DIARY directory recently caught up with UK beauty and lifestyle blogger Corrie Swaffield from dizzybrunette3. Founded in 2010 as a way to pass time while at university, Corrie now works full time on her blog to provide relatable beauty, fashion and lifestyle content; from the latest beauty launches and her fitness journey, to documenting her wedding plans and sharing her favourite outfits.

UK beauty & lifestyle blogger

"I like to talk to each brand and discuss budgets and timings before giving a final cost.

I feel that blogging is still very real, relatable and honest, that hasn't changed" 
 

Listed in DIARY directory in the digital influencers subsection, along with 1000+ categorised influencers for PRs to work with, Corrie provides insight on what catches her eye in a press release/brand e-mail; how her blog has had to adapt due the blogging evolution; and her take on Snapchat and Instagram taking over traditional blogging platforms.

You set up your blog in 2010, how has blogging changed since then and how has your blog adapted?

Yes 100% the blogging industry has changed. Back when I started it was just a hobby for so many people and no one knew it could develop into a career. I used my blog as a place to talk about my favourite beauty products, and six years later, it's my job. I have found over the past couple of years, blogs have become glossier and more magazine like. Readers like glossy photos, minimalistic templates and a huge range of content, so I've had to adapt my blog design, up my photography game and talk about other aspects such as lifestyle, travel, etc. to keep up. But I do feel that blogging is still very real, relatable and honest, that hasn't changed.

How do you make your content different to others in the same genre? Is there now a huge benefit in having a certain niche?

I just try to be myself. I don't try to hard to be different to anyone else, as I think as long as you talk in your own voice and do your own thing on your blog, it will be different as it's personal to you and shows your personality. I always try to make my blog relatable, as I want readers to know me and feel like I'm a friend who you're talking to about beauty products over coffee, rather than just a stranger online.

 
What catches your eye in a press release/PR e-mail?

The subject line is very important; I like it when it tells me exactly what the email is about. For example BRAND NAME Opportunity, or something like that. Bloggers get a lot of emails, so the subject has to catch your eye for you to read it straight away or mark it to read later!

What advice / top tips would you give PRs looking to promote their clients through your blog?

I would say to make sure you've looked at my blog first, sometimes you will get emails from brands who have nothing to do with what I blog about or what I would be interested in. That doesn't mean I'm not open to different things but I think it's useful to get an idea of what kind of thing I blog about first. Also just be friendly and I usually like it when PRs address an email by my name, rather than just 'Hi there' or 'Dear Blogger'. Cause you just feel like you've been sent an email that 2362 other people got sent too, which doesn't really make you want to rush to reply.

Are you forthcoming when it comes to PRs/brands requesting stats?

Yes, if a brand gets in touch and they want to work together, I usually offer to send my media kit and stats over to them. I think it's good to be upfront, and I'm more than happy to send information across if it's useful for brands.

Do you have any professional help for your blog – photography / representation agency / SEO advice?

Not really, I get my fiancé to take outfit pictures for me from time to time (the poor guy) but a lot of the time I do everything myself. I am looking to work with a photographer on a regular basis soon, that's something I am looking into over the next few months. I also may look to be represented full time by an agency in the next 12 months, I've just signed with a new agency - FlipSide Talent - for brand deals, so I'm looking forward to seeing how it goes with them.

How do you use social media to promote yourself, are Snapchat & Instagram taking over traditional blogging platforms?

I use Twitter to promote my blog posts and links, I find that's a great place for that. Pinterest is also great for your blog promo too! I love Instagram, and it's such a fast growing platform (though I am not sure about the new algorithm) but I love Instagram. I see it as an extension to my blog, and will show behind the scenes more lifestyle-y photos. I also love Snapchat, it took me a while to get into but now I'm obsessed. I find that sometimes, my snaps get more views than my YT videos so I do see it as an emerging platform. It's fast snackable content, which people can just tune into. It's very exciting and I am trying to make more of an effort to use it for my blog and YT.

You are also active on YouTube with a respected following, how does the process of creating videos differ to creating blog content? Have there been any struggles?

Making YT videos is a much longer process than creating blog posts. A video usually takes me a good day/two days to film and edit, whilst a blog post can be half a day. It's also hard sometimes as if you're in a bad mood, you can write posts and no one would know but you can't hide your feelings on video, so I always feel I have to be in the right mood to film which can make it harder. But I enjoy making YT videos and blog posts for different reasons, they're both fun and I love doing both.

Blogging can - to an extent - be seen as a numbers game, however we believe that numbers don't always measure up to engagement. What does success mean to you and how do you measure it?

I think the fact that I can pay my bills because of blogging means to me I am successful. I was self-employed at 23 and I think to myself 'wow I made this happen.' I'm not the best at giving myself praise though, but to me all in all, success is being happy. But I do think of all the amazing opportunities that blogging has brought me, and that makes me feel very proud.
 

Do you have a rate card – formal or otherwise? Can you tell us an example of a cost?

Yes I do, I do have set rates for each type of content but I'll also consider doing a package deal too (so like a video, post, social media posts etc..) but I like to talk to each brand and discuss budgets and timings before giving a final cost, but my media kit has the average for what I normally charge. So it's a good thing to send across when deals are in the initial stages.

What other bloggers / influencers do you follow and why?

I follow a lot of other bloggers, I've always been a huge blog reader and I find other bloggers so inspirational. Right now I am loving: Emma Gannon, Lydia Elise Millen, The Sunday Chapter, and Wish Wish Wish. I find their content very inspirational, their photos are amazing and for example Emma's blog posts always make me think and inspire me to talk about different things on my blog. 

Contact

dizzybrunette3 in 'digital influencers'
Flipside Talent in 'influencer agencies'