Instagram Influencer Spotlight On: Emily O’Halloran @forkingyum

1) Tell us a little about yourself. What are you doing now and where do you come from?

My name is Emily, I am a 22 year old student from New Zealand. I was born in Auckland and study in Wellington but most importantly, I love food! @forkingyum is a place where I share my journey with food, from the delicious things I make, to the amazing places I eat at around New Zealand and beyond!

2) What are your topics of interest? What do you post on Instagram the most?

As a foodie, I am very passionate about nourishing bodies with all things good and yummy, treating food with respect and living a life of balance. After a past of struggling with disordered eating, I have finally fallen back in love with food again, and can’t wait for everyone to join my journey. I share lots of exciting content including articles that I find interesting, events I go to, products, restaurants and cafes I love and of corse, lots of forking yum food!

3) How did your Instagram name come about?

I was sitting in a cafe one day and I looked at a fork, and it truly just came to me! The account was originally "flattiesinwelly" because my flatmate and I started it together, posting the food we made in our flat! Once, we were no longer flatmates, I continued the account on my own.

4) What are some apps you use to edit your photos? Share with us your photo-editing routine!

I only use the editing features on the Instagram app! I love boosting the contrast and highlights to brighten up the photos, I also sharpen everything! Other than that, my photos have #nofilter. The only other app I use is Whitagram when I need to whiten something – their whitening tool is a game changer!

5) Any Instagrammers whom you really like? Which Instagrammer inspires you the most?

I am obsessed with @iskra and @amalielee, they are so inspiring and both preach such important messages. I also follow lots of fellow kiwi foodies from Wellington and Auckland, and I love the little community that we have!

6) If there’s one thing your fellow Instagrammers just gotta try now, what’s it gonna be?

Eating in a cafe or restaurant on their own. So many people are terrified of it, but it’s so empowering.

7) What’s your favorite part about being an influencer?

I love communicating with the people who follow @forkingyum. My favourite moments are when people message me saying "thanks for recommending XX, we went tonight and loved it" or "we were stuck for ideas for what to have for dinner tonight, but your post inspired us to make XX and it was delicious!", you can’t beat it!

8) What are some of your top tips to brands for running campaigns? How do you maintain authenticity?

It’s important to only promote products to people that you believe will actually benefit from them, or that their followers will appreciate seeing. There’s no point asking a foodie to talk about magic hair pills, for example. I will only share products that I truly believe in. I am always keen to try anything, but if something isn’t forking yum, I will never lie and tell my followers that it is. Authenticity is key as an influencer, you start your blog because you’re passionate about something, and it’s crucial that you never loose that passion or forget why you started.

9) What would your advice be on the importance of quality and original content?

The only way to stand out in the world of social media is to be you. There is only one of you on the planet, so if you stay true to yourself, and what you believe in, you’ve already got a point of difference that no one else can imitate.

“Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.” – Dr Seuss

10) What do you like best about partnering with brands?

I love being able to try products or visit eateries that I never have before, it’s so exciting and gives me the opportunity to constantly learn, be adventurous and try new things. The best part is finding something that I love that I can then share with my followers, it benefits everyone involved and that feels great.

Topics:

• Cooking
• Food & Drink
• Health & Fitness

Country:

New Zealand