Eat Blog Talk

Annie is the founder of Reciple, the first ad-free recipe platform that's equitable for small creators. It is a platform that recipe creators contribute content to, and are then paid for the viewership to their recipes. Tune in to hear more about how this can become a lucrative revenue stream for your business! - This platform recognizes that food bloggers' stories are just as important as the recipe itself. - 78% of bloggers feel they are underpaid for the amount of quality of work they produce. If this sounds like YOU, a new revenue stream might be right for you. - Reciple solves a handful of blogger pain points, such as user frustration, growing social media accounts and getting people to their blogs. - Consider this a potentially lucrative way to reach a whole new base of customers.

As the self-proclaimed "poster child" for making the most mistakes in a blogging journey, Megan from the food blog Pip and Ebby shares about the mistakes she has made within this series. This is the second episode in a series that covers multiple mistakes, takeaways and action steps for other food bloggers to learn from. Mistake #3: No boundaries. - Learn what NOT establishing boundaries will do for your business (burnout, not as much money earned, mad friends and family, etc). - Always have visions and goals to look toward. - Protect your time. - Theme your months or quarters. - Surround yourself with people who will ensure you're sticking to your boundaries.

Sandy Waters is the co-host of one of the longest running morning show teams in the country (Spezzano and Sandy on 98.9 The Buzz). Along with her radio/broadcasting experience has come ways to grow a solid base of fans and keep them engaged. Food bloggers are "broadcasters" in their own sense and radio strategies translate into this space, so tune into this episode if you want more engaged fans! - Break down who you are AS A PERSON and start tuning into the parts of your character that are quirky and that show up as "extreme." - Stay relatable and real. Nobody wants to hear from a "perfect" blogger. Your audience should never feel inferior to you. - Tune in to hear 3 ways to move from casual listener to loyal fan!

Comfort zones are comfortable! But are they productive? Growth occurs within zone of DIScomfort, so let's dissect this and learn ways we can grow more quickly. Megan of Eat Blog Talk and Loren of the Align and Expand podcast dive into this topic in this podcast series. This is the first episode of four, focusing on an overview of this concept. - Ways to extend past your comfort zone to positively impact your business. - If you feel discomfort, you're doing something right (nice work!). - Comfort zone psychology: 4 steps. - If you want something different, you'll need to do different things.

Amy Nash is the blogger behind the popular food blog House of Nash Eats. She takes a menu-based approach to ensuring each season and holiday is represented on her blog in a well-rounded manner. Her strategies can provide traction quickly and also deliver robust, clear information to her audience which increases engagement and trust. - It's never too late to add holiday content to your site. Get it up now! - Pick out those posts that start to gain traction and link to other related posts inside them. - Consider repurposing popular content, perhaps with a unique holiday spin. - Put together a series of posts for your readers and prompt them with challenges to increase engagement. - Quick tips about how to start getting traction TODAY, without having to create new content.

Monica is a digital product coach for women business owners at MonicaFroese.com and through her podcast Empowered Business. She provides online marketing education to small businesses looking to build a profitable revenue stream through digital products. In this episode, Monica tells food bloggers how to find that next PROFITABLE digital product that will create passive income. - Create a sales funnel, taking people through a journey to bring them into your business. - It is easier and cheaper to nurture current customers than it is to constantly be talking to new ones. - Learn how to reverse engineer your way to the perfect digital product that will be the perfect solution for your audience's biggest problem. - Bonus: Empowering women about the importance of achieving financial independence.

As the self-proclaimed "poster child" for making the most mistakes in a blogging journey, Megan from the food blog Pip and Ebby shares about the mistakes she has made within this series. This is the second episode in a series that covers multiple mistakes, takeaways and action steps for other food bloggers to learn from. Mistake #2: Over-complicating everything. - Create your blog on the most efficient platform and use plugins that are tried and tested. - Having a plan will simplify so many things in your business. - Know your niche and serve those people with intention. - Wildly putting content out into the ether is a perfect way to over-complicate your business. - Do keyword research to hone in and simplify the content you're creating. - Start with something simple (and that works) and build from there.

