Eat Blog Talk | Megan Porta

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In episode 707, Dr. Nona Djavid teaches us how to rewire our internal blueprint — the subconscious programming and energy patterns that silently determine whether we thrive or struggle in our business.

Dr. Nona Djavid is an entrepreneur, mom, speaker, and founder of the Part Time Million Dollar Business and eLIVate Club. With a background in neuroscience and a doctorate in chiropractic, she blends mindset mastery with energetics and business strategy to help entrepreneurs create the business and life of their dreams. She is also the author of eLIVate Your Life, and currently teaches entrepreneurs how to work just one week a month while scaling to multiple six or seven figures.

In this episode, you’ll learn how redefining your vision and identity can help you achieve radical freedom, scale your business, and cultivate deeper fulfillment in every area of life.

Key points discussed include:

Craft an “unreasonable” vision: Allow yourself to dream big—even if it feels impossible—and let that vision guide your evolution.
Expand your identity: Success starts with becoming the version of yourself who can hold the life and business you desire.
Embody your future self daily: It’s not just big moves—how you drink your coffee or answer emails matters when stepping into your next level.
Take aligned, “unreasonable” action: What seems bold now will feel natural once you’ve stepped into your elevated identity.
Prioritize your frequency: Whether it’s a walk, journaling, or a quick reset, make energy and presence a daily non-negotiable.
Track your progress to build self-trust: Reflect often to see how far you’ve come—it builds confidence to keep moving forward.
Create daily rituals that feel good: Sustainable mindset shifts come from practices you enjoy and can return to consistently.

If You Loved This Episode… You’ll love Episode 472: 10-Step Formula For How To Achieve Any Goal with Cliff Ravenscraft

Connect with Dr. Nona Djavid

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In this episode, I talk about the idea that we can hold two seemingly opposite truths at the same time - and how that can actually be where our real growth and success as entrepreneurs live.

I'm so glad you're here for another mindset-focused episode of Eat Blog Talk. Today, I’m diving into a topic that’s been heavy on my heart lately—duality in entrepreneurship. As entrepreneurs, we often think we have to fix our flaws before we can feel successful, but what if it’s actually about holding space for both our strengths and imperfections? I'm sharing a story from the Flavor Media Summit that beautifully illustrates how powerful it can be to embrace the “both/and” in ourselves.

Action Plan:

1 - Acknowledge duality in your journey: Notice when you’re feeling two things at once and give both feelings permission to exist.

2 - Resist the urge to fix yourself first: You don’t need to wait until you’re fearless or confident to move forward—just start.

3 - Stay present in your imperfections: True success comes from showing up, even when things feel messy or imperfect.

4 - Honor your contradictions: You can be both proud and nervous, grateful and overwhelmed—this is normal and powerful.

5 - Practice naming the dualities: Say them out loud or journal them—“I am both X and Y”—to build resilience and self-compassion.

Get in touch with Megan below.

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In episode 705, Megan chats to Yasmin Henley about how to build a sustainable, multichannel food blogging brand without losing your spark or your sanity.

Yasmin is the recipe developer and content creator behind By The Forkful, sharing delicious vegetarian recipes that are easy to put together and meals the whole family can enjoy.

In this episode, you’ll learn how Yasmin grew her blog into a full-time business by showing up consistently across platforms in a way that works for her life, energy, and values.

Key points discussed include:

Leverage multiple platforms strategically: Yasmin shares how focusing on SEO first, then adding TikTok and Instagram, helped her create a steady traffic flow that doesn't rely on one source.
Batching is your best friend: Creating and editing multiple recipes and videos at once maximizes productivity and helps avoid creative fatigue.
Keep systems simple and repeatable: Yasmin walks through her exact workflow—from keyword research to publishing and promotion—that keeps her content consistent across platforms.
You don’t need to show your face on video: If video content feels intimidating, start by focusing on food-centered footage and using voiceovers to build connection.
Data doesn’t lie—go back and look: Yasmin emphasizes reviewing past content monthly to see what worked and reusing or updating it to boost performance.
Social media can revive your blog: A viral TikTok video helped Yasmin bounce back from being removed from an ad network and reignited her blog traffic.
Let your mindset fuel your momentum: Reminding herself to do things her future self will thank her for helped Yasmin push through slow early growth periods.
Start small and grow from there: You don’t have to be on every platform right away—try one new thing at a time and build from what works.

Connect with Yasmin Henley

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In episode 704, Jackie Thesing shares how food bloggers can go beyond their blogs by pursuing sponsored posts, media appearances, and other visibility opportunities to grow their brand.

Jackie Thesing left her corporate job in 2017 to stay home full time with her daughter. Since then, she has welcomed two more children and started her dessert blog, Sweet Girl Treats! She launched the blog as a way to find something for herself outside of motherhood, and it has turned into SO much more.

In this episode, you’ll learn actionable tips for landing brand sponsorships, making media connections, and confidently putting yourself out there, even when it feels scary.

Key points discussed include:

Start with a media kit: Create a simple one-pager to showcase your blog, offerings, and photography—it's the first step to pitching brands professionally.
Pitch brands you genuinely use: Authenticity matters, so look in your pantry or at your favorite products to find meaningful partnership opportunities.
Explore different types of brand collaborations: From recipe development to UGC and sponsored posts, there are many ways to work with companies.
Be bold and follow up: Don’t be afraid to message brands on social or follow up multiple times—persistence pays off.
Media appearances build credibility: Local TV shows are often looking for fresh content—reach out and offer to share your expertise.
Interviews and articles expand your reach: Podcasts, online magazines, and lifestyle publications offer valuable backlinks and visibility.
Imposter syndrome is normal—but push through: You know your stuff, and you have something valuable to offer.
Your work has value—charge accordingly: Follower count isn’t everything; your content is worthy of fair compensation.

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This episode explores why the most transformative growth happens after the end of an event (like conferences, masterminds or retreats) - and how to harness that energy intentionally.

I just got back from the Flavor Media Summit in Savannah, and wow—what a whirlwind! Today I’m sharing from the heart while everything is still fresh. It’s so easy to think the big work happens in the room—at the conference, on the Zoom call, during the retreat—but the truth is, the real transformation begins after you leave. I’ll walk you through what that means and how to take meaningful steps forward once the initial energy fades.

Action Plan:

1 - Pause and Reflect: Take intentional time to slow down and journal on what moved you the most from the experience.

2 - Choose One Anchor Action: Pick a single powerful idea and commit to it—don’t overwhelm yourself with too many goals at once.

3 - Follow Up on Relationships: Reach out to people you connected with and nurture those new or deepened relationships.

4 - Protect Your Post-Room Energy: Carve out space to stay aligned and avoid tasks that drain your soul.

5 - Reframe the Crash: If you feel depleted, it’s a sign of growth—honor that expansion instead of judging it.

Get in touch with Megan below.

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Learn how to harness the power of Reddit to increase your blog traffic and deepen audience engagement with expert insights from Robin Means.

The Vegan Dollhouse is based in northern California. Taking inspiration from cute animals, sweet lolita, and tea parties, I make cute and colorful vegan food and desserts. I’ve been making vegan food for 25 years, and I’m still as passionate as I was on day 1.

In episode 702, you’ll learn how Reddit can be a game-changing platform for food bloggers looking to drive meaningful traffic, connect with niche audiences, and spark new content ideas. Robin shares practical strategies, her personal Reddit routine, and how to avoid common missteps when getting started.

Key points discussed include:

Reddit can drive massive traffic with less effort than other platforms: Robin gets three times more traffic from Reddit than Pinterest, while spending one-third of the time.
Start by engaging, not posting: Build “karma” by commenting and interacting with others before sharing your own content to avoid being flagged as spammy.
Find your niche subreddits: Subreddits are highly specific communities. Robin shares that finding the right ones with high engagement (20K+ members) is essential for success.
Follow each subreddit’s rules: Every subreddit has unique posting guidelines. Read and respect these carefully to avoid bans or deleted posts.
Engagement is key to visibility: Posts that receive strong engagement can hit the “hot” section, skyrocketing your visibility and clicks.
Reddit isn’t about followers: It’s one of the only platforms where your success isn’t dependent on follower count—brand new users can go viral.
Use Reddit to gather content ideas: Reddit is a goldmine for learning what your audience is asking for and brainstorming new recipe ideas.
Expect honesty—and sometimes criticism: Feedback is raw and unfiltered. While it can sting, it often helps improve your content.

Connect with Robin Means

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In episode 701, Megan celebrates reaching 700 episodes by bringing her team together to answer your questions about food blogging, content creation, mindset and life.

Dan Porta is a team builder at heart, currently growing Strategic Partnerships for Eat Blog Talk and further developing in-person events. With past experience in educational travel, Dan has cultivated a passion for bringing people together and facilitating positive learning experiences where meaningful connections can flourish. It's all about other people :)

Catharina is a podcast producer, video editor and social media expert who loves working with passionate entrepreneurs, helping them make their content ideas come to life. She’s a foodie at heart and used to work in hospitality before becoming a content producer. Since collaborating with Megan on EBT’s podcast episodes, she has developed a keen interest in the food blogging space and hopes to help many more food bloggers expand their horizons into audio and video.

Taryn has been blogging at Hot Pan Kitchen since 2018 and began the Grill Like A Mother podcast in 2022. She participated in several of Megan’s masterminds and worked behind the scenes at EBT before stepping into the role of community manager. Taryn loves bringing her knowledge and connections to the EBT community to help other food bloggers reach their goals! In her downtime, she enjoys hiking, reading, and spending time with her husband, twin boys, and their labradoodle, Pretzel.

In this episode, you’ll learn valuable insights about how to future-proof your blog in the age of AI, picking a successful niche and growing on Pinterest and YouTube.

Key points discussed include:

Monetizing Beyond Ads: Diversify your income streams across multiple platforms with intention, aligning each effort with your audience’s unique needs.

-Niching Down Successfully: Choose a niche that genuinely excites you and has long-term potential to keep you engaged and your audience served.

-Future-Proofing Your Blog in the Age of AI: Consider how evolving tech like AI might reshape platforms like Google, and explore sustainable income sources beyond ad revenue.

-Pinterest Strategy Amid Volatility: Despite fluctuating traffic, staying consistent and patient on Pinterest can still yield long-term results.

-Growing Your Email List: Use a mix of tactics—like lead magnets, guest podcasting, and strategic collaborations—to steadily build your list.

-Staying Consistent with Content: Create a content plan that matches your energy and resources, so you can maintain output without burnout.

-YouTube Trends in 2025: Understand whether long-form or short-form video fits your brand, and what content styles are currently performing best.

-Business Mindset & Daily Routine: Prioritize flexibility and self-care to stay grounded, productive, and aligned with your goals.

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Feeling overwhelmed? In this episode, I share five powerful affirmations to help you stay calm, grounded, and resilient through even the toughest weeks.

We all hit those weeks where everything feels overwhelming, and it’s tough to find our footing. In today’s episode, I’m sharing five affirmations that have truly helped me stay grounded during chaotic, stressful times. These simple but powerful phrases can shift your mindset and give you a real sense of peace when you need it most.

Action Plan:

1 - Relax, Trust, Let Go, Surrender: Anchor yourself by releasing control and allowing things to unfold.

2 - I trust myself: Remind yourself that you are capable, intuitive, and strong enough to handle any challenge.

3 - I choose peace: In the midst of chaos, intentionally create inner calm by making peace your priority.

4 - I give myself permission to pause: Know that resting is not weakness—it's necessary for creativity and clarity.

5 - Everything is Happening in Perfect Timing: Trust that life is unfolding exactly as it should, even if you can’t see it yet.

Get in touch with Megan below.

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In episode 699, Megan chats to Reed Dunn about how discovering the Food Social platform helped him combat creator isolation and reignite his passion for food blogging.

Reed Dunn's journey in the kitchen began as a young child in small-town Kansas, where he spent hours learning how to cook by digging through cookbooks and mimicking what his mom was doing. In 2018, after a month of sharing what he was eating on Instagram, friends and co-workers encouraged him to start an account dedicated to his recipes. Pesto & Potatoes was born, and it's where he shares his passion for cooking through wholesome plant-based and pescatarian recipes inspired by the Pacific Northwest and the many regions in which he has lived.

In this episode, you’ll learn how finding a supportive creator community can completely transform your food blogging journey and how Food Social offers unique opportunities for connection, traffic, and monetization.

Key points discussed include:

Food Social bridges the isolation gap for creators: Reed talks about feeling alone in his blogging journey and how Food Social gave him a space to connect with like-minded creators.
The platform is free and built by creators, for creators: Food Social was designed to address real challenges food bloggers face, offering a recipe-sharing platform with monetization and analytics tools.
It’s easy to get started and low-risk: Joining and uploading content is simple, making it a great option even for those already overwhelmed by platforms.
Monetization opportunities are built in: Creators can earn from page views, participate in paid brand activations, and use affiliate links—all within the platform.
The platform drives actual traffic: Food Social helps generate meaningful traffic and visibility without the algorithm stress of other platforms.
Community-building happens both on and off the platform: Weekly Zoom happy hours, Slack channels, and real-time feature updates foster a strong sense of collaboration and connection.
It supports authentic brand relationships: Reed appreciates how Food Social introduces him to brands he genuinely connects with, going beyond surface-level influencer marketing.

If You Loved This Episode… You’ll love Episode 665: Build an Online Business Without Relying On Social Media – Powerful Collaboration Strategies for Food Bloggers with Brett DuPree

Connect with Reed Dunn

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In episode 698, Eloise Jennes talks about how what felt like a massive failure on Instagram actually became the catalyst for clarity, growth, and deep alignment in her food blogging business.

Elo is a plant-based food blogger, meal prep expert, and founder of Cooking With Elo, where she helps stressed-out professionals, overwhelmed parents, and health-conscious students make healthy plant-based eating way more doable and way less chaotic.

With her Master's in food innovation and obsessive love for systems, checklists, and pantry organization, Elo helps you feel confident in the kitchen, even with tofu, tempeh, and beans on the menu. So if you’ve ever wished someone would just tell you what to cook, how to prep it, and when to eat it—she’s your girl.

In this episode, you’ll learn how to reframe failure as a learning opportunity to refine your niche, improve your blog and discover a clear business path rooted in passion and purpose.

Key points discussed include:

Failure isn't failure—it’s unmet expectations: Eloise shares how she redefined her Instagram experiment as a learning opportunity, not a flop.
Hard work can still feel fruitless—until it pays off: Posting 100 blog posts and 100 Instagram reels in 100 days didn’t go viral, but it laid a strong foundation for her business.
Systems matter: Eloise used Google Sheets smart chips and her love of organization to manage content creation efficiently.
Clarity comes from action: Pushing through the challenge helped Eloise realize her true niche had been there all along—plant-based meal prep.
You gain confidence through repetition: Creating content daily improved her storytelling, video editing, voiceovers, and technical workflow.
Burnout is real—listen to your body: She worked 14-15 hours a day, 7 days a week, and ended up with stress-induced gastritis, teaching her to build in sustainability.
Trust the process: Eloise held onto the belief that everything was leading somewhere, and it eventually unlocked new products, programs, and media opportunities.
Teaching is mastery: Shifting from “storyteller” to “teacher” allowed Eloise to embrace her strengths and lead her audience more effectively.

If You Loved This Episode… You’ll love Episode 668: The Growth Mindset Shift – How Failure Leads to Success with Donnie Lygonis

Connect with Eloïse Jennes

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Here's a simple 5-step method I created to help stay calm, present, and grounded when you're facing uncertainty and bracing for the unknown.

In this episode, I’m diving into a mindset strategy that helped me through a really intense week filled with anxiety and uncertainty. When life feels overwhelming and fear creeps in, it’s so important to have a simple plan to stay grounded. I’ll walk you through the exact five steps I used to calm my mind, stay present, and truly enjoy the moments that mattered most. If you ever find yourself stuck in a cycle of worry, these steps will help you find your way back to peace.

Action Plan:

1 - Acknowledge your awareness: Notice when your mind is jumping ahead to worst-case scenarios — awareness gives you back your power.

2 - Set a clear intention: Decide to stay grounded and present, even when challenges are looming.

3 - Focus on your breath: Take three deep, intentional breaths to signal to your body that it’s safe.

4 - Tune into your senses: Name three things you can see, hear, or feel to anchor yourself to the present moment.

5 - Redirect your thoughts: Practice gratitude, flip a negative "what if" into a positive one, and envision something you’re excited about.

Get in touch with Megan below.

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In episode 696, Megan chats with Barbara Curry about how she launched a wildly successful second food blog that reached 100,000 monthly pageviews within months of starting.

Barbara is the creator of Butter & Baggage and Easy Southern Desserts, where she shares her passion for approachable, home-cooked Southern recipes. She started Butter & Baggage in 2014, bringing decades of experience to help home cooks create delicious meals with confidence. In 2024, she launched Easy Southern Desserts to focus exclusively on indulgent, foolproof sweets inspired by Southern traditions. Through her blogs, she combines tested recipes with practical tips to make baking and cooking both stress-free and enjoyable.

In this episode, you’ll learn what it takes to start and grow a second blog while maintaining momentum with an existing one, including identifying a viable niche, gaining traffic and dividing your focus efficiently.

Key points discussed include:

Identify a market gap before you begin: Barbara saw an untapped niche in Southern desserts and used her experience to fill it strategically.
Start with intention and strategy: From day one, she planned content, SEO, and marketing to get traffic fast without cannibalizing her first blog.
Leverage existing resources: She used her first blog’s audience and email list to kick-start traffic and grow her second blog’s email subscribers.
Be cautious with cross-linking: Barbara used no-follow links between blogs to stay in line with Google’s link spam guidelines.
Focus on one platform at a time: She prioritized Pinterest over other social platforms to simplify her promotional efforts and increase traffic.
Utilize alternative traffic sources: Platforms like MSN, Flipboard, and Kit Creator Profiles brought early traffic boosts before Google rankings picked up.
Know when to outsource: Hiring help for writing, tech setup, Pinterest, and even cupcake decorating freed her to focus on what she does best.
Be realistic about the workload: Running two blogs is double the work—Barbara emphasizes the importance of efficiency, batching, and having a plan.

Connect with Barbara Curry

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In episode 695, Jonathan Feniak walks us through the legal essentials every food blogger needs to confidently turn a blog into a full-time business while mitigating legal risks.

Lead Attorney Jonathan Feniak is a driving force behind LLCAttorney.com with a mission to make quality legal guidance accessible to business owners and individuals across the United States. Specializing in asset protection, estate planning, and business formation, he provides practical solutions that empower clients to protect their assets and build strong legal foundations.

