Five bloggers who could transform your brand

Ana Silva O'Reilly writes about travel in her Mrs O Around the World blog. Photograph: Flytographer

From the food we put in our shopping basket to the makeup we choose at the beauty counter, bloggers are influencing our purchasing decisions. With millions of fans regularly reading their blogs and scrolling through their social media accounts, some bloggers wield more influence than celebrities. Given their sheer power, it's worth small businesses considering how they could work with bloggers to boost brand awareness and ultimately drive sales.

"Many significant influencers now have engaged communities in the hundreds of thousands, or even millions, who trust their opinions on specific topics, whether that's food, fashion, music and more," says Jim Coleman, managing director of social media agency We Are Social. "Getting the right influencer partnerships in place can help brands generate awareness on a huge scale to a relevant audience, as well as help sell featured products."

However, before sending emails and tweets to any old blogger, Emma Parlons, digital strategy director of fashion PR agency Push PR, which works with bloggers, advises businesses to only approach those that really complement their brand.

"Read their blog and understand what makes them tick," says Parlons. "Their Instagram feed will give a lot of their life away." Parlons, who is also a lifestyle blogger, advises brands to steer clear from sending press releases but to pitch bloggers a personal email, detailing what you'd like them to feature and why it's relevant. "Don't send a blanket email," she adds.

Interested in working with bloggers? Here are five of the most influential bloggers worth knowing across five different categories: lifestyle, food, beauty, fashion and travel.

Lifestyle

LibertyLondonGirl (LLG)Blog numbers: Almost 300,000 page views and 175,000 unique visitors every month.Instagram followers: 35,500Twitter followers: 110,000

Sasha Wilkins aka LibertyLondonGirl has turned her daily musings on everything from travel and fashion to beauty and food into a blogging success story, with the journalist and editor launching her cookbook last year. While massively influential, LibertyLondonGirl has high ethical standards (as outlined on her site) and never posts editorial copy in direct exchange for product. Brands can send samples, but coverage is not guaranteed. "I am always happy to receive relevant press releases and samples of product, on the understanding that not everything I receive will make it into copy and that I will always write my unbiased opinion," she writes on her blog. Wilkins runs sponsored and non-sponsored giveaways for products she thinks her readers would like.

Other influential lifestyle bloggers:http://www.thelondoner.mehttp://www.inthefrow.com

Food Ella Woodward's blog has millions of visits each month. Photograph: Rex Features

Deliciously EllaBlog numbers: 3.8m unique visitors per monthInstagram followers: 638,000Twitter followers: 77,800

The blogger-turned-author is one of the most well known bloggers on the circuit. Ella Woodward's writing on healthy clean living has spawned fans worldwide and gained a cult following that whip up her dishes. Most of her posts are recipes but often she'll write about brands she's using (for instance, she recently wrote about her favourite natural beauty products) and she'll often name a fitness club or cafe that she's visited. Given her blog and social media following, expect a surge in interest if the unstoppable Deliciously Ella mentions your brand. But be warned: "Ella only aligns with brands that she actually uses and loves," says her PR.

Other influential food bloggers:http://www.greatcurryrecipes.nethttp://www.lavenderandlovage.com

Beauty Zoe Sugg regularly reviews beauty products. Photograph: Rex

ZoellaBlog numbers: Estimated to be more than 7mYouTube: 9.5m subscribers, 599m viewsTwitter followers: 23,800Instagram followers: 219,000

Started in 2009 on "one boring evening", Zoe Sugg's vlog and blog has become the go-to destination for many teenagers and young women. Known to her fans as Zoella, 25-year-old Sugg has built an empire that spans books (her first novel Girl Online became the fastest-selling debut last year) and her own beauty line, Zoella Beauty, is sold in Superdrug. The blogger regularly reviews beauty products – "how cute are these Christmas releases from Too Faced? As soon as I saw all the gold, pink and glittery packaging, I knew there was going to be something exciting inside!" she said on a recent post – no doubt sending the tills ringing for the mentioned brand. Talent agency Gleamfutures handles her business enquiries.

Other influential beauty bloggers:http://www.lisaeldridge.comhttp://www.pixiwoo.com

Fashion Fashion blogger Susanna Lau writes about young designers. Photograph: Karen Robinson for the Observer

Blog numbers: reportedly 25,000 visitors a dayTwitter followers: 23,300Instagram: 242,000

It's nearly ten years since Susanna Lau created her blog, Style Bubble. Since then, Lau's blog has become one of the most widely-read in the industry and her detailed posts means she's seen as an authority on fashion. London-based Lau likes to write about young designers, but will often cover big brands too. While her blog has given her plenty of commercial opportunities, Lau says she has a high level of integrity: "For me, it's imperative that I never say yes to anything I won't enjoy or don't like," she said in an interview with Harper's Bazaar at the start of the year.

Other influential fashion blogs:http://www.disneyrollergirl.nethttp://www.fashionfoiegras.com

Travel Luxury travel blogger Ana Silva O'Reilly works closely with brands. Photograph: Flytographer

Blog numbers: More than 35,000 page views per month and 20,000 unique monthly visitorsTwitter followers: 21,100Instagram fans: 5,405

International jetsetter Mrs O Around the World aka luxury travel blogger Ana Silva O'Reilly roams the world writing and snapping her experiences with her thousands of fans. While O'Reilly does not accept unsolicited guest post requests, she does work closely with brands and has a detailed, dedicated section on her site outlining this. O'Reilly welcomes brands that complement her blog to get in touch with regards to her reviewing products or services. Sponsored posts that add value to her readers start at £750, giveaway services start at £1,500 while live social media coverage through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram starts at £750 per day.

Other influential travel bloggers:www.baldhiker.comhttp://www.aluxurytravelblog.comhttp://www.aladyinlondon.com/about

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Source: Five bloggers who could transform your brand