Sandra started her food blog She's Not Cookin' in May of 2020 and was accepted into the Mediavine ad network a short 14 months later, thanks to the traffic that came from Google web stories. She shares all of her insights and tips inside this value-packed episode! - Don't give up! Sandra's first 9 web stories provided zero traction. - How to dig into Google Trends to deliver relevant stories quickly. - Be sure not to duplicate story titles and recipe post titles. - Learn how to separate properties on Google Analytics so stats track properly. - Tips about Pinterest idea pins included!

This Clubhouse recording from 9/24/21 delivers current information about how, why and when to create Google web stories: - How to find topics and when to publish stories. - Consider using Google Trends to help with trending topic ideas. - Image sizing, frequency of posting and republishing oldies. - So many voices provide value to this insightful conversation!

Chelsea, food blogger at A Duck's Oven, came to a point recently where she just had too much on her plate. She knew something needed to budge, so she created her own unique system for keeping the right balls in the air. She gives such great advice inside this episode about how YOU can prescribe your very own system for achieving balance. - Put the most important to-do items at the top of your list (think: exercise and self care). - You do NOT need to adhere to other people's strategies if they do not work for you. - Communicate very clearly about busy times before diving in, so everyone is on the same page. - Have grace with yourself and allow wiggle room for breathing when it is needed.

Podcast guesting is an underutilized strategy in the food blogging space. Angie from AngieTrueblood.com joins us in this episode to share just how powerful this can be and what a massive impact it can have on your business. - Just get started. Pinpoint a topic you love talking about and that solves a specific problem for people and start talking about it! - Angie shares her incredible pitch template within the episode! - Shortcuts for making sure a podcast is a good fit for you (and vice versa) without having to listen to hours of it before pitching. - This is a great way to network, build relationships, practice speaking fluently, offer up your own products and services to new audiences and so much more.

As the self-proclaimed "poster child" for making the most mistakes in a blogging journey, Megan from the food blog Pip and Ebby shares about the mistakes she has made within this series. This is the first episode in a series that covers multiple mistakes, takeaways and action steps for other food bloggers to learn from. Mistake #1: Thinking you can do it all on our own. - If you are resisting inviting people and information into your business, it's time to surrender! - Have grace with yourself if you've carried this mindset with you. It's part of your story. Course correct and keep moving FORWARD. - Action steps included for inviting people and value into your business. This journey was not meant to be navigated solo!

Do you know what your zones of genius are? Whether your answer is yes or no, Emily from EmilyPerron.com delivers so much value in this episode that will put you on a path to being happier about the work you're doing. - Just because you CAN, doesn't mean you SHOULD work on a set of tasks. - Log your time to discover which projects or tasks can be removed from your life, either by eliminating or outsourcing. - Tune in to to hear Emily's strategy for finding your zone of genius tasks!

Do you experience the January traffic lull like a lot of other food bloggers do? Sara from The Holy Mess shares tips about how to address weight loss and healthy eating EVEN IF you are not a health-focused blogger. Now is the time to put thought into this and take action so you don't experience a traffic dip when the new year comes. - Experiment with long-tail keywords surrounding healthy eating. - Spruce up your health-conscious recipe posts now. - Create roundups surrounding salads, low carb, healthy desserts and kid-friendly foods. - Be relatable. Talk to your audience in a sensitive and real way about the struggles you experience on the topic of being more conscious about what you put into your body.

If working with brands is a project you'd love to tackle, you will need a solid, personalized pitch to bring to the table. Kim and Chelsea from 10k Under 10k bring massive value to this conversation, imparting wisdom from their own experiences with doing sponsored work. - Consider taking your focus off ads and see sponsored opportunities as a way to earn revenue in a really fun way. - First impressions are important, so put time and thought into how brands will first perceive you. - Make your pitches juicy! Find the gaps and fill those gaps and show up authentically. - If you're having a hard time finding your niche, consider this: What problems have YOU overcome in the kitchen? - Never work in exchange for free products. Your time, knowledge and expertise are all VALUABLE.

