Finding Authenticity In A Fake Instagram Food World
One of the best kept secrets in the food world, is that many of your favorite food-based social media accounts flaunt beautifully shot photos, but never actually taste the food they’re posting.
It’s all about getting the coolest looking pictures, getting those likes and follows up, and not even giving the food’s essence due diligence.
No one would ever dare accuse the Foodbeast crew of these atrocities, and we have the bellies and grease stained shirts to prove our innocence, but we do see it often in the wild. Food influencers on Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, and everywhere else try to hit you with the fake-out.
June Quan, who runs the popular @stirandstyle food Instagram and blog, spoke on The Katchup Podcast about the falsities that go around in the food world, and why it was important for her to show authenticity.
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“I definitely want to stress that everything on my page is something that I’ve eaten, and that I recommend,” Quan said.
She went on to say that she would get questioned all the time in comments, and accused of not eating the food she photographed. To counter those haters, Quan simply started eating her food in front of a camera, and giving on-the-spot reviews of the restaurants she visited.
“It was when video just started (on Instagram),” Quan said. “It was something like, ‘Hey, I’m already eating on my own time, but now that I’m capturing it, it’s something that people actually want to watch.'”
By building the trust of her followers, June quickly grew from 40,000 followers, to 100,000, and now 308,000 followers on Instagram.
That transitioned well into her journey as a restaurateur, opening not one, or even two, but three different restaurant concepts in Shrimp Daddy, Sip Matcha and Chichi Dango.
June Quan’s story shows that while “likes” don’t translate into success, earning the trust of the masses sure does.
When surfing through Instagram accounts and see those beautiful photos, be sure to show extra love to those who go the extra mile to highlight the food, as June has, and Foodbeast does, wink wink.
To hear the full interview with June, be sure to tune in to The Katchup, and subscribe to hear more on iTunes, Spotify and anywhere podcasts can be heard.
