyone so lazy, so incompetent, so deceitful and reckless. So utterly unsuitable for the job of Prime Minister’.

Among other key note speakers, Shadow Business Secretary Rebecca Long Bailey said that an incoming Labour Government would usher in ‘a new era of public luxury’ after decades of deindustrialisation. She promised additional investment in offshore wind farms and electric car production.

Shadow Environment Secretary Sue Hayman’s speech covered food waste, food banks and improving the UK’s animal welfare standards. She said: ‘Today, I am announcing that the next Labour Government will introduce a Right to Food embedded in UK law, underpinned by an over-arching national food strategy. We will introduce a Fair Food Act.’

Much attention was given to a motion passed by conference delegates to commit the party to integrate private schools into the state sector. While this motion wasn’t directly referred to by Jeremy Corbyn in his speech, it is more likely that independent schools would lose their charitable status, other public subsidies and tax privileges, if a Labour Government was elected.

The party’s Brexit position was thrashed out on Monday with a heated debate in the conference hall, and despite senior shadow Cabinet members John McDonnell, Emily Thornberry, Keir Starmer and others saying they would campaign to remain, delegates instead voted in favour of a motion proposing Labour stays neutral on Brexit in the upcoming general election with a special conference to debate the issue after the general election and before a second referendum has taken place. Senior Labour spokespeople and candidates were surprised by this result and many implied it would be difficult to defend and explain on the doorsteps in the general election, which lies ahead.

I suspect the Labour leadership will be pleased that the party can maintain some neutrality on Brexit in a general election campaign and aim to reunite the country once a new referendum has taken place, offering a credible leave option alongside Remain. Whether this compromise is enough to hold together the Labour family of leave voting heartlands in the north, midlands and south Wales as well as its metropolitan and diverse remain leaning seats, is still to be seen. Clearly the party hopes to limit the loss of Labour votes to either the explicitly pro remain Liberal Democrats or to the no-deal supporting Brexit party.

Carole King

Interiors spotlight: Carole King, Dear Designer’s Blog

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Carole King is top interior design blogger behind Dear Designer’s Blog. Sharing her design inspirations, Dear Designer’s Blog has trends and advice for anyone to transform their home. We spoke to Carole about the future of blogging, her style and her open invitation to PRs.  

Carole King 2019 How do you describe what you do to other people?
I tell them that I write about interior design and try to inspire others to create their own beautiful homes.

How much of a community is there around interiors bloggers?
I met some of my best friends through blogging. Interiors bloggers are very supportive of each other. My passion is interiors but as a blogger you have to know a lot about everything – IT, social media, marketing – and most of it I have learned through speaking to other influencers.

What’s the best thing about being a professional blogger?
The freedom to work on the projects that interest me the most. And it may not be for everyone but I like working from home.

What’s does the future of blogging look like?
A very good question. If I’d know 10 years ago, when I started, how much the industry would change in that time, I wouldn’t have believed it!

How do you describe your style?
It’s quite eclectic. I like bold wallpapers, and anything quirky. But I also believe in working with what you have instead of buying new all the time. It results in an interior that is very personal.

What’s your favourite room in the house?
My bedroom. It’s the top floor of a town house so it’s spacious and quite indulgent. I have an en-suite bathroom and dressing area and I’ve painted the bottom half of the walls black.

Carole King 2019How long do you leave a redesign before wanting to do it again?
Almost immediately. It’s an occupational hazard. I can always see room for improvement, but time and budget restraints mean I have to wait a few years.

What’s the best collaboration you’ve worked on with an agency or brand?
There have been lots, but I always love a collaboration that involves interiors and travel. My two passions.

What advice would you give PRs looking to get in touch?
Just do it. I’m always open to ideas.

What other blogs do you read?
My Scandinavian Home, The Style Files, That’s Not My Age, sfgirlbybay and Emily Henderson are my current favourites.

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Besma Whayeb 2019

Green blog spotlight: Besma Whayeb, Curiously Conscious

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Besma Whayeb is the author of Curiously Conscious, a top 10 green blog. A Green Action Ambassador for Defra, Besma covers ethical lifestyle topics so everyone can make kinder choices for the planet.

We caught up with Besma to find out how the conversation around climate change is evolving, her favourite campaigns she’s worked on and the Ethical Influencers platform she set up.

How do you describe what you do?
I tend to introduce myself as an ethical fashion and lifestyle blogger, and depending on who I’m talking to, clarify what that means! At its core, my role is to share kinder ways to live that benefit the reader, the planet and fellow people too.