Emily is the blogger behind Legally Healthy Blonde and she grew her social media traffic by 50X in one month by utilizing niche Facebook groups. Join us in the episode to hear her tips, if you're looking for a traffic boost yourself! - Find a few niche Facebook groups that align with your brand and start engaging with people inside them. - Make, photograph and share relevant information in the groups, linking back to your blog content. - Start each post with a question in order to jump-start engagement. - Use emojis and let people know you're a real human, with real kitchen struggles. - This is also a great way to massively grow your email list.

Shruthi is the blogger behind Urban Farmie and she has seen quick growth in her business by focusing on a few simple concepts relating to SEO. Join us in the episode to learn her secrets for going from 0 to 75k sessions/month in a short 15 months! - Think about the technical issues first and foremost. - Plan and post according to your niche, but stay true to YOU, as well. - Focus on one thing at a time. - Marry your content calendar and keyword research. - Create a recipe post template to be as efficient as possible. - Understand that at some point Google updates will wreck your traffic. Accept and surrender to this fact and life will be much easier to swallow.

Whether you are new to blogging or are just considering taking the leap from a different job, this episode will offer many insights into the "business" side of the blogging industry. Ansley from The Fit Peach carries knowledge about finances and taxes into her blogging business and imparts her wisdom inside the episode! - Things to think through before turning blogging into a business: W2s, insurance and 401k replacements. - Stay on top of your bookkeeping. - Price your work to reflect your value. Just because you're working for yourself does not mean you shouldn't get paid. - Consider your 5- and 10-year plans in terms of finances and retirement.

Daniel from Quest Education brings an incredible, transformational story to this episode. He turned a series of troubling life struggles into massive life and business success. Success is waiting for YOU on the other side of your struggles! - Remember that success is a terrible teacher and failure and struggles are the BEST teachers. - Start seeing traffic loss as a setback and an opportunity to improve. - Running a small business is no joke! It is HARD! But which version of "hard" is more uncomfortable: The sweat equity you put into your work? Or the pain of not having the revenue or traffic you want?

This Clubhouse recording from 9/10/21 discusses the importance of enlisting a reputable web host and domain registrar to help run your food blog. Jason from Makin' Bacon and Bob from Clarky Media give food bloggers solid advice on the topic. - Hear about a 48-hour, frustrating example of what can come of non-reputable companies hosting your site. - You get what you pay for! It is 100% worthwhile to pay extra for hosting if you are treating your blog as a business. - Did you know that your domain can be registered separately from your hosting company? It's good to know this. So much more value is inside the episode!

This Clubhouse recording from 7/30/21 delivers value about an array of topics, including: - Repurposing content to maximize your time. - Tracking stats and analytics and what to do with it all. - Doing work for magazines as a way to expand your brand. - Freelance contractor work - options for food bloggers. - Restaurant photography. - How to handle criticism.

The female voice needs to be more prevalent in our noisy world! Utilize the podcasting platform to amplify your voice and spread the message you need to share with people. The world needs YOUR voice and YOUR message. Inside this episode, Betsy helps to diminish potential hangups about getting started with a podcast and encourages you to get started today. - If you don't like the sound of your own voice, consider this: there might be something about your voice that people are drawn to! - Amplifying your voice through a podcast will help to massively grow your brand. - Use a podcast as a funnel that leads to your products, services and other offerings. - Networking with peers and stumbling into great opportunities is a great byproduct of having your own podcast. - Foodie topic ideas included! Betsy shares some INCREDIBLE ideas for food bloggers.

Lynn and Matt run several businesses, both individually and as a team. Their successes are a result of working together as a team and setting everything up with solid communication. Join us in this episode to hear massive amounts of value about finding that coveted work-life balance when working alongside a partner! - Use "yes, and.." when a partner or spouse has suggestions about the business you started. - Having the right team members in place is a huge part of the success equation. - Make a firm decision to implement boundaries that will protect your time. - Consider investing in flash photography and SEO knowledge in order to streamline. There is SO MUCH GOLD inside this episode. You absolutely have to listen in!

