DIARY directory recently caught up with blogger Helen Grieves, who founded the fashion, beauty and lifestyle blog The Lovecats Inc. As an avid reader of fashion magazines, and inspired by their street style pages, she started her own style blog in 2012 while studying for a journalism degree. Helen branched out into beauty as her following grew and now regularly offers tips to fellow bloggers, lifestyle and interior inspiration and cake recipes - as well as beauty and fashion posts.

Date of birth:    15.06.1990 - age 26
County & country of residence:    Newcastle, UK
3 main areas of focus:    personal style, beauty, lifestyle
5 specific areas of interest:    
makeup, baking, interiors, outfits and skincare 

Skin tone:    pale, combination
Hair colour:    blonde/brown balayage
Dress size:    8/10
Shoe size:    UK 7

Listed in DIARY directory in the digital influencers subsection, along with 1000+ categorised influencers for PRs to work with, Helen talks about the importance of scheduling content in advance, why YouTube is not for her and offers her thoughts on influencers buying followers. 

When and why did you start your blog?

I started it in 2012 and it went alongside my Magazine Journalism degree. I figured I loved reading them so why not start my own?

What's an average day/blogging day in the life for you?

I try to get all of my blog scheduled a week in advance so I can focus on my freelance work for the rest of the week. So I tend to have a mad full-on day or two getting as many photos done as possible, then I write the posts and schedule my social promotion. On a daily basis, I try to post to Instagram a few times a day, keep up with my emails (usually half an hour per day, or I save them up!) and check my Twitter, but I'm fairly low-key with my blog work to be honest.

How do you think brands/PRs can work better with influencers?

Yes, definitely. A lot of brands/PR's still have a journalist-blogger divide, even though bloggers often have a bigger reach than most publications. I also wish that people would realise how much work goes into blogs - especially if people also do YouTube - as it's very time consuming for those who do it day in day out. People need paying for their work!

"There's so many hardworking bloggers trying to organically grow a following and people just come in and buy 10k followers plus the likes and comments to go with it"
 
Do you have a rate card? Can you give us an example?

I don't have a one-size-suits-all rate card, as I answer all sponsored collaborations on a case-by-case basis!

You’ve dabbled in creating YouTube videos, is this an area you wish to pursue?

I tried YouTube, but it's just not for me! I don't have time to learn how to edit and I just don't think I could post interesting enough content to build an audience. I enjoy writing much more.

Do you have any professional help for your blog?

Apart from my boyfriend - who runs pipdig - who coded my blog design for me - I do everything from the photos to the writing myself!

What are your thoughts on influencers buying followers? Is it getting harder to establish whose following is genuine?

It really annoys me, actually. There are so many hardworking bloggers trying to organically grow a following and people just come in and buy 10k followers plus the likes and comments to go with it and they get the collaborations which should be going to those who truly deserve it - and have the genuine readers which brands need! You can see it a mile off though, websites like socialblade help you spot fakes and all of those blank accounts do give it away! I think it'll all be revealed in the end, so it's not worth it.

Blogging highlight?

Probably getting a pair of Gucci loafers!

… and biggest struggle?

Accepting that I can't always do the photos and content I want to do!

Magazines vs blogs, what do you think the future holds? 

I'm not sure, I do think that blogs are getting bigger and magazines need to catch up!

What are your top social media tips for growing a following? /which platforms work best for you etc..

I think Twitter and Instagram have worked best for me over the years as they're more socialable. I think just being genuine, talking to be people and more importantly, being consistent is the key for growing a following I think. 

What other bloggers / influencers do you follow and why?

I love Lizzy from Shot from the Street as she has the best style, Charlotte from The Goodowl for her amazing youtube content and Kate from Kate La Vie for her dreamy interiors!