Eat Blog Talk

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.

There are valuable lessons to learn from journeys filled with struggle, loss and disappointment. In this episode, Danielle shares how her overnight traffic (and revenue) loss helped turn her into a more focused and determined entrepreneur. - Don't resist the stream! Even when it is challenging, going with the flow is the best way to go. - If you experience a dip in traffic/revenue, find a different project to focus on! - This is not always an easy job, but you do need to just keep moving forward.

Jay is a business consultant who deeply understands the impact taking action has both on an individual and a business. In this episode, Jay talks about moving past limiting beliefs to take control of our businesses in an impactful way. - Build a mental map to uncover potential limiting beliefs. - Use visualization to minimize trauma and magnify dreams. - Habits & morning routines can have a PROFOUND impact on a business. - If you're in it for the long haul, remember that the magic lies in taking ACTION.

The stories Elena tells on her blog run deep to relate to most anyone reading. The concepts of love, food, tradition, culture, and simplicity meld together to create a delicious food experience. In the episode, she explains why bloggers shouldn't entirely ditch the stories. - People want facts and helpful information, but they also want YOU. - Keep the heart in the things you share with the world. - Show behind the scenes glimpses into your world to make yourself more relatable.

Brett is an SEO expert with almost two decades of hands-on experience. He has managed over 1,000 SEO campaigns and has ranked tens of thousands of keywords within Google's top ten search results. Brett gives food bloggers many gems to help improve SEO! - Create engaging content that your audience loves, preferably over 1,400 words. - Consider doing EXIF data optimization. - Create the "Netflix effect" within your content so users want to keep clicking around. - How to get more backlinks to your site!

Cassidy is a blogger who has recently dug into creating traction on YouTube through video creation. In this episode she explains why curating videos for YT is important and how to approach it. - Creating videos specifically for YouTube is a lot more work than Tasty-style, so make a commitment. - Start with the equipment you have now, even if it consists of an iPhone and natural lighting. - Consider YouTube SEO! Search for keywords on the platform that are underestimated, just like you would with Google.

Join us in episode 200 as Megan interviews John Lee Dumas of the award-winning podcast Entrepreneurs on Fire. JLD imparts wisdom about how food bloggers and other entrepreneurs can achieve success. - Become the best solution to a real problem. - Niche down, then niche some more. Then a little more. This is where the magic happens. - Remember that the pain of being broke and unsuccessful hurts more than the pain involved in achieving success.

Aysegul "Ice" shares her own story with feeling intimidated by other food bloggers and the transformation that occurred once she reached out to a blogger she admired. Reaching out to other bloggers might seem scary, but it will unlock the power of community. - Reach out to bloggers, even if it is scary! - It is VITAL to lean on and learn from others in our space. - Consider starting a mastermind group! Ice talks through logistics to help get you started. - Prepare to watch your business take off!

Christine is founder of the popular food blog Cook the Story. She has since launched a second blog that grew quickly due to her existing knowledge about blogging. She makes a great case for why launching a second blog is something for you to consider. - Before you dive into blog #2, make sure you have the bandwidth. - Get help! Don't attempt this alone. - Create a spreadsheet with all existing blog content. - You already know how to CRUSH IT blogging, so why not do it again?!

In 2 years, Maria has grown her Instagram following to over 180K through the power of visually striking, consistent content. Inside this episode, she shares her secrets about how other bloggers can find traction on the platform, as well. - Figure out what people want from you and lean into it. - The algorithm is not a villain. - Reels are a unique way to connect with your audience, so use them! - Take risks, try new things and ultimately always keep a close eye on what your audience is telling you.

When a project is finished, it's not actually finished. Megan dives into examples where the "end" is not actually the end and what were to happen if it WERE the end (disaster!). Evaluate projects and how to take your content from "published" onto the next chapter, which usually involves selling, promoting, refining or all of the above. - Spend 15 minutes every day on the "next chapter" for projects that align with your goals. - Dig into the discomfort. - Most importantly, be disciplined and consistent!

Meagan is a Pinterest strategist, niche marketing expert and OG pinner, so she understands bloggers' challenges with and questions about Pinterest. - The scoop about all of those red numbers you've been seeing lately in your Pinterest analytics. - Stop resisting changes inside the platform and instead embrace them. - Importance of incorporating story pins into your strategy. - Why you should diversify your streams of traffic now more than ever.