Figuring out what works on your social media platforms is a personalized process. There is not a single solution for everyone. In this episode, Benjamin from social media scheduler Missing Lettr imparts his wisdom on the topic of maximizing exposure and traffic for your social media content. - Do a ton of experimenting! - Embrace the concept that you don't need to be doing everything. Focus on 1-2 areas at a time. - Don't be afraid to share others' content. Make this a part of your overall strategy. - Hashtag advice included!

Avoid aimlessly wandering around your business and utilize the power that lies within organization, systems and processes. Amanda leans heavily on systems in her business and reaps the rewards from doing so. Listen in to learn from her! - The magic of time blocking. - Listen to your gut when you review your calendar for the following day. - Experiment with different tools that will keep you on track. - Write up SOPs for every process in your biz. Refine and tweak systems as needed, based on the SOPs. - Schedule time for "cleanup and organization" every quarter. - Stick to hard, fast boundaries that will protect your time.

This Clubhouse recording from 7/23/21 delivers value about an array of topics, including: - Zeroing in on what is important in YOUR business. - How and why to ignore the unnecessary stuff. - The importance of taking time off work. - Know that your audience will not go anywhere while take needed time away. - And last but not least, SEO expert Bob Clark gives the latest update on Google core web vitals.

Out of disorganized frustration and platform overwhelm came a need for Cate to find a way to organize her blog content in a single, manageable space. She found Airtable and has fallen in love with its capabilities and the way it has allowed her to stay focused and productive. It has even opened up space for her to hit her income goals! - Getting started is FREE and easy. Start small! - Let Airtable adapt to YOU, as opposed to adapting to it, as is the case with so many other platforms. - Keep everything in a single spot. - Import, filter and color-coding capabilities included.

Leveling up the people you allow into your circle is one of the most overlooked yet powerful secrets to success. Put yourself in the paths of people whose lives and businesses you want to emulate. Don't wait for them to find you! - Seek out people in the food blogging space. - Seek out others outside our space. - Hire a coach. - Extend beyond the comfort zone at an in-person conference. - Join a high-level mastermind group. - Start a podcast. - Speak up on Clubhouse.

Do you know the difference between food blog SEO and recipe SEO? There is a difference and both are important. Consider recipe SEO to be the overlooked underdog that we need to start paying more attention to. - Make a few tweaks to your recipe SEO to see a positive impact in organic search results. - One size does NOT fit all in the world of SEO, so understanding that what works for another blogger might not work for you is important. - Study your top-performing posts regularly. - Having solid recipe SEO in place is the key to getting in featured recipe results.

Solving big pain points for your audience seems daunting and at times impossible to figure out. The answer lies in this simple solution: Ask them! Ask for the struggles and you shall receive answers. Christine talks us through her survey strategy that has delivered valuable results and has guided her in creating a new product for her audience that she never would have thought of otherwise. - Christine shares her 7-question magic survey strategy. - Let your people "talk" openly. Include open-ended questions! - Take time to review the replies (you'll receive many!) and the answers will reveal themselves. - Be ready to deliver!

Kyleigh is the blogger behind Barley and Sage, a food blog focusing on scratch made recipes for the home cook and baker. She started her blog in December 2019 and a short 18 months later, she quit her day job and is now making a 6-figure income from brand partnerships alone. - Just because you can work for free product does not mean you should. - Think ahead a few months when presented with an offer from a brand. Is this going to benefit your business 3 months from now? - Take responsibility and start educating brands about how much work food bloggers put into sponsored projects. - Listen to the episode to learn negotiating and pricing tips, as well as parts of each contract you cannot leave out.

