Archive for: Press and Bloggers

Peter Alexander was recently named one of the top 10 beer bloggers with Tandleman’s Beer Blog. Created back in 2007, Tandleman’s Beer Blog covers Peter’s love of the beer industry and pubs, especially those in the North West. A local CAMRA chairman and activist, as well as an experienced beer writer, Peter has a wealth of knowledge and experience that he shares with a loyal and engaged readership.

We caught up with Peter who told us about his favourite beer, the future of pubs and how he works best with PRs and brands.

How has your blog changed from when you first started?
Less frequent and now based on observations about the trade and pubs rather than ‘What I drank where’.

What’s your favourite ale?
Ah. Too many to say really, but if something is on the bar which is around 4%, pale, clean tasting, properly cask-conditioned and with a good dose of hops, I’ll be happy. I am fond of a really good bitter stout too.

What’s the best brewery?
I’m very fond of my local brewery JW Lees. Good solid beers and lovely people.

Where’s your favourite pub?
My local, the Tandle Hill Tavern in Middleton. It’s where I meet my friends. I know everyone, and they know me.

Are pubs in danger of dying out?
No. But they are changing and not always for the better. While there may well be fewer and they may be different, plenty will remain. Pubs have always changed with the times though, so perhaps no need to worry.

If you were running a dream pub, what would you have on draft?
Brewsmith Pale, Holden’s Bitter, Porterhouse Wrasslers 4X stout, Pilsner Urquell and (my guilty secret) Hoegaarden. And one ever changing beer depending on demand and time of year.

What one thing should PRs know before contacting you?
Like most people I need a little advance warning. No point in contacting me the day before you ask me to do something or go somewhere.

What are the best collaborations you’ve worked on?
I’ve brewed stouts with Allgates and Rammy Craft Brewery. Both were bloody good beers which deserved a bigger audience.

Do you think bloggers need their own association?
No. Blogging has thankfully become diverse and the reasons for doing it vary so much. We have the internet to bind us together.

What other blogs do you read?
Most. Favourites though are The Pub Curmudgeon, Shut up about Barclay Perkins, Retired Martin and anything written by Matt Curtis.

Jeska Hearne is the creator of Lobster and Swan, a brand-new entry to our ranking of  Top 10 Interior Design Blogs. With dark moody colours mixed with a  rustic style, Jeska brings the colours from outside, inside. We caught up with Jeska to talk about how the seasons affect her content, her favourite collaborations and the one thing PRs should know about her.

How has your blog changed over time?
Apart from the layout and my style evolving, not much. It’s still all about life, interior and home styling with the things I love and find inspiring thrown in too.

How would you describe your style?
Rustic, rescued, romantic and bohemian.

What makes a great interior design blog?
For me, the images need to be beautiful and engaging first, but I love all aspects of interiors!

What’s the split between your own creations/designs and featuring others’?
It’s a good mix of both depending on how much time I have to post. I love sharing new interiors books and small or inspiring businesses. When we manage to finish renovating the older rooms here, or new areas we’ve created, I always want to share them – but it is a juggling act to make time to shoot and style them in between running our online store, The Future Kept, and other freelance work we do.

What’s your favourite room in the house and why?
At the moment, I am totally in love with our bathroom, it is all dark and moody with botanicals and a feeling of calm – on clear nights I can take a bath with the windows open and see the stars.

How do the seasons affect your content?
Very much, we are totally in tune with the seasons here, I love to garden and I love the tones that each season brings, so the palette of my images on Instagram gently follows a seasonal feeling.

What’s your favourite household object/item?
This changes all the time – I love our rustic handmade shelves and our bed is definitely a happy place – so cosy and comfy – but I also love all the different artworks we have collected over the years too.

What one thing should PRs/brands know about you?
I am most interested in beautiful, functional products, made sustainably and ethically, or produced in the UK.

What are the best campaigns/collaborations you’ve recently worked on?
For fast room mood changes I love to re-fresh the paint colour of a room – Farrow & Ball and Cassandra Ellis have been great – I love working with them and their colours. Styling a bench three different ways with Sofa.com was fun, I also worked with Leesa when they launched too and theirs really is the best mattress we’ve ever slept on, we love it!

Do you think bloggers need their own industry association?
Probably, but that sounds stressful!

What other blogs do you read?
My top five in no particular order are: SF Girl by Bay, Apartment Apothecary, Littlegreenshed, Curate and Display and These Four Walls.

