The Prosecco Diaries

Ten Autumnal Instagram Accounts To Follow

 

Around this time of year you’ll start to see several cheeky shots of golden leaves and Starbucks’ pumpkin lattes in your Instagram feed – everyone is making the most of this cosy time of year. But if you can’t get enough autumn porn, why not follow a few Fall-focused accounts and indulge in image after image of root vegetables, dead leaves and Hygge-licious blankets/fireside/hot-chocolate scenarios. Here’s ten of the best.

1.) Fall Winter Party (top image). A fab thing about this account is the scroll-through friendly colour changing theme. That’s so 2014 you might say, but it really works for an Autumn account where rich, vibrant orange, red and yellow shades are key for making us feel the seasonal vibe.

2.) Cosy Autumn Time (below). This is a much moodier, more editorial feed. You feel both cold and cosy just looking at the pictures, it’s perfect for browsing with a warm cup of tea held between both hands.

 

 

3.) Changing Of The Leaves (below). Another arty one, absolute bliss. Take me to these gorgeous, autumnal parks – then back home for a viewing of Hocus Pocus with some pumpkin cookies.

 

 

4.) Holiday Season (below) mixes up Christmas and Fall shots to perfection. You get to crave festive times whilst enjoying the best of what we have right now.

 

 

5.) Holiday Feels (below) looks like it came from the brain of Zoella, or any lifestyle blogger, really. Candles-a-plenty, lattes and marshmallows ahoy, and even an eyeshadow palette. What’s not to like?

 

 

6.) Cold Autumn Winds (below) has a delightfully spooky vibe about it, Halloween for grown-ups.

 

 

7.) Waiting For The Fall (below). This account is pumpkin-crazy, and I’m completely happy with this. Side note: when I was a kid my nan would always get me a swede to carve as they were cheaper than pumpkins. Unsurprisingly, I’ve found zero carved-swede Instagram accounts. 

 

 

8.) October Always (below). If you like horror films and all things spooky-dooks, you’ll love the adorable Elizabeth who runs this account. She fangirls over Halloween like never before, and includes film stills, Tim Burton quotes, and old-timey Halloween imagery like haunted houses and ghosty children.

 

 

9.) Autumn Christmas Love (below) is another account that mixes up the best of autumn and the festive period. One minute it’s snowing, the next it’s all golden leaves and windy walks. Warning, this account will make you run to the nearest Starbucks and demand all their seasonal syrups.

 

 

10.) Autumn Posts Daily (below) is cutesy and cartoonish with its bold colours and humorous tone. The lovely lady who runs it also has a whole autumn/Halloween themed YouTube channel, I’m loving this next-level obsession with the best time of year.

 

 

Whereas as these accounts tend to curate images from other Instagram feeds and stock images (giving credit where it’s due), these ten colourful Instagram accounts are so much fun, and all have original images created by the people who run them.

Check out my Halloween film recommendations for wusses!

 

 

What Should You Get Paid For As A Blogger?

 

One of the biggest mysteries of the current digital marketing sphere is how much bloggers should be paid, and who is earning what. Because the employment of social media influencers and bloggers is still relatively new, there are no set rates, and there's still a lot of uncertainty (and even animosity) over money. There are still brands trying to get bloggers to work for them for free, and frankly - they're succeeding. A lot of brands try and make bloggers feel honoured to work with them, to have their content on their website or in their magazine, and in the excitement bloggers won't ways see the bigger picture about how they're being exploited in to working for free - trust me, I've been there. I was about to write my third article for a print magazine, for absolutely no compensation when I thought wait, this magazine doesn't pay any bloggers that write for it! It's a shame, as up until then I'd thought this particular publication was a good idea. 

 

So, what should you charge for your words - and is it ever acceptable to work for free?

Rates are probably the number one question I get asked for by fellow bloggers - they want to make sure they're not being taken advantage of, but want to make sure they're being paid a fair price to sit in front of their laptop for x amount of hours - maybe having to attend an event, take photos and edit them too included in the fee - it all adds up. There are several bloggers posting what they earn from brands now, and I'm not one of them. Sorry! No one should ever have to disclose their earnings if they don't want to, especially to strangers. But I would advise asking yourself this -

Are you excited about this brand?

No, but I need the money - work out what your time is worth and charge that. If they say no, who cares. There's more to life than doing things for money, unless of course you're about-to-be-evicted-level of broke. But even then, don't let people take advantage.
Yes! OMG! Dream brand! - set a fair price for the work and show how enthusiastic you are, without coming across as desperate. If they say it's too high for them, go lower because the work means more. If however, your dream brand happens to be Disney, or Nike, or some other massive global brand and they're telling you they have no budget to pay bloggers - have a serious word with yourself about why they are your dream brand.

Do you think working for free with brands will get you paid work with brands?