In this episode, you’ll learn the importance of setting up your blog as a business entity, how to protect your personal assets, and when should you get a trademark to protect your brand.

Key points discussed include:

Why forming an LLC is smart for bloggers: Protects personal assets and establishes your blog as a legitimate business.
You can form an LLC affordably: Many bloggers can complete the process themselves without hiring a lawyer.
Don't mix personal and business finances: Keeping accounts separate is essential to maintain your legal protections.
Start with the right foundation: It’s easier to build a solid business structure now than fix issues later.
Prepare for compliance challenges: What compliance challenges should entrepreneurs expect as they grow, and how can they prepare?
Trademarks protect your brand: Registering your blog’s name adds an extra layer of security for your identity and content.
State-specific rules matter: Requirements for forming and maintaining an LLC vary by state—be sure to check yours.
You don’t need to be perfect: Take small steps to gain clarity and protection; perfection isn’t required to move forward.

Connect with Jonathan Feniak

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Learn how to become more efficient and intentional by thoughtfully pairing two tasks together, without adding stress or hustle to your day.

Today’s episode is all about shifting your days with simple, intentional strategies. Instead of overwhelming yourself with frantic multitasking, I’m sharing easy ways to pair activities that naturally complement each other. These small changes have helped me be more productive, efficient, and energized without adding stress. I can’t wait for you to try them and see how they transform your workflow too!

Action Plan:

1 - Knock out admin work while walking on the treadmill: Use light movement to boost energy while getting through Slack messages, emails, or brainstorming.

2 - Connect with loved ones during outdoor walks: Reserve personal calls or voice messages for walk time to nurture relationships while getting fresh air and exercise.

3 - Learn while you do monotonous tasks: Listen to uplifting podcasts or audiobooks during chores like folding laundry or photo editing.

4 - Brainstorm creatively while cooking or cleaning: Use mindless tasks as prime time for content ideas and strategy sessions.

5 - Research trends while stretching or foam rolling: Pair body recovery time with quick social media trend research to spark new ideas.

Get in touch with Megan below.

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In episode 693, Megan chats to Morgan Peaceman about building strong systems that support both content creation and content maintenance for food bloggers.

Morgan Peaceman has been blogging for the last 6 years, but only really went all in as of 2023. Her approach to food blogging and recipe development comes from her love of quick and easy family friendly recipes, with fresh, simple ingredients that makes all her recipes accessible for the most novice of cooks.

In this episode, you’ll learn how to create sustainable systems for updating and publishing blog content while avoiding burnout and staying organized as a food blogger.

Key points discussed include:

Build systems that support sustainability: Morgan shares how she structured her blog workflow to stay consistent without burning out, including tracking and updating older content regularly.
Use tools that align with your needs: From KeySearch and RankIQ to the lesser-known but powerful Thruuu, Morgan walks us through her preferred keyword research and optimization tools.
Track updates in a color-coded system: A clear Google Sheets setup using red, yellow, and green helps Morgan manage what’s been updated, what’s in progress, and what needs attention.
Lean on your community: Morgan emphasizes how finding a group of fellow creators, even through DMs, has been a game changer for support and motivation.
Invest intentionally in your business: Every year, Morgan makes one significant investment in her business—whether that’s a branding shoot, SEO conference, or hiring help for social media.
Make your blog user-friendly: She reminds us how crucial it is to optimize recipe cards and surface key details at the top of posts to align with real user behavior.
Give yourself permission to rest: True rest is essential for longevity, and Morgan stresses how ignoring rest leads to burnout and illness.
Adapt your investments to what you need most right now: Prioritize what feels most urgent for your growth this year and allow your next steps to evolve accordingly.

If You Loved This Episode…

You’ll love Episode 259: Deliver Quality to Your Users by Updating Your Old Content with Kathy Berget

Connect with Morgan Peaceman

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In episode 692, Megan interviews James Baldwin from Raptive about strategies to increase your ad revenue, optimize your website for better performance, and tackle evolving challenges in the food blogging space—including AI content theft and third-party cookie changes.

James and his team of ad performance experts work to help creators make as much money as possible by analyzing network data, troubleshooting ad issues, and designing ad strategies for industry-leading RPMs. James lives is Fargo, North Dakota with his wife and two kids and farms on the occasional summer/fall weekend.

In this episode, you’ll learn how to boost your ad earnings, make sense of RPM fluctuations, and future-proof your content strategy in a shifting digital landscape.

Key points discussed include:

RPM Variations: U.S.-based traffic consistently earns higher RPMs than international traffic. Understanding audience geography is key to revenue forecasting.
Smart Ad Placement: Positioning ads in high-visibility areas of your recipe posts—especially where readers linger—can lead to significant income increases.
Words That Hurt Revenue: Terms like “download,” “addicting,” and “irresistible” may trigger brand safety concerns and reduce monetization potential.
Third-Party Cookie Changes: Though the future is still unfolding, Raptive is developing tools to ensure personalized ads remain effective.
Content that Wins: Google favors clear, user-friendly content with intuitive recipe navigation. Quality and reader value matter more than ever.
Fighting AI Content Theft: Raptive is actively identifying and combating AI-driven content theft and working with platforms like Pinterest to block monetization of stolen material.
Building Real Engagement: Authenticity, reader interaction, and community building are key to standing out—and staying relevant.

Connect with James Baldwin

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Learn how to transform everyday experiences into powerful gifts by shifting your perspective and embracing gratitude, seeing the world through a lens of appreciation that can fundamentally change your life.

Lately, I’ve been on a journey of uncovering hidden gifts in the most unexpected places - from physical signals in my body to tough conversations and challenging moments. In this episode, I’m sharing some of those discoveries and how they’ve helped me shift my perspective. Instead of getting weighed down by difficulties, I’m learning to see the world through a lens of appreciation and possibility.

Action Plan:

1 - Receive Words as Gifts: Listen with curiosity, not defensiveness.

2 - Receive Challenges as Opportunities: See obstacles as pathways to personal growth.

3 - Receive People as Connection: Approach interactions with openness and potential.

4 - Receive Quiet Moments as Reflection: Pause and savor stillness in a busy world.

5 - Receive Your Body as a Miracle: Appreciate the constant, incredible work of your physical self.

Get in touch with Megan below.

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In episode 690, Megan chats to Danielle Madden about how generative AI uses significant environmental resources and how content creators can use the technology more ethically.

Danielle Madden founded Project Meal Plan in 2016 after spending too many lunch breaks searching for mediocre food while working her office job. Her educational background includes a Bachelor's Degree in Environmental Science, and hands-on training as a Seattle Urban Nature Guide. Danielle loves being prepared (especially with food), and is usually the first one to arrive at a gathering with a homemade dish to share. At Project Meal Plan, Danielle focuses on make-ahead food and sharing tools to help others plan their own meals.

In this episode, you’ll learn how generative AI works, how to understand its environmental impact, and how to implement sustainable practices in business.

Key points discussed include:

Generative AI Uses Significant Resources: Data centers consume substantial water and electricity through complex cooling processes.
Water Consumption is Substantial: ChatGPT uses approximately 500 milliliters of fresh water per 20-50 questions.
Environmental Impact Varies: Different AI platforms have varying resource consumption levels, though specifics are not transparent.
Ethical Usage Matters: Content creators should critically evaluate when and how they use AI tools.
Prompt Writing is Key: More specific, detailed prompts can reduce unnecessary AI usage and resource consumption.
Fact-Checking is Essential: Always review and verify AI-generated content for accuracy.
Small Actions Add Up: Implementing sustainable practices in business can create meaningful environmental impact.
Transparency Helps: Consider creating a sustainability policy that acknowledges your commitment to responsible technology use.

Connect with Danielle Madden

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In episode 689, Dr. Kristen Wager teaches us how to use research to drive our content strategy, in order to predict what content will perform well instead of guessing what our audience wants.

Dr. Kristen Wager is a consumer researcher with over 15 years of experience and a Ph.D. in research. She has worked with major companies like Google, Amazon, and Meta, gaining firsthand insight into how research shapes strategy and drives growth. While these companies invest billions each year to understand their audiences, she believes creators deserve access to the same level of insight.

Most recently, Kristen led consumer research at Raptive, collaborating with some of the biggest food bloggers in the industry, including Half Baked Harvest, Tastes Better from Scratch, Just One Cookbook, Hey Grill Hey, and The Woks of Life. During this time, she developed a deep appreciation for the creator space and identified a significant gap: many creators lack access to first-party data to inform their business decisions.

When Raptive ended its research program, Kristen launched CreatorPulse to continue supporting creators—particularly in the food and lifestyle space—with real-time audience feedback. Her mission is to help creators make smarter, data-backed decisions that truly reflect what their audience wants.

In this episode, you’ll learn how to build a purposeful, proactive content strategy, how to leverage research to guide your approach, and why this can have a powerful impact on your food content business.

Key points discussed include:

The Importance of Research: Research is crucial for understanding your audience’s needs and evolving trends, helping you predict content success rather than guessing.
Moving Beyond Gut Feelings: While intuition has its place, relying solely on it can lead to echo chambers and content burnout; scalable growth requires data-backed decisions.
Defining a Strategic Content Strategy: A proactive content strategy is built with purpose, intention, and your audience’s needs in mind, aligning with your business growth.
Methods of Research: Use various research methods, from simple polls to in-depth surveys and social listening, to gather audience insights.
Types of Research: Different types of research, like audience insights, competitor benchmarking, and brand perception, offer unique benefits for shaping your content and brand.
Real-Time Data: Emphasize real-time data to stay ahead of trends and understand current audience needs, rather than relying solely on historical performance metrics.
Turning Data into Action: Translate data into actionable steps by identifying content themes, creating messaging frameworks, and aligning content with business goals.
Busting Research Myths: Overcome misconceptions about research by recognizing that it doesn’t have to be time-consuming or expensive, and that audience feedback is invaluable.

Connect with Dr. Kristen Wager

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A practical guide to reframing negative thought patterns and inviting more joy, peace, and success into your daily life through intentional mental shifts.

Today, I want to dive into the way we talk to ourselves and the narratives we create in our minds. Our brains are naturally wired to focus on the negative—but here’s the good news: we have the power to rewrite that narrative. In this episode, I’m sharing five transformative strategies to help you reframe your thoughts and invite more joy into your everyday life.

Action Plan:

1 - Flip the “What If” Spiral: Challenge negative what-if scenarios by intentionally creating positive, empowering alternative narratives.

2 - Rewrite Your Personal Stories: Recognize that the stories you tell yourself are often assumptions, and consciously choose more compassionate interpretations.

3 - Refuse Negative Talk: Disengage from gossip and complaints, instead redirecting conversations towards positivity and inspiration.

4 - Shift “I Have To” to “I Get To”: Transform obligations into opportunities by reframing mundane tasks as privileged experiences.

5 - Replace Comparison with Inspiration: When you catch yourself comparing, pause and ask how another’s success can motivate rather than discourage you.

Get in touch with Megan below.

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In episode 687, Megan chats to Anna Dearmon Kornick about why a Weekly Planning Session is the best time management tip to start overcoming overwhelm and hitting our goals.

Anna Dearmon Kornick is a highly sought after time management coach and keynote speaker, top 1% globally ranked podcast host of It's About Time, and founder of the It’s About Time Academy. A true Louisiana firecracker who has become known for making time management fun, Anna helps busy professionals and business owners struggling with overwhelm manage their time using her personality-driven HEART Method.

In this episode, you’ll discover how to revolutionize your time management by creating a personalized weekly planning system for your food blogging business, including the best tools to use and strategies for building habits that last.

Key points discussed include:

Weekly Planning is Critical: A consistent weekly planning session can help you anticipate challenges and create smoother transitions between tasks and responsibilities.
Customize Your Approach: There’s no one-size-fits-all method for planning; adapt the strategy to fit your unique personality and lifestyle.
Use High and Low-Tech Tools: Combine digital tools like Asana with a physical notebook to capture and track ideas and tasks effectively.
Account for Transition Time: Build in buffer time between activities to reduce stress and prevent perpetual lateness.
Start Small and Reward Yourself: Begin with a bare minimum planning session and create a reward system to build a sustainable habit.
Embrace Flexibility: Your weekly planning can evolve and be completed in segments rather than one strict sit-down session.
Imagination Matters: Use creativity and forward-thinking to design a time management system that works uniquely for you.

Connect with Anna Dearmon Kornick

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In episode 686, Christine Van Bloem shares how she was able to thrive in her niche and diversify her revenue after losing her cooking school in 2020, fighting against giving up on life post-50.

Christine Van Bloem is the owner and head cook in The Empty Nest Kitchen, where she teaches empty nesters how to cook for one or two, while finding the fun in cooking with a healthy-ish vibe. She is also the creator of Menopause Meal Plans, providing tasty weekly menus utilizing the Mediterranean Diet for perimenopausal, menopausal, and post-menopausal women. Christine completed her Culinary Medicine Medical Provider (CCMP) certification and also hosts popular monthly online classes through AARP and the Empty Nest Kitchen podcast.

In this episode, you’ll learn how to build a reliable income from your food business (without relying on ad revenue), why your niche plays a critical role in diversifying your business and how to rise above personal hardships.

Key points discussed include:

Diversification is Key: Explore multiple avenues like teaching classes, memberships, and corporate team-building to future-proof your business.
Find Your Niche: Focus on a specific audience, like empty nesters or menopausal women, to create targeted, valuable content.
Embrace Online Opportunities: Leverage platforms like AARP, virtual classes, and online memberships to reach a wider audience.
Be Authentic and Fearless: Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there and try new things, even if they seem outside your comfort zone.
Learn from Challenges: Personal hardships can be transformative and lead to unexpected opportunities and growth.
Continuous Learning: Stay open to new certifications, courses, and skills that can enhance your business offerings.
Community Connection: Build meaningful relationships with your audience through interactive and personalized content.

If You Loved This Episode… You’ll love Episode 582: Creative Ways to Earn Money as A New Food Blogger with Katharine Rosenthal

Connect with Christine Van Bloem

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Have you ever considered attending an in-person retreat with like-minded individuals? In this episode, I talk through 5 major mindset shifts I’ve experienced from attending retreats and how they have impacted my bus

I’m super excited to share with you the incredible mindset benefits I’ve discovered from hosting and attending in-person retreats. These aren’t just your typical business events - they’re life-changing experiences that can completely shift how you see yourself and your potential. If you’ve ever felt stuck or isolated in your entrepreneurial journey, this episode is going to open your eyes to the magic of stepping out of your comfort zone.

Action Plan:

1 - The power of in-person connections: Creating deep, meaningful relationships beyond virtual networking.

2 - Changing the way we talk to ourselves: Challenging and rewriting negative self-talk narrative.

3 - Identifying blind spots that are holding you back: Getting fresh perspectives from peer.

4 - The confidence boost that comes from external validation: Recognizing your unique strengths and expertise.

5 - The energy shift that comes from stepping away: Reconnecting with your core business purpose and dreams

Get in touch with Megan below.

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In episode 684, Chelsea Cole teaches us how to creatively manage our time and build a successful business—all while navigating the challenges of first-time parenting.

Chelsea Cole is a cookbook author, food blogger, and founder of The Cookbook Lab, a course that teaches self-publishing cookbooks. Her website, A Duck’s Oven, focuses on sous vide cooking. She has written two cookbooks, Everyday Sous Vide and Sous Vide Meal Prep and her third, "A Feast of Thorns and Roses," a fan cookbook inspired by the "A Court of Thorns and Roses" series, comes out April 1st. She currently lives outside of Portland, Oregon with her husband, son, and daughter on the way.

In this episode, you’ll discover strategies for balancing your blog, launching new ventures like writing a cookbook, and embracing first-time parenthood—so you can keep growing your business while showing up for your family.

Key points discussed include:

Strategic Outsourcing: Sometimes you have to know when to ask for help. Chelsea’s smart move of delegating cookbook photography proves that you don’t have to do everything yourself.
Flexible Work Hours: Those early morning hours are gold, especially with a newborn. Chelsea turned those 4 AM wake-ups into productive writing time.
Content Prioritization: Focus on essential business tasks while temporarily pausing less critical activities.
Family Support: Your support system is everything. Chelsea’s mom stepping in one day a week made all the difference in maintaining her sanity and productivity.
Embrace Inconsistent Progress: Perfectionists, this one’s for you - progress isn’t linear when you’re a new parent. Learning to be okay with that is a superpower.
Realistic Expectations: Set achievable daily goals and celebrate small victories to maintain motivation and avoid burnout while managing a newborn and a major work project.
Adaptable Planning: Create flexible plans that can shift with your newborn’s unpredictable schedule.
Ruthless Efficiency: Become a time management ninja. When you’ve got limited windows to work, every minute counts.

Connect with Chelsea Cole

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In episode 683, Chad Allen delivers a game-changing strategy that could transform the way food bloggers think about growing their email lists: the powerful and often overlooked technique of email swaps

Chad R. Allen is a writer, speaker, editor, and writing coach. A 25-year publishing professional, he has worked with such bestselling authors as Michael Hyatt, Caroline Leaf, Mark Batterson, and Phyllis Tickle. He is the creator of BookCamp, a training center and community for writers, as well as Book Proposal Academy, an online course. His passion is helping writers craft must-read books that reach large audiences, and he blogs at http://www.chadrallen.com/.

In this episode, you’ll learn about email swaps, how they can benefit you, and how to execute them effectively so you can get high-quality, valuable email subscribers.

Key points discussed include:

Email is essential: You need an email list to build a solid business because social media is “rented property”.
Anyone can do an email swap: It is best to start with someone you know with a list comparable in size to yours.
Make it about them: If you’re reaching out to someone you don’t know, focus on how you can help them reach their audience.
The freebie matters: You want to offer an irresistible freebie to the other person’s audience to encourage sign-ups.
Provide swipe copy: Make it easy for your partner by providing an email template they can adapt.
Email swaps yield warm leads: Email swaps can provide warmer leads than you find through paid ads.
Welcome new subscribers: Have a welcome email sequence to introduce yourself to new subscribers and build a relationship.
Avoid misaligned audiences: Make sure you and your partner have overlapping audiences.

Connect with Chad Allen

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Discipline and freedom go hand in hand - implementing structure in your life can unlock creativity, joy, and long-term success.

