Instagram Exclusive: Banana Nutella Muffins + Blog Recognition Tips!

I love baking! It is therapeutic for me. And, a great way to beat those Monday blues too! And, you probably know how much I adore breakfast muffins. So, this week’s Instagram Exclusive Recipe is all about Whole Wheat Banana & Oat Muffins with a dollop of love (Nutella!) swirled in, topped with more Nutella and some morning sunshine aka golden banana chips 😀 You can find the recipe on my Instagram portfolio here!

Now, time for some great news. We got nominated again! This time for the Blogger Recognition Award YAY!! I am thrilled to achieve this accomplishment so, thank you so much Lathiya for this honor 🙂 Please do check out Lathiya’s yummy blog Cook With Smile Blog & especially this Masala Fish Fry! Ahh! LUNCH GOALS!!

Now, according to the rules of this nomination, I am supposed to tell my readers how I started this blog. So, here you go….

I have been baking since my college days but, I have been into writing since childhood! Soon I started thinking how great it would be to blog about my new passion. But, somehow it kept getting stalled (I am lazy) until I came back home a few months ago, to work on my upcoming beauty brand and, I thought ‘Okay! I need something refreshing for my mind for when I am not working!’ That was how Bake To The Top began! A month into it, and soon I realized that there is a huge gap between food bloggers and a whole new different category of foodies! The foodies who don’t want classic recipes because apparently there is a huge number of professional bloggers already doing that! Nobody would want to get lost in a crowd right! And, that’s how I transformed Bake To The Top to Binding Curry! This time it wasn’t about baking with just fool proof recipes but, innovative recipes! You can read more about that idea here!

Moving on to the next rule! 2 pieces of advice for new bloggers (other than being consistent!):

Food Photography: I have often been complimented on my food photos even though they are pretty basic (atleast I think so!). Well, the truth is that I don’t own any fancy equipment. Just a decent phone with a decent camera! Hence, my only savior is that first ray of sunshine on my doorstep! Anything except that and I end up with gloomy pictures. And, yes! That means sacrificing sleep! Also, you should try out A LOT of different angles before finalizing that one picture! Another golden tip: play around with different textures and colors on the plate. Notice today’s muffin click. It is not perfect because even I am an amateur! But, what saves the picture is the natural early morning light which is not too harsh, the texture of the muffin against the smooth Nutella, the contrasting yellow banana chip, the plain glass plate and a steady hand!

Social Media Marketing: How will anyone ever see your posts when they don’t even know you exist! There is a whole lot of people out there who believe in exactly what your blog believes in and will follow you blindly! You just need to find those people! Also, keep in mind the readers you are targeting-the age group they fall in, their interests, which social media platform they are most likely to hang out on! For instance, most of the people belonging to the age group 25 years and above spend time on Facebook, whereas if you are targeting a younger lot, focus more on Instagram and Snapchat! Now, don’t rush to sign up on every social media platform! Perfect one or two and stick to it! Another golden tip: become a part of Facebook groups that match your blog concept! Whenever there is a new post, notify the members of those groups too! For instance, 80% of my blog readership comes from Facebook groups which are dedicated to home bakers and cooks!

Now, this time I wanted to nominate some different faces for this award! So, here you go:

Congrats all you fab bloggers!! Here are the rules that you need to follow in order to accept this award: