The Food Blogger Pro Podcast

Transitioning to full-time blogging, running a blog as a business, and making every day enjoyable with Bjork Ostrom. ----- Welcome to episode 276 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week, we're playing an episode from the Irie Lemon Podcast with Liz Della Croce and Vincent Mcintosh. Scaling Your Business & Providing Massive Value Today's episode is a bit different from normal, and that's because we're featuring an episode of the Irie Lemon Podcast. Liz and Vincent interviewed Bjork a few weeks ago about his unique journey from non-profit educator to food and tech CEO. You'll hear stories of how Bjork and Lindsay formed their businesses, how Bjork stays inspired, and how he delegates and hires. We hope you enjoy this featured podcast episode! In this episode, you'll learn: The quick story of Pinch of Yum, Food Blogger Pro, Nutrifox, and TinyBit What Bjork did before starting Food Blogger Pro How Bjork and Lindsay transitioned to blogging full-time How Bjork and Lindsay described running a blog as a business Why Bjork wanted to educate others through the income reports on Pinch of Yum How to find your why How to make every day enjoyable How Bjork and Lindsay passed responsibilities off to others What intentional ignorance and radical delegation mean The story behind Food Blogger Pro Why you only need to be expert enough to each someone something Resources: Irie Lemon Podcast Pinch of Yum WP Tasty Nutrifox Clariti Atomic Habits Youth Frontiers 1000 True Fans Baremetrics ConvertKit Buffer Pinch of Yum Income Reports Smart Passive Income The Social Dilemma Designing Your Life The Life Coach School EOS Pilot Hand Built The Last Dance If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to [email protected]. Learn more about joining the Food Blogger Pro community at foodbloggerpro.com/membership

Ad revenue in Q4, common traits of top ad revenue-earning sites, and balancing ad revenue and user experience with AdThrive. ----- Welcome to episode 275 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Paul Bannister and Becca Clark from AdThrive about how ad revenue works and how food bloggers can increase the income they get from ads. Optimizing Ads Let's talk about ads. They're a simple way to make some money from your site (essentially, the more traffic you have, the more ad revenue you can potentially make), and there are many different strategies to help you optimize your ad revenue out there. But ad placement and revenue is an art and a science. Paul and Becca from AdThrive are here on the podcast to talk about how ads work and how food bloggers can optimize the ads they run on their sites. It's an interesting conversation in how ads operate behind-the-scenes, as well as how incredible content is essentially the ultimate driver of ad revenue. In this episode, you'll learn: What they do at AdThrive Common traits of top ad revenue-earning sites How to evaluate ad managers How to optimize your ad income What a Google Certified Publisher is What viewable ads and sticky ads are How recipe ads work How to balance ad revenue and user experience How to optimize ads for Q4 How the food industry is trending Resources: AdThrive WP Recipe Maker Tasty Recipes If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to [email protected]. Learn more about joining the Food Blogger Pro community at foodbloggerpro.com/membership

Maximizing your Q4 revenue, how to keep the Q4 momentum, and republishing content with Bjork Ostrom and Jenna Arend. ----- Welcome to episode 274 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, we're re-sharing a Q&A we held for our Food Blogger Pro members where Bjork and Pinch of Yum's General Manager, Jenna, answer questions about preparing for Q4. Last week on the podcast, Bjork chatted with Danielle Liss from Businessese and LISS Legal about the ways that bloggers can protect their content. To go back and listen to that episode, click here. How Food Bloggers Can Make the Most Out of Q4 Q4 is made up of the last three months of the year (October, November, and December), and it's a big deal for food bloggers. Why? Because people are hungry for recipes! They want recipes for Halloween, Thanksgiving, the holidays. And when we're not experiencing a pandemic, they want crowd-pleasing recipes and recipes they can make for their holiday parties and get-togethers. Not only that, but advertising spend goes up during these three months. Sponsors are looking for bloggers and content creators who can create seasonal content, and display ad revenue goes up because traffic is up. To help you prepare for Q4, today we're sharing the Q&A we hosted with our Food Blogger Pro members last week! We have these live Q&As every single month for our Food Blogger Pro members. Sometimes we focus on a specific topic (like this one), and other times it's an excuse to pick Bjork's brain on any blogging topic under the sun. It's so fun to connect, answer our members' toughest questions, and have an hour to intentionally work on getting a tiny bit better. We hope you enjoy this replay of our Q&A from October 2020! In this episode, you'll learn: What Jenna's role looks like on the Pinch of Yum team How the Pinch of Yum team is preparing for Q4 Tips for Q4 if your blog is new How to maximize affiliate earnings in Q4 Alternatives to the Amazon affiliate programs How Q4 differs from Q1 and how to keep the momentum into the new year How to choose whether to create a new recipe or republish existing content What Pinch of Yum's current email strategy looks like Resources: Pinch of Yum October Coffee Date post on Pinch of Yum Republishing Content course Google Search Console course Pinch of Yum's Shop page How to include the equipment section on a Tasty Recipes recipe card Tasty Links Tasty Recipes ShareASale ShopStyle Amazon OneLink Simple Pin Media Whisk Prepear ConvertKit Duett If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to [email protected]. Learn more about joining the Food Blogger Pro community at foodbloggerpro.com/membership

How to create and maintain Terms of Service, Privacy Policies, disclaimers, and more to protect your content with Danielle Liss. ----- Welcome to episode 273 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Danielle Liss from Businessese and LISS Legal about the ways that bloggers can protect their content. Last week on the podcast, Bjork chatted with Les Alfred from Balanced Black Girl about building a brand that allows you to share your message. To go back and listen to that episode, click here. Protecting Your Content You spend a lot of time creating content; how can you make sure that your content is actually protected? That's where things can get kind of…confusing. What can be copyrighted? What are DMCA takedown notices? Do you need a disclaimer? How often should you update your Terms of Service and Privacy Policy? Danielle is here on the podcast to discuss it all! You work hard to produce the content for your blog and brand – in today's episode, you'll learn how to make sure your work, your business, and your content are all protected. In this episode, you'll learn: How Danielle helps digital creators How protecting your content can get tricky Why you might want to register a trademark and monitor your content What the DMCA is How copyrights work When you would look into suing How to create and maintain your Terms of Service The difference between your Terms of Service and your Privacy Policy How disclaimers work on your site and on Instagram How ebook disclaimers work Resources: LISS Legal Pixsy Businessese Businessese legal templates Check out our Businessese Deals! WooCommerce Reach out to Danielle via email and follow her on Instagram Meet out other Food Blogger Pro Experts Learn more about becoming a Food Blogger Pro member If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to [email protected]. Learn more about joining the Food Blogger Pro community at foodbloggerpro.com/membership

Tips for dealing with Imposter Syndrome, managing a podcast, and starting a new brand with Les Alfred. ----- Welcome to episode 272 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Les Alfred from Balanced Black Girl about building a brand that allows you to share your message. Create Your Own Room Have you ever worked on a project and just felt that something about it was…off? It's as though it just doesn't fit with your vision, your wants, or your passions? That's exactly where Les found herself two years ago when she was a food and fitness blogger at The Balanced Berry. She took a step back, leaned into the discomfort she was feeling, and ultimately started a new brand, podcast, and website all under the Balanced Black Girl name. It's under this brand that Les is able to relay the message she feels called to share to her audience and have meaningful conversations with others who help her spread her mission. In this conversation, Les shares advice for bloggers who feel like they need a break, how she deals with Impostor Syndrome, and how to manage feeling lost and get back on track. In this episode, you'll learn: Why she started her own food blog How she knew it was time to pivot Her advice for taking a break How Les knew Balanced Black Girl was going to be a good fit How she builds her podcast journey How she manages her podcast queue What it's like to start something new How she dealt with Impostor Syndrome How she uses her podcast as a piece of her business Her encouragement for people who are feeling a bit lost Resources: The Balanced Berry Les' "A New Chapter" blog post Balanced Black Girl Balanced Black Girl Podcast Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear The Life of a Project Graph Steal like an Artist Airtable Black Food Bloggers Club The War of Art Les' #WellnessSoWhite podcast episode Follow Les and the Balanced Black Girl Podcast on Instagram If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to [email protected].

