For me, quality comes before quantity: Nitika Bhatia Whig

From Shopaholic Me to The Shopaholic Diaries, Nitika Bhatia Whig found herself a way to put forth a more inclusive blog identity.

Selecting brand briefs can be a tricky affair, especially those with restrictive guidelines. Nitika Bhatia Whig prefers talking about brands she has used by purchasing products on her own as it gives her editorial freedom. In the case of brand associations, she usually ends up saying no to those that require positive reviews without personal views.

Looking back, where did it all begin? 

Back in 2011, during my MBA internship, I spent my spare time reading a lot of fashion blogs and magazines; and that’s when I had an idea of starting my own blog where I could share my shopping experiences, reviews, fashion tips I swear by and more. Within a few months, I had a dedicated viewership who used to look forward to my hauls and posts; and that’s when I expanded my blog to be a platform to share my passion for shopping and style. 

What's in the name? 

The earlier name of my blog was “Shopaholic Me” which I gave to my blog as I was known as a shopaholic among my friends and that’s what was the first name that came to my mind when I decided to start my blog. However, after a couple of years, when I had expanded to Fashion and Lifestyle, I changed the name to “The Shopaholic Diaries” to better highlight what my blog talks about — my love for writing about shopping and fashion.

What is your USP in this cluttered space? How does your content give you an edge?

I guess the first thing is that my content is quite relatable. I not only write about fashion tips and tricks but also places to shop from, where do I find the best discounts etc that any other shopaholic will relate to.

Secondly, I cover style tips for curvy women like me, as a lot of them are hesitant about trying new trends, therefore I wish to inspire them through my outfit diaries to wear what they love no matter what shape or body type they are.

Please take us through your content creation process. How do you stay relevant and relatable?

I do a lot of research before writing any content piece or posting any picture on my IG/FB. The style stories on my blog and social media are from my own wardrobe and therefore, it looks more relatable and can be recreated easily. I think content is what makes you relevant, if you are posting about what your niche is and what can be helpful to your readers, you will remain relevant for a long time. 

How do you make moolah with your efforts?

For me, work satisfaction comes first, and then comes monetization. However, yes, I do monetise my blog and social media content through relevant brand collaborations wherein I take up associations with brands that I personally admire or have been using. But for me, quality comes before quantity when it comes to the number of collaborations.

How do you maintain editorial objectivity with the influx of brand briefs?

If a brand brief wants me to be positive, rather than sharing my personal views — I mostly say no for the particular campaign. As I have been blogging since a long time, I have also talked about a lot of brands that I have purchased myself — therefore, I ensure that my opinion remains the same even if it’s a brand association. And most of the times, I work with brands that I admire personally and they value my honest opinion.

Also Read: Srishti Majumder spills the origin tale of The F Addict

One instance/experience that made it all worthwhile

Receiving the award of Best Blogger in 2015 and more recently the Most Influential Content Marketing Professional made me feel proud about the efforts and hard work I have put towards my blog and social media. The recognition that I received through these two awards definitely made it all worthwhile for me.

Weirdest brand brief/request ever

While I have received a lot of weird brand briefs, I think the weirdest one was when I was asked to review a toilet seat cover sheet on a barter. I didn’t even know what to reply to such an awkward review request.

If not blogging, you would be?

I have been working as a social media professional, and if not blogging, I would have taken up my career in this field ahead and would have loved to start my own social media agency. 

A day in your life...

Starts with checking my emails for any event invites/brand briefs that I don’t want to miss out. Post breakfast, I check out all my social media handles and make sure I reply to all comments/DMs from my followers. I spend a couple of hours post-lunch to work on my next social media post and planning the content requirements for any new collaboration or lookbook that I would like to post. I read a book or check out a Netflix show before I call it a day. 

Message/tips for upcoming bloggers

Please don’t run behind numbers, find your content niche and make sure you have a website where you can showcase all your content apart from third-party social media platforms. I see all the upcoming influencers just depending on one or two social media platforms and not having a personal blog, which should be their main identity.

Your Favorite Influencer

I really admire Tanesha from the GirlwithCurves who has been inspiring curvy girls with not only her style journey but also her passion, how she made her career and launched a successful clothing label. 

The Future you foresee for your Personal Brand

Apart from continuing blogging and sharing meaningful content with my followers, I also want to make a difference and plan to start taking blogging and social media workshops to inspire those who wish to start their careers in this field.