If you've ever heard the story about how the famous Wall Drug got started, you know that business success can be as simple as delivering ice water to thirsty people. This simple concept applies to every single one of our businesses: find the pain point and deliver the solution with a spirit of service and with no expectations! - Survey your audience regularly. - Spend time truly tuning into what is said within groups focusing on your niche. - Utilize social media polls. - Get on the phone. - Think as simply as possible. - Get quiet.

Marley is the recipe developer and food photographer behind Marley's Menu. It is her mission to prove that everyone can make a difference, through small changes that can collectively make a big impact. Food bloggers have a lot of responsibility! They sustain the masses and have an opportunity to educate people about how to be less wasteful in the kitchen. - Share how to freeze and reheat every recipe you share. - Create recipes in smaller batches when testing. - Encourage your audience to make small changes, such as purchasing a compost bin or cleaning out their fridge before everything goes bad. - Learn how to use all parts of a piece of produce and share about it with your people.

Sarry is the founder of Financial Asset Protection, a financial services firm that focuses on the Bank On Yourself concept, also known as the Infinite Banking concept. Learn how you can apply this strategy to your business in order to RETAIN and GROW that moolah! - Take control of your debt, interest and taxes to retain more of the money that flows into your business. - "Spending" vs. "investing" and how you can create opportunities to invest money back into your business in order to earn more. - Utilize the Infinite Banking strategy to find creative, abundant ways to retain more of your revenue.

Betsy launched Capsule Podcast, helping bloggers build their brands without the overwhelm and commitment of a weekly podcast. Capsule Podcasts are a great way to promote a cookbook, launch a meal plan service or to use as a lead magnet to grow your list. Listen in for reasons why you should launch a capsule podcast! - Connect with your audience in an entirely new way. Sharing your voice will allow for a much deeper connection. - Start with small, bite-sized podcast projects to avoid overwhelm. - This new way of delivering information to your people will become part of your entire brand.

This secret formula, when followed, will produce "success" for you! Listen in for inspiration! Step 1: Have a deep understanding of what you want. Tap into emotion to figure out what this is. Step 2: Employ discipline. Take the steps you need to take, even if they are hard or uncomfortable. Step 3: Be consistent. Repeat, repeat and repeat the things that need to be repeated. Over time, small consistent steps turn into big, powerful, magical successes.

Levan Wee is an Instagram expert and he is passionate about this social platform. He helps bloggers find success on Instagram and shares some incredible tips in this popular EBT replay episode that'll change your social media game! - Don't be afraid to showcase your personality. - Community is key. Instagram notices every single interaction that happens within the platform. - Go live! - There is MAGIC in the hour after posting. Take advantage of this! - Levan shares hashtag secrets inside the episode and so much more. This episode is pure gold!

Neha is the blogger behind Whisk Affair, which receives more than 1 million views a month with all tried and tested recipes and the love from its readers. Something she has learned in her journey is that challenges come along with growth. One of those challenges is how to handle ALL THE WORK. In this episode Neha guides you through how to start delegating and building a solid team. - A lot of this is mindset work. Make the decision to delegate, embrace it and watch your own productivity and growth soar. - Pick 2-3 things you're good at and hold onto them. Pick 2-3 things you don't love and start handing them off. - Having resources to help you and your team communicate and stay on track are important.

Despite 2020 hitting many businesses hard, Chelsea saw the demand for buying established online businesses rise, including food blogging sites. Last year she brokered the sale of more than 50 businesses, generating nearly $500K in sales and she doesn't see the demand for online and remote work slowing down in 2021. - If you've reached a point of emotional disconnect with your blog, research the option of selling! - Pros and cons of buying and selling a site. - How to determine a price for your blog.

This conversation comes from a Clubhouse room recorded on 5/21/21. Inspired by an episode from The Ed Mylett Show, food bloggers discuss the concept of separating from "the pack" in order to make big business gains without a ton of effort. - Consider doing "extra" during busy seasons to get ahead. - Squeeze tiny bits of productive work time into your days/weeks. - Go the extra mile when reaching out to brands or other bloggers (ideas included!). - Set yourself up for success in small ways to go FAR!