How consumers use subscriptions, how to stay competitive as a subscription-based business, and how to get paid for your work with Melissa Lanz. ----- Welcome to episode 271 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Melissa Lanz from The Fresh 20 about running subscription businesses in 2020. Serving Your Subscribers Do you have a subscription-based business? If not, this episode may convince you to add one to your monetization strategy! Melissa runs the subscription-based business, The Fresh 20, and she's back here on the podcast this week to talk about how you can help your readers with a useful subscription service. She'll help you understand the best way to find and serve "your people," identify your audience's problems, and offer solutions with the content you produce. Subscription businesses can be a great way to create a sustainable income as an entrepreneur AND serve your audience along the way. You'll learn how in this episode! In this episode, you'll learn: How her business has changed in the past five years How typical consumers use subscriptions If we're at risk for subscription fatigue How to stay competitive with a subscription-based business How to be a resource for your audience How you transition to getting paid for your work Resources: The Fresh 20 023: Building a Team for your Online Business with Melissa Lanz from The Fresh 20 SUBTA The Automatic Customer Sally's Baking Addiction 269: Quality Content – How To Create The Best Recipes for Your Readers with Sally McKenney Beauty Pie Delivering Happiness Follow Melissa on her personal site, on Facebook, or on Instagram The Subscription Lab If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to [email protected].

How to remind yourself of personal and business tasks, protect your stuff from theft, and keep a tidy computer with Bjork Ostrom. ----- Welcome to episode 270 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork talks about his must-have apps for a productive business and personal life. Get It Done Apps are great to help you become more productive, track your progress, and optimize your day. But which are our absolute favorites? The ones we rely on day after day, week after week to help us get it all done? That's what Bjork is focusing on in this episode. You'll hear about the apps and tools he uses to fly through email, stay on top of business and personal tasks, record quick videos, and stay hydrated with a color-changing water bottle. Yes, seriously. We're excited to share some of our favorite apps with you today! And if you have any must-have apps, leave them in the comments at foodbloggerpro.com/270 –– we'd love to hear your suggestions! In this episode, you'll learn: How Screen Time/Downtime works on Apple products How to use Things to remind yourself of business and personal tasks How to quickly manage your inbox How to send recurring emails How to use Asana as a team How video can help prevent miscommunication How to strengthen your passwords How to drink more water in a techy way How to store articles for later How to protect your computer or phone from theft How to keep your computer tidy and free from viruses Resources: Information about Apple's Screen Time and Downtime 165: Getting Things Done with David Allen Things Superhuman Gmail Boomerang Asana Loom ScreenFlow 1Password Hidrate Pocket Tile CleanMyMac If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to [email protected].

How to manage a team as a blogger, republish content, and identify high-quality content with Sally McKenney. ----- Welcome to episode 269 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Sally McKenney about how she creates the very best recipe content for her readers. How To Create The Best Recipes for Your Readers We're so excited to welcome Sally from Sally's Baking Addiction back to the podcast after five years. Fun fact: she was the first true interviewee on The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This episode is loaded with valuable information for any blogger at any part of the blogging journey. Sally talks about what it's like to run a blog and balance being a parent, how she delegates tasks, the work she'll always do for her blog, and the kind of work that has been most beneficial to her blog's growth. Then she'll talk about the importance of creating awesome content for your readers. What does it look like? How do you update your older content to be even better? She answers all of these questions (and more!) in this interview. In this episode, you'll learn: How Sally decided to hire help How her team helps her run her blog The things she'll always do for her blog What has had the biggest impact on her blog and business How she thinks SBA may change in the future How she optimized for SEO How she republishes her content Why she doesn't have any regrets What she wants to focus on in the future How she measures quality content How she would start a new blog today Resources: Sally's Baking Addiction 003: Sally McKenney from Sally's Baking Addiction on Creating Success Follow Sally on Instagram and Facebook If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to [email protected].

Is the blogging niche too saturated, how to find a good host for your website, and the difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org. ----- Welcome to episode 268 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, we're resharing an episode in which we offer advice to new food bloggers. Blogging Misconceptions, How to Choose a Host, and Why WordPress We're going back to basics today and resharing an episode from 2019 about starting a blog. If you have an idea for a blog, business, series, post, or product, we hope this episode will help give you a bit of a push to actually start. First, you'll hear from Bjork. He covers three of the most common blogging misconceptions we hear from new bloggers and how you can switch your thought processes around them. Next up: Andrew, our Site Speed Expert here at Food Blogger Pro. In his section, he's talking all about hosting. For instance, did you know he recommends changing hosts every few years?! Last, our old WP Tasty Lead, Raquel. She's talking all about WordPress and why it's the CMS we recommend for food bloggers. We think you'll have a lot of great takeaways from this episode, regardless of whether your blog is brand new or if you've been blogging for years. Enjoy! In this episode, you'll learn: Why you don't need to have a ton of content to launch Why you have to love the idea AND the work Why there's still a place for your blog What hosting is How to find a good host When you should switch your hosting Why we use and recommend WordPress WordPress.com vs. WordPress.org What it means when a plugin is premium Resources: 1000 True Fans 213: Trends – The Latest in Site Speed, How to Find Timely Content, and Social Media Trends WP Engine Siteground BigScoots Cloudways NerdPress WP Tasty WordPress plugin directory Raquel's personal site If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to [email protected].

Creating a freelance photography business, shooting in manual mode, understanding a DSLR, and tips for improving your food photography skills with Ashley McLaughlin. ----- Welcome to episode 267 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, we're rewinding back to our episode about freelance food photography with Ashley McLaughlin. Freelance Food Photography…with a side of Architecture We're revisiting one of our past episodes about food photography this week! We interviewed Ashley McLaughlin back in 2017 about her freelance food photography business, and we're resharing that episode with you today. Architecture and food…it doesn't sound like there would be many similarities between the two, right? But there are, and Ashley's background in architecture helped her understand experience, perspective, and design in a culinary setting. After staring her blog, Edible Perspective, as a way to stay creative, Ashley's love of food transformed into a love of photography. After a long learning process, she went from a complete novice with a DSLR to understanding exposure meters, shooting in manual mode, and writing a food photography series on her blog. Now she's a full-time freelance food photographer who has photographed multiple cookbooks for bloggers. It's a good reminder that your blog isn't the only money-maker in this industry; freelance food photography or writing can be a great way to build an income by doing what you love. In this episode, you'll learn: How recipe creation is like architecture Why she launched her blog How she started using a DSLR Her tips for improving your food photography skills How she was able to become a full-time freelance food photographer Resources: Check out our recent Photography Live Q&A with Ashley!– for members only About the Slow Food Movement Michael Pollan books Canon 5D Mark III Canon 7D Oh She Glows Every Day Peas and Thank You Simple Meatless Meals the Whole Family Will Love Canon 35mm f/1.4L Bubble Level Ashley's Photography Series Follow Edible Perspective on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to [email protected].

Learn how to write with focus, read with purpose, and build your community in this special FBP Rewind episode with Gabriela Pereira from DIY MFA. Welcome to episode 266 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, we're rewinding back to one of our most popular episodes about writing with Gabriela Pereira from DIY MFA. Write More, Write Better, and Write Smarter Writing –– do you love it or hate it? It seems to be one of those topics that really divide people; either you love the creative process of putting words onto paper or…you don't. Today's FBP Rewind episode will help you get those creative juices flowing and fine-tune your writing processes. A bit about our interviewee: Gabriela got her MFA in 2010, and after she graduated, she realized that a lot of people don't actually need a formal education process in order to write. If you give yourself permission to own your creativity and writing, and if you learn a few key skills along the way, you can be a writer. She started her business, DIY MFA, to teach others how they can do exactly that. Gabriela has been able to practice, evaluate, and fine-tune her craft and teach others how to do the same. Gabriela's strategies about finding the right writing system, tracking productivity, staying inspired, and understanding strengths and weaknesses all play into finding one's voice and writing style. In this episode, you'll learn: What an MFA is Why she considers herself an instigator How she calculates and tracks her productivity How to find a writing system that works for you How she stays inspired How she writes personal posts Why it's important to get input from the right people Why you should know your strengths and weaknesses Resources: 099: Sponsored Content and Getting Paid What Your Work is Worth with Danielle Liss DIY MFA DIY MFA book The Writer Igniter Setting the Mood for an Optimal Writing Session Gabriela's personal post 20 things Bjork learned from writing income reports James Altucher DIY MFA Radio podcast Starter Kit If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to [email protected].

