Eat Blog Talk

Do you take the time to really get to know Facebook as a business owner? Lorena shares tips for finding success inside the popular social media platform: - Real engagement is key. - Get to know your niche really well and deliver accordingly. - Analytics are your friend! - Getting to know this platform requires time and patience. - FB favors video! There is so much more waiting inside. This episode is packed with value!

Pinterest is HUGE for food bloggers! Kate takes us through some key points to keep in mind when we prepare to send our content through the world of Pinterest: - Know your audience! This holds true on Pinterest, as well! - Pin guidelines are important to keep in mind: image size, what text to include and which photos to use. - It is worthwhile to do testing to find out which styles your audience likes most from you. - Create the perfect description and now we can include post titles! - Video tips included!

If you have a huge bank of blog content, updating SEO might seem like a daunting task. Liz walks us through smart strategies that will help us wrap our heads around getting started: - Know your content and find a way to keep track of it. - Target posts that fall between positions 11 and 20 on Google. - Liz provides a helpful checklist to use a guide as you comb through old posts (think: adding alt tags, interlinking and keywords). - Remember not to compare your journey to anyone else's!

As someone who has had an inside view of the entrepreneurial world her entire life, Susie imparts her empowering and encouraging insights! - One tiny part of your job can become an important building block when you step back and view the big picture. - Susie talks us through her husband's move into her business. - There isn't always 100% bliss. Don't make big decisions in dark moments. - Diversify your income streams for long-term success!

Rachel dives into the topic of having an abundance mindset vs. having a scarcity mindset. She gives us some good tips about how to see the world (and our jobs!) through a more abundant lens: - Being aware is a good first step. - There are little things we can do in the blogging world to focus less on negativity and lack (e.g., unfollow people on social media). - Create space in your life and business for new good things. - Respond to everything with love.

Amy was able to fund her entire maternity leave as a blogger and she shares some of her strategies and tricks with us! - Make a plan and have a budget. - Outsource what you can. - Schedule ahead. - See a leave of absence as an opportunity to cut out unnecessary tasks. - Transitioning back into work can be tricky, but Amy has some pointers. - Tips for balancing work-life after taking a leave.

Get ALL the details about the four biggest and best food blogging conferences in 2020! Learn when each of the following conferences are taking place, what they cost, how they stand apart from the rest and WHY you should attend! Representatives from each conference joins us inside the episode. - Inspired Home Influencer Conference - Everything Food Conference - International Food Bloggers Conference - Tastemaker Conference

There have been SO MANY changes recently that have sent food bloggers into near panic. Traffic loss, snippet loss, revenue loss.. it's no fun to experience, especially in Q4! Try not to panic, though, food bloggers. Cycles are a part of life and despite the devastating losses we can sometimes experience as bloggers, there is always hope. There are always lessons to learn and action steps to take away from each struggle. Meet me inside for more encouragement!

Learn food blogging lessons the EASY way from a long-hauler who has learned them the hard way: - Take your business seriously: mindset is everything. - Breaks are ok (the blogging won't explode while you're away). - Learn from the experts, but be selective. - Ingrain this into your brain: this is a MARATHON, not a sprint. - Trends are important, but so are the things that make your heart sing. - Avoid being too micro-minded. SO much more is waiting inside the recipe!

Stay current with food videography as a food blogger! - Basic equipment needed to get started. - Create viral videos (and understanding that not all videos are meant to go viral). - There are different types of food videos. Learn what your focus should be! - Recommendations for length of video on different platforms. - Experimentation is key! - Repurposing footage is a great way to get the most out of the time and energy we spend on creating videos. There is so much more packed inside, so meet us inside the episode!

Imposter Syndrome is a prevalent part of our lives as food bloggers. Learn how to recognize it and work toward overcoming it! - Imposter Syndrome can become more intense the more successful you become, which seems counter-intuitive. - Allow it to help you, as strange as that may seem. Reflect on what you have to offer and use it to help shape your business plan. - There are strategies to employ that can help combat IS: community, seek help and outsource! Don gives great advice about first steps to take to get past IS. Join us in the episode to hear more!

