Archive for: Media Database

‘Readers tell me being featured on All Things IC has helped them get a new job, raise their profile or secure a promotion, which makes me proud to know my website has played a part in their success.’ Today’s spotlight is with All Things IC’s Rachel Miller, who shares all things internal communications with her readers.

Having started her career as a journalist back in 1999, Rachel has seen the evolution of both sides of the media/PR relationship. Read on for her take on some of the biggest changes the industries have gone through, as well as retro tools of the trade that didn’t quite make it into this decade (microfiche, anyone?).

How did you originally get started with writing about PR, marketing and comms?
I started my blog in 2009 while working in-house at Tube Lines (which is now part of TfL) to help me research how social media could be used for internal communication.

There were only two case studies globally I could refer to in my post-graduate diploma in Internal Communication Management dissertation back then. Nowadays, I’d be spoiled for choice!

My blog came about because I wanted to share the resources I’d found, have a space to document my findings and to find likeminded people who were also interested in the same topics.

What’s your favourite thing to post about and why?
My favourite thing to write about is internal communicators. I particularly love featuring practitioners who have overcome a struggle I know others are grappling with.

Readers tell me being featured on All Things IC has helped them get a new job, raise their profile or secure a promotion, which makes me proud to know my website has played a part in their success.

What are some of the recent campaigns you’ve written about that you really liked and why were they special?
I recently welcomed Sara Vogt, deputy director, corporate communications at the Ministry of Justice here in the UK as a guest blogger. Sara (@_saravogt) wrote about their values campaign and how organisations can live their values.

I liked it because the Ministry of Justice had identified the things that will help them become a truly values-led organisation: where their values underpin their strategic decisions, implementation of their business activities and how every employee behaves with their colleagues, stakeholders or users of their services.

Sara wrote: ‘With our values campaign we’re giving staff a platform to share their personal stories of how they are living our values and how they have felt supported at work – our colleagues have shared their many stories, including of being supported when returning to work after gender reassignment; of thriving at MOJ after a childhood growing up in care; and of gaining confidence in public speaking for the first time’.

With mental wellbeing being a big issue in the industry at the moment, what do you think agencies can do to support their employees?
I think every organisation is responsible for enabling conversations around mental health and wellbeing to happen. Regardless of the size of your company, there are practical steps you can take to help your employees.

I believe conversations about mental health need to be part of the way companies communicate; we need to make it okay to admit when you’re not okay and support our workforce and managers to have honest discussions, underpinned by robust support, policies and advice.

I’ve partnered with mental health at work expert Jo Hooper to provide a new Mental Health Leadership Masterclass on 6 April 2020 to help comms practitioners learn more.

I’ve blogged about mental health extensively on my blog, including featuring Jamie Angus, internal communications and engagement manager at PDSA writing about the work they’re doing to give colleagues a voice on mental health.

How can the PR industry work on its diversity problem?
Unfortunately, there are various diversity problems in PR, which is reflective of society as a whole.

Workplace inclusion requires a shift in organisational culture and is a recognition that policies alone are not sufficient to build an inclusive workplace. I blogged about how to understand and improve diversity back in 2018 and could have written it today as little has changed.

You need to know the data behind any problem so you can make informed decisions. At the very least, companies need to prioritise representation across the dimensions both in terms of how they communicate and how they recruit.

How has the relationship between the media and public relations changed during your time in PR?
Speed is one of the biggest shifts we’ve seen. I started my career as a journalist in 1999 and moved into internal communication in 2003. PR and comms has changed a lot in that time. The fundamental principles of good, effective communication haven’t, but the methods and media have.

For example, there was only one computer with internet access in the newsroom when I was a journalist and it was incredibly slow. This was the era when we weren’t using search engines yet and spent a lot of time validating and researching at libraries (often using microfiche!) before publishing.

The speed at which we communicate and publish today means the relationship between the media and public relations is constantly evolving.

Do you think calling to pitch stories to journalists can ever be a good move?
Rarely. Only if you are certain it will be of true interest, fits their niche, they’re the right person to contact, they’re not on deadline – there are many things to think through first, which are potential barriers!

However, you can’t beat having a proper conversation rather than flooding someone’s inbox. Pitching to me via phone is never the right thing to do, but to make your pitch stand out in my inbox, it needs to be timely, targeted and relevant for my readers.