Delegating work, how to solve your readers' problems, and dedicating time to learn with Beth Moncel. ----- Welcome to episode 265 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Beth Moncel about adapting and growing her blog over the past five years. Adapting and Adjusting We're so excited to welcome Beth Moncel from Budget Bytes back to the podcast today! She was our 11th guest on the podcast, so we're excited to catch-up with her in this episode. While we do talk about the things that successfully help her run her blog in this episode, we also talk about where she has struggled these past few years. Between hiring, listening to her readers, and adapting to drops in traffic, Beth has learned and grown, and we hope that this episode will teach you how you can adjust to changes in your own blogging journey. In this episode, you'll learn: How her blog has changed in the past five years Why she includes step-by-step photos in her blog posts Why her blog is a combination of her love of art and science How she dedicates time to learn How she grew her team and delegates her work How she adapted to her traffic dropping What E-A-T means in terms of blogging How she helps solve her readers' problems The tools she uses with her team How she's planning ahead to take some time off Where she sees herself and her business in the future Advice she'd give her past self Resources: Budget Bytes Pinch of Yum Pinch of Yum Income Reports More info about FIRE Mr. Money Mustache 011: Making the Leap to Full-Time Blogging with Beth Moncel from Budget Bytes Marie Haynes Budget Bytes' About page The Budget Bytes app Budget Bytes Meal Plans Asana Slack Airtable The Intentional Growth Podcast Curbly Follow Budget Bytes on Instagram If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to [email protected].

Creating reader-first content, how to effectively work with brands, and creating a seven-figure income with Chelsea Lords. ----- Welcome to episode 264 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Chelsea Lords about growing her website traffic and building her seven-figure blogging business. Persistence It's time to welcome Chelsea Lords from Chelsea's Messy Apron back to the podcast! Her original episode on the FBP Podcast is one of our all-time most-downloaded episodes, and we're so excited we had the chance to welcome her back to the show and catch up on how her blog has grown and evolved since we last talked to her. You'll hear how her social media and traffic strategies have shifted, how and why she strives to create the most helpful content she can for her readers, and how she managed to grow Chelsea's Messy Apron into a seven-figure revenue business. In this episode, you'll learn: How she adjusts to the changing blogging landscape How Facebook traffic changed How she diversifies her income How she creates valuable sponsored content How she raised her sponsored content rates How she's making seven figures of revenue Why it's important to give up complete control How she makes her content more helpful for her readers Why it's important to re-invest in your business Why a support network is so important Resources: Chelsea's Messy Apron 092: How to Make $40K in the First Year of Blogging with Chelsea Lords from Chelsea's Messy Apron InfluenceKit Curbly The E-Myth Revisited Chelsea's Sweet Potato Burrito Bowls Follow Chelsea on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to [email protected].

How to advocate for your brand, the importance of content, and growing an Instagram following to 1.7 million with Tieghan Gerard. ----- Welcome to episode 263 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Tieghan Gerard about running her brand, growing her blog, and working with her family. Creating with Confidence Today we're welcoming Tieghan Gerard back to the podcast after four whole years! Tieghan has been pretty busy these past few years; she learned how to delegate work to her team, grow her personal brand, and set boundaries when they're needed. She also realized that awesome, high-quality content needs to be at the core of everything she does because it helps her build a following and branch out to do other exciting projects that helps her grow her business. We loved catching up with Tieghan in this episode, and we know you'll love getting a peek behind-the-scenes of how she runs Half Baked Harvest! In this episode, you'll learn: How she manages work and projects as a business owner and blogger How she started delegating her work How she started working with an influencer management company How to effectively communicate and advocate for your brand Why her blog acts as her brand's hub How she grew her Instagram following to 1.7 million How to deal with negative comments Why it's important for Tieghan to keep her head down and focus on her own work Why it's important to set boundaries on social media How she monetizes Half Baked Harvest Her predictions for the future of Half Baked Harvest Resources: Half Baked Harvest 043: How Tieghan Gerard used Photography, Recipe Development, and Hustle to Build Half Baked Harvest Digital Brand Architects Notion Half Baked Harvest Cookbook Half Baked Harvest Super Simple Tieghan's South Korean Olympics posts - Part 1 and Part 2 Follow Half Baked Harvest on Instagram and Pinterest and connect with Tieghan via her blog If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to [email protected].

How to understand your blog data, why blogging was more profitable than freelancing, and how to write a cookbook with Mary Cressler and Sean Martin. ----- Welcome to episode 262 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Mary Cressler and Sean Martin from Vindulge about the journey to how they run their food blog today. The Journey of Food Bloggers Mary Cressler and Sean Martin have done it all: they freelanced, they worked with ad companies, they worked with influencer marketing companies, they catered, they wrote a cookbook –– all in the pursuit of finding what it is that they like to do. This conversation with the Vindulge team will inspire you to think about your own journey and dig deep to figure out the way you want to run your blog. There's not a "right" way or a "wrong" way to run your blog; this episode will give you some ideas to help make your blogging journey the best it can be for you. In this episode, you'll learn: How Mary and Sean started to work together How they transitioned to working on their own thing What it was like to establish their niche How Mary decided to focus on her own blog over freelancing How they started working on sponsored content How they monetize their blog Why it's important to understand your data (and how to gather it) Why their email community is so important to them How they decide to spend their time How all of their content works together What connectional intelligence means How they wrote a book proposal and pitched their book Resources: Vindulge Mediavine AdThrive Sortable CLEVER SurveyMonkey Billy Parisi –– @chefbillyparisi Will Write for Food Dianne Jacob –– @diannemjacob Fire + Wine Cookbook If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to [email protected].

Why metrics are so important to brands, how to increase the probability of working with your favorite brand, and how content ownership works with Bruno Bornsztein. ----- Welcome to episode 261 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Bruno Bornsztein from InfluenceKit on how to understand the value of your sponsored content work. How to Work With Brands It's Part 2 of our Managing Sponsored Content series here on the Food Blogger Pro Podcast! Bruno from InfluenceKit is rounding out this mini series in a conversation with Bjork about how to create awesome sponsored content. Creating sponsored content is like creating your regular content. You already publish an awesome recipe with great pictures on your blog or on social media. Sponsored content just allows you to continue to make the content that you love to make…and then get paid for it. There are parts of the sponsored content process, however, that are different. You need to build relationships, negotiate for your rate, sign contracts, understand the brand's goals, and report back on the performance on your post's performance. And it's there where you can hunker down and optimize your work to create more value for brands, more value for your audience, and more revenue for you. If you want to learn even more about maximizing your sponsored content revenue, be sure to get registered for our free workshop with Bruno this Thursday, July 16 at 1pm ET / 12pm CT! In this episode, you'll learn: How Bruno got his start creating content How he moved into sponsored content as a source of revenue How his following correlated to sponsored content revenue How to increase the probability of working with a brand What it looks like to work with a brand How content ownership works What "work for hire" means How to negotiate with brands Why you should report your post's performance What metrics are most important to brands Resources: InfluenceKit 168: How to Add More Value to Your Sponsored Content with Mandi Gubler Curbly ManMade Making the Moolah: Kickstart Your Sponsored Revenue in 2020 If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to [email protected].

How to communicate with brands, work with brands goals in mind, and manage sponsored content work with Pinch of Yum's Jenna Arend. ----- Welcome to episode 260 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Jenna Arend from the Pinch of Yum team about some of the systems they use to manage their sponsored content work. Managing Sponsored Content Sponsored content is a great way to diversify your income as a blogger, and for the next two weeks on the podcast, we're going to be talking about how you can manage your sponsored content work. Today, we're starting the sponsored content conversation with an interview with the Communications Manager of Pinch of Yum, Jenna. She'll give you a behind-the-scenes tour of how the Pinch of Yum team uses processes to handle their sponsored content work. Between establishing a system for initial conversations with brands to contract review, we're hoping that you're able to take some of the systems that the Pinch of Yum team relies on and use them to streamline your own sponsored content efforts. In this episode, you'll learn: What Jenna does for Team Pinch of Yum What it was like when Pinch of Yum worked with an agency on sponsored content How they decided to bring the management of sponsored content in-house The kinds of systems the Pinch of Yum uses to manage sponsored content How to communicate with brands Tips for negotiating What's included in Pinch of Yum's media kit and rate sheet How contract review works How the Pinch of Yum team works with a lawyer How you can report on sponsored content campaigns What it means to offer a la carte items to brands Resources: Pinch of Yum Sway Questions on the Pinch of Yum Intake Form – for members only! Typeform LISS Legal Meet the Food Blogger Pro Experts InfluenceKit Bar La Grassa Estelle If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to [email protected].

