It’s no secret that one of the biggest goals of many a beauty blogger is to collaborate with a wide range of blossoming brands, reviewing the latest lotions & potions… am I right girls? However since launching Confetti & Curves I’ve slowly watched my own blog grow from something so tiny into what feels like a full-time job. Now although I’m not by any means an expert on PR, through my own trial & error (not to mention a wholeeee lotta reading) I’ve picked up a few valuable little tricks that has helped make my blog more appealing to a range of exciting companies. So to kick off Monday’s post, here’s a few of my top tips that just might inspire any budding beauty blogger to create a PR Friendly site that will *hopefully* help welcome some great PR opportunities.
Sitting comfy? Then let’s get started…
Contact Page
This is SUPER important, yet the vast number of blogs that don’t have a dedicated page highlighting how others can contact them is huuuuuge. Okay, you might have Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram… blah blah blah… but when a PR representative intends on approaching a blogger they prefer to do it privately & professionally.
WordPress makes it incredibly easy to include a contact form to your blog however do make sure your email address is also readable in plain text format. Some PR reps may need to email you without using the form. If you’re not happy sharing your personal email addy with the world then set up a free one just for your blog!
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About Page
Although not every one has them, I personally think an ‘About Page’ is incredibly useful – consider it a tiny intro to your online haven if you will. Although you don’t have to be overly specific, useful things to include can be your age, what country you’re living in, hobbies, interests and when & why your blog was born. It literally only needs to be a small paragraph, not your entire life story, however it helps any browsing PR reps make an instant decision as to whether or not their product are right for you.
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Social Media Accounts
From a personal perspective I find Twitter & Instagram are by far the best for driving traffic to my blog. However whatever you’re signed up to always ensure you have your Social Media links completely accessible down the side bars of your blog, or at the very least nestled in your contact page. If you’ve just signed up to a multi-tude of online hangouts & are trying to build a following it may be useful to include any social media links at the bottom of each blog post. PR reps love to see bloggers making an effort. Showing you’re keen to subtly promote yourself will certainly give you brownie points when it comes to being approached for PR opportunities.
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Content Is Key
Okay, so lets imagine you’re a PR guru for the next big brand. Your mission, should you choose to accept, *couldn’t resist that line* is to be on the lookout for great bloggers to help showcase, promote & review your products. So what would you be looking for? Does relevant regular content, eye-catching photography, user friendly layout, GREAT CONTACT PAGE *aah hmm* & active social media accounts seem about right? If so, then there’s your check list. Simples 😉
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TABs
When someone stumbles across your blog they’ll more than likely take less than 5 seconds to mentally determine whether they want to hang around or click the dreaded ‘back’ button. By having a neat little row of tabs along the top of your page PR Guru’s can easily find whatever relate-able content they may be looking for. If you’re often blogging about more than one topic (i.e beauty, fashion, lifestyle, health & well being) then by organising your posts into individual tabs, new visitors can get an immediate visual of what’s on offer than having to aimlessly plunder through a sea of old posts that’s filled with features that may not tickle their pickle.
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Utilised Space
Think of your blog as one extreeeeeemly valuable bill board for advertising space, particularly the side bars! By creating your own little side bar Widgets (or image links) you can help show case some of your most popular posts. Remember you’re highlighting valuable content for PR gurus (and readers) by promoting some of your blogs best features so make use of the free space! Widgets are super easy to create on any editing package and you’ll be well impressed by how much extra traffic they create to other posts.
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PR Badge
Not every blogger wants to be approached by budding brands however if you’re eagerly hoping to take avail of opportunities then it may be helpful to create a little PR badge to display on your blogs side wall… again another reason why that often barren space is so darn useful! I created mine on a simple editing package so it’s immediately recognisable that Confetti & Curves welcomes exciting PR propositions 😀
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Consider Your Audience
It’s always exciting when you open an email from a company proposing to work together, however before you eagerly reply with a big fat ‘YES!’ there’s a few basic questions you need to ask yourself:
1) Does the product (or collab) fit the general content of your blog?
