Influencer of the Week – Chandrima Sarkar #InfluencerSpeaks
As part of the #InfluencerSpeaks series, we bring you the interviews with top influencers across India. This week, we are featuring Chandrima Sarkar, a social media influencer. Here’s the transcript of her interview:
Please tell us a bit about yourself and your blog/online presence
I’m a Visual Designer turned self-taught home baker. Now I run a small bakery from my home, and I get overjoyed when people appreciate my baked goodies. My blog ‘Not Out of the Box’ is my second child. All my knowledge, concept, creativity and study went into building up this blog and eventually it became my personal brand. ‘Not Out of the Box’ is a food blog where one can find authentic Bengali recipes with detailed description. My family and I love anything sweet, so I try various kinds of desserts and cakes, which have taken a special place on my blog.
How did you get started online? How has the journey been?
My blog started as a hobby page on Facebook, where I used to share my art and craft stories. I cook Bengali food regularly at home, so I kept sharing them with recipe and picture on my page. Slowly the page started getting appreciation and my confidence got a boost. After spending more than one year on Facebook, ‘Not Out of the Box’ began its journey as a blog. I started developing new recipes as well styling food in a better way. In the process I found my new love, as Food Photography. I was into fine arts, so I had fundamental ideas of composition, light and shadows. With my new baby my creative instincts got a new facet.
What type of content do you create?
I develop and write recipes in general. I write reviews on brands and restaurants too. While writing reviews, one thing I keep in mind that there would be a large number of people who will follow my reviews for visiting any restaurant or buying certain branded products. So, honesty does matter.
Tell us something about the most interesting projects you have engaged with.
I worked with ‘BetterButter’ as one of their ‘Founding Chef’. It was an wonderful experience. ‘BetterButter’ is now a significant recipe sharing platform.
Which brands have you associated with in the past?
I’ve worked with Big Basket, Ask me, etc. There are few more but NDA restricts me from mentioning them.
Where do you see opportunities and challenges in being an online Influencer?
Being an online influencer one needs to feed his/her followers frequently, which, I feel is the most challenging task. If your followers don’t receive interesting and inspiring updates from your social accounts then they will lose interest. This is the thumb rule of Social Media. An online influencer can get many opportunities from social media. The ‘#tags’ help spreading words on Twitter and Instagram. From these platforms one can make good connection with like-minded people, brands and media too. This way an online Influencer can grow.
Any thoughts or tips to share with your fellow Bloggers and Influencers?
In today’s world of blogging, brands are reaching out to bloggers and Influencers to market their products. So the content of a blog should be good enough followed by honest feedback on the brand or products. Only good content can give a blog better visibility through Google search. Photograph is the first impression, but content is king. As I’m into food photography and I take immeasurable interest to improve my photos. I want to tell something to the budding food photographers- If you’re into food photography and you are a beginner into this domain, don’t always listen to all the positive remarks what people are giving you online by looking into your photos. Look out for constructive criticism; ask Pro bloggers who have mastered the art of food photography. Else, look into your shots, criticize and find mistakes and don’t do the same next time. Be a critique to yourself. The art of self-criticism is important while learning new things. Happy Blogging! Best of luck!
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