How pet businesses can work with journalists and influencers with Vicky Gunn

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Would you love to have an influencer like Mrs Hinch rave about your pet business?

If the answerโ€™s yes, then you will LOVE this chat with Vicky Gunn from Millieโ€™s Beach Huts who had the Queen of Clean visit.

While you might think Vicky was โ€˜luckyโ€™ and of course she was, having the message from Mrs Hinch was thanks to EIGHT years of hard work.

Vickyโ€™s two businesses, Millieโ€™s Beach Huts and Millieโ€™s Pet Services, have had tonnes of publicity in that time.

Sheโ€™s been featured in newspapers, magazines and websites all over the world, and as well as Mrs Hinch, sheโ€™s currently on BBC2 with Alan Carrโ€™s Interior Design Masters.

In this episode she shares her tips on attracting interest from journalists and influencers plus the common pitfalls to avoid.

You can listen on the player link below or continue reading as a blog post.

Eight years ago Vicky was an accountant sat on a beach with her Springer Spaniel Millie,ย whiling away an afternoon.ย 

Then she spotted some beach huts were for sale, and by the end of the week sheโ€™d bought one and Millieโ€™s Beach Huts was born.

Vicky now runs her beach hut hire company and Millieโ€™s Pet Services, a pet shop and groomers in Carnoustie, Scotland.

Vicky says she took things step by step when she began her beach hut business.

โ€œI started with just a Facebook page, and the first beach hut was in Walton-on-the-Naze in Essex,” she said.

โ€œAt the time, there were very few beach huts for hire in the area.

โ€œI spent the first five months creating content on Facebook and getting advice on what people would like to see in the beach hut, decor, and so on.

โ€œThen, I had a basic website built, and began blogging.โ€

Vicky says blogging and content marketing propelled the business

โ€œI did a lot of blogging and content marketing in the beginning,โ€ Vicky recalls.

โ€œMy first blog was five things to take to the beach hut and over the next two years, I wrote a lot more.ย 

โ€œI did a 90-day challenge where I wrote 50 blogs and they still serve me well now.ย 

โ€œThey are the blogs that get found on Google, and the ones that are discovered by journalists and influencers who then approach me.

โ€œThis shows that evergreen content works, I donโ€™t blog very much at all now.โ€

Vickyโ€™s advice to anyone on the fence about content marketing is to make a start, and keep at it

Vicky says: โ€œYou have to practise something to get better at it.

โ€œIf you don’t produce that first blog, and then get some feedback on it or get a little bit of help, then what else do you do?ย 

โ€œThere are lots of people in the beach hut space doing great things on Instagram and Facebook.ย 

โ€œAnd you can see that their social media is good. But none of them are doing any content marketing.โ€™

โ€œIf youโ€™re creating blog content and answering peopleโ€™s questions, then youโ€™re one step ahead.โ€

Blogging has helped Vicky secure amazing publicity

Over the years Vickyโ€™s businesses have been featured in Essex Life, The Sunday Times, The Daily Mail, and Forbes, to name a few.ย ย 

In the past year, she has been in House Beautiful magazine and Millieโ€™s Beach Huts are on Interior Design Masters with Alan Carr.

Each one is thanks to her blog. She said: โ€œIโ€™ll get a phone call, out of the blue, or I get an email, I’m like, โ€˜whoa, how did that happen?โ€™

โ€œAnd it’s normally because they found my blog, and theyโ€™ve been on my website.โ€

Vicky says being featured in the media helps build her authorityย 

She explains: โ€œThe press acts as evidence that weโ€™re an authority.ย 

โ€œCustomers who stay at our huts love it, thereโ€™s an element of keeping up with the Joneses, so when they can say theyโ€™ve stayed at the huts that have been featured, thatโ€™s great!

โ€˜When an article goes out, I donโ€™t see an immediate increase in Facebook followers or Instagram.ย 

โ€œI don’t see a massive boost in traffic on my website. But it’s another direct link back to my website that improves my SEO rating.ย 

โ€œAnd it gives me evidence that I can use and share. Press may not immediately result in hundreds of thousands of sales or a million new followers.

โ€œBut it puts you in front of people, so when theyโ€™re ready to buy, theyโ€™re more likely to come to you.โ€

THAT booking with Mrs Hinch

One Sunday morning, Vicky received a message on Instagram from Sophie Hinchcliffe, enquiring about booking a hut.

She was stunned and says Mrs Hinch was utterly lovely and insisted on paying for the trip her family and Henry the Cocker Spaniel.

Vicky said: โ€œItโ€™s important to understand the connection between somebody who’s a true influencer, who has a community behind them that will buy off the back of their recommendations.

โ€œThere are lots of influencers out there with huge followings. But if they post something that means nothing to their followers, then they’re not going to buy.

โ€œWhen Mrs Hinch posted, the response was huge. Our Instagram followers went over 10,000 really quickly.

โ€œI had so many questions and my website crashed within 30 minutes.ย 

โ€œMyself and one of my team were on Instagram solidly for the whole two days afterwards. It was just incredible.โ€

Getting started with working with influencers

Vicky has collaborated with influencers right from the start of having Millieโ€™s Beach Huts and has had mostly good experiences.

Sheโ€™s worked with pet bloggers, mummy bloggers, parenting influencers and Mrs Hinch.

Her advice to petpreneurs considering collaborations is to have a clear agreement in place at the start.

She explains: โ€œWith the huts, itโ€™s a blog or a vlog in return for a free stay at one of the beach huts.ย 

โ€œThis is because a blog will give a link back to my site which is great for SEO.

โ€œPeople can discover the huts via search and an evergreen review which will last far longer than any social media post.โ€

Vickyโ€™s advice is to have a process in place

Each year she allocates a number of days to invite bloggers and influencers to try her huts and share their experience.

She urges people to choose carefully and not be dazzled by numbers.

Vicky says: โ€œHave a process in place. Don’t get carried away.ย 

โ€œYou will get approached by people wanting things for free and it can be awkward saying no.

โ€œItโ€™s important find people that are genuinely not just trying to grow their following but that have an interest in blogging or vlogging.

โ€œSo have a process, test it and tweak it. When youโ€™re approached, share the process.

โ€œSimply say, โ€˜This is what we do. If you want to work with us, then this is how we work at the moment.โ€™

โ€œAnd this will mean itโ€™s a positive experience for everyone involved.โ€

Want to learn more about Vicky?

You can find out more at www.milliesbeachhuts.co.uk/

Check out her grooming and pet shop business at www.milliespetservices.co.uk

You can follow Millieโ€™s Beach Huts here:ย  www.instagram.com/milliesbeachhuts

And Milleโ€™s Pet Services here: www.instagram.com/milliespetservices

Read about Mrs Hinch’s visit on the OK website: Mrs Hinch Family Beach Holiday


If you found this podcast inspring and would like to read more about pet business owners who have secured media coverage and had success with influencers, you might enjoy Kim O’Donnell – from being invisible to having a global accessory brand and Karen Boyce on how she secured 30 pieces of coverage in a year.ย 

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