Aanam Chasmawala is a well known name in the lifestyle blogging space. The young and vivacious founder of What When Wear has been a full time lifestyle blogger since 2012. With 80,000+ Instagram followers on her verified account and endless brand collaborations, she’s easily one of the most successful lifestyle bloggers in India today. Aanam began writing when she was still in college for a student platform. Soon she discovered her love for fashion and lifestyle and, lo and behold, What When Wear came into existence! Aanam has collected several precious pearls of wisdom about blogging during her journey which she shared with the audience at #TheSocialFoodie! Here they are:

Be yourself
Good content is not just about storytelling, but also about telling your story well. So how do you set yourself apart in the highly cluttered blogging space? “By being yourself”, says Aanam. She swears by Oscar Wilde’s famous statement, “Be yourself; everyone else is taken.” No two baking, cooking or reviewing styles are ever same. So let your personality shine through! Feel free to try everything until you find what works for you because there are no set rules to blogging.

Take notes
Inspiration can strike you anytime, anywhere, and when it does, make a note of it. Your idea might not always be relevant to your audience immediately, but it might be useful at a later date. So pen it down and strategise to see where it fits into your calendar of content. Also keep a close eye on what’s trending and craft your ideas accordingly.

Get personal
Your audiences want to know the real you. So lose your inhibitions and let your audiences in on your personal tastes and preferences. You never know, an Instagram live video of a humble khichdi recipe might just get you more engagement than a fancy sushi photograph.

Find a referee
It becomes very hard to stay objective when you’re truly passionate about something, like your content ideas. So find someone you trust who can act as your sounding board and seek an unbiased opinion.

Get out more / Put yourself out there
When you’re a full time blogger, you cannot work in a silo. It is important to meet new people and grow your network. So try to actively attend events, collaborate with fellow bloggers and don’t shy away from endorsing lesser known brands.

Content is omnipresent
Shortage of content can prove to be a stumbling block for bloggers. However, Aanam believes that the writer’s block doesn’t exist for a blogger. She says that content is all around you; just trust your instinct and keep your eyes peeled. If there’s something that even remotely appeals to you, chances are your audiences will like it as well. Be open to experimenting with anything new on the market – new foods, new recipes or new tools.  

Hope you feel ready to conquer the blogging space! Are there any other tips you feel would work for your food blog? Drop a comment below to let us know.