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Original poster

My new website: your advice!

38 replies

Pretaparent · 09/11/2017 14:24

I have just set up a new parenting/style website called Pret A Parent and I would really love if you would take a minute to have a look and let me know what you think or if you have any advice? I have been working on it for about nine months so it does feel like my new baby - my youngest calls it "mummy's webshite" she can't pronounce "s" yet or at least I hope that's why. If you think there is anything I should be doing more of please let me know? Or if there is anything you would like to read about? It's very hard to build something entirely from scratch with no backing, no following etc so I would love to get your advice. The link is...
pretaparent.com/

OP posts:
Golondrina · 09/11/2017 14:29

Hi,

It looks very glossy, but what's it for exactly? Is it like a blog? How are you going to make money out of it? Do you want to make money out of it?

AllTheWittyNamesAreGone · 09/11/2017 14:34

Yes as above, what's it for?
It's very nice and visually nice but what's it's purpose?

Original poster
Pretaparent · 09/11/2017 15:40

Yes a very good question - I love that you both asked this. It all started with an idea for a column I had which was a fashion editor's guide to motherhood. I've worked as a lifestyle journalist for a long time and I thought I would create a site that offered quick, easy-to-digest shopping ideas and fun things to do - whether with your other half on a date night or with your children - as well as a little parenting chat. I wanted to talk to different experts about their parenting tips/advice about the things I'd like to know about as a mum of two. I wanted to bridge the gap between style and motherhood because I think when you become a mum it's very hard to find time to go shopping or spend any time on yourself so I thought this would be a great way to offer ideas and inspiration and just make life that little bit nicer!
As regards to making money - I hoped that I would build up a big enough community to attract advertising.
Would you sign up? Thank you for having a look for me.

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Josiejosieresearch · 11/11/2017 19:46

Hi there,

I really like the site , how is your marketing going? A blog is always a great way to get inbound traffic. There’s definitely a market for parenting blogs with advice, ideas etc.

Chewbecca · 11/11/2017 19:56

I really like the tasteful but friendly presentation & topics on the site are of interest though it seems impossibly glamorous!

Two thoughts for you:

  • when there is a lot more content, how will I find stuff? Will there be more filing/menus/pointers?
  • I no longer have little children, only teens/twenties now so it doesn't really feel like it is 'for me'. Are you conscious of a target market?

Best of luck to you.

Original poster
Pretaparent · 13/11/2017 07:22

Thank you so much for looking - I really appreciate you taking the time and having a look.
@josiejosieresearch I'm just starting quietly while I am making sure everything is working then I will begin to shout about it. I have a few features lined up so hopefully it will begin to gather pace but we will see. It's the readers that decide whether a publication succeeds isn't it.

@chewbecca thank you so much - yes I wanted it to be exactly that approachable but still stylish - to give readers a little uplift and a boost. My life is not as glamorous (or anywhere near!) but I wanted it to be a lovely escape rather than a dose of reality but I hope it is still relatable.

I'm so interested that you said about the navigation and pointers - I have the three line navigation at the top but maybe I need to make that more prominent - that's great thank you I will look at that.
And yes I see what you mean about the mums of older children. Mine are young so that's where I'm focusing but it doesn't necessarily have to. Is there anything you would like to see or anything that you have trouble finding when shopping? Let me know and I can look into it.
Thanks again

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redtiger1079 · 13/11/2017 16:34

It's gorgeous. I'm trying to do something similar, though not in the parent/child space. It looks fab, looks very different to other ones out there and has clearly been well designed. I'll see if I can figure out how to pm you. ( I read occasionally but post rarely )

Golondrina · 13/11/2017 19:05

But how will you build this community? How will people know you exist? Will you blog?

Original poster
Pretaparent · 14/11/2017 08:58

Through social media and hopefully I will get some press on it - fingers crossed - I don't have a marketing budget so that will have to be how for now. Thank you for looking at it...
@redtiger1079 would love to hear about what you are creating - it's a slog-and-a-half but it's lovely to have something that is all yours in the end so it is worth it!

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ItsLikeRainOnYourWeddingDay · 14/11/2017 09:03

It's a lovely, well bought out design but.... there are so so many Norbert websites and blogs and apps like this. Yours just doesn't stand out. The market is saturated with the his at he moment unfortunately.

ihatethecold · 14/11/2017 09:22

I like it but I don’t look at websites like this already so I’ve no idea if yours is the same as others.
My children are teens and I’m not really interested in shopping so it’s probably not for me but it looks professional and interesting.

Original poster
Pretaparent · 14/11/2017 10:11

@itslikerainonyourweddingday well I shall just have to work really hard to make mine stand out - I do know what you are saying. Are you looking for anything when it comes to ideas for what to do and buy? Do you follow anyone you think does it really well or any shops that do it well?

