Who is Lakshmi Sharath?
Listen in their own words…
“I am a storyteller, traveller, media professional and a writer/blogger. I believe travelling is a way of life and people make places.”
Can you tell our readers about yourself and your blog?
My travel blog was started in 2005 and I was one of the earliest travel bloggers in the country. Its a travel magazine of stories, experiences, recommendations from my travels, both in India and abroad. I have been to 50 countries but my passions lie in exploring the nooks of India and telling their stories.
Describe how you first get into blogging?
When we started blogging in 2005, there was hardly anyone around. Travelling and writing are my twin passions and I thought the blog would be a great way to keep them going while meeting or connecting with likeminded people.
How would you describe your blogging style?
Easy, conversational, storytelling but with more immersive and informative content in the form of travel guides for inspiration.
What type of networking do you think is better to enhance your traffic to the blog?
Social media networking is a great way to promote but also meeting people, attending events and forums is important.
What do you think is the best service a blogger can provide to their readers?
Inspire them to travel with the content.
How do you manage time to run your blog efficiently?
Well, you have to make time for it, especially since its a passion.
How do you want to improve yourself in the next year?
Be more consistent and write more stories and also do affiliate marketing.
What was your greatest failure and what did you learn from that?
I became inconsistent and that made me lose traffic and now I am back on track. I keep working on old content even when I don't publish new stories.
Tell me about your proudest achievement?
When a reader from the UK reached out to me and asked me if he could include a post from my blog in an English textbook for high school students. This was more than 10-12 years ago when no one even knew what a blog was then. I agreed and was very overwhelmed when a lot of students wrote to me saying it was inspiring and later I was in Mount Abu with a tourist guide who was also an English teacher. He remembered me and said, “I have been teaching my students about what a blog is through your works.” That was humbling.
Who has impacted you most in blogging and how?
Well, to be honest, none 🙂 I am self motivated.
What is your greatest achievement outside of blogging?
Yet to achieve I would say but I was a media professional before becoming a blogger and I have launched FM radio stations in South India and I have worked in a leadership role in several media companies.
What do you do in your spare time?
Gardening, reading, learning and listening to music and playing with my two kiddos- my Indie dogs, Raju and Aishu. Raju is paraplegic but he has changed our lives.
Where would you like to be in blogging five years from now?
I would like to transform my blog into a virtual travel magazine.
What was the most challenging moment in your blogging journey so far?
Every day is a challenge, to keep readers motivated and interested especially in the era of insta and reels.
Can you name some of your favorite bloggers and explain why they are your favorites?
Saffron Trail is one of the best food bloggers I have met and she is now an author as well.
How do you motivate yourself to keep the blog up and running?
I am a reader first and then a blogger and so i motivate myself by writing stories that I would enjoy reading.
Can you tell me about a few sources from where you get products for review on your site?
I dont do too many reviews.
What do you find the most frustrating aspect of blogging?
Spam or no comments these days. The interactivity is no longer there as it used to be.
What is the biggest difference in your life post-blogging?
It gave me a new career after media.
Did you have any professional help or did you create the blog yourself?
I do it myself but I do have a team managing my backend and my SEO.
How active are you on a weekly basis? How often do you communicate with your followers?
I try to be active as much as I can.
How much time do you spend blogging?
I would like to say a few hours every week.
What do you think is the best social media strategy for getting more visitors to a blog?
There is no one best strategy. You need to see what works for you.
Would you encourage other people to make their blog?
Of course. Its a great way to tell stories and do personal branding and content marketin
Is blogging your profession or just a hobby?
Profession for the last 15 years.
A lot of people think that blogging is an easy way to make money online. Do you have some tips for those people who are interested in making money from the blog?
Yes, through sponsored posts and affiliates which am just starting out on.
