Replies to letters from my inbox.
Dear Student,
Yes, I’m really happy – genuinely – to answer your long questions to help you complete your essay/thesis/homework on blogs. In fact, I’ll even go the extra mile and take time to consider carefully what you’re asking and how best to help and inform you. But not if you can’t be bothered to say even a basic thank you when I’ve spent a long old time doing so. BBB
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Dear Brand
Thanks for offering to submit a free video to my blog. But you know and I know an ad when we see one. Thanks, but no thanks. BBB
Dear Intern
Thanks for demanding a guest post on my blog because you are interning for Vogue without once using the word please. Thanks for forgetting to use capital letters even on my name and also for using a system of punctuation that can only be described as minimalist. Thanks too for needing to be prompted to suggest something you might blog about and then choosing several things I’ve already posted on. BBB
Dear Website
Thanks for asking me to take your link on my ‘fashion/lifestyle/beauty’ blog. Unfortunately, you have forgotten the two-way street system, so no thanks. BBB
Dear PR
Thanks for asking me to feature your product on my blog. But, er, I might need to actually try it first. So perhaps you could send the product before hoping I might just ‘pretend’ I tried it. BBB
Dear Social Media Agency
Well, here’s the thing. Offering content/guest posts for my blog implies that I’d rather have you writing it than me or I’m not able to think up my own content. Most bloggers write their own blogs, err, obviously. And yet you still think we might bite. Hmm. BBB
Dear Mr Choi from The Hang Seng Bank
No thank you. I suggest you approach Mr Ngosi from the Nigerian Lottery that I keep winning – I think you’d get along really nicely. BBB
Transparency Disclosure
All products are sent to me as samples from brands and agencies unless otherwise stated. Affiliate links may be used. Posts are not affiliate driven.
37 comments
Are you having a bad day? Please continue to post about beauty, as your posts are interesting and helpful. If you are interested in feedback from readers- I am not really interested in blogging politics.
LOL. Still shaking my head in jaw-dropped awe at the chutzpah.
I read your blog all the time but hadn’t been sure if i liked YOU. After reading that entry, I have now decided that I do. Those requests are THE definition of exasperating. You should make that a regular feature.
Ninja
This post is awesome! I get some of those as well.
This post made a somewhat dreary day that bit better, brilliant!
Hi Anon..this is part of blogging but not really blogging politics…if you run a blog its what happens all the time. But yes, I do love and listen to feedback so thanks for taking the time to express your view. More beauty heading your way!
Co-signed, sealed and delivered.
And Anonymous #1 (not nice #2), which one of the letters featured were you?! Because it was clearly one of ’em! It must have been! What an odd comment to leave otherwise.
All in a day’s work, BBB. Gracious as always.
xx
It’s funny I’m reading this article today – and thanks for making me laugh ^^ This morning, I received a message from a French brand who politely asked me to review them because I recently wrote something on a similar brand… seems they haven’t understood that my blog is ONLY about British brands, which is truly obvious for on that can read…
Hahaha BRILLIANT POST!
BBB,
This truly made my day,
TBS
x
my current faves are the ones from the just-set-up-social-media-consultancies which are hoovering up money from brands and then attempting to get blogs to do all their work for them FOR FREE.
“So yeah! yeah! We’d need you to post this for us asap. It’d be a great opportunity for you”
NEED? Eh, no thank you. And it’d be great for YOU, I’m not stupid, ta.
Hilarious! Though, obviously less so for you as you’re getting all the ridiculous mail.
I got my first mad unsolicited message a couple of days ago. A word to the wise, don’t ever write the Arb0nne and pushy in the same sentence. 😉
Thank you for posting this. I could not answered them all better then you did. I keep receiving mails like this all the time.
Love it – amazing what people think they can get away with because we are online.
Imagine that kind of behaviour towards a print title. Wouldn’t happen!
x
Hilarious, (not for you, obviously) but oh so true. I do wonder what kind of emails you do like, though, that would be a post I’d read and enjoy, as well!
p.s. In case that didn’t come across, I’m really enjoying your beauty posts, we even put you on our blog roll. Keep up the good work! x
Love this, nothing like a good vent!
Loved this one, how rude people can be still amazes me to this day.
Hahahaha love it!!! Can you tell Mr Choi from The Hang Seng Bank, that I said no thanks too. Oh and Ive told Mr Ngosi from the Nigerian Lottery to f*ck off many a times… but does he listen, oh no. Next day he wants money transfering!
xxx
Haha, hilarious! I particularly enjoy the last one – who on earth would write them thinking anyone would be stupid enough to buy into it?! The mind boggles…. x
Beautywoome….. I haven’t written any of the emails on here. I don’t even work in beauty or related industries. I have always loved make up and just enjoy reading blogs (which I have been doing for several years now). What I am trying to say is, many bloggers now are posting a lot of blogging related issues or industry related issues such as problems with PR people, and in the main, the people who leave comments are other bloggers! To be fair though bloggers have not claimed that they will only blog about new launches. So anyway, just a plea to blog more about beauty and less about related industry issues. You are listening BBB, so thanks! I do appreciate that other bloggers may love these posts and that I can always push off to other blogs!