How important is social media to your blog – are any channels more important than others?
Social media is half of my job – the other half being writing and curating my blog. I use my blog to share my thoughts and content, and social media to communicate that far and wide. It’s the way I connect with my readers and the eco community online.

Climate change is in the news a lot, do you think it’s getting the attention it needs?
It’s great to see climate change being spoken about almost daily now – although I do worry that I find myself an echo-chamber prioritising climate collapse above all else. The attention levels are there, but what we need now is action.

What do you think Extinction Rebellion and Greta Thunberg have done for the conversation?
XR and Greta Thunberg have elevated and changed the conversation around climate collapse – they’ve made it a priority, through very different ways, and with very different audiences. To see groups of non-violent protestors and masses of school children take to the streets to voice the need to prioritise the environment above all else shows it really does affect everyone, and we all need to be supporting the movement.

Who is ultimately responsible to make change?
We all are, but I do worry that we as individuals are being made to feel responsible about everything. Eco perfectionism is not possible right now, when we need systemic change. Business and politics need to lead the change.

What are the most important steps people can take at an individual level to be more green?
Assess what you can do in your life to make a positive impact, and turn those changes into habits. At the same time, share what you’re doing with friends, family, or even through a blog of your own. Speak to your local politician, and contact brands when you’re unhappy with their products or practices.

Besma Whayeb 2019

What advice would you give PRs and comms?
I’ve been writing my blog for five years now, and while there is less in the way of ethical and eco influencer campaigns, I’ve certainly enjoyed working on many of them – from boutique ethical brands through to giant homeware stores. My best recommendation is to ensure two things are clear with any campaign: the positive impact and the compensation for working with you. Just because a campaign is doing something positive, doesn’t mean I can afford to work for free.

What are the best campaigns you’ve collaborated on?
This past year, I’ve enjoyed working with IKEA on their Live LAGOM campaign – lagom means ‘just enough’ in Swedish, so each month I tried a new challenge to reduce my own impact (be it electricity bills, heating, or growing my own herbs) with varying success! It was a fun one to be part of.

I also recently went paddle-boarding and litter picking with REN Skincare and Plastic Patrol, which was so much fun, and made for a really great awareness campaign.

And for Fairtrade Fortnight, I created a piece all about Fairtrade fashion featuring samples from People Tree. It was something I’d been wanting to explore for a while, and I felt like it was totally fitting for a brand that does so much in the ethical fashion space.

What other blogs do you read?
So many blogs. I compiled a list of 100 ethical blogs I love a while ago, and have since set up the Ethical Influencers platform, to support and showcase similar content creators.

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Carl Thompson 2019

Men’s fashion spotlight: Carl Thompson

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Carl Thompson is the man behind the top 10 eponymous men’s fashion blog. Also the founder of menswear label Hawkins and Shepherd, Carl covers everything from fashion and style to grooming and lifestyle.

In this spotlight, Carl tells us about being in the Top 10 Men’s lifestyle Blogs, the future of blogging, his favourite outfit and how he likes to work with PRs and brands.

What does it mean for you to be ranked in the top 10 men’s lifestyle blogs?
When I first started writing the blog I was really only documenting my personal style journey. Blogging was a thing but not the beast it is today. In a way it’s come full circle. I know bloggers that would just rather be Instagrammers now and not bother with the writing part. For me, I love it. It’s a way of processing the information and digesting it. If I can write about it then I can learn easier, research better. Being recognised by Vuelio is just the icing on the cake. It encourages me to keep going.

Carl Thompson 2019 How much of a community is there around men’s lifestyle bloggers?
There is a real sense of community now. Earlier in the year there was a bit of a backlash against bloggers and influencers in general. I think we’re an easy target in many respects. We’re putting ourselves out there every day on social media. We’re offering social commentary and we’re not immune to criticism. So when the community comes under attack, it galvanises us. That’s why you’re seeing a lot of people actively promoting mental health awareness. It’s more important now than ever because our problems are no longer how do we outrun the sabre tooth tiger back to the cave, it’s how do we deal with passive/aggressive or just out right negativity on social media.

Did we miss anyone?
I think that’s a healthy list. I think Ben Heath from Twenty First Century Gent has an awesome blog. I’m all about the imagery as well as the content and I think Ben’s site is just beautiful. For up and comers you might want to keep an eye on Darren Branch who is making waves and Pete Brooker who has just launched From Tailors With Love, a blog that looks at style through the eyes of James Bond.