As entrepreneurs, we can have all the goals, dreams, and good intentions in the world, but without discipline, none of it matters. Lately, I’ve been reading The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin, and one section on discipline really stopped me in my tracks. It reminded me that discipline isn’t about restriction - it’s about creating the freedom to do what we truly love. Let’s dive into five ways you can build more discipline into your life!

Action Plan:

1 - Define Your Non-Negotiables: Get clear on what absolutely must happen in your business and life - treat these like brushing your teeth, no excuses.

2 - Create a System, Not Just a Goal: Goals are great, but systems are what keep you moving forward - set up routines that make discipline automatic.

3 - Time Block Like a Pro: Structure your schedule intentionally, dedicating specific time blocks to deep work, content creation, and rest.

4 - Eliminate Decision Fatigue: Simplify daily choices by meal prepping, pre-planning content, and having a structured to-do list to conserve mental energy.

5 - Use Rewards and Consequences: Give yourself incentives to stay on track, whether it’s a coffee treat for completing tasks or a consequence for missed deadlines.

Get in touch with Megan below.

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In episode 681, Megan chats to Megan Keno about key aspects of her 15-year blogging journey that have led to her success, including knowing where to spend your time and when to pivot.

Megan is creator and CEO of Homemade Home, a veteran 15 year old food blog, focused on every day elevated dishes and cast iron cooking. Megan is also a cast member of season 4 of FOX's Next Level Chef with Gordon Ramsay. Oh yeah, and he has her cookbook.

In this episode, you’ll learn about building a sustainable food blogging business while maintaining authenticity, and why saying ‘yes’ to unexpected opportunities can determine the future of your blog.

Key points discussed include:

Authenticity is Key: Staying true to yourself creates opportunities and resonates with your audience.
Slow and Steady Wins: Consistency and intentional content creation are more important than viral trends.
Platform Strategy: Focus on social media platforms where you naturally enjoy consuming content, rather than spreading yourself thin.
Rebrand with Purpose: Be willing to evolve your brand to reflect your current life and passions.
Overcome Obstacles: Challenges like algorithm changes or traffic drops don’t define your long-term success.
Say Yes to Opportunities: Being open to unexpected chances can lead to transformative experiences.
Self-Reflection Matters: Take time to understand your unique strengths and goals as a content creator.
Long-Term Perspective: Building a sustainable blog requires patience, love for your craft, and continuous learning.

Connect with Megan Keno

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In episode 680, Coley Gaffney teaches us how to deal with mental health struggles like anxiety and depression while running a food blog.

Nicole "Coley" Gaffney is a professionally trained chef and content creator behind the website Coley Cooks. She specializes in seafood and Italian cuisine, and previously had her own business as a personal chef and caterer. Coley has made numerous television appearances, including on QVC, The Rachael Ray Show, The Today Show, and most notably, was 2nd runner up on season 10 of Food Network Star. Coley lives at the southern Jersey shore with her husband and pup, and is passionate about helping people connect through food.

In this episode, you’ll learn how to recognize and address mental health issues without relying on therapy, and why understanding food blogging as a long game is essential to keep a healthy balance with your blog.

Key points discussed include:

Mental health struggles are common: Experiencing mental health challenges is a normal part of life, and sharing experiences can provide comfort and reduce feelings of isolation.
Acknowledge and address issues: Recognizing and addressing mental health struggles is essential because nobody is coming to rescue you.
Journaling can be a powerful tool: Regularly journaling about thoughts and feelings can help process emotions and track personal growth.
Make small promises: To combat work paralysis, start by making tiny promises to yourself and gradually build momentum.
Social media can impact mental health: Taking breaks from social media can be beneficial, especially if it causes anxiety or stress.
Blogging is a long game: Success in blogging takes time, so focus on the love of creating content rather than solely on monetary gains.
Real people are valuable: Authentic, personal recipes and cooking advice will always be valued over AI-generated content.

If You Loved This Episode… You’ll love Episode 534: It’s OK to Ask for Help as a Food Blogger with Teri-Ann Carty.

Connect with Coley Gaffney

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Here are five practical ways to slow down and savor life, helping you create more balance, joy, and mindfulness in your personal and entrepreneurial journey.

Life moves FAST, doesn’t it? If we’re not careful, we get swept up in the hustle, always chasing the next thing, and suddenly, we realize we haven’t truly enjoyed our days. I’ve been there, pushing, striving, and forgetting to pause. But this year, I’m making a conscious effort to slow down, reflect, and soak in life’s little joys. If you’re feeling stretched thin, you are NOT alone. Let’s do this together! Here are five ways we can all slow down and savor life.

Action Plan:

1 - Prioritize What Matters Most: Do a time audit, set boundaries, and make sure your daily actions reflect what’s truly important.

2 - Be Mindful in the Present Moment: Take a deep breath, engage your senses, and stop letting distractions pull you away from what really matters.

3 - Simplify Your Day: Clear the clutter from your schedule, cut out unnecessary tasks, and create routines that bring ease instead of stress.

4 - Make Time for Joyful Activities: Schedule FUN into your week, say "yes" to spontaneous moments, and do the things that fill your cup.

5 - Practice Gratitude for the Small Things: Keep a gratitude journal, notice the little joys in each day, and share your appreciation with others.

Get in touch with Megan below.

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In episode 678, Megan Porta chats with McKenna Pulda, Emily Christensen, and Amy Coyne about how to successfully collaborate on a cookbook.

McKenna Pulda is a former choir teacher turned sourdough enthusiast, recipe developer, and mom of two. After receiving her first sourdough starter 4 years ago, her love for baking quickly turned into a passion for creating delicious, from-scratch recipes with a sourdough twist. Since starting her blog, Simplicity and a Starter, in 2023, McKenna has shared 150+ tried-and-true sourdough recipes and also co-authored a cookbook, Our Sourdough Table, featuring long-fermented and quick sourdough recipes that are perfect for the holiday season.

Emily is the creator and voice behind Country Roads Sourdough, where she shares tried-and-true sourdough bread and discard recipes, along with helpful sourdough tips and techniques. After leaving her corporate brand management career to become a stay-at-home mom, she quickly realized she needed a creative outlet and began hosting local sourdough classes. What started as a passion project quickly took off after a few viral Instagram videos—turning her love for sourdough into a full-time career.

Amy Coyne is a sourdough teacher, recipe developer, and mom to four awesome kiddos. She has grown her website over the last two years from 100K pageviews in 2022 to almost 10 million pageviews at the end of 2024. She shares tried-and-true sourdough recipes on her website and with her Instagram and social media communities.

Summary & Takeaways

In this episode, you’ll learn how to coordinate writing a collaborative cookbook, from deciding who to collaborate with to how to create a cohesive look and boost sales through social media marketing.

Key points discussed include:

Who to collaborate with: Emily reached out to Amy and McKenna via Instagram DMs because they had similar followings and vibes.
Deciding on a niche: The group decided to focus on holiday sourdough recipes, filling a unique niche.
Maintaining a cohesive look: They coordinated photography styles, using neutral colors and backgrounds, even reshooting existing blog photos to align.
Organization and book cover design: The group used Google Docs to organize recipes by category and Canva to create the cookbook layout.
In-person retreat: The group had a working weekend at an Airbnb to photograph recipes, proofread, and plan marketing strategies.
Choosing a self-publishing platform: They selected Lulu for its print-on-demand service, quality, payment splitting, and worldwide printing locations.
Marketing strategies: The group conducted live bake-alongs and created weekly Instagram reels to promote the cookbook.
Customer service: The team helped customers with order issues, but also realized the limitations of print-on-demand, since they didn’t have the actual product or shipping control.
The power of collaboration: Working together helped them grow their followings, build lasting friendships, and create a product that they loved.

Guest Details

Connect with McKenna Pulda

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Connect with Emily Christensen

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In episode 677, Debra Eckerling teaches us how to start a successful podcast or live stream by leveraging our existing food blog content and audience.

Debra Eckerling is a goal-strategist, workshop leader, and award-winning author and podcaster. The creator of The DEB Method for goal-setting simplified, Debra works with individuals, teams, and businesses on personal and professional projects, networking strategy, and book/book proposal development. She hosts GoalChatLive/GoalChat and the Taste Buds with Deb podcasts, and is the author of "Your Goal Guide" and "52 Secrets for Goal-Setting and Goal-Getting."

In this episode, you’ll learn how to break through common barriers and launch a podcast or live show that supports your brand and expands your reach.

Key points discussed include:

Podcasting doesn’t have to be perfect: You don’t need expensive equipment or flawless execution—just start recording and sharing your content.
Time management is key: Look at your current schedule and find ways to eliminate tasks or adjust priorities to make room for your podcast.
Leverage what you already have: Your food blog gives you a built-in niche, brand, and audience—use that as the foundation for your podcast.
Networking is a major benefit: A podcast provides an opportunity to connect with experts, expand your network, and build relationships that can benefit your brand.
Start simple and evolve: Begin with a basic concept and let your show naturally develop based on what works best for you and your audience.
Repurpose your content: Use your podcast episodes in blog posts, social media, YouTube, and more to maximize your reach.
Commit to consistency: Whether you publish weekly, biweekly, or monthly, sticking to a regular schedule is essential for audience growth.
Treat your podcast like an appointment: Schedule time for your podcast work and honor it as you would any other important commitment.

Guest Details

Connect with Debra Eckerling

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Building consistency in your habits is the key to long-term success - learn five simple steps to make habits stick, even when life gets in the way.

There’s so much power in being consistent with your habits, and it’s not about being perfect or overly ambitious. It’s about showing up, even in small ways, every single day. I recently read a quote that really stuck with me: "Forming good habits isn't about being perfect, it's about being more of who you are." That hit me hard because when we build habits that align with who we truly are, they become effortless and life-changing. Let’s break it down into five steps so you can build habits that stick for the long haul!

Action Plan:

1 - Start Small and Build Gradually: Begin with tiny, manageable habits and gradually build on them.

2 - Make Habits Non-Negotiable: Treat your habit as a must-do part of your day, no exceptions.

3 - Track Your Progress and Celebrate Wins: Use a tracker and celebrate small wins to stay motivated.

4 - Stay Committed Even When Results Aren’t Immediate: Trust the proces, even when results aren’t immediate.

5 - Adjust and Adapt When Necessary: Life happens—adjust but don’t give up!

Get in touch with Megan below.

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In episode 675, Megan chats to Laura Piper about how to leverage Pinterest Trends to increase your visibility and drive more traffic to your food blog.

Laura Piper is a Pinterest expert who works exclusively with food bloggers. Her mission is to help them make Pinterest their #1 traffic source without feeling frustrated or overwhelmed. Using her proven Pinterest strategies, along with in-depth Pinterest trends and keyword insights, she simplifies the platform for food bloggers, allowing them to focus on what they love most—creating amazing new recipes.

In this episode, we break down practical strategies for using Pinterest Trends effectively, helping you create timely content that reaches the right audience at the right moment.

Key points discussed include:

Pinterest Trends is a goldmine: This free tool helps you identify what people are searching for and when to publish your content for maximum impact.
Use seasonal trends to your advantage: Find emerging trends early to ensure your content gains traction as searches increase.
Growing trends aren’t always the best choice: Instead of targeting already popular trends, focus on those about to take off.
Timing is key: Start pinning seasonal content well in advance—sometimes months ahead—to give Pinterest time to understand and distribute your content.
Optimize your pins with keywords: Include trending keywords in pin titles, descriptions, and board names to improve visibility.
Roundup posts can boost engagement: Pinterest favors roundup posts because they provide multiple options in one place, increasing saves and clicks.
Pinterest favors high-quality content: Authentic, original images and well-researched posts perform better, especially as Pinterest cracks down on AI-generated spam.
Less is more when pinning: Quality pins aligned with trends outperform high-volume, low-quality pinning strategies.

Connect with Laura Piper

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In episode 674, Alicia Gonzalez Tome teaches us practical strategies for managing time efficiently, optmizing for SEO and balancing life and blogging - especially as a part-time blogger.

Alicia Gonzalez Tome is a GF & DF nomad foodie who loves nature and sports. She had a thyroid disorder that led her to change her diet and was part of her natural recovery from this autoimmune disease. Originally from Spain and based in Australia since 2017, she is constantly traveling and currently living in her campervan along the NSW coast.

In this episode, you'll learn key strategies for efficiently managing a food blog, from photography tips to time management strategies, while keeping balance in your life.

Key points discussed include:

Be intentional with content: Focus on high-volume keywords and recipes that will drive traffic to your blog.
Use the right tools: Investing in tools like RankIQ, SEMrush, and the Feast plugin can save time and boost efficiency.
Batch content creation: Plan ahead and shoot multiple recipes in one session to streamline your workflow.
Keep photography simple: Use a basic camera, natural light, and minimal props to create beautiful yet efficient food photography.
Avoid social media burnout: If Instagram or other platforms drain your energy, it’s okay to take breaks and focus on SEO instead.
Schedule and plan ahead: Set clear deadlines for recipe testing, photography, and writing to stay on track.
Know your limits: Be realistic about how much content you can produce each month to maintain a work-life balance.
Take breaks when needed: Stepping back can help you return with fresh energy and creativity.

If You Loved This Episode… You’ll love Episode 593: 3 Simple Ways to Successfully Blog Part-Time While Working Full-time with Kimberlee Ho

Connect with Alicia Gonzalez Tome

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Stop letting negative thoughts and words hold you back—this episode explores five things to stop saying and thinking to create a more positive, fulfilling life.

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about the power of our words and thoughts. What we tell ourselves shapes our reality, and sometimes, we don’t even realize how much negativity we let in. I recently made a commitment to be more intentional about the things I say and think—and let me tell you, it’s not always easy! But the shifts I’ve noticed already are incredible. If you want to create a better future for yourself, join me as we talk about five things to stop saying and thinking so you can start seeing real change.

Action Plan:

1 - Stop complaining about things you can't control. Complaining drains your energy and keeps you stuck. Instead, focus on gratitude and actionable solutions.

2 - Stop gossiping about others. Gossip creates negativity and doesn’t serve you. Shift conversations to positive or productive topics.

3 - Stop making excuses. Excuses hold you back from growth. Take responsibility and reframe challenges into opportunities.

4 - Stop overthinking and worrying about the future. Stay present and take action instead of getting lost in “what-ifs."

5 - Stop believing you're not good enough. Replace self-doubt with affirmations and recognize your worth—because you are enough.

Get in touch with Megan below.

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In episode 672, Megan chats to Dana Shrager about how to stand out in today’s crowded online food blogging space by embracing authenticity and developing a unique voice.

Dana Shrager is the recipe creator at Dana’s Table, where she shares recipes for Jewish holidays and healthy-ish family dinners. She started a recipe website 13 years ago to share recipes with family and friends. Three years ago, she rebranded and began running her site full-time. Now, she helps readers from around the world feel confident cooking and gathering loved ones around their holiday tables.

In this episode, you'll learn how to develop a distinct blogging voice, build trust with your audience, and create content that resonates in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.

Key points discussed include:

Find Your Unique Point of View: Defining your niche and personal style helps you stand out among the many food blogs online.
Authenticity Matters: Readers connect more with real, relatable content rather than polished perfection.
Communicate Your Expertise: Share your recipe testing process, pitfalls, and tips to build credibility.
Leverage Audience Engagement: Engage with your readers via social media, email, and community groups to understand their needs.
Be Transparent with Your Process: Explain why your recipe works, how you developed it, and what makes it special.
SEO and Passion Go Hand in Hand: While SEO research is essential, choosing recipes that align with your expertise will attract a loyal audience.

Connect with Dana Shrager

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In episode 671, Amy Coyne teaches us the exact strategies she used to rapidly grow her sourdough blog, Amy Bakes Bread, from 100,000 to 10 million page views in just 2 years.

In this episode, you'll learn how Amy leveraged Instagram, built a strong community, deeply engaging with her audience, and strategically optimizing her blog to drive millions of page views.

Key points discussed include:

Don’t underestimate consistency: Amy posted daily on Instagram for over a year, which significantly contributed to her growth.
Engage with your audience: She prioritized answering followers’ questions and tailoring content to their needs.
Leverage social media for blog traffic: Instagram played a major role in directing people to her website.
Optimize for SEO: After seeing success on social media, Amy shifted her focus to improving her blog’s search rankings.
Diversify content formats: She is expanding into YouTube and email marketing to connect with a wider audience.
Trust the process and start before you're ready: Amy emphasizes the importance of taking action, even when you feel unprepared.

Connect with Amy Coyne

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Struggling with overthinking? In this episode, Megan shares five powerful strategies to stop ruminating and reclaim your mental clarity.

If you’ve ever found yourself stuck in a loop of overthinking, replaying past conversations, or worrying about things you can’t control—trust me, I’ve been there. Recently, my business coach called me out on how my own thoughts were draining me, not the external events I blamed. It was a wake-up call! So today, I’m sharing five simple but effective ways to break free from rumination and get back to a place of peace and productivity. Let’s put an end to the mental spirals together!

Action Plan:

1 - Meditation: A simple daily habit to quiet the mind and break the overthinking cycle.

2 - Journaling: Get your thoughts out of your head and onto paper for instant clarity.

3 - Healthy Distractions: Shift your focus with an activity that keeps your mind engaged.

4 - Reframing & Resetting: Catch negative thoughts and flip the script to regain control.

5 - Change Your Environment: A quick physical shift can instantly reset your mental state.

Get in touch with Megan below.

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In episode 669, Megan chats to Chris Panteli about how food bloggers can build high-quality backlinks and boost their domain authority using digital PR strategies.

Chris Panteli is the co-founder of Linkifi, a digital PR link-building agency that specializes in securing high-quality media links for clients. His entrepreneurial journey took an unexpected turn when he was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age 33, leading him to sell his family's fish and chip shop business. Panteli holds a Bachelor's degree in Business Economics from the University of Liverpool. In January 2022, Panteli co-founded Linkifi, which rapidly grew to generate $50,000 per month within its first year. The agency focuses on responding to PR requests from journalists on behalf of clients, helping them secure valuable online links and enhance their SEO performance.

Panteli is also a podcast host, co-hosting "Market Movers: Building Brands and Links with Linkifi," where he shares insights on branding, SEO, and link-building strategies. His expertise in digital PR and link building has made him a respected voice in the eCommerce and digital marketing industries.

In this episode, you'll learn how to secure backlinks from top-tier media outlets, optimize your website for PR success, and track your mentions to maximize SEO benefits.

