DIARY directory recently caught up with fashion, beauty and lifestyle blogger Laura Blair. Whilst Laura's initial foray into blogging came in 2014 during her second year of university, it wasn't until she discovered YouTube a year later that she plunged headfirst into the blogosphere to pursue a career in the field. Having studied Fashion Marketing, Laura had the opportunity to develop her final dissertation business idea into a reality through a start-up incubator. However, after witnessing how difficult it would be to launch a product and take it to the market with no budget, she decided to create a name for herself within the industry with the hope to go on and launch her own product. Having seen first-hand through her research how influencers were on the rise, Laura focused her attention on her blog, YouTube channel and Instagram presence and is now a successful full-time blogger.

Who would you say are your core readers? Is there a vast difference between your readers and Instagram followers? 

My audience is the same across all platforms except YouTube is slightly more US based. They are mostly women aged 25-35 who like to shop in the UK. A blogger's audience usually mirrors themselves so it’s really easy for brands to promote to a niche audience. 

Your blog post “The Lost Art of Blogging” discusses the shift in the blogosphere from written media to Instagram and other visual apps - do you see a day when you’ll move away from traditional blogging completely? 

I think a blog is essential if you want to call yourself a blogger - it’s like the core of what we do! I use it like a business card as it tends to be what people will click on first. My audience is more engaged on the video platforms like YouTube and InstaStories as it’s such a personal way to communicate with your audience. I will never move away from my blog but I do focus more attention on video content. 

Whilst fashion is a big part of your content, we know that you also blog about your beauty faves and travel adventures - how do you go about planning your content? 

I don’t plan anything! I wish I was that organised! I literally wake up every day and do what inspires me the most which fortunately works well with what I do. I didn’t post beauty for a long time as I struggled with adult acne very badly last year but now that it’s clear you should be seeing a lot more beauty coming to the blog soon! 

Do you have any professional help with your blog and Instagram?

I never have any professional help as I think the industry lends itself to being a bit more candid. I work closely with some of my blogger friends to create content and also my family have been a massive help! Mostly it’s just me, my tripod and my computer! 

What advice would you give PRs looking to promote their clients through your blog? How do you think brands/PRs can work better with influencers? 

Bulk emails and sample imagery are my personal pet peeves. I always work best with the companies that I have created a personal relationship with over the years. I think it’s really important to understand how much work goes into blogging and free products aren’t something which should be a form of payment. I have a rule - if there’s a brief and a deadline, this requires a fee. Or alternatively PR samples can be sent to my PO Box where I can try the product and if I like it I will share it. Overall if I don’t think my audience will benefit from the product in any way I don’t post. I constantly think about how what I’m doing can help my audience out in some way. 

What do you think was your ‘big break’ moment of blogging? How do you measure your progress and success?

When I started YouTube everything just took off for me. I love YouTube from filming through to editing. I became obsessed with it and I think that’s the attitude you have to have as it’s a ridiculous amount of work, most of which you have to do for free for a long time. I hate this but success as a blogger is measured in followers/subscribers/views which can be very disheartening with all the new algorithms. Success for me is just getting to do this every day I feel so incredibly lucky! 

Give us some examples of your favourite sponsored collaborations to date? What's the secret to a collaboration success?

I really enjoy press trips, they’re probably my favourite thing about being a blogger. I recently went to Krakow with Bonprix, a German brand, and it was incredible because it was a place I’d never think of going! There are honestly too many to pick a favourite collab but I always love the ones that leave me to be creative! I always think this is best from a brand perspective as we tend to know what works best with our audience and every blogger will be different.

What creative projects are you involved in at the moment?

I’m actually just about to start the marketing for a second TV Show I’ve done in a year - which is super exciting. I love working on fashion TV shows - as an ex-musical theatre student, it combines both my passions in one! 

What other bloggers /influencers do you follow and why?

I follow mostly the fashion crowd! The girls that inspire me daily are InTheFrow, Negin Mirsalehi, Leonie Hanne, Xenia Adonts & Ashley Brooke! 

Listed in DIARY directory in the blogs & vlogs section, Laura 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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