DIARY Influencer: Paula Holmes from The LDN Diaries
Date Posted: Thursday 14th September 2017
DIARY directory recently caught up with lifestyle blogger Paula Holmes from The LDN Diaries. Paula started the blog as a hobby back in 2012 and now on its fifth year, it has become a lifestyle destination, covering fashion and beauty, to food, travel and interiors. Paula also has a YouTube channel where she shares her passion for beauty products.
Paula and her blog have been featured in numerous top publications including; Time Out, LOOK and The Daily Mail, and recently Paula has been nominated for three awards at the New Generation Beauty Influencer Awards 2017.
Lifestyle Blogger
Worked with brands including ASOS, Gucci, Unilever, H&M, Harrods
"Facebook is still one of the biggest traffic sources for me"
| Date of Birth: | 01/04/1984 |
| Country of residence: | London, UK |
| Biggest Readership Locations: | UK, USA, Canada |
| 3 main areas of focus: | Beauty, Lifestyle, Travel |
| Skin tone/type: | Fair/Dehydrated |
| Hair colour: | Blonde |
| Hair type: | Fine/Coloured |
| Dress size: | 10 |
| Shoe size: | 6 |
| Height: | 5 ft 8 |
Who are your core readers? What do you hope to offer them?
Women over 25 in the UK are my core reader. However, I’ve also seen an increase in the number of male readers since we introduced a men’s section. Ideally, I hope to inspire, whether it’s an idea for something to do in London or trying a new beauty product.
You also have a YouTube channel; will this ever be your sole focus or will your blog continue to be your main platform?
The blog will always be number one for me. YouTube is a whole other ball game and as much as I enjoy it, writing has always been my passion and creating content in that sense always excites me.
What inspires you when writing a blog post or creating a YouTube video and which posts garner the most attention?
It could be anything really! I tend to get a lot of inspiration when I’m on a flight, I think switching off from everything always helps. I like to take a notepad and jot down ideas. Beauty posts and videos get a lot of attention, I think viewers and readers like to see if a product works and if they want to spend their money on it. London posts work well too, everyone wants to know where the best pizza or cocktail bar really is.
How do you think brands/PRs can work better with influencers? Any pet peeves?
I know how hard PRs work and the time constraints they are under, however I’d suggest taking time to get a feel for a blog before reaching out even if it’s just the blogger's name. Also, to understand how long it takes to put quality content together, whether that’s editing a video or taking images. The possibility of a few days turn around for a campaign isn’t appealing to most bloggers, no matter how high the budget is.
What are the biggest lessons you’ve learnt while working/blogging in the industry?
That it’s not personal. Whether that’s not winning a campaign, not being invited to an event, to not hearing back on email from a PR that reached out to you in the first place. It really isn’t personal and the quicker you can move on from that the easier it is. This also relates to comparison in the industry, if you compare yourself to others, you will never grow in the way you are meant to.
"The possibility of a few days turn around for a campaign isn’t appealing to most bloggers, no matter how high the budget is."
What have been some of your sponsored collaborations been so far?
I’ve worked with some amazing brands throughout my blogging career. What I love most is how they vary and that is how my blog is also, it’s a varied number of topics which convey my interests. Last year I worked with Gucci watches which was exciting and most recently I collaborated with HELLO! Fashion Monthly which is one of my favourite magazines. It’s great to be able to team up with brands you genuinely love.
And who would a dream collaboration be with?
I’m obsessed with Gucci as a brand at the moment, I absolutely love the new direction they’ve taken so would love to collaborate with them, whether it’s beauty or bags, I love it all!
Do you feel pressure to curate your Instagram feed or create content that looks a certain way?
I think I put unnecessary pressure on myself for Instagram. I don’t have a theme on my grid but I am victim to not posting because it doesn’t look a certain way or I feel it’s not good enough. Which I guess is why a lot of bloggers have felt the need to photoshop their images. I myself have never photoshopped my images, I mean I wouldn’t even know where to start! But I do find it funny, as we see the ‘real life’ version of bloggers in videos and vlogs a lot of the time, so I don’t see why Instagram must portray "the most perfect version" of ourselves. I’ve got into Instagram stories a lot more now and have really been enjoying posting on that as there is less pressure to have a picture-perfect image/life.
How important is social media to your blog? What platforms drive the most traffic to your site?
Very important. I’ve always been a champion of Twitter and it’s been a platform I’ve used to make friends in the blogging community and find opportunities. Facebook is still one of the biggest traffic sources for me, when something gets shared it has a snowball effect that can see thousands of views in a very short space of time.
What’s one thing people may not know about you or your blog?
That I’m 33! Everyone is always surprised when I tell them my age. My secret? Good skincare and drinking lots of water.
What tips would you give to any aspiring influencer?
Don’t try to be another blogger. It’s great to be inspired, however being a copycat version of them may work in the beginning but in the long run it won’t last.
What other bloggers /influencers do you follow and why?
I love Camila Coelho for her impeccable style on Instagram, I don’t think she ever has a bad style day. I’m obsessed with watching Jeffree Star on YouTube, I just find him hilarious to watch and for travel lust I really love reading Jess from The Travelista.