Maintaining a Food Blog Will Mean Pushing Yourself to Learn New Things - Samina Kausar


1. Tell us about your background and journey?

I can’t believe it, but I’ve made it through my journey as a food blogger. I officially started this blog in 2015 as a hobby at first but it has turned into much more than that. I’ve wanted to start a cooking blog and share recipes for years, 2014 being the year that I finally decided that I was going to do something about it. I started my Instagram page, made my logo and bought my theme back in 2015.

Then, I began shooting on the weekends and building a backlog of food dishes after some months I had begun reaching out to friends that were also blogging and getting some pointers on how to get my blog going. I learned how to grow my Instagram following by posting, using popular hashtags and liking hundreds of photos a day in those hashtags. I was getting about 50 followers a day and maybe 10-20 visitors a day to my site from Instagram.

I then set aside a budget for Instagram and restaurant invites. I began boosting posts for about 5 bucks and getting anywhere from 500-2000 paid reach for those boosts.

2. What led you to do food blogging?

I was having a gourmet interest in cooking with those of blog writing and photographs and most of the time I love cooking and it’s my hobby too and I was quite a foodie so I thought to start up my business with my hobby and passion about food so I started Recipes, Food/Restaurant Review, Food and Travel (Ethics and Culture), Food Photography. It's my visual appeal of food alone that draws my interest towards many food photographers/bloggers.

3. What does your typical day look like?

Blogging is an incredibly varied job and so consequently every day is different. I try and theme my days to make sure each day has a focus and I get everything done. Monday is about writing and editing my recipes, Tuesday and Thursday are about promoting my posts on social media and blogger linkups, Wednesdays are all about reviews and Friday is when I focus on developing my blog and making it even better.

4. When did you first decide that you wanted to create and write content about food i.e. for blogging?

The decision to start a food blog ultimately comes down to passion and drive. I was passionate about food. Maintaining a food blog will mean pushing yourself out of your comfort zone in learning new things to keep people coming back for more. And it’s not just about learning new recipes or techniques. Running a food blog means learning other skills like how to use WordPress, how to be effective with social media marketing, and how to take great food photography shots.

5. Is there a dish you particularly associate yourself with?

I will go for "Panipuri" its an Indian street side snack, that has a crisp puffed Indian bread (puri), stuffed with mashed spiced potatoes. Why? I am sweet at times and spicy(angry) at times, and that's what makes me and my life. If you are new to me, you will see a rock sheer cover on my mind, you will feel I am arrogant but once you try and be friends with me, to crack that layer, there is much more you couldn't even wonder about me.

6. Which is your favourite book and why?

My favourite book is usually the one I happen to be reading. At the moment, I’m rereading the “Of course I love you” by Durjoy Datta.  It’s a story about love and loss—and just beautifully written. For me, this book is a reminder of why I love to write: to touch hearts, to shine the light on the parts of our humanity that we hide from one another, and to give a picture of the struggles each one of us face.

Interview By - Amatullah