Key points discussed include:

Why backlinks matter: High-quality backlinks help increase domain authority, improve SEO, and drive organic traffic.
Best platforms for PR opportunities: Websites like Source of Sources (SOS), Quoted, and Press Flow connect bloggers with journalists looking for expert sources.
How to pitch journalists successfully: Personalize your pitches, highlight your expertise, and follow up politely to increase your chances of getting featured.
Optimizing your website for PR: A clear about page, professional social presence, and credentials help journalists verify and trust your expertise.
Tracking and securing unlinked mentions: Use tools like Google Alerts and Talkwalker to monitor mentions, and reach out to request a backlink if your name appears without one.
The evolving role of AI in PR: AI can assist with research and structuring pitches, but maintaining a human, authentic tone is essential.

Connect with Chris Panteli

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In episode 668, Donnie Lygonis teaches us the power of a growth mindset and how embracing failure can set you up for long-term success.

Donnie Lygonis is an Innovation Strategist and Business Coach at KTH Innovation, The Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) in Stockholm, where he has been helping researchers and students for over 14 years, turning their ideas and results into viable products and services. Donnie enjoys working hands-on with exponential technologies and collaborating with individuals who have world-changing and world-saving ideas. His latest venture is Mellanmål Inc, a U.S.-based company focused on bringing Swedish better-for-you-and-the-planet food products to America.

In this episode, you'll learn how to shift your mindset to embrace challenges, develop resilience, and build meaningful connections that can drive your business forward.

Key points discussed include:

Growth mindset is key to success: Your mindset determines how you approach challenges, failure, and change—embracing growth leads to resilience and adaptability.
Failure is not the end—it's a step forward: Rather than fearing failure, view it as a learning opportunity that helps refine your approach and move closer to your goals.
Success is a personal definition: Success isn’t just about money or status—it’s about fulfillment, impact, and finding meaning in your work.
Networking is a powerful tool: Building relationships and leveraging your network can help you gain new opportunities, perspectives, and support.
Small, consistent actions lead to big results: Progress is made through small, consistent steps over time—whether it's learning a skill, growing a business, or developing a new habit.
Celebrate your wins along the way: Taking moments to reflect on and appreciate what you've accomplished can fuel motivation and a positive mindset.

If You Loved This Episode… You’ll love Episode 576: Tough Transitions – How to Transform Tremors of Change into Catalysts for Growth with James Elliot.

Connect with Donnie Lygonis

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In this episode, I want to share five powerful strategies to help you recover when life throws you an unexpected curveball.

We’ve all had those weeks where everything is going great—until suddenly, it’s not. Maybe you get sick, something unexpected happens, or bad news completely throws off your plans. Years ago, weeks like that would have totally taken me down, and I’d struggle to get back on track. But over time, I’ve learned a few things that make bouncing back easier, and today, I’m sharing five strategies to help you recover when life turns your week upside down.

Action Plan:

1 - Embrace the climb back up the mountain: Recovery takes time, and small wins are worth celebrating.

2 - Build a trusted circle of support: Having reliable people in your life makes overcoming setbacks easier.

3 - Establish good habits: Foundational habits provide stability and help you regain momentum.

4 - Prioritize self-care: Taking care of yourself is essential, even in difficult times.

5 - Practice flexibility and acceptance: Letting go of control can reduce stress and make recovery smoother.

Get in touch with Megan below.

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In episode 666, Megan chats to Dawn Ledet about how food bloggers can overcome self-doubt, procrastination and perfectionism by building unshakable self-trust.

Dawn Ledet, a certified life coach, former corporate sales executive, and author of Master Your Inner Dialogue: Transform Your Self-Talk for Goal Success, is on a mission to help high-achieving entrepreneurs and leaders crush their goals with clarity, confidence, and ease. Drawing on her expertise in coaching and years of experience in high-stakes sales and leadership, Dawn empowers clients to rewrite self-sabotaging narratives, build unshakable self-trust, and turn inner dialogue into a powerful tool for lasting success. Through practical strategies and proven frameworks, she helps people achieve their dreams without the overwhelm.

In this episode, you'll learn how mastering self-trust can help you make confident decisions, follow through on your goals, and ultimately achieve success in your blogging business.

Key points discussed include:

Self-trust is the foundation of success: Without trust in yourself, challenges like procrastination and perfectionism can hold you back.
Three key skills for achieving any goal: Making decisions, following through, and having your own back are essential to personal and business growth.
Your inner dialogue shapes your reality: The way you talk to yourself can either propel you forward or keep you stuck in self-doubt.
Reframing procrastination and perfectionism: Instead of labeling yourself, recognize them as choices and get curious about why you're making them.
The power of asking the right questions: Instead of asking “Why can’t I do this?” try “What do I need to move forward?” to shift your mindset.
Energy matters in self-trust and productivity: Differentiate between draining energy and fulfilling energy that comes from aligned work.
Create an "I'm So Impressed" list: Keep track of your wins to build confidence and reinforce self-trust.

Connect with Dawn Ledet

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In episode 665, Brett Dupree teaches us how collaborating with other content creators—especially through virtual summits—can accelerate business growth and create a steady, self-sustained income

Brett DuPree is a food blogger and the founder of Freaking Delish, where she helps hardworking families create simple, delicious meals that fit into their busy lives. In addition to her blog and membership platform, she hosts an annual summit, "What's for Dinner?": The Summit, that brings together content creators from across the food and lifestyle space to share practical tips, recipes, and inspiration. With a focus on collaboration and serving everyday families, Brett is passionate about making mealtime stress-free and meaningful for everyone.

In this episode, you’ll discover powerful collaboration strategies and gain insight into hosting virtual summits, helping food bloggers expand their reach and grow their businesses, without relying on social media.

Key points discussed include:

Why collaboration matters: Working together with other bloggers can accelerate your growth and open new opportunities.
The power of virtual summits: Hosting or participating in online summits helps expand your audience and generate revenue.
Breaking free from social media dependence: Brett shares why she built her business without relying heavily on social media.
Overcoming fears around video content: Being comfortable on camera can open doors to new collaborations and opportunities.
How to build strong relationships: Genuine connections with fellow bloggers can lead to ongoing collaborations and success.
Getting past rejection in collaborations: Many bloggers are hesitant to collaborate at first, but persistence and exposure to new ideas can change their mindset.
Balancing summit planning with content creation: Hosting a summit is a big commitment, so careful organization and time management are key to success.

Connect with Brett Dupree

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In this episode, I want to share five small but powerful habits that have made a huge difference in my personal growth.

This past week has been a rough one for me—I’ve been sick, and it really knocked me out. But even in the toughest weeks, I’ve found that sticking to small, intentional habits makes a world of difference. Habits can make you or break you, and I’ve been on a mission to build ones that help me live my best life.

Action Plan:

1 - Start Your Day with a Positive Affirmation: Set the tone for your day by reinforcing empowering thoughts.

2 - Set One Focused Goal for the Day: Prioritize what truly matters to stay on track and avoid overwhelm.

3 - Practice Gratitude Before Bed: Reflect on positive moments to improve emotional well-being and cultivate an optimistic mindset.

4 - Take 10 Minutes for Mindfulness or Meditation: Boost mental clarity, emotional resilience, and focus with a short daily practice.

5 - Read for 10-15 Minutes Daily: Gain knowledge, new perspectives, and inspiration through consistent reading.

Get in touch with Megan below.

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In episode 663, Megan chats with Jess Smith to uncover the untold truths of traditional cookbook publishing—from crafting a winning proposal to landing a deal, and whether a large social media following really matters.

Jess is a mom to three girls based in Kansas City, Missouri. While living in Thailand and working at the U.S. Embassy in 2010 she took Thai cooking classes on the weekends and shared everything she learned on her food blog InquiringChef.com. In the years that followed she pursued her dream of making a career in food and became the chief recipe developer for the award-winning meal planning app Cook Smarts. Inquiring Chef has grown to over 6 million page views a year and has been featured in publications like Parade, Hallmark, and HuffPost. In 2024 Jess opened a cooking school for kids in Kansas City called Inquiring Chef Academy where she spends school breaks guiding elementary-aged kids through lessons on everything from baking sourdough to chopping vegetables to setting the table. Her first cookbook, Start with a Vegetable, will be released in January 2025.

In this episode, you’ll learn how to write a compelling proposal, find an agent, work with a publisher and balance the whole process with running a blog and looking after your family.

Key points discussed include:

A strong proposal is essential: Jess spent 6–8 months crafting a compelling proposal, which played a crucial role in landing her book deal.
An agent can be a game-changer: Having an agent helped Jess find a publisher and negotiate a significantly better advance.
A huge social following isn't required: Jess landed a traditional publishing deal without massive social media numbers—her strong concept and blog traffic helped.
Cookbook writing requires balance: Writing a book took time away from blogging, requiring a shift in priorities.
The editing process is intense: Working with professional editors improved her writing and recipe development skills.
Promotion is an ongoing effort: The marketing push doesn’t end at launch—Jess continues to promote her book through various channels.
Photography can be a major challenge: Jess took all the photos for her book, which was rewarding but also a significant time commitment.
Investing in support is worth it: Hiring help for styling, editing, and even dishwashing made the process smoother and more manageable.

Connect with Jess Smith

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In episode 662, Christina Jolam and Nadia Shatila share how they were able to recover from devastating traffic loss following Google's Helpful Content Update (HCU).

Nadia is the blogger behind Simple And Fraiche, a website dedicated to sharing wholesome recipes that utilize real foods with minimally processed ingredients. Her goal is to help people create recipes that not only fuel their bodies but also taste great.

Christina Jolam helps home chefs get confident cooking seafood through her site, Weekday Pescatarian. The former communications consultant creates foolproof fish recipes that work whether you're shopping at a Portuguese fish market or your local grocery store. Cooking and writing from her adopted home in Portugal, she helps her followers master restaurant-quality seafood dishes and build a delicious, fish-forward lifestyle.

In this episode, you’ll learn how to endure long periods of traffic loss and decide what action you should take to successfully regain momentum.

Key points discussed include:

Accept the reality of change: Google updates aren’t personal; they aim to improve user experience. Adapting to change is key to long-term success.
Assess and improve your content: Review existing posts with a fresh perspective—focus on user experience, clarity, and overall helpfulness.
Strengthen EEAT (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness): Build credibility by showcasing expertise in your niche through an updated about page, author bios, and citations.
Optimize technical aspects: Ensure images, alt text, interlinking, and post formatting enhance usability and search visibility.
Diversify traffic sources: Relying solely on Google traffic is risky—invest in Pinterest, email lists, social media, and brand partnerships.
Update and refine posts regularly: Revisiting older content with new insights keeps your blog relevant and valuable.
Stay curious and keep learning: Instead of blaming algorithm changes, focus on learning, adapting, and finding new ways to serve your audience.

If You Loved This Episode…

You’ll love Episode 648: How to Bounce Back and Thrive After Significant Google Traffic Loss with Jules Grasekamp

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In this episode, we're going to talk about how to use fear as a catalyst for growth in five key areas to open up new opportunities this year.

Fear can be a major roadblock, but what if we started viewing it as a guide instead? This year, I decided to challenge myself by facing fears head-on, and today, I’m sharing five powerful areas where stepping outside your comfort zone can lead to personal and professional growth. Whether it’s putting yourself out there in new ways, making bold business moves, or tackling financial and health challenges, embracing fear can open up new doors. Let’s dive in and get uncomfortable—in the best way possible!

Action Plan:

1 - Personal Growth: Challenge limiting beliefs and take on new experiences that push you forward.

2 - Professional Growth: Show up boldly in your business, even when it feels scary or imperfect.

3 - Community: Connect with others, build relationships, and embrace the vulnerability that comes with it.

4 - Courageous Action: Take bold steps in life and business that may feel intimidating but lead to huge rewards.

5 - Health & Finances: Tackle fears around well-being and money to create a stronger foundation for success.

Get in touch with Megan below.

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In episode 660, Megan chats to Lauren Less about how to quickly grow a Substack audience and harness the platform for food blogging and community engagement.

Lauren Less combines her passions for food and helping others by creating a space where people can find allergy-friendly recipes, chronic illness support, non-toxic lifestyle suggestions, and health and wellness tips. She discusses everything from fitness with chronic illness to tips for traveling with food allergies and everything in between.

In this episode, you’ll learn how Lauren grew her Substack from zero to 13,000 subscribers and how Substack can serve as both an email list and a blog, helping you connect with your audience in a more personal and customizable way.

Key points discussed include:

Substack is more than just an email platform: It functions like a blog, allowing creators to share content and build a community.
Growing a subscriber base takes consistency: Lauren used Instagram and TikTok to direct her audience to her Substack.
Listening to your audience is key: Making adjustments based on subscriber feedback improves engagement and retention.
Monetization is built-in: Substack allows creators to offer paid subscriptions for exclusive content.
Cross-promotion helps growth: The recommendation feature on Substack lets creators share and promote each other’s newsletters.
Substack offers more than written content: Features like podcasting, video, and live interactions help creators engage with their audience in multiple ways.
Owning your audience is crucial: Unlike social media platforms, Substack ensures direct access to subscribers without algorithm limitations.

Connect with Lauren Less

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In episode 659, Allea Grummert shares seven common email marketing mistakes and how to fix them to create happy, engaged subscribers.

Allea Grummert is an email marketing strategist, conversion copywriter and tech expert who helps bloggers make a lasting first impression through automated welcome and nurture sequences. She helps her clients create strategic email sequences that engage email subscribers, build brand loyalty and optimize conversions for sales and site traffic. She is the host of Happy Subscribers podcast.

In this episode, you’ll learn why a thorough welcome sequence is crucial for building an engaged subscriber list and why you should clean out your email list regularly.

Key points discussed include:

Welcome new subscribers properly. Many bloggers miss the chance to make a strong first impression—use a welcome page and an introduction video to engage them right away.
Make your first email personal. Avoid generic confirmation emails; instead, reflect your brand personality and set clear expectations for subscribers.
Set up a welcome sequence. A structured email sequence helps introduce new subscribers to your best content and builds a strong connection.
Personalize content wisely. Use segmentation to send relevant emails without overcomplicating your strategy.
Drive traffic back to your funnel. Regularly promote your freebies and opt-ins within your email list to keep subscribers engaged.
Clean your email list regularly. Remove inactive subscribers to improve deliverability and engagement.
Keep track of what’s being sent. Maintain an SOP (standard operating procedure) to stay organized and ensure your emails align with your strategy.

Connect with Allea Grummert

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In this episode, we're going to talk five simple yet powerful mindset shifts that can instantly bring more positivity into your life.

Some days just feel off. No matter how much we plan or try to stay positive, life, work, and everything in between can throw us off track. But here’s the good news: you don’t have to stay stuck in that negative space. I’ve found that small, intentional shifts can turn a rough day around fast, and today, I’m sharing five simple things you can do right now to boost your mood and bring more positivity into your life. These aren’t big, time-consuming tasks—they’re quick, effective, and totally doable.

Action Plan:

1 - Actually Listen: Be fully present in conversations and truly hear others.

2 - Offer Undeserved Grace: Show kindness and forgiveness, even when it’s not expected.

3 - Experience a Moment: Pause and appreciate the present, no matter how small.

4 - Lose the Phone: Step away from your screen to reconnect with yourself and others.

5 - Spend 10 Minutes Decluttering: Clear your space to create mental clarity and peace.

Get in touch with Megan below.

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In episode 657, Megan chats to Kara Myers about how to organize and automate your blogging business for success in 2025.

Kara is the recipe developer, photographer, and voice behind Sweetly Splendid, where she shares comforting Southern and Tex-Mex recipes. She is a 6th-generation Texan and has a passion for nostalgic flavors that bring people together. Her work has been featured in outlets like Woman’s World and Food & Wine. She is a seasoned entrepreneur with multiple successful businesses, and specializes in helping others streamline their workflows and build efficient processes. Kara likes to use the approach of combining real-world experience with actionable insights for creators looking to grow and thrive. When she's not working, Kara loves camping, reading, and spending time with her daughter and dogs.

In this episode, you’ll learn actionable strategies for streamlining workflows, implementing project management systems, and creating a sustainable approach to blogging.

Key points discussed include:

Your brain is not a project management system: Storing everything in one place frees up mental space and increases productivity.
A time audit reveals hidden inefficiencies: Track your tasks for a week to identify bottlenecks and areas that slow you down.
Content planning reduces stress and boosts efficiency: Even planning one month ahead prevents last-minute scrambling and saves time.
Choosing the right project management tool is key: ClickUp, Asana, and Airtable help streamline tasks—pick one that fits how your brain works.
Automations free up valuable time: Tools like Zapier, Wordable, and Finite Analytics handle repetitive tasks so you can focus on growth.
Small organizational changes lead to more revenue: The more systematized your business is, the more time you have to scale and make money.
Break down big goals into actionable steps: Instead of vague yearly goals, set specific, trackable monthly milestones.
Give yourself grace and stay flexible: Life happens—adjust your systems and goals as needed without guilt.

Connect with Kara Myers

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In episode 656, Alicia Wolf shares how to transform personal struggles into a thriving niche blog that supports others facing similar challenges, just as she has done with her own medical journey.

Alicia Wolf created a food blog after being diagnosed with chronic vestibular migraine and losing her career in design. Her blog is seen as a very small niche and not widely understood by companies, but 10% of the world population lives with migraine attacks. Alicia has been able to grow a small website that was focused on helping people with a migraine diet into 400K sessions a month with multiple sources of revenue outside of ad income as well as 2 published cookbooks.

In this episode, you’ll learn tips for diversifying income outside of ad revenue, how to deal with blogging setbacks and the importance of community in a chronic-illness focused blog.

Key points discussed include:

Community is key: Building a strong, engaged audience is essential for niche blogs, especially those focused on chronic illness.
Diversify your income: Relying solely on ad revenue can be risky—explore brand partnerships, consulting, books, and affiliate marketing.
Leverage your expertise: Alicia collaborates with medical professionals to add credibility to her content, making her blog a trusted resource.
Be adaptable in blogging: Google updates and social media shifts can impact traffic, so diversifying content distribution is crucial.
Consistency and patience pay off: Growing a niche blog takes time, but staying committed to quality content and engagement leads to success.
Your story is your strength: Sharing personal experiences builds trust and authenticity, helping you connect deeply with your audience.
Keep learning and evolving: Whether through domain research, audience feedback, or SEO strategies, continuous learning is key to staying relevant.

Connect with Alicia Wolf

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In this episode, we're going to talk five key replacements you can make in your life and business to help you achieve entrepreneurial success.

