I feel really lucky to be been able to build a really good relationship with a PR company since i first worked with them on my Babymule Changing Bag review back in 2012.
And now, I'm SO excited to announce that they are sponsoring me to attend Britmums Live in 2014.
That PR company are......................
Tell us about bumpPR
bumpPR is a PR agency specialising in parenting and family
products. We work with about 40 different brands, including everything from
breastpumps to tricycles. We’re a team of four girls who are super-clued up on
cloth nappies, breastfeeding and creative play. None of us have children
yet, (although Lisa is getting married in June!) but we love babies. We have a
great office in Soho, packed with loads and loads of
baby products.
What is the best way for a blogger to approach you if they
want to work together?
The best thing to do would be to send us an email, with a
little introduction to you and your blog. Ideally, you’d have an idea of how
you would like to work together, perhaps taken a look at our website and what
clients we work for. A personal approach goes a long way for us, and it’s
definitely worth putting in a few extra minutes into your email.
What is the worst way for a blogger to approach you if they
want to work together?
We’re not huge fans of emails that don’t address us by name
(our names are in our email addresses!) The process can just be a lot slower if
a blogger doesn’t tell us much about themselves. We reply to everyone who
approaches us, but it makes our job much easier if we know why you want to work
with us.
We don’t approach bloggers without having a good read
through their posts and about me section, so if bloggers approach us in a
similar way we are always really pleased.
Oh…and also it’s always a good idea to include a link to
your blog! (You’d be surprised but it does happen)
What puts you off working with a blogger?
Probably the things discussed above for someone we have not
worked with before. We’re very lucky in that we have never had a terrible
review from anyone. Things that could put us off though would be; taking
a very long time to review something (and not letting us know why – we’re very
understanding all it takes is an email!) or a review that was very brief and
didn’t include much information or photos.
What type of bloggers do you enjoy working with?
We like to think we are a friendly bunch, so we like
bloggers that are friendly too! We’ve worked with lots of different people over
the years, but there are just some that really stand out. They make extra
effort when replying to emails, their reviews are outstanding and they just go
the extra mile. Those are the people we work with time and time again.
We also like creative thinkers; we want people to read the
reviews with interest, so anything you can do to make it visually appealing,
funny or different always goes down well.
When selecting bloggers to work with, does blog design or
blog photography matter to you?
It’s not everything, but it is certainly important.
First impressions make a big difference, not only to us, but to our
clients. If we set up a review and are asking a client to approve a sample, we
need to know they can look at a blog – and think great, that looks
professional.
Good photography is also really important for reviews.
Personal photos that show the product in use are so much better than
standard cut-outs! (Although we do understand that with some products like
breastpumps and nursing bras, you might have to use them!)
What is more important to you, social media presence or page
views?
Good question! We are generally interested in both. We
always like to know the number of unique visitors a blog has, as this gives us
the best idea of how many people are reading the blog in the first place.
Often, someone who has a lot of a unique visitors will have a lot of Twitter
followers too, but not always.
If we are asking you to host a competition, social media
probably has the edge, because it is such a quick and easy way to reach lots of
people. For reviews, we’d probably say unique visitors, as you can’t really get
a review into 140 characters!
What is your opinion on “blaggers” (people setting up blogs
simply to get “free” things)?
Luckily, most of the bloggers we hear from have a genuine
interest in working with us. We’ve never had anyone take a product and
not review it. If someone can provide a great review in return for a product,
then it’s worth it for us. One thing that is obvious is that reviews take a lot
of time and effort. It’s rarely a case of something for nothing. If a
blogger approached us, and we didn’t think their reviews were strong enough,
then we would probably politely decline the opportunity to work together. We
work with lots of brands, and some blogs are better fits than others.
Have you had any big client/blog fails you can tell us
about?
No, thank goodness! We are all quite thorough when setting
up projects with bloggers. We tend to build up relationships first, and it
seems to work for us. We hope that if anyone ever had a problem with a product
we sent out, that they would give us the chance to resolve the problem first.
You sometimes put a call out for reviewers on Twitter, which
request has had the most response? And have you ever regretted doing this
because of the amount of mentions/dms/emails you then receive?
The most popular so far has probably been the smarTrike
& Go. We had so many responses for that one! We didn’t regret putting out
the request, because we got to meet a few new bloggers as a result. The only
hard thing was writing back to those who we couldn’t choose. We always feel
very mean, but we make sure we reply to everyone to say thanks.
bumpPR comes across as a fantastic company to work for, what
do you each like/love best about working there?