What are the pros of working with influencers versus ‘traditional’ media?
I enjoyed speaking with Ste Davies last year on his New Influence podcast. We discussed the topic of influencers as my take is from the inside out. I have numerous conversations with my clients about their internal influencers and ambassadors and how that relationship does or doesn’t work.

Do you work with other PRs on your blog? How would you prefer they approach you and with what kind of content?
I rarely work with other PRs on my blog as feedback from my readers shows they prefer reading articles by their peers, which is mainly in-house communication practitioners from around the globe.

However, if someone has taken the time to read my guidelines, understood the topics I write about and has a targeted, timely and relevant topic, I will consider it.

I get approached daily by PRs. The best ones have done some research, they’ve looked at the content I’ve published, spotted a gap and sent me a relevant message. I say no to pitches 90% of the time because they are from agencies wanting to use my blog for their own gains, rather than thinking about how they could add value to my readers.

What other blogs do you check out regularly?
My fellow bloggers within this Top PR category are familiar to me, I’ve read some of their blogs for years.
I enjoy the weekly round-up from PR Place, edited by Richard Bailey, as it helps me uncover new voices in the PR world. I like to support those who are just starting out by reading and sharing their posts to encourage them.

I also love listening to podcasts and particularly like Holly Tucker’s Conversations of Inspiration series with entrepreneurs.

‘This expectation that we all have to sing and dance, go to the pub and be merry and joyful when that is not how you really feel can take an immense toll’ – today’s spotlight falls on PR pro and Power & Influence blogger Ella Minty, who knows the unique pressures of working in public relations as well as the highs (creativity and stereotype shattering) that go with the occasional lows (long hours and stress).

Encouraging knowledge sharing in her popular #PowerAndInfluence Twitter discussions as well as on the Power & Influence blog, Ella shares extra wisdom with us on how important deeper thinking and diversity is for happiness in the office environment and making more meaningful work.

How did you originally get started with writing about PR, marketing and comms?
I wanted to share what I know and provide a different take on some of the aspects we don’t come across that often but, when we do, they become crucially important to get right from the start.

What’s your favourite thing to post about and why?
It has to be business, through the lens of a PR practitioner and vice versa. I am bemused by how much time we spend looking through a magnifying glass at ourselves (naval gazing) as opposed to really understanding what those who need our services – besides a campaign for a toothpick – are really looking for.

What are some of the recent campaigns you’ve written about that you really liked and why were they special?
I haven’t written anything about campaigns because I haven’t found any to be ground-breaking and really soul-searching. What I can tell you though, after having judged three PRCA MENA’s 2020 Awards categories (and here I’m only referring to the Best PR Campaign: Digital category) I was really blown away by Golin MENA’s ingenious and innovative approach to making a boring and rather bland product such as paint really stand out. Their Jotashield campaign for Jotun Paints was really something else.

With mental wellbeing being a big issue in the industry at the moment, what do you think agencies can do to support their employees?
Listen – like, really listen and observe. This expectation that we all have to sing and dance, go to the pub and be merry and joyful when that is not how you really feel takes an immense toll. Allow people to be themselves and express their feelings; if all agencies did that to begin with it would be a massive step forward. Encourage authenticity and self-reflection.

How can the PR industry work on its diversity problem?
We should understand that diversity has two main forms of manifestation: one is physical and the other is mental. The former is ‘people like us’ and the latter is ‘no more nodding heads’. This reminds me of that splendid Procter & Gamble campaign aimed to shatter stereotypes ‘Like A Girl’, and of how far we are to even comprehending that another view, someone else’s experience and take on issues may, actually, help us become better.

We often stop at skin colour and gender and we shouldn’t; innovation, forward thinking, competitive advantage and so on, all these imperatives for business growth are in the mind, not in the body. When you submit a proposal, are brought in to sort an issue or help in a crisis, it is your mind that will make all the difference, not the way you look or dress. The quotas on diversity need to be very carefully considered, especially when it comes to gender diversity – bring a woman in because she is the best at that job, not because she is a woman.

How has the relationship between the media and public relations changed during your time in PR?
It has changed dramatically. When I started, almost 20 years ago, the journalists were the authors and the keepers of the ‘Bible’. There was a very clear demarcation line: they asked, you answered, then you could only hope they understood. Today, the lines are blurry and I am quite sad to see that some journalists forget that they are supposed to be neutral, ethical and professional. Equally, it never ceases to amaze me that we still have PR practitioners who treat journalists like the fish in a pond: throw something in and see how many fish you can catch.

