DIARY directory recently caught up with PR and beauty blogger Laura Hollier from Laurzrah, to explore the world of digital influencers through the eyes of someone who works both as a blogger and a PR. Laura features regular beauty reviews on make-up looks and products, while providing content for beauty obsessives by bringing new collections and high end make-up to life. Although her follower stats are modest by some standards, Laura's following is highly engaged – one of the key indicators to take into account when finding influencers that might be a good fit for your brand.

"My blog is all about beauty, with a focus (unfortunately for my wallet) on high-end makeup. I try and bring collections to life and love nothing more than discovering the new must-have lipstick."

Listed in DIARY directory in the digital influencers subsection, along with 1000+ categorised influencers for PRs to work with, Laura provides insight on how working in PR helps establish a path in blogging, as well as the importance of influencer transparency and the benefits of using snapchat.

Who are your core readers? 

Women who love beauty! About 70% of my readers are in the UK and are in their twenties. I assume they also share my unhealthy obsession with all things beauty.

How do you make-up your content different to others?

I post daily on my blog, and always keep my reviews as informative as possible, without being too dry. I just really love taking photographs and writing, which I hope shows in my content. I'm also just a normal twenty-something, and my lifestyle isn't unobtainable so I like to think my blog is accessible.

How important is a social media strategy for bloggers? How do you keep your blog at the forefront?

You can't ever switch off. In terms of my social media, my personal posts always do the best and create the most engagement, so I try and keep things as unfiltered as possible.

Google outlines that all items sent for free should be disclosed and have a no follow link, do you think this transparency will have to be implemented on Instagram/other social media platforms soon too?

Yes! Affiliate links should be labeled as such (#AL) - it's not that I begrudge you a click, but I want to know what I'm clicking prior to doing so and I know a lot of people feel the same way as me.

You also work in PR, how does this affect how you work as a blogger?

Hopefully I know a little bit more about what a PR wants - I get that coverage and reports can be a bit grim, sometimes! I'm not shy about approaching other PRs because I LOVE it when bloggers email me. On the flipside, I know what I want a lot more and understand about clients and budgets - I won't be fobbed off.

Has working in PR helped you forge relationships with other PRs? What practices do you put into place when reaching out to brands?

I understand that PRs want coverage for their client at the end of the day, so I only accept samples of things I genuinely think will fit on my blog in order to keep everyone happy.

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

Firstly, my name is not 'Laurzrah' - I'm Laura! Be realistic as well - working with PRs is a two-way street so I won't blog about a competition for you on the off-chance of a voucher - what's in it for me?

Blogging has become a numbers game, as a PR and a blogger, do you believe engagement (blog comments for example) is just as important? Can a blogger with less followers still have as much influence?

This is something that I constantly struggle with as a PR - trying to make everyone else understand the importance of engagement. Obviously, a vast audience is good but what's the point of having a vast audience of pre-teens and promoting something very few can afford? With smaller bloggers, I think the trust tends to be there more thus producing more effective engagement and potential conversion for brands.

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

Yeah, of course! I wouldn't pretend my stats are the best in the world (yet...), but I'm incredibly proud that people visit my little corner of the Internet at all. I would never lie about stats either, as that would err on the side of fraud when it comes to blogging opportunities.
 

You're also active on Snapchat, how can bloggers/brands best utilise this platform?

I think the best bit about snapchat is that it's so instant - it takes away the studio lights, the professional cameras and the editing and just leaves the person behind the blog, which makes it far more personal. It's a bit like webcams from ten years ago, I suppose. I think it's a fun way to connect to a blogger, and to see snaps into their daily life (and a dog-filter selfie or two).
 

What other bloggers / influencers do you love and why?

Oh god, so many. I love British Beauty Blogger for her 'no-bullshit' style; I love Miss Makeup Magpie for thorough reviews and The Sunday Girl for just about everything. I read about 25+ blogs a day, so I always have new favourites.

Contact

Laurzrah in 'digital influencers'