Samantha is a 6-figure blogger at RecipeThis. She focuses on cooking with kitchen gadgets and the quality of the recipes is top priority. Samantha makes a case for not focusing on the photos and instead being the approachable "girl next door" to users. - You definitely need quality SOMEWHERE, but it doesn't have to be in the photos. - Experiment with approachable ingredient photos on Pinterest, such as process shots or raw/just-cut ingredient shots. - Be honest and real, and always focus on the user.

Amira is dedicated to teaching you how to flow through your goals to build a life of ease, instead of always hustling. She talks about THE MOST IMPORTANT parts of being an entrepreneur: maintaining wellness while achieving goals in your business. - Follow Amira's SMARTEY method to ensure success! - Behavior, thoughts and feelings are linked, so choose one to change. The rest will follow. - Establish healthy habits and everything else will fall into place in your business with greater ease.

A lack of confidence could be the thing holding you back from finding the successes you are chasing in your business. In this episode Megan dives into 7 tips that will give you a boost in confidence so you can speed up your success and growth. - Awareness is always the first step! - Commit to scary things. - Log your achievements. - Find your tribe. - Be decisive. See you inside the episode for the rest of the tips!

After the pandemic obliterated her local activity-based blogging income, Kate started a food blog about sourdough bread, as well as a Facebook group that has accumulated more than 18K members in just under one year! Kate shares how and why food bloggers should follow suit. - Start with your niche, then create a sub-niche to start a FB group. - Show up every single day, be consistent and pay attention to the questions people are asking. - Create products that also solve problems. - Start today! Why not?!

Amy is a food blogger, photographer and home cook. Her blog Pinch Me Good shares produce-inspired recipes to help people eat better and feel better. Amy recognizes that food blogging requires balance and provides insights about how to achieve it! - In the kitchen, there are ways to streamline in order to preserve time and energy such as taking advantage of cooking appliances and using seasonal ingredients. - It's all about color, movement and water! - Helpful meal prep tips included!

Chef Dennis is a food blogger and chef who loves sharing his restaurant-style recipes. With a lot of content sitting in his archives, Dennis has come up with a strategy for updating and optimizing existing posts. - Start with Google Analytics and figure out which posts are performing well. - Come up with a system so updating becomes a habit and somewhat of a mindless task. - Don't discount using social media and your email list as ways to allow older content to shine.

Whether you are finding this to be a particularly noisy season or you are just trying to streamline your business and make a few tweaks to your focus, this episode will be valuable! Listen in for 5 things to ignore (or mostly ignore!) for a boost of sanity and clarity. - Unplanned social media time - Email - Numbers (analytics/followers) - Social accounts that make you feel icky - Learning (when it gets in the way of life and work)

Uma has been a food blogger for 6 years and believes that cooking is about so much more than JUST cooking. It's the whole experience, including culture, patience, entertainment and time management. Uma provides tips about how to manage time to streamline your blogging business! - Allot time in each day for social media. - Align recipes with upcoming meals and events. - Establish a dedicated space for all blogging equipment. - Log expenses and consider hiring a qualified accountant to help with taxes.

Chelsea Cole is the food blogger behind A Duck's Oven. She landed on her niche happily yet somewhat accidentally when she fell in love with sous vide cooking. She brings insights to the table about how and why you should consider niching down! - Your niche does not have to reflect a cooking style or appliance. It can be something really unique, such as being a woman bbq expert. - Ask your audience specific questions about what they want and need. - Your niche is likely staring you in the face!

John Greely runs marketing for Slickstream, a software company that handles search and engagement tools for hundreds of food blogs. Slickstream has rolled out features specific to Google web stories and John talks about ways bloggers can increase engagement through them. - The potential value of web stories in the future is promising, so they're worth paying attention to now. - Use stories to let your personality shine. - Don't allow the lack of confidence in this medium keep you from getting started.

"A rising tide lifts all ships" is a popular phrase for a reason. This concept holds truth and power! Being a useful person inside the entrepreneurial space and collaborating with peers will bring you toward success so much more quickly than if you fall into the traps of competition. Ways to collaborate: - Reach out to bloggers regularly! - Get on Clubhouse. - Start a project with a trusted peer. - Start a mastermind group. - Regularly spend time in food blogging spaces. - Attend conferences/summits.

Alli shares valuable insights about how bloggers should be pricing themselves when launching into sponsored work, as well as how to build long-term partnerships. - Find a price range that speaks your worth as a blogger. - Consider your time, expenses and reach. - Don't work for free! - Always be kind when working with brands. Place value on those relationships. - Under promise and over deliver! - Know your audience and don't be afraid to dig into your stats.