Do you think calling to pitch stories to journalists can ever be a good move?
It can, providing the right story is pitched to the right journalist. A journalist cannot be expected to be everywhere, read everything and know what is happening in their sector 24/7. If we can provide them with something that is of real interest to them, we should. This is how many professional and long-lasting relationships start: as transactional.

What are the pros of working with influencers versus ‘traditional’ media?
I have very strong views on this, and often my views are rather strong, one might argue. Influencers to me are pretty much as ‘influencing’ as the answer to the question: ‘how long is piece of string?’. Celebrities are still good at raising awareness when it comes to products – credible they are not, for the most part. Social media influencers, and I cannot help mentioning the case of the ‘over four million followers’ ‘social media star’ who couldn’t make it through one of the dance-offs of Strictly Come Dancing last year; how ‘influencing’ was that influencer? I’ve written quite a lot about this subject and I would always urge caution. If treated strictly as a paid-for transactional relationship, the contractual terms must be very strict to ensure both parties are clear on what their obligations, liabilities and expectations are.

The ‘pros’ of influencer marketing are reach, awareness and, potentially, sales impact – but the last point needs to be very carefully tied back to the actual influence of that person. And I’ll give you an example of a perfect influencer in my book: Stephen Waddington. Before I created my blog, I used to write a lot for CIPR’s Influence (online version) without even thinking to go through the effort and trouble of creating my own blog – between ‘Influence’ and LinkedIn’s Article feature, I was ok. But then Stephen wrote something and urged us to create our own platforms – after all, I can be as hard as I want on one topic or another in my own blog as opposed to someone else’s. Then, it was also Stephen who, when I complained about something to do with our practice a several years ago, when he was the President of CIPR, he turned to me and said just this: ‘and what are you doing about it?’. The penny dropped and I thought to myself ‘I’d better do something about it’ – and I did.

So what I am trying to say here is that an influencer’s ‘influence’ can only be measured, realistically, in their ability to influence someone to do something: change, use, buy, etc.

Do you work with other PRs on your blog? How would you prefer they approach you and with what kind of content?
No, I don’t – never had the chance to because, although I’ve been sent numerous press releases, those I found really interesting to have a constructive dialogue with were only interested in ‘broadcast’, not in anything else. I’m happy to be approached by anyone who has a very interesting story to tell, particularly in our line of work, and is ready to answer my questions – some I’ve even invited to host a #PowerAndInfluence chat but, when they learned that the chat is a conversation and not a prescriptive Q&A or a chest-beating opportunity, never came back to me.

If I like what I read, then I’ll approach the sender – I will never ask to be paid for my writing about them or doing a #PowerAndInfluence together; I have a blog because I am passionate about what I do/write – it’s not a means of income for me and it will never be; this is why I don’t accept any advertisements etc. My blog is very personal and special to me, so any co-operation with any other PR professionals will be based on that premise.

What other blogs do you check out regularly?
I read Stephen Waddington, Scott Guthrie and Jessica Pardoe quite regularly, as well as Sarah Waddington’s FutureProof – I like learning something new every day and look for ‘wow, I didn’t know that’ or ‘I never thought about that’ kind of content. But I read many others, too, depending on the topic/subject. The blog articles I loathe are those who invite you in (clickbait style) and bore you to death in the first five minutes with their services on the topic, how you can work with them, etc. I appreciate that some or many make money from writing blogs, and that is fine with me – but it would be great if they could wow the reader with their knowledge on that topic first and, right at the very end of the article, promote what they do and how they do it.

‘I pinch myself when I think I have interviewed people like Jim Kerr from Simple Minds, the guitar legend Johnny Marr and many more.’ Music blogger Mark Millar of XS Noize has met many music monoliths since starting his blog back in 2014, but also loves giving new bands and artists a platform for their music to be heard.

Writing about music has changed a lot since the days of Smash Hits magazine – read on for what Mark counts as the pros of digital publishing and which platforms for new musicians aren’t the best route to take if you want longevity in the charts and music collections.

How did you get started with writing about music?
I have loved music for as long as I can remember. My aunt made me sing along to Bye Bye Baby by the Bay City Rollers when I was three. So I suppose I was hooked from then! My parents played everything from Meatloaf to Simon & Garfunkel around the house growing up so I was exposed to loads of great stuff. Then I started buying my own records and tapes as I got older. I read all the music magazines like Smash Hits, Number One and NME from cover to cover.