@ihatethecold another mum on here said she had teenage children so hoped it would have more geared towards her which I think is a brilliant idea - maybe I will need to do more of that to entice you online.

Anyway thank you v much for your feedback and taking the time to look - it's so interesting to chat to everyone on here and get honest feedback.

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Mum8 · 15/11/2017 11:28

Pretaparent Love your site from a trendy visually engaging perspective, very nice!!
If you don’t mind my asking how did you build it? Did you use Wordpress? Wanted to start my own site with fashion ideas and selling cards or other things I make and really love the look of your site!

Original poster
Pretaparent · 15/11/2017 20:01

Yes of course - it's built on wordpress and I bought about three different themes and then got a developer to build it. I'm glad you like it - you must tell me when you have your site up and running and I will take a look. It's exciting - you should definitely do it!

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Katescurios · 15/11/2017 20:13

I think your website is beautiful to look at however i feel like I am priced out of your market.

You recommend a total of 3 items of clothing so far for childen
£41 for a balaclava
£39.50 for dungarees
£52 for a pair of boots

At just under £130 your readers have been recommended half an outfit that they will grow out of in a couple of months.

I'm not sure who the target market is but don't feel like its me or any of my peers.

Original poster
Pretaparent · 16/11/2017 13:40

I do get what you are saying - and I wouldn't recommend you to buy those things unless I thought they were really truly worth the money. My first daughter had the dungarees and I've now passed them onto my youngest and they still look as good as new. The boots - I have bought so many cheap pairs of shoes that didn't support their feet and were scuffed and looked ready for the bin within five minutes. These are the first ones that I have found that were podiatrist approved and lasted so well. They are most definitely not cheap - I do agree - but I really did think they were worth every penny that is why I've recommended them. I'm going to post next week about an amazing Tu at Sainsbury's jumper I have found so I do hope you will have a look at that. And I do know how frustrating it is when you see things that are lovely and are a fortune but I wanted to give you ideas of things that were if not always cheap then were definitely worth the money. Hopefully in future you will find more things that you think are for you. And thank you for having a look - I appreciate you taking the time to go on the site.

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rainydaysfun · 19/11/2017 20:26

I think it looks great, very nice. It is a great concept, I am sure while some items might not be for everyone's pockets, you'll find your niche. I think Instagram will be your best bet for traffic/brand visibility!

Original poster
Pretaparent · 21/11/2017 14:54

I do too but Instagram is such a slog to get any momentum - I'll keep trying...let me know if there is anything you would like to see! Thanks for your lovely message @rainydaysfun - cheered me up!

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DrMumMum · 12/12/2017 18:20

I just checked your site out and think it looks fab. I do just want to add that the colouring of the letters on your pages makes it a little difficult to read (white lettering on a light background).

I love that you do lifetime costings for clothing, very unique.

I'd personally like to read about make up (especially high-end, a complete guilty pleasure for me) and fragrances.

Wishing you the very best of luck!

ASDismynormality · 12/12/2017 18:25

It reminds me of Junior magazine, lovely to look at and out of my reach!

Original poster
Pretaparent · 13/12/2017 14:38

I love that you looked at it @DrMumMum and @ASDismnormality.

I'm worried now though where is the light lettering on a white background? That doesn't sound right at all - do you remember where you saw it? And I can get that fixed. So good that you are looking and can feed back these glitches so thank you very much!

Ahh yes the lifetime cost - it allows you to justify it every time. And I'm definitely going to do more make-up and tutorials as that's something I'm interested in too and that was the first thing I didn't have time for when I had my girls.

I will find some accessible things for you @ASDismynormality but I'm happy you think it's lovely to look at so thank you.

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RestingGrinchFace · 13/12/2017 14:45

Doesn't the name raise intellectual property issues?

rizlett · 13/12/2017 14:58

I like the look of your site. I'm not keen on the wording 'why don't you' with regard to getting people to subscribe.

I'd prefer something more subtle and less aggravating - but maybe that's just my personal view.

Vernazza · 13/12/2017 15:20

Love the look of the site. Just found out I should be treating myself to a puffer jacket this season Grin (hope you have set yourself up for affiliate links --or perhaps that can only happen once you have a bigger following?).

Only criticism: not sure why but not crazy with your use of the word "curate" - it just feels out of place somehow.

MummyInTheNecropolis · 13/12/2017 15:21

It's a beautiful website and I like the concept, but like some of the previous posters, my DC is older (almost a teen) so at the moment there isn't much for me. It would be great to see something aimed at parents of older children.

One idea I could do with right now is how to stop my DD using all of my hair and beauty products! Perhaps some suggestions of cheaper products that would appeal to teens, and advice on how to build up a hair and beauty collection for them without spending a fortune.

I'd also like to see some lower budget items, I'm glad you are planning to incorporate supermarket clothing as that is much more in my budget!

I wish you lots of luck and success, you've clearly worked really hard and have produced a lovely website.

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