Why watch time is important on YouTube, how to produce video content without a crew, and the types of videos that perform best on YouTube with Beth Le Manach. ----- Welcome to episode 259 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Beth Le Manach about effectively creating and sharing content on YouTube. Keep Showing Up Do you know how to create engaging content on YouTube? Or how to make money from YouTube videos? If not, you're in luck! This week on the podcast, we're talking to the talented Beth Le Manach from Entertaining with Beth about creating YouTube content and getting more views. If you want to start creating YouTube videos, or maybe you already post on YouTube and want to level-up your channel, we think you'll learn a lot from this episode. But even if you're not interested in YouTube, her advice about remembering the purpose of your content is a great reminder for everyone. Enjoy! In this episode, you'll learn: How podcasts were influential to Beth Where Beth creates content How Beth decided to create YouTube videos Where she earns her money How she produces content now that she's not working with a video crew How to overcome the fear of negative comments What kinds of videos perform best on YouTube Why watch time is important on YouTube How to create content for your super fans How to get YouTube to suggest specific videos How to generate revenue on YouTube Resources: Entertaining with Beth 010: Working with Brands on YouTube with Beth Le Manach from Entertaining with Beth Kin Community The War of Art Amazon Influencer Program Saxsquatch Follow Beth on YouTube and Instagram If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to [email protected].

How to start having conversations about race, how wine and race intersect, and how to support black and people of color in the wine industry. ----- Welcome to episode 258 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Julia Coney about wine, race, and Netflix's "Uncorked." Uncorked If you've listened to The Food Blogger Pro Podcast for a while, you'll know that we love talking with creators and people who want to make an impact. We're having another one of those conversations today with wine writer, Julia Coney. When it comes to understanding racial injustice, it's important to invest the time in educating yourself and forever be in pursuit of making a difference. Julia's insights and experiences are one way we can educate ourselves and lean into having these tough but valuable conversations. Today, you'll hear Julia's stories about race issues in the wine industry, advice for having important conversations about racial injustice, and thoughts about why the movie, "Uncorked," is so impactful. In this episode, you'll learn: How Julia started writing about wine How wine and race intersect How the Netflix movie, "Uncorked," covers racism in the wine industry Why Julia is starting Black Wine Professionals How to start having conversations about race Resources: The Julia and the Sequin Technicolor Dream Coat video Myleik Teele CURLBOX Julia's blog Dorothy Gaiter's writings The story of the bookclub that was kicked off of the Napa Valley Train Your Wine Glass Ceiling is My Wine Glass Box. An Open Letter to Karen MacNeil and the Wine Industry. @blackwineprofessionals "Being Black in the White World of Wine" "Too White Wine" Gary Farrell Winery and their article, "We Stand with the Black Community and People of Color" E. & J. Gallo Winery and their initiatives "Uncorked" on Netflix The Uncorked Soundtrack on Spotify Somm DLynn Proctor on Twitter MKBHD Black Food Bloggers Julia's Your Silence is Betrayal Instagram Live Help a Reporter What White Children Need to Know About Race If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to [email protected].

Our favorite resources to help support black-owned businesses and learn more about being actively anti-racist with Bjork and Lindsay Ostrom. ----- Welcome to episode 257 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork and Lindsay talk about the resources they're using to learn about racism and some ways that we can support black-owned businesses. Where Do We Go From Here After a two-week hiatus from the podcast, we're back with an incredibly important episode from our fearless leaders, Bjork and Lindsay Ostrom. These past few weeks have been complicated, sad, frustrating, difficult, and unjust. Also in these past few weeks, we've listened to powerful conversations, participated in important discussions with our team, and are holding ourselves accountable to being actively anti-racist, challenging injustice, and using our platform to amplify messages of hope and change. In this episode, Bjork and Lindsay share some resources for supporting black-owned businesses and learning more about anti-racism. In this episode, you'll learn: How we're learning about racial injustice How we can challenge ourselves to help Resources: The Where Do We Go From Here post on Pinch of Yum @theconsciouskid @oshetamoore @austinchanning Brené with Austin Channing Brown on I'm Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness, Unlocking Us Podcast Policing and Racial Trauma with Angela Davis, Terrible, Thanks for Asking Podcast 74 Seconds Brené with Ibram X. Kendi on How to Be an Antiracist, Unlocking Us Podcast NAACP We Love Lake Street Black Visions Collective North Minneapolis Business Community Relief How to be an Anti-Racist by Dr. Ibram X Kendi I'm Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness The Conscious Kid on Patreon Handsom Hog Trio Plant-Based Pimento Jamaican Kitchen Du Nord Craft Spirits Afro Deli Mama Sheila's List of black food bloggers on Pinch of Yum's Instagram @sweetpotatosoul @confessionsofacleanfoodie @whetstonemagazine If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to [email protected].

We're taking a break from our normal podcast schedule this week to reflect and offer help and support to those who need it. Here are the links to the resources and organizations Bjork mentioned in this episode: The Where Do We Go From Here post on Pinch of Yum Lake Street Council NAACP The beauty of anti-racism is that you don't have to pretend to be free of racism to be an anti-racist. Anti-racism is the commitment to fight racism wherever you find it, including in yourself. And it's the only way forward. - Ijeoma Oluo

Why connection is important, how to make the most out of growth opportunities, and how to build a career that you love with Wendy Braitman. ----- Welcome to episode 256 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews career coach, Wendy Braitman about the importance of breaking big goals into small, actionable steps. Career Transitioning Do you have a specific career goal in mind? Maybe it's a certain number of pageviews or working with a specific brand or making a full-time income from blogging. They're all huge goals, and when goals are this big, it's sometimes tough to figure out how you can get there. A lot needs to happen between now and the point where we achieve those goals, and that's what Wendy is here to discuss today. This episode is all about the importance of accountability, setting up systems, and breaking those big goals into small, actionable, achievable steps. In this episode, you'll learn: How Wendy changed careers How coaching works Why accountability is important Why you should break goals into achievable steps How to establish a mastermind and why connection is important How to make the most out of growth opportunities Resources: International Coaching Federation The 20-Minute Networking Meeting Notion Check out Wendy's website If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to [email protected].

How the Jumprope app works, why how-to videos are great for recipe creators, and the importance of stories with Jake Poses. ----- Welcome to episode 255 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Jake Poses from Jumprope about this new video-sharing app. How-To Videos Creating recipe videos can seem like a big undertaking. Between the set-up, the lighting, the gear, and the editing, it can seem like a lot for people just getting started with video. Jumprope is a new app that's designed to make the process of producing video for your audience easier. Not only can you edit and share how-to videos within the Jumprope app, you can then export your videos from there in the sizes and formats you need for YouTube, Instagram, and blog posts. Create once and share everywhere. It's a really slick app, and we think you'll get a lot out of this conversation with Jake. Between his understanding what of it takes to build a business to his insights into what it means to drill for and find "oil," this conversation will inspire you to do, share, and create. In this episode, you'll learn: What he learned working in the early days at a startup What it means to "drill for oil" Why he wanted to start his own company How Jake got the idea for Jumprope How Jumprope works The importance of stories What amp is How people use Jumprope Resources: Thumbtack Jumprope Google Web Stories Download Jumprope on the Apple App Store or on the Google Play Store Connect with Jake on Instagram, Twitter, or via email If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to [email protected].

