Eat Blog Talk

Food science and holistic nutrition are important pieces of our businesses as food bloggers, with all of the food we make, eat and write about. Giuliana has a passion for food and her perspective is inspiring! - Mind, body and soul should all be involved when we consider what foods we eat and share. - Everything that involves preparing and consuming food is a science! - Consider experimenting with ingredients and taking your audience with you on your journey. - See your kitchen as a science lab! Join us in the episode to hear how the recent quarantine turned up something GOOD and inspiring for Giuliana!

Jason takes us for a deep dive into creating free or paid courses that support our food blogging content. - The first step is figuring out what your audience wants and needs from you (this part is KEY!). - You have options about how you convey your knowledge. Free or paid video courses, in-person courses, articles or email series. - Put thought into your launches. Offer tiny bites of your course to pull your audience in. So much more inside the episode, including pricing and discounts!

Deborah shares her insights about how to manage anxiety, particularly during times that are extra stressful. This episode is a must-listen for food bloggers. - The magic "trinity" must work together for each of us to relieve anxiety: sleep, diet and exercise. - Morning routines and routines in general can open up mental space so you can manage other areas of your life better. - Remember that comparison robs joy. - Consider taking social media breaks to help eliminate anxiety.

Creating an effective editorial calendar is a VITAL part of your blogging business. Here are some reasons WHY: - Easy communication between team members. - It ensures you are delivering quality, relevant content to your audience. - It will open up time and mental space for other projects. - Eliminate stress that comes with last-minute scrambling to get content created and posted. - Organization increases productivity hugely! Grab your FREE guide over at eatblogtalk.com/editorialcalendar!

Create a culinary masterpiece using Anecia's 4-step process to go BEYOND the basics in your kitchen, using the ingredients you have on hand! Answer the following questions: - What's for dinner? - How am I going to cook it? - How will I season it? - Where in the world do I want to be (think: different worldly flavors)? Anecia has so many delicious, fun, inventive and clever tips for stretching your flavors and teaching your audience to do the same. Join us inside for all the scoop!

Welcome to the 100th episode of Eat Blog Talk where we take a deep dive into Christy Denney's (from The Girl Who Ate Everything) blogging journey. She has persevered through all of the ups and downs involved in the blogging game and she has come out on the other side with delicious, quality content and tons of raving fans. Meet us inside the episode to hear her secrets! Here are a few tiny nuggets to get your interest piqued: - Success is abundant! - Persistence and resilience are key. See you inside!

Many lessons have emerged from Caren's 12-year journey in food blogging. Learn important insights from someone who learned the important stuff the hard (and long) way: - FIND YOUR NICHE. - Work on the technical parts of the job. - Rich content is key. - Don't discount your old content. - Be authentic and sincere in everything you produce. - Caren gives GREAT advice for managing the ups and downs that come with the food blogging territory.

Join us in this episode to learn how Yumna organically grew her Instagram account massively and organically: - Consider hiring someone to manage sponsored work. - Only work with brands you truly love and care about. - There is a 4-step approach to dealing with the IG algorithm: quality content, time on content, consistency and community. - Consume and create for success! - IG stories secrets are tucked inside the episode, too! You do NOT want to miss this one!

Managing stress and staying productive is important any time, but especially during uncertain and challenging times. Suzy gives us her best advice on this topic: - Routines will likely change and we have to be ok with this. Have grace with yourself! - Be flexible and don't borrow someone else's path. - When frazzled, always go back to your niche to refocus. - Pivot and figure out how to do business differently. - Be strategic and create for the future when things will be better.

Create a Content Strategy that will bring a raving audience, more traffic and more money! Inside the episode, Megan talks through the WHAT, WHY and HOWs of this process. Visit the show notes for this episode for your very own FREE content strategy guide that will set you on the right path. Having a solid strategic plan for producing content will: - Help you focus on the topics that will serve your specific audience. - Ensure you are working on projects and creating recipes that will bring in the PEOPLE, traffic and money. Join us inside for the 10 steps involved in making this happen!

