Remember the food critic from Ratatouille? If anyone shares his energy of being a food connoisseur who would like to make money out of the love for food, then vlogging can be an honest career option while still pursuing the passion. Food vlogging, also known as video blogging, is the process of presenting the audience with videos about food. But before serving content to hungry audience to enjoy, it is important to know what to serve. In order to become a vlogger, one will need to record themselves doing chores like cooking, restaurant hopping or simply eating, editing the video, and finally posting it on social media platforms like YouTube, Instagram and Facebook.
The establishment of cafés and restaurateurs dabbling with foreign cuisines has transformed the restaurant scenario in Bangladesh's urban areas during the last decade. The majority of these eateries and cafes' customers are the youth. They spend a significant amount of time researching a restaurant's menu, pricing, and overall atmosphere before visiting it. Food vloggers on social sites play the role of guides in this regard.
Just as it is with a recipe, it is hard to pin down exactly what makes a content popular. Content prepared and presented with love comes to mind. It is the magic element that brings everything together and creates a 'delicious' video for the enthusiastic kindred foodie souls. Chowdhury Nuzhat Tahseen, content creator of Insta food vlogging page @Nuzhatella, shares how growing up in a foodie family has planted the seeds of love for food which ultimately encouraged her to start food vlogging. She thinks there is a great potential to earn money if the combination of time and money management is used properly. Moreover, it can also be a good earning source in student life.
There are a few different ways to get paid. Facebook orYouTube monetisation where the amount of money depends on views and ad revenue, paid sponsored posts and affiliate revenue are some of those. Being the founder of a food vlogging Instagram page @dherosh_bhaji, Shamaila Noor believes that it is difficult to stand out in the food vlogging community in Bangladesh.
"From a growing influencer and a foodie perspective, I would say that food vlogging is more about food than money for me. PR, invitations and discounts are some indirect sources of exchange and collaboration. It could be a good passive income source-- specially for millennials who want to gain financial independence and retire early."
Bangladeshi food vlogger ‘Metroman’ has been a prominent YouTube channel since the early days of food vlogging. Content creators Shahriar Rabbir and Kazi Tahsin Tonmoy have been releasing videos since November 2017 on a variety of food vlogging topics. Rabbir believes the basic idea of the start of his vlogging journey revolved around killing two birds with one stone i.e., taking initiative to lay the foundation for food vlogging in Bangladesh by taking advantage of the habit of restaurant hopping. He, however, brings an important point mentioning the surge of this type of content because of lockdown. As a result, people tend to be more dependent on veteran vloggers. He suggests newcomers to make different and unique content rather than being confined to the orbit of 'only food vlogging'.
Developing a successful food vlogging account will take a bit of time, just like any other business. Try different recipes, discover new cuisines, blend and match tactics, and come up with fresh ways to keep your audience involved and enrich your views.
In a nutshell, to be a popular food vlogger, one must be creative, open to new experiences, and savvy about food and cuisine.
The writer is a student at the Department of International Relations in Bangladesh University of Professionals.
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