Zeb Fatima of a2zeb shares the A to Z of her blog journey

Zeb Fatima keeps the name short and catchy with a2zeb to make room for the wide spectrum she brings to her audience.

An engineer by profession, Zeb was always fascinated by social media and eventually she forayed into the space with local brands. Staying true to herself, Zeba believes her USP is simply how she covers things about her life in her blog swaying by her own mood. Relatibility and transparency factors are what drive her, though she always cuts out a plan for an upload.

A new mother now, Zeb is fantastically juggling between her baby and work as she continues to blog from a host of categories- recipes, reviews, lifestyle, entertainment, fashion, makeup & beauty and tech.

Excerpts

Looking back, where did it all begin? 

It happened during my
initial engineering days, social media always fascinated me and I thought why
not make it means for my pocket money. I contacted few of the local brands in
Bhubaneshwar and convinced 2-3 of them on promoting their brands via Facebook and
that is how I forayed into social media.

What's in the name? 

Well had to give a lot of thought into it, wanted a short and a catchy name but should also have a bit of my presence in it. My Blog is not specific to a category and covers everything that I do in my day to day life or something I like or even why not if it is just a simple thought that is worth mentioning. So basically, I am like a jack of all trades (just kidding) covering A to Z of my life and hence the name “a2zeb.com” though my tag line “deliciously stylish” sums me up more specifically.

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

Most of articles are
around Fashion, Cosmetics or Food but more importantly it’s more about me
writing about everything that I find interesting whether it can be about a good
book I read or a holiday travel or just even a simple thought and that is what
is my USP , my followers may just want to stumble upon my site and read
articles that connect with their own daily lives or something more they would
want to do and know.

My articles are not limited to just my blog I even make YouTube Posts especially on what I cook and bake and Cosmetic reviews or any makeup tips and posts on my other social handles. This together is like a wholesome experience allowing me to connect to my followers.

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

It’s all on the mood
and my mood decides what’s it going to be today. If my mood is to pamper myself
then its make up video and if I feel like treating myself it’s a food video.
Though my Content may depend on my mood, but a lot of planning goes into how
the video should be made. Note down all the points , chose the right spot with
the correct lighting, for a food video chose the right crockery and make the
right plating even little details count.

After the video is ready editing is a big task and requires a lot of skill, one develops editing skills over a period of time once the video is done I always take feedback from my near and dear ones who will pin point little details which I re-correct and then finally I go live with my video. Also I keep observing for ideas to strike my mind for eg, it can be a new makeup trend because if I am an early bird in making that video it instantly appears in the search parameters.

How do you make moolah with your efforts?

Blogging has always been a passion for me because I think my blog is more of representation of myself and when people connect to it this make the experience more wholesome and motivating.

Mainly moolah comes from brand promotions or even cooking or baking using some of the brands products. Also, I get invited to a lot of promotional events which is like a plus point.

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

Making money through brand promotions can be a very tricky process and at times it can be a trade off between your originality and your brands promotions process and whenever this tussle originates I remind myself as to why I started this blog, money has never been the prime motive the blog has always been about being my true self. My articles are never biased or skewed, and I stick with it. If I promote a cosmetic brand I make sure to use it myself first and then write an article about it

One instance/experience that made it all
worthwhile

It was in Bangalore
when I was approached by a big brand to promote their event across all social
media Portal. I was able to execute it and it was great success. I was
appreciated by the client and that experience as whole was enough to keep me
motivated all these years. Seeing your client happy is the best award one can
achieve.

Weirdest brand brief/request ever

To be honest there have been so many but the most recent one I remember was I was asked to lie about winning a gadget from a bidding website. I SAID NO to them.

Also Read: Interview: I like challenging the usual notions: Sonal Agrawal, Pink Peppercorn

If not blogging, you would be?

An engineer by
profession, I would certainly be working in one of the MNC’s coding for an AI
driven robot teaching about makeup and food.

A day in your life....

A day in my life involves taking care of my baby, doing some housework and then checking my mails. When I am free from all the household work, I edit my pics to post on Instagram and think about creating next youtube video. I am a new momma so these days most of the time I am with my baby. When she falls asleep, I do my work.

Message/tips for upcoming bloggers

A seedling does not
start bearing fruits in a day everything takes time. Everyone is talented in
one or the other way know your talents and nurture them. Only take this up if
you are passionate and driven by the idea of it because if you are not
eventually you will end up wasting your time. Be consistent with your content
and chose what you love and try being creative and unique as that is what will
separate you from the rest.

Your Favorite Influencer

There are many
influencers who inspire me. I like Shreya Jain, Raghini, Kabitas Kitchen and
many more.

The Future you foresee for your Personal Brand

Though I started with blogging following my passion but over the years I have been involved in a lot of other activities related to social media I do not see myself only as an influencer any more. My association with brands and bloggers have helped me grow as complete social media consultant and I would like to continue growing this experience and be a go to face for the client and brands planning to grow their brands. My blogs will always be a reflection of myself and will continue doing it but may be with a different approach and better reach.