After doing some user research about why and how users interact with recipes online, Bethany delivers great insights for food bloggers: - Why users follow food bloggers on social media. - How people use online recipes: what frustrations are, how recipes are searched and what info is searched for. - What users want from a recipe post: thoughts on jump-to-recipe buttons, recipe videos and photos/process shots. So much information is divulged in this episode. Finally we get to hear our users speak out in real life!

Balancing work and life while working from home is not easy! Sarah and Laura give us their best tips: - Establish boundaries with work space and also with time. - Self care throughout the day can impact productivity hugely and positively. - Consider taking "think retreats" where you can get away, focus on your business and rejuvenate. - Do what you can to keep your energy levels up. - Trick yourself into believing that every day is a vacation day.. with a little work sprinkled in!

Establish your brand in the community while expanding your food blog! Diana gives us her best tips inside the episode: - Find a need that's not being met and fill that demand. - Show up, be accessible and consistent. - Remember: You are where you are because of the people who support you. - Establish relationships with restaurants in your area. This will provide a ton of opportunity! - Brainstorm what you do online and how you can take that into the real world. There is a lot of opportunity outside your blog, so keep your eyes open for ways to serve your community.

Creating a business plan for your blogging or entrepreneurial business will change the game for you. Plans are vital! Download the free business plan guide and let's get started! There are 5 steps involved in the plan: - Define your audience - Define your business - Evaluate competition - Network and collaborate - Create a plan (and an UNplan!)

Finding inspiration, being unique and harnessing creative momentum is a piece of food blogging that doesn't always get the focus it deserves. Rachel talks us through how to do this! - Figure out what inspires you about others' work and find 1-3 things you like about it (consider lighting, angles, subject matter, props, etc). - Consider taking a break from social media in order to truly create from within yourself. - Trust yourself, tap into intuition and create from a space that doesn't feel pressured. This episode is GOLD! Rachel's insights are inspiring!

Liz Falcigno shares why updating old blog content is important and how you can see organic growth with this. - It is a great way to save time and ultimately make more money (ears perked!). - Updating older content is applicable to any blogger who has been in the game for more than a year (not just for long-time bloggers)! - This helps our blogs to be the absolute best resource for our readers imaginable! - Don't limit yourself to excuses when combing through old stuff. - Liz shares strategies for getting started with updating content inside the episode!

Food conjures up feeling and emotion and this can add an element of magic to your recipes. Priya talks about tapping into history to bring food to life in a new way! - Modernize recipes passed down from previous generations. - Think back to childhood. What foods lit you up as a kid? - Pay close attention to what people are saying about the food you make and create based on that. - Break SEO rules a bit and actually talk about the story behind the recipe. - Create memories for others with your food!

It is impossible to make an effective plan for your business if you don't know who you are speaking to. Your avatar will be your guide as you create your amazing content! - What is an Ideal Customer Avatar is and why do you need one for our business? - First, you need to gather information about your audience. - Give your avatar a name and start filling in the details about him or her. - Define specific struggles he or she is having. - Now it's time to strategize about ways to solve your avatar's unique struggles. - Put it all together in a place where you can access it easily and frequently.

Whether you are considering having contributors on your blog or being a contributor yourself, you can't miss this episode! Jessica shares all the details about how to dive into contributorships: - Seek out applicants who write in differing styles than you. - Ask applicants to share 3 posts they are proud of. - Scope out favorite blogs you're interested in contributing to. - Stay organized and the process will flow smoothly. There's so much more great info, so join us inside the episode!

Use meal planning and meal prep as tools to help streamline your life and business. Amanda shares so many great tips with us in this episode! - Allow meal prep/planning to open up time and also mental space in your life and business. - Find out what the most common meal planning mistakes are (and how to avoid them). - There are ways to NOT be totally stressed at dinner time. - When it comes to meal prep, start where you are. Don't over-complicate it! Amanda shares a ton of practical tips that we can employ TODAY!

Brian shares his story about joining his wife in her blogging business. We dig into the nitty gritty in this episode and Brian shares some great nuggets with us! - First thing's first when a spouse wants to come into an existing blogging business: learn basic marketing and sales skills. Facebook Blueprint is Brian's #1 recommended place to start with this. - Go in knowing that there will be challenges and growing pains. Be prepared for this, but work through the kinks. - Create a business plan and refer to it daily. - If you or a spouse doesn't have a passion for blogging, there's no need to push it.