This was a good chuckle but so sorry you have to deal with people like this.
This is the funniest thing I’ve read in a long time, esp the Bank of Nigeria bit 🙂
Brilliant!!!
Excellent post BBB 🙂
Ignore Anon, this was a brilliant post. I’d love to see the email from the intern, but you’re probably much too nice to post it. Sounds appalling though!
More of this please. xxx
I love the post. But my fave thing is the picture! I lived a 15 minute walk away from Chatswood before I left Australia! Brilliant choice!
R x
Officially my favorite post of the week. Simply brilliant.
I love that though we blog about beauty we have the ability to write about our experiences being a blogger as well. Very important part of what we do, no?
And thanks for sending Mr. Choi the note. I too have heard from him and also directed him to Mr. Ngosi. 😉
Michelle
x
Haha, love it!
Thank you! You have cheered up my cloudy Wednesday! [clearly not everyone’s though, yawn…]
Sign this.
This are the kind of emails I receive fpr 5 years now, over 100 every day. Of course I leave them unanswered and uncommented.
I wanted to put some Policy on my site, but I just do not care about people without common sense that obviously cannot spell my name and read the blog (which is not that academic;-)
I disagree with comment no1: You have to know what bloggers deal with, it makes it transparent for you. If you want industrail news only, keep reading the advertising in the VOGUE.
Actually this si the kind of writing or journalism&blogging that makes the difference, to challenge yourself as an author.
Keep up, love this BBB!
(and sorry for any typos or bad english, I am improving it I hope).
hilarious and oh so true. They only pester you because you lead from the front. LOL
Fantastic post – please may I copy/paste a few of your responses to some of the stuff in my inbox? Note I did say please…..
BBB – I am a PR working at a beauty agency. We would like to work with you, but frankly, we’re terrified of you, because you seem to love slagging of PR more than you do reporting on the trends. Maybe beauty PR’s would take bloggers more seriously if you acted in a more professional manner – you don’t see print journalists wingeing on their pages, do you? Most beauty PR’s are overworked, underpaid and the general whipping-dog of the industry, trying to keep clients, journalists and agency bosses happy 24/7.
I received this group email today from a journalist and thought it would give you some good food for thought – it might be worth realising that PR’s, while certainly not perfect, often make your job possible:
“QUERY: Dear PR folk,
We’ve had a love/ hate relationship haven’t we? Six years I’ve been on Response Source asking for favours and products and even for a ‘British bulldog who will model sunglasses.’ In 2005 I even asked for a date on Valentines Day, and foolishly, seven women replied. And one man.
Yet somehow I’ve not always been the most pleasant of journalists to deal with. And last month I wrote something I’m a bit embarrassed about, that perhaps you read. You see, journalists have bad days too, and sometimes we type emails on these days. It’s really bad form to have a go at the public relations community, I know. Because you kinda make my world go round. I’m even engaged to one of your number (no, she wasn’t my date on Valentines Day).
Honestly, I wouldn’t know where else to turn for case studies of men with man-boobs, lorry-loads of free energy drinks or in-no-way made up survey statistics, so I apologise if I’ve been a wally. It won’t happen again.
Oh, and I officially owe you all one of these ‘posh coffees’ I’ve been banging on about!”
Irritatedly-yours,
Beauty PR
Dear Beauty PR…I wish I knew who you were. If you want to call me please do and we can talk this through. I know very well that you are underpaid, overworked and general whipping etc, but you’ll find it’s the same round here! And, I think you’ll find that you are paid significantly more than me if money really is an issue. There really are a few PRs who give the real hard workers a bad name and I know that. I stand by what I say though, when they’re the ones I have to deal with.
There are some great pr’s we all love working with and of course you make the world go round much easier when you know how to do your job. I agree with BBB though, too many of the people we deal with are poor interns who are not informed enough to pick up the phone. Press releases arrive without prices, images and stockists. The list goes on.
I think this is a difficult time for pr’s as they have a whole new bunch of people to deal with, same hours in the day and same wage packet – but what we ask most is for good manners and we can all take it from there.
For the Anon Beauty PR. The reason you don’t see journos making comments in print is because they don’t own the pages. They have to bend to the bosses. BBB owns her blog and can put exactly what she pleases on there.
Also, if your agency, your product and the people are of fine standing, nobody would slag you off via whatever medium. Do you have dirty laundry you do not wish aired?
And speaking of professionalism, pasting a personal email is not exactly the epitome of, is it?
Chloe
this is the best ive ever seen loool