Behind every great luxury blog, you will find a great story. Luxury bloggers are real people, not machines, and to successfully work with them, we recommend you get to know them a little better. Through our years at LuxeInACity, we have talked, collaborated and exchanged ideas with dozens of great bloggers from around the world.
Since bloggers rarely talk about themselves – they tend to talk about everyone else instead – we hope to showcase their skills, expertise and opinions in this blog series. Get to know them, learn from them and hopefully you will find an innovative way to collaborate with them.
Today’s blogger is Angie Silver, the founder and writer of SilverSpoon London. Her blog reflects her two passions: London lifestyle, especially the restaurant scene, and luxury travel. Angie’s uses her personal experience and recommendations to ensure her readers will be informed about the very best a destination has to offer.
Every blogger has a different story on how they got started blogging. What is yours?
I was working on another business venture and I started to develop the blog as part of that. I found that I enjoyed the blog even more than the other business and I decided redirect my focus. When I came to the decision that it was what I wanted to concentrate on, I renamed and rebranded to reflect my chosen style. I’ve always been passionate about food and luxury travel and my friends had constantly asked me for my advice on where to go and where to stay, the blog was the opportunity to collate this information all in one place and to write a personal diary that I can always long back on.
Like most successful bloggers, you probably received hundreds of emails per month from luxury brands who want you to share their story. What makes you decide to work with a brand over the other?
I prefer to mostly work with brands I know of and I will certainly only work with companies that share my values and are of interest to my readers.
What is your take on press releases? Do you like receiving them or do you simply discard them?
I always keep abreast of luxury travel news and trends through websites, news and other bloggers. However, it’s very useful to receive a press release straight from the source. It’s inevitable that I’m going to get some irrelevant ones but these can be filtered out and discarded very easily. I don’t run stories on my blog purely based on the press release, as my blog is all about my personal experience. However, if the news was of interest to my readers, I would certainly share it on my social media.
What would make you choose to work with a brand on a giveaway campaign on your site?
I prefer to work with brands that I’ve heard of and already have some sort personal connection with. However, if the brand espouses the same values as me I am certainly open to working with them. I’m always careful when I choose what prizes that I give away as I want to make sure it’s they are right for my blog and my audience.
If a brand wants to reach you, what channel should they use? Do you prefer email, social media or another means of communication?
I prefer to be contacted via email so I have all my communications in one place. I also think it’s safer, some brands want to send me samples of products and I prefer not to give out my address over Twitter.
What is the coolest gift you have received from a luxury brand in a blogger outreach program?
I’ve been fortunate enough to stay in some beautiful hotels and dine in amazing restaurants. I’m very grateful for the opportunities that my blog has given me.
Of all the social media channels you engage on, which one do you prefer and why?
I really like the interaction that you get over twitter. I’m able to network with brands I’m interested and have a personal connection with my readers.
Which social media channels does your audience interact with the most?
Mostly Twitter, but I think Instagram is also huge for the luxury travel market. The visuals of beautiful places, hotels and scenery just can’t be fully appreciated in words.
In your opinion, what does it take to become successful on social media?
Dedication. A continuous and consistent social media presence in vital, as is networking and interaction with the right people. Good content is also important as well as eye-catching visuals.
What is the main reason you blog on a daily basis? Is it for pleasure, for business or for both?
Both! Blogging is my business but I’m absolutely passionate about it so much so that you can rarely pull me away from my computer or phone!
Apart from blogging, do you offer additional services to luxury brands who choose to work with you?
I have a strong background in events planning and I’m happy to help with organizing group blogger events.
If you had to mentor a new blogger, what is your go-to advice to become successful?
Definitely focus on what you love to write about and with so many bloggers out there, make sure that you have a niche. You won’t become an overnight success, building a blog takes time and dedication. One of key ways I’ve found of growing my blog is networking both online and offline. I have a strong relationship with other bloggers and my readers on social media, but I also meet them face-to-face at events and meet ups.
Reach out to Angie on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Pinterest. You can also email her directly. Or, connect with us for an introduction.
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