#KetchupTalks: Vignesh Nair shares how interesting stories inspire his content

Vignesh Nair talks to us about his love for food, movies, books and creating stories.

Stories... Some make us fall in love, some change our lives entirely and if you love stories then Vignesh Nair of StorySoviets is someone you must follow. We got in touch with Vignesh in hopes of getting to know what makes him spot, create and share stories that connect with the readers.

Here's how the conversation with Vignesh Nair went...

1. What made you start creating content? And when did you start creating content?
   
   "I often shared recommendations with friends and family, on Social Media, on where to eat and what movie to watch. Soon, some of the folks I knew personally, professionally and through Social Media (thanks to my love for food), encouraged me to give this passion some sort of importance. That’s how my food & lifestyle blog, Storysoviets.com was born in June 2013. At Story Soviets, while we primarily focus on the food I eat, the movies I watch, sometimes even some interesting books I read and most recently even the places I travel. As a Corporate Communications professional,  interesting and heartwarming stories excite me too, hence the blog also has a section where I write about stories I stumble upon. This is exactly what gave the name for the blog. Story Soviets literally means ’A Council of Stories’. Since the year Story Soviets was born, it has been recognised by the Food Bloggers Association of India's Indian Food Bloggers Awards and has been well-received by the readers and fellow bloggers alike".

2. What makes your content stand out?

"My opinions are always honest and genuine. I am told by my readers that the content is quite accurate in terms of experiences and descriptions. Many have connected to the stories and reviews which have either given them a good date night, a celebration idea or just saved them from a movie nightmare".

3. How do you choose what to promote on your feed and what not to?

"I prefer selective promotion. I like to keep the posts irrespective of the platform genuine, therefore, I follow the principle of timelines. Posts related to festivals and popular movies are commonly promoted because many are looking for suggestions/recommendations during that period".

4. One instance/experience that made it all worthwhile?

"We started getting recognised very early on. Being ‘spotted’ or ‘bumped into’ by readers is exciting and encouraging. I always talk to my readers as many times as possible because it helps stay relevant and also invest my energy into things that I know my readers enjoy knowing about. At a recent Communications Summit that I attended, a random reader just walked up to me and ’I love reading your blogs and follow your Social Media posts’. Readers appreciation/acknowledgement just makes all the difference".

5. What does a regular day look like?

"A regular day is filled with stressful work responsibilities and erratic schedules but are interrupted by bites of delicious food and also punctuated by desserts and lots of chocolates. Evenings and weekends are usually reserved for the Blog, friends and family". 

6. How do you make moolahs?

"I began the blog for simply putting down my thoughts and opinions about a certain experience I had, be it at a restaurant or a movie. Any mileage I get out of it is truly for the pleasure of writing and sharing my thoughts. We’ve helped a lot of brands and restaurants with some traction online and are open to more such mutually beneficial opportunities". 

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7. Weirdest brief ever received?

"The weirdest request was to cover a grand Indian cruise wedding. It was quite odd and out of the blue and wouldn’t have been something that my readers were looking forward to reading. Everyone needs a friendly blogger sometimes but, I politely declined".

8. If not an influencer, what would you be?

"I’d definitely do something related to food. It talks directly to my soul. Perhaps I’d take up cooking".

9. Do you have any message/tips for upcoming bloggers?

"Everybody can’t become bloggers. The key here is ’Reader Centricity’. Focus on your content, be honest, genuine and ask yourself if your content is going to make any difference in your readers’ life, before posting. People crave for simplicity and not fancy things. They want to be able to connect and see themselves in you and your content. 

Here's how Vignesh Nair fared in our Quick 5 section:

Favourite meme template on social media?

"Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai, Obnoxious Townie Lemur, Dekh bhai/behen, etc". 

One celebrity you want to collaborate with?

"The former MasterChef judges - Matt Preston, Gary Mehigan and George Calombaris or anyone who has a story and if food is involved it will be the best. Loved collaborating with Sarah Todd & Brent Owens in the past". 

Your favourite Influencer?

"The Tiny Taster, Branded Bawi and The Finely Chopped".

Weirdest or funniest comment you have received?

"Focus on food only! I never began the blog with only food in mind. It was to write different stories, keeping our readers in mind".

Favourite face filter?

"#NoFilters please".

You can follow more of Vignesh Nair's work on the website, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.