Did you know that over 6K thoughts pop into our minds every day? And that 80% of those are negative? Loren sheds light on the idea of changing our thoughts in order to find success in our businesses. This is such an important message for food bloggers! There are 4 steps to change our self talk: - Recognize what needs to change. - Replace the thought. - Repeat as much as possible. - Reinforce. And most importantly, don't resist the negative thoughts that come. Embrace them and move forward!

As a food blogger with a busy life, Whitney has honed in on some tricks that provide a healthy work-life balance. One of those tricks involves using artificial lighting for video and photo production as a way to be in control of this part of the process. Listen in for valuable tips about balance and time management! - Blogging expands to fill the container you give it, so be sure you give it a container. - Pricing strategies and how to use video/photo skills to monetize outside your blog.

After traffic to her travel blogs plummeted during the pandemic, Kalyn started a food blog. Seeing quick success, she started 2 more sites and now runs 4 sites across different niches. If this sounds appealing, be sure to listen in! - Running multiple sites provides you with financial security and less worry over seasonal traffic fluctuations. It also keeps you focused on the right platforms that move each blog moving in a forward direction. - Pick a topic that aligns with your passions and dig in!

If you feel like you are spending too much time bouncing from one platform to the next in an attempt to manage your blog metrics, Justin has the tool you need! Otherboard is a content management system for Wordpress users that allows you to track various blog metrics and glean insights from them. - Otherboard focuses on connecting platforms and providing brilliant insights. - Track all WP content, Google analytics, Slickstream data as well as insights from social platforms such as Facebook and Pinterest.

Sally is the co-owner of the full service culinary agency, The Lisa Ekus Group. From concept to contract, she has brokered more than 150 book deals with top publishers. In this episode she talks about things to consider when publishing a cookbook. - Do you want to hire an agent? Sally talks through the benefits of doing so. - Do you need a book proposal? You will learn why this is a good idea. - How do you land on a topic? Listen and learn! - Cookbooks take time and energy so make space for it.

Dayana is a digital PR strategist who helps bloggers become the authority in their market by combining publicity with SEO. In the episode she provides fresh tips and strategies for upping your SEO game. - "Digital PR" is when other websites tell Google what to rank you for. - Doing guest blogging, being a guest on podcasts and offering your content to digital magazines are ways to expand your portfolio. - Create "pillar pages" for your top content and build content around those. - Quality content is key!

Marni believes that life, cooking and blogging should be kept simple. She has found a way to plan her family meals that streamlines her personal life as well as her blogging business. She uses menu planning and editorial planning in tandem, saving a ton of time and energy. - Try planning by the month! Themes work well, such as Taco Tuesdays. - Review your editorial calendar when planning your family meals and food for gatherings. - There's no day like today to start simplifying your life.

Cynthia is an online marketing expert dedicated to helping culinary pros achieve more freedom, flexibility and fulfillment through teaching online classes. When her marketing agency came to a halt at the start of the pandemic, she developed Cooking Class Business School. Teaching online classes is a great opportunity for food bloggers looking to add revenue streams to their businesses. - Online classes aren't going anywhere! - This is a great way to engage your audience in a new way. - You might just fall in love with this new avenue to bring in money!

Tiffany has one of the longest-standing, most successful food blogs in the world. She is a 7-figure blogger who has weathered many challenges and changes and she shows up in this episode ready to share her wisdom! - Adaptability is EVERYTHING. Show up ready and willing to adapt and bounce back and you've got the battle half won. - Find out how to buy back your time so you can spend your time the way you want. - During tough stretches, take a step back, observe and research. Then revisit other interests.

Kathy teaches people how to reach their audience and create community through live video. Doing live video consistently will pay off and will help you build a strong connection with your people. - Show up imperfectly and throw "rules" out the window! Your audience will love you even more. - Try going live 7 days in a row and watch the magic unfold. - Embrace those times when everything goes wrong. Consider those to be teaching moments! - Have a "show and tell" pile ready so you never run out of words.