Using Google Analytics to form content decisions, why email list signups are important for food bloggers, and the impact more traffic has on ad revenue. ----- Welcome to episode 254 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork talks about the results that come from getting more traffic to your blog. Leveraging Traffic As bloggers, we all want more traffic, right? It's one of the main goals we hear from bloggers who are looking to level-up their blog and their business, and it's an important step if you want to build your blog into a profitable business. But the benefits of more traffic far outweigh a higher number of pageviews; more traffic can impact your revenue, your email list, your content decisions, and more. In today's episode, Bjork will talk about five opportunities that you may see as you build your site traffic. Enjoy! In this episode, you'll learn: How ads can be impacted by more traffic How to create affiliate income from more traffic Why email list signups are important for food bloggers How to use Google Analytics to form decisions How to surface popular content Resources: Pinch of Yum WP Tasty AdThrive Mediavine Sortable Amazon Affiliate Program 243: Best-in-Class Content – Keyword Research, Creating Value, and Authority with Ewen Finser Tasty Links Google Analytics Jumprope Slickstream 231: A Better Experience – Building Engagement, Not Just Traffic with Kingston Duffie If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to [email protected].

How to grow an audience on social media, why connection is important, and how to post unique content to TikTok with Yumna Jawad. ----- Welcome to episode 253 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Yumna Jawad from Feel Good Foodie about how she grew her social following. Growth Hacking In today's episode, you'll hear from Yumna from Feel Good Foodie. You may recognize the name because you may be one of her 2.2 million followers on Instagram or one of her 200,000 followers on TikTok. As you can probably imagine, we're talking all about growing your social media audience with Yumna today. She, more or less, has figured out the secret sauce to growing an audience on Instagram and on TikTok, and she's sharing her strategies and tips for "growth hacking" during this episode. It's a really fun episode, and Yumna is just such a knowledgeable, hard-working blogger. We know you'll have a ton of takeaways from this episode! In this episode, you'll learn: How she learned more about social media marketing How she grew her Instagram following to 2.2 million Her advice for growing an audience on any platform How to supplement your content on Instagram How she grows the right audience How she grew her blog Why connection is important How she got started with TikTok How to post unique content to TikTok How quickly her TikTok account is growing How TikTok posts can have a longer lifespan than posts on Instagram How TikTok works Resources: Feel Good Foodie Sign up for Food Blogger Pro Search News You Can Use Podcast Video Creators Podcast A Drink with James Fohr.co Blogilates on TikTok and Instagram Manfrotto tripods Follow Feel Good Foodie on Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to [email protected].

How website traffic and ad revenue are affected by the coronavirus, how to ask your audience what it needs, and how you can evolve your content calendar based on what's performing on Pinterest. ----- Welcome to episode 252 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Andrew Wilder, Danielle Liss, and Kate Ahl about traffic, sponsored content, and Pinterest strategies. What You Should Know About Traffic, Sponsored Content, and Pinterest in 2020 Today, Bjork is interviewing three of our Food Blogger Pro Experts. If you're not a Food Blogger Pro member, or maybe you are a member and you're not really sure what our experts do, they volunteer their time on the forum and during Live Q&As to help our members out with their trickiest questions. Our experts specialize in certain topics like SEO, affiliate marketing, social media, email marketing, and more, and that's what they teach our members about on Food Blogger Pro. So in today's episode, you'll hear from Andrew Wilder, who specializes in WordPress tech and traffic, Danielle Liss, who's a lawyer and focuses on sponsored content and all-things legal, and then Kate Ahl, who is our Pinterest Expert. All three are here on the podcast talking about what you need to know about traffic, sponsored content, and Pinterest in 2020. It's safe to say that 2020 has gotten off to a unique start, so these areas of traffic, working with sponsors, and social media need to be approached in a different way. Traffic is up, sponsors are adjusting their strategies, and Pinterest has reported higher users than ever before. Today's episode will equip you with some of the strategies and confidence you need to navigate this year as a business owner and blogger. In this episode, you'll learn: How traffic and ad revenue has been impacted by the coronavirus Why you should be monitoring your uptime Why you might not want to use words like "quarantine" or "coronavirus" in your posts Why accessibility is going to be a big trend this year How alt text works How sponsored content can differ during this time How you can pivot your sponsored content to serve your audience Advice for pitching brands during the pandemic How to ask your audience what they need right now What CCPA means and how you can protect your site How you know that you've included everything you should in your privacy policy How Pinterest traffic has changed How the Today tab on the Pinterest app works How trends on Pinterest can influence your content calendar How to find out which of your existing posts are performing well right now What to do if your Pinterest account is marked as spam How you can evolve your content based on what's performing on Pinterest Resources: Meet the Food Blogger Pro Experts NerdPress UptimeRobot Pingdom WebAIM What is Website Accessibility? Six Ways to Make Your Website More Accessible Web Content Accessibility Guidelines Connect with Andrew via email – [email protected] Businessese Liss Legal Sponsored Content Bootcamp– for members only Connect with Danielle on Instagram Simple Pin Media How people use Pinterest Pinterest Trends Pinterest Business blog Google Analytics course – for members only Email Pinterest support – [email protected] Pinterest Account Suspended? Here's What to Do The Best Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe on Pinch of Yum Simple Pin Podcast Follow Kate on Pinterest If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to [email protected].

How creators can navigate the pandemic, how you can evolve your content, and knowing who you're serving as a blogger with Laurie Buckle. ----- Welcome to episode 251 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Laurie Buckle from CookIt Media about knowing and serving your audience. Empathy Let's talk about understanding your audience. As content creators, we publish tons of recipes, blog posts, resources…but are they actually serving our audience? Who is our audience, anyway? They're interesting questions, right? It's easy to go through the motions of developing, shooting, and publishing a recipe without really thinking about who we're writing to or why they need this content. Luckily, Laurie from CookIt Media, an influencer marketing agency, is here today to talk through these questions and help you deeply and personally understand the audience you're serving. It's especially important to understand where your content fits into what your audience needs these days, but the advice Laurie gives during this interview will make a lasting impression on you and your blog. In this episode, you'll learn: How creators can navigate the pandemic How to strike a healthy balance on your blog How you can start to understand your audience How you can evolve your content and know who you're serving What should happen after you understand your content and your audience How your content can act as a multiplier How you can treat your blog as a website How you can know if you're creating value for your audience Resources: 132: Perfecting Your Story and Your Brand with Laurie Buckle CookIt Media 093: How Finding a Niche Transformed a Business with Meggan Hill from Culinary Hill Beyond the Blog Course - save 40% by using FOODBLOG40 at checkout Beyond the Blog Facebook Group If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to [email protected].

The costs associated with switchtasking, the difference between time management and focus management, and how to restore your missing minute with Dave Crenshaw. ----- Welcome to episode 250 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Dave Crenshaw about productivity, avoiding "switchtasking," and managing your focus. Focus Management Do you actually notice how many times your focus drifts from the task you're supposed to be working on each day? Or how often you multitask? Maybe you're experiencing switchtasking even more often during these difficult, strange times we're currently experiencing. If this sounds like you, this episode will surely help you out. Dave shares some actionable strategies that can help you combat your wavering focus and reliance on staying connected in this episode, and you'll even learn how you can download his newest book, "The Result," for free. In this episode, you'll learn: What switchtasking is The costs that are unavoidable due to switchtasking Why conditioning is more helpful than discipline Why you should turn off phone notifications The difference between time management and focus management How to restore your missing minute How do you know if your motivations are the right kind of motivations Why systems are so important How to be mindful of accountability Resources: Dave Crenshaw Dave's books The Official Chuck Norris Fact Book: 101 of Chuck's Favorite Facts and Stories The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People How to Slow Down and Be More Productive 165: Getting Things Done with David Allen Forest Evernote OneNote Get a free copy of "The Result" LinkedIn Learning Dave's Time Management: Working from Home course Connect with Dave on LinkedIn If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to [email protected].

What to consider when launching a redesign, how to get involved with Clariti, and step-by-step videos with the Tasty Recipes plugin. ----- Welcome to episode 249 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, the team talks about some of the new and exciting projects they're working on. Team Check-In Today's episode is a little different from some of our more recent episodes. In fact, it's kind of like a piece of content that we publish at the beginning of each month for our Food Blogger Pro members called a "Happening Now" video. In these videos, the team talks through some of the specific things they're working on at the moment. We'll talk about a new tool we're using, a new process we're implementing, new projects we're working on, or just a new insight we're excited to share. These videos are just a good reminder for us to check-in with the community and chat about what's working and what's not during that specific time, and it's a great way for our members to be totally in-the-loop with what we're up to. So today, we're giving you a sneak peak of what a Happening Now video may sound like. We talk about the Food Blogger Pro redesign, a new tool we're building, and an update to one of the plugins we built, so we hope you enjoy this little sneak peek behind-the-scenes! In this episode, you'll learn: Our rationale behind the Food Blogger Pro redesign What you might want to consider if you're thinking about a site redesign What Clariti is and how to get involved What's new with the newest Tasty Recipes update Resources: Interested in Clariti? Email Bjork WP Tasty Tasty Recipes - testimonials here 232: Repurposing Video – Maximizing the Impact of Recipe Videos with Brita Britnell Example of step-by-step videos on Pinch of Yum How to Get Started with Step-by-Step Video Editing Google's Structured Data Testing Tool If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to [email protected].

