indian blogger interview

Interview with Indian Blogger ( LifeStyle, Parenting)

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Noor Anand Chawla is a lawyer who is now a Blogger as well. I was so intrigued when I learnt that.

Imagine a lawyer … a practicing lawyer… who makes time to blog. Let’s get started with learning what she does and why she blogs.

The Interview

I am a lawyer practicing at the Delhi High Court.

When my son was born in 2016, I took a long break from the law. This allowed me to explore my passion for writing.

In October 2017, I began writing my blog nooranandchawla.com. It has come a long way since then, and I’ve even published my first e-book.

Now, I blog full-time and work as a lawyer part-time!

How did you decide on what to name your blog?

I’ve had many blogs in the past, since I’ve always enjoyed writing. Previously, I preferred staying anonymous, but in 2017 I purchased my first website plan with WordPress. The idea was to make my blog into a business. My name, Noor Anand Chawla, is my brand, and was the ideal choice for the name of my blog.

How do you find topics to write about? Is it random, keyword research involved?

I rarely do keyword searches. If I do them at all, it’s when I’ve picked a topic and need to see what title would do well on Google search.

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I write on whatever takes my fancy- a good meal, a good book/movie, my travel experiences, a cool event I attended in Delhi, short stories/poems etc. As I cover a wide range of topics on my blog, I never run out of ideas on what to write next. 

What does your day look like?

Mornings are spent with my son, before I head to the gym. Afternoons are spent writing, planning future posts, completing any legal assignments. Evenings are spent with family, and at night, I catch up with reading other blogs and going through bloggers feeds, before I sleep. It is important to be connected with the blogging community. 

This is a rough outline of my days but I also attend many events, so my schedule is never completely fixed.

This is how I grew my Blog from 0 visitors to 100 visitors ( and growing) per day.

What does your publishing schedule look like?  Do you publish every day?

I used to upload around 3 posts a week. This April, I took part in the A-Z Challenge organised by Blogchatter, where I had to upload a post every day (except Sundays). My blog did well with the regular uploads, inspiring me to put out more content. Hence, now I upload an average of 4 posts a week on my website, and 1 IGTV video on Instagram. 

I don’t have a fixed schedule for uploading and that helps me stay flexible with timings and topics.

How are you able to manage family, blog, work, friends?

The only way to successfully balance any job with your other life commitments, is to be passionate about it. Writing destresses me and I thoroughly enjoy it. I might compromise on other things, but I never have the desire to neglect my blog. Being your own boss as a blogger also has its advantages. I can take time off to travel, spend time with my son, keep my uploading schedule flexible.

Why did you decide on the Topics you chose?

My categories have grown along with my blog! I always wanted to write on all the varied interests I have, so each of these was given a category. Though I’m not a niche blogger, I’m happy that I can write on such a wide variety of topics.

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How do promote your blog? How much time goes in promotion versus writing? Is there a schedule?

Promoting the blogs often takes up more time than writing them. It is dreary work but it is necessary to the success of your blog. There is so much content on the internet, you have to figure out a target audience and keep promoting your work to them, in order to stand out.

Usually, I promote my blogs on different social media platforms, as well as by connecting with other bloggers. Facebook and search engines are where I get maximum engagement.

Is this a business or just a Blog?

It started as a hobby, but it’s slowly becoming a business. My website has been monetised since the beginning and I started writing sponsored content a few months ago, but it was over a year before I actually earned any money from my blog. 

I am very clear that my blog will never be just a money-churner. If I put out one sponsored post in a week, I ensure there are three non-sponsored posts in that week. Essentially, my readers have to connect with me. The money that comes in simply helps to keep my blogging efforts afloat.

How do you make money?

As I said earlier, I have monetised my website which means I earn money from AdWords. I have signed up for different affiliate programs such as Amazon and Booking.com. 

However, the maximum amount of money comes from brand sponsored posts. I will not disclose my charges here but your readers can contact me directly on email and my social media handles, which will be at the end of this post. 

I have not done any specific writing projects as yet, simply because they don’t attribute your name to the writing.

Does the money cover your expenses?

As a blogger, you never a steady stream of income. Some months you receive a lot and some you receive nothing at all. However, I am very careful about not spending money beyond my means, on the blog. I manage everything on my own, so it is easy to keep the spending on my blog minimal.

Blog Expenses

Domain + hosting – what’s the cost per year?

I use a WordPress Business Plan which I bought at a discounted rate of INR 8,600 for one year. 

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Autoresponders

I use the autoresponders that WordPress offers and this is included in my plan.

Other costs? Graphic designer? Tech support?

I sometimes hire someone for tech support. She charges as per the work involved and the number of hours.

How many years does it take to make money?

It takes a long time, especially if you are depending solely on ads to make money. In 1.5 years, I have made only a few rupees from ads.

Do you need a particular number of visits to make money?

Yes, your traffic must be very high to make money through ads, and the traffic needs to click on those ads to contribute to sales.

Was curious do Instagram and other social media help your blog?

Instagram is a unique platform, so not many people come to my blog through there. The highest engagement is through Facebook and search engines. Pinterest and Twitter also contribute slightly.

How do you get the products you review? Do you pay for them? are they free?

I personally don’t review too many products but I do review books. Many items I purchase myself, I pay for the movie tickets which I review, and I write about travel experiences that I have paid for myself. However, I do receive books for free for review purposes.

Any thoughts for someone turning to you for advice on whether they should take the plunge?

I would say, go for it! Bear in mind, there is intense competition in this field now. You have to make a niche for yourself and stand out. My writing, with a focus on grammar and easy readability, makes my content stand out. Figure out what works for you and take the plunge. There has never been a better time to do it!

Check out Noor Anand Chawla’s work at nooranandchawla.com

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