Tapping into a really specific niche is only going to help your blogging business. Figure out who your audience is and SERVE THOSE PEOPLE. - Get good at the mechanics of food blogging first, then focus on your audience. - The magic formula: your passions + what people need = stardust magic blogging success! - Figure out what you want to be known for, yes, but also what you DON'T want to be known for. - Tomorrow is made in the here and now, so do the work NOW and you'll reap the benefits later. This is such an inspiring and encouraging episode. You do NOT want to miss this one!

Figuring out your food photography style and brand is hugely important! Listen in for Amanda's solid advice on the topic: - Study other bloggers' photos that you admire. - Settle on a specific type and color of props and stick with them most of the time. - Use FOOD as props! - Nail your photography first before focusing on any other aspect of food blogging. - Learn lighting - don't let the sun dictate your life. - Practice practice practice!

Enduring a trauma can put stress on our minds and bodies, so what things should we focus on in the midst of chaos? Also, how do we move forward? - First and foremost, make sure you are taking care of yourself. Be gentle. Move back into work only when you're ready. - Once you're ready to dive into work, be sure to deliver relevant content. - Back to the basics. Meet people where they are at. - Listen in for ideas about new and creative ways to deliver your content. The most creative, consistently-delivered is going to skyrocket right now!

If you're feeling the weight of these uncertain times, listen in for encouragement about how to keep spirits up and your business afloat! - Don't freeze up! - Be consistent and persistent. - People need you right now! - Good things are waiting on the other side of this craziness. - Now is the time to fall back on those good habits. - See the beauty. It is there! Yes, now! - Express gratitude every single day. There is always so much to be grateful for, even when times are tough. You're not alone. You've got this. We're in this together!

Establishing good habits in your life is KEY to finding lasting success as a food blogger. Natasha shares her best advice with us in this episode that will set you up for your best game. - Be consistent with the content you publish. - Stop the all-or-nothing mentality. - Routines breed habits! - Evaluate your priorities and put those things into your schedule first. - Tiny little changes turn into consistent habits. There is SO MUCH MORE inside the episode that will encourage you and set you on a path toward blogging success!

Prepear is a connected recipe platform for food bloggers to diversify their revenue streams while giving users the best digital recipe experience. Natalie and Russ saw the need for a platform where food bloggers have more control over revenue. - Benefits to food bloggers: recipe card metadata testing can potentially help standing with Google and it can be an additional revenue stream. - Benefits to users: ability to compile recipes from different bloggers and recipes that aren't bogged down with ads.

Self care plays a vital role in your food blogging journey because the better you are taking care of yourself, THE MORE SUCCESSFUL YOUR BUSINESS WILL BE! The more creativity will flow through your content. The more money you will make. The clearer your visions will be and the more productive you will be. In this episode we cover 20 ways you can start practicing self love: - Schedule self care into your weekly calendar - Time management - Declutter your life - Make sleep a priority - Remove unnecessary resistance - Exercise and diet - Be a time protector - Carve out time for creativity - Create a joy list Join us inside the episode to hear the rest of the tips and to be inspired to kick your self care up a notch!

Blogging and parenting CAN happen simultaneously and Karli shares her secrets on the topic: - Don't use your kids as a crutch. Get creative about how to fit blogging tasks into your week and MAKE THEM HAPPEN. - It's helpful to see your kids as helpers as opposed to things that stand in the way of your work. - Tap into the power of intentional planning. - Outsource whenever possible! - Consider having dedicated family time every day. "The most important work you do will be within the walls of your own home." - Harold B. Lee

Laura is the author of multiple time management books and she shares a wealth of knowledge on this topic inside the episode. Time management is a massive part of the food blogging puzzle, so listen in! - Time logging is a really important first step because if you don't know what you're currently spending your time on, then you can't change what you spend your time on! - Focus on what you WANT to be spending time doing and the unnecessary garbage will go away. - Schedule the following week every Friday! - Plan for white space/down time/backup time. - Manage your energy levels as efficiently as possible. - Give your best self to your most productive times/days.