Hiring a thriving team is an essential part of every food blogger's business. Emily shares a bit of her magic with us when it comes to knowing how and when and who to hire. - Develop a strategy. Decide which roles are needed. This involves process mapping. - Write an attractive and specific job posting. - Rate EVERYTHING. - Conduct effective interviews. Ask evidence-based questions. - Create a positive on-boarding experience. Hire slow and fire fast. Emily has a ton of helpful tips to share on the topic, so join us inside!

Launch a physical product for your business with the help of Kickstarter. - Ask yourself, "Is there something I would like to make if I had the money?" - Kate gives some ideas about which kinds of products to create to diversify your blogging income. - Kickstarter is a rewards based platform, which is part of its allure. - Those who help fund your project do not get charged until the project is complete. - Bring your audience with you AND take advantage of the Kickstarter community.

This episode is for loved ones who may need insight about how to support you as a food blogger. Dan Porta has been a husband of a food blogger for a decade and has insight to share: - Understanding that this is a JOB and respecting the time needed to get work done is key! - Be cautious about what you grab out of the fridge! - Become a time protector and help to control the chaos in order to open up space for food bloggers to get work done and be creative. - Be encouraging, share ideas, be an honest test-taster and read/comment on posts. And you HAVE to hear Dan's parting words of advice, so join us inside the episode!

Taking creative risk can seem so unsafe and scary, but food bloggers need it in their lives in order to move forward. - Say YES to things that serve you and NO to things that don't. - Push those risky boundaries! - The way to differentiate ourselves in the food blogging world is to paying attention to US. This is where you'll find the magic! - Focus on the feeling and not the numbers. - Get tangible advice from Tiffany about how to avoid burnout and how vulnerability can benefit you.

The relationship between WOMEN and MONEY is changing, thanks to this huge wave of amazing entrepreneurial women that YOU are a part of! - Being a woman entrepreneur has never been more exciting! There is so much opportunity. - We reap the benefits of having money in our lives, but there is a bigger purpose for the hustle: we can play a role in overcoming the collective powerlessness women have historically felt because of a lack of money. - WOMEN! It is ok to talk about money, it is ok to earn money and we need to think more positively about this topic.

Natalya from Momsdish gives us her best advice about how to make the transition from hobby blogging to becoming a true business woman (or man!). - Put a huge focus on SEO to start. Find tools that can help build a good foundation. - Network with other food bloggers for inspiration, encouragement and education. - Fill your mind with encouraging words and always be open to learning and growing. - Listen to advice, but follow your vision. - OUTSOURCE! - Plan and set goals.

Gear up for 2020 by developing a killer SEO strategy! Emma from Simply Recipes takes us through some great ways to strategize effectively. - Really understand Google's acronym EAT and what it means to deliver each of these components to your users. - View Google as a bridge between you and your user. - Consistency and persistence are key! - Figure out how to express your voice. It is possible! - Utilize SEO tools. They are there to help!

Creating custom products can only benefit your business! Products can immensely help to create brand awareness and identity. Barbara gives us some great ideas to get started! - Consider putting your logo on favorite items to use as giveaways (print on demand). - Consider having your own unique product ideas manufactured and sold. There is a ton of inspiration and encouragement packed inside this episode, so join us inside!

Learn how to create a welcome sequence (also referred to as a nurture sequence) that will turn into an audience of raving fans. - Start with a great lead magnet (freebie!) that will provide readers with value. - Show audience that they are appreciated right from the start by delivering quality emails they'll be excited to find in their inboxes. - Sell your favorite products and services within the first few emails. - Create a connection by personalizing communication. - There's SO much more in the episode. Meet us inside!

Delivering the best possible user experience to your audience is the MOST important thing to focus on as a food blogger wanting traction and retention. - UX design is a long-term strategy that will help you weather the algorithm changes. - There are many things to consider when keeping the user in mind, such as font size/color, sidebar and recipe card background color. - Keep HEART at the forefront (happiness, engagement, adoption, retention and task completion). - Write and create for your READER, not for Google or SEO or anyone else.