Lisa:
Firstly thank you... I am passionate about making bump a
fun, supportive and creative environment in which people thrive and want to
work. We certainly are a friendly bunch... But then again we work in
PR... It’s our job to be lovely. It's all about balance - work hard, play hard!
I'm honoured and delighted that I appear to have achieved this and so happy the
people we work with pick up on a positive vibe.
Poppy:
The best thing is waking up each morning and knowing I am
coming into a lovely, friendly office. There is a lot of opportunity to
be creative, and let’s face it who doesn’t love babies. (Not there are actually
any in the office)
Chloe:
bumpPR is a wonderful place to work. There is a lovely
atmosphere in the office; although we are all extremely busy, it is a relaxed
environment where we laugh, share ideas and have fun! I think the parenting
industry in general is a great industry to be in. Our clients, the journalists,
bloggers we work with etc are always friendly and if it is easy to get on with
each person you come into contact with in the industry, it makes work an
enjoyable experience. I suppose my favourite thing is that I actually love all
the products we promote. Our clients are so passionate about their products,
but so are we. One thing is for certain, when it’s my turn to enter motherhood,
I have a rather large wish list …
Laura:
I’ve only been working at bump for 2 months, but I am loving
it so far. The girls are lovely and super helpful – I really feel that they
genuinely want to help me learn and develop. My job is genuinely fun and the
atmosphere is light-hearted often hilarious!
If you were each to start your own blog, what would the
topic be and what would your blog be called?
Lisa:
We talk about this in the office all the time! We are
approached so often and sometimes you hear of a blog and think what a brilliant
name... It can make all the difference. I think I'd go for 'Life's a
beach' I love the beach, hence the website and general brand theme. It reminds
me of happy times and come rain or shine makes me smile! It's also very generic
so it could grow with me! (P.S the girls later told me, this is the name of our
company blog –I told you it was a good name!)
Poppy:
I set up a blog a few months ago, but have very much failed
to keep it going. I think I managed four posts or something. It is (was?!)
called doodles and dinners, and is about my two great loves – food and drawing.
Since then I have even more respect for bloggers, it must take so much time to
blog successfully!
Chloe:
Other than being obsessed with talking about food, I love
watching films and programmes and I always have a book on the go too. In the
office, if we are all watching the same programme, we love to have a discussion
about it. We will all say what we think is going to happen next; who are
favourite characters are etc. If I had a blog, I think I could talk films,
programmes and books all day long. Maybe it could be called ‘Chloe’s Comments…’
If I got really good, I would perhaps be invited be premieres … hmmm…
Laura:
I have a blog, which I do update sporadically (should really
get on this) in an attempt to keep my family in friends in Wiltshire updated on
what I’m getting up to in the big city – it’s called ‘A Slice of Life’ which
began life as a blog about baking! It has an over ‘bumpkin in the city’ vibe,
which is essentially what I am.
Cake is a big thing you are known for loving and tweeting
about, so it would be rude to not ask what your favourite flavour is?
Lisa:
The girls always laugh at me but I am a creature of habit...
If we're talking treats accessible to the office for me it is always a classic
hummingbird cupcake with chocolate icing! If this is something I'd bake at
home, or to be a little more realistic... Something jack would bake at home I
would have to say a traditional Victoria
sponge! At the moment I'm on a cake shortage due to the obligatory wedding
diet, only 3 months to go now though and boy you should see the wedding cake!
Poppy:
This is so difficult; I probably have to say a really gooey
brownie. Red Velvet cupcakes are definitely a close second.
Chloe:
Now, that’s just a really difficult question! Working in Soho
means we are surrounded by lots of irresistible treats. I would have to say my
top 3 favourite have to be a Gail’s Blueberry muffin, a Ben’s milk chocolate
cookie and a black bottom cupcake from the hummingbird bakery. I am hungry even
thinking about it!
Laura:
I’m pretty sure that liking cake was in the job description
– unfortunately, it being the beginning of the year and Lisa getting married
this year and Chloe on the Cambridge
diet, there has been a lack of cake in this office thus far. I’m sure this is
great for the waistline but I not-so-secretly hope that this changes in due
course. My favourite flavour of cake is Red Velvet – thanks btw, now I want
some!
To celebrate further BumpPR have offered an AMAZING prize bundle.
The items in the bundle are:
Camouflage Skibz Bib
Red with white stars Skibz Bib
Red with white stars Skibz Bib
Ewan the Dream Sheep
Snoozeshade Deluxe
Drool Monkey
Cocoon Towel from The Little Green Sheep
Want to enter? Simply fill in the Rafflecopter form below.