Archive for: Press and Bloggers

Peter Linsley is the man behind ragtime cyclist, the blog that was recently ranked in the Top 10 UK Cycling Blogs. Writing about everything cycling, including the best snacks and his own humorous take on races . We chatted to Peter about the best bike he’s ever ridden, his favourite cycle route and whether bloggers need their own industry association.

What makes your blog unique?
I zero in on the detail.

If I write about a bike ride you won’t get route descriptions and practical advice, but descriptions of the mid-ride flapjack and the way, in a certain light, that my riding partner looks like Gareth Southgate.

What’s the cycling blogging community like to be part of?
Generally, it’s great. Here in the UK, cycling has become such a huge cultural phenomenon and many of us are still a bit wide-eyed with surprise at the way it nudges the mainstream from time to time.

Also, cyclists are funny, handsome, and smart. Even wearing Lycra. Don’t let anyone tell you any different.

What’s the best bike you’ve ever ridden?
Like many cyclists I have a slightly ridiculous and almost emotional attachment to my current best bike: a Wilier Triestina Zero 9. However, if I’m honest, the Raleigh Burner I got for my eighth birthday takes some beating.

How many bikes do you own?
Just two. A Wilier Zero 9 for the summer months, and a Pinarello Angliru for the winter. Never got into mountain biking. Not too bothered about cyclo-cross.

Maybe I should buy another road bike?!

What’s the best cycle route in the world?
Ahh, that’s a tough one.

I can highly recommend basing yourself at Barcelonette in the Southern French Alps. From there, you ride the Three Cols: up the Col d’Allos, over the Col des Champs, and back via the Col de la Cayolle, for a total of 120 kilometres and 3500 metres of vertical climbing.

It’s a big day on the bike, and not for the faint-hearted, but the chance to head above 2000 metres in altitude three times in a single day is worth every pedal stroke.

What will be the next big thing in cycling?
Oh man, who knows?

With the benefits around ride comfort, improved rolling resistance, and a promise of fewer punctures, I have a feeling the time is right for tubeless tyres to finally take off. Obviously, the “puncture fairy” might have one or two things to say about that!

The cycling world – professional and amateur alike – has been resistant for years, but with tubeless ready rims now available from tons of manufacturers we might be just be on the cusp of change.

What one thing should PRs know about you?
For the right collaboration I’ve even been known to cancel a bike ride. That’s how committed I am.

What is the best campaign you’ve collaborated on?
It’s a secret!

I worked with one of the world’s top bike brands to develop a convincing “voice” for a new range of their products, and my lips are contractually sealed. The chance to see how they work at that level of the industry was hugely impressive.

Also, it was nice little reminder that the big-boys do care what goes on in the blogging world – I took it be a little respectful tip of the hat!

Do bloggers need their own industry association?
Blogging is peculiar in that it’s almost exclusively an amateur pursuit, which encroaches on the professional world (of journalism). Perhaps an industry association could legitimise the standards bloggers hold themselves too, and are held against? It might help those bloggers who take it seriously, be taken seriously. Where do I sign?!

What other blogs do you read?
I get my pro cycling fix from INRNG.com – an absolute authority on the sport.

I also like humancyclist.wordpress.com for his take on everyday cycling. He has a great turn of phrase, and a really genuine bitter/sweet love/hate thing going on.

I still read Velominati.com. Is that a blog? Whatever – it’s funny, and inspires me to write!

Peter and ragtime cyclist are both listed on the Vuelio Influencer Database along with thousands of other bloggers, vloggers, journalists and opportunities.

Bread Skalka is behind Queer Little Family, the blog that was recently ranked in the Top 10 UK LGBT+ Blogs in the UK. Writing about life as a parent as well as other topics spanning LGBT+ and mental health. We caught up with Bread to talk about the LGBTQ blogging community, the LGBT Action Plan and working on campaigns she believes in.

What makes your blog unique?
We believe in stories over stuff so there aren’t many reviews or product placement. We don’t do a lot of brand stuff. We prefer real life and can be painfully honest at times and I think that makes us a little different. I’m an old school blogger in an influencers world, which can be a little difficult but I make it work. I want to inform and entertain, which is always a hard line to walk, but I think I manage it.

