{"id":3915,"date":"2019-01-22T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-01-22T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.dream.press\/?post_type=customer-spotlight&p=3915"},"modified":"2025-05-06T19:43:13","modified_gmt":"2025-05-06T19:43:13","slug":"india-premier-blogger","status":"publish","type":"customer-spotlight","link":"https:\/\/news.dream.press\/news\/customer-spotlight\/india-premier-blogger\/","title":{"rendered":"How This DreamHost Customer Became India\u2019s Premier Blogger"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

One night after an office party, Naina Redhu and her coworker were staring out a window at Bombay\u2019s city lights, when\n he asked about her job: \u201cAre you happy doing this for the rest of your life?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That simple question became to be a turning point for Redhu, then 24 years old.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was miserable, commuting three hours each day, being shoved into local trains and cabs,\u201d she says. \u201cMy job\n description entailed sitting at a desk from 9 to 5, which usually extended to 7 p.m. or longer. I liked my boss and\n the work, but I didn\u2019t like the commute or sitting on my butt the entire day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Within the next week, she quit her job as a management consultant trainee \u2014 literally walking out of the office and\n not turning back \u2014 to pursue her passions and in 2010, launched <\/a>Naina.co<\/a>, India\u2019s first luxury and\n lifestyle blog, using DreamHost\u2019s WordPress hosting<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As her audience has grown over the years, so has her scope. Redhu is also a vibrant photographer, which has helped\n her create a brand storytelling niche in social media\u2019s influencer marketing industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regarding the career she has created, Redhu says there are no typical days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I have an upcoming photo shoot, I\u2019ll spend 2-3 days prior being a complete nervous wreck, planning and double\n planning, making lists, and worrying,\u201d says Redhu, who also refers to herself an experience collector. \u201cShoot days are\n followed by days of edits, and eventually I\u2019ll make a blog post<\/a> out of a photo\n series and schedule social media updates along with the blog post.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When she doesn\u2019t have a shoot on the horizon, Redhu\u2019s schedule is more relaxed but still organized. She spends those\n days checking her social accounts, viewing her blog traffic, responding to emails, making phone calls, and running\n errands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On days when Redhu is traveling for work, things are a little more hectic. And that\u2019s where the variety really pops\n in, she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For some people, such an uncertain life schedule can be bothersome,\u201d she says. \u201cFor me, it\u2019s an adventure \u2014 or at\n least I pretend that it is. I never know what\u2019s going to happen next!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Related:<\/strong> Start Your Own Blog with This\n Step-by-Step Guide<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Influencing and Instagramming<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Although Redhu boasts about 52,000 followers on Instagram (@naina),<\/a> she\u2019s hesitant to label herself an influencer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cInfluence is not something I generate. It is something I earn if the audience trusts and respects me. You command\n influence, you can\u2019t demand it \u2014 at least not in the long run.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Making decisions quickly, taking risks, and adapting to situations on the fly are a few of the traits Redhu believes\n people need to survive online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEach person has a circle of influence. You don\u2019t necessarily have to have hundreds of thousands of \u2018followers,\u2019\u201d she\n says. \u201cYou don\u2019t need to be an extrovert. You don\u2019t need to have great language skills. You don\u2019t need to have a\n physique like a professional model. You don\u2019t need to have been born into a rich family.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Related:<\/strong> How\n to Promote and Market Your Website With Micro-Influencers<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most important, she says, is understanding basic human nature and understanding how people interact with content\n online. \u201cYou have to constantly be on your toes when it comes to diving into things you didn\u2019t know five minutes\n prior,\u201d Redhu says. \u201cAnd you need a thick skin.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is easy to be short-sighted when it comes to working in a business where quick dopamine hits are currency, she\n notes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe only serious drawback of this profession is that if you\u2019re not carefully self-aware, it can cause mental health\n problems,\u201d she says. \u201cYou have to be clear about what defines your self-worth and who are the people in your life who\n truly have your best interests at heart. And then you have to keep on keeping on. Do your thing, remind yourself why\n you started doing it in the first place, take a deep breath, and ignore the rest.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Redhu says that when she started her Instagram account she initially shared animal and flower photos, but then she\n noticed other people were posting highly stylized, professional images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSome were showcasing their portfolios, and some were showcasing themselves. I immediately got into that as well,\u201d\n she says. \u201cIt\u2019s a bit simpler for me because the images I normally produce are primarily shown on my blog. My\n Instagram is an extension of my blog about 90% of the time. Only about 10% of what I post on Instagram is\n specifically for<\/em> Instagram.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Redhu admits that, like many others, she has a love\/hate relationship with Instagram.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDespite how much and how often I share, what I share is not a reflection of my entire life. If someone truly\n believes that they think they know me, they are severely deluded,\u201d she says. \u201cThere are some who comment on my\n pictures regularly, and I have actually ended up meeting in real life \u2014 that\u2019s always wonderful.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And even with posts seen by thousands of strangers throughout the world, Redhu says she doesn\u2019t feel weird living her\n life online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI have to grudgingly admit that I love sharing my work on Instagram. It\u2019s a micro-photo-blog and gives a bird\u2019s-eye\n view of what going on in my professional and personal life,\u201d she says. \u201cI try to keep a balance between professionally\n shot images on the DSLR and personal selfies shot on the smartphone. As with the blog, only about 10% of what you see\n on my Instagram is paid client work.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Redhu has also dabbled in <\/a>podcasting<\/a> and videos the last few years,\n sharing more insight into her life three or four times a month. (See her <\/a>first video<\/a>, recorded in 2015, here.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t want to write another ranty blog post,\u201d she recalls. \u201cI wanted to try a talking head video series and see\n how it translated to a podcast<\/a> and what\n the response was. Seeing and hearing someone talk is a very different experience from reading what they\u2019ve written.\n Even though it\u2019s literally me talking into a camera, I feel that connects better with a certain segment of the\n audience.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

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