Ever feel like you’re stuck in a rut, spinning on an endless hamster wheel, or trapped in an out-of-control wash cycle? I’ve been there, and I know how hard it can be to break free. That’s why I’d like to share these five powerful replacements you can make in your life and business to help you reset, refocus, and find success. If you’re feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or just a little lost, these shifts might be exactly what you need.

Action Plan:

1 - Replace fear with courage.

2 - Replace comparison with community.

3 - Replace scarcity with abundance.

4 - Replace perfection with progress.

5 - Replace overwhelm with clarity.

Get in touch with Megan below.

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In episode 654, Megan chats with Ashley Freeman about professional food styling, including how to embrace ‘mess’ and other key elements that make food images visually appealing and unique.

Ashley Strickland Freeman is the creator of the blog Little Black Skillet. Just like a "Little Black Dress," she strives to create approachable, everyday recipes her audience can trust and turn to again and again. With over 19 years of experience as a food stylist, cookbook author, recipe developer and tester, and culinary producer (culinary content creator for short), Ashley offers a unique perspective having worked on all sides of culinary publishing. In addition to developing recipes and food styling for some of her favorite brands, she's currently working on her fourth cookbook.

In this episode, you’ll discover the essential equipment for capturing mouthwatering food photos, how props can make or break your shots, and the role of color theory in food photography.

Key points discussed include:

Invest in a quality camera and lens: Having the right equipment, such as a DSLR camera and a versatile zoom lens, can make a significant difference in your food photography.
Use a sturdy tripod: A geared tripod, like the Manfrotto, allows you to achieve precise angles and compositions for your shots.
Experiment with budget-friendly props: Look for unique items at thrift stores, fabric shops, and even your own home to create visually appealing scenes.
Embrace color theory: Understand how complementary colors can enhance the visual appeal of your food photos.
Prioritize composition: Use odd numbers, multiples, and strategic placement to guide the viewer's eye through your images.
Enhance food appearance: Techniques like brushing cheese with oil or using thickened syrups can help make your food look fresh and irresistible.
Embrace the "mess": Don't be afraid to capture the natural imperfections and realistic details that make your food photos more approachable.
Practice and trust your intuition: Continuous practice, studying other photographers' work, and having confidence in your own style are key to improving your food photography.

If You Loved This Episode… You'll also love Episode 492: Exquisite Food Photography – How to Tell a Story with Lighting, Props, Food and Textures with Murielle Banackissa.

20% Discount code for Southern Ash Surfaces: Littleblackskillet20

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In episode 653, Meggen Wilson teaches us how to create our own product line to become a profitable business without relying on ad revenue.

Meggen Wilson is the founder of Pine and Palm Kitchen, a specialty food company based in Northwest Montana that creates premium, small-batch vanilla and vinegar products using organic, locally sourced ingredients like honey, apples, and spirits. A retired real estate investor and dedicated advocate for Montana’s natural habitats, Meggen combines her entrepreneurial spirit with a passion for exceptional culinary craftsmanship. Her products celebrate the land she loves, inspiring home cooks and bakers to create with care and intention.

you'll discover how to choose the perfect product for your audience, along with the most effective strategies for manufacturing and selling it.

Key points discussed include:

Identify your signature product: Look at your most popular recipes and consider creating a complementary product, like a spice blend or specialty ingredient, to offer your audience.
Test the market first: Start with a cottage license to validate your product idea and gather customer feedback before investing in a commercial license and scaling up.
Leverage your community: Use farmers markets, pop-ups, and local partnerships to test your product and build relationships with your target customers.
Prioritize quality and sourcing: Invest in high-quality, locally-sourced ingredients to create a premium product that reflects your brand's values.
Seek support from local resources: Reach out to your county health department and extension offices - they want to help you succeed as a small food manufacturer.
Control your distribution: Selling directly through your own online store gives you more control over pricing, branding, and the customer experience.
Have a long-term vision: Develop a 5-year plan for your product line and be patient as you build the business - it takes time to get the formula right.

Connect with Meggen Wilson

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In this episode, we're going to talk about five powerful antidotes that can help you navigate mental blocks and entrepreneurial challenges as a food blogger.

I recently heard someone use the word antidote to describe how they dealt with mental blocks as an entrepreneur, and it stuck with me. I love the idea that there’s a remedy—a way to counteract the “poison” of things like overwhelm, self-doubt, and confusion that can suck the life out of us as business owners.

In this episode, I’m diving into five powerful antidotes that can help you break free from those struggles that feel impossible to escape. You don’t have to stay stuck. If you can identify the “poison” and apply the right antidote, you can move forward with clarity and purpose. Let’s talk about how to do just that.

Action Plan:

1 -Physical movement is the antidote for rumination.

2 - Air, water, and words is the antidote for confusion.

3 - Gratitude for people is the antidote for feeling underappreciated, undervalued, and unworthy.

4 - Doing one thing is the antidote for a lack of motivation.

5 - Setting boundaries is the antidote for overwhelm.

Get in touch with Megan below.

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In episode 650, Megan chats to Amy Roskelley about how a no-spend year changed her life and how we can implement the same strategy to reduce business costs and ultimately make more money.

Amy Roskelley is the owner of the online nutrition resource, Health Beet. Health Beet is a resource for nutrition educators and families with a goal to improve their health through diet and exercise. Amy has a bachelor's degree in Community health from BYU and a Masters degree in Business from the University of Utah. Amy’s a certified personal trainer, published cookbook author, certified personal chef, NPC Competitor, and marathon runner.

In this episode, you’ll learn how to identify which tools and services are essential for your business and why saving money now can improve the your life later.

Key points discussed include:

Review your expenses regularly: Closely examine your monthly and annual business expenses to identify areas where you can cut costs without negatively impacting your operations.
Prioritize essential tools and services: Determine which software, platforms, and contractors are truly essential to your business, and eliminate or reduce the rest.
Automate and streamline processes: Look for ways to directly integrate tools and eliminate the need for expensive third-party integrations or workarounds.
Focus on content creation first: Before investing in optimization tools or services, ensure you have a solid foundation of high-quality content that resonates with your audience.
Embrace a minimalist mindset: Adopt a simplified approach to your business and personal life, focusing on the essentials and eliminating unnecessary expenses.
Diversify your income streams: Explore opportunities to generate passive income through investments or additional revenue sources, reducing your reliance on a single income stream.
Manage emotional burnout: Recognize the emotional toll that fluctuations in traffic and revenue can have, and develop strategies to maintain a positive mindset.

Connect with Amy Roskelley

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In episode 650, Cathy Yoder teaches us how to grow a successful YouTube channel, including why having a niche expertise is essential and how to build a loyal following.

Cathy Yoder is a well-regarded figure in the air fryer community, known as "The REAL Air Fryer Queen." She transformed from a reluctant cook, seeking quick ways to feed her large family of eight, into an air fryer expert and successful entrepreneur. Her business, Empowered Cooks, offers practical cooking tips, recipes, and accessories, helping busy families create nutritious meals with ease. Cathy’s journey has resonated with countless individuals, with her best-selling cookbook (over 35k copies sold) and YouTube channel (700k+ subscribers), making her a trusted voice in the kitchen.

In addition to her air fryer expertise, Cathy also founded Pine & Pepper, a product line of air fryer accessories. Her story, rooted in practicality and family life, has empowered many home cooks. Whether discussing easy meal prep, building a brand, or balancing family and career, Cathy’s insights can inspire and provide actionable advice for busy parents and aspiring entrepreneurs.

In this episode, you’ll learn why you should create a YouTube channel for your food blog, how to film relatable content and the importance of evaluating your content strategy regularly.

Key points discussed include:

Start creating YouTube content even if it's not perfect: Don't wait for perfection, just get started and your content will improve over time.
Repurpose existing blog content into YouTube videos: Build a backlog of content by repurposing recipes, tips, and other resources you've already created.
Engage with your audience by responding to comments: Connecting with your viewers, especially when starting out, helps build a strong relationship.
Experiment with different video lengths and formats: Try out various video lengths and styles to see what resonates best with your audience.
Consider live streaming or premiering videos: These interactive features can create a more engaging experience for your viewers.
Continuously evaluate and refine your content strategy: Pay attention to what's working and adjust your approach to better align with your audience's needs.
Patience and commitment are crucial: Growing a successful YouTube channel is a long-term process, so be prepared to invest time and effort consistently.
Leverage your existing expertise and personal journey: Sharing your unique experiences and knowledge can provide valuable and relatable content for your viewers.

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In this episode, we're going to talk about five steps to designing a future version of yourself that is energetic, fulfilled, and happy.

What does 'Future You' look like? I love this concept of being able to implement new habits and improve the quality of my life, year by year. We probably don’t realize how much control we have over our future selves. In fact, we’re all constantly shaping our lives through our thoughts, beliefs, habits, and emotions. So what is the problem? We get complacent and stop trying to change. We end up not reaching our potential, but it doesn’t have to be that way. We can shake off complacency, step into intentionality, and take control of creating a future version of ourselves that’s happy, fulfilled, and thriving. That’s what I intend to do in 2025 and here are five easy steps you can follow too.

Action Plan:

1 - Design future you on paper.

2 - Display the details of your future self where you can see them daily.

3 - Start allowing the details of your future self to guide your decisions.

4 - Surround yourself with people who support your future you.

5 - Track your progress and adjust as needed.

Get in touch with Megan below.

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In episode 648, Megan chats to Jules Grasekamp about how to reframe failure as an opportunity for growth and refining your food blogging business, especially in light of Google traffic loss.

Jules Grasekamp is the sweet-toothed Scot behind Bonni Bakery, a dessert blog showing you how to easily create impressive desserts at home. She uses her experience from 10 years of running her own bakery to give detailed recipes packed with expert tips for success to make showstopping desserts and grow your confidence in the kitchen.

In this episode, you’ll learn how stay positive and embrace unpredictability while overcoming severe challenges, like revenue loss, in your business, as this may lead to new opportunities.

Key points discussed include:

Failure is not the end, but a stepping stone: Embrace failures as opportunities to learn, grow, and refine your business.
Be brutally honest with yourself: Critically examine your business to identify weaknesses and areas for improvement.
Have a long-term plan for delegation: Strategize how you can eventually offload tasks you don't enjoy to free up time for what you love.
Consume positive, motivational content: Start your day or week with uplifting podcasts, books, or speakers to maintain a growth mindset.
Actively participate in a supportive community: Attend events and connect with other bloggers to find inspiration, advice, and a sense of belonging.
Embrace the unpredictability of entrepreneurship: Understand that volatility in income and traffic is part of the journey, and focus on the opportunities it presents.
Persist with enthusiasm: Maintain your drive and determination, even when facing failure, as success often comes from stumbling forward with unwavering passion.

If You Loved This Episode… You’ll love Episode 402: Reach 85k Page Views in 7 Months After 7 Years of Failure with Maren Epstein.

Resources Mentioned

The Brendon Burchard Podcast: Hosted by Brendon Burchard, this motivational podcast offers personal growth advice and life coaching.

Good Work with Barrett Brooks: Hosted by Barrett Brooks, this podcast features interviews with founders, scientists, authors, and adventurers, discussing impactful work and leadership.

Connect with Jules Grasekamp

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In episode 647, Lisa Steele teaches us how to make a drastic change to our niche and online presence like she did by going from lifestyle blogging to food content creation.

Lisa Steele is an author, blogger and 5th generation chicken keeper living in Maine. She started her business more than 10 years ago and grew a successful "chicken lifestyle" blog called Fresh Eggs Daily. In 2022, Lisa got a cookbook deal with HarperCollins and that started her pivot to egg recipes and cooking.

In this episode, you’ll learn about the challenges to expect when you start a new food blog, positioning yourself as an expert in your niche and how to successfully build a multifaceted online presence

Key points discussed include:

Focus on your goals, not what others are doing: Determine your unique objectives and align your activities accordingly, rather than comparing yourself to other bloggers.
Streamline your activities ruthlessly: Regularly evaluate your tasks and drop anything that doesn't directly contribute to your goals, even if it's popular with others.
Develop a thick skin for criticism: Expect and be prepared to handle negative feedback, as it often comes with success. Don't take it personally.
Leverage your expertise and authority: Position yourself as the go-to expert in your niche, which can open up opportunities like media appearances and partnerships.
Prioritize engagement over follower count: Publishers are more interested in your ability to connect with and influence your audience than just the size of your following.
Recognize the long-term benefits of cookbooks: While the initial monetary rewards may not be as immediate as your blog, cookbooks can provide passive income and increased credibility over time.
Be prepared for the challenges: Understand that both food blogging and cookbook writing require significant time, effort, and resilience, but the rewards can be worth it if aligned with your goals.

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In this episode, I share five practical strategies to help you start your year on the right foot and carry positivity throughout the months ahead.

How’s your new year going so far? Are you still sticking to those New Year’s resolutions, or are a few starting to slip through the cracks? If they are, don’t stress—you’re definitely not alone! If overwhelm or negativity is creeping in, this episode is here to help you hit reset. I’ll share how a little intentional planning and some small, consistent actions can pave the way for a positive and fulfilling year. From practicing gratitude and reflecting on your progress to setting meaningful goals and visualizing your dreams, I’ve got strategies to keep you motivated and moving forward.

Action Plan:

1 - Review and reflect on the previous year with a gratitude exercise.

2 - Make a list of things you're looking forward to in the coming year.

3 - Set goals for the year in various areas and review them weekly.

4 - Create a vision board.

5 - Commit to making one positive, permanent change each month.

Get in touch with Megan below.

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In episode 645, Megan chats to bloggers, Ashley Freeman and Gwen Wolken, about how to achieve success as a new blogger. This is part 2 of the New Blogger conversations.

Ashley is a seasoned culinary content creator with 11 years of experience who launched her blog, Little Black Skillet, at the end of 2023. Her journey began in the publishing world as a recipe developer, food stylist, and cookbook editor before transitioning to freelance. Ashley has served as the editor of over 40 cookbooks and has authored two of her own, including The Duke's Mayonnaise Cookbook, published in 2020. She also brought her culinary expertise to television, working as the head food stylist for seasons 1–4 and culinary producer for seasons 5–9 of the Food Network show Delicious Miss Brown.

Gwen Wolken founded A Sweet Thyme to share her recipes with family and friends and to connect with others who love to cook. Today, the blog houses delicious and dependable Mediterranean recipes that are mostly gluten-free and simple to prepare. After spending time in corporate America, Gwen became an entrepreneur and had several businesses, but her favorite was a chocolate business that she nurtured for over ten years before creating A Sweet Thyme. Gwen is married and the Mom to three adult boys, two of which are married.

In this episode, you’ll learn how to invest wisely in your blogging business when you're starting out and why networking can make a big difference to your blog’s growth trajectory.

Key points discussed include:

Understand your audience: Regularly survey your audience to ensure your content aligns with their needs and interests.
Explore new content formats: Consider adding video content to your Pinterest strategy to diversify your offerings.
Evaluate your marketing efforts: Regularly assess the return on investment for your participation in Facebook recipe roundup groups.
Leverage organizational tools: Use tools like Reminders and spreadsheets to create a daily to-do list and stay organized.
Find your niche: Identify your unique strengths and passions, and let them shine through in your content.
Invest in your business: Be willing to spend money on hosting, themes, and other tools to improve your blog's performance.
Build a supportive community: Participate in mastermind groups and attend conferences to connect with like-minded bloggers.
Adapt to platform changes: Stay flexible and willing to adjust your strategies as platforms like Pinterest update their algorithms.
Embrace authenticity: Focus on creating content that aligns with your values and resonates with your audience, rather than chasing trends.

Connect with Ashley Freeman

Website | Instagram

Connect with Gwen Wolken

Website | Instagram

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In episode 644, newer bloggers Kristina Cadelina, Rose Sioson and Mandy Martinez teach us how to start a successful blog in 2025. This is part 1 of the New Blogger conversations.

Kristina is a food blogger who helps her readers reconnect with their wellness by offering nourishing and versatile Mediterranean inspired recipes. She is also a food photographer and helps brands and food bloggers grow their business by offering professional photography and video services.

Rose is an experienced IT professional with over two decades in the field. Nearly a year ago, she launched Deliciously Rushed, a blog that blends her love for food with her need for a creative outlet, all while balancing a full-time job and family. Aware of her limited time, Rose strategically invested in courses to streamline her growth and minimize costly mistakes. Her primary goal for 2024 is to qualify for the Mediavine ad network, and she is currently on the verge of reaching the 50K session threshold needed to achieve it.

Mandy is the photographer and recipe developer behind Semi Homemade Kitchen. Her passion lies in simplifying the art of cooking without sacrificing flavor. She believes that anyone, regardless of their cooking expertise, can whip up mouthwatering dishes. Using shortcuts like cake mixes, cookie mixes, pudding mix, premade pie crusts, biscuit dough, canned soups, pasta sauces, and more to make the cooking process accessible and enjoyable for everyone.

In this episode, you’ll learn about the importance of niche and experimenting with different strategies, as well as how to pick seasonal content to boost your visibility.

Key points discussed include:

Consistency is key: Maintaining consistent activity and content creation across platforms like Facebook, Pinterest, and Google is crucial for driving traffic and growth.
Experiment with different strategies: Try various tactics like video pins, animated pins, and keyword research tools to see what works best for your unique blog and audience.
Invest in yourself: Joining mastermind groups, taking courses, and outsourcing tasks can provide valuable insights and free up time to focus on core activities.
Leverage niche communities: Actively participating in relevant Facebook groups can be an effective way to drive immediate traffic and build relationships with your target audience.
Capitalize on seasonality: Aligning your content with popular seasonal trends, like holiday recipes or summer ice cream, can help boost your visibility and engagement.
Diversify your traffic sources: While Google traffic is valuable, don't rely solely on it - explore other platforms like Pinterest and social media to build a well-rounded traffic strategy.
Stay true to your niche: Focusing on content that aligns with your blog's core purpose and resonates with your target audience can lead to greater success.
Embrace an experimental mindset: Be willing to try new things, even if they don't work out initially, as it can lead to unexpected breakthroughs.
Leverage freelancing opportunities: Combining your blog with freelance work, such as photography or recipe development, can provide financial stability and creative fulfillment.

Connect with Kristina Cadelina

Website | Instagram

Connect with Rose Sioson

Website | Instagram

Connect with Mandy Martinez

Website | Instagram

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In this episode, we're going to talk about five key things entrepreneurs should avoid bringing on vacation in order to truly disconnect and recharge.

