Blogging behind the Scenes: Eye4style’s Dina Fierro tells it like it is

If you’re a blogger, or a blog-reader, you’ve most likely run across the name Dina Fierro. Blogger, social media authority, and managing director at a large PR firm, this gal is everywhere and anywhere social media is involved. Upon meeting her for the first time, Dina struck me right away as someone who “tells it like it is” – so I was more than glad to chat with her about blogging, childhood aspirations, and FTC regulations. Check it out!

Q. As a child, I always imagined that I’d either become a veterinarian or a baker. How about you? What did you want to be when you grew up?

Dina: I love to argue with people and I like to think I’m always right, so I wanted to be a lawyer. Then I realized how much school that required and had to reconsider!

Q. Today, you wear many hats – blogger, freelance writer, managing director, etc. Do you keep these worlds separate? Why?

Dina: That’s a great question! I wouldn’t say that I keep my worlds separate – in fact one of the things that I love about my day job is that it allows me to use all of the skills that I’ve learned and the network that I’ve built as a blogger.

Q. Speaking strictly as a blogger, what are some of the challenges of this medium?

Dina: I think the biggest challenge is keeping and maintaining your own voice. Ultimately, the most successful bloggers – whether you define that as the most widely read or the ones featured in media or the bloggers that have partnered with brands – all have a unique point of view and that’s what differentiates them. However, blogging is a real-time medium, so I think we all occasionally get caught up in thinking that we have to be the first to post or that we need to post X times a week, which sometimes – I can only speak for myself – leads to diluted content.

Q. Eye4Style.com has been around for a while now. What were your intentions for it when you first started it 2006? Have your intentions changed over the years?

Dina: It has! It’s been over four years! When I started eye4style, I honestly had no intentions. I simply needed a creative outlet, after struggling to find a job in magazine editorial. Over the years, I’ve really seen the space transition and today, all smart brands consider engaging bloggers to be a key part of their communications strategy.

Q. Your position as Managing Director at Attention presumably allows you to view the world of blogging from a more critical perspective. Speaking as someone who evaluates blogs, could you say what it is you look for in a successful blog?

Dina: First and foremost, it’s content. Content is KING. Bloggers always ask me how do I get more traffic? How do I get featured in the media? How do I get brand X to work with me?, etc. The answer is always focus on the CONTENT and the rest will come.

Beyond content, I also must admit to evaluating blogs based on quality of design.  A few of my clients are in the luxury space and it’s important that any blog that we approach on their behalf is a good fit aesthetically. And of course, we also look at hard metrics, i.e. estimated Monthly Unique Visitors, Inbound Blog Links, # of Twitter followers as well as the level of engagement on each post.

Q. The FTC now asks that bloggers disclose any form or payment or compensation. How do you feel about it as a blogger?

Dina: It’s a bit of a double standard, as magazines don’t need to disclose gifts, press junkets, and product samples but at the same time, I’ll always be an advocate for transparency.

Q. How about as a Social Media professional?

Dina: Again, I’m an advocate for transparency.  Overall, it hasn’t really affected the way that we do business. We simply share sample disclosure language with bloggers when they’re sent review products or gifts.

Q. I recently learned that your formal education is in fashion buying. How did the shift from that to social media happen?

Dina: Haha. Let’s just say that being a buyer involves a LOT of math. Who knew?  As soon as I discovered I’d be sitting in front of an Excel spreadsheet for my entire life, I decided that communications was a better path for me.

Q. As a ‘veteran’ blogger, what advice would you give to novice bloggers?

Dina: Focus on identifying your unique voice and building great content  - the rest will come.  Oh – and get out there and network in the space. Blogging is a really fabulous and open community; in fact, I’ve met some of my closest friends at press and networking events.