What’s the best thing about being a professional blogger?
The best thing for me is the opportunity to learn more about the industry I love. It opens a lot of doors. I interviewed a French Poker Star in Barcelona who barely spoke English. But I learnt about his journey, surviving a car wreck, becoming a father and going on to be mega star. It’s great.

What’s does the future of blogging look like?
Video. I will still write blogs because it’s a process for me. It’s something I can’t stop doing. But I truly believe we’re living in a more visual environment. If you want to learn something you’ll watch it on YouTube.

So for blogging, maybe it will become less informational and more story telling. More personal. But this is just conjecture.

Carl Thompson 2019

What’s the best collaboration you’ve worked on with an agency or brand?
I’ve just recorded a commercial for Andrex where I got to spend a day surrounded by Andrex Puppies. That was like a day out for me. Loved it. Most of the car reviews are the best because you get to travel and drive amazing feats of engineering. Driving in London is joyless, so I always look forward to the car ones.

What advice would you give PRs looking to get in touch?
Take a look at my Instagram page first. I get some crazy offers from whacky clothing companies (which is fine) but I can’t help but think they’re wasting their own time. I don’t wear novelty suits. One PR company sent me a present for Charlie (my dog) before they even got in touch with me. That certainly got my attention.

How important are social media channels to your work, will they ever replace the blog?
They won’t replace my blog but I can tell you some bloggers I know are thinking of hanging up the typewriter. I’d be wary of doing that. Hanging all your hopes on one channel, be it Instagram, YouTube etc, erodes your autonomy. If that platform goes down or changes the rules of the game, your livelihood could be directly affected. Just look at what’s happening right now with the Instagram algorithm.

What’s your favourite outfit?
My favourite go-to outfit will always be one that features my Hawkins & Shepherd cashmere camel coat. It looks great even over a denim shirt. If I were a chef this would be my signature dish. If I were a footballer this would be my 30-yard worldy. (You get the idea).

I also love this outfit for every day client meetings. The blue flannel double breasted suit is from Suit Supply about four years ago. It’s just lasted so well. I keep waiting for something to fall off or come apart, but it’s stayed the course brilliantly.

What other blogs do you read?
First thing in the morning I always like to read a couple of blogs over coffee. The ones I’ve already mentioned. Mr Porter pumps out consistently good content. As does The Rake of course. I get a lot from Instagram, which might point me to various blogs. Then I often watch some style Vlogs and finally shop around some faithful e-commerce stores to see what’s on sale. Yes Reiss. Yes Zara. Yes Marks & Spencer.

Reach-the-right-influencers-with-the-Vuelio-media-database

Think’s Jackie Scully on Influence, her marathon wedding and five inspirational challenges

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Jackie Scully is the deputy managing director of Think, the membership publishing agency behind CIPR’s Influence magazine. Known for pushing boundaries, Influence has won a heap of industry awards and is often recognised for its cutting-edge approach to the medium of print.

Jackie is not only known for being a driving force professionally at Think but also using that infectious energy to push personal boundaries, defeating cancer and achieving incredible feats of endurance at the same time.

We spoke to Jackie about her work with Influence as well as her extraordinary personal story and using her platform to raise money for charities, including her five challenges to mark five years clear of cancer.

Anyone wishing to donate to Jackie can do so here.

How does Influence fit in with your other magazines, and how does it stand out?
Influence is unlike any other magazine I’ve ever worked on. This is a membership magazine that isn’t afraid to push the boundaries – to the point that even editorial planning meetings are challenging. This is a magazine that swears and puts a picture of marijuana on the cover (I drew the line at scratch and sniff for obvious reasons), manipulates its magazine tagline (a sacred constant) to get its point across, gave column inches to (whisper it) Katie Hopkins and is the proud owner of its very own signature theme tune (linked to a piece around the power of sonic branding). I have genuinely lost more sleep over this magazine than any other project (for all the right reasons). But, when you take risks, you reap the rewards (in terms of reader engagement and awards). You should see the awards shelf!

Influence magazine

What’s the importance of Influence to the PR industry?
Influence is a daring, intelligent and playful magazine with a serious point (or points) to make. PR professionals need new skills to futureproof themselves, for example, so we don’t just talk about the future, we actually roll up our sleeves and test it out (the world’s first-ever video cover for a membership magazine is a good example of this). More importantly, after working hard in the early years to establish the brand, we are now in a position to open doors few can – and tell brilliant stories that give the industry profile.

