Blog Spotlight: On Cloud Zen
June 09, 2015 Blogs
Sarah Bladen of wellbeing blog On Cloud Zen spoke to MediaSource about the inspiration behind her blog, the types of brands she likes to work with, and how she prefers to be pitched.
What inspired you to start blogging?
I love writing and interviewing people. I used to be the editor of a celebrity weekly magazine, which was fun but I yearned to write about more substantial topics. Since I’m passionate about meditation (I qualified as a Zen meditation and mindfulness teacher under Daizan Roshi), yoga, sustainable style and travel, creating On Cloud Zen came naturally to me. My blog celebrates free-spirited, compassionate living and everything to do with wellbeing.
What have been the highlights so far?
So far, the highlights include interviewing the author of My Diamond Days with Osho and becoming a brand ambassador for the Kevala Foundation, a ‘celebration of life’ centre in India.
What makes a successful blog?
I think there are a few ingredients that make a blog successful. Firstly, I think having your own voice and style is important, as is trying to push the boundaries and come up with thought-provoking pieces. On Cloud Zen likes to highlight new, sometimes controversial theories connected to the growing consciousness movement.
How do you measure the success of your blog?
Overall, I’m trying to create an interactive, global community – I love hearing from readers who have implemented positive changes in their lives after reading some of my posts – to me that is success. Of course, you can also measure success in terms of visitors to your site and thankfully On Cloud Zen seems to be growing in popularity each day.
Do you work with brands?
I love supporting people who have a similar outlook. So for instance, I also support a sustainable fashion label called Davina Hawthorne Contemporary Womenswear. I also love cruelty-free holistic beauty, and any brands that promote compassionate living.
How do you feel about sponsored content?
I try to avoid writing advertorial as readers aren’t so keen on that kind of material. My editorial policy is to be as honest and transparent as possible. I would only consider going down the sponsored content route if the material is creative, original and of benefit to my readers.
How important is impartiality when reviewing products?
I did a post-graduate degree in journalism at the London College of Communication so I learnt very early on that impartiality is key. When it comes to reviewing a product, I try to focus upon the positive and always aim to give it a fair review. If something is particularly unimpressive, then I just won’t write about it.
How do you work with PRs?
I appreciate PR people who have actually read my blog and understand the concept behind it. For instance, I’m not going to be interested in promoting exotic leather handbags, and yet I sometimes get press releases like that!
Do you have any advice for PRs wanting to pitch to you?
I’m always open to creative concepts and appreciate it when someone approaches me with a new idea for a potential collaboration. Also, I love being invited to relevant events as that’s a great way of connecting with people face-to-face, rather than on email.
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