DIARY directory recently caught up with Hayley Rubery from luxury lifestyle blog Frock Me I'm Famous, which champions content from fashion to beauty, travel to careers. Frock Me I’m Famous now caters to women and men aged 18-40 looking for tips and advice ranging from the must-have accessory of the moment to the best bars in London to go speed dating. In addition, Hayley has recently worked with brands including Kurt Geiger, Bare Minerals and Accessorize.

UK Travel, Fashion & Lifestyle blogger

Worked with ASOS, Jo Malone, Kurt Geiger, Eurostar & Cathay Pacific

"I would say 90% is sponsored posts and collaborations, that's definitely my biggest income!"
 

Listed in DIARY directory in the digital influencers subsection, along with 1000+ categorised influencers for PRs to work with, Hayley discusses paid ads, how the industry has changed and her PR pet peeves. 

When did you realise you could make blogging a full-time career?

I was working as a digital assistant at a PR firm for 18 months before I switched to full-time blogging. I was working at the agency 3 days per week and on my blog from home 2 days per week but I just found that it all became 'too much' and I wasn't able to give both 100% and have a life so I decided to take the leap into the full time blogging world and haven't looked back since!

What’s the hardest thing about your job?

There's a couple of aspects for me which I find challenging; the first is learning to NOT compare yourself to others, it's so easy to feel down on the fact that others are working with your favourite brands and going on trips that you weren't invited on, but you just have to focus on YOU and do what feels right. Another aspect is staying motivated; working for yourself can be tough and it's hard to always be on top form and stay inspired, bloggers block is a REAL thing and it sucks! 
 
What’s the best thing about your job?

Travelling! I started travel blogging around four years ago and this is my main focus now on Frock Me I'm Famous. Travel has always been my biggest passion and I'm so thankful every day that I get to travel as a part of my job - it's something that I truly hope never ends! 

"To be honest, in the past six months I've noticed a huge shift in the way brands are working as so many of them are coming around to paying bloggers for our work."

 
What do you have to say to those who feel that blogging isn’t ‘a real job?

Ooooof. I've written a whole blog post on this! I truly believe that blogging is like an iceberg and people that view blogging from the outside only really see the tip of the iceberg but they don't see what goes on underneath. We are photographers and stylists, editors, creators, we film videos, we file tax returns, learn new software and keep on top of admin and scheduling. There really is SO much that goes into what we do, I have the upmost respect for bloggers - it isn't easy! 

How do you make a living from your blog? 

I would say 90% is sponsored posts and collaborations, that's definitely my biggest income! I am signed to Reward Style but always forget to use it which is so bad, I know! I need to get more organised and start using it more. I make a small income from adverts on YouTube but it's definitely not enough to live on. 

Do you believe that it’s important for influencers to diversify the topics that they cover?

I think it's important for bloggers to stay true to themselves and blog about what they really want to. If you just want to blog about beauty, that's fine! If you only want to cover travel, that's also fine! I think it's just working out what works best for you; don't just be diverse because you feel that the industry/your readers expect that from you. 

How do you feel blogging has changed since you first started in 2011??

It has changed SO much! In ways that I don't think any of us could ever have foreseen! My housemates at university used to take my outfit pictures against the brick wall of our house, or I'd shoot pictures from my phone in my bedroom. Now blogs are rivalling magazines and luxury publications with their luxe imagery and incredible content. It's a really exciting, thriving industry to be a part of and I can't wait to see where it goes next! 

What do you hope to offer your readers/followers?

I hope to inspire them to follow their dreams, whether it's travelling solo for the first time, taking the leap to being self-employed or even wearing an outfit out of their comfort zone! I love the honesty in my posts and I feel that I have a real connection with my readers where they know they could ask me advice and I would answer it truthfully.

Do you have any pet peeves with PRs/brands?

When brands ask you to work for free! To be honest, in the past six months I've noticed a huge shift in the way brands are working as so many of them are coming around to paying bloggers for our work. It's frustrating when people think we shouldn't be paid because we just 'take pretty pictures' but you wouldn't ask a freelance copywriter to work for free, nor ask someone to design your website for free. Although it's important that brands pay us for any collaborations they have any input/requirements for, but that's not to say that we don't write about brands/products purely because we love them; that's how we started after all.

Do you use product placement & what are your thoughts on disclosure for ads?

I think it's SO important to disclose sponsored work, I always disclose in my posts if the content is paid for and I'll use #Ad, #Sp or #Spon for social media. When you have a genuine, honest following its paramount to be honest with them about paid work; otherwise they won't trust you and your opinion becomes invalid because how do they know you're not just posting about something because it's paid for. 

Is there something else you’d like to branch into?

For me personally, I think it comes down to the engagement of my readers. I often feel like a blog post is a success if someone leaves a comment, however small, saying that they like it or they relate to it. I also love collaborating with brands, really working with them to produce an end result that we're both happy with. Just having the chance to work with some of my favourite brands leaves me with a feeling of success.

Design and the look/feel of your imagery is key - how much time do you spend on taking imagery for an Insta post & a blog post?

It completely varies as to whether I'm shooting the products or if I'm working with a photographer, it usually takes at least a couple of hours to shoot some great content that you’re happy with! 

You’re active on many forms of social media, which one performs best for you?

I love Instagram as its great for visuals and being creative, but on an engagement level I really enjoy using Twitter to keep up with what's going on and connecting with readers and friends. 

What other bloggers/influencers do you follow and why?

I LOVE reading and supporting other bloggers! Every morning I'll read blogs whilst I'm gearing up for my day ahead! For fashion I love Pages by Megan, Shot From The Street and The Little Magpie, for travel I love Wanderlust Chloe, In The Frow and Hand Luggage Only and for lifestyle Sophie Cliff and Hannah Gale! It’s so great to be inspired by fellow bloggers!

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Frock Me I'm Famous in 'digital influencers'