Exclusive! The Instagram Algorithm is Definitely on My List of Challenges, Says Maia Sethna Malhotra

Maia Sethna Malhotra is an influencer with over ten years of experience in the fashion, travel, content creation and luxury space. Sethna is synonymous with style, lifestyle, brand strategy, digital content and communication. She loves practising yoga, travelling, walking with her beagle, organising her home, catching up and cooking a meal for her friends, spreading awareness about mental health, or raising funds for street animals.

In an exclusive conversation, she spoke about luxury fashion, memorable experiences, travel and lifestyle content and their future.  

Here are the edited excerpts from the exclusive interaction:

How did you get into luxury fashion, travel and lifestyle content creation?

I have always been interested in fashion, travel and lifestyle. I worked as a fashion model for 2-3 years ( while in the UK at University and after returning to Mumbai). I didn't pursue it any further as I got bored and disheartened. I realised that while I really enjoyed the creative process and everything that went into creating that perfect image and video. I didn't like that, as a model, I could not give my creative input and merely had to do what I was told to. That didn't sit well with me at all. As a young girl in the industry, I had my fair share of challenges, long hours ( 18-20 hour days at times sleeping in the vanity van), lots of daily travel and constant judgement and scrutiny. 

I went on to work with my family's travel businesses; Banyan Tours, an India inbound destination management company specialising in luxury travel and Shakti Himalaya, a company specialising in bespoke travel experiences in the Indian Himalayas. So when I set out to create content - I went with what I knew and was passionate about. 

What has been the most memorable travel experience you've had as a content creator, and why?

I have been fortunate enough to travel to exciting domestic and international destinations for work. An experience that will always remain close to my heart was our trip to Soneva Fushi in the Maldives. It was right after the lockdown lifted, and we were craving being outdoors after months of being cocooned in our homes. We stayed in a luxurious over-water villa with surreal views of the turquoise blue ocean, a water slide infinity pool and butler service. On the morning of my 31st birthday, we took a boat out and went snorkelling with sea turtles. It was the perfect day. The staff went out of their way to make it a special day, and they exceeded all expectations. 

What challenges do you face as a luxury content creator, and how do you overcome them?

The Instagram algorithm is definitely on my list of challenges. It's disheartening when you pour your heart and soul into a piece of content that doesn't perform as well as you hoped while a silly trending video you put up gets millions of views. But that doesn't mean you should compromise on the quality of your content. Sometimes it's just down to luck and the algorithm, so keep persevering! 

Can you share your thoughts on the future of luxury fashion, travel and lifestyle content creation?

We are only at the cusp of things right now, and the world of digital content creation is a space that will keep growing. Today we have access to limitless content on the internet. As a creator, it is important to remain authentic, honest and credible. There is so much fake news circulating, and often content is created to harm someone. As a creator, you have a responsibility to your audience, and as a human being, remember to be kind, always.