Meaning: will your readers appreciate it?! Blogging for PR isn’t the same as posting pics from a birthday night out with the gal pals. It has to be well thought out in terms of what the goals are. You’re no longer blogging just for personal pleasure but with a mission in mind – to promote said product or brand. Sure we all love a freebie but if you’re blogging solely to clock up a cupboard full of non purchased goodies you could end up losing the respect of your readers, not to mention having a mish-mashed blog bunged with irrelevant content. Wittering on about eyelash curlers one day & must-have potato mashers the next isn’t exactly relevant now is it?! I do hope you’re nodding in agreement here *sigh* Just don’t forget to reply back with a ‘thanks but no thanks’ email. It’s courteous, it’s professional & although the opportunity may not be right for you, there could always be a next time when it will! Alternatively, if you know another blogger that just might fit the bill you could ask to relay their details instead.
2) What’s the Terms & Conditions?
Before you agree to anything ALWAYS ensure you are 100% clear on what’s expected from you & what you expect from the brand. This is often clarifying how the post will be laid out, content ideas, images, web links to be included, correspondence addresses & if in fact any products are to be returned. Also be clear about who covers the postage and what happens in the event that something arrives damaged? Who’s expected to fork out for a broken bottle of polish or cracked eye-shadow palette? The only stupid question is one you don’t ask!
3) What’s in it for you?
Remember you’re doing this to predominantly benefit someone else… if the product ain’t free then what’s your hourly rate? Might sound harsh but this is eating into YOUR valuable time so ensure you get some remuneration from it – whether that be to keep the goods, a check in the post or at the very least shared on the company’s own social media accounts to help drive traffic and new readers to your blog!
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PO Box
If (rightly so) you’re not in any way comfortable with sharing your address with a complete stranger via the internet but feel eager to participate in some promotional opportunities then it could be worth while setting up your own PO Box. However do keep in mind these don’t come cheap so you really have to utilise them as much as possible to get your money’s worth. One thing a PO Box will do is give you peace of mind with protecting your privacy. Check in with your local post office for more details on how to set up a PO Box or you can *click here* to view details & prices via Royal Mail’s website.
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Product Positivity
From time to time we all take possession of products that just don’t work or generally baffle us beyond belief. That’s okay, it’s completely normal. Letting your readers know too is also okay! However there’s a rather bold & obvious line between clear constructive criticism and brand slagging. If you don’t like a product state (diplomatically) why. It’s even better to make realistic suggestions as to what the manufacturer can do to potentially rectify your grumbles. Getting drawn into a hugeeeee rant on a Sunday afternoon over a face mask that left you feeling like you’d stared into the mouth of Vesuvius may certainly capture your readers attention spans but it could end up doing damage in other ways… particularly if you’re expecting a flood of PR invitations any time soon.
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Found this helpful? Then you just might like to feast your peepers upon a few of my other blog related hints & tips:
So You Want To Start A Beauty Blog?
My Top Tips For A Healthy Blog
My Top Five Basic Photography Tips For Beauty Blogging
Do you have any great PR tips for budding bloggers? Whatever your thoughts do let me know in the comments below! As always thanks so much for stopping by & don’t forget to say a quick hello. Wishing y’all a fabulous Monday & week ahead 🙂
Cheerio chums…
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PS: HAVE YOU CHECKED OUT THE CONFETTI & CURVES GIVEAWAY YET? *CLICK HERE* TO FIND OUT HOW YOU COULD WIN AN URBAN DECAY NAKED PALETTE OF YOUR CHOICE!
What an amazing post Karen. Some very useful tips and tricks in there. PR can be a bit difficult when you are just starting out, so this definitely helps.