Learn how to utilize Google Search Console to create content that your users (and Google!) want and also to create an effective editorial calendar. Morgan talks us through efficient ways to navigate Google Search Console. She recommends focusing on QUERIES and honing in on what users are searching for. Build cornerstone posts/recipes based around those popular queries. Also use those queries to build a solid editorial calendar. Morgan shares so many valuable tips regarding how to navigate Console and how it will help you create quality recipes that are appropriate for your audience.

If you are a busy mom (or busy human in general) and you want insight about what you should and should not be focusing on (because time is precious!), this episode is for YOU! - SEO is important! - Keep creating that amazing content. - Compete with yourself and avoid the vortex of comparing yourself with other bloggers. - Improve your writing skills. - Find your voice. - Find and focus on your audience!

Happy 3-month birthday to EAT BLOG TALK! September 2019 brought so much value from food bloggers and other inspiring entrepreneurs. This month was jam-packed with value and wisdom on many different food blogging topics! Let us know what your biggest struggle is as a food blogger so we can help to add value to your blogs, businesses and lives!

As food bloggers we want an audience who CRAVES our content. Having followers is not the same thing as having an engaged audience. - Once you get serious about your business, creating an audience is important. - It is never too early to create a raving audience! - Define your area of expertise and tap into it. - Put a focus on your email list! - Diversify sources of revenue. - FAIL FORWARD!

Focusing on two aspects of working with brands - how to price your work and building long-term relationships: - 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.

Revitalize old content for a nice blog boost! - See your old content with new eyes and give photos/copy a facelift. - Get organized - determine which posts to delete, redo and no index. - Make sure all recipe cards have schema markup. - Utilize online tools to analyze content and make improvements. - Consider getting a site audit. - Set up a schedule for incorporating older content into your editorial calendar.

Learn strategies for growing your Instagram following, no matter what your following is now! - Be consistent! - Find your voice and brand. - Ways to connect with your audience. - Consider ditching scheduling tools for Instagram. - Make the most of your IG stories. And so much more!

Sarah takes us through some mistakes she made early in her blogging journey in hopes of keeping other bloggers from making the same mistakes. - Get professional help if you want to change the permalink structure of your urls. - Keep old content fresh by revising and revisiting it periodically. - Have a schema recipe card in place for every recipe post. - Keep your audience in mind when producing content. - Focus on SEO. - Build a good foundation and BE YODA. :)

Jessica shares about her incredible journey from having a very part-time food blog into a full-time, focused and cherished job. - Have patience in your journey! - Attend conferences to know which aspects of food blogging you should be focusing on and also to connect with others in the field. - Invest in yourself - treat yourself like the boss of your business! - Be consistent and take your job seriously. - Consult a financial advisor before taking the leap.

Learn how Karli gained MEGA traction on her food blog in a very short period of time. There are so many great nuggets in this episode. You are not going to want to miss this one. - Utilize Facebook groups that are connected to your niche. - Connecting with other food bloggers is hugely important. Find a trusted accountability partner! - Lifting other bloggers up is a big part of this game. - Focusing on SEO is critical. - Use Instagram to your advantage. - If you really want to do something, you are going to find the time for it.

Taking photos for your food blog does not have to be expensive! Learn how to be budget-minded while capturing pretty pictures. - Affordable options for cameras and lenses. - Cheap artificial lighting, diffusers and reflectors. - Make your own backdrops in a variety of ways to save a ton of money. - Where to find affordable dishes and props and tips for what to look for (and what to avoid). - Streamline your photography processes in order to be more efficient.

Learn WHY you should be growing your email list and how to do it effectively: - The importance of an email list. - How to nurture your list. - How you can make money with it. - Selecting an email service provider. - Optimize your site and social media to ensure you are getting as many sign-ups as possible.

Eat Blog Talk is nearing its 2-month birthday! This episode briefly recaps each of the 21 episodes that have been published and main take-aways from each. Going forward, EBT will publish episodes twice weekly - every Monday and Thursday. Let us know what your biggest struggle is as a food blogger so we can help to improve your blogs, businesses and lives!

