DIARY directory recently caught up with parenting, lifestyle and beauty blogger Ashley Wilson of amothersedit. 

"I have to admit that if I receive an email that isn’t addressed to me it goes straight in the bin..."

What got you into blogging, how long ago did you start? 

I started blogging in 2015. When I made the decision to go freelance with my work instead of returning to an office I needed a reason to still make an effort with my appearance even though it was just me and my laptop at the kitchen table. So I started documenting my outfits on Instagram and sharing fashion and beauty inspiration on the blog. 

In addition to being a wife, mother, and blogger, you also work part-time - how do you split your time between blogging and family life 

I try and allocate days in the week that are ‘working and blogging days’ and days that are family days. I like to post on Instagram either first thing in the morning at 7am when the girls are still asleep or after 7pm in the evening when they’ve gone to bed. That way there’s no overlap and I can be there for them properly in the daytime. 

Do you have any professional help with the organisation of your blog, do you use any apps for your social media? 

I used Pipdig and Wordpress for my blog and now run it myself. With my imagery I use VSCO for editing and Mosaico to make sure my Instagram grid flows well. 

Your blog covers fashion, beauty and lifestyle – do you prefer writing one over the others? What posts resonate with your readers most?

I love writing about fashion. It's 90% of my content but my readers absolutely love the beauty posts. The click through rates are always so high with beauty reccomendations I’m always so surprised. My lifestyle inspiration posts always do very well too. 

You often feature your family in social posts. How do you decide the extent of what you share?

I have found myself sharing more and more as it comes so naturally to be open about all areas, but my husband is more private so he is good at reminding me when I might overshare aspects. I do try and always think about whether the girls would want people to know certain things when they get older. I think it’ll change as they start school etc. 

Having worked in the fashion industry for 12 years, alongside a variety of brands, how do you think brands/PRs can work better with influencers - any pet peeves?

I have to admit that if I receive an email that isn’t addressed to me it goes straight in the bin. When you receive hundreds of emails everyday it's an easy way of weeding out the blanket emails and getting to the information that will be of interest or use for the blog. The PRs that have read my latest Instagram post or watched the day's stories stand out as they’ll always reference back to something that’s relevant and I instanty stop and read everything they have to say. 

What’s been your biggest blogging high and low?

Low – when I was hacked whilst on holiday last Summer. I thought I had lost all my hard work but luckily all was restored within a day.

The biggest high – really hard one as literally every week something new happens I get so excited about, working with brands that I absolutely love and being able to speak with incredible women, mums, expectant mums, grandmothers – the messages they send me of support mean so much.  

Last year you launched  The Successful Mother Edit on your blog in which you interview other bloggers who are also parents about how they manage everything. What made you want to start interviewing these bloggers?  How do you choose who to feature?

In all honesty it’s because I wanted to know their answers – when Margot came into our lives I struggled to even shower in the mornings and I thought how on earth are they doing all that and with two/three/four kids?! I feature women that I admire. Whether it's because of their style, their humour, their work. 

In this social media age where likes and followers mean so much, how do you measure the success of your own work?

I of course monitor engagement, views per post, image saves, reposts etc and using RewardStyle I can track which fashion, beauty and home pieces people like the most and are buying themselves. But for me it's about how happy I feel. As soon as I stop enjoying it I know it's not working anymore. 

What do you believe has been the key to your success?

I think to be successful on Instagram you have to be social – social media is called that for a reason. And listening to people that follow your account. The DM’s I receive always get a reply – I appreciate people's comments so much. Media companies pay researchers a lot for that sort of insight and I can get it direct into my inbox which is pretty awesome. 

Tell us a little something about yourselves that we don’t know?

I have never ever had a facial – or a wax!

What’s next for you?

Margot is coming up to her first birthday now so it’ll be properly back to the grindstone for me. Lots of exciting plans for the blog and much more regular posts across fashion, beauty, fitness and lifestyle. 

Listed in DIARY directory in the blogs & vlogs section, Ashley is one of over 1500 categorised influencers that PRs could work with. Subscribers can sort blogs according to social media following across Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and Facebook, and filter by country and UK region. See our previous DIARY Influencers here! 

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