Who did George Osborne speak to for his first interview as editor of the Evening Standard? Influence (and it got a mention on the Today programme). Who was allowed to do a photo shoot with a Barbie and a mini magazine, getting behind the scenes at a famously-secretive company in the process? Influence. This credibility meant that when we launched a mental health campaign this year (in light of statistics revealing a growing concern in this area for PR professionals), included a blank spread in the magazine, a near-blank cover and encouraged people to take ten minutes out of their day to join our #influencetakesten initiative, we had a reach of more than 1.3m.

What’s your role with the magazine?
The buck ultimately stops with me as publisher of the title, which means that when an illustration about rebranding Saudi Arabia hits my desk, for example, I don’t just think ‘that’s bright and colourful’, I think ‘lose the weapons’. With a magazine that makes a point of going further than everyone else, I do have to spend a lot of time holding my nerve – while also organising and pushing the team, managing deadlines, budgets and paper orders and ensuring revenue targets are hit, all while  thinking strategically about the future. The best part of my role is challenging the team to think bigger in every planning session. It has led to some really creative thinking and I am proud to play a small part in making that possible.

Jackie weddingYou’re an incredibly inspirational person, if you don’t mind me saying. Can you tell us about your wedding?
Well, I am not sure about that, but thank you for saying so. I guess, the way I see it, any inspiration I provide is purely accidental. My wedding (in my head) was supposed to be an edible affair (think edible invites, centrepieces, favours etc) to support the fact there is a lot of baking in our house. But, after waiting 13 years for a proposal and then getting diagnosed with breast cancer just three weeks later (at the age of 32), everything changed. I started running through treatment (with a hip full of metal following completely-unrelated surgery in my 20s) to prove to my body I was done with it throwing major health obstacles in my path. I ended up doing my first-ever 10k for charity just a week before my last chemo.

So, when my treatment finished and my boyfriend hinted at the wedding plans, I said there was only one way to do it – and that involved running and fundraising. So, on 23 April 2017, my husband and I became the first couple in the world to get married on the Cutty Sark before the London Marathon, run the marathon and then trek the Great Wall of China for honeymoon. It was an incredible moment in our lives (David Seaman’s wife Frankie – of Dancing on Ice fame – even made my wedding dress).

And now you’re doing five challenges, and are already on number five?
Yep, to celebrate being five years clear of cancer, I decided not to go down the pub, but instead attempt five massive endurance events to try and raise £5k for five amazing charities (all the fives!) that supported me through treatment and are doing amazing things every day for those facing serious illness. So far, I’ve walked 66 miles round the Isle of Wight (it took 28 hours and was brutal), completed a 70.3 ironman in 8hrs 50m, climbed Ben Nevis and ran a 34-mile ultramarathon up and down the cliffs of the south coast. Now all that stands between me and that ultimate finish line is a 137-mile Coast to Coast cycle across the UK.

I am so grateful (and proud) that my body is still in one piece with just one challenge to go. It has been tough. I think I might even be the first woman in the world to have run an ultramarathon with my rather colourful health history. How cool is that? (or maybe stupid depending on your appetite for long-distance anything).

The big five for blog

What’s going through your mind when you’re doing these incredible endurance events?
When it gets really tough, I remind myself of those who are less fortunate. I have lost so many friends to cancer (under 40). I know people who struggle to walk up the stairs (and having had to learn to walk again in my 20s, I know how demoralising that can be). I know that pushing myself and moving forward helps other people move forward. So, I just keep going. I also try not to think about the distance or the time (thanks to the guy on the microphone at one event, who pointed out loudly that in finishing a 21k stage walking, we only had another 85k to go)! And, most importantly, I think about all the food I can eat at the end without even the smallest hint of guilt.

Jackie

How important do you think it is for other people to see what you’ve achieved?
What makes me smile so much is thinking that by pursuing my own edges (and I haven’t found them yet, yay), I have, in some small way, motivated other people to do the same – whether that’s a couch to 5k or doing their first-ever running race. I have seen what exercise can do to change the course of a day and it feels amazing to think that I have helped other people carve out time and space for themselves. While gifting our wedding to charity was a wonderful experience, it was the hope we offered to those struggling with illness and mobility that meant the most. One woman, who heard the story and saw me running, decided to get out of a wheelchair and walk for the first time in a year. Her daughter wrote to me the day after the marathon and said that I’d given her a hope she couldn’t find for herself. I’ll never forget her words.