I get how hard it can be to fully step away from work, even when you know you need a break. From my own experiences, I’ll share some practical tips and strategies to help you protect your vacations and downtime. By the end of this episode, you’ll have a better handle on the mindset shifts and boundaries that’ll let you truly enjoy your time off. That way, you can come back feeling refreshed and ready to go—without the guilt or burnout. Taking the time to unplug is so important for your well-being and the long-term success of your business.

Action Plan:

1 - Avoid unfinished to-do lists: They can cause mental clutter and keep you in work mode during vacation.

2 - Don’t bring business guilt: Reframe downtime as an investment in your creativity and productivity.

3 - Avoid digital leashes: Set specific tech boundaries and remove distracting apps to stay disconnected.

4 - Set clear expectations: Over-communicate your availability and boundaries to your team, clients, and audience.

5 - Resist work temptation: Commit to being fully present and trust the systems you've put in place.

Get in touch with Megan:

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In episode 642, Megan chats to Bjork Ostrom about how to protect your time and mental well-being as a creator and business owner, so you can continue producing your best work and building the business you desire.

Bjork loves to find ways to maximize potential - of people, of technology, of life. His wife Lindsay started a food blog a few years ago and they decided to do just that - maximize its potential. They hope to share what they've learned with other food bloggers here on Food Blogger Pro. Bjork is a terrible chef.

In this episode, you'll discover effective strategies to organize your workday for maximum focus and reduced mental clutter, while also uncovering ways to find deeper fulfillment in your work.

Key points discussed include:

Purpose prevents burnout: Clearly define the purpose and mission behind your work to stay motivated and avoid burnout.
Recognize "enough": Determine what "enough" looks like for your business and personal life, and set boundaries accordingly.
Implement effective systems: Develop repeatable processes to manage tasks, priorities, and projects, keeping your brain uncluttered.
Practice self-care: Prioritize your mental and physical health, as your brain is the primary tool for your creative work.
Embrace imperfection: Accept that you'll never be "done" and that some level of imperfection is inevitable - focus on continuous improvement.
Seek alignment: Ensure your daily work aligns with your deeper purpose and brings you a sense of flow and fulfillment.
Set boundaries: Establish clear boundaries around technology, work hours, and other commitments to protect your time and energy.
Reflect and adjust: Regularly reflect on what's working and what needs to change, then make small, incremental adjustments.
Leverage support systems: Build a team or community that can provide a "fallback" when you need it, reducing stress.

If You Loved This Episode… You’ll love Episode 536: Is Social Media Ruining Your Productivity? How to Prioritize Deep Work and Minimize Distractions with Mike Cleavenger

Connect with Foodblogger Pro

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In episode 641, Laura Arnold teaches us how to set realistic goals for SEO in 2025, staying ahead of AI and algorithm changes.

Laura Arnold is a New York City-based Emmy-Nominated Culinary Television Producer, Cookbook Consultant, and award-winning Content Creator with over a decade of experience. She currently is the Supervising Culinary Producer for Food Network’s The Kitchen, and has worked previously at ABC’s The Chew, DotDash Meredith, Good Housekeeping, Food52, kitchn.com, and with many more brands.

After learning about SEO through several food clients and brands over the past several years, she kept hearing from clients that they wished a food media expert had an SEO consultancy. She then founded Dang Good Digital, her own SEO consulting business specifically for food creators and bloggers to help them grow their brands, sites, and social media exposure.

In this episode, you’ll learn how to analyze your content and niche down to get more traction, why it’s worth investing in video, even if it's not perfect, and ways to build a strong community.

Key points discussed include:

Niche down your content: Analyze your past year's performance to identify your content strengths and focus on building out those areas.
Experiment with content pillars: Try increasing content in your top-performing areas, like salads, while maintaining a balance of other recipe types.
Research keywords strategically: For newer bloggers, look for high-volume, low-competition keywords to target and build content around.
Adjust your publishing cadence: Aim for 5 new posts and 12 post updates per month, adjusting as needed based on your blog's size and goals.
Write with a conversational tone: Incorporate trigger words and a more personal approach when writing blog post introductions and meta descriptions.
Embrace video content: Experiment with creating simple video content to accompany your blog posts, even using a smartphone.
Build a community presence: Invest time in building a community on 2-3 platforms, such as Instagram and Facebook.
Expect SEO changes: Stay adaptable as search algorithms and AI continue to evolve, focusing on creating high-quality content.
Understand domain authority: While it's important, don't let a low domain authority discourage you, as newer bloggers can still achieve success.

Connect with Laura Arnold

Website | Instagram

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In this episode, we're going to talk about five healthy distractions that can help you stop focusing on negative thoughts and feelings.

As a business owner, wife, and mom, I totally get how easy it is to fall into cycles of stress, overwhelm, and anxiety. I've been there myself—it's tough to climb out of those dark moments. That’s why I’m excited to share some super practical tips you can try in just five minutes to reset your mindset and recharge your energy. Whether you’re feeling a little off or spiraling into full-on stress mode, these simple distractions can help you get back on track.

Action Plan:

1 - 5 minutes of moving your body: Engaging in a quick physical activity like dancing, walking, stretching, or strength training can shift your mood and focus.

2 - 5 minutes of creativity: Tapping into your creative side through doodling, writing, or making something can help you get out of a negative mindset.

3 - 5 minutes connecting with a loved one: Reaching out to someone you care about, whether through a text, call, or making plans, can provide a healthy distraction.

4 - 5 minutes of gratitude: Intentionally reflecting on things you're grateful for, either by writing a list or visualizing, can pull you out of a negative rut.

5 - 5 minutes of mindful breathing: Practicing deep, conscious breathing exercises can help calm your mind and body when you're feeling stressed or anxious.

Get in touch with Megan:

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In episode 639, Megan chats to Justin Moore about how to secure, price and carry out brand deals to generate consistent income using Moore’s eight-step process - “the sponsorship wheel framework”.

Justin Moore is a Sponsorship Coach, author, and the founder of @CreatorWizard, a school & community that teaches you how to find & negotiate your dream brand partnerships so that you stop leaving thousands on the table. His latest book, "Sponsor Magnet," offers a succinct distillation of his ideas and frameworks for securing successful brand collaborations.

Along with his wife April, he has been a full-time creator since 2014 and has personally made over $5M working with brands. He also ran an influencer marketing agency for 7 years that helped other creators earn millions more.

Justin brings a very unique perspective because not only has he been a creator in the trenches doing sponsorships for years but by running an agency, he has insider knowledge behind how big brands choose which influencers to partner with and why they pass on others.

Justin's mission is to enable creators big and small to land 1 million paid brand partnerships by 2032.

In this episode, you’ll learn how to pitch effectively and build lasting relationships with the brands you admire and why it's essential to avoid exchanging work for free products.

Key points discussed include:

Proactivity is key: You need to be proactive in your approach to sponsorships, not just reactive to brand inquiries.
Relationships matter: Building strong relationships with the humans behind the brands can lead to recurring partnerships.
Knowledge is power: Researching your audience's psychographics and the brand's needs can give you a competitive edge.
Avoid the free stuff trap: Be cautious when accepting free products, as there may be hidden terms that could harm your rights.
Negotiate platform terms: Brand deal platforms can be valuable, but you should negotiate the terms to protect your interests.
Showcase your professionalism: Delivering high-quality content on time and being responsive can make you a brand's favorite to work with.
Leverage post-campaign reports: Providing detailed post-campaign reports, including testimonials, can lead to repeat collaborations.
Manage your mindset: Approach sponsorship opportunities with a mindset of learning and growth, rather than fear or resentment.
Prioritize your own advocacy: Consider managing sponsorship opportunities in-house rather than relying solely on agents or managers.

Connect with Justin Moore

Website | Instagram | Facebook

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In episode 638, Leslie Shreve teaches us strategies for increasing efficiency and reducing stress during our workdays.

Leslie Shreve is a workload management and productivity expert, and the Founder and CEO of Productive Day®, which was established in 2003. Leslie is also the creator of Taskology® The Science of Getting Things Done, a unique, proprietary, and all-encompassing system for workload management and productivity that includes the management of tasks, time, email, information, and more.

Leslie works with corporate executives and professionals to show them how to increase efficiency and productivity by up to 300% in as little as 4 weeks, gain 1-2 hours back in their workday—EVERY day, spend up to 50% LESS time in their email Inbox, and reduce stress by up to 90%.

In this episode, you’ll learn how to centralize tasks using a digital system, how to create a streamlined process for email and information management and the importance of protected time blocks.

Key points discussed include:

Centralize your tasks: Gather all your tasks from various sources (email, notes, calendar, etc.) into one central digital task list to improve planning and prioritization.
Protect your time: Block off dedicated time in your calendar each day for focused work on tasks and email management to avoid getting distracted.
Streamline your processes: Develop efficient systems for managing tasks, email, and information to save time and reduce stress.
Avoid paper-based task management: Using paper to track to-dos is less effective than a digital task management system.
Make quick decisions on emails: Process emails immediately and either take action, file, or delete them - don't let them accumulate in your inbox.
Categorize your digital files: Organize your documents, photos, and other digital assets into a structured folder system with main categories and subcategories.
Don't let your desktop accumulate: Build a habit of immediately filing or deleting temporary files like screenshots to prevent clutter.
Start small and work backwards: Even small improvements to your productivity processes can make a big difference.

Connect with Leslie Shreve

Website | Facebook

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In this episode, we're going to talk about five invitations that can help shift your energy and bring more positivity into your life, especially during challenging times.

At the time of recording, I’ve been having one of those weeks where everything feels like it's falling apart. But I realized that in the midst of the chaos, I had forgotten to extend the simple invitations that have the power to shift my energy and bring in the good things I'm seeking. Whether it's inviting guidance from a higher power, support from trusted friends, or peace and rest for myself, these invitations can make all the difference. I encourage you to try extending these five invitations - they may just be the key to turning things around.

Action Plan:

1 - Invitation for guidance: Extend an invitation for guidance from your higher power (universe, God, etc.) to find clarity and solutions.

2 - Invitation for support: Reach out to a trusted friend and extend an invitation for support when you're feeling stuck or overwhelmed.

3 - Invitation for peace and rest: Start your day by extending an invitation for peace and rest to yourself, as it is essential for resetting your energy and mindset.

4 - Invitation for celebration: Extend an invitation for celebration with others, even if you don't feel like you have a specific reason to celebrate.

5 - Invitation for opportunity and favor: Extend an invitation for opportunity and favor from the universe, shifting your focus from problems to possibilities.

Get in touch with Megan if there is a specific mindset and self-care topic you'd like her to cover.

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In episode 636, Megan chats to Madeline Anderson about transitioning from a 9-to-5 job to becoming your own boss and what matters more when choosing a career - pursuing your passion or making money?

Madeline is the Author of Girl Dad and Founder of Girl Dad Network. She was born and raised in Southern California and graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles with a degree in Business Economics. She believes we should all leave the world a better place than we found it, which is why she created and advocates for Girl Dad Network.

In this episode, you’ll learn how Madeline managed to balance her full-time job while building her side hustle, Girl Dad. She also shares insights into navigating the challenges of entrepreneurship, including overcoming isolation and handling financial uncertainty after becoming her own boss.

Key points discussed include:

Leverage your unique background: Your upbringing and relationships can inspire you to create meaningful work that makes a difference.
Prioritize passion over profit: When starting a side hustle, focus on pursuing activities that truly excite and fulfill you, not just what seems lucrative.
Harness creative inspiration: Be open to spontaneous ideas, as they can lead you to discover your true calling and purpose.
Cultivate self-awareness: Regularly reflect on your skills, interests, and values to ensure your work aligns with who you are.
Experiment with different paths: Trying out various roles and experiences can help you identify the best fit for your long-term career goals.
Overcome obstacles with resilience: Challenges and setbacks, like being laid off, can often lead to unexpected breakthroughs if you approach them with an open mindset.
Embrace the entrepreneurial journey: Understand that building a successful business takes time, effort, and the willingness to navigate both the rewards and difficulties of self-employment.
Prioritize authenticity: In your work, strive to be true to yourself, as this will help you connect with the right audience and create meaningful impact.
Maintain a positive mindset: View obstacles as opportunities for growth, and approach your entrepreneurial endeavors with optimism and determination.

If You Loved This Episode… You’ll love Episode 593: 3 Simple Ways to Successfully Blog Part-Time While Working Full-time with Kimberly Ho.

Connect with Madeline Anderson

Website | Instagram

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In episode 635, Prerna Malik teaches us how to create a welcome sequence to share content from our blog as well as sell digital products, like courses and ebooks, without being salesy or icky.

Co-founder of Content Bistro and a Copyhackers-certified, conversion copywriter, Prerna is the sales strategist and copywriter behind multiple million-dollar launches and 6-figure evergreen sales funnels in niches as diverse as astrology and homesteading! She has written for iconic brands such as Pat Flynn, Amy Porterfield, Copyhackers, Vanessa Lau, Handle the Heat, School of Traditional Skills, and 1000s of others! She is also the creator of the strategy-focused sales copywriting program — Ready-to-Sell. Prerna and her co-founder-slash-husband, Mayank have built an intentionally profitable business while living in India and raising their daughter, Manini.

In this episode, you’ll learn about how to sell in a way that you would want to be sold to, Prerna’s 6C framework for an effective welcome sequence, and why you should not use generic email templates.

Key points discussed include:

Avoid using generic, plug-and-play templates for your welcome sequence: Your welcome sequence should be personalized and reflective of your brand and connection with your audience.

A welcome sequence is not just one email: It should be a series of emails that guide your new subscribers through getting to know you and your offerings.

Connection-based welcome sequences work best for food bloggers: Lead with building a personal connection before asking for a sale.

Sell in a way you'd want to be sold to: Avoid tactics that make you or your audience feel icky, like fake promises or guilt-tripping.

Use the "6C" framework: Celebrate the sign-up, Connect with your audience, Cultivate community, Convert with a sales pitch, Connect again with social proof, and Close by preparing them for your regular emails.

Space out your welcome emails: Send them one day apart to improve deliverability and engagement.

Include a story, specific details, and your expertise ("3S") in each email: This makes the content more engaging and valuable.

Vary your offers in the email signature/footer: This allows you to show relevant products to different segments of your audience.

Pay close attention to your subject lines and preview text: These are crucial for getting your emails opened.

Remember that "selling is serving": Your products and offerings are valuable, so don't be afraid to promote them to your audience.

Connect with Prerna Malik

Website | Instagram

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In this episode, we're diving into why setting goals is key to creating the life we’ve always dreamed of—and how you can start today by planning for an amazing new year ahead.

As an entrepreneur, I’ve seen just how life-changing goal setting and planning can be. Taking the time to figure out my “why,” look back on what worked (and what didn’t), and map out a solid plan for the year has helped me crush 90% of my big goals. In this episode, I’m breaking down the five steps that keep me focused, motivated, and moving toward making my dreams happen.

Action Plan:

1 - Define your “why": Understand your deeper motivation for being an entrepreneur and keep this at the forefront.

2 - Reflect on the previous year: Review what worked and what didn't work to inform your goals and plans for the new year.

3 - Set clear goals, focuses, and projects for the coming year: Envision your ideal future and set specific, actionable goals to work towards.

4 - Identify upgrades to make: Make a list of small, daily improvements that can lead to significant changes over time.

5 - Create a detailed plan: Develop a 1-year plan, quarterly plans, and weekly action steps to stay on track and achieve your goals.

Got a question or feedback? Get in touch with Megan!

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In episode 633, Megan chats to Joe Rodichok about achieving website success in 2025, covering practical strategies for making GA4 analytics more accessible, enhancing technical SEO, and boosting site performance.

Joe is the Co-Founder of Phynite Solutions with over 20 years in tech, including 15 years professionally in roles from engineer to Chief Technology Officer at start-ups and later with FAANG companies, solving complex challenges. I’m passionate about helping small business owners grow their websites through clear, straightforward support—something that’s personal to me as the son of two small business owners. My goal is simple: to help you succeed with no BS, just honest solutions.

In this episode, you’ll learn about understanding GA4, how to simplify it with the tool Phynite Analytics, while also exploring strategies for monitoring core web vitals to enhance SEO and the impact of AI content scrapers.

Key points discussed include:

Understand GA4's focus on ad spenders: Google's restructuring of Google Analytics is aimed at generating revenue from ad-spending customers, which impacts the data and functionality available to free users.
Leverage Phynite Analytics for simplified data access: Phynite Analytics curates your Google Analytics data in a user-friendly way, providing easy access to the metrics and insights that matter most to food bloggers.
Integrate Pinterest analytics for a holistic view: Phynite Analytics integrates with Pinterest's API to provide insights into your Pinterest performance, helping you optimize your content for that platform.
Monitor core web vitals to improve SEO: Staying on top of your website's core web vitals is crucial for maintaining good search engine rankings, and tools like Google Search Console can help you identify and address any issues.
Understand the impact of AI content scrapers: Be aware of the potential threat of AI-powered bots that may be scraping your content, and use tools like Cloudflare to manage and protect your site.
Optimize site speed with properly sized images: Ensuring your images are properly sized can have a significant impact on your website's performance and core web vital scores.
Take control of your online presence: Don't blindly follow advice or accept the status quo; instead, question and understand the strategies and tools you use to grow your food blog.
Diversify your traffic sources: Relying solely on Google for traffic can be risky, so explore and invest in other platforms, such as Pinterest, to build a more resilient and sustainable online presence.
Persevere through challenges: Even the most successful food bloggers face ups and downs, but with determination and a willingness to adapt, you can overcome obstacles and see your hard work pay off.

Connect with Joe Rodichok

Website | Instagram

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In episode 632, Ansley Beutler teaches us how to navigate the complexities of IRS audits as small business owners and how to recognise key red flags that might trigger an audit.

Ansley launched her blog, The Fit Peach, in 2018, sharing simple, family-friendly recipes that prove healthy eating can be both delicious and approachable. Her passion for flavor-packed, wholesome meals quickly resonated with a growing community of home cooks and wellness-minded individuals. Building on her experience as a CPA and her firsthand knowledge of running a successful blog, Ansley founded Peach Perfect Financials—a boutique accounting firm dedicated to empowering creative entrepreneurs. Specializing in bloggers and content creators, her firm offers tailored financial services, including bookkeeping, tax planning, and retirement strategies. With a unique blend of professional expertise and industry insight, Ansley helps entrepreneurs navigate the financial challenges of self-employment, enabling them to focus on what they love: growing their business.

