The Truth About The Blogging Industry.

I can imagine that this could come across as quite a controversial post but hear me out with this one. The beauty industry is an industry that I have been extremely passionate about for decades. From the moment that my Mum taught me how to do a smokey winged eye liner (aged nine) up until now where I am still experiencing pinch me moments where I am meeting high profile industry experts and creators, my love for beauty has never waned. I am in a very lucky position in which I am working alongside brands that I have loved for years and to be contacted by people who wish to work with me because they love my style, content and personality. I am also very grounded with this as my passion for beauty is my sideline and my blog is my hobby. My other passion, of course, is travel and those of you who have been around for sometime know that my career has been in travel for the past 15 years.

Over the last six years of running this blog as a my hobby, I have seen a shift in how both bloggers and brands behave in order to conduct their businesses. Back in the earlier years, the competition didn’t seem so cut throat when bloggers were sharing their Superdrug 3 for 2 offers on their Cath Kidston bedding. But now, it seems like a constant battle of who has the fanciest themed Instagram and who is getting the top tier PR packages. People are literally bringing others down in order to get a coveted spot on a certain brands list. One of the saddest things is that I am aware of those people who have tried to bad mouth me to brands in order to get me knocked off a PR list. I would like to say that it didn’t work on that occasion but there could potentially be many more brands that have been contacted who have listened to whatever said person has had to say. Funny thing is, this person is still keeping tabs on me and checking in even though they are blocked from everything. I must really have the wow factor for my little life to affect someone that much! It’s the same with those who have been reporting people to the Advertising Standards Agency to try and get people into trouble for ‘not declaring’ when in fact there was nothing to declare.

I have taken somewhat of a hiatus from the blog and my social media lifestyle over the last two years. Having been through some life changing situations, my online persona has taken a back seat however I have always kept an eye on what has been going on and getting involved where I can. For the most part, everyone has been understanding and supportive. Others, from a brand perspective, have removed me from lists because I was no longer able to receive a parcel and have a social media and blog post live within 48 hours. Unrealistic standards, sure but in this dog eat dog world, those who were staying on outreach lists are those who have been able to conduct a full review within 20 minutes of the parcel arriving. Tongue in cheek, yes but I have definitely seen an uprising of those who want to get a new product on line as quick as possible for the views and to try and keep on the brands good side.

I personally like to take my time to review products as my opinion does change. Many a time I see an old post get re-shared and I think about how much I loved it but now I can’t stand it. Makeup needs to worn in, worn outside, worn in an warm office after walking 20 minutes in the pouring rain to get to work. I need the realness. The honesty. This is why I pride myself on my integrity. I would never share a product for the views or for financial gain if I didn’t believe in it.

Financial gain is something that crops up a lot within the industry. Before Christmas, I was informed about bloggers who were making income from selling the contents of their gifted goody bags from events. Goody bags that the brand has kindly put together so you can sample the products that they offer. Seeing people go to every event possible in order to collate a collection of products to put on eBay and Depop is quite possibly on of the most abhorrent tactics within this industry. It makes a mockery of the whole industry as it tars everyone with the same brush. When people say that bloggers are just blaggers? Well, to be honest, sometimes I couldn’t agree more after seeing these shady practices. I’ve seen people rave about products on their blogs, then a week later it’s on their Facebook page for saleas new and unused unwanted gift. Lying to your readers and then making an income from what you have been gifted just removes any authenticity that they may have had.

Another point that most people will be expecting to read in this post will be about the use of bots and bought followers to increase social media presence and make themselves look good to brands. This whole situation is making a mockery of the industry. Luckily, we have sites such as Social Blade, where a quick search can show that someone has been manipulating their following for the last three years, buying several hundreds of followers. This is where I need to stress that numbers mean absolutely bugger all. There is no return on investment for the brand when they send out products that are shared to fake audience. These fake followers aren’t going to be influenced to purchase the product, or want to leave a real and thoughtful comment on your post. Looking through those who have been called out for the use of bots and faking their following, it is quite clear to see that comments have also been bought.

As a method of research, using a person who has falsifying their following, I took a sample of the likes. Out of 50 from the 500 likes that I randomly checked, 42 were not following the person, 39 had a private profile, 6 had an open profile with no followers and just 1 or two images and the rest were genuine users. Just 5 people from a cross sample were genuine. Let that sink in. This person is working with some of the world’s best beauty brands and will be receiving items based on their following and engagement which is totally false. This makes me feel sick in that I have been advised that due to my low following that I am not relevant or up their to work with those brands. Brands that are being conned and frauded by these people who are congratulating themselves on their own success that has been created by buying it. I often think that I wonder how different it would be if I was to buy a few thousand followers and just see what opportunities it led to. But then I remember that I’m not deceitful so I wouldn’t.

From experience, having a brand advise me that my small following is stopping them from working with me is quite upsetting especially when it’s a metric that can be manipulated. The fact that my images, my content and my passion get overlooked for numbers just shows how the industry has changed. For example, I started working with a global brand just 18 months into my blogging ‘career’ and they sent me every new launch and loved the content I produced. A new Digital PR person started and just like that, I was off the list. The reason – my following was too small. It was larger than when we first started, but because the new person was focused on numbers rather than content and investment, I was kicked to the kerb. It’s quite a sad state of affairs that I am defined by numbers and not my readership, engagement or high domain authority. I’ve also been informed by certain brands that going down the route of using Instagram fashion influencers with 150k-300k followers is better for their brand than actual beauty bloggers. A fashion Instagrammer who’s entire feed is made up of clothing and not a single beauty product. Makes sense?

These examples are literally 3 or 4 bad apples from a community of thousands of people who are all sharing their passions and loves of their niche. Each person seems to be facing adversity, whether its fighting to stay on top in the industry, being told they aren’t good enough because of numbers or those who feel disheartened because the negatives are starting to outweigh the positives. I feel that my hiatus has brought back a burning flame under me, and yes, my blog will always be a hobby but my passion for working closely in the beauty industry will always stay at the top – despite those who try to push me back to the bottom. It does make me think how this community will be in the next 5 years and if I really want to be a part of it.

What are your thoughts on this industry? I’d love to hear them.