Archive for: PR

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 We talk a lot about tackling outdated stereotypes, raising a feminist, and hitting prejudice in the backside.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.

Along Dusty Roads is a brand-new entry in the Top 10 UK Travel Blogs. Written by Andrew Sim and Emily Gough, Along Dusty Roads celebrates slow travel and focuses on savouring the country you’re in. We caught up with the self-confessed tea addicts, who told us how travel blogging has changed, the joy of chicken buses and working on positive PR collaborations.  

What makes your blog unique?
Aside from our unrivalled ability to drink lots of tea, we think there’s a few things that make Along Dusty Roads a little different.

Our photography and travel story-telling style, with a strong design aesthetic, helps us to stand out in a crowded space and seems to genuinely grab people’s attention. Our readers really value our in-depth and experience-based advice on destinations to help them plan their own adventures and make their own travel memories; the number of messages we receive each month about how people have relied solely on our posts for short and long-term trips is quite remarkable! In the age of instant and constant social media, having content that looks at things a little differently, a little more in-depth, and in a way which feels like a conversation between like-minded travellers, most certainly still has a place and powerful voice.

We know how we like to travel, and everything we do is to really help people to travel more and travel better – we think that resonates with people once they find us.

How has travel blogging changed since you started?
The growth of Instagram and YouTube has certainly changed the expectations of what some travel content should be and look like, while also increasing the overall numbers of sources that people go to for travel advice and inspiration. This has meant that travel bloggers have had to diversify their product and focus on several different platforms. When we started, Instagram took up none of our time – now it takes up an awful lot.

However, our main platform is our blog and we’re immensely proud of that. Despite the growth of various other channels, we’ve found that established blogs remain extremely valued, trusted, and respected by travellers looking for inspiration, advice and guidance.

What’s the community of travel blogs like to be part of?
When we moved back to London after two-and-a-half years on the road, it meant that we had a ready-made network to plug in to. That made such a difference for us and we’ve made life-long friends out of it. Starting the blog, we had absolutely no idea about the existence of such a community, and everyone is incredibly supportive to help the travel blogging sector improve its professionalism, reach, and output.

What’s the best travel experience in the world?
Hopefully something we haven’t done yet! For us, it will usually involve a road trip, a hike, and a moment that feels utterly unique. Ranking experiences in travel is something that’s difficult to do as well – so often something which could be very simple and forgettable to someone else, may actually make your entire trip!

What’s the best mode of transport you’ve ever experienced?
Public buses in Guatemala (usually referred to as ‘chicken buses’) are mostly colourful refurbished American school buses. Usually jam-packed, usually bumpy, they are always an experience; much more fun than a tourist shuttle with air-con.

What was your scariest experience while travelling?
Honestly, we’ve both been incredibly fortunate in our time travelling (both individually and as Along Dusty Roads) – up until now nothing, touch wood, has gone majorly wrong. A big part of that will be luck, but we also like to think that we’re overall quite sensible when on the road and very much aware of our surroundings.

What should PRs know about you?
Our partners often tell us that our professionalism and business-like approach is refreshing within the blogging industry. We also work bloody hard because we want our partners AND our readers to be happy.

Essentially, if they like what we do at Along Dusty Roads and partner with us, they can rest assured that all the content we create will be as thoughtful, meaningful and unique as everything that made them want to work with us in the first place.

What are the best campaigns you’ve worked on?
All the campaigns have been overall positive experiences for everyone involved, but the very best have been those that have really allowed us the time and space to deliver a true ‘Along Dusty Roads’ experience somewhere. A degree of flexibility on both sides of the table is so important in the initial stages when devising what will work best for our partner’s aims, and our audience.

We’re currently GWanderers (brand ambassadors) for G Adventures, a global adventure travel company, and it’s great to have a partner that values our ideas and approach to content creation so that we can deliver something beautiful, different, and engaging.

Do bloggers need their own industry association?
Any body that supports standards, shares best practice and creates clearer guidelines for both bloggers and their potential partners is always a step in the right direction.

What other blogs do you read?
We don’t tend to read any blogs on a regular basis, but when we’re seeking information or inspiration on a new destination, they are our go-to resource.

Andrew, Emily and Along Dusty Roads are listed on the Vuelio Influencer Database along with thousands of other bloggers, vloggers, journalists and opportunities.