xx Anne
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Thank you so much indeed Anne – I’m chuffed to bits you enjoyed reading it 🙂 Yes, it’s always a learning curve and one I’ll always be on lol Thanks for the lovely comment & for stopping by, hope you have a great week ahead! XXX
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This post was so informative and helpful, tips definitely taken! Thank you, Karen 💕
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Thank you so much huni 🙂 I’m so glad you found it helpful!! I really enjoyed writing it 😀 X
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Lovely post, I think I will utilise some of them, quick question how to you organise blog posts into the tabs I really want to do it but I have no idea how to do it? xx
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Hi Gwen – it is a bit tricky to explain via a comment but here’s a link to WordPress help that talks you through it. It’s called adding categories – if you google it you may also find some YT videos showing you how to do it – just make sure it’s for wordpress.com as opposed to the self hosted 🙂 Hope that helps & thanks so much for stopping by!! XXX
https://en.support.wordpress.com/posts/categories/
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thank you so much 🙂 x
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So very welcome – hope it helps 🙂 x
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Such a great post, and really great tips! Thanks so much for sharing x
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You’re so welcome – thank YOU so much for stopping by and leaving such an encouraging comment 🙂 X
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No problem! I love all the tips you give and always look forward to reading your posts! X
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That really is the biggest compliment!!! Thank you sooo much yet again – smiling from ear to ear 🙂 X
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This is such a great post! I’ve had my blog for a little while now but feel like I still dont know how to use it to its full potential. (Mostly because im a bit of a technophobe and struggle to navigate my way around) I’ve just created a Twitter page especially for my blog – why I haven’t done it sooner I don’t know?! How long did it take for you to feel like your blog was ‘finally there’ ? x
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Thanks so much Elise for such a lovely comment – I’m really glad you enjoyed the post 🙂 Ahhh I totally relate to you on the technophobe thing as it’s taken me quite a while to get the hang of things (thankfully YouTube & Google are a clueless techie’s best friend at times lol) That’s fantastic you’ve just created a Twitter page – it does take a while to get used to Twitter but link it up to WordPress, use your hash-tags & hang in there, it will pay off!! Honestly I never feel like my blog is ‘finally there’ as there is always something I need to do or want to add etc. Which I guess is good to keep me busy & pro active with promoting it 🙂 XX
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Amazing tips, Karen! I’ve been loving these posts, they’re so helpful 🙂 only recently discovered the use of widgets so I’m definitely going to add a few of those in! Xx
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Thank you sooo much Gigi – what a supportive & encouraging comment, so grateful 🙂 Oh widgets are brill little things so do get them on your sidebar – including designing your own as they will definitely help drive people to other posts!! XXX
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Awesome post Karen! These are some wonderful tips! I used to want to be more “PR Friendly” and have brands contact me and send me free goodies but lately I have just been wanting to focus on it as more of a hobby. From time to time I will except to do a review on a product but not always. Right now life has been a little crazy for me lately and it’s hard for me to make certain commitments. I try to when I can though. I’ve recently got an offer in my email that I have been stewing about but I just don’t feel very confident in myself about it and I have been going through somewhat of a personal rough patch. Sorry I’m rambling now here lol. I am just feeling like right now it’s not the best time for me to make commitments with my health and everything going on. Anyway, it really is nice to get companies to send you their product and test them out, don’t get me wrong. I hope that you’re having a great start to the week Karen! *HUGS* XXXXX ❤
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That’s the beauty of it Katie – being able to pick & choose what you want to do & when you want to do it, no pressure 🙂 I adore blogging and love reviewing/testing but it’s nice to have those patches where you can take a back seat without feeling too committed 🙂 Oh I’m so sorry about your personal rough patch – sounds like it’s really knocking your confidence 😦 I think you need a darn big *hug* and whatever it is that’s holding you back don’t let the negative pull you down – you’ve got a ton of awesome buddies on here that will support you whatever your decision. If you don’t feel right then leave it be, otherwise embrace the opportunity & we’ll all be here supporting you. That’s what I love about this community – it’s so encouraging 🙂 Hey, you’re talking to the queen of rambling so now apologies lol Hope you have a wonderful week too Katie – you really do deserve it huni!!!!! Keep smiling & *HUGS* as always lol XXX
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Thank you so much Karen! You’re right about being able to pick and choose what we want to do for our blogs. I am sure things will get better for me soon. I am feeling more optimistic about this week. I am so thankful to have you and everyone in this community! You’re all so supportive! Thank you so much for that! I don’t know what I’d do without my blogging buddies! 🙂 *HUGS* back to you! XXX
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You’re so welcome!! Oh that’s great you’re feeling more positive – it’s so easy to get into a personal rut, I’ve hit that so many times but it’s being able to get back out of it that’s the tough part! Your comments have cheered me up no end after many a tough day so you’re very welcome – keep focused on the positive huni 🙂 Xxxxx
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Thank you Karen! I’m trying to keep as positive as a I can. You’re comments always cheer me up as well! Thank you again so much!! 🙂 Xxxxxx
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Glad to hear it lovely lady 😀 XXXXX
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Great tips as always!! 🙂
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Thanks so much Jamie 🙂 X
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Great post Karen! Really great pieces of advice 🙂
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Thank you so much Lauren – really glad you like it 🙂 X
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No bother 🙂
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Your blog advice posts are always great! thank you!
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This makes me smile soooooo much – thank you Alice ❤ You've made my day 🙂 XXXX
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I must say, I love these posts! I completely agree with stopping to think about how the product fits your blog before you agree to review it. I have a page just for PR that outlines my terms and simply by saying that I will only review beauty/fashion related products, I have cut down on the number of irrelevant offers.