Choosing to remain anonymous The Pub Curmudgeon shares their thoughts on all things beer and pubs. Recently ranked in the Top 10 Beer Blogs, The Pub Curmudgeon chatted about about whether pubs are dying out, the best brewery and whether bloggers should have their own association.

How has your blog changed from when you first started?
The biggest change is that a lot of the one-liners and links to articles have moved to Twitter, so it now tends to concentrate on longer, more considered pieces.

What’s your favourite ale?
Impossible really to name just one, but if forced to I’d pick Batham’s Best Bitter, a wonderfully complex, subtle and deceptively drinkable beer.

What’s the best brewery?
One from the select band of independent family brewers that have survived the past forty-odd years and are still flying the flag for traditional British beers, such as Hook Norton and Harveys.

Where’s your favourite pub?
The Black Horse at Clapton-in-Gordano in Somerset, which claims to date back to the 14th century and retains an unspoilt interior of great character. It continues to be a proper local pub and not just an eating house.

Are pubs in danger of dying out?
Not really, but various social and legislative changes over recent decades have made their appeal much narrower than it used to be.

If you were running a dream pub, what would you have on draft?
My dream pub would be aimed at a wide cross-section of people, not just beer enthusiasts. I’d start with Draught Bass and whatever “ordinary” bitter the locals were most keen on.

What one thing should PRs know before contacting you?
The dishwasher. And the dyson. Anything that makes my life easier.

What one thing should PRs/brands know about you?
I have a good face for radio.

What are the best collaborations you’ve worked on?
I’ve not really gone in much for collaborations, but one memorable one was last Autumn when Martin Taylor, Richard Coldwell and I had a day out in Leicester and each blogged about it from our different perspectives.

Do you think bloggers need their own association?
No. Bloggers cover a huge range of standpoints and it can’t really be said that they have a collective interest.

What other blogs do you read?
I follow a wide range of blogs, but three I would pick out are Retiredmartin, Tandleman and Velvet Glove, Iron Fist.

Kate Williams is the face behind craft blog, Crafts on Sea, which was recently ranked in our Top 10 UK Craft Blogs. Crafts on Sea has hundreds of ideas for all seasons, from Halloween masks to Christmas gifts. We spoke to Kate about what makes the craft blogger community so great, her favourite campaigns to work on and why you shouldn’t pay her in paint!

How has your blog changed from when you first started?
It’s both more professional and more focused. When I started it was very much that I wanted to do some crafts myself, and use the blog as a way of encouraging myself to do more, but over the years it’s turned into a business as I started looking to what my readers wanted, rather than just myself.

In the early days I had photos in a national newspaper that I took on my dodgy old phone, whereas now doing a craft involves getting my rather large lighting kit and DSLR out!

What’s the craft blogger community like? 
Lovely. Almost every gain I’ve made with my blog has been due to someone else helping me out; explaining Facebook tips, helping with my photography or whatever. I tend to chat with the kid bloggers too – there’s a big international group who all chat and it’s fantastic to be a part of that.

Do you think crafts are more important in the digital age?
Well both my kids have a kindle that they love so I’d say yes – there’s lots of things like Batman and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle crafts on my site which are a direct result of me trying to think of crafts my son would actually get excited about and want to do, so he wants to turn the TV off.

Having said that, my daughter loves Mister Maker and is always inspired by him so there’s definitely room for both. As a blogger I spend loads of time online, so acting like anything screen based is bad in front of my kids won’t really wash with them.

Do you have to be artistic to be good at crafts?
I don’t think I’m that artistic, I’m terrible at drawing and wasn’t even given the option of taking GCSE art (although as a dyslexic I was given the option of drawing my dissertation!) A bit of creativity and not being scared to make mistakes works well enough I think.

What’s the easiest craft you’ve made?
A paper plate hulk mask? Well actually my son made that one though, which made it even easier for me.

What’s the hardest?
Honestly there’s nothing difficult on my site that I can think of, my main issue is cleaning the paint off things!

What are the best PR/brand campaigns you’ve worked on?
I’ve loved working with The Big Shot on a couple of campaigns for children’s books. I’ve done crafts for Julia Donaldson, Emily Gravett and Sue Hendra’s books who I adore so it’s been a really fun challenge.

What shouldn’t PRs do?
Offer to pay you in kids paint.

