Kimberly Nissen, editor of The Plastic Diaries and The Handsome Diaries, debunks some of the myths surrounding the work practices of bloggers and gives an insight into the way beauty bloggers operate and how brands can build a working relationship.
What is professional blogging?
Everyone will have their own interpretation of professional blogging” but ultimately everyone will agree on a few key points.
- The first and biggest misconception is that professional”’ means you earn money. When it comes to blogging, this is not always the case.
- Professional bloggers take their medium seriously. They understand its power and do not abuse it. For example, they don’t use it to get free stuff or to attend events.
- Being a professional blogger doesn’t always mean it is the bloggers full-time job. Many professional bloggers have completely separate careers, but they are dedicated to their blog.
- Professional bloggers actively pursue bettering their craft. They will learn as much as they can about the online medium, their topic of choice (in my case, beauty) and general writing skills. Not all professional bloggers are trained journalists. In fact, most aren’t.
What’s the difference between hobbyists and professionals?
Hobbyists and professionals both serve a purpose in the blogging community, but it can be hard to differentiate between the two. Like all good marketing, it is important to align your brand with a blog that has similar values. Here are some key indicators between the two types.
Writing style
Professionals can be more closely aligned with what you will find on the pages of magazines. Blog posts can be sectioned and paragraphed, and all attempts to correct grammar and spelling are made (but like magazines the occasional word can slip past a sub editor). There will be a healthy mix of opinion and fact, plus lots of information available to the reader, such as stockists and official descriptions.
Hobbyists are sometimes also known as bedroom bloggers”, based on the stereotype that these bloggers write their reviews while kicking back in their room with a laptop. Hobbyists have a more light-hearted involvement with the medium. The posts can be more of a rant” style with no real form or structure. Generally they are more opinion based with limited product or factual information.
Website
Professionals will have an aesthetically pleasing website that should be easy to navigate. More often there is also a lot of attention to detail, such as fonts and colour scheme. These websites are also constantly under development to improve functionality as well as reader engagement.
Hobbyists will generally have a more amateur style look with a lack of uniformity. The websites may incorporate mixes of fonts, colours and styles. Navigation can be more difficult and it may have lots of add-on applications. You may also struggle to find contact details or information about the blog.
Policies
Every blogger will have different policies, some may be for disclosure, privacy or general rules of the website. If there is not a dedicated page link in their head menu, you should be able to find it in their Contact or About page. If you cannot see it, shoot the blogger an email and ask for a copy.
Before you reach out to a blog about a brand or client you represent, it is very important you read the blog policies. Professionals will always have policies in place. Some hobbyists will not and you should carefully consider before aligning your brand with them.
Why work with professional bloggers?
Honestly, the list is so long I do not know how I am going to keep this brief!
To begin with, blogging in itself is all about honesty. People love reading blogs because they know they can get a truthful, honest opinion. In the case of beauty blogging, and more specifically product reviews, the honesty is not only based on opinion but on an experience. Readers respond to hearing how one product did/didn’t work for someone and why. The difference you will find with professional bloggers is that a review will include the good and the bad points. Even if the product worked horribly for them, they will provide constructive criticism, point out why they think it didn’t work and who they believe the product would work for.
Professional bloggers treat their blog as a business - a business that reflects themselves. For this reason they will always be professional in dealing with PRs, clients and other mediums. For a hobbyist it isn’t so much about building relationships so the communication may be strained. In a way, you get a higher level of service from a professional blogger.
All bloggers will have their own morals about what they will and won’t do on their blog. In the case of professional bloggers, morals play a big part in the way they run their blog and often it is a huge selling point to their readers.
In my case, I will never discuss an event in which the readers themselves could not attend. This is something I have found works for me because it can be a deterrent for consumers who, given recent tough times, don’t want to see others being spoilt daily in the name of work.
Never be afraid to ask a blogger about their morals clause because it may save you (or your clients) a lot of time and money.
Things to remember when working with professional bloggers
- Bloggers have lead times too. Most professional bloggers will have an editorial calendar that they plan in advance (for me, it is six weeks ahead). If you are launching a new product or hoping to have a blogger post a review, think ahead. Print media are not the only ones who are organised in advance.
- The great thing about blogging is that it is an instant medium. We can post breaking news in seconds and we have no limitation on how many posts we can do in a day. This is a force that can work extremely well for a brand if you use it wisely.
- Professional bloggers will never break an embargo. If you have an embargo in place do not exclude bloggers because you think they will talk about it before you’d like. At the same time, if a blogger contacts you for a statement in response to a rumour don’t ignore them. That’s the worst thing you can do. If it is embargoed simply explain that you are unable to help them with their enquiry at this time, but you will update them as soon as you are able to - and make sure you stick to it!
- Don’t expect a professional blogger to call-in product or contact you when working on a feature. Most bloggers are extremely resourceful and will do all their own research for a piece, including buying their own products. In the case of professional beauty bloggers, we understand that PR allocations of products are limited and we won’t abuse that. The best thing to do is keep bloggers updated with press releases, and where applicable, let them know if they can contact you if they require product for a feature.
- The most important thing to remember when working with bloggers is that at no time do they have to give you a mention or write a post for your product. Sending product to a blogger is at your discretion but understand there is never a guarantee it will be featured and if so, when. Hounding the blogger after sending a product can cause them to look unfavourably upon the experience and may not want to work with you in the future.
I know the world of blogging seems new and daunting, but it is only getting bigger. Now’s the time to get ahead of your competitors and embrace the change!