What’s it like to be recognised by the industry for the person you are, alongside the work you do, for example receiving the PPA’s Unsung Hero award and being named a Champion of Kindness?
It feels absolutely awesome. I am the same person whether I am at the top of a mountain, mentoring a young person in the industry or leading a meeting. Someone recently said to me that being in a meeting with me was like being hooked up to the mains electricity (I think that’s a good thing). I put energy into everything and everyone and that’s what keeps me going.

I have learned the hard way that if you rush through life just trying to take on the world of work – expecting others to want and do the same – you forget to live. It is only when you put effort into your life as well as your work (rather than simply being a workaholic) that you can taste genuine success.

What messages do you give other people who look up to you?
My favourite mantra is ‘say yes unless you really really really really should say no’. Do something that scares you (you will remember the brave decisions not the safe ones). Embrace change (life won’t go according to plan and that’s ok). Don’t be afraid of searching for your edges (and helping others to do the same). Back yourself (believe you can and you will). Choose kindness (both for yourself and for others for when the currency is kindness we are all millionaires). And, when you are having a bad day, look up! It is only by turning your face to the sky that you can see a way through life’s clouds.

If you could leave us with one message today, what would it be?
Write your own definition of success. Not the one society has written for you (big career, big house, family, etc). I am my imperfections, a product of the things in life I would never have chosen. I am grateful every day for that fact. And (if I am allowed two), make your life mean something. When I was in hospital after life-saving surgery, a nurse stopped me and said ‘Jackie, are you doing something every day you’d be proud to put on your gravestone?’ The answer, of course, was no. I am so grateful that I got the opportunity to change what will one day be written there. No longer the Jackie who just worked too hard. My wish is that when I do leave this world (my consultant thinks I’ll make the age of 92 so I’ve got a fair way to go) I am remembered as the woman who gave people hope, made them believe anything was possible and gave them a reason to smile. I hope the same for you.

It’s never too late to make what you do matter.

 

Sophie Robinson Feature

Interior Design Spotlight: Sophie Robinson

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Sophie Robinson has over 20 years’ experience in the industry and her eponymous blog recently ranked in the Top 10 Interior Design Blogs. A familiar face to fans of BBC interior design programmes, Sophie uses her blog to showcase her colourful renovation of her dream home and also co-hosts a podcast with fellow Top 10 blogger, Kate Watson-Smyth.

We spoke to Sophie about her bold style, the rise of Instagram in the blogging community and her favourite campaigns (spoilers: it’s all about the colour!).

How do you describe what you do to other people?
Gosh it’s not straightforward. First up I’m an interior designer. But not what you might expect. I don’t do up rich people’s houses! With my background in magazines, I work within the media designing rooms for photo shoots, TV shows, events and exhibitions. I share my interior design knowledge through my blog, Instagram account and the online courses and workshops that I run. I’m a recognised colour expert and passionate about helping people have vibrant and authentic homes.

How much of a community is there around interiors bloggers?
The community is huge and spills over to social media too. I have always loved working in interior design as the people are just lovely and I’ve always found everyone very supportive. The blogging community in particular have done a great job of democratising what was once a very snooty industry.

Sophie-Robinson

What’s the best thing about being a professional blogger?
Having worked on magazines and for brands for the past fifteen years, what I relish about blogging is I’m in control of my own content. I can choose to talk about and share what I love and it’s allowed me to really follow and deepen my passion for colourful interiors.

What does the future of blogging look like?
I think Instagram has taken a lot of traffic away from blogs in the past couple of years so blogging needs to evolve with the changes. For me, Instagram is easy to dip in and out of and it’s a fast way to learn what people are up to. However, in terms of interior design, sometimes you want a deep dive into a topic and blog post allows you to do that. My website is also not just a blog but a hub that brings together everything I offer, with the regular blog posts the beating heart at the centre of it all.

How do you describe your style?
Bold, colourful, happy.

Sophie-Robinson hallwayWhat’s your favourite room in the house?
My hallway! Odd choice but I’ve gone to town painting it my favourite Lazuli blue. It’s the first thing when I walk through the door and I walk through it throughout the day as I work from home. The hallway connects all the spaces in your home so it deserves some love.

How long do you leave a redesign before wanting to do it again?
OMG it’s the opposite for me. I just want to get rooms finished. I have a builder for a husband and getting any projects finished in our own home just takes forever!

