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, expertises 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.
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Today’s blogger is Chrystal Webster from TheLuxuryEditor.com. With a background in online marketing (specialising in travel) that spans over eight years, Chrystal has created many successfull online marketing strategies for a number of the UKs biggest travel brands. She recently decided to make the jump into blogging to satisfy her creative and entrepreneurial side.
Every blogger has a different story on how they got started blogging. What is yours?
“Having worked as an online marketer in the travel industry for many years I’d spent a lot of time reading travel blogs and understanding how they engaged with their readers. It fascinating me. Combining this with a love of the written word and a passion for travel, setting up TLE seemed like a natural way to pull all of my skills together and keep me out of mischief!”
Like most successful blogger, 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?
“The key deciding factor is whether the story or brand will appeal to our audience. More often than not it’s an easy decision, however on the occasions when the request fits into our marmite pot we consider how innovative the story is, what level of expertise is being presented and what unique insights can be glean from it. And of course sometimes the gut just kicks in and even though you can’t explain why, you just know it’s right. I’m big on gut. Please print that correctly I’d hate to end up with a big gut ;)”
4. What is your take on press releases? Do you like receiving them or do you simply discard them?
“I actually like receiving press releases as even if we don’t use a story it’s a good way to keep up with industry news. However, I have to be honest; the title of the PR heavily influences whether I read it immediately, save for later or save for later and never get round to reading it! I also like receiving them to compare styles – who knows the day may come when you need to send one so it’s a good way to see what works and what doesn’t. It also helps keep abreast of key contacts in the PR world.”
What would make you choose to work with a brand on a giveaway campaign on your site?
“As a relatively new blogger on the block, with an unrealized entrepreneurial spirit, I love working with start up brands and supporting them. Innovation and style are other characteristics I always look for. I think the BookWrap Giveaway is a prime example of this.”
If a brand wants to reach you, what channel should they use? Do you prefer email, social media or another means of communication?
“Email is my first choice but social media is fine. Telephone calls are ok but as I always seem to be engrossed in some task (and that my mobile is accidentally on silent!) I usually prefer these after the initial written introduction.”
In your mind, what makes a successful blogger outreach program? Is it the incentive, the brand itself or the relationship you already have with the brand?
“I think success comes from selecting the right incentive for your audience combined with the brand relationship. This applies to a new relationship or a longstanding one; if you have the right relationship dynamics this fosters a more creative, productive and positive campaign. Whether the brand is a newbie or well established is irrelevant as long as the 3B’s (blogger, brand and buyer) triangle connects.”
Which social media channels does your audience interact with the most?
“Twitter and Pinterest. Pinterest because travel communicates well via imagery and Twitter because it just feels more instant than the others. It will be interesting to see if the new 4 image and tagging functions in Twitter make it even more popular with visual brands.”
In your opinion, what does it take to become successful on social media?
“Firstly, knowing what it is you want to get out of it. Just doing it because you feel you should and using every channel possible is not the route to success. Having a clear understanding of who you want to engage with, why you want to engage with them and which channels these people use are paramount. BUT ultimately I think the key to success is personality. It’s the only real way to differentiate – everybody has a unique perosnality so tap into it. It can be the most under utilised resource ever!”
Apart from blogging, do you offer additional services to luxury brands who choose to work with you?
“Indeed we do! As I mentioned my background is in online marketing, with a core specialism in the travel sector so I also run my own online marketing agency. Helping businesses big and small stand out in the search landscape. It’s an ever evolving industry and it often feels like a big game of chess with Google as your opponent but I love it nonetheless.”
What would you say is the best thing about being a luxury blogger?
“I guess this isn’t unique to the luxury sector but my favourite part is meeting people. I just love to chat to strangers! On a night out my friends always rib me for it – I’ll always have a random story to tell about a random person. More specifically to the luxury sector the best part is the locations. In just a short time of running TLE I’ve been able to see some very different but equally as impressive hotels.”
Have you rub shoulders with the rich and famous through your work as a luxury blogger?
“A few rugby stars but other than that I’m keeping schtum.”
If you had to mentor a new blogger, what is your go-to advice to become successful?
“Find your niche, be patient, add personality and most of all enjoy the ride. I wish I’d done it years ago.”
If you are looking for exposure for your luxury travel brand, don’t hesitate to connect with Chrystal Webster from TheLuxuryEditor.com, on Twitter, Facebook, Google +, and Pinterest. If you are to shy to connect with Chrystal directly and want an introduction, reach out to us.
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