Great discussion about the importance of connecting with other food bloggers and also a lesson in real-life, imperfect distractions (listen on to hear for yourself!): - Networking both on and offline is critical. - Attend conferences, be sincere and be supportive. - Make friends with food bloggers. - Reach out when you need help because we all need help at one point or another!

Overcome your perfectionism by learning when and how to embrace "good enough" so you can move forward in your business and life. - Establish criteria for your blog so you know when it's time to click publish. - Grow your blog and enhance your life by having a growth mindset. - Remember that everyone started somewhere. - Understand that you are in the GAP. Keep striving, working hard and also have tons of grace for yourself!

As food bloggers it is so important to keep our eyes on our own work. Danielle shares her insight on this topic and gives us a lot to chew on in this episode! - Someone else's success is NOT your failure. - Understand that every blogger's journey is totally unique. - Innovation over mimicry. - Self-competition over competition with others. - Focus on your talents and strengths to get past the envies. - Always strive to improve. And so much more!

Learn side-hustling tips from a pro! Becca is a food blogger AND a first grade teacher, making her a master. - Be purposeful and intentional with your time - Set time limits for social media - Use a calendar - Block out time for family and friends - Self care is SO important - Make time to learn skills that will add value to your blog - Fill your mind with encouraging, inspiring information

Understanding black hat SEO vs white hat SEO is an important part of food blogging. - Defining black hat SEO, white hat SEO and grey hat SEO - Avoid falling into the trap - Stick to reliable sources and services - Important SEO strategies to focus on - Transform the bad, old tactics into something valuable and good

We all know that we eat first with our eyes, but what we don't realize is that having a specific style can actually help us cultivate our audience and attract clients. Laura shares her knowledge on the topic of HOW IMPORTANT visual branding is for food bloggers! - What is visual branding? - Why does it matter? - HOW to visually brand your blog. - How to use visual branding to attract clients. - Top tips to leave listeners with a stronger visual brand.

Megan imparts her tricks for reaching an optimal level of productivity as a food blogger: - Be laser focused. - Implement the "little" things that will make a big impact! - Consider your environment. - Work CONCENTRATED. - Do not infringe on work times. - Learn to say NO. - Eliminate distractions. - Fill your mind with quality information. - Plan and schedule as much as you possibly can. - Make the most of every minute of your work day. - Schedule aggressively. - Have backup and mindless tasks ready for down times. - Push yourself to accomplish more because it is POSSIBLE. - Commit to finishing everything you start. - Reward yourself for reaching daily and weekly goals. - Focus on self-care daily, weekly and monthly.

Sophia talks about how to authentically engage on Instagram and how that can help you grow your food blog. - Learn what Instagram wants from its users and also what it has to offer! - Look beyond driving traffic! Instagram has a simple social media personality, so get to know how to effectively interact with other users while understanding what its strengths are. - Learn how to create authentic engagement. - Understand how Instagram can grow your business in a huge and unique way!

Taryn from Hot Pan Kitchen has been a food blogger for a handful of years and shares things she WISHES she would not have focused on when she started out: - Logo/Colors/Website: Define your brand, but don't spend a bunch of money or time on it initially. - Diary-style writing: Include your personality in your writing, but don't make it all about you. Focus on your audience and SEO strategies when writing. - Spending a lot of money on equipment: Use what you have and build from there! Don't let limited equipment keep you from starting. - Backdrops: Go cheap to start until you figure out what you really like. There are a ton of affordable DIY backdrop options! - Choose your courses wisely: Do some research, find out which ones are the most talked about/trusted/recommended. Then pick ONE. To start, focus on photography, Pinterest and SEO.

Alida is one of two creative and brilliant forces behind the popular food blog Simply Delicious. She has figured out a way to plan content six months in advance. This have given her freedom in her personal life and it is has helped her put a system in place that allows her to get content up on the blog 7 days/week (yes, you read that right!). Listen to this incredible chat where we talk about all of the planning and scheduling secrets that will open up a TON of time for food bloggers. Here are few teasers: - Start out small, if needed, but work toward saving up a "bank" of content. - Use scheduling tools and online calendars to plan ahead and stay on track. - Push yourself to create more, but allow space for grace when you don't quite live up to what your calendar asks of you. - Set goals and work backwards, figuring out the smaller steps you'll need to accomplish to get to those goals.

