Social media may have seeped into small towns and cities but yet some of them haven’t realised the true power of blogging and influencing. Our next reviewer is from Lucknow, the City of Nawabs which is flooded with some amazing food and architectural tourist spots.
Saiyyad Rahil Ali is a big-time foodie but also double-hats as a fashion photographer, food blogger, reviewer, poet, chef, traveller and an explorer. His creativity lies not just in clicking mind-blowing pictures but also reviewing the eating out spots around Lucknow. He confesses, “Since I'm an explorer and love to travel and try new places, I ventured into food blogging. My honest reviews with my audience has been appreciated and this continues to be satisfying journey”.
The interview:
Can you tell us a little bit about how you got started and attained the position of an influencer?
My story of starting my page is very
interesting. I am a big foodie and from last 5 years, I have been visiting restaurant
and cafès on a daily basis. I've tried-and-tasted most of them. The next step
was to start giving an honest review about the same so I could help them to
choose the best. Now, those few people have changed to 10K+ in number and
frankly speaking, I've never thought that I'll be having this much big
family.
Thanks to all those who believed in me and showering so much love on us. I continue posting only the truth and that’s what is my USP.
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Social Media Influencing interviews:
Since you are from Lucknow, do share the trends of social media scene in your city. Are bloggers, reviewers and influencers a hot property?
Social media is working its magic in
Lucknow too. But food blogging and promotion isn't that much here. Also,
bloggers are a hot property here if you're quite famous and a known face which
only a few influencers are! So, I would say that digital marketing and
everything should be given more preference in Lucknow too as it is getting in
any other big cities of India.
Also, brands and restaurant should also spend on their promotions too because any brand or restaurant is nothing without marketing. An influencer’s verdict is the best word-of-mouth publicity for a brand.
If someone has to visit Lucknow, what would be the must have non-veg dishes they must try and where?
Galawati kebabs from Tunday Kababi
and also Biryani from Wahid.
Just go to Ameenabad, both the shops
are adjacent to each other.
I guarantee that no one would have
ever tried so soft and melt in mouth kind of kebabs anywhere in the world. They
are lip-smacking.
Which traditional Lucknow heritage traits do you idolize and follow the most and why?
Tehzeeb of Lucknow is famous globally, so I too idolize and follow the same. We always start our sentence by saying "Aap" and that's the beauty of my city and its people. Even if anyone is bad-mouthing you, they'll use ‘aap’ there too which is quite funny!
What has been your most memorable collaboration so far?
My most memorable and by far the best
collaboration till date is by a brand known as Sprig Gourmet. It's the best
brand to work with.
I would also like to mention my
collaboration with Rattilal's whose khasta is very famous in Lucknow. That was
also a very good collaboration.
How do you plan the brand promotion in case of collaborations? What is the modus operandi you follow?
I always give honest feedback of the product/dish. If I don't like any product/dish, I don't post it at all. That's the basic thing that I follow and expect everyone else also to follow the same because being an influencer, you're influencing people to buy a product or service only on your recommendations. So, if you're giving fake reviews, your image will go down apparently.
How important is authenticity to your review when it comes to influencer marketing? How do you maintain your authentic voice, viewpoints and recommendations on your social media while still partnering with brands?
In the previous question I already mentioned
that I'm very honest when it comes to review a brand/restaurant.
So, authenticity and generosity is
very important to me. I always recommend only those products to my audience
which I think are the best and they should try them too.
Do you have any big goals as an influencer for 2021?
(Laughs). Yes, I do have some big goals as an influencer for 2021. I want more people to get added to our foodie family and my aim is that everyone likes our suggestion and recommendations and visits our suggested restaurants and cafés.
5 tips for
budding influencers who want to succeed in this field.
·
First and most important tip is to be original and unique. Do not repost
other's work. Make your own content in a creative way.
·
Be consistent because that's something really important. You've to post
on a regular basis otherwise the reach goes down drastically.
·
Interact with your audience. Try to know what they want and post things
accordingly.
·
Give honest reviews and feedbacks because you've the responsibility to
guide your audience correctly and give honest opinions about everything.
· Don't run after followers. Don't do follow for follow because that also reduces your reach. Just do whatever you and your audience likes. Followers will increase automatically.
Raahil’s
Instagram link is:
https://www.instagram.com/foodiologylko
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