How the hesitant fashionista delved into the game
In the summer of 2013, Malvika Gupta started experimenting with her fashion online. Fresh out of college as a Mass Communication and Journalism graduate, Malvika was fascinated with the world of online fashion. Being an amateur, she was quite doubtful of the industry and how far she can grow. Fast forward to 2018, she has a sum total of two hundred thousand subscribers including all her active social media platforms.
We sat down with Malvika to discuss her social media journey in-depth, the recipe for influencer success and the current state of the influencer industry. Get to know the cheery and insightful fashionista here!
A photo of the fashionista when she was new to the Insta game
How did you get past your initial doubts and push through?
I was an amateur and that is what kept me hesitant. But I, incessantly, did my research and started this as a trial. In 2013, this practice and industry weren’t as popular as it is now. To be honest, time taught me the most important lessons. It took me a while to turn my passion into a profession.
How long did you take to consider this a profession?
I made no money out of this passion project for the initial 2 years. It was completely an investment which included clothes, travel, food, makeup, photography etc. It was just monetary, but also the time and effort spent on it withering at the obstacles. It took a while to build myself as a brand and have an audience who trust me as they do now.
Even now, I invest and spend constantly on my posts. Everybody thinks the influencers get an easy deal from brands though. We don’t! We invest, buy and it isn’t free.
Tell me something that happens behind the scenes that you would like your followers to know. How do you keep your content fresh?
My work is not always glamorous. It has been a tough journey at times. The followers just see a photograph and think that’s where it ends. Some small details like caption and their relevance have to be worked-upon too. That said, I love what I do and that makes it so much easier.
When it comes to fresh content, the secret is to not stay too long at the monotonous graph. Of course, it happens to everyone but you have drag yourself out of the slump. Blocked yes, but it is like a graph. we have to come out of the slump. It almost like a shaky graph and you can’t afford to get stuck when you have a block.
A post shared by Malvika Gupta (@styleonwings) on Sep 3, 2018 at 12:20am PDT
Where do you draw the line between getting inspired and not just replicating content?
With the huge number of influencers today, plagiarism is a major issue. I know people who inspire me in some way or another. Not in terms of clothing or makeup, but I derive inspiration in terms of how hardworking and motivating some celebrities are. Funnily enough, I don’t stay online and look at a lot of other profiles or competitors. But I do keep myself updated and that makes my content extremely personalized.
How do you choose the brands that you work with?
I have to abide by my fans who trust what I tell and what I wear. The cliche is true, the fans and followers are what make me who I am today. I ensure that I personally try the product before I start working with a brand. Giving out good reviews and advertising for the sake of money will ruin everyone in the long term. We influencers have the ethical dilemma of choosing between brands and money sometimes. If you waiver, then the quality of your work automatically goes down. I have turned that dilemma into a strong principle and will never recommend a product or a brand that I don’t like. Money is temporary but my followers mean the world to me.
How do you handle when an angry follower disagrees with your product review or opinion?
This is how influencer marketing differs from traditional advertising. The difference in opinion is a frequent occurrence and actually quite welcome from us. We’d like to know what the followers’ opinions are too. This is probably one of the main reasons why influencer marketing industry is booming. My account is personalized enough that I mention often that this is my opinion as an individual. Tastes differ! Your friend might recommend a place that you don’t like. This difference in opinion is what makes Instagram a great community.
A post shared by Malvika Gupta (@styleonwings) on Aug 28, 2018 at 10:35pm PDT
What other platforms are you looking to diversify into? What steps are you following to reach your goal?
While Instagram is my primary account for my content, I have also been uploading a lot of videos on my Youtube channel. I constantly strive to bring everyone fresh content. You have to stay ahead in this game.
Thank you, Malvika! That was fun and hope to see you back on Greenroom soon.
Keep watching this space for more interviews with your favorite influencers.
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