In this episode, you’ll learn the importance of accurate bookkeeping and clear documentation, how to deal with the audit process itself, and strategies for effectively managing the emotional and logistical challenges that can arise.

Key points discussed include:

Understand your NAICS code: The NAICS code is crucial in determining industry-specific expense and profit margin expectations from the IRS. Make sure you have the right code (711510 for bloggers/influencers) to avoid red flags.
Maintain a reasonable profit margin: The IRS looks for profit margins that are in line with industry standards. Consistently low or negative profit margins can raise questions.
Pay yourself a reasonable salary: If you have an S-corp, be sure to pay yourself a salary that is proportionate to your business's profitability to avoid potential issues.
Keep detailed bookkeeping records: Organized and well-documented financial records can make the audit process much smoother and demonstrate your commitment to compliance.
Cooperate and communicate proactively: If audited, be responsive to the IRS's requests and communicate openly about your business practices. This can go a long way in resolving any concerns.
Understand the emotional impact: Audits can be stressful and emotionally draining, so be prepared to manage your emotions and seek support if needed.

Avoid lumping expenses into broad categories: Provide clear breakdowns and explanations for specific expense categories, as the IRS may scrutinize these closely.

Leverage your CPA's industry knowledge: Having a CPA who understands your business model and industry can help ensure proper expense reporting and minimize audit risks.
Focus on your "why": During challenging times, such as an audit, remember the reasons why you started your business and let that drive you forward.

Connect with Ansley Beutler

Website | Instagram

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Merry Christmas!

In this episode, we are going to talk about five effective strategies for relieving stress and managing the pressure that can build up in our lives as entrepreneurs.

As an entrepreneur, I’ve learned that keeping stress in check and staying in a good headspace are game-changers—not just for my well-being, but for my business too. That’s why I’d like to share five strategies that have made a huge difference for me. Whether it’s getting better sleep, squeezing in some solid exercise, or practicing gratitude, these tips have helped me break the stress cycle, clear my mind, and tackle challenges with a more positive, resilient attitude.

Action Plan:

1 - Prioritize sleep: Getting enough quality sleep is crucial for managing stress and maintaining overall well-being.

2 - Engage in vigorous exercise: Challenging your body through intense workouts can help complete stress cycles and release built-up pressure.

3 - Speak up and vent: Addressing thoughts and concerns directly, rather than letting them stew, can alleviate mental clutter and stress.

4 - Surround yourself with supportive people: Spending time with loved ones who make you laugh and feel understood can be a healthy distraction from stress.

5 - Practice gratitude: Taking time to reflect on and appreciate the positive aspects of your life can interrupt negative thought patterns and promote a more peaceful mindset.

Get in touch with Megan

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In episode 630, Megan chats to Joanne Schweitzer about time management strategies to help us balance the demands of blogging with raising children and building a local brand.

Joanne Schweitzer is a successful Italian heritage recipes food blogger and has been blogging part time for 8 years. She has 10K Facebook followers with a local following too and 14K Pinterest followers with 3K in loyal newsletter openers. Joanne’s tomato sauce and cocktails do best. She does local cooking shows specifically for how to make pasta that have been successful.

In this episode, you’ll learn about outsourcing tasks, how to tap into your local network, why newsletters are so effective and how to build a successful blog while still having time for your family.

Key points discussed include:

Focus on quality over quantity: Prioritize creating high-quality, authentic content rather than rushing to publish multiple posts per week.
Leverage your newsletter: Invest time in crafting a thoughtful weekly newsletter to build a loyal audience and community.
Tap into local networking: Seek out opportunities to host cooking demos and events in your local community to grow your brand.
Embrace flexibility in your workflow: Allow for spontaneity and don't be afraid to adapt your schedule as needed.
Outsource your weaknesses: Identify tasks you're not strong at and consider outsourcing them to free up time for your strengths.
Batch recipes with the same ingredients: Make two or more recipes that use the same ingredients like roasted tomatoes or sautéed scallops to save time and money when doing your blog photography.
Celebrate small wins: Recognize and appreciate the incremental progress you make, as these small victories can fuel your long-term success.
Cultivate authenticity: Be genuine in your interactions with your audience, and let your personality shine through.
Persist through imposter syndrome: Believe in your abilities and don't let self-doubt hold you back from achieving your goals.

Connect with Joanne Schweitzer

Website | Instagram

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In episode 629, Kimberly Espinel teaches us strategies that top food content creators use to build and monetize their audiences on Instagram.

Kimberly is an award winning photographer, best-selling author, creative business mentor and Instagram expert dedicated to empowering food bloggers, photographers and content creators to refine their skills, discover their unique style, and develop a social media strategy that works.

In this episode, you’ll learn what is meant by ‘being authentic’, why you should prioritize video, understanding your audience, and incorporating a personal touch.

Key points discussed include:

Embrace authenticity and vulnerability: Audiences are drawn to creators who share their personal stories and give them a sense of connection.
Prioritize video content: Focusing on reels, TikToks, and YouTube can help you reach and engage your audience more effectively.
Deeply understand your audience: Knowing your target customer's pain points and preferences will allow you to create content that resonates.
Incorporate a personal touch: Adding your own voice, music choices, or on-camera presence can make your content feel more human and relatable.
Adapt to changing trends: Be willing to evolve your strategies as platforms and algorithms shift, rather than clinging to what worked in the past.
Develop a pragmatic mindset: Approach your content creation with a business-minded perspective, and don't take setbacks too personally.
Focus on strong hooks: Crafting an engaging opening sequence for your reels can make all the difference in capturing your audience's attention.
Optimize your lighting: Ensuring proper lighting can elevate the production value of your video content and make it more visually appealing.
Leverage engagement tools strategically: Tools like ManyChat can help you drive traffic and build relationships with your audience.
Monetize through brand collaborations: Developing a strong video presence can make you an attractive partner for brands seeking influencer marketing opportunities.

If You Loved This Episode You’ll love our Instagram Growth Supercut - a short 15-minute episode sharing tips from food content creators crushing it on Instagram - Download it here.

Order Kimberly's book - How to Make Your Food Famous

Connect with Kimberly Espinel

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In this episode, we're going to talk about 5 ways to optimize our week so that we can build our dream life.

I’m always striving to create my dream week—a vision I hold onto and know I’ll achieve someday, even though it’s not quite here yet. In the meantime, I regularly adjust my schedule to ensure I’m moving in the right direction. When I notice my work-life balance slipping, I make small tweaks to realign, like aiming to keep my workweek under 20 hours. The secret to building your ideal schedule lies in taking it one step at a time with consistent, intentional adjustments. Each week, ask yourself: What’s working? What’s not? Without this reflection, it’s easy to fall into a rut and lose excitement about your week. Here’s how I approach it.

Action Plan:

1 - Do a time audit: Tracking how you spend your time for 3-7 days can provide valuable insights to identify areas for improvement.

2 - Look for easy wins: Implement small, impactful changes like meal prepping or delegating tasks to optimize your week.

3 - Set boundaries: Define and commit to one or two boundaries, such as a hard cut-off time, to better separate work and personal life.

4 - Tackle important tasks first: "Eat your frog" by completing a high-priority task before moving on to other items on your to-do list.

5 - Reflect and reset weekly: Spend 10-15 minutes reviewing your week to celebrate wins and identify one small change for the next week.

Get in touch with Megan

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In episode 627, Megan chats to Katie Trant about how food bloggers can define, build, and maintain a strong brand identity to stand out in a crowded online space.

Katie Trant is a branding expert, a copywriter, and an OG food blogger. For more than a decade, she has worked at brand consultancies, helping huge global players define their brands. Recently, Katie has launched Foodie Brand Lab, a course and brand consultancy, especially for food bloggers who want to build a brand, refine their brand strategy, and take their business to the next level.

In this episode, you'll learn about the key differences between personal and traditional branding, and practical strategies you can use to develop a cohesive, memorable brand identity that resonates with your target audience.

Key points discussed include:

Defining your brand is not a one-time task, but an ongoing process: Your brand should evolve over time as your business and audience grow, so be prepared to continuously revisit and refine it.
Understand the difference between personal and traditional brands: Determine whether your brand should revolve around you as an individual or function more as a traditional business brand.
Focus on developing a strong, consistent voice and tone: Your writing style and the way you communicate with your audience is a core part of your brand identity.
Create brand guidelines to maintain consistency: Establish guidelines for visual elements, content style, and brand behavior across all your channels and touchpoints.
Prioritize functionality and user experience over elaborate branding: Ensure your website is fast, mobile-friendly, and easy to navigate before investing heavily in custom branding.
Let your brand purpose and values guide your business decisions: Use your brand's core purpose and values to inform the content, products, and services you offer.
Embrace the iterative nature of branding: Be willing to experiment and make adjustments to your brand as you learn more about your audience and evolving industry trends.

Seek outside perspectives to uncover hidden brand insights: An external branding expert can often identify strengths and opportunities you may have overlooked.

Understand that your brand lives in the minds of your audience: Your brand is ultimately defined by the emotional perceptions and experiences of the people who interact with it.

$50 discount from the Foodie Brand Lab Course - this link will automatically take $50 off of the price, as will entering the discount code PODCAST.

Connect with Katie Trant

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In episode 626, Jillian Leslie teaches us how we can effectively monetize our businesses through the creation and sale of digital products.

Jillian Leslie is co-founder of the blog, Catch My Party, and software company, MiloTree, which empowers bloggers to sell digital products to their audiences. Jillian is also the host of The Blogger Genius Podcast, where for the past six years, she's been interviewing successful online entrepreneurs, content creators, and industry experts. Jillian's goal is to empower bloggers and creators to build successful online businesses so they can change their lives and have the freedom they crave.

In this episode, you’ll learn how to get started, selling simple digital products like ebooks or guides, how to leverage tools like ChatGPT for ideas, and MiloTree for easy setup.

Key points discussed include:

Start simple with digital products: Begin with an ebook or guide that solves a specific problem for your audience, rather than trying to create an overly complex offering.
Experiment and iterate: Don't be afraid to "do it ugly" and learn as you go. Treat your digital product launches as experiments to help you refine your offerings.
Build relationships with your audience: Focus on becoming a trusted helper and problem-solver for your readers, rather than just a faceless content creator.
Leverage free tools and resources: Use platforms like MiloTree to simplify the technical aspects of selling digital products, so you can focus on creating and marketing.
Grow your email list: See each email subscriber as a valuable asset, and use lead magnets to steadily build your audience.
Consider memberships for recurring revenue: Memberships can provide a steady stream of income, but start small and build a community around your expertise.
Embrace imperfection and give yourself grace: Avoid getting bogged down in perfection; focus on providing value and improving over time.
Prioritize simplicity: When it comes to both your digital products and your tech stack, aim for streamlined solutions that are easy for you and your audience to use.
Seek feedback and input from your audience: Engage with your readers to better understand their needs and refine your offerings accordingly.

Connect with Jillian Leslie

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In this episode, we're going to talk about how to overcome the fear of taking risks in your business so that you can thrive as an entrepreneur.

Being an entrepreneur means embracing calculated risks, even when they feel intimidating. While I naturally lean towards high-risk opportunities, I always assess the risk-reward ratio before taking the leap. Risk-taking in entrepreneurship isn’t about being reckless—it’s about being strategic. Truthfully, there are moments when I’m absolutely terrified of the risks required to grow as an entrepreneur. I know how overwhelming it can feel to push beyond your comfort zone. So, how do I manage it? How can you determine if a risk is worth taking? And what steps should you take after overcoming those entrepreneurial fears? Let’s explore five practical strategies to help you confidently navigate risk-taking as an entrepreneur.

Action Plan:

1 - Evaluate the risk: Take the time to write down and analyze the potential risks in your business, whether financial, emotional or otherwise. This will help you gain clarity and reduce anxiety about taking the leap.

2 - Start small: Begin by taking on smaller, low-stakes risks to build your confidence. Completing these smaller challenges will show you that risks don't have to be as daunting as they may seem.

3 - Create a risk wish list: Make a list of the bigger risks you know you need to take, and revisit it regularly. This will keep your intentions clear and motivate you to follow through.

4 - Focus on the rewards: Visualize the potential benefits and opportunities that could arise from taking a particular risk. Let this positive outlook propel you forward through the initial fear.

5 - Reward your progress: Give yourself small treats and celebrations when you successfully take on a risk, no matter how big or small. This positive reinforcement will strengthen your risk-taking mindset.

Further Reading: 7 Reasons Why Risk-Taking Leads to Success (Huffington Post)

Get in touch with Megan if there is a specific mindset and self-care topic you'd like her to cover.

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In episode 624, Megan chats to Danielle Hayden about developing a healthy mindset when it comes to business spending and why wise business investments pay off.

Danielle is a CPA, author, Co-Founder and CEO of Kickstart Accounting. She is a seasoned Chief Financial Officer who is rewriting what it means to provide bookkeeping and consulting services to high-earning female business owners. The Kickstart Accounting Inc. team is the one-stop-shop that provides their clients with bookkeeping services as a tiered system that grows with the business as needed. Additionally, they offer online courses (think all things money mindset), payroll services and tax consulting services. Since their founding in 2015, the Kickstart team has helped thousands of high-earning service-based business owners grow and scale their businesses to new heights.

In this episode, you’ll learn about using an accounting system to track income and expenses, how to align spending with business goals, and invest in areas like advertising and marketing.

Key points discussed include:

Invest in your business to grow, don't just cut spending: Cutting back on necessary expenses can jeopardize your business growth. Instead, invest in areas that will support your goals.
Know your numbers monthly: Having an accounting system and reviewing your finances monthly will help you make informed decisions and avoid overspending.
Align spending with your intentions: Determine your business goals for the next 12 months and ensure your spending aligns with those intentions.
Consistency builds trust: Showing up consistently, whether with content or marketing, sends a message that you are a reliable business.
Start with one investment, more will follow: Begin with one strategic investment, and other opportunities will reveal themselves as you progress.
Outsource tasks outside your expertise: Don't try to do everything yourself; outsource bookkeeping and other tasks that are not your zone of genius.
Advertising and marketing are key investments: Prioritize spending on advertising and marketing to support business growth, but be patient and consistent with your efforts.
Believe in yourself and your business: Your mindset and the messages you send to the universe through your investments can impact your success.
Review and adjust spending regularly: Reassess your spending and align it with your evolving business goals and life stages.

Connect with Danielle Hayden

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In episode 623, Dalit Vaknin shares her journey of overcoming the challenges of building a successful blog in her second language, English, and how other non-native English speakers can do the same.

Dalit, a former dietician, is a passionate food blogger and culinary enthusiast. After relocating to the US, she turned her love for food into a thriving blog specializing in artisanal ice cream. Dalit's mission is to inspire others, especially those whose first language is not English, to pursue their passions through writing and blogging. She believes language should never be a barrier to sharing your unique voice and stories with the world.

In this episode, you’ll learn how to keep motivated when blogging in English as your second language, how to overcome self-doubt and use visual aids and other useful tools.

Key points discussed include:

Embrace the journey: Blogging in a second language may be challenging, but approach it with an open mindset and celebrate your progress along the way.
Leverage visual aids: Use process shots, arrows, and visual cues to make your content more accessible and engaging, especially when language skills are still developing.
Start simple: Begin with straightforward recipes and gradually increase complexity as you build confidence in your writing.
Immerse yourself: Read cookbooks and other blogs to familiarize yourself with the specific vocabulary and formatting used in the food blogging niche.
Utilize helpful tools: Take advantage of resources like Grammarly, ChatGPT, and capitalization checkers to improve your writing and catch errors.
Seek feedback: Ask a trusted friend or family member to review your blog posts and provide constructive feedback to help you improve.
Practice speaking: Participate in blogger groups or conferences to practice your English speaking skills and gain confidence in communicating your ideas.
Celebrate small wins: Recognize and appreciate the progress you make, even if it feels slow at times. Each blog post is an opportunity to grow.
Embrace mistakes: Understand that perfection is not the goal. Mistakes are a natural part of the learning process, so be kind to yourself.
Leverage your strengths: If English is not your native language, remember that you have the unique advantage of bringing a fresh perspective and diverse experiences to your blog.

Connect with Dalit Vaknin

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In this episode, we're going to talk about why prioritizing community and building relationships are a critical part of your business.

As a food blogger and entrepreneur, I can't stress enough how important it is to prioritize community in 2025. I know it can feel scary or uncertain to invest in things like conferences, retreats, and masterminds, but trust me, it's going to pay off big time. The key is to approach it with intention and a willingness to be vulnerable. Get out there, connect with your peers, and don't be afraid to go deep in the right communities. And if your budget is tight, no worries - you can always create your own community hub. The most important thing is to show up consistently, wherever you decide to plant your flag. Do that, and you'll see the rewards in your business and personal life. Here, I’ll share five specific action steps that can help guide you on this community-building journey.

Action Plan:

1 - Understand the power of connection: Community and meaningful connections can have a significant impact on your business and personal growth.

2 - Interact intentionally: Actively engage and be vulnerable when participating in community settings to get the most value out of your investment.

3 - Go deep in the right communities: Commit to high-investment groups like masterminds where you can build intimate, long-lasting relationships.

4 - Create your own community: If you can't attend conferences or join masterminds, consider hosting your own virtual or in-person gatherings with peers.

5 - Show up consistently: Prioritize regular participation and engagement in any community you're a part of to foster growth, confidence, and valuable partnerships.

Get in touch with Megan!

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In episode 621, Megan chats to Jessie-Sierra Ross about her experience of traditional cookbook publishing, including how to pitch, propose and promote a cookbook.

Jessie-Sierra Ross is a former professional ballerina turned food blogger and home entertaining specialist. Originally from Boston, she traded in her pointe shoes for an apron, and hasn’t looked back since! A self-taught, cook and food stylist, Jessie is the personality behind her blog, “Straight to the Hips, Baby”.

Known for her step-by-step recipes, easy elegance, and light and bright photography style. Working alongside her photographer husband, Jessie creates food and drink recipes for her blog, and features in magazines, as well as on TV, via cooking segments on NBC, PBS, and BloomTV Network. Jessie-Sierra is currently working on her latest creative project, a floral-inspired cookbook with Schiffer Publishing.

In this episode, you’ll learn about the detailed process of recipe testing, photography, the role of an editor in refining the manuscript and the significance of PR and promotion.