What’s the LGBT+ blogging community like to be part of?
It’s small and we tend to make up parts of other communities, like parenting blog communities or writing groups, and find each other that way. I work hard to include as many LGBTQ bloggers and writers on my blog and social media as possible. I want to highlight my peers as well as myself.

What’s the biggest issue facing the LGBT+ community today?
Getting past tolerance and into true equality. At least in the UK. In many places, we’re tolerated but that’s not enough. You tolerate things that annoy you, and we’re not an annoyance. The recent Stonewall survey conducted last year (which I definitely took part in) really shows how far we still have to go to get the equality we deserve. I think we really need to work on the suicide and self-harm risk to our LGBTQ youth. I used to self-harm and have attempted suicide and I actually have been pretty privileged in terms of family acceptance and suffering, from microaggressions to blatant homophobia.

Where is the best Pride event?
My favourite was Pride on The Prom in Aberystwyth a few years ago, which I’m hoping will come back in the future. Cardiff Pride is pretty good. Because of my anxiety and social phobia, I tend to avoid large crowds but as my mental health improves I hope to attend more in the future with my family.

What do you make of Theresa May’s LGBT Action Plan?
I’ll believe it when I see it. Theresa May doesn’t have the best history when it comes to LGBTQ issues and neither do the Conservatives. If she makes conversion therapy illegal that would be a good start because I couldn’t believe how many LGBTQ people had been offered it and had to go through it. An action plan is nice but we need the action now.

What one thing should PRs know about you?
I’m not your typical blogger. I like working with smaller business, Welsh and LGBTQ ones in particular, and charities too. I’m also interested in things my son can experience as he is my main driving force for the blog and for my life.

What are the best campaigns or collaborations you’ve been part of?
I do some posts for the Woodland Trust that I enjoy because it’s something I really believe and definitely want to do more charity work/collaborations in the future.

Do bloggers need their own industry association?
I think so. Something that encompasses freelance blogging and influence marketing possibly. There are a lot of brands/PRs who will pay a pittance but get a great return. An association that could advocate for bloggers would be beneficial and stop things like influencers and business owners going viral for disagreeing over rates or reviews.

What other blogs do you read?
I read a few (a lot). A Moment With Franca, LesBeMums, Meet The Wildes (they have amazing pictures). Daddy and Dad is a great blog and Lydia Schoch is a wonderful writer. I also like Babi a Fi. I could go on and on. I’m not big on visual content but I read a lot. Also, Mombian is a great resource for LGBTQ families.

Bread and Queer Little Family are both listed on the Vuelio Influencer Database along with thousands of other bloggers, vloggers, journalists and opportunities.

Cory and Gergely Varga are the married couple behind You Could Travel, the travel blog that was recently ranked in the Top 10 UK Travel Blogs for the first time. Specialising in soft adventure, You Could Travel presents travels for everyone, no matter what your background or means. We caught up with Cory who told us about the travel blogging communities, adventures around the world and working as marketers with PRs.

What makes your blog unique?
You Could Travel is a soft adventure travel website aimed at couples. We know and understand that not everyone can travel all the time, so we want to help others tailor their travel itinerary to ensure their holiday is perfect. We make mistakes so our audience doesn’t have to. We are honest and transparent and we love recommending ways to help our audience become more eco-friendly.

How has travel blogging changed since you started?
We started blogging two years ago. Blogging hasn’t change much if I’m perfectly honest. Perhaps what happened is, with time, we became more aware of our competition and over time we understood what it is like to have your blog as a business. When we started, there were very few people focusing on our niche, but now, everyone talks about ‘off the beaten track’, for example. As with every industry, it’s important to make the right predictions and stay well ahead.

What’s the community of travel blogs like to be part of?
It depends as with every industry. We are part of some seriously tight blogging communities where we all help each other. We made so many friends all around the world who we continue to meet during our travels. Of course, there are other communities that are driven by rivalry. We prefer to exit those as quickly as possible as we believe there is enough room for everyone in the blogging sphere.

