The best way to engage with followers is to create a community

Akanksha Redhu is a fantastic fashion and lifestyle blogger, designer, travel enthusiast, and foodie, as she calls herself. Another one of her favourite pastimes is exploring various cuisines and writing about food on blogs. In an interview with Fibre2Fashion, Redhu talks about her journey, challenges and suggests some styling tips for Autumn/Winter.

Fibre2Fashion: How would you define yourself?

Akanksha Redhu:

I try not to define myself really because that gives me the freedom to be whoever I am, and also change my mind whenever I’d like to, and do whatever I want in a way I think. When you think too much about defining yourself, you’re putting yourself in a box and that’s not something I have ever liked to do to myself or anybody else.

F2F: What motivated you to start your journey as an Instagram blogger?

AR:

The motivation was pretty simple. I think it was the time when Instagram was introduced for Android users, and it was a very natural next step for you to take if you considered yourself a blogger. It was this fun new way to take pictures and share them with the world in such a quick process that was very exciting at that time.

F2F: What challenges did you face as a full-time blogger?

AR:

One of the main challenges initially was to try and make brands understand why creating content on digital media is important for them and important for the digital ecosystem in a way. And also, initially I think just getting paid monetarily was an issue because when I started off, I used to do a lot of work just for myself, not even for brands. I remember the very first time the brand Biba paid me. They got in touch with me and asked me to do a blog post for them. At that time even when Instagram was not around, and they asked me how much I would charge for doing a blog post. That’s when I realised that ‘Oh, wow! I can make money from this’. I had no idea until then, those were really the initial days.

F2F: How would you define your niche? How do you manage to devote so much time for your Instagram feed?

AR:

I don’t really have a niche. I consider myself to be a lifestyle content creator. I have covered brands ranging from tyres to real estate to hotels to smartphones to of course fashion and beauty. I don’t like having a niche because that gives me the freedom to work with whoever I please. I don’t give too much importance to my Instagram feed and what it looks like. I enjoy the content that I create, and I share it because that’s what people like looking at.

F2F: What is the best way for you to engage with your followers?

AR:

I feel that in today’s day and age, the best way to engage with followers would be to find a way to create a community. That is one of the most important ways to keep the engagement and build on it.

F2F: With so many content creators in the market, what makes your work stand out?

AR:

For me, what I feel makes my work stand out is the fact that it’s genuine. I try to be the same person that I am in my daily life, and not put on a different mask or a personality when I am creating content for my followers. I just keep it real. The second reason is that I still genuinely enjoy the process of creating content and shooting. It really does come up and get reflected in the final content that gets produced, and people recognise that, people know.

F2F: What do you think about emerging influencers of fashion industry in India?

AR:

There is enough space and work for newcomers. So, yeah, everyone is welcome!

F2F: Who are your top five favourite fashion-based Instagram bloggers?

AR:

It’s been a while since I have consumed any fashion blogger content on Instagram. The content I consume through Instagram is very different—there’s memes and art, photography. There are not a lot of fashion-based Instagram bloggers that I follow because I create that on my own.

F2F: Suggest some styling tips for fashion aspirants to slay in Autumn/Winter.

AR:

Layering is the best part about Autumn/Winter fashion. One can create a great and chic balance by even wearing a hoodie and then putting on a trench coat over that. I think that is a hot look.

F2F: What is the one thing that your readers would be surprised to hear?

AR:

That I am inclined towards spirituality and energy-based work. I am a certified Reiki master/healer. I help people heal through Reiki and I am diving deeper into other modalities of healing. I am going to very soon start learning how to facilitate breath-work for trauma and emotional release. So, that’s my other side that I don’t put on social media.