Carrie is the blogger behind Clean Eating Kitchen and has found a new level of success since niching down. She offers advice to other bloggers who either need to find a niche or who need to niche down even further. - Spend time leaning into your audience to hear what they are needing from you. - Put yourself "out there" on video in order to get a clearer understanding of your avatar. - Ask friends and family for clues about what you are good at delivering. - Back it all up with keyword research!

People who dig into blogging "later in life" (40+ years old) have much to share! Cathy from Cathy's Gluten Free talks to both mature and younger bloggers about perspective, priorities and balance. No matter where you fall on the age spectrum, you will find value in this episode! - SEO and keyword research are important, no matter what stage you are in. Dig in! - It really all comes down to BALANCE. Prioritize the things (and people) you love and the rest will fall into place.

You have a story about what "freedom" means to you. Maybe it means quitting your job to have more time with your kids. Maybe it means paying off credit card debt. Whatever it means, you can achieve it. - Surround yourself with other people who have the same desire for freedom as you. - Engage with experts who deliver relevant value. - Learn how to manage your content and your time. - Understand that mindset is EVERYTHING. - Join the EBT membership to fast forward your path to freedom!

Victoria has been blogging for 12 years and moved from Blogger to Wordpress just 1 year ago. In that time she has grown her blog traffic over 1200% year over year as she has adapted, learned about SEO and optimized her posts. She has such great advice to offer other OG bloggers looking to grow rapidly. - Be willing to let go. - Know that it's not always an exciting process. - Always keep the user in mind. - Finding blogging traction and success is a marathon. - Wordpress is where it's at.

Alana has taken the leap into food blogging with passion and with a strong desire to maintain balance. This episode explores the power of a positive mindset while navigating the food blogging waters. - It pays to invest in yourself and your business as you're getting started. - Take those scary leaps! - View the food blogging world from a lens of resourcefulness. Opportunities are literally swarming around you. This episode is inspiring, encouraging and one you don't want to miss!

Megan has grown her food blog by over 500% in her first year as a full-time blogger. She committed to making blogging her career and has strategies to impart with others wanting to do the same. - Leverage photography as a way to grow on different platforms, as well as a way to make extra income. - LEARN! Honing photography skills is so important, but so is understanding SEO. - Don't try to do it all! At least not all at once. - Income expectations when digging into full-time blogging.

Clubhouse is the new, audio invite-only platform that everyone is talking about. Are you avoiding it because it's ONE MORE THING to distract you? If you are an entrepreneur who is serious about growing your brand, Clubhouse is for you. - Being an early adopter will benefit you. - It will help you expand your brand and grow your circle of influence rapidly. - There are people wanting to learn what YOU have to offer. Ask a friend for an invite today and listen in on some truly valuable real-time discussions.

Harry is the co-founder of Sorted app, a free tool that will add clarity and focus to your day. He talks about why to-do lists alone don't work and how his app will transform you into a super productive person! - Learn what "hyper-scheduling" means and how you can implement it in your business. - Download the app and listen along as Harry talks through the features and provides tips to help get you started. - Rigidity is not the point! You can learn to schedule with flexibility in order to find success.

2020 was a tumultuous year for creating a strategy on Pinterest. Kate Ahl of Simple Pin Media gives us the scoop about how to forge ahead in 2021 on the popular platform. - Story pins: Find out whether they are worth your time and learn a few tips about how to make them more user-friendly. - Video pins: Learn how many you should be uploading weekly. - Sponsored work: Don't discount Pinterest as a way to offer value to brands you'd like to partner with.

Chef Evelyn Williams is a Culinary Brand Strategist who is on a mission to help women live, cook and work on their own terms! She DELIVERS in this episode! If you are looking to diversify your streams of revenue, be sure to listen in. - Learn how to use the SPACE acronym to generate more money. - Create a promotional plan to avoid having untapped projects. - Narrow down your culinary point of view to find focus. - Market multiple revenue streams without confusing your audience.

Lexi and Beth are the mom-daughter blogging duo at Crowded Kitchen. They employ a very specific strategy to get Instagram traction. - Focus on improving your photography! Lexi shares specific photography tricks that work on IG. - Make your posts interesting and use a variety of formats (still photos, video, carousels and stop motion video) - There are ways to edit photos that will increase IG exposure. - Although IG doesn't deliver a ton of direct traffic, there's value in growing a following.

My Emissions was started as a way to research and collect the average emissions of each food. About 2/3 of people claim to be doing "everything they can to reduce their carbon footprint," but without clear information it's hard to reduce the impact of their diet. My Emissions provides the first carbon label for food blogs. This allows sites to display the carbon footprint of recipes in a simple and understandable way. Learn WHY this information should be in your recipe cards and HOW to implement it!