Yes, isn't that what every blogger does? This is what a lot of bloggers think, but it is not the case. Sure, having some brand campaigns on your blog shows brands that you are PR friendly, but so could a simple "I am PR friendly" statement in your 'About' section. If brands see you're entering these competitions and working for free, they'll probably keep offering you to work for free. If you have good quality sponsored posts (that are clearly labelled as such) they'll see you in a more professional light. If you have no campaigns, but want some - pitch to brands yourself, you don't have to wait, and you don't have to work for brands for free in the meantime.

 

What about other things bloggers can do to earn money - what should be for free and what should be paid?

Writing for magazines - if it's a print magazine, then yes you should be paid with no exception. They are selling a product and your article is helping to create that product and promote it. Sure the magazine has staff, taxes, overheads and fancy parties to fund, but they also have a limited amount of articles in each issue, so why shouldn't you get paid?  Even trade magazines that sell hardly any issues will pay me around £70. A journalist wouldn't write things for 'exposure' or their 'portfolio' so why should a blogger? If it's a digital magazine, that's a different story, and you're unlikely to get paid. I saw a Twitter thread a while a go about a guy who'd been writing for a digital gaming site for a long time without payment, and he realised he'd been exploited - I wish I'd saved it. So, with digital, maybe one article for the portfolio is okay, but when you realise the magazine is expecting constant free work from you, it's probably time to move on. 

Running events - when I first started organising blogger events I did it for the love, and also because I had no idea how one goes about getting paid for this. When brands approached me to run events, I saw that this only came about because I had worked for free and shown what I can do. With hindsight and the benefit of experience, I can conclude that sometimes you have to work for free, because people need to see what you can do. Think of any practical work you do as an internship, i.e work your arse off to impress people and make contacts, but don't stay in it too long. You've got bills to pay.

Making things - brands might see you're a whizz at baking cakes, designing logos, illustrating, or creating ebooks and resources, and they might hire you with all kinds of promises to promote you, before kicking you to the curb and profiting from your hard work and talent. I get asked all the time by brands if they can use my blogging advice posts in their ebook or whatnot, and they'll say 'in return, we'll link to your site'. Wow, here's an idea - why don't you hire a writer to make the resources you're selling for commercial gain and not just exploit a blogger. It's shady business ethics. "Bloggers aren't real writers, are they?"... yes they are sonny jim, and if you'd like to use my words for profit, show me the money - and same goes for bloggers' photos, Instagrams, design work, and so on and so forth.

 

Of course we all do things in our professional life that benefit us in other ways other than monetary, and you'll have to weigh up these gains up for yourself. Sometimes it's prudent to take a step back and ask yourself who is benefitting from your labour. If you want to be treated like a Girlboss, ask yourself this - would a Girlboss spend her valuable time helping someone else get richer if it's of little or no benefit to her? If there's a product - there's always a budget, make sure you get your fair share.

 

The Truth About Blog Buttons

 

How many blog buttons do you have in your sidebar? Not the kind of buttons that do up your fave Zara cardy, or the eye-covering ones that creeped me out in Coraline. I'm talking about those little clickable adverts that so many bloggers have.

You did know that they're adverts, right? The ones from brands, I mean - not buttons that link to other blogs, or your own blog content. Brands have come up with all sorts of ingenuous ways to get you to slap a free advert for them on your website - and not just ads to get their their logo seen; buttons provide an easy click-through to their site, boosting their SEO in the process. Double bubble.

 

Some button campaigns from brands include:

• An award - e.g blogger of the week, of the year, etc
• A brand ambassador of sorts - "I'm a Next Blogger" "I'm an ASOS Insider" and so on
• An attendance stamp - "I attended the so and so conference" or "I'll be going to so and so, are you?"
• A digital agency - "I'm a Joe's Blogger" for example
• A competition - "I've entered the such and such competition 2016
• A magazine or digital site - "I'm part of the Mumsnet blogger network

 

Let's be clear, these are adverts for a brand or company that you are willingly placing on your blog. It's a massive liberty, and every time I'm offered or 'awarded' a button I politely turn it down. It's one thing for brands to entice you to put a free ad on your site (one that helps potential customers easily click through to their own site, no less), but often they are done in sneaky ways to make you feel like you have achieved something as a blogger, or that you're part of an elite gang. I detest dynamics that make bloggers feel they should be grateful to do unpaid work (no matter how seemingly trivial) to boost a brand's profits.

Don't be fooled in to thinking brand buttons make you look more important or PR friendly, they just make you look more compliant to other brands. Of course, something visual that links to details of you winning a genuine award or a campaign with a brand are handy things. And of course, what you decide to stick on any part of your blog is your own choice, it's your bit of the interwebs and you're free to champion and promote whichever brands you want. Just don't feel like it's another one of those things as a blogger that you 'should' be doing.

 

It could also be argued that there's some positives for you in having brand buttons:

• You can see who else is in 'your tribe' - maybe it's useful for you to see who else is a Joe's Blogger, for example, and you can connect over it.
• It can help you feel more confident - sure that button for a conference or meetup is just an ad to sell more tickets, but it could make you feel less nervous about going if you see other bloggers with the same button. A non-button way to do this is to follow conference hashtags on Twitter and see who's going.
• You're boosting your traffic - if your button links to Bloglovin or somewhere that promotes your posts, it's still a free ad for them, but it has potential to give you something back. 