How Pinch of Yum is approaching sponsored content, planning new content, and letting go of certain tasks during the COVID-19 pandemic. ----- Welcome to episode 248 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Lindsay Ostrom about how Pinch of Yum is coping with this season. Running at an Incline What has your blog looked like these past few weeks? Are you posting more? Did you have to rearrange your entire editorial calendar? Are you sitting on recipes that you already have shot? Are you getting more done than usual? What have you had to let go? These are the types of questions Bjork asks Lindsay, bosswoman behind the food blog, Pinch of Yum, in today's episode. It's an incredibly honest and raw discussion on how Pinch of Yum is approaching the act of creating content during this uniquely challenging time, and Lindsay talks about how she's planning on delivering value to her readers and finding her role in this season. In this episode, you'll learn: How Lindsay is approaching content on Pinch of Yum What Pinch of Yum is doing with pre-created recipes What's happening with sponsored posts during this time How Lindsay is proactively looking forward What Lindsay has had to let go of during this season Resources: Serious Eats Is Remote. Here's How We're Handling It. Just a Check In, Plus… Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese Deep Dish Cookie Bowls for Two CoSchedule If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to [email protected].

Remembering to care for the essentials, how to approach content creation during the COVID-19 outbreak, and the importance of avoiding disastertunity. ----- Welcome to episode 247 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork talks about how we're approaching the COVID–19 outbreak personally and with our businesses. Covering the Basics Oof. These past few weeks have been interesting to say the least. Not only is it confusing, stressful, and scary personally, it can add a whole level of uncertainty when you're running a business. There isn't a right or a wrong way to approach content during this time, but in this episode, Bjork talks about the ways we're approaching business during the COVID–19 outbreak. One thing we really want you to remember during this strange time is that the content you're creating is helpful, it is making a difference, and it is bringing people value. You can serve your audience during tough times – and this episode should give you some ideas on how to do that. In this episode, you'll learn: Why it's important to think first about the essentials What content can look like during tough times How to avoid disastertunity Resources: Pinch of Yum's COVID–19 Coffee Date post 086: How to Make a Successful Career Change with Jon Acuff If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to [email protected].

Hiring a contractor vs. an employee, how employee benefits work, and how you can start building your team with Moses Balian. ----- Welcome to episode 246 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Moses Balian about contractors, employees, and building a team. Hiring As you're growing your business, there may come a time when you're ready to hire some help. But should you hire them as a contractor or as an employee? That's what Moses is here to talk about today! He'll talk you through those initial decisions, using a PEO (that's a Professional Employer Organization), producing important tax and employee documents, and how employee benefits work. It's a really interesting conversation, and if you're at the point where you could use another set of hands to work on your business, we think this episode will help you navigate your next steps. In this episode, you'll learn: How Justworks works and what a PEO is The difference between a contractor and an employee If you can start someone as a contractor and move them to an employee How you can start building a team How 1099s work If and when you should create an employee handbook How employee benefits work If you should have insurance when you're building a team Resources: Justworks Understanding Employee vs. Contractor Designation If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to [email protected].

The importance of limiting comparison, how to be flexible, focusing on your craft, and why posting frequency isn't very important with Bjork Ostrom. ----- Welcome to episode 245 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork reads an email we recently received and offers advice on how to overcome the feelings of feeling stuck. Feeling Stuck Today's podcast episode is actually one of our new favorites because it actually came together in less than a week. We received an email from a fellow blogger last week, and in the email, she describes why she's feeling a bit stuck. She's optimizing her posts, she's creating pictures for Pinterest, she's focusing on email marketing, but her traffic isn't where she wants it to be. She feels like there's something that's she's missing – a key that will unlock her blog's potential. And that sounds familiar, right? "I'm doing all of these things…why am I not seeing results?" So this episode is all about that – what to do when you feel like you've done everything. You'll hear this blogger's anonymous email in its entirety in this episode, and I'm sure the sentiments that are shared in the email will sound really familiar to you. Then Bjork will offer some high-level advice and specific strategies that you can implement if you're feeling stuck in a similar way. It's definitely a different kind of episode, but we hope you enjoy it! In this episode, you'll learn: The importance of limiting comparison How to be flexible and understand what you're trying to achieve What it means to focus on your craft Why posting frequency isn't super important Why it might make sense to "niche down" How to serve your audience Resources: 003: Sally McKenney from Sally's Baking Addiction on Creating Success 018: How to Build an Online Business Without Blogging with Jadah Sellner from Simple Green Smoothies If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to [email protected].

How SaaS businesses solve problems, tips for diversifying your portfolio, and the importance of delegating with Kevin McArdle. ----- Welcome to episode 244 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Kevin McArdle about running businesses, solving challenges, and building your portfolio. Diversification This week's episode is a good one because it's all about diversifying your portfolio, and not in the ways we typically talk about in terms of food blogging. Bjork interviews Kevin McArdle from SureSwift Capital about investing in businesses, building solutions to your audience's needs, and the lessons Kevin when starting his business. I had so many takeaways from this episode, and we hope you learn of some ways that you can grow (both personally and financially) through diversification in this episode. In this episode, you'll learn: How he approaches investments What "software as a service" is How SaaS businesses solve problems Tips for diversifying your portfolio What the "no code" movement is all about How to work with website brokers How to pitch an idea The lessons Kevin had to learn when he started The importance of delegating The tools Kevin uses to run his business Resources: The tech.mn Podcast TECHdotMN SureSwift Capital 111: How to Build a Company of One with Paul Jarvis Makerpad MicroAcquire Slack Zoom Follow Kevin on Twitter If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to [email protected].

Why keyword research is so important, what EAT means, and updating content with Ewen Finser. ----- Welcome to episode 243 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Ewen Finser about creating awesome content that search engines and your readers will love. Best-in-Class Content We hear from a lot of bloggers who are interested in increasing their traffic. And while there's a ton of information out there about this very topic, today's podcast episode focuses on a refreshing way to understand search engines and SEO: you want to give the best possible answer to your readers and to search engines. Simple as that. And that's exactly what Ewen is here to discuss today. From organizing content in a logical way that maximizes SEO benefits to understanding the nitty gritty of keyword research, you'll learn a lot about website structure and optimizing content in this interview. Enjoy! In this episode, you'll learn: How he got into building and growing websites Why he thinks keyword research is so important Why it's important to understand your readers' journeys Why he doesn't do link building What EAT stands for His process for keyword research What interlinking is and why it's important Resources: Amazon Affiliate Program Owl Mountain Ahrefs SECockpit Connect with Ewen on Linkedin or email If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to [email protected].

What fresh content is and why it's important for Pinterest, how to use Pinterest Trends, and how often you should be pinning with Kate Ahl. ----- Welcome to episode 242 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Kate Ahl talks about using Pinterest in 2020. Social Trends: Pinterest in 2020 Today marks Part 2 of our two-part series on social media in 2020. Last week we focused on Facebook and Instagram, and this week is all about Pinterest. Pinterest can be a huge traffic-driver for food bloggers. In fact, it's consistently in one of the top three spots of traffic drivers for food bloggers. That said, Pinterest is constantly in pursuit of making the platform better for its users, so it changes quite a bit. That's why we're excited to focus on the best practices for Pinterest in 2020 in today's episode. Kate Ahl is here to give you her recommendations for finding what's trending on Pinterest, pinning fresh content, writing awesome Pin descriptions, using promoted Pins, and more. In this episode, you'll learn: What Pinterest is focusing on in 2020 How going public changed how Pinterest works What type of Promoted Pins work best How to use Pinterest Trends How often you should be pinning Traits of successful pinners What fresh content is and why it's important for Pinterest in 2020 What you should include in your Pin descriptions Whether or not you should be using Rich Pins Resources: Simple Pin Media WP Tasty Pinterest Trends Google Trends Tasty Pins Follow Simple Pin Media on Pinterest 166: Answering Your Questions about Pinterest with Kate Ahl 157: More Clicks, Subscribers, and Sales with Pinterest with Kate Ahl 026: How Pinterest Analytics can Boost your Blog with Kate Ahl from Simple Pin Media If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to [email protected].

