DIARY directory recently caught up with blogger Chris Beastall, who founded the fashion, grooming and lifestyle blog Ape to Gentleman. Launched in 2009, Ape to Gentleman is designed to help the modern man continue his evolution through a focus on style, quality and value. Ape to Gentleman has worked with huge brands such as American Express, BMW and Bang & Olufsen to name but a few, and been named as a top 10 UK digital influencer in luxury lifestyle by SERMO Communications.

Date of birth:    12 Match 1982 - age 35
County & country of residence:    Derbyshire/ London, UK
3 main areas of focus:    Fashion, Grooming & Lifestyle
5 specific areas of interest:    
Fashion, Grooming, Cars, Drinks, Tech

Skin tone:    White, normal
Hair colour:    Brown
Dress size:    42” chest, 34” waist
Shoe size:    UK13
 

Listed in DIARY directory in the digital influencers subsection, along with 1000+ categorised influencers for PRs to work with, Chris shares his career highlights, what inspires him to write a blog post and why he started Ape.

What got you into blogging, how long ago did you start & why?

In 2009 we wanted to put more information out there about men’s grooming - which at the time was an emerging market. Ape has since grown to encompass all things men’s lifestyle though.  

Who are your core readers?

Men aged between 25 and 40 with a discerning eye for style.  

How do you make your content different to others?

By writing features and choosing brands through our own unique eye. We have a special formula for which brands we will feature on Ape.  

I see you also have a day job working with brands on creative strategy - tell us more about this.

It’s not really a day job - it happened off the back off Ape. PR/media agencies and brands liked our eye for style on Ape and now pay us to consult across branding, marketing, strategy, campaign photography and future product releases.  

How do you think brands/PRs can work better with influencers? 

Whenever I get asked this - I always say, make your approach unique. We get 100s of emails a day, many are irrelevant. I would pick a handful of key titles you wish to feature with and make an effort to personalise it/tailor your approach.  

What advice/top tips would you give PRs looking to promote their clients through your blog?

Our mantra is, “a focus on style, quality and value.” - so if it fits the bill, then please get in touch.  

What has been a career highlight?

I was at friends wedding in Wales and a stranger I was talking to about suits had said he knew of this great blog called Ape to Gentleman. That was a nice surprise. 

What inspires you when writing a blog post and which posts garner the most attention?

Anything that has style, quality and value. It doesn’t have to be expensive to be good. Our Features section garners the best traffic or human pieces such as our Hand-Crafted Like No Other post featuring three of the finest craftsmen in the UK. 

"Make your approach unique. We get 100s of emails a day, many are irrelevant..."
Do you have a rate card? Can you tell us an example of a cost?

We do. Typically a straight up news piece/ sponsored post marked with #Ad would be £600 but there’s a variety of other, better ways brands and PRs can work with Ape.  

What would be a dream collaboration that hasn’t yet presented itself?

A collection of Ape clothing with NikeLab.  

Tips for other bloggers?

Write about something your passionate about - it makes life a pleasure, and your readers will feel the authenticity.  

What other bloggers/ influencers do you follow and why?

I try not to follow other bloggers/ influencers as we like to think freely and just do what we want to do (i.e. not be influenced), and hope our readers like the content. I do have a few favourite influencers though; The Londoner, 5 Inch and Up, Eli Ankutse

Contact
Chris Beastall in 'digital influencers'

Websites
www.apetogentleman.com
www.chrisbeastall.com
Twitter
@allChrisB 
@apetogentleman 

source: Diarydirectory