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Interview: My friends stopped calling me by my name and refer to me as sassy: Shambhavi Mishra, TalkSassy

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Social Samosa
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Shambhavi Mishra Talksassy

Shambhavi Mishra of TalkSassy decided to take a leap of faith, after a long and fruitful career in Fashion & Lifestyle journalism; and there has been no turning back since.

With TalkSassy, Shambhavi supports and encourages small businesses and also promotes holistic living.  She describes herself as ethical because as she said, "One of the brands literally wanted to photoshop my skin so that it looks super smooth and glossy and putting it up as an after picture of using the products", but she didn't walk on that path and instead did what she thought was the best way to project it.

In a candid interview with Social Samosa, Shambhavi shares her journey with some behind the scenes scoop. Excerpts below:

Looking back where did it all begin?

I started blogging in 2016 but before that, I worked as a fashion and lifestyle journalist for good 8 years on my life. I had actually reached a saturation where I totally felt the need to breaking out and doing something which kicks me. Working as a journalist wasn’t giving me any rush since I had kind of already reached the decent peak of my career where I had interviewed the Khan(s) and the Bachchan’s and the Kapoors. I wasn’t growing since I wasn’t pushing myself for anything. I knew that after so many years in the industry, I won't be able to move away from the industry for sure. I finally took a plunge and left my full-time job to do something which was just in my mind. I knew nothing about blogging, social media, influencing etc. All I knew that I wanted to review products, share my experience, share my thoughts with people. I think it’s just my art of weaving stories and knack of sharing experiences which got me good audience support even during my early days of blogging.

What's in the name?

It's so funny that most of my friends have stopped calling me by my name and they actually refer to me as her sassy … It really says so much about branding. The word sassy is very lively. It is full of positivity. It is fun and it is multidimensional. It can be used for a person or for a product or for a place .. anything and therefore I decided upon the word Sassy and talk was added as a verb. We wanted our audience to feel the energy whenever they say TalkSassy.

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

Well, you always get an advantage of being an early mover. Since I made an entry like 2 years back, therefore, I could still sustain myself. If anyone makes a debut in the current situation, he/she will definitely have a tough time. Talking about my Usp, My audience knows about my past work, they know that I have been a journalist and therefore they trust me more. Apart from this, I proudly call myself an ethical blogger where the focus is more on skincare/hair care with an inclination towards organic, Natural products, Vegan and cruelty free products and brand. I promote a healthy and balanced approach towards life. With my blog, I am trying to support and encourage small businesses and also promote holistic living. If you actually look at my content, I try to create a balance between a sponsored and non sponsored content. Infact, I have never taken up any project without really trying it out and this is specifically true for the beauty brands. I don’t call myself a fashion blogger , Infact its more of my personal style. I think the fact that I really keep it real and raw is what given me an edge.

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

Staying relevant wont ever be a pain to anyone who sticks to their niche. Its like your audience knows what you feed them with. They know that this platform will talk about beauty, whereas the other one will focus on food. Since, I consciously stick to my niche, The areas I talk about or write about are limited so going off topic is never the case. However, Staying relevant and relatable cannot be spoken in the same breathe. One must understand that being real and staying constantly in touch with those who follow your blog and social media can bring in the relatability.

How do you rake moolah with your efforts ?

Blogging is very passion driven and if at all one thinks that you start earning from the very first month , you are just living in a bubble. Its only when you develop a decent good following who has interest in your niche, then only one can start to expect the money to flow in. Since, my focus is very clear in terms of what I write about, The brands also take the work more seriously and know that it will come with a price tag. However, The money also comes into the picture once I am sure that this brand/ product is worthy enough and will be of real benefit to my audience.

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

Being a journalist, I understand the importance of Editorial Objectivity. No money can run over your creative space. Its also important to understand it from a brand point of view since they are the one who know what message they want to bring out to the audience. Its always better to understand what is the brand looking at and then one can pitch in their ideas on how differently or how creatively this can be done. Most of the times, The brand actually allows the content creator to work on the plan of action which obviously is created keeping in mind the brief from the brand.

One Instance / experience that made it all worthwhile

There have been several instances but one which actually made me super happy was when a corporate communication personnel introduced me to the Ceo of an ethical Beauty brand by saying that You must know shambhavi from TalkSassy if you are in beauty space.

Weirdest brand brief ever

I wish I could take the name. But one of the brands literally wanted to photoshop my skin so that it looks super smooth and glossy and putting it up as an after picture of using the products. Obviously, I didn’t go by what they said and did what I thought was the best way to project it.

If not blogging , you would be ?

Still a journalist. I don’t think I know anything apart from Storytelling

Also Read: Interview: Storytelling, helps me break the clutter: Lakshmi Sharath

A day in your life ?

That’s the beauty of Blogging. No day is the same. However, to answer your question, A good day starts with a good Motivational note on the social media … Followed by my posts about healthy breakfast… Some unboxing of products leading to getting ready for an event or probably a photo shoot … doing some behind the scene shots .. .Posting in my groups that I run on facebook . As the clock ticks 6 , I try to head back home and hit the gym and send across some healthy vibes and workout routines and motivation to the audience. A good blog writing session once I am done with my dinner. I so wish it was easier to describe a day in my life.

Message / tips for upcoming bloggers

Know your passion, Read and Research , Be consistent, Be ethical and honest . Remember Good things take time and content comes second to none.

Your Favorite Influencer

I am really fond of Nasdaily. He is kind of cute and very creative. He adds so much power to a simple piece of content that it looks path breaking. That’s the power of a good storytelling.

The future you see for your personal brand

There is a long long way to go. I feel I have just started off. The journey has just begun but There is one thing which is clear in mind that I want talksassy to be called the Google of beauty.

Social media Media Blogging Content Social small businesses Fashion Content Creator Brand Read experience Branding posts interest products Food industry Creator audience lifestyle Beauty Message journalist Organic Businesses research Editorial objectivity free promote Personal moolah sponsored Natural debut Editorial Objectivity ethical blogger free products Hair Care influencing non sponsored Read and Research Skin Care small style TalkSassy Vegan