I did an HNC in Interactive Multimedia. I planned to get into web design, but that didn’t work out. So I decided to marry my knowledge of web design and my passion for music and created XS Noize in 2014. It started as a hobby and now XS Noize is recognised as an authority in music, which is amazing.

What’s your favourite thing to post about?
I like to feature new bands and artists to give them a platform for their music. Also, I love to interview musicians who I admire and have been a fan of. It’s always interesting to hear about their process. I pinch myself when I think I have interviewed people like Jim Kerr from Simple Minds, the guitar legend Johnny Marr and many more.

What makes the music blogging community different (and better!) than others?
People love listening to music either on radio, streaming or by playing records and CDs, so it’s a real pleasure to be able to inform those people about new music. To do that I have to have my finger on the pulse by regularly checking my emails throughout the day because I never know when I’ll receive news about the next big release or confirmation about a band or artist I will be interviewing. My laptop is with me everywhere I go (even on holiday) to enable me to publish on XS Noize immediately. XS Noize is a team effort – we have contributors worldwide who are passionate about music and what they do, and it’s a real pleasure to work with them all.

Do you think shows like The Voice and Britain’s Got Talent are still a good route into the music industry for wannabe musicians?
No, not really – they are only entertainment shows. If you want 15 minutes of fame then go for it but today no one remembers who wins these shows. I don’t think any winner of The Voice has ever been successful. I suppose it’s a foot in the door for the acts, but ultimately those shows are about the judges. The best route for musicians is to play the circuit to as many people as they can and write loads of songs.

Do you see the increase in the intersection of tech with music (VR shows/holograms) as a good thing?
I have no problem with it – it’s novelty and fun, but it’s not the kind of show I would go and see. I would rather see the real thing.

What was the first song/album you bought and would you still listen to it?
The first single I bought with my own money was Wide Boy by Nik Kershaw. And yes, I would stick on his greatest hits now and again.

Favourite song lyric of all time?
‘Life’s a bag of Revels/And I’m looking for the orange one/She’s gone’ – Polar Bear by The Charlatans.

How do you work with PRs and brands?
Working with PRs is the lifeblood of XS Noize. I have built amazing relationships over the past six years with PRs. We work closely every minute of the working day on new content by arranging interviews, gig passes, photo passes, reviews and loads more. With brands, we have sponsored live events and organised competitions.

For PRs looking to work with you and your blog/website, how would you prefer they approach you?
PRs can get in touch with me mainly via email, but sometimes they get hold of my phone number and call me directly – I don’t mind either way. I get sent hundreds of emails daily from PRs and it’s impossible to go through them all, which I feel terrible about.

What other blogs do you read (whether music-related or not)?
I like The Quietus, it’s great! And Chordblossom and The Thin Air. The latter two are also based in Northern Ireland, and I like Nialler9, who is based in Dublin. They write fantastic coverage of the local music scenes and beyond, so check them out.

How does the music blogging sector continue to adapt as the way we share and stream music changes? For A&R Factory’s Stefan Toren, it’s ‘the creativity in connecting people’, whether through traditional features and interviews, curated playlists or Instagram stories.

Aiming to explore the meaning behind the music rather than straight-forward industry updates, Stefan’s blog has become a ‘hotspot’ for professionals in the sector. Read on for his approach to writing about music, how the music industry is changing and whether reality TV is a good thing for artists.

How did you get started with writing about music?
A+R Factory started around 10 years ago when I was working as a music manager for a few bands. Originally I just wanted to write about the different artists I had the pleasure of working with, but it started to evolve into something much bigger when I found we had organically become a hotspot for music industry professionals – ranging from unsigned talent to A+Rs from some of the world’s top labels. I guess the answer is almost boringly simple: I began because I wanted my own platform to give a voice to the unheard musician. A decade on, here we are.

What’s your favourite thing to post about on your website/blog?
Just go on over to our homepage and take a look for yourself. We don’t tend to focus on industry news and developments – we focus purely on music and what it (might) mean to the listener. Exploring artists and their new projects is therefore, by far, our favorite stuff to post.