Facebook groups as part of a social strategy, building engagement on Instagram, and how to streamline writing your Instagram captions with Abby Bayatpour. ----- Welcome to episode 241 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Alexa interviews Social Media Manager, Abby Bayatpour, about how food bloggers can be promoting their content on Facebook and Instagram this year. Social Trends: Facebook and Instagram in 2020 Today's new episode marks the start of a two-part series here on the podcast, and in this series, we're focusing on social media in 2020 – i.e. what you, as a blogger, should be focusing on when it comes to promoting your content and your brand on social media this year. We're going to focus on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest during this series, and in today's episode, our incredibly talented Social Media Manager, Abby, will be speaking about Facebook and Instagram trends for food bloggers. If you've ever stared at a social media platform and thought, "What do I post today?", we think this series will help you form your social strategy for the new year. In this episode, you'll learn: What kinds of posts perform best on Facebook How Facebook groups might fit into your social strategy How videos are performing on Facebook in 2020 How to build consistent engagement on Instagram How often you should post on Instagram How to streamline your Instagram caption writing What kinds of photos perform best on Instagram Resources: 237: The One Thing – What We're Excited to Focus On in 2020 232: Repurposing Video – Maximizing the Impact of Recipe Videos with Brita Britnell 210: Pinch of Yum's Instagram Playbook with Lindsay Ostrom Using Hashtags on Instagram to Grow Your Food Blog's Followers and Reach How to Promote Your Food Blog on Instagram Facebook course - for members only Instagram for Food Bloggers course - for members only Social Media Strategy course - for members only Social Media Analytics course - for members only Social Strategy Live Q&A - for members only Follow Abby on Instagram If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to [email protected].

How home office deductions work, why you should consider hiring a CPA, and how to track your mileage with Bjork Ostrom. ----- Welcome to episode 240 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork talks through the ways you can create income without doing more work. Income Making more money without doing more work…that's the dream, right? Well, now it's a reality! Bjork is here today to chat through some of the ways you can work smarter and make more money without doing more work. It's a really helpful reminder that we don't necessarily need to be hustling all the time to get our businesses to a new level; some small tweaks in your day-to-day can help get you there as well. In this episode, you'll learn: How business programs work How to track your mileage What purchases you can expense for your blog Why you should consider hiring a CPA When you should do an S-Corp election How you can hire help Why it's helpful to review your expenses every quarter How home office deductions work How to be proactive and ask for a raise Resources: Apple Business Automatic Bill Shark If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to [email protected].

How to be light on your feet, the most impactful work for Pinch of Yum, and the sacrifices of building a business with Lindsay Ostrom. ----- Welcome to episode 239 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Lindsay Ostrom about navigating the different seasons in her blogging journey. Ten Years Pinch of Yum is turning 10 this year, and as I'm sure you can imagine, it has changed quite a bit in that time. In today's episode of the podcast, you'll hear about the different seasons of Pinch of Yum and how Lindsay navigated them while building her blog into a business. And she covers it all – from running her blog as a side hustle to transitioning to it being her full-time gig to hiring team members to current day. Regardless of what season of your blogging journey you're currently in, you'll find a lot of advice in this episode that can help you navigate the good, the tough, and everything in-between. In this episode, you'll learn: How Lindsay views the "seasons" of Pinch of Yum When Pinch of Yum became a "side hustle" What a "trickster" is Why sacrifices are a part of the side hustle How Lindsay prioritized work when she started working for herself The work that was most impactful when Lindsay was building Pinch of Yum What the current "season" of Pinch of Yum looks like What it means to be light on your feet Resources: 153: Playing the Game of Business with Kevin Waldron Big Magic Tasty Food Photography The Nora Roberts quote Follow Pinch of Yum and Lindsay on Instagram If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to [email protected].

Ad-supported video players, why user experience is important, and understanding ad impressions with Bjork Ostrom. ----- Welcome to episode 238 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork talks about how you can optimize and increase the earnings you receive from the ads on your site. Understanding Ads Ads can be an effective way to earn money from blogging, but how do you know you're making the most out of your ad placements? That's what Bjork is here to talk about today! He's sharing seven tips to help you increase the earnings you're receiving from the ads you're running on your site without having to increase your pageviews. From understanding viewability and impressions to encouraging your readers to stick around on your site, this episode of the podcast will help you make sense of the wonderful world of ad revenue! In this episode, you'll learn: What viewability is What impressions are Why it's important to keep user experience in mind when it comes to placing ads on your site How you can encourage people to stick around on your site What overlay ads are What ad-supported video players are What sticky ads are Why you might want to delay using ads Resources: 231: A Better Experience – Building Engagement, Not Just Traffic with Kingston Duffie Slickstream AdSense Mediavine AdThrive Sortable If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to [email protected].

How Pinch of Yum is repurposing recipe videos, how to manage a remote team, and what to expect with the Food Blogger Pro redesign. ----- Welcome to episode 237 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, the team talks about the "one thing" they're excited to accomplish in 2020. The One Thing This is a different kind of podcast episode, but we think you're really going to like it. Heading into a new year can feel a bit overwhelming, but it sometimes helps to narrow-down your focus and think through that "one thing" you're excited to accomplish this year. And that's exactly what we're doing in this interview! Alexa, Bjork, and Emily each share the one thing they're excited to tackle in 2020, and we hope that it encourages you to figure out your "one thing" as well. In this episode, you'll learn: How Bjork manages a remote team Why we created a parent company Where the name "Tiny Bit" comes from How Pinch of Yum is repurposing video this year How Emily is creating step-by-step videos for Pinch of Yum blog posts How compilation videos work Resources: 204: Company Structure – LLCs, S-Corps, and Accounting, oh my! Blogging as a Business course - for members only QuickBooks Example of step-by-step videos on Pinch of Yum 232: Repurposing Video – Maximizing the Impact of Recipe Videos with Brita Britnell If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to [email protected].

How your site design can impact site speed, optimizing your category pages, and how to build your own thing with Bill Erickson. ----- Welcome to episode 236 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Bill Erickson about the impact your design can have on your blog. Themes Bill is a WordPress developer, and he's here today to chat about the impact your site's design can have on performance and user experience. Bill works with food blogs quite a bit (Pinch of Yum included), so you'll really appreciate the advice he gives from a food blogging perspective. From figuring out what fonts to use to understanding how themes and design can impact site speed, this episode is packed with easy-to-understand tips and advice about design. It's a really cool interview, kind of different from our norm, but we hope you enjoy it and learn something if you're pursuing a site redesign this year. In this episode, you'll learn: How design differs from development The differences between frontend and backend development How to find the best theme What system fonts are How themes and design can impact site speed How theme frameworks work How often you should redesign your site How category pages can be optimized How a redesign can negatively and positively impact your site Advice for building your own thing Resources: PageSpeed Insights Google Fonts WebPageTest Check out Bill's website and contact him here If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to [email protected].

Setting SMART goals, understanding the why behind your goals, and the importance of gratitude with Bjork Ostrom. ----- Welcome to episode 235 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork talks about how you can set better goals in the new year. Three Ways to Set Smarter Goals in the New Year Tomorrow we welcome a new year and a new decade (depending on who you ask). And that's why we thought it was important to rewind back to our 131st episode, Three Ways to Set Smarter Goals in the New Year with Bjork Ostrom. We all know how new years resolutions or goals typically go: we're ambitious and make a ton of changes, and we slowly but surely fall out of those habits we once wanted to strengthen. If you've experienced this with your new years goals, you're not alone. And if you have some goals or resolutions you wish to keep this year, we think you're really going to love this episode. Bjork's tips will help you create goals that will last and help you accomplish those goals with the right mindset. In this episode, you'll learn: What SMART goals are Why it's important to understand why you're setting a specific goal Why gratitude is so important Resources: Hygge If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to [email protected].