Lauren is both a food blogger AND an attorney and she shares valuable legal advice with food bloggers! - Consult an attorney BEFORE you have legal problems. - It is okay to purchase inexpensive contract templates , but have an attorney review those documents. - Keep immaculate records of every single issue. - Develop a long-term relationship with an attorney you trust. - Work with a great accountant!

Cookbook author and food blogger Jamielyn Nye takes us through the process of going from food blogging to being a published cookbook author: Brainstorm a topic and chapters for the book. Write a proposal. Hire an agent (or directly pitching to the publisher). Select the publisher that is the best fit. Thinking about the process and what you want to hire out. Hiring a recipe tester, ghost writer, photographer, etc are important to consider. Look for an attorney to help go over the contract details. Create a plan of action for how many recipes you will test/make each week. Select a range of recipe testers (based on location, skill level, age, etc.) Have head recipe tester (or someone) edit the recipes based on feedback from recipe testers and adjust recipes as needed. Once the recipe has been fully tested, photograph and edit for final product. Work on manuscript - send first round to editor. Finalize manuscript. Plan the PR and marketing efforts. Book Launch plan. Book launch long term plan.

Elena is a food blogger who has hosted local food photography and styling workshops. To be able to share her passion with a larger audience, she created an online course. The course is meant for both beginner and advanced photographers who struggle to find their style. Elena shares some teasers from her course with us, like: how to find your own personal style, how to dress up ugly food and how to apply color theory to your food photos. Her course covers the following topics: camera gear, settings, natural light, props, composition and styling. There are demos that show exactly how to use the settings on your camera, how to manipulate natural light, how to select and place props in order to get the look and feel you are aiming for. Launching a digital product is a good way to diversify blogging income. If you see a need for a specific resource food bloggers are wanting, fill the gap! Elena is offering a KILLER discount to Eat Blog Talk listeners. Don't miss out on a 70% discount, as well as an affiliate program!

Nurture and build on your creativity to grow personally, to build a thriving food blog and to connect with others in your community. Get out of the way of yourself so you'll be ready to explore what your creativity can grow into. Channel your creativity so you don't become the reason you can't be your best self. Also, avoid withdrawal, jealousy, anxiety, bitterness and depression because it will limit you. Learn to cultivate your creativity personally and professionally.

Every food blogger has different needs. To be effective as a team, it's important to communicate and work through questions and needs so that the food blogger and VA know what to expect and what they are getting. Some bloggers find it really hard to trust someone with their blog and social media. But by hiring a VA to do a specific task, it allows you to do what you enjoy doing - creating! When hiring a VA - strive to hire someone you trust and that you have a good rapport with. Ask a lot of questions and don't be afraid to manage your VA - your blog is your business! It's important to understand that VAs, while having a wide knowledge base may not be experts in certain areas. Identify the areas you are looking for help with. Do you need an extra pair of hands to complete recipe cards? Do you need to rewrite posts? Do you need reshoots? Do you want to grow a certain media channel? It may not be the same person who can handle all of these things - ask questions and ask for references. If you find a good VA, keep hold of them! Most VAs are really flexible with their hours. If you have a small budget, communicate that and make sure they work within that.

Find extra time in your week! Meal prep is the secret to unlocking time to do what you love. - Meal prep can have a huge positive impact on your time, finances and personal goals. - If you want to have more time to create content, film and edit videos or not feel so rushed then meal prepping is for you. - To start, pick the one meal time you don't have time to cook or struggle with making healthy choices at. - Don't try to do too much in the beginning; start small and build on your skills. - Pick one day to get your prep done, then grocery shop and knock it out! But be smart, don't try and do too much on one day. Break it into multiple sessions if needed. - Get creative and plan ahead! Are you blogging about lasagna and a soup? Try meal prepping those recipes then enjoy the extra time you have to photograph it during the week. - Meal prep is meant to be a tool to help you not stress out. Find and define what works for you.