Thursday 7 February 2019

The PR Secrets Tag

It's been a little while since I last took part in a tag post so I couldn't resist the PR Secrets Tag that I spotted on Jenny's blog a few weeks ago. It was originally created by the lovely Jasmine at Thoughts From Jasmin so make sure you head over to her blog too! I think when it comes to working with brands and earning money from your blog, it's easy to think we shouldn't talk about it or 'brag' but I love seeing other bloggers doing well and we should all be proud of ourselves! I personally think we should all be a little more transparent about it, so I think a tag like this is such a good way to start.
Laptop to the left side with an image of my blog on the front, a book open to the back right hand side to cover the space, a book called One Day In December played on the right side of the laptop with a red nail polish on top

Do you remember the first brand you worked with? When, how and what was it?

The first ever brand I worked with was Niion, early 2014, who sold different baking bits so I reviewed one of their new cookie cutters. Looking back now, the review was horrendous, as were the photos but at the time I was so excited that a brand wanted to work with me only a month or so into blogging.

How do you get the majority of your PR opportunities?

I tend to find Facebook and Twitter are both quite useful when it comes to finding opportunities. There are a few great groups on Facebook that tend to update quite regularly and it's always worth searching the #bloggerswanted, #bloggersrequired hashtags on Twitter. It can go quiet sometimes so I do also pitch to brands myself every so often which I've had quite a lot of success with in the past. I do tend to get emailed from brands/PRs themselves now too but it's taken a long time for that to become a more regular thing!

Are there any brands you work with on a repeat basis? How did that happen?

There are a few PRs I've worked with several times, especially SparklePR who are some of the loveliest girls I've ever worked with! Whenever I'm sent anything I always make sure I actually feature it on my social media and my blog, and I tend to stick to similar time frames every time which I think people like. I think if you can show you're consistent and do actually use the products they send, then it builds up a good relationship. I've also worked with Soap and Glory a few times now too which I still can't quite believe!

Who has been your favourite brand to work with and why?

My answer is kind of the same as the last question. I adore working with Soap and Glory as they've been a fave brand of mine for such a long time. And again, SparklePR are just brilliant. They're always grateful for any features I do which is nice as a lot of the time brands don't even acknowledge you when you send them the post you've collaborated on! Kathleen are also one of the best brands I've worked with. So friendly, and they even sent me a Christmas card! I love when brands are like that as sometimes brands do like to try and make you feel like they've done you a massive favour by choosing to work with you.

Who has been your least favourite brand to work with? What did they do? (Give a vague description but naming isn't needed)

I can't think of a specific brand, I've been quite lucky really that no-one has ever really been that bad. There have been odd occasions where a brand has took longer than the agreed time to pay an invoice which is frustrating, and there have also been a few that have wanted loads of amendments making to a post once it's live, but overall most brands I've worked with have been great.

Has there been anything big that you've perhaps reluctantly turned down because you knew it wasn't right for you?

I can't think of anyone that I've been desperate to work with that I've had to turn down. Again, I think I've been quite lucky that the majority of the time the opportunities I'm offered are usually relevant to my blog anyway. There's been quite a few times I've said no to collaborations though where there is no budget or very little. We deserve to be paid, and to be paid fairly so I'm not afraid to say no now if it's not going to be worth it.

What's your favourite kind of PR to receive? (e.g. food, beauty, fashion)

Ooh, food is always nice! I started out as a food blogger so it's always nice to get some sort of food or drink to try. I'm really into beauty now though so I've loved getting a few more make-up and skincare bits to try over the last few years too.

What would be your dream brand collaboration?

There are so many I'd love to work with - Yankee Candle, Lush, Essie, Bomb Cosmetics, The Body Shop. Maybe one day!

I've absolutely loved answering these questions, I think this tag is such a brilliant idea! Feel free to take part and copy the questions, I'd love to hear your PR secrets too!

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6 comments

Hannah said...

What an interesting post! I'm glad to hear you've only had good experiences, as I can imagine it not being nice when it gets bad.All of the brands on your wishlist are the same as mine too, maybe one day! Saying that you're well on the way!xx

Hannah | https://luxuryblush.co.uk

Tiffany Timms said...

Thank you so much, I've been feeling a bit down about it lately but just got to keep going! Hopefully one day we'll both be able to work with the brands we love 😘Xx

Mariya Zafirova said...

What a lovely post! Thanks for sharing!

Mariya | www.brunetteondemand.com

Samantha | The Beauty Spyglass said...

What an interesting post! I work with Kathleen too, such a lovely, thankful brand. I’m like you, not really had any bad ones yet fingers crossed. I was contacted by Pixi beauty way back last October and they asked if they could add me to their PR sends database. I was over the moon but as yet I’ve had nothing :( I don’t like to chase and besides, emails tend to end up in spam folders half the time! Keep up the good work lovely! x

Samantha | https://thebeautyspyglass.com

Tiffany Timms said...

Kathleen really are lovely, I love it when brands really care about the bloggers they work with and really seem to appreciate us. That's a shame about Pixi, I've been in a similar situation recently with a few PRs but I'm never sure what to do! I don't want to be cheeky and email but it's confusing when they say they want to work with you and then go quiet. Thanks for the lovely comment Samantha 😘Xx

Tiffany Timms said...

Thank you 😘X

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