Todd Bulloch of the Hey Grill Hey empire talks us through his experience as he joined his spouse in her blogging business. Todd's story is super inspiring and he is overflowing with encouragement, supportive words and tangible tips for others considering taking this leap. He talks us through ways a spouse can find his/her "space" in a world that might seem so foreign at first. We also get to hear about the more challenging parts and Todd provides takeaways for getting through similar scenarios.

Achieving BIG dreams in your business is 100% possible. If you can dream it? It can happen. Think of your business one year from today.. Figure out which dreams light you up and make them happen! Working toward a dream you have for your business will: - Ensure you are spending your time on the RIGHT things. - Necessitate putting a solid plan into action. - Require you to tap into productivity, habits and focus. - Strengthen your discipline muscle and set the stage for future successes. - Build confidence. - Eliminate nonsense from your life and business.

As someone who has dealt with the loneliness that comes along with being an entrepreneur, Lynette shares some tactics to help us avoid feeling isolated: - Be intentional about connecting with people. You might not feel like you need a support system, but you do! - Join a mastermind group or attend a conference. - Considering co-working spaces, volunteering and getting out into the community. - Find someone who will hold you accountable! - Remember that stepping away from your home will add to your productivity!

How to create smart blog content based on emerging diet trends. - How to identify a trend vs. a fad vs. a longer-lived market. - Secrets behind creating content for an emerging market. - Recommendations for creating content based on up-and-coming markets/trends. - Figure out who has authority in your niche and get to know them. - How to create the best recipe possible for your user!

As Director of Content Management for SideChef, Sandie is an expert in content best practices and she has advice for food bloggers about how to reach new audiences. - How to leverage food trends and identify which recipes to create. - Understand what a "smart recipe" is and how to tap into that magic. - Tons of valuable tips about how to create the best recipes and blog posts possible for our audiences. - Learn what it looks like to partner with SideChef!

The Food Blogger Summit is being put together by the talented Madison Wetherill from Grace and Vine Studios and The Vine Podcast. On February 24-27, twenty different industry experts will deliver information that'll help you think smarter about the way you operate your blogging business.. all FOR FREE! Here's just a sampling of the people you will hear from in the summit.. - Eric Hochberger, CEO of Mediavine - Kami Kilgore, founder of Everything Food Conference - Matt Molen, CEO of Personalized Paths - Danielle Liss, founder of Businessese And so much more! You do not want to miss out on this incredible event! Get more info and stay in the loop by clicking here!

Diet trends and food blogging are intertwined, whether you are a diet-specific food blogger or not. Dr. Karen Lee sheds light on this subject! - How diet trends play a role in food blogging, both from a blogger and user perspective. - How to utilize recipes that adhere to specific diet plans such as Whole30, keto and paleo to diversify your blog content. - How to cater to each type of "dieter" on your blog! There is so much more packed into this episode. Join us inside!

Hina brings an incredible story to this episode as someone who followed her passion for creating delicious recipes which turned into a love for food blogging. When your gut tells you to take the road less traveled, listen up! - Patience and faith are necessary when exploring a new passion. - There's ample opportunity to make money in the food blogging space. Keep your eyes peeled for ways to support blogging as you get started. - Reconnect with your WHY as you travel through your food blogging journey. Join us inside the episode for tons of inspiration and encouragement to follow your dreams!

Learn how to incorporate the HEART framework into your blog, which will drastically improve the User Experience (UX). It's about more than just making Google happy. - Bethany walks us through each step of the HEART acronym: Happiness, Engagement, Adoption, Retention and Task Success. - Food bloggers typically need the most help with RETENTION. How do you retain users? Bethany gives us advice about how to do a better job with this. Join us inside the episode for incredibly insightful tidbits that'll help you to focus on the user!

Join Megan as she reviews her biggest takeaways from 2019 as a food blogger and entrepreneur: 10-Email lists are important. 9-Mindset is everything! 8-Connecting with like-minded entrepreneurs is worth a million dollars. 7-Having the right people supporting you is KEY. 6-Taking the path of least resistance is not always a bad thing. 5-Sweating the small stuff is pointless. 4-Some seeds have a long germination period. 3-That very next step is the most important one. 2-EAT with HEART. 1-Time is MINE! Finally!