Do you think bloggers need their own industry association?
To be honest bloggers talk to each other. There will always be people who are willing to do a sponsored post for £20 and if someone needs £20 then that’s totally their choice so I don’t think there needs to be set fees or anything. But if you fail to pay someone or treat them badly then it does get found out and talked about. In fairness I totally expect that the same thing happens amongst PR’s if they have issues with a blogger

What other blogs do you read?
Loads! I love Lulastic and the Hippy Shake and obsessively follow Glennon Doyle who used to write Momastery on Instagram and Facebook because she is all sorts of awesome.

Rachel Newcombe is the creator of Fresh Design Blog, which was recently ranked in the Top 10 Interior Design Blogs. Sharing design ideas and how-to guides, Fresh Design Blog gives readers plenty of inspiration of how to bring a contemporary design style into their house . We spoke to Rachel about what makes a great interior design blog, the best campaigns and collaborations she’s worked on and whether it’s time for a blogging industry association.

How has your blog changed over time?
Fresh Design Blog has been running since 2009, so it has inevitably changed and evolved. When it first launched, I wrote short posts every day, but now I tend to publish two or three longer posts per week. The style of posts has changed slightly too, with a better balance of product ideas, décor and how to guides, and freelance journalist Sara Walker now helps by contributing two posts a month.

How would you describe your style?
All the content on the blog focuses on modern and contemporary interior design style.

What makes a great interior design blog?
A well-balanced combination of interesting and relevant content plus quality images. It’s not just about the blog these days either – social media and the different benefits from each channel, plus interaction with readers, definitely helps too.

What’s the split between your own creations/designs and featuring others’?
Fresh Design has always focused more on featuring designs and ideas from other companies, including well-established names and up-and-coming designers. But if I happen to have a project on the go, or am working on a collaboration, then it does of course feature my own creations and photography.

What’s your favourite room in the house and why?
Probably the living room, as it’s the part of the house where we tend to gather, socialise and relax. I love the fact that we’ve got a huge window, which lets lots of natural light in throughout the year, bringing the outside in, especially during the summer months as it leads onto the garden and outside dining.

How do the seasons affect your content?
The seasons have a big influence on content. I love discovering all the latest trends and new product lines throughout the year, as well as predictions for future trends. I tend to find that Q4 and Q1 each year are usually the busiest times on the blog, as that’s when people are most likely to be looking for home decorating ideas, Christmas décor and of course shopping for gifts. There have already been lots of recent hits on our previous Christmas content, both on the blog and via Pinterest. In the past, I avoided mentioning Christmas too soon, but seasonal posts are getting earlier in line with demand.

What one thing should PRs/brands know about you?
I get hundreds of emails every day, and am juggling other freelance writing work too, so can’t always reply immediately to everything. I tend to prioritise replying to the emails that are relevant and properly targeted.

What are the best campaigns/collaborations you’ve recently worked on?
To be honest, I’ve been a bit more selective this year with the number of campaigns and collaborations I’ve worked on, to ensure they’re fully relevant to the blog. I like anything that’s a bit different and quirky. For example, I worked with Dr Beckmann’s Carpet Stain Remover earlier in the year highlighting the work of an artist who created art using the carpet cleaner, which was rather unusual! More recently I’ve discovered lots of tips and tricks for livening up and decorating skirting boards in contemporary ways, whilst collaborating with a skirting board company.

Do you think bloggers need their own industry association?
Given how much the industry has expanded, I think it could be a useful move.

What other blogs do you read?
Loads! When I first started, there weren’t that many UK interior design blogs, so I mostly read US blogs, but now I’m spoilt for choice. I enjoy reading the latest posts on other interior design blogs such as Swoonworthy (love Kimberley’s eclectic boho glam style), The Design Sheppard (Stacey writes great in-depth posts), Dear Designer’s Blog (Carole shares some amazing spaces), Making Spaces (Karen Knox is a talented interior designer and creates wonderful modern decor), The White Approach (where Karen shares her love of all things white in the home) and Love Chic Living (Jen comes up with some good design ideas for a family home).

Inthefrow is the number one fashion blog in the UK. Written by Victoria Magrath, the blog has twice been named Best Fashion Blog at the Vuelio Blog Awards and boasts a huge audience both at inthefrow.com and across social media, including 850K followers on Instagram and over 600K subscribers on YouTube. Victoria has also worked with huge number of international brands, whether it’s as the face of Hugo Boss Watches and Ted Baker or signing as a Beauty Ambassador with L’Oreal Paris.

