For this month’s instalment of ZINE’s Influencer Series we speak to the ultimate cool girl, Emily Hunt aka The London Blogger, to discuss all things fashion, blogging and of course her gorgeous Fluffball Ella! 

Hey Emily! Lets start from the beginning, you mentioned in a blog post that your blog originally started out as a portfolio to help with your career in PR. Could you tell us a bit about the experience of starting out? 

I started both my blog and Instagram at the same time, expecting my blog to be my biggest focus (where in reality it’s fallen short to Instagram), but to be totally honest, I never wanted to be a blogger. I didn’t have much respect for the industry from the outside looking in. My Instagram grew really quickly and I kind of fell into it and before I knew it I was an ‘influencer’. I used to feel really embarrassed about it at first and even hide it from some friends, but then once I really understood the work, organisation and many, many sleepless nights that go into growing yourself as a brand, I began shouting it from the rooftops with so much pride.

 It shows that hard work pays off though and you deserve to show it off! When did your blog turn into your passion? When did you realise it was more than just a place to showcase your talent for potential jobs?

It was when the first brand approached me offering me clothes for free that it hit me. It was a tiny boutique based in Devon, and I thought ‘wow, they’re willing to give one of what was probably three of that product that they stocked in their time’. It felt like it said so much about how this boutique valued my feeds and I realised I had to do them proud in the images I shot for them. It made me realise that people really actually liked what I was doing and that spurred me to improve more every day. 

You still freelance alongside your blog today, do you think you’ll ever make the transition to a full time blogger or is it important to you to keep your blog and work semi-separate so it never becomes something you have to do and not something you want to do?
Whether it’s freelancing in marketing or doing something totally different, I think I’ll always have something else on the side. For me, I get totally consumed in social media and my little London Blogger world I’ve created and I need to be pulled back out of it and have a breather. I’m one of those people you read about who can get totally lifted or absolutely destroyed by social media within one single comment so I need to have something else to dive into when it all gets too much. I also always want to be learning and growing and with blogging I feel like this can hit a peak.

I completely get that, some people don’t seem to understand how much hurt a comment can cause. Do you think your blog served the purpose and helped you get ahead in freelancing?
I used to have quite bad anxiety and depression and my channels really helped me overcome this. it brought me out of my shell and learn to open up to and communicate with so many people that I never would have before. It also meant that I had to go to meetings and events that I wouldn’t usually be confronted with and I learned that I can achieve more and be a lot braver than I previously gave myself credit for.

That’s amazing,  you’ve achieved so much and that’s something to be incredibly proud of. Obviously you’ve had the opportunity to work with some amazing brands, Which has been your favourite to date? 
That’s such a hard one to answer. I love working with brands I’ve loved forever like Estée Lauder and doing big campaigns with brands like Malibu that span over a few months and I can really get stuck into planning and getting creative for. I also did a shoot for Look Magazine with Schwarzkopf which was SUCH an amazing experience.

 

Do you think that your blog and presence on Instagram go hand in hand? Does Instagram positively affect your blog statistics?

Instagram definitely impacts my site stats, but I wouldn’t necessarily say they go hand in hand. I think people go to my Instagram and website for different things; my instagram is wittier and funnier and my website is informative. I think a lot of it comes down to how you grow these as separate entities.

Do you think moving to London opened up more doors for you?
I think London opens up doors to everyone and anyone, no matter the profession!

You can have one last meal in London, where would you pick and why?
Blanchette, Soho for its French Cuisine and dreamy interiors

What is an A/W fashion staple that everybody should have in their wardrobe?
A pair of Dr Martens!

 

What has been your biggest regret and greatest achievement since starting your blog?
Regret; saying yes to everything and everything because I thought it was the best way to get myself out there.
Achievement; The place I’m in now.. depression and anxiety free!

We’re super happy for you, what a great achievement that is! What are your favourite tools out there for influencers?
I’ve been using ZINE for as long I can remember and it’s one of my favourite tools as an influencer. It’s so convenient to be able to share one link that automatically updates so brands and agencies don’t need to ask me for an updated kit every time and having verified validity of my statistics is amazing. Snapseed for editing and VSCO for planning.

If you had the chance to save one thing in a fire, what would it be and why?
(all living things aside), my teddy Horris. I got him the day I was born and he still
sleeps in my bed every night!

Of course, we couldn’t make it through this interview without addressing the adorable addition of Ella to your family. Can you tell us briefly about the process of getting her and the work that the Wild At Heart Foundation do?

She’s sat on my lap as I type this looking at me quite smugly! My boyfriend and I visited Sri Lanka earlier this year and fell in love with a puppy over there in a town called Ella. We tried to adopt her but unfortunately she didn’t make it.. We then approached the Wild at Heart Foundation to fill the rescue dog-sized hole we were left with and told them we were looking for a small dog to join our family. After a few weeks they came back and said they’d found us the perfect pooch! A month later our four legged fluffball arrived in London and we named her Ella, after the first pup that didn’t make it. She’s the most loving animal in the world and I can’t IMAGINE how she was just dumped on the side of the road.

The Wild at Heart Foundation is an incredible charity. They work in countries such as Romania, Bosnia and Cyprus (to name a few) by partnering and supporting pounds out there and pairing dogs with families in the UK. They also educate on animal welfare, neutering and send aid across the world wherever they can. I can’t urge people enough to adopt… you’ll never find a more grateful and loving dog!

This or That?
Beach Holiday or City Break? City

Blog or Instagram? Instagram

Camera or iPhone? iPhone

Plans or Spontaneity? Spontaneity, ALWAYS!

Cinema or Netflix? Netflix

Online Shopping or In store? Online

 

Join Emily and 50,000 other influencers on ZINE by creating your free media kit today…

{{cta(‘ab2da209-ba70-4b20-bd37-72a63ceb339c’)}}

---

 

Lucy Barker

I’m Influencer Marketing Executive here at ZINE, where I manage communications of over 50,000 influencers. I’m a self-confessed coffee and shopping addict that’s happiest when in the sun.