What’s the best travel experience in the world?
Spending a few months in Japan. Our time in Japan changed our lives and drove us to become bloggers. That country is unique and beautiful. We can’t imagine anything better than living in Tokyo and enjoying a never-ending travelling adventure.

What’s the best mode of transport you’ve ever experienced?
We flew, of course, we took the ferry, the bus, the train…I think so far, we love driving the most. It’s easy and convenient and a little more eco-friendly than flying (it might sound unbelievable, but it’s true!). Our dream is to buy a Tesla and travel the world by electric car.

What’s your scariest experience while travelling?
Luckily, we don’t have many scary experiences while travelling. We tend to be overly cautious if anything. I guess the scariest thing was when we got lost in the mountains in Tenerife and we almost missed our last bus back to the city. We had no food or water with us so we weren’t exactly prepared to camp under the stars. Looking back, it was an adventure of a lifetime.

What should PRs know about you?
We take our time to craft the perfect marketing campaign to fit their client. We always deliver the highest quality marketing material on time, no exceptions.

We have a 100% satisfaction rate and positive feedback from all our clients. We are not just bloggers, we are marketers. We worked in the digital industry as creative and technical directors for over ten years. Together, we worked with hundreds of companies in over 20 countries, so we really do know the ins and outs of the industry.

What are the best campaigns you’ve worked on?
We love working with tourism boards as the sky is the limit. Together, we usually come up with some explosive marketing ideas that actually work, especially because we understand how to properly target the right audience. In the past, we loved working with Beauty of Japan, a Japan-based company that specialises in activities for foreigners. It was the time we dressed up as an Oiran and Samurai for a day and it was incredible.

Do bloggers need their own industry association?
We’ve been talking about it for so long. I think it would be great if the industry would be better regulated. I would say yes, we do need an industry association.

You Could Travel, as well as Cory and Gergely, is listed on the Vuelio Influencer Database along with thousands of other bloggers, vloggers, journalists and opportunities.

LesBeMums was created in 2012 by Kate Everall and her wife Sharon when they started their journey to become parents. Recently ranked second in the Top 10 UK LGBT+ Blogs, LesBeMums now posts about family life with young T, and reviews days out and family activities. We spoke to Kate about the LGBT+ community (and why the bloggers are so supportive), politics and working with PRs who understand the value in bloggers.

What makes your blog unique?
Not only are we a same sex family, but we are two mums raising a son. In a male dominated world, we have the challenging task of making sure we raise a decent man, while also making sure he is not automatically hated for his gender. We talk a lot about tackling outdated stereotypes, raising a feminist, and hitting prejudice in the backside.

What’s the LGBT+ blogging community like to be part of?
When we first started blogging, and reading blogs prior to writing one, the LGBT+ blogging community was almost non-existent, especially in the UK. Most of the blogs we read were in Australia and the US. Because of this, we decided to start our own blog and build on that community, to make families feel less isolated and to find others just like us.

Over the years the community has grown, and I am proud to see a number of families online and being visible; from adoptive two-dad families to single gay-mum families. It’s a wonderful community to be a part of – I don’t know anything quite as supportive.

What’s the biggest issue facing the LGBT+ community today?
While the UK is moving forward when it comes to LGBT+ rights, it seems the rest of the world (especially the US) is moving backwards. One of the biggest issues I see for the LGBT+ community at the moment is religious freedom. While I respect those that believe in religion, I see no purpose for it in modern society if it means members of the LGBT community – humans – are being denied the same rights and services as heterosexual people.

Where is the best Pride event?
I’m biased when I say Brighton, but what more could you want from a Pride event? Sun, sea, and (stone) beaches. It’s a wonderful place to be during the Pride weekend, with an amazing atmosphere, and while I’d love to visit other Pride’s across the world, Brighton will always have my heart.

What do you make of Theresa May’s LGBT Action Plan?
While it is a step in the right direction, it doesn’t take much research to see Theresa May’s voting history when it comes to LGBT+ rights, and as a member of the LGBT+ community I will never forgive the implementation of Section 28 in the 1980s. Therefore, I am always apprehensive when it comes to new Tory legislation. Nevertheless, I am pleased to see that the Government has listened to so many voices and I welcome any work that changes the way schools can address homophobic bullying as well as how Police can tackle hate crimes, but I want to see results (and real funding!) before I start dishing out the praise and high fives.