With a recent site relaunch, engagement and book announcement – Victoria is at the top of her game and the excitement shows no sign of stopping. We caught up with the blogger in the front row, who told us how she works with brands during fashion weeks, the best campaigns she’s worked on and the bloggers that inspire her.

How has your blog changed over time?
When I first created Inthefrow it was simply a space to share my love and passion for fashion and beauty. Yes, there was imagery and a design layout but as time went on I started to develop a love for a more editorial style. Fast forward over five years and Inthefrow.com is my most favourite channel. It’s the platform that I own and that if Instagram, Twitter and Facebook all disappeared tomorrow, it’s the platform I would be glad I put so much love into. Each element is individually designed and brought to life to encompass a full brand experience and a much closer insight than ever before, into the things that make up my life in a magazine-esque platform.

When do you start and finish conversations with brands/PRs about fashion weeks?
In all honesty the conversations never really end. The relationships with PRs/brands are ongoing throughout the seasons but for the intimate details such as dressing and invites to the shows themselves, the conversations start weeks or usually days before, and lead right up to the day of the presentations.

How do Autumn fashion weeks affect your blog?
I’d say they impact my blog in two different ways. Firstly, and most importantly, when I arrive back from fashion weeks/month I feel a renewed sense of love for what I do. I adore fashion every day of the year but after fashion month, the inspiration to create, to style and to push boundaries is never more heightened. I feel invigorated and ready to celebrate this industry I’m proudly a part of on all my channels and signal the style transition into Fall.

Secondly, it takes a lot of self-discipline and organisation to continue with content as consistently, because I’m suddenly trying to multitask even more than usual. The three blog posts a week are now intertwined with international travel, multiple shows a day and still finding time to think ahead and shoot quality content for the blog. I definitely feel a lot more pressure to be consistent during fashion month than any other time of the year.

Who is your favourite designer?
Oh this is such a hard question! Dior as you know is by far my favourite luxury brand, I covet almost every item they create and they have a huge piece of my fashion loving heart…

What are the main differences between men’s and women’s lifestyle blogs?
Oh another tough one. I guess apart from their audience being unique, I suppose their style and voice is also different to cater to the way their audience want to hear their messages.

What’s the written/video/picture split for your content?
I try not to weight my content in a particular way and I try, as hard as it may be, to spread my content evenly over all my platforms. I consistently try to create three blog posts per week, two (sometimes three) YouTube videos per week and four or five Instagrams too – as well as time spent on Twitter and Facebook. I find that although my largest following is over on Instagram where people like to consume bite size content in the shape of imagery and short videos, inthefrow.com has the largest engagement growth right now in terms of unique users and those readers are consuming long form content in the shape of lengthy lifestyle text and editorial imagery. All in all, I’d like to think it’s a pretty even split between imagery, video and written content in both consumption and creation.

What one thing should PRs know about you?
I like to be straight forward wherever possible. It’s great to get a friendly introductory email where you can discover a new agency, brand or designer but there’s nothing that stands out more to me, than someone who is professional and forthcoming with how they can see us working together and what the both of us can gain from partnering. That way as a team we can instantly work out if our brands are well suited and if working together successfully is a possibility for all parties. Efficiency is a big priority for me, and most, with everyone’s schedules being so hectic.

What are the best campaigns you’ve collaborated on recently?
Another hard question because, as you know, I flat out refuse to take on any collaborations that don’t thoroughly excite me and make me proud to be a part of them, so I would have to say the best campaigns recently have been my Thomas Sabo ambassadorship that was just announced and my partnership with Bvlgari for their new luxury sunglasses collection. Both of them were an immediate yes for me because of how much I already adore each brand and how similar our visions were for each campaign. And I know it isn’t a collaboration but am I allowed to say my new book The New Fashion Rules? It’s been two years in the making and I can’t believe it’s finally here – a dream come true!

Do bloggers need their own industry association?
I think it massively helps, to meet people and to network and get your name out there. But I’m sure there are bloggers out there who are killing it without pressuring themselves to be stuck head first into the industry.

What other blogs do you read?
I don’t get nearly enough time to catch up on my favourite blogs, I wish I could set aside a couple of hours each week to really delve into what I’ve missed but in reality that will never happen as there’s always more work to be done. However, I always try to keep up with Chriselle for all things fashion, Estee for all things lifestyle and Carly for all things self love. All three keep me inspired and ready to take on the next big thing.