What’s the best collaboration you’ve worked on with an agency or brand?
The best collaborations that work for me are ones that really play into my strengths. I designed a House of Colour in my own signature style for furniture brand DFS, which included designing a room, hosting a live panel debate and holding one of my colour workshops for customers. I also loved doing a media campaign all about the psychology of colour for Habitat. It’s such a fascinating topic and I love how with a little knowledge of this framework people can really get empowered about how they want the home to feel. We did a photoshoot, video content, shop floor installation, as well as hosting press evenings and customer workshops.

Sophie-Robinson

What advice would you give PRs looking to get in touch?
Be really clear on your campaign objectives and pick a blogger who is inline with those brand ideals. I’ll never forget a PR asking if I’d like to be the face of a new trendy kitchen range they were launching. I said, ‘Sure send me over the images of the kitchen’. Well, it was grey. I thought… don’t you know who I am!

What other blogs do you read?
My podcast co-host Mad About The House of course! Kate would never talk to me again if I didn’t! To be fair I’ve read all the blogs in the Vuelio top ten. All very good indeed! As a new entry to this list I’m happy to be in such great company!

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Clarity in Confusion – Navigating Party Conference Season

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Politics is changing by the second, making it harder to keep up with the issues that affect you and your clients.

We have three panelists to guide us through this confusion: Katie Roscoe, Head of UK Public Affairs – Helicopters and Civil at Airbus; James Baker, PR and Public Affairs Associate at Brunswick, who advised Boris Johnson on his successful leadership campaign; and Alexander Tiley, former Press and Comms Officer to a Labour MEP and now working in public affairs.

Our guests discuss how to navigate the current political climate, what you should be prioritising and the importance of the Party Conference Season for your engagement.

party conference webinar

 

MPs believe social media has a negative impact on politics

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Research commissioned by Vuelio, the political and media software provider, has found that MPs believe social media has a negative impact on politics, with four in five (81%) of the 137 MPs surveyed believing public attitudes towards politicians have been changed for the worse as a result of social media. The research is released at a time of heightened speculation regarding an early general election. It is important to recognise the central role that social media is likely to play in any subsequent campaign, as a crucial communication tool for all of the main parties.

According to MPs, there are specific ways in which social media has damaged public engagement. Over three quarters (79%) believe social media has made it difficult for the public to source information from trustworthy sources and 78% believe it leads to people being overloaded with information. This impacts policy making, with two in five (42%) MPs believing social media has changed the policy making process for the worse, and a third (36%) believe it has changed public understanding of policy for the worse.

DOWNLOAD THE FULL RESULTS HERE

While MPs believe, on balance, that social media has had negative impact on politics, they do recognise some positives. Almost half (47%) of MPs say it has improved the transparency of politics and around two in five (44%) say it has improved engagement between politicians and the public.

Commenting on the research, Joanna Arnold, CEO of Vuelio said: ‘Social media has ushered in a new era of political immediacy that is reshaping how politicians engage with the public. While recognising that social media has improved transparency, four in five MPs believe it has changed public attitudes towards politicians for the worse. The depth of concern that MPs have is a timely reminder of the risks of social media as well as the potential it has to transform political engagement.’

Max McEwan, Senior Consultant at ComRes said: ‘While politicians clearly have misgivings about the impact of social media on the political process, they are increasingly reliant on these new tools of communication. This is particularly true for MPs in marginal constituencies, for whom the research shows that social media is the most important channel when engaging with potential voters. We therefore stand poised to enter an election that could be decided based, in part, via a communication channel that MPs consider to have damaged the political process.’

Rachael Clamp Chart.PR, MCIPR, Chair of CIPR Public Affairs said: ‘This is fascinating research. A challenge for politicians and a pause for thought for anyone who wants to engage with them.

‘Social media has broken down barriers and removed some of the mystery surrounding the nature of our ‘them’ and ‘us’ politics. But the role of an MP has also become ambiguous. What some MPs say has driven engagement with constituents hasn’t resulted in better debate and is eroding traditional media channels. MPs are also making a distinction between how they engage with the public and how they engage with lobbyists, which is part of ethical lobbying practice.’

While MPs consider on balance that social media has had negative impact on politics, they recognise that it is around twice as important as securing editorial coverage in communicating with constituents (64% vs. 35%). Social media is considered only marginally less important as having face to face meetings with constituents (64% vs 70%). The importance of social media for constituent engagement increases among younger MPs with three quarters (74%) of MPs born since 1970 saying social media is an important communication channel for engaging with constituents compared to half (49%) of those born in the middle decade of the last century (1950-1959).

