Interview with Forever Yours Betty

Sheri Scott (more commonly recognised as Forever Yours Betty!) is a tangerine haired, glasses wearing Scottish Fashion and Lifestyle blogger with a nose for a good sandwich and an eye for style. Freelance PR and Outreach consultant and soon to be cafe owner based in Glasgow. 

Sheri works with indie, high end and high street brands from all over the world. Championing great brands, creating awareness and developing long lasting relationships. With an influence reach of almost 55k on her collective social channels, we look forward to hearing about her work at this year’s Digital Day. We caught up with Sheri ahead of the event.

What were you doing in the Pre-Betty days?

When I left Uni I couldn’t find a job that got me as excited as clothes and fashion, so managed to get a job in the first Vivienne Westwood store in Glasgow. It was a franchise store at the time, which meant I could really take advantage and ownership of various responsibilities like events and press relations. A few years later I was headhunted by House of Fraser to relaunch the vintage brand Biba in Scotland which felt like a dream come true. Biba (and Barbara Hulanicki) was one of the brands that made me fall in love with vintage clothing so it felt like the whole thing was pretty kismet.

What made you start blogging and when did you realise you could make a living out of it?

Betty started just after I left university while working in retail. Me and my two friends decided to open our own little vintage shop that we sold at fayres and indie shop Che Camille. Each garment we chose came with a story attached so the blog began to basically be a home for the stories. I was keen to start writing it as it was always dream to get a job in PR but with being dyslexic, I found my writing abilities started to go downhill as soon as I got out of the habit. It was not long after we started the blog that life got in the way and we stopped selling. I enjoyed having a little slice of the internet to call my own so just kept on going.

You seem to have a pretty hectic schedule! How do you manage your time?

I try and space things out as much as possible! I am a very high energy person so love to keep busy but it is just as essential for me to have that down time. I have all events, meetings and reminders scheduled in my phone. I am notoriously late but it’s something I am working on!

What types of brands are your favourites to work with? What have been your favourite brand partnerships so far?

I love brands who give me a little something to work with. Yes it’s great when you are given free reign to do as you please but it doesn’t leave much for inspiration. When brands give you a relatively open brief but with an angle or edge it’s really interesting to see different people’s take on a similar project. Until they got sold on last year, Illamasqua were one of my favourite brands to work with. It’s all changed now which is a shame, but for me it’s all about making interesting content first and selling later.

How involved are you in the technicalities of your blog? SEO, HTML, Adwords etc. Is it something bloggers need to know about?

Yes to a degree. A basic SEO, Analytics and HTML knowledge can go a long way, but there’s nothing that YouTube and Google can’t help you with! I was reasonably lucky to grow up within the Myspace era so basic HTML has been with me since then. SEO is something I’ve only got into over the past few years and actually find it extremely interesting. So much so, I changed the angle of my freelance business to suit it! A lot of online businesses put money into PR for branding but really, it’s a bit of a waste unless it comes with both traffic and rankings which equal in sales. With a focus on pure digital I basically create PR focused SEO strategies that tick all the boxes you need for coverage, working sites which will improve your organic traffic and visibility. I’m a firm believer in businesses growing and adapting with you, not the other way around!

If you weren’t blogging, what would you be doing?

I would probably still be working in retail to be honest! Being PR and Events Manager for House of Fraser Glasgow was my favourite job ever (apart from what I do now of course) so probably back doing that. Or perhaps running an online retailer...

What’s on the horizon for you this year, Sheri?

I’m super excited for the year to come. Last year I decided I would complete a childhood dream of mine and open my own sandwich shop which will be launching soon. My freelance business turned two at the start of April and I’m filming a few things this year too so perhaps some presenting? I am very much a take things as they come kinda gal so just really excited to see what the future may hold!

Keep up with Sheri on Twitter, Facebook and Insta.

Digital Day tickets are available here.