What one thing should PRs know about you?
Being a two-mum family, we’re open to something that bit different. Not THAT you filthy animals(!), but something that may challenge gender stereotypes and norms, or even challenge what ‘family’ looks like. We would love PRs to think outside the box and be more inclusive when choosing families to be a part of a campaign. If I don’t feel represented it puts me off a product. I want to see a variety of families taking part in campaigns.

What are the best campaigns or collaborations you’ve been part of?
Being a part-time blogger, I don’t often have the time to take part in massive campaigns. We’re often overlooked because our stats are a lot lower that others, but one of the biggest campaigns (for us, anyway!) to date, is collaborating with Camp Bestival. We’re still pinching ourselves to this day that they invited us to work alongside loads of other wonderful travel and family bloggers. The festival really represents us as a family, and considering we had only been once the previous year it really gave me a confidence boost that I was doing something right as a blogger. It proved to me that stats weren’t the priority or that important, but instead the interaction and engagement we got from our loyal audience during the festival was much more valuable.

Do bloggers need their own industry association?
Absolutely! Blogging as a business is hard work (which is why I still work full-time in a difference sector!) and it’s made even harder when either the media make a mockery of bloggers and ‘influencers’, or when PRs are still offering peanuts (and expecting a lot) for the work we produce. It’s hard to fight back when we don’t know where we stand or what our rights are.

There needs to be clear guidelines and rules like any other job role in another industry. Bloggers clearly have a purpose and a role to play, otherwise why else would 66% of marketers in 2017 use blogs as their social media content? Not to mention the money that’s now being invested into bloggers (we’re talking thousands for some).

What other blogs do you read?
Other rainbow families are always going to be at the top of our list, families like Tom & Daniel from The Unlikely Dad, Amy and Laura from MamaEdenandMe, or Kirsty and Clara from My Two Mums, but we also like reading lots of other blogs, like Nyomi from Nomi Palony and Lauren from Scrapbook Blog who each tick different boxes for me, which I love. We’ve been reading blogs a lot longer than we’ve been writing them. We love finding new blogs to read!

LesBeMums, Kate and Sharon are listed on the Vuelio Influencer Database along with thousands of other bloggers, vloggers, journalists and opportunities.

Jamie Beaglehole and his partner Tom write Daddy & Dad, which was recently ranked in the UK’s Top 10 LGBT+ Blogs. Covering life as a two-dad family, with adopted boys Lyall and Richard, Daddy & Dad features everything from the adoption process and the realities of parenthood to days out with the kids. We caught up with Jamie to find out more about the LGBT+ blogging community, why Leicester has the best Pride and how the blog works with PRs.

What makes your blog unique?
I started producing the Daddy & Dad blog back in 2014 when Tom and I adopted our boys, Lyall and Richard. Back then, there was very little first-hand information from same-sex adopters online.

I set out to plug the gap with stories about the reality of adoption with an honest, unfiltered approach. There are already hundreds of ‘Pinteresty’, pastel-coloured parent blogs which omit the difficult bits, so I include all the ‘bad’ bits too – sibling rivalry, soft play centres, school run tantrums, supermarket squabbles but, equally, the cuddles, fun and games we have together.

The blog’s unique because Tom, the kids and I all get involved in Daddy & Dad features and collaborations; it’s a team effort!

What’s the LGBT+ blogging community like to be part of?
I’ve been lucky enough to meet several like-minded bloggers through events and awards ceremonies, not least The Dad Network (of which I’m an active member) and their network of lovely dads. I’m also a member of a regional blogging group who meet up at PR events in the local area.

Thinking about the LGBT+ blogging community, the LGBT+ parenting niche is still fairly small so I tend to find myself rubbing shoulders with the wider blogging crowd. That said, we do get involved with the local LGBT+ community through trips to pride and the gay pub in town – the locals absolutely love Lyall and Rich!

What’s the biggest issue facing the LGBT+ community today?
There is a prevailing masculine culture that tells children that boys and girls are supposed to behave in a particular way. It leads to LGBT+ children hiding their true feelings from their friends and families. It ultimately contributes to mental health problems and suicide among LGBT+ kids.

