INFLUENCER INTERVIEW: MONISH CHANDAN

Can you tell our readers about yourself and your blog? And how did you first get into blogging?

Hi Guys, I am really excited as this is my first interview. I am a Lifestyle Blogger and social media influencer. Amateur Chef and a die-hard cricket fan. I am keen to meet wonderful people. I am a very optimistic and dedicated person who is always eager to share the responsibilities. My favourite past time is reading ( fictions and real life stories ). I started blogging 2years ago, I blog about my myriad experiences at www.monishchandan.com . Its called “My Life Experiences” I cover Food, Fashion, Lifestyle, Technology, Health & Fitness. As you can see I have diversified profile. Well Blogging just happened by chance I never thought I will be a blogger or reach greater heights in blogging. It is just my passion to write and that’s how it got me into it. Let me tell you my story, I used to write in my personal diary and keep it to myself, One day I showed it to my friends, they really liked it and told to start writing on our intranet server. I received lots of comments there being closed group it would mean only certain set of people would be my readers. My friends told why not you start a blog on wordpress so that it reaches global audience and everyone knows about it. And that’s how the blogging “keeda” started.

What do you think is the best service a blogger can provide to his readers?

Blogger can give his unbiased opinions and views to his reader’s .It is one platform where you are directly connected with your readers on daily basis. He is some who can give his right opinion unlike other media. This is the best thing I love about blogging you are directly in touch with your readers.

What do you think is the best strategy that worked well for you to get more traffic to your blog?

Remember Content is King. Only good content will get you more traffic to your blog. You don’t have to rely on any other thing. If you have good content obviously you will get more readers and in turn it will be more sharing and that’s how you get more traffic.

Who has impacted you most in blogging and how?

There are many bloggers whom I admire a lot and due to which it has impacted me most. To name a few Archana Kapoor, Arvind Passey & Sakshi Nanda. They have impeccable style and their writing inspires me very much.  It’s all how you want to take it ahead.

How do you motivate yourself to keep the blog up and running?

The act of writing is sharing a part of your soul with the world. You don’t write because you want to say something, you write because you have something to say. Writing is my passion. Use your passion to fuel your writing.

What is the biggest difference in your life post-blogging?

It gave me courage to face the world and post blogging it has been a roller coaster ride. Meeting new people, connecting with like minded individuals you get to learn a lot. It’s a new learning phase in my life and I am still learning to become a good writer.

How active are you on a weekly basis? How often do you communicate with your followers?

I blog once a week and post motivational and inspiration quotes every Monday to keep communicating with my followers on facebook, twitter and instagram. I am very much connected with my followers and I get same love from them when I see their comments on my blog.

A lot of people think that blogging is an easy way to make money online. Do you have some tips for those people who are interested in making money from the blog or doing brand collaborations?

Well I would say it not a cakewalk. Dont come in blogging if you think its shortcut to earn money. Its not easy to make it . As I said  earlier,Content is the ultimate King. Focus on quality writing to create a long lasting impression.Make your blog content Unique, bring creativity then money will follow automatically.  

How important is the role of influencers in brand promotions? How is your experience of engaging with brands and problems, if any?

Influencer is someone who has power to influence on your thoughts or purchase decisions. It plays a very important role in brand promotions. I have been engaged with many brands for promotions,from my experience I can say you need to know your followers and serve them a dish well prepared. For example:Recently I did Father’s day promotion, initially i started my own without sponsored i mean i was supposed to give all prizes and seeing the trend two brands approached me and they were on board. The time frame is what clicked for me. I started off full week starting from Tuesday , that time no brands were promoting . I did from Twitter promotion then Facebook so alternative with new flyers daily and new captions so it gets attractive for readers to participate. You won’t believe I got overwhelming response more than 109 entries and 99 times shared on Facebook.

Do you promote your blog? What promotional techniques work best for you and why?

Yes I promote my blog on all social media platforms be it twitter, facebook, instagram.

I am more comfortable on Twitter and Facebook as it is easy to understand and you can target audience as per your selective criteria such as  gender,age, country, city, etc But it doesn’t guarantee you more traffic until and unless you have unique content that attracts readers to open your blog post.

Can you tell us about few sources from where you get products for review on your site?

Mostly I am directly connected with Brands and PR also bloggers networking platforms for product reviews. But I believe over the years when you write good content brands will directly contact you for product reviews.