DIARY directory recently caught up with beauty, fashion and lifestyle blogger Michelle Kenyon from Thou Shalt Not Covet blog. Founded in 2013, Thou Shalt Not Covet has evolved to include mostly beauty product reviews and features, as well as fashion, health and lifestyle posts. Michelle is also a regional representative covering East Anglia for The 30+ Blog Collective, a regional blogger for Grazia Daily and a beauty blogger for Beauty at Tesco.

Regional blogger for Grazia Daily

Nominated for four Thirty Plus Awards.

Listed in DIARY directory in the digital influencers subsection, along with 1000+ categorised influencers for PRs to work with, Michelle provides insight on the importance of social media; the 30 Plus blogger collective and ageism in the bloggersphere; and how blog awards positively contribute to and influence blogging.

Who are your core readers? 

It's hard to say specifically but I believe my core readers are beauty lovers aged from around 20 plus - I like to think that TSNC doesn't appeal to just one age group or one type of person. I do however know that they are mostly female and mostly UK and US based.

How do you make your content different to others?

I basically have two rules when it comes to writing. The first one being - Is this something that interests me? and the second - Is this something that I think my readers will be interested in? There are literally SO many things you can write about under the category of beauty, and I try my best to separate the wheat from the chaff and just stick with the most interesting / relevant information as possible - to hopefully create content that's both interesting to read and engaging.

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

I think it's important to remember that the relationship needs to be mutually beneficial, and what's on offer needs to be relevant to the blog and blogger in question - I receive lots of emails which aren't even remotely relevant to the theme of my blog. I would also like to say in the nicest way possible - get to the point! There's nothing like getting 10 emails into a conversation to find out you're being asked to write an article about tractors and include five do-follow links! All joking aside though, I actively encourage contact, and I'm more than happy to discuss any thoughts or collaboration ideas that a PR might have.

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?

Success means something different to everyone; some may measure by stats, followers, engagement, opportunities, brand collaborations or a mixture of all of these. There's no denying the fact that you feel like you're doing something right when you see your stats increasing and follower numbers going up but I would have to say that engagement really is the icing on the cake. When somebody takes the time to either leave a comment, or message me on social media to say my post was interesting, or helpful, or that they've bought something that I've recommended, that's definitely the best reward for all the hard work you put in.

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

Yes absolutely. Of course my follower numbers are all available on my social pages, but I also provide information on views - and anything else for that matter - on request.

How important is social media to your blog? What platforms drive the most traffic to your site?

Social media and blogging really do go hand in hand - both in terms of promoting your blog, as well as being part of the blogging community. I've found so many fantastic bloggers through social media - mostly Twitter though - and many have become good friends too. Out of all my social media pages, Twitter definitely brings me the most traffic, and I think most bloggers would say the same.

You've been nominated in the Thirty Plus Awards, founded by Hayley from LBQ (congrats!), how do blog awards positively contribute to/ influence blogging?

Thank you! When I found out I'd been nominated for four awards, I really couldn't believe it! There are quite a few blog awards around now (compared to none when I started blogging a few years ago) and I think they're just fantastic for so many reasons. Firstly to be nominated really is the best feeling ever - to find out that someone somewhere has chosen my little blog to be put forward for an award really gives your confidence a boost and makes you feel like you're doing something right! So there's the general feeling of excitement and positivity that comes with nominations, then there's also the sense of community, where bloggers and readers have been sharing who they've been voting for on social media. There's just a buzz around the whole thing which is fantastic. And of course I should mention it definitely raises bloggers' profiles too.

Is there more recognition for older bloggers since the launch of the 30 Plus collective? Do you ever experience ageism in the blogging industry?

Absolutely - the 30 Plus awards is such a fantastic platform for 'older' bloggers. It's definitely given us a bigger voice collectively - it's basically saying 'We are here. We have a voice - and we're a force to be reckoned with!' And I personally haven't experienced ageism myself, though I know others have.

Favourite thing about blogging?

This is really hard to say as there are so many aspects that I love! I love writing about something that I feel enthusiastic about. I love taking photos too - and I've really been trying to improve on my photography lately. I also love the fact that I've made some fabulous blogger friends over the years that have the same interests as me.
 

What other bloggers / influencers do you follow and why?

I gravitate towards bloggers that are informative, honest, colourful and fun! Some of my favourites are British Beauty Blogger, London Beauty Queen, The Sunday Girl, Fashion for Lunch and Talonted Lex.

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Thou Shalt Not Covet in 'digital influencers'