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Thank you so much V, that really has made my day to read 🙂 That’s great about the PR page I think it’s great to highlight these things!! I have to say there’s been some bizarre offers for me too, it’s easy to go Freebie gallore but when it’s irrelevant it’s totally pointless. lol XXX
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These are wonderful tips! It can be quite challenging to secure PR opportunities. I shall certainly make notes of these tips. 🙂 xxxxx
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Thank you so much Nadine 🙂 Yes, there are maaaaany many blogs out there and it’s certainly challenging to make sure any blog wanting PR opportunities will entice attention! Always good to stay focused on making your blog as best as it can be 😀 xxx
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Thanks to all your helpful tips, it becomes so much easier to get a blog to reach its full potential! 🙂 ❤ xx
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You’re so welcome – it’s so much fun writing them huni 🙂 If it just helps one person then I’m chuffed!! XX
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You posted some helpful and such useful little tips. Winner! You’re such a smart and savvy Karen! 😀 xo happy Mondayyyyy 💕
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Thank you so much Leah, glad you liked them!! What a lovely compliment 😀 Happy Monday to you too huni XXXX
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I hope your day is as splendid as you are! 😀 xo (I don’t know if that makes sense) ha
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lol It sure does thank you very much & of course likewise lovely 😀 XXXX
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Thank you so much! Xoxo
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I love this series of blogging tips. So useful!
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Thank you so much Julia – much appreciated 🙂 XXX
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Such an amazing post hun ❤ So many great tips that can be useful not just for a beauty blogger, but also to other areas in life. I really loved this post a lot 😀
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Thank you so much Galit – that is such an amazing compliment huni, I’m so glad you liked it!! 🙂 Thanks as always for stopping by ❤ Xxxx
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Great tips Karen x
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Thanks so much Kayla ❤ Hope you're well X
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Wonderful tips! I need to follow these!
I also tagged you in a fun beauty challenge if you’d like to participate.
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Awww thank you so much huni! Ooh wow, thank you so much – will surely take a look 🙂 X
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i have nominated you for an award on my blog please check it out xx
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Thanks so much Catherine – just checked it out and chuffed to bits ❤ Thought I was already following your blog, my apologies – have just followed now hun 🙂 XXX
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No problem! Thanks :)xxx
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The PR badge is a great idea! Thanks! Feel free to check out our blog, http://www.twinspiration.co 🙂
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Thanks so much girls – glad you like it!! Looking forward to checking out your blog too, thanks for sharing the link 🙂 X
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Great tips as always! I really need to follow these! Xo ❤
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Thank you so much Jen 🙂 I’m so glad you appreciated them huni!! Thanks as always for stopping by & hope you’re well ❤ XXXX
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I’m great! I hope you’re having a great day! Xo ❤
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I think my favourite of your posts thus far ….
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beautifully written xo
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Awwwh what a compliment Cat!!!!! 😀 Thank you soooo much – you’re so encouraging ❤ XXXXXXXX
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we have gone through this before lovely xo
AS ARE YOU = xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo It’s just innate nature Yes ? 🙂 xo
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Love your comments – they’re so darn LOVELY!!!!! 😀 XXXXXXX
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You have no idea how excited I get when I see these types of posts from you! You could probably get to the stage of writing a book on blogging, advice and inspiration. How long were you blogging before you received contact from a PR company? xx
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That is SUCH a huuuuge compliment – cannot thank you enough for this comment!! You’ve made my day – week in fact!!! lol So glad you enjoy them huni, that is incredibly encouraging 🙂 Ooh I think I was blogging for Confetti & Curves for about 6 weeks when I was approached… always an exciting moment getting your first PR email as a new beauty blogger. However that’s not to say if any blogger hasn’t yet been approached that they shouldn’t approach companies instead 🙂 Great to get out and introduce your blog to others, it’s amazing the opportunities that come from it! xxx
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You are more than welcome. I mean it wholeheartedly. I kind of view you like the mammy of a blogging community right now – giving out good advice and caring support 😀 Oh wow, so you’re all for contacting them first? I’ve seen some that I’d LOVE to reach out to, but I wasn’t sure if it was ok! xx
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Awwwh the mammy of the blogging community… lol, I LOVE that so much *smiling like a Cheshire cat* hehe Oh yes, by all means contact them huni – some of the lesser know brands are only too happy to work with bloggers to help promote. If you have an idea for a post pop it over to them – it can lead to great opportunities so go for it!!! *huge hugs* 🙂 Xxxxx
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Thank you for posting this! It’s extremely helpful for bloggers starting out, like me!