 

Should You Pay To Attend Blogger Events?

 

One of the exciting bits about being a blogger is getting to attend events laid on by brands, which usually involves being spoilt rotten and pampered to the hilt. It's a win-win situation, with you having some interesting content for your blog, and the brand getting exposure on social media, and a nice link or two to boost their SEO. These kind of events are also great for brands to talk directly to bloggers, build working relationships, and for bloggers to network with one another and grow their readership. Every aspect of blogger events will come from a brand's marketing and PR budget, from the venue and catering, to the activities laid on and the goody bag when you leave, I've even had some brands provide a taxi to and from the event too. 

So in short, no - you should not be paying for blogger events that are run by brands, these are a PR exercise for them, and if anything they will be paying bloggers (with a certain audience level) to attend, not the other way round. 

There might be, however, some exceptions. Blogger conferences, of course, are costly to organise, and it's normal to buy a ticket to attend. Some regional meetups run by bloggers ask for a small amount to help cover venue and bar costs, though most of the time they are completely free of charge. Some magazines, like Red and Elle, organise regular events open to bloggers as well as anyone else, and they usually charge between £10 and £50 per ticket. These are a very different type of event though, they're more like outreach and PR, to connect with readers, and to boost engagement with the magazine and therefore sales. These are often well worth the money, with fascinating panel talks, workshop activities, refreshments (sometimes a full breakfast or lunch) and a decent goody bag.  

I've seen some blogger 'events' that are little more than focus groups for the brand. Bloggers are asked to buy tickets and go and meet with the brand for drinks, and give them ideas that the brand will then profit from. Sometimes bloggers see this as their only chance to pitch to a brand and get some work with them. It's sad that some bloggers will do this, especially when there are so many great free events and chances to meet other bloggers. It's another example of brands taking advantage of bloggers, especially those who feel they don't get invited to 'legitimate' events, and that these kinds of things are their only option.

If you do see a brand-led event advertised that is asking for money from you, it doesn't mean straight away that it's some kind of scam - brands and magazines are entitled to charge. But, have a think about what you're getting from this event; is it something that will benefit you, or are you paying to meet a brand and generate profit for them with your creative ideas? There are so many ways to get good content for your blog and meet other bloggers without having to buy a ticket - blogger meetups, for example, often have brand involvement. If you want to write for magazines you can pitch to editors without having to pay to go to magazine events - editors take bloggers seriously, especially for their digital sites. You can liaise with brands and have good working relationships without paying to meet them, this may take time when you're a new blogger, but it will be worthwhile to not be taken advantage of. 

 

Build Your Social Media Followers With Care

 

No sooner than the controversy surrounding the buying of social media followers had died down, along came the news that many bloggers and other influencers were using bots to build followings. Let's not go there today, it's a stressful business, the outing of bot-twots, but I wanted to talk about another, wholly more innocent, though none the less problematic way of fudging your social media platforms, and in turn the way some people might view you as a blogger. A couple of weeks ago on Twitter I happened to see some bloggers saying that it's easy to spot bloggers who've bought followers as their follower count is much higher than the engagement they get on each Instagram. It's a bit of a sore point for me so I interjected to let them know that this may not always be the case. 

I joined the Instagram party quite late, and my account looked incredibly empty in comparison to my much stronger Twitter account, which I've had for eight years. So, I did what a lot of bloggers were doing, and launched regular giveaways on my blog using a widget called Rafflecopter that got entrants to follow me on Instagram. This is better, I thought as I racked up almost a thousand Instagram followers in a less than half a year. Only problem is, most of the people who entered these giveaways were 'Compers' - people that enter every competition they can find as a hobby. Once they'd followed they were off, never to engage with my account again. Some of them, I found out, also have several Instagram accounts so that they can enter the same giveaway multiple times. Looking back, I realised I'd made a mistake by growing (or encouraging) my followers inorganically, especially as I only have, on average, between thirty to seventy likes on each photo, very disproportionate to the follower count. 

Instagram and Twitter regularly delete inactive accounts (another reason why there's no point in buying fake ones), so it's good to see some of my inactive 'duplicate' followers go. In 2016 YouTube banned people from running giveaways on their channels. Previously, entrants had to leave comments and likes, and subscribe to the channel, but now if content creators want to host a giveaway they can introduce it on YouTube, but have to direct viewers to another social media platform to enter. It's a way to stop YouTube channels growing inorganically - it messes things up for their advertising revenue when channels have more followers than engagement, or spikes in engagement rather than steady growth. I'm hoping that PRs and brands will see this happening on YouTube and realise that giveaways are an issue, not just fakery. 

My advice to any new blogger is don't worry about having low social media stats; they might not be a reflection of your blog views, and even if they are - it's not worth ruining your platforms by making them look uneven. I'd also like to reiterate to PRs and brands that disproportionate follower counts and engagement does not automatically signify shifty purchasing practices, it could be down to an honest mistake. You live and learn.