What makes the music blogging community different (and better!) than others?
Oh, it’s different alright – in all the good ways (and some bad, but let’s not get into that here!). One of the parts that make it so good is the ability for a blog to help curate a listener’s taste, and get them to explore new artists and new music that (literally) resonates with them. We’re also seeing the blog community explore different avenues to tell those artists’ stories too; some of the best music bloggers don’t even write these days, they curate playlists, create videos and post insta stories. I think the creativity in connecting people with art is the special something that makes music blogging stay relevant as online culture evolves.

Do you think shows like The Voice and Britain’s Got Talent are still a good route into the music industry for wannabe musicians? What are the pros and cons?
Have they ever been? Facetiousness aside, I think these shows have a cultural value to offer and do help show artists that they don’t just need to be good musicians – they need to be characters and have a story to tell. But I think it goes without saying that ten times out of ten, an artist should focus on their art and marketing before considering a musical reality show to be a viable option for getting into the industry.

Do you see the increase in the intersection of tech with music as a good thing – VR shows, holograms of musicians who are no longer with us, etc.?
I think most people look at tech in the music industry as these ‘flashy’ PR pieces – and that’s fair because a Tupac hologram catches eyes and ears. The real tech in the music industry is a lot more hidden and it’s all about data. Just like a brand needs data about its customers, music labels all need data about their listeners, and platforms like Spotify have all the value in this space. Because of this data, we’re seeing music labels adopt different approaches to new releases to maximise streaming value, perhaps at the risk of compromising artistic value. But for many artists, data can be their most powerful tool in building a following and cracking the online space – so there’s lots of pros and cons on all sides for tech being adopted more heavily in the music industry.

What was the first song/album you bought (and would you still listen to it)?
Eric B and Rakim’s Paid in Full. Who doesn’t still listen to it? It’s one of the seminal hip-hop albums.

Favourite song lyric of all time?
‘All my exes live in Texas’ by George Strait. I can’t explain why. I’ve never been to Texas.

How do you work with PRs and brands?
Our approach is heavily tied to our original and simple vision of spotlighting the world’s best independent artists and musicians. So of course when we work with PRs and brands, we only choose the ones with an offer that can bring something truly helpful to the table for unsigned musicians. There’s so many incredible services out there that act in line with A+R factory’s values, and we make sure each one we work with gives artists a real digital leg up in this crazy industry.

For PRs looking to work with you and your blog/website, how would you prefer they approach you?
We have a delightfully simple contact page here where you can reach out to us.

What other blogs do you read (whether music-related or not)?
Earmilk is great. Indie Shuffle and Resident Advisor are two other staples.

‘Shows like Take Me Out and Dinner Date, to me, are just for people who fancy five minutes of fame – sorry!’ Hoping to build more genuine connections with people looking for advice and support in love is Never Settle blogger Eve Greenow. Originally launched in November 2014 as ‘Eve’s Blog’, its first posts helped Eve come out of a toxic relationship, and has since evolved into an ‘honest, confidence-building go-to of what to do when dating, in a relationship, breaking up, having sex, dealing with mental health issues… you name it, I want to help people with it’.

Even if you’re choosing to ignore Valentine’s Day completely, make a commitment to checking out Eve’s thoughts on dating shows, her worst date ever and whether blogging about dating is a good or bad thing for her own relationships…

How did you originally get started with writing about relationships?
Truth be told, I never started my blog with the intention of writing solely about dating, sex, relationships and millennial lifestyle. Actually, Never Settle was founded in November 2014, as it’s original conception of ‘Eve’s Blog’ (revolutionary name, right?) six months after I came out of a four-year toxic relationship.

Nowadays, Never Settle pushes the latest trends to the forefront of discussion, tackling controversial and taboo subjects head on, and looks to provide a range of outcomes and a way of achieving them, based on a mixture of personal experience and extensive psychological and sociological research. I’ve even got my own Ask Eve section where I accept anonymous questions, and podcast…

What’s your favourite thing to post about and why?
My favourite thing to write about is real, honest posts for people who find themselves in difficult dating situations. Often my Ask Eve inbox is full of lovely, brilliant people who are stuck in a difficult scenario and are so confused. Helping people just feel heard or listened to is my favourite thing. It’s not even giving advice, because often those who write in already know in their heart of hearts what they need to do; it’s just allowing them to have the cathartic experience of writing down their issues and knowing it’ll be read, and that they’re not alone.

I know many bloggers who blog for brand collaborations and the perks, but that was never why I created Never Settle – it’s to help people feel less alone and realise their true potential. Knowing I’ve helped someone is the best thing I ever get out of the blog.