In this episode we explore common food blogging mistakes and how to avoid them in the first place! - Gather advice and data from trusted friends and peers. - Be consistent with posting content and place a focus on SEO. - Take online courses, but find just a few trusted teachers. - Food blogging conferences are a great resource. - Anushree talks you through ways to identify what your specific problem is if you aren't seeing a lot of traffic, and also how to fix it! - Avoid multitasking!

This episode explores the ups and downs entrepreneurs experience and the loneliness that often comes along with the territory: - The focused work and the quantity of it that entrepreneurs do can affect relationships. - Understanding whether you are an introvert or extrovert can help you navigate through your entrepreneurial journey. - Create unique sources of creativity to stay sane. - Work alongside other creators and take the focus off yourself for stretches of time. - There are cycles for everything, so use "off" seasons to reconnect with loved ones who might be missing you! - Don't ever read the comments on posts and on social media!

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 that'll change your game! - Don't be afraid to showcase your personality. - Community is key. IG is taking note of every single interaction 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!

You deserve ALL of the success and joy and goodness and richness that is waiting for you on the other side of your fears! Listen in for encouragement to jump in to your fears instead of running away from them. - EVERYONE experiences fear, even (ESPECIALLY!) successful goal crushers! - Entrepreneurs have to be brave enough to find a way through fear and not be stopped by it in order to propel their businesses forward. - Pinpoint something that is holding you back in your business and make a commitment to destroy all fears that surround it. - Accept fear at face value: it is a big fat liar! - Launch yourself straight into those fears in order to find success, joy, goodness and richness that is waiting for you in your business and life!

Staying on top of food trends is an important part of being a food blogger. Billy Parisi is immersed in the foodie world on many different levels. His wisdom on this topic is helpful and inspiring! - Health foods and diets are trending in 2020 and that will not be going away. - Those handy little appliances (think Instant Pot) won't be going away, either. - Consider starting your own trend. You never know, it might just take off! - Leave space for emerging trends on your editorial calendar. - Billy talks us through how to scope out trends on our own and he also shares valuable videography tips and tricks with us!

Madison talks to us about why brand messaging is so important when aiming to maintain your unique voice on your blog: - This is YOUR niche, voice and story! - It's so much more than your recipes. Your photography, writing and website colors play into it, too. - Figure out what your core message is! - Be strategic about how you present your content. - Review analytics to plan future content. Join us inside the episode for SO much more!

Josi dives into reasons why bloggers should all be tapping into their inner artist. When we take the time for this, our creativity will IGNITE! - Consider using art to inspire creativity and/or incorporate art right into your blog! - There are SO many options to explore. Hand lettering, knitting, marker art, painting, handmade gifts and poetry are just a few options to get your wheels turning. - Find that thing that sparks creativity and let things evolve. - Plan out time for creative outlets.

The most powerful secret weapon for finding success in your business is TIME! Stop working against time and learn how to work WITH it in order to open up valuable space in your life. - Stop those negative scripts about time that you recite to yourself daily. - If something is a priority for you, you can make time for it. - Time management combined with efficient systems and productivity strategies is a SUPER powerful recipe for success. - Fiercely protecting your time is one of the most important pieces of the puzzle and is sadly often dismissed. Let's find the time together in this new year so we can find success and space for all of those good things!

Creating systems in your business and life is a GAME CHANGER. It opens up space and time for so many other things. Kate Erickson of Entrepreneurs on Fire shares her systems secrets: - Plan each day the night before. - Understand the concept of decision fatigue and consider batching work to avoid reaching this point. - Take inventory, write out the steps, determine efficiencies and document--CREATE SYSTEMS that'll completely change your life.

If you are a first- or second-time food blogging conference attendee, you won't want to miss out on the valuable tips packed into this episode: - Deciding which conference is a good fit - Logistics - What to bring - What to wear - What to expect during and after the conference There's so much more waiting inside! Join us!