Meet Nikhil Chawla, a renowned food vlogger with a massive following on various social media platforms. Nikhil has been making scrumptious food content for years, and their passion for food is evident in every video they produce. With an extensive knowledge of different cuisines, he takes their viewers on a culinary journey around the world, sharing unique recipes, food reviews, cooking tips, and engaging with their audience. Their charismatic personality and creative approach to food vlogging have earned them a massive following and multiple accolades, including awards for best food vlogger.
In an exclusive interview with Sociobits, he shared his various experiences and also about his journey of vlogging. He shared how social media is important and how to grow all over it.
Let’s start with a short introduction about yourself
Hi, I’m Nikhil Chawla. I’m a Video Content Creator and a verified Food & Travel Influencer on Instagram, Youtube, and Facebook, and most importantly, I’m a food lover. I’ve been in this profession for almost a decade now.
How did this journey start?
So, back in the days, when food reviews were a thing in town with Zomato, I was in the top 10 Food reviewers on Zomato, known for my honest reviews. But one day, a thought occupied my mind: what if Zomato closed down? It was when I initiated my Facebook page, ‘Hmm’ to start my culinary journey. In 2016, I took the first step towards video content creation, entering the F & B industry for my everlasting Love of Food.
What are your future plans?
In the upcoming two years, I’m looking forward to producing or hosting a Web Series with a 3x upsurge in my current channels, which are a total of 6 now.
Do you believe it is easy to create content? What challenges did you face in the initial stage?
Content creation takes hard work, passion, dedication, and most importantly, spirit. It’s laborious like any other work. I have 6 YouTube channels as of now, and creating content for each takes a lot of sacrifices, brainstorming, and hard work. In the past three to four years, I haven’t taken a leave from my work for my family. Nonetheless, I enjoy my work and feel it’s crucial so that during unexpected situations like Covid, we have abundant resources to survive. To be honest, I did not face a lot of difficulties at the initial level even though YouTube was quite challenging at that time as we were showcasing distinctive international cuisines in Delhi. Nevertheless, in December 2016, I normally went to Sadar Bazar market and uploaded a two and half minute video of Nand Lal’s Chole Bhature. To my surprise, it immediately got viral and within days gained 10 lakh views, which was a remarkable success for me at that point. It gave me the right direction, and from that day itself, there’s no turning back for me.
Apart from food vlogging, what are your interests?
Apart from food vlogging, I do travel vlogging as well. I like to spend time with my family. After a long day of being a Food blogger who gets to try eclectic styles of dishes, I relish comfort food like Rajma Chawal cooked at home.
Did social media help you grow faster?
Social media has been instrumental in helping me grow faster as a food blogger. By sharing my recipes, food photography, and culinary adventures with a vast and diverse community, I have been able to connect with food enthusiasts from all over the world and build relationships with fellow bloggers, chefs, and brands. The platforms have provided me with valuable feedback and insights into my audience’s preferences, enabling me to tailor my content to better serve my followers and create more engaging and informative posts. Overall, I am grateful for the opportunities that social media has provided me to connect with a global community of food lovers and to grow as a blogger.
One piece of advice from you to future food bloggers on growing their reach
One piece of advice, I would like to give to all the future aspirants, who want to grow their career on YouTube and expand their reach – Always take a YouTube career as a part-timer and try to do a job alongside it. It will help you stay financially stable during the initial days of your channel. Once your YouTube income becomes twice or thrice your job’s salary- you can instantly leave your job. But until that time arrives, always try to do two things at a time for financial security.
How was your overall experience growing as a vlogger in India?
My journey and the experiences that came with it have been more than amazing! The audience made me the first video food blogger in India, and it’s a thing of immense pride and fulfilment for me. After me, a lot of other YouTubers got inspired to start their channels. I visited many street vendors and restaurants to try their food and showcased them through my videos, which became the biggest trend on social media in terms of food vlogging. All these achievements make me feel wonderful about my journey and encourage me to bring in more new concepts.
What are the things you learnt about audience engagement overall?
There has been a decline in social media audience retention rates over recent years. As such, it is imperative to capture and maintain viewers’ attention from the outset of video content. Research suggests that the first 30 seconds of a video are particularly crucial in engaging viewers and setting the tone for the rest of the content. To maximize audience retention and engagement, content creators should aim to hit the right note in these initial moments, delivering compelling and relevant information that will keep viewers watching.
How do you engage with your audience and build a strong connection with them?
In my opinion, it’s important to embrace common experiences and be a trendsetter instead of simply following the crowd. I believe that there is immense value in being relatable and authentic in our experiences and that we should prioritize forging our own path rather than blindly following what’s popular or trendy.
According to you, what things a vlogger should take care of while growing?
By valuing our individuality and unique perspectives, we have the potential to make a significant impact and contribute to the creation of new trends, rather than merely following the ones that already exist.
We believe his journey is inspiring, his hard work paid off. He is India’s most viewed Social Media Influencer currently. Also, Nikhil has also been awarded ‘Food YouTuber of the Year’ by YouTube. With about 6M+ Facebook followers, 1M+ YouTube Subscribers and about 427k+ Instagram followers, he has come a long way. We wish him a very best of luck for his future and will to see him growing more and more. He has been releasing and creating great videos along with promoting street vendors all around India.
