Blogger Outreach: Gemma Cartwright

Don’t be afraid…

Gemma Cartwright started blogging when she was in 16. She joined Shiny Media [R.I.P.] in 2004 to launch their first fashion site Shoewawa.com, going on to become Group Editor of the Shiny fashion network. She’s written about celebrities for The Nod, happy homelife at Domestic Sluttery, geek chic for Dork Adore, and a host of on- and off-line media.

Last year she founded Big Girls Browse, a site aimed at anyone who finds it hard to shop to suite their shape, and has already attracted interest from most of the High St brands including a guest spot editing the Evans blog.

Gemma Cartwright

1. Do PRs contact you regarding your site?

Yes.

2. Should they?

Absolutely. I really don’t mind receiving press releases, email pitches, celeb style IDs, event invitations…anything really. I’m not bothered by a bulging inbox, I can easily delete the stuff I don’t need. That said, I do get a lot of badly-targeted stuff from PRs in the US and my requests to be removed from their lists go unnoticed. If I went to all the events in NY that I’m invited to, I’d have an astounding amount of airmiles!

3. How do you prefer to be contacted?

I like friendly, to-the-point emails that have both my name and the name of the site they’re targeting on it. I write for a few sites and some people still think I write for Catwalk Queen (I actually left 18 months ago) so knowing their expectations means I don’t mislead anyone in terms of where I can give coverage.

I like all the info in the body of the email. Word and .pdf attachments are unnecessary, as are dozens of images (one or two is fine – if I want more I’ll ask).

Don’t follow up with a call unless it’s absolutely necessary. I’m incredibly antisocial and I hate talking on the phone

4. What’s the worst “outreach” you’ve ever received?

An email with the subject ‘Press release’. The body was completely empty, and there was an attachment called ‘PressRelease.doc’. Needless to say, I didn’t read it.

There have also been plenty of the usual ‘Hi blogger’ type template emails. I’ve been called Sarah, Laura, Genna, Jemma…I even got ‘Hey there, G‘  once (I’m not even joking). I’ve also had lots of emails that don’t even ask for coverage, they simply tell me to write about their client. Finally, emails asking me to write about a competition that’s running on another site. No, no, no!

5. 3 things you HATE about being contacted by PRs

• Lack of research – one 5 second look at my site and you’ll see I’m not interested in brands that stop at a size 12
• People trying to write my copy for me – unless you are paying me to write sponsored content, I will write whatever I want (within reason)
• Getting invited to things, emailing an RSVP and being asked to give my traffic figures before I’m told if I can attend or not. Don’t send the invitation if you’re not *really* inviting me

6. 3 bits of advice if a PR is going to contact a blogger generally

• Read the blogs you’re pitching to. REALLY read them. Don’t pretend you’ve read them by sending an email saying “I loved your post about…” with the title of the most recent post. We’re not stupid, don’t patronise us. You wouldn’t pitch to a magazine without at least flicking through it first. Do us the same courtesy
• Research! I’m convinced the same people go to events time and time again because PR’s google ‘[fashion/beauty] bloggers event’ and just invite the first 20 blogs that come up. You’ll get much more interesting coverage if you find bloggers that really have a strong opinion of your client, rather than just going for the usual suspects (who’re all probably bored of cupcakes, cheap fizz and manicures by now anyway
• Be nice. If a blogger has written something erroneous / libelous / problematic or broken an embargo, approach them tactfully. Don’t go in all guns blazing threatening legal action – you’ll end up with that email posted all over the internet with hundreds of bloggers ranting about you

7. Complete this sentence: PR/Blogger relations could be improved by…

…both sides getting off their high horse and realising that people are Just Doing Their Job.

8. Anything else you’re dying to get off your chest about PR? Good or Bad [We like good things too!]

I poke fun when someone emails me with the wrong name, sends me a wildly irrelevant press release littered with typos or invites me to something 2 hours before it’s happening because someone more important clearly pulled out last minute…but most of my dealings with PRs in the last couple of years have been great. I think it’s all too easy to jump on the big #PRFail bandwagon and forget that bloggers make just as many mistakes.

So to any PRs reading this, please don’t be scared off by the minority of bloggers who jump on their soapbox about every tiny little issue. Most of us just want to be treated as human beings and given access to information and resources so we can write about interesting things!

Crib notes:

• It’s only an email, but there are so many ways you can get it wrong
• Be respectful, just because you’re not approaching a “journo”, doesn’t mean you can approach online writers like second-class citizens
• Don’t become paralysed with fear. Be informed, pleasant, helpful. In other words… just do your job

Can’t get enough? Read the full set of Blogger Outreach interviews.