Hand Luggage Only is written by Yaya Onalaja-Aliu and Lloyd Griffiths, two travel lovers who met at university. In under four years, the two have become giants of the travel blogging world, winning Best Travel Blog at the Vuelio Blog Awards 2017 and now topping the world-famous Top 10 UK Travel Blogs. Oozing the writers’ charming and fun-loving personalities, Hand Luggage Only has wowed audiences with its stunning photography and real-life travel reviews.

We caught up Yaya and Lloyd to chat about the travel blogging community, ‘leaning in’ to the destination you’re visiting and working with brands and PRs. 

What makes your blog unique?
Ironically, we think that the thing that makes Hand Luggage Only unique is actually the thing that makes it quite ‘normal’. For us, travel has been always about the experiences and focusing on what the destination has to offer so, rather than attempting to define a niche topic to focus on, our blog is unique as it cuts across several different ways to travel. We allow the destination to be exactly what it is, not what we’d want it to be – whether that involves active hiking to see amazing sights or just relaxing on a picturesque sandy beach.

That’s always been the most important thing for us (when we travel), to really savour and relish the beauty of new and exciting places.

We try to never have any preconceptions on places we visit. We keep an open mind, which always allows us to lean into the destination and that’s the most important thing to us.

How has travel blogging changed since you started?
Gosh, travel blogging has changed considerably over the last few years. I mean, the principles are the same but the methods in which we share our experiences is constantly changing. With the advent of new platforms and offerings like IGTV, there’s always something new to learn and new ways of sharing our experiences.

That being said, we’ve also noticed lots of new travel bloggers in recent years emerging with lots of different backgrounds, cultures and insights. One of our favourite things about blogging is how it democratises travel and having a more diverse mix of people being part of the conversation is fantastic. It really does help provide a more balanced view of the world and helps provide new and interesting insights on travel as a whole.

What’s the community of travel blogs like to be part of?
It’s very fun and very open-minded. I think the general nature of travel means that the community is filled with fun-seekers who are curious about the world around them and absolutely open to learn about everything available to them.

The thing that’s really lovely about travel blogging is that pretty much everyone is in it because they’re passionate about travel. There’s this innate curiosity in the community that means that everyone is excited to read each other’s posts, to share their own experiences and essentially help each other see more of the world.

What’s the best travel experience in the world?
I don’t actually think there’s one ‘best’ travel experience in the world. Travel experiences are so relative. Some people like switching destinations constantly while others like returning to the same place; some people like it hot while some like it cold; some people want to chill while others want active adventures – sometimes the same person wants all of this, just at different times of the year.

My point is, the goalpost for ‘best’ keeps changing so it’s hard to define one specific type of travel experience that is best. What perhaps is common with some of our fondest travel experiences is back to our point of setting no expectations for a destination and just leaning into what it is. You could return to the same destination 10 times in a row and have different experiences every single time (like we have in Amsterdam) and so it’s important to shake off any pre-conceived notions and find your own path to fun every time you travel.

What’s the best mode of transport you’ve ever experienced?
Probably paragliding into Switzerland. While in France, we headed up to the hills and ran off the cliff with an instructor who guided us over to Switzerland. It was so much fun!

What’s your scariest experience while travelling?
Probably snakes! Lloyd really doesn’t like snakes and while we were in Sri Lanka I was playing about on his phone and nearly walked onto a snake that was bathing on the road. He still shakes thinking about it. Ha!

What should PRs know about you?
I’m not sure. I guess that we are pretty open minded and always flexible in how we work with people. No two destinations or brands are exactly the same, no two people are and so it would be unrealistic to expect two projects to be.

We always see collaborations as a two-way conversation (not just one party telling the what to do or not do), which always helps when working with brands.

What are the best campaigns you’ve worked on?
There are so many amazing campaigns we’ve worked on, especially with a destination focus. We love our long-term partnership with KLM, Germany, Canada and with Visit England as ambassadors.

That being said, we also love our campaign with Apple where we are able to share not just out love of travel but also photography tips and tools we use with other like-minded travellers.

Do bloggers need their own industry association?
There would be a real benefit to this. An industry association or some sort of body would certainly be welcomed in a very new and often changing industry as it can really be of a lot of value to help standardise practices in what can be a pretty fragmented environment.

What other blogs do you read? 
That’s difficult to answer because I’m a big link clicker from other channels such as Twitter or Instagram, so I can find myself on some really obscure blogs. I veer away from the ones that don’t give any real opinion or always love everything… they’re just not that useful or authoritative without a point of view.

Lloyd, Yaya and Hand Luggage Only are all listed on the Vuelio Influencer Database along with thousands of other bloggers, vloggers, journalists and opportunities.