This month we’re getting to know Kirsty Merrett from Fashion for Lunch! A fabulous blog filled with shopping edits, styling advice, make-up launches, beauty excitement, interior decor and general life advice and positivity!
When did you first set up your social channels, and what got you started?
I set up my blog in 2012 and then set up my social channels shortly after to support my blog content and drive traffic over to it. As time when on, social media became more than just a traffic driver and instead became a huge part of creating content!
How has the digital landscape changed for you and how you share content since then?
Social media has become SO much more important, as has YouTube and video content and ‘motion’ in general. In many ways content has become so much more polished and editorial, but in other ways, people have opened their hearts and worlds in ways that you didn’t see 5 or 10 years ago.
What advice would you give a brand or PR representative looking to potentially work with you to create content?
Look for bloggers who’s passion shines through their words and images, and if you (the brand) loves the content, then hopefully your customers will too! Also, it goes without saying but look for bloggers with a real audience and ALWAYS avoid bot users, not only is their audience inflated, but it reflects badly on the brand if they are seen to be working with unethical bloggers. Honesty and trust is everything, between a blogger and their audience and between a brand and their customers.
What kind of projects do you enjoy doing most?
I love doing projects which push me slightly out of my comfort zone, sometimes it might be including filming content and talking to the camera (which is SO hard, especially in front of a crew!) other times it might be food styling or sharing information I might have never thought to discuss before. Some of my favourite (and most popular) blog posts have been sponsored by brands and I’m really proud to say I won a Pinterest Award for a project I did with B&Q. I put so much love and effort into my sponsored content because I never accept a project I’m not excited about and having, plus having budget means I hire a video editor, or spend more on prop or locations, which makes things a lot more exciting!
What advice would you give someone looking to build their social channels?
What makes your content different and exciting is YOU! Have fun, be creative and never copy what everyone else is doing!
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