How do you stay enthusiastic about Valentine’s Day?
Valentine’s Day is an interesting one. I used to be super into it, but as I’ve got older, I’ve not become cynical as such, but I’ve just realised that while Valentine’s Day is nice to celebrate your partner, it’s super-important to not just exclusively do so on this one day. I do think it’s become commercialised, and ultimately real relationships shouldn’t need the grand gestures and the expensive presents (depending on their love languages of course). Also, it can make singletons feel super-rubbish, and frankly, even more alone. So I think if someone would like to celebrate Valentine’s Day – absolutely, enjoy it! But if you’re single, honestly, it’s not the end of the world – 15 February is just a day away.

What’s the most romantic place in the world?
Oooh, that’s a toughy. Probably not the answer you’re looking for, but the most romantic place in the world is somewhere that means the most to you. It doesn’t need to be Paris or Rome, it can just be somewhere that makes you feel happy and romantic. It may be a place you share with your partner and means something, or somewhere you love to visit. Memories make the romance, and it builds to a whole new level when you love that place.

What is the worst date you’ve ever been on?
I guess the worst one-off dating experience for me started off as a really nice evening. We had some drinks in a Soho bar, and got on well initially. I was surprisingly calm, and just spoke naturally about what we do, our jobs, hobbies, etc. – had a laugh, even. After a few drinks and no dinner, he spoke about my blog and the fact that I review ‘lots of dildos’… and, as expected, things took a turn for the worse. Not only am I very protective of my blog, but I also find it says a lot about a person in the way they talk about intimacy. Before I knew it, he was complaining about his ex-girlfriend (who he’d been with for a long time), telling me intimate details about her and generally being really derogatory… safe to say, I took his ex-girlfriend’s side. Which went down like a lead balloon. He wanted a second date, remarkably. I did not.

Has blogging about relationships ever impacted your own relationships in real life?
Ha! Oh gosh yeah, unfortunately. People think I write about my life, my dating experiences and private information – which is simply not true. I’ve found people presume when I write a post, it’s about me or my boyfriend. Unfortunately, I have lost a few friends because of the blog. They’ve seen me as a hypocrite for doing something which goes against my own blog advice, or just ‘don’t get it’. It’s amazing how many people will give you backhanded compliments about your achievements, or always find the negative in something you hold pride in.

When I was single, men thought they would become a new feature on my blog. It was regularly said ‘oh, I guess this will end up on the blog then,’ which, again, if they’d read any of it, they’d know they would definitely not. My boyfriend’s friends took the mickey out of him about it too for a long time, which was tough. But to be honest, where I am with the blog, and what I’ve achieved, shows me that it was all worth it.

What are your favourite dating shows?
Ahh, I really hate many of the dating shows. Only because they don’t really do well to pair people up in the best way and basically it nearly always ends in a flop relationship – which is just a bit pointless.

I really like First Dates because they actually try and match people appropriately based on a variety of factors, and often that means you won’t waste your time. Celebs Go Dating is another one I really like. The matchmaking and coaching allow people to actually handle their baggage and deal with their problems, rather than jump from relationship to relationship and make the same mistakes.

Shows like Take Me Out and Dinner Date, to me, are just for people who fancy five minutes of fame – sorry!

How do you collaborate with brands and which kind of brands do you really like working with?
I really do love collaborating with brands. I’ve worked with sooo many and have a handful I love to work with. Ann Summers, LELO, Lovehoney are among my favourite pleasure brands, and I love that they continuously push towards smashing taboos around female pleasure. Brands which are relevant to women’s health, relationships or dating are what I look for, and anything promoting equality and feminism is a big plus!

For PRs looking to work with you and your blog/website, how would you prefer they approach you and with what kind of content?
If you actually research my blog, it will get you so far! I get all sorts of emails, but recently received one from a PR agency who had actually clearly done their research and I felt so warm towards them. It really helps! Brands who care about a mutual relationship really tick my box – someone who just wants to use my blog, or make out like they’re doing me a favour for free promotion will most likely never hear back from me.

What other blogs do you check out regularly (whether relationship-related or not)?
I have so many! I still love to read Naomi Narrative, Lucy Goes Dating and Alice in Wonder. Also love Natasha Atlas and my blogging besties, Hannah of The Giraffe’s Life and Jess from Fierce & Fabulous Revolution. These are some of the hardest working ladies in the blogging world!