As a gay little boy back in the 1980s myself (a dark time for gay people), I’ve experienced how insidious homophobia creeps into the classroom, usually unchallenged by teachers. Lyall and Rich are eight and nine and neither of them are aware of a single LGBT+ pupil in their whole school of 400 kids. For me, alarm bells are ringing. Why are LGBT+ kids still hiding in plain sight in 2018 when they can look forward to a happy life of marriage and kids of their own? It’s very worrying.

Where is the best Pride event?
We love local Pride events. Our favourite Pride is Leicester Pride. We take the boys along every year. Lyall and Rich love the rainbow flags, the fairground rides and the colourful people. We sing and dance to the pop groups and drag queens on the big stage and wave our flags around all afternoon.

Leicester Pride’s grown from quite a humble event into an enormous festival; this year we’re expecting around 3,000 people in the parade and over 10,000 at the festival in Victoria Park. It’s on 1 September – fingers crossed for sunshine!

What do you make of Theresa May’s LGBT Action Plan? 
When Tom and I watched Justin Trudeau’s tearful apology for the wrong-doings by Canada towards its LGBTQ2 community, we wanted to swap him for Theresa May immediately. But, to be fair, she has

spoken on behalf of LGBT+ people in this action plan. So-called gay cure therapy should have been outlawed years ago – it’s torture – to be honest I’m always stunned that it exists. The PM needs to push this through quickly and enforce legal action against anybody who continues to try to cure gay people.

Tackling bullying in school? Blimey. Mrs May is going to need a lot of help. This is an issue for society as a whole. It requires full cooperation and no ambiguity, with a loud, clear, public message from politicians, influential celebrities, the media, school teachers, faith school leaders, religious leaders, parents, local councillors, everybody. I honestly don’t know how she’ll manage it, but I’ll be watching closely and doing everything I can to help.

What one thing should PRs know about you?
One thing? Oh crikey. We’re established, we have an engaged audience and we’re ready to work with you!

As a family, we throw ourselves into PR and brand collaborations enthusiastically (literally if it’s a new waterpark). The whole family gets involved – our boys had a very turbulent start to their little lives so we like to make up for lost time by enjoying all these amazing new experiences together.

What are the best campaigns or collaborations you’ve been part of?
We’ve been very lucky to attract the attention of some prestigious household brands.

So far this year, we played ‘Never have I ever’ with Pizza Express dough-balls in an unscripted TV advert – that was fantastic fun although we were more than a little nervous about what the boys might say on camera! Tom and I also appeared in the 2018 Birds Eye #Solidaritea film alongside some of the UK’s favourite parenting influencers.

We reviewed a monthly board game for Asmodee, promoted a ‘Hobbit Hole’ holiday for Campsites.co.uk in a Lake District travel feature, launched a new Lazer Quest toy, starred in our own My Magic Story books and last weekend we reviewed a beautiful penthouse apartment in Canary Wharf. And that’s just the highlights!

Do bloggers need their own industry association?
I don’t know much about this, to be honest. But, I do have experience with PR work and blogging as a business. The blogging industry is unregulated and compensation for similar jobs can fluctuate drastically. I know some people expect fledgling bloggers to work for free or for the promise of exposure. I can’t think of any other industry where that kind of transaction could legally work.

As a copywriter, I tend to apply my writing rates to blogging work. Generally speaking, every collaboration or sponsored feature can be broken down into chargeable segments. Like any other business, a blogger should at least charge for the parts and labour (travel expenses, time and effort).

If everyone collectively said no to free work, or work in lieu of exposure, businesses would sit up and listen.

What other blogs do you read?
My favourite blogs tend to be relatively small and beautifully written. I love travel blog Birkenstocks and Backpacks, aspiring writer Rachel Horne’s blog Let’s Get Real, freelancing blog Michelle Abrahall, and Mush & Bean Daddies, which follows young couple Joe & Craig in the early stages of their adoption process – they’re just starting out on their own Daddy & Dad adventure!

Daddy & Dad is listed on the Vuelio Influencer Database along with thousands of other bloggers, vloggers, journalists and opportunities.