Why you should start gratitude journaling, the Five Minute Journal, the benefits of meditation, and how to cultivate awe with UJ Ramdas. ----- Welcome to episode 234 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews UJ Ramdas from Intelligent Change about gratitude, journaling, and meditation. How to Level Up Your Life For today's FBP Rewind episode, we're rewinding back to episode 124 – How to Level Up Your Life with UJ Ramdas. UJ is the co-creator of The Five Minute Journal and the co-founder of a company called Intelligent Change, and I thought this was a particularly fitting episode to reshare at the end of the year because we all like to review each year and make goals or resolutions for the new year. And our hope is that some of the principles and tools that UJ and Bjork talk about in this episode can make a positive impact in your new year. So if you're looking for a little accountability and actionable ways you can accomplish those goals next year, I think you're really going to enjoy this episode. In this episode, you'll learn: Why he started Intelligent Change What gratitude journaling is How to use the Five Minute Journal What his morning routine looks like The benefits of meditation How to cultivate awe Why we sometimes don't reach our goals How to go through a process of self-discovery Resources: Intelligent Change Five Minute Journal Productivity Planner Headspace Cal Newport Myers-Briggs Type Indicator 16Personalities DISC Personality Test StrengthsFinder Kolbe If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to [email protected].

How to get things done and enjoy the work you're doing, why you should think about who you're serving, and how to improve over time with Bjork Ostrom. ----- Welcome to episode 233 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork talks through seven questions to ask yourself as you look to the new year. 7 Questions At the end of each year, we all get a little retrospective. How did this year go? Was it a good year or a not-so-great year? What can I do differently next year? This episode will help you evaluate the current year in anticipation for the year ahead. Bjork outlines the seven questions you should ask yourself to help you assess, plan, and adjust the way you tackle your business each year. In this episode, you'll learn: How to take a step back and figure out your goals How to get things done by finding the work you enjoy Why it's important to think about your audience How to improve over time How to figure out what you need to stop or start doing Resources: Instacart If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to [email protected].

How to repurpose recipe videos, why watch time is important on YouTube, and how to charge for client work with Brita Britnell. ----- Welcome to episode 232 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Brita Britnell from Food with Feeling about repurposing recipe videos. Repurposing Video If you make recipe videos, you know how much work it takes to shoot, produce, and share these videos. And once the video is made, you're done with that footage forever. Or are you? In this episode of the podcast, Brita from Food With Feeling talks about repurposing the video content she creates to give it new life and get more engagement from her audience. You're doing all that work; don't just archive that video content and forget about it. Repurpose it. And today, you'll learn how. Enjoy! In this episode, you'll learn: How she balances clients and her blog work Why she's okay with slower blog growth How to approach video work How you can repurpose video Why it's important to post different videos on each social media platform How she charges for video work How roundup videos work Why watch time is important on YouTube How Pinch of Yum is repurposing video Where you can repurpose video Resources: Take the State of Food Blogging in 2020 Survey! 090: How a Legislative Assistant Created Her Own Path to Working for Herself with Brita Britnell Food with Feeling 231: A Better Experience – Building Engagement, Not Just Traffic with Kingston Duffie 206: YouTube for Food Influencers with Tim Schmoyer 050: The Secret to Engaging Video with Tim Schmoyer from VideoCreators.com Tim's YouTube Consulting Adobe Premiere Pro Eating Bird Food Examples of Pinch of Yum repurposing video - No Knead Cheese Bread, The Best Swedish Meatballs Green Healthy Cooking Food Video Academy Facebook Group Follow Brita on Instagram and YouTube If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to [email protected].

Figuring out your "why," how to determine success based on metrics, and why search is so important on websites with Kingston Duffie. ----- Welcome to episode 231 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Kingston Duffie about increasing engagement on websites. A Better Experience If you've been around the food blogging industry for the past few years, you've probably heard the word "engagement" more than any other metric. And that's because brands, bloggers, and creators are putting a greater emphasis on engagement, even over other KPIs or metrics like pageviews or followers. And that's why Kingston is here today! His company, Slickstream, is aimed at increasing engagement on bloggers' sites. And if you've visited our sister site, Pinch of Yum, lately, chances are you've seen Slickstream in action. Heck, you might have even used Slickstream without even knowing. This is a really interesting interview focusing on ways that you can increase engagement on your own site–enjoy! In this episode, you'll learn: How Kingston got his start Why you should reflect on your "why" Why listening is an important skill as a business owner Why it's important to pivot How to determine your success with KPIs How Slickstream works Why search is so important on websites How to use Slickstream on your site Resources: Slickstream The Pinch of Yum - Slickstream case study If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to [email protected].

Evergreen content, onboarding your members, reducing churn, and segmenting your marketing lists with Mike Morrison. ----- Welcome to episode 230 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Mike Morrison about growing and retaining your membership site audience. Membership Sites You're an expert in something, so you start a membership site to teach people what you know. But how do you grow your membership site audience? That's where Mike comes in. He's here today to talk to you about not only how you can gain members and grow your membership site, but also how you can retain and support your current members. And even if you don't have a membership site, you'll still be able to apply his tips on segmented marketing, onboarding, and surveying to your own blog. Enjoy! In this episode, you'll learn: How his membership site has changes in the past few years Why evergreen content is so important for membership sites Why their free Facebook group helps drive sales What churn is and how to reduce it Why onboarding is so important What it is that gives membership sites "stickability" How specific your niche should be Why audience surveys are important Why segmentation is important for marketing Resources: 062: How To Launch a Membership Site with Mike Morrison from The Membership Guys Membership Academy The Membership Guys The Membership Guys Podcast Membership Mastermind Facebook Group Churn Buster MemberPress Gravy 053: Pat Flynn's Tips for Building Online Businesses That Fly ActiveCampaign Teaching Packs The Empowered Educator Scott's Bass Lessons Follow Mike on Instagram If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to [email protected].

How to create a long-term nurture sequence, how to encourage your email list to take action, and a six-step process for implementing a successful email sequence with Allea Grummert. ----- Welcome to episode 229 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork talks to Allea Grummert about how bloggers can level-up their email marketing. Email Marketing What comes to mind when you hear the words, "email marketing"? Is it something you're excited about? Or is it "yet another thing" you have to figure out? Whatever your relationship with email is, you'll learn so much from this episode. Allea is here to talk all about email marketing strategies for bloggers and to take you through her six-step process for implementing a successful email marketing strategy. We're so excited for you to check out this episode, and if you listen all the way through, you'll find out how you can schedule a free 30-minute strategy call with Allea! In this episode, you'll learn: Allea's six-step process for email marketing How to audit your current email setup How to perform a technical audit of your current ESP Why you should segment your email lists How to know who is on your email list How to address objections from people on your lists What a long-term nurture sequence is How to move people to act via email Allea's recommendations for automation-building Resources: Duett Mailchimp ConvertKit ActiveCampaign 140: From $300k in Product Sales to $9m in Software Sales with Nathan Barry Schedule a 30-minute strategy call with Allea If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to [email protected].

Rebranding a food blog, leaning into a niche, and Keep-Delegate-Delete lists with Isabel Orozco-Moore. ----- Welcome to episode 228 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Isabel Orozco-Moore about leaning into a niche, delegating tasks, and more. Focus It seems a little counterintuitive that finding a niche, or a specialized focus, can actually give you more freedom as a blogger, but that's exactly what Isabel found when she decided to rebrand and really fine-tune her niche. By hunkering down and really focusing on Mexican cuisine, Isabel has been able to strengthen her brand and exercise her expertise. But that's not all that Isabel and Bjork cover in this episode. In just four years, Isabel has gone all-in on turning her blog into a business, and this episode focuses on that journey. From monetization to hiring to delegating to getting nominated for a Saveur Award, we know you'll find useful and actionable tips in this episode. Enjoy! In this episode, you'll learn: How she was nominated for a Saveur Award How and why she rebranded her blog Why she decided to focus on her niche How she monetizes her blog How she hired a virtual assistant How to make a Keep-Delegate-Delete list How to get better at specific tasks Resources: Designing Your Life Loom Isabel Eats Follow Isabel on Instagram If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to [email protected].