XOXO
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You’re so very welcome – I’m just so glad it might be of use to someone 🙂 Always glad to share a few tips!! Thanks for stopping by lovely XX
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Thanks for the tips Karen… Very informative for novice bloggers like me 🙂
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Ahhh, you’re so welcome 🙂 Thank YOU for the lovely comment – hope it helps huni! XXX
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These tips are so helpful! Especially the questions to ask PR companies as I’ve just started being contacted by them and am still not sure what I need to check! Great post! xxx
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So welcome Jo 🙂 I’m really glad you found it helpful in some way huni, we’re all on that same learning curve! Congrats on being approached by PR companies – that’s wonderful news for Pores For Thought (hehe I sooo love that name!) xxxx
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Haha thank you! Only by a few so far but it’s good to know what i need to look out for 🙂 xx
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Loving this post Karen! I had a quick read when you published it, but I was at work so I’ve just come back for a second look. Thanks to this, I’ve now updated my About page & added a contact form – didn’t realise it was so easy!
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Awww Rach that fantastic news!!!! Go you girl!! Isn’t it super easy? Honestly it will make life sooo much easier if any one needs to approach you – yay for getting your blog PR ready huni 😉 hehe XXXX
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Amazing tips as always Karen. Sorry I have been a bit behind on here but as you can probably tell from your notifications feed, I’m stalking Confetti and Curves today, lol. You know, I think I’ve addressed this before but my template seems not to have a contact page or the ability to create one and I have spent quite some time trying to figure this out. I do however, have my contact information on my ‘About Me’ section but maybe I should make one solely for my blog. Hmmm something to think about. 🙂
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lol lol And I honestly couldn’t have a nicer stalker huni 😀 hehe Oh yes, I think you might have said before. That really is a bizarre one – you’d think it would integrate it :-s Maybe there’s a tutorial on YT for your template theme? That helped me immensely with mine! That’s great you have your contact info on the about me anyways – I’d imagine that’s where anyone would hopefully find it if the contact page was absent so good call 🙂 XXXX
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Haha, well good to know! You know, I’ll try and look up YT tutorials as I’ve just gone through forums but who knows, I may get lucky. Yes, I’d like to think anyone who’d want to contact me would find me on the About section. 🙂
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Think this just might be of help for you huni….
https://en.support.wordpress.com/contact-form/
Let me know how you get on 🙂 XXX
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Oh my gosh Karen, thank you so much!! I will definitely be seeing this in a few and it’s helpful that a video is linked because sometimes I am a visual person, especially in these matters, lol. Thank you for taking the time to share this with me. You’re a doll! Love, love. *hugs*
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Awwwh you’re sooo welcome – like yourself, I much prefer seeing it in real time too… just helps keep you right eh?! lol Hope it helps huni *huge hugs* XXXXXXX
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Karen, you’re a genius! Thanks so much! I was able to add it! Woohoo! 🙂
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oooooh yaaaaay!! I’m so chuffed 🙂 Great news!! Sorry I replied to your last comment a moment ago BEFORE seeing this… glad you got it sorted XXX
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No problem Karen! Thanks again to the moon and back! xo
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Always welcome XXXXXX
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Hi Karen, would you mind if I use the same PR badge as you? I don’t know if you designed it, and if so I will remove it immediately, but if not, do you mind? I can’t find any as nice, but I can make a new one of course if this one is yours xx
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Of course you can 🙂 Yes, I designed it myself as I try and keep everything pretty matching around here lol Glad you like it enough to use it, that’s quite a compliment to my design skills lol 😉 XXXXX
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It’s perfect! If you google PR friendly blog in images, it’s one of the first ones to pop up – good promo for your blog too! 😉 I actually put together a little bunny one after I had commented, but thank you so much for your kindness! I’d say lots of others would use yours too! X
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Oh wow, so it is!!! That’s super 😀 Yes, you’re very right with the promo – little things like that really do help! Oooooh I’ve just seen your bunny one and it is gorgeous!!!!! Well done you for creating such a fab little Widget, it’s perfect 🙂 *hugs* XXXXXXX
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Thanks for sharing how and why your blog looks so pretty.
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Thank you so much, what a lovely comment to read 🙂 Hugely appreciated & so glad you enjoyed the post!
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