Labour MPs are most likely to consider social media as important to engagement compared with Conservative MPs (75% vs 57%). When it comes to reaching stakeholders working in policy or the media, MPs consider activities in parliament, such as parliamentary debates and APPG sessions as significantly more important (60%) opposed to less than half that figure (25%) choosing social media.

This research was commissioned by Vuelio to understand the changing relationship between MPs, the press, editorial and social media. ComRes surveyed 137 MPs (51 Conservative, 67 Labour, nine SNP and 10 others) using a combination of paper and online surveys. The survey was conducted between 11 June and 12 August 2019. Data have been weighted by party and region to be representative of the House of Commons.

Influencer marketing rules

Do you know the influencer marketing rules?

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The CMA has launched a survey with PromoVeritas to help the industry test is knowledge of influencer marketing rules.

If you work in PR or marketing and are actively working with bloggers, vloggers, Instagrammers, podcasters and creators then you have responsibilities around gifting and collaborations. Likewise, if you’re working in content creation as an ‘influencer’, then you need to know the rules around working with brands and agencies to make sure you’re getting it right.

The survey only takes a few minutes to complete and let’s you know your score when you get to the end.

Take the survey here.  

The CMA will use the results to continue educating the industry about what they need to do in order to raise standards and promote best practice.

It follows the pledge that celebrities and influencers made back in January to clean up their act on social media. This cohort included Ellie Goulding, Alexa Chung, Millie Mackintosh and Zoella.

Vuelio continues to support best practice in the industry both with its clients and the influencers we connect them to. By following the correct process you can ensure your work is seen as high quality, which, no matter what side of the influencer marketing relationship you’re on, benefits your audience and your brand.

Team Tunnah Eventing

Equestrian blog interview: Sophie Tunnah, Team Tunnah Equestrian

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Sophie Tunnah is an equestrian blogger from Northumberland. On her equestrian lifestyle blog, Team Tunnah Equestrian, she shares stories and adventures from training sessions, competition reports, her favourite products and every day equestrian yard life.

We spoke to Sophie about how she first got into blogging, balancing blogging with her day job, the inspiration for content, setting up an Equestrian bloggers’ Facebook Group and how she works with brands and PRs.

How did you get into blogging?
My first post went live in October 2012, when I started my blog as a way to document our competition performance from the past 2012 Eventing season. I found writing my blog posts gave me a really good way to reflect on the positives and the negatives, so I could focus on what we needed to include in our training plans.

Even though I started my blog seven years ago, I still very much stick to these principles – sharing our stories, adventure and our journey. I’ve added various elements throughout the years, such as product reviews and informative posts about general equestrian topics, but all my posts remain personable and relatable to my experiences.

Team Tunnah EventingHow does your professional experience heading up a global digital marketing team for an international travel brand influence your role as a blogger?
Firstly, I LOVE horses, and I have since as long as I can remember. But over the last 15 years, digital marketing and technology has captured my curiosity too. My blog simply enables me to bring these two passions together.

I’m not as hands on with the projects in my team as I used to be. My blog gives me that hands on touch again. But it doesn’t only play to my own needs, my professional experience and knowledge means that I’m able to keep on the pulse of industry updates and innovations to keep my blog in tip top condition.

When collaborating with brands, my professional side can be a huge advantage as I’m able to view the conversation from both my own blogger seat, but also crucially from the seat of a brand. It’s enabled me to ask questions such as what is the brand looking for from this collaboration, what value are they looking for and how can I better understand their objectives to create a great collaboration pack for them?

I also saw that while there were many blogger support groups on Facebook, there was nothing specifically for equestrian bloggers, like there is for travel, beauty, lifestyle, etc. So in March 2017, I setup the first of its kind group, dedicated to equestrian bloggers to create a place we could all unite, share tips, ideas and knowledge to all help each other become stronger. Hand in hand came my Blogger’s Corner section with posts all about how to get more from your blog and the top tips in a digital space to help any kind of bloggers.

I also offer digital marketing consultancy services, on a part time basis, for brands looking for some extra support, insight or recommendations.

What do you enjoy the most about being an equestrian blogger? What are the main challenges you face?
I love being part of such a supportive community. The equestrian world is known for being competitive and quite nasty at times, however, when I explored the equestrian blogging world, I found it quite the opposite. Everyone is supportive, friendly and prepared to help each other. There’s many different interests, disciplines and opinions, but everyone still seems to come together to create a community that I really enjoy being a part of!

