Well if you're reading this, we are assuming you have already decided to take the path of food blogging but before taking the plunge, let's just take a pause, take a step back, go through the following pointers and then take the final decision wisely. Because we don't want you to regret it just because you weren't aware of certain facts. These key factors will definitely play an important part if you're planning to get into this industry. Know exactly "How to become a food blogger" with they crucial tips and important things to keep in mind.
1. Food Blogging Is Expensive
It seems fascinating to see food bloggers going for reviews to fancy places regularly and documenting their experiences beautifully while thinking that it's an easy and glamorous job where all you gotta do is eat free food. This is the biggest misconception! A lot of time, effort and most importantly money goes into reaching at that level where one starts getting invitations for free tasting sessions. The job doesn't pay you for the longest time and even when it does, it's not much. Additionally, for successful blogging investment needs to be done in getting a good camera equipment, food styling accessories, ingredients, etc. So it's very important to keep this established fact in mind before making castles in the air, that 'Food Blogging is expensive!'.
2. You're The Only One In The Crowd
If you have decided to plunge into the food blogging business, remember you're only going to be one in the crowd out there. You're not the only one who loves food. Hence, it becomes important that you find your niche even in this vast food space. Think about what your blogger personality is going to be like. Think about a specific theme or audience you're going to target if any. Things become a tad bit easier if you're able to make yourself stand out from the crowd. The question "What kind of a food blogger you really are?" can help you stand out.
3. You're Going To Gain Weight
C'mon, does this even need any further explanation? If you're still having doubts about it, trust me you're only in denial and nothing else. YOU ARE GOING TO GAIN WEIGHT! So if you're a little too conscious about your body image, you might just have to reconsider stepping into the role of a food blogger but then it all about self-control. If you have had a controlled amount of food tasting then it might not be an issue but then comprising on food isn't easy either.
4. Need Of Maintaining Momentum
Once you have succeeded in gaining some momentum by way of regularity on social media and have a decent number of followers, one of the most challenging tasks is to keep at it! Be it blogs, websites, social media accounts and pages, they need sincere regularity and attention otherwise you tend to lose onto your readership in no time. It's difficult to gain followers for starters but you've got to start somewhere to reach a level and establish yourself. Be consistent with your posts on every social media account - from Facebook to Twitter and every other medium you are present on. Tell your friends and family about your new blog - as word of mouth is also a very important medium to communicate about your blog. Upload stories on Snapchat and Instagram to keep your viewers updated with interesting content.
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5. You Are Your Own Boss
If you have had an issue with authority and control by others, then this could be the perfect job for you as you get to be your own boss. Not to forget, it also comes with a lot of responsibilities. One needs to be extremely disciplined to be their own boss otherwise lethargy takes over and productivity goes down the drain. You've got to have the skills and learning the basic principles of photography also becomes your job. You've got to multitask and learn the basics before you get in the industry - know your filters, angles and right techniques to get the best shot.
6. Content Is King
Now if you want to sustain yourself in the blogging industry for life without boring your followers with similar content, always give priority to good quality content over quantity. Even that means not posting daily or missing sometimes just because you couldn't come up with anything original. Brush up your photography skills - it's important to get the right angles and high-quality pictures to run a good quality food blog. Uploading random food images with blurry angles will definitely be a bad decision. Be picky and choosy about the pictures you post, it's very important to maintain quality over quantity. Don't bombard your feed with images which are not even interesting enough to engage viewers. Ask yourself what your audience would like to read, on the same lines - write a blog which will be helpful to your readers and which has the right criticism about the food and restaurants you've been trying.
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7. Learn Basic HTML
Get yourself familiarised with basic HTML so that you aren't dependent on anyone else and are able to edit the appearance of your articles by yourself. Don't forget everything comes at a cost! Nobody will do it for free for you every time. Not even a friend.
8. Learn basic SEO
Traffic from search engines is the key to the popularity of a blog or website which is why learning basics of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) can take you a long way ahead. Once you've decided on your blog title, remember that's not all as to make the article rank on google one needs to follow the correct SEO ( Search Engine Optimization) Guidelines. Find a keyword which has more volume and less difficulty to rank better. There are several websites which help you find the right keyword to get to work and search for an appropriate keyword with a high volume and less keyword difficulty to make your article engage more audience.
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9. Copyright issues
When your content is on the internet and public, there's always the risk of someone stealing it and using it as theirs. Hence, you should know how to protect your articles and images. Know that under no circumstances can your content be taken from your blog without permission.
10. Be yourself!
Last but not the least, always be authentic and who you really are. Don't try to be someone else! There's beauty in originality. Be honest to your audience. It's not easy to build trust with your audience. Be open and humble about mistakes from your end, if any. Interact with your readers from time to time. If you think bloggers don't have competition then you're definitely underestimating them. Every day hundreds of people start a new blog so imagine the kind of competition every blogger faces. It all depends on the content and efforts which makes a blogger reach the ladder of success. The competition is so high that one day everybody will be praising a trending blogger, the next day somebody else will be the face of day.
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FAQ
Q: Which are the top skills you need before becoming a food blogger?
A: Efficiency, Photography Skills, Seo Basics, Consistency
Q: Who are the top food bloggers in India?
A: Roxanne Bamboat, Himanshu Sehgal, Shivesh Bhatia, Ronak Rajni