My challenges… Well, as my blog is part time, time always has a part to play, but all that means is that I have to prioritise well and make sure I’m organised when it comes to planning my blog’s content and developments. My next biggest challenge is the ever-changing social media landscape. It can sometimes feel you just start to understand and make it work, before it changes again. But this is a challenge I don’t dislike. It stops you doing the same thing over and over, and all the updates are orientated around better user experience and I want my content to be what they want to enjoy.

Team Tunnah EventingHow do you decide what content to focus on?
By our adventures and what we’ve been up to! Training updates and competition reports are easy to do when we’ve been out for the day.

I recently started looking into Search Console more, looking at what keywords my blog had the most impressions for, but didn’t have strong rankings for. I then ran these keywords through a keyword idea generator to spin off post title ideas to help strengthen our rankings. I also realised that my SEO presence for a key phrase wasn’t as I wanted – equestrian blogger. As such, I’ve created 10-15 post titles to write about over the coming months to strengthen this term directly. I did the same thing for dressage, showjumping and eventing. I’ve looked back at those Search Console keywords for specific products, topics or services, and what pages rank for them so that I can freshen these up.

Are there any particular trends you are noticing?
I think the word influencer took over the word blogger a year or so ago. The size and scale of what a brand is looking for is what then seems to make the selection of who to work with.

As influencers have become a trend across the digital marketing world, it’s leading to a somewhat saturated place and I’ve seen instances (equestrian and not) where bloggers/influencers jump from brand to brand depending on what they’ve been gifted.

I am pleased to see a lot of brands ‘waking up’ to how to select their influencers, especially in the equestrian world, which seems a little further behind industries such as fashion, beauty and travel. It’s not about how many followers you have, but about how many people you can reach AND engage. Brands seem to be able adapt themselves to a sliding scale with the blogger, rather than simply not working with a smaller account in favour of one with one million followers but only a few hundred likes on their content.

Team Tunnah EventingWhat are the best collaborations you’ve worked on?
My best, and favourite, collaboration is with Boudica Equestrian. I was welcomed as their brand ambassador in September 2018 to aid their growth – they are a small start-up and offer personalised online shopping experiences. Laura, who owns the company, was open to my blog due to its real and personable tone and was looking for someone to get behind her business and be dedicated to it growing. It’s aligned totally with my principles and I really enjoy working with her. We will have been collaborating for a year this month, and I really hope it continues for many more years!

Do you accept press releases?
I do, providing they can fit in my content and don’t conflict with existing brand collaborations.

An example of one I accepted is about top tips for winter stabling as it was timely and genuinely offered tips for when your horse is spending less time in the field over the winter. I also accepted a press release about an eventing event taking place as I felt my audience had an interest in this equestrian discipline.

Examples that I haven’t accepted are specific equestrian clothing item releases as this would conflict would Boudica, but prior to that, I didn’t use or wear them; unproven feeding advice and guidelines as I don’t want to publishing any information that could cause problems if incorrect; and very generic equestrian brand press releases as there is no link to them and me.

Do you have a good relationship with PRs? What advice would you give to PR professionals who want to get in touch with you?
The ones I have worked with in the past, I would say I have a good relationship with and always ask to be sent equestrian information for any future opportunities. I enjoy PRs that are interested in making the right connections for the brands that they are representing, which most of them do, but there are some blanket or cold contacts I’ve had that clearly haven’t even read my blog. That’s frustrating!

If any PR wanted to get in touch, please do so! I have no fixed way of working, and so can always offer bespoke solutions depending on the brand’s objectives and desired outcomes. I find this means that every opportunity presented to me actually creates a unique solution proposal back to the PR or brand.

What are your future plans for your blog?
In August I underwent a full redesign, so I don’t think there’s any major design work on the cards, but I am looking to build my social media presence to drive more traffic to my blog and create awareness for it. One of the focus areas will be to research and strategise for my Pinterest profile as we go into 2020. I also want to build an increased search presence in the organic results, and while this isn’t something I can just do and forget about, I’m planning loads of posts in September to the end of the year to give me a good starting point.

I hope that by building on the foundations that I’ve already set, I can also expand the portfolio of brands that I work with and, who knows, it may enable me to learn new things and discover new products and services. This includes outdoor and countryside as well as fitness, to broaden my content and experiences of an all-round equestrian lifestyle; being in the countryside and being fit to take to the saddle!

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