Key points discussed include:

Persistence is key: Don't give up on your cookbook dreams, even if you face initial rejection. Keep refining your pitch and proposal, and seek feedback from your community.
Build a strong team: Identify your strengths and weaknesses, and assemble a team (e.g., editor, photographer, PR agent) to support you throughout the process.
Invest in quality: Consider upgrading your camera equipment to ensure high-quality photographs for your cookbook.
Pace yourself: Give yourself ample time to create the book, as the process can be more extensive than you anticipate.
Leverage your community: Tap into your existing blog and social media following to help promote and market your cookbook.
Embrace the long game: Understand that promoting a cookbook is a marathon, not a sprint. Focus on building momentum over time.
Outsource strategically: Consider outsourcing tasks you're less comfortable with, such as PR and indexing, to free up your time and energy - do not try to do everything yourself.
Develop a strong working relationship with your editor: Your editor can be a valuable advocate and guide throughout the publishing process.

Get our bonus Instagram Growth Supercut!

If you Loved this Episode… You’ll love Episode 608: What I Learned Writing a Cookbook – Valuable Strategies for Planning and Organizing the Writing Process with Courtney Carey

Connect with Jessie-Sierra Ross

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In episode 620, Michelle Puster teaches us how to silence our inner critic and the RAIN (Recognize, Allow, Interconnect, Nurture) method to manage overwhelm and stress as an entrepreneur and parent.

Michelle is a mom of three kiddos and is a marriage and trauma therapist and most recently a podcaster/blogger. On her podcast and blog she shares her true life story of recovery from parenting burnout using mindfulness, mediation, and self-compassion.

In this episode, you’ll learn more about balancing the challenges of running a business and parenting and how to proactively address burnout by managing your sleep, movement, and social connections.

Key points discussed:

Recognize your feelings of overwhelm and burnout: Don't ignore or suppress these emotions, as they will only persist. Instead, acknowledge and validate what you're experiencing.
Practice self-compassion: Be kind and understanding towards yourself, rather than harshly judging or criticizing yourself.
Silence your inner critic: Challenge the negative self-talk and unrealistic expectations you place on yourself.
Seek support and connection: Reach out to others, whether it's a coach, therapist, or supportive friends and family, to help you through difficult times.
Prioritize self-care: Make sleep, movement, and mindfulness practices a non-negotiable part of your routine to maintain your well-being.
Identify and address patterns of stress: Use time logging and reflection to pinpoint the times and situations that tend to trigger burnout, and proactively make changes.
Complete the stress response cycle: Engage in activities that help you process and release stress, such as exercise, deep breathing, or creative expression.
Embrace the imperfect: Understand that you don't have to be perfect, and that experiencing difficult emotions is a normal part of the human experience.
Cultivate a sense of interconnectedness: Remind yourself that you are not alone in your struggles, and that others may be experiencing similar challenges.

Connect with Michelle Puster

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In this episode, we're going to talk about 5 things you can start doing right now that might change your life.

Over the past year, I've tried out a bunch of little changes in my life, and let me tell you, some of them have been total game-changers for me. Sure, they might seem super simple, but these hacks have seriously transformed how I feel and function day-to-day. They've lifted this mental weight off me, boosted my energy, and helped me stay laser-focused on what really matters. Even trying out just one or two of these strategies could make a huge difference in your life and business. So let me break them down for you...

Action Plan:

1 - Get comprehensive blood work done: This can help identify any vitamin, hormone, or other imbalances that may be contributing to low energy, mood swings, or other health issues.

2 - Outsource email management: Hiring an assistant or using email management tools can help you regain control of your inbox and reduce the mental clutter it can cause.

3 - Create a goal card and review it daily: Writing down your goals on an index card and reviewing them multiple times a day can help keep them top of mind and drive consistent action towards achieving them.

4 - Journal before bed: Designing your next day and addressing any worries in a journal before bed can help you sleep better and stay focused.

5 - Commit to meditation: Regularly practicing meditation can improve your sleep, focus, and overall well-being, even if it's just a few minutes a day.

Get in touch with Megan if there is a specific mindset and self-care topic you'd like her to cover.

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In episode 618, Megan chats to Nora Bourdeau about balancing a blog with other commitments, highlighting the significance of living one's "why" and the value of small, consistent actions to propel progress over time.

Nora Bourdeau started Balancing Bowls in 2022 as a way to record her recipes and share them with friends and family. Balancing Bowls is the product of a slightly chaotic life, a need to make and grow things, and a love of creative cooking. While the blog has a flexitarian approach to cooking, Nora loves to cook with beans and lentils so you will find lots of legume recipes and information on the blog. Living outside of Boston, Ma, with her husband and three kids, she is also a full-time high school art teacher.

In this episode, you’ll learn about creating routine that serves your ‘why’, recognizing daily wins, regardless of how small they are, and focusing on the process over perfection.

Key points discussed:

Embrace mini momentum: Recognize that progress is made through small, consistent steps rather than giant leaps. This gradual growth can be seen in your analytics over time.
Live your 'why': Identify your deeper motivations and purpose, and make sure your daily actions align with and bring that 'why' to life.
Distinguish goals from milestones: Understand the difference between your ultimate goals and the smaller milestones you can achieve along the way.
Celebrate small wins: Take time to acknowledge and appreciate even the smallest accomplishments, as they contribute to your overall progress.
Prioritize progress over perfection: Focus on continuous improvement rather than striving for an unrealistic ideal. Perfection is fleeting, but progress is lasting.
Leverage daily practices: Implement habits like journaling, gratitude, and tracking progress to amplify your mini momentum.
Protect your sleep: Ensure you get adequate, quality sleep, as it is essential for your productivity, efficiency, and overall well-being.
Embrace the option to quit: Recognize that you have the freedom to walk away from things that no longer serve you, which can be liberating.

Connect with Nora Bourdeau

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In episode 617, Chandice Probst and Abbey Rodriguez teach us how to thrive as a food blogger in the creator economy, including how to niche down and diversify revenue streams beyond traditional advertising.

At Tastemaker Conference Abbey, Chandice and their team work daily to provide community, education and experience to the food creator community. Our main goal is to legitimize the creator economy which is set to be a 500 billion dollar industry by 2027. We'd love to discuss this very topic using the discussion ideas below that we feel would resonate with you and your audience.

In this episode, you’ll learn about the creator economy's rapid growth, projected to reach $500 billion by 2027, how to leverage personal branding and the significance of in-person events for fostering connections.

Key points discussed:

Diversify your revenue streams: Explore options beyond just advertising, such as memberships, cookbooks, and brand sponsorships to create a more sustainable business model.
Leverage your personality: Authentically showcase your unique voice and story through mediums like podcasts to build deeper connections with your audience.
Niche down strategically: Finding a specific, focused niche can help you stand out and become an authority in your space.
Prioritize email marketing: Use your email list to nurture relationships, gather feedback, and promote your products or services.
Collaborate with brands authentically: Seek out brand partnerships that align with your values and can provide value to your audience.
Attend industry events: In-person conferences and retreats can help you build valuable relationships, gain new insights, and reinvigorate your creativity.
Experiment with new platforms: Consider exploring emerging platforms like TikTok or YouTube to reach new audiences and diversify your content.
Lean into your community: Foster a sense of belonging and engagement with your followers by actively listening and responding to their needs.
Stay adaptable and resilient: Be prepared to navigate the ups and downs of the industry, and be willing to try new approaches to keep your business thriving.

Connect with Chandice and Abbey

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In this episode, we're going to talk about 5 steps to manage common feelings of inadequacy among entrepreneurs and how to stop feeling like a “loser”.

I have felt like a loser so many times in the 14 years I've been an entrepreneur. I have experienced various embarrassing or devastating entrepreneurial moments: overnight traffic loss, burnout, not getting as much traction as other bloggers, getting booted from a major blogging Facebook group, you name it. So how have I dealt with these situations and pulled myself through? Here are 5 steps I take when faced with feeling like an entrepreneurial loser.

Action Plan:

1 - It's not personal: Understand that setbacks in your business are not a reflection of your worth as an entrepreneur, but rather a normal part of the journey.

2 - Take responsibility: Identify what you could have done differently and use that knowledge to improve your future actions, rather than blaming external factors.

3 - Connect with peers: Surround yourself with a trusted circle of fellow entrepreneurs who can provide support and advice during difficult times.

4 - Celebrate accomplishments: Make a regular habit of listing your achievements, no matter how small, to maintain a positive mindset.

5 - Keep moving forward: Expect setbacks, but continue taking small, consistent steps towards your goals and dreams, as your response to challenges determines your success.

Get in touch with Megan if there is a specific mindset and self-care topic you'd like her to cover.

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In episode 615, Megan chats to Elan Gelfand about the importance of focus, discipline, consistency, handling judgment, and reigniting passion.

Elan Gelfand started the podcast Abundant Thinking where he talks about how to live a purposeful life and how to improve your mindset. Elan has spoken to some of the best coaches in their industry and has valuable insight on how to succeed and how to cultivate a bulletproof mindset.

In this episode, you’ll learn about creating the right environment to minimize distractions, building discipline slowly to achieve long-term success and adopting a mindset of not caring about others' opinions.

Key points discussed:

Start small to build discipline: Begin with small, achievable goals and gradually increase the difficulty, rather than setting unrealistic high expectations that are hard to maintain.
Eliminate distractions: Use tools like the Opal app to block distracting apps and create an environment conducive to focused work.
Consistency leads to discipline: Staying consistent with your habits, even in small ways, can help develop long-term discipline.
Reframe judgment: When faced with judgment from others, remember that people who are doing well are unlikely to waste time criticizing you.
Focus on your own approval: Prioritize your own self-approval over the opinions of others, as you'll be spending the most time with yourself.
Reignite passion by trying new things: Experiment with different aspects of your work to find new sources of inspiration and excitement.
Appreciate the good times: Recognize and be grateful for the moments when you feel passionate and engaged, as they can help you push through the more challenging periods.
Differentiate between focus and discipline: Focus is about staying committed in the moment, while discipline is about consistently doing the same thing over time.
Create the right environment: Deliberately set up your physical and digital surroundings to support your productivity and minimize distractions.
Limit time with negative people: Reduce interactions with those who are judgmental or unsupportive, and instead seek out positive, encouraging relationships.

Connect with Elan Gelfand

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In episode 614, Abraham Busick teaches us easy content strategies for optimal growth on Pinterest, emphasizing it's role as a search tool and not a social media platform.

Gracelaneco is a Pinterest management agency with a focus on bloggers and small brands. We love to share our proven strategy that keeps Pinterest simple and growing even through algorithm updates.

In this episode, you’ll learn about Pinterest SEO, how to solve users' problems, experimenting with content formats, driving traffic to your blog and how to use Pinterest analytics to improve your strategy.

Key points discussed:

Understand the Pinterest user mindset: You should recognize that Pinterest users are on the platform to solve specific problems, not just for entertainment, and tailor your content accordingly.
Plan content in advance: You should create content months in advance to align with the planning nature of Pinterest users.
Leverage Pinterest SEO: You should thoroughly research and incorporate relevant keywords into your pin descriptions, titles, and images to improve visibility.
Maintain consistency: You should strive for consistent pinning activity to ensure the algorithm recognizes your presence and promotes your content.
Monitor analytics: You should closely track your Pinterest analytics, focusing on impressions, pin clicks, and saves/outbound clicks to identify areas for improvement.
Use a clear call-to-action: You should include a clear call-to-action in your pin descriptions and images to encourage users to click through to your website or blog.
Experiment with content formats: You should consider a mix of static and video pins, testing different approaches to see what resonates best with your audience.
Manage your emotions: You should focus on your activity and consistency on Pinterest rather than getting discouraged by initial results, as the platform can take time to build traction.

If you Loved this Episode… You’ll love Episode 570 - Why Pinterest is One of The Best Time Investments To Boost Your Blog’s Traffic with Heather Farris

Connect with Abraham Busick

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In this episode, we're going to talk about 5 mindset tweaks that could accelerate your entrepreneurial success.

Being an entrepreneur is hard. I always say this but I’ll say it again. It’s not just the discipline, commitment, knowledge and ability to seize opportunities that make entrepreneurship hard. It’s hard because without the right mindset, business owners often give up. But, I’ve got good news for you. This does not have to be the case. You can be a successful business owner and inspirational entrepreneur. Here are 5 easy mindset tweaks that can get you there.

Action Plan:

1 - Have faith in yourself: Believe in your abilities, experience, and knowledge, and don't second-guess yourself.

2 - Let things simmer: Be patient and allow projects, problems, and growth to unfold at their own pace, rather than rushing the process.

3 - Embrace the champion mindset: Overcome your default human mindset of self-preservation and tap into your inner champion to achieve your full potential.

4 - Don’t be afraid to ask: Reach out to your network, yourself, and even a higher power to ask for what you need to move your business forward.

5 - Win the day: Establish a daily routine and focus on small victories that will lead to long-term success in your life and business.

Get in touch with Megan if there is a specific mindset and self-care topic you'd like her to cover.

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In episode 612, Megan chats to Ann and Maddy Baum about Spillt’s newest offering: Premium subscriptions and why this is a great way to build an extra revenue stream for bloggers.

Spillt is a social app for home cooks to save and organize their recipes from anywhere (however we don’t scrape the recipe, we always respect bloggers’ traffic). Spillt also offers bloggers tools to share their content through a free Wordpress plugin that syncs their recipes to Spillt. And most recently, Spillt launched a paywalled subscription tool that allows bloggers to create a subscription offering for their fans, giving them access to all their blog recipes ad-free, as well as customizable meal plans.

In this episode, you’ll learn why Spillt is a great asset for food bloggers, including its ease of use, social element, subscription tool and meal plan creation, which aim to diversify bloggers' revenue streams.

Key points discussed:

The Spillt app is a mobile and web-based platform: It allows home cooks to save and organize recipes from anywhere online, making it easy to access your favorite recipes.
Spillt respects bloggers' content and traffic: The app syncs recipes to the platform without scraping content, ensuring bloggers maintain their ad revenue and audience.
Spillt offers a free WordPress plugin that integrates bloggers' content into the app: This plugin allows bloggers to build a profile and have their recipe reviews and ratings sync back to their blog.
New features to help bloggers diversify their revenue and save time: Spillt is launching a premium subscription tool and a meal planning feature.
Premium subscription benefits: It allows bloggers to offer an ad-free, premium version of their recipes to their followers, providing an additional revenue stream for bloggers.
A meal planning feature comes with the Premium subscription: It makes it easy for bloggers to create and share customizable meal plans with their followers.
Spillt has a social element that allows users to see what recipes their friends and family have saved: This can help with recipe discovery and community building.

Connect with Ann Baum & Maddy Baum

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In episode 611, Sena Wheeler teaches us the importance of email marketing for business growth, sharing her strategy of sending personalized, value-driven emails.

Sena Wheeler is part of a 5th generation fishing family and the co-founder of Sena Sea, which brings wild Alaskan seafood direct to your door. She's passionate about sustainability, helping busy families eat healthier and educating people about the brain-boosting benefits of wild fish. She has a master’s degree in Nutrition and Food Science with a specialty in quantifying omega 3's in fish and determining preferred handling practices for premium quality. She and her husband enjoy running this family business together, spending part of the year in Alaska and having the flexibility to enjoy watching her children participate in their school sports, and of course, eating and cooking fish!

In this episode, you’ll learn about the benefits of leveraging personal stories in email, building a quality email list and its long-term value and stability compared to social media platforms.

Key points discussed:

Consistency is key: Consistently sending emails, even if they are not perfect, is more important than trying to create a masterpiece every time.
Offer value upfront: Providing a free downloadable cookbook or other valuable content can help attract and retain subscribers.
Understand your audience: Identifying and addressing your audience's pain points, such as how to cook the product, can help you create content that resonates.
Embrace selling: Don't be afraid to include a sales pitch in your emails, as your subscribers are there because they are interested in your product or service.
Personalize your content: Sharing personal stories, photos, and updates can help build a stronger connection with your audience.
Leverage collaborations: Partnering with other influencers or bloggers can help you expand your reach and provide value to your audience.
Maintain an engaged list: Focus on building a list of engaged subscribers rather than a large list of uninterested people.
Use a content calendar: Planning your email topics and themes in advance can help you stay organized and efficient.

Connect with Sena Wheeler

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In this episode, we're going to talk about 5 traits of high achievers and how to incorporate similar habits into our lives.

When you spend time with inspiring, high-quality individuals, you suddenly notice traits that would be well-worth adopting. I attended a conference earlier this year where I noticed such high-achieving individuals. I observed five distinct things that set them apart and helped lead them to success as business owners. Here is how you can incorporate similar strategies to elevate your own personal and professional success.

Action Plan:

1 - Avoid negativity: High achievers refuse to engage in criticism, gossip, cynicism, and complaining, as these behaviors can be draining and unproductive.

2 - Embrace challenges: You should be open to receiving and giving challenges and questions from others, as this can lead to valuable insights and personal growth.

3 - Celebrate failure: Failure should be viewed as a necessary step towards success, and high achievers wear it as a badge of honor, encouraging you to take bigger risks.

4 - Prioritize learning: Dedicating time each day to learning, whether through books, podcasts, or other resources, can help you stay focused, motivated, and on track with your goals.

5 - Establish routines: Incorporating daily routines into your life, even if they start small, can help you maintain productivity, focus, and a positive mindset.

Get in touch with Megan if there is a specific mindset and self-care topic you'd like her to cover.

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In episode 609, Megan chats to Allie Hagerty about how she grew her food blog from 750 page views a month to over 100,000 page views a month.

Allie has been food blogging since 2020, although she took a few years off. After being laid off from her full-time job as a new mom of a 4 week old, Allie decided to put all her energy back into reviving her old, crusty food blog. She started working on her new niche: new England and Mediterranean dishes (think fresh, minimalistic ingredients made delicious) in November '23. Allie had maybe 400 sessions monthly. Today, in June 2024, she has almost 75K sessions and is on MediaVine! Allie hunkered down, worked hard, and eliminated distractions like Instagram. She is proof that SEO is NOT dead.

In this episode, you’ll learn about Allie’s strategies for creating content clusters, optimizing SEO, and maintaining consistency to achieve rapid blog growth.

Key points discussed:

Focus on content clusters: You should focus on creating content clusters around ingredients, recipes, or topics that you are passionate about and knowledgeable in.
Prioritize quality over quantity: You should focus on creating high-quality, helpful content rather than just posting frequently.
Embrace interlinking: You should interlink your related content to create a cohesive and easy-to-navigate website structure.
Consistency is key: You should strive for consistency in your content creation and promotion efforts, even during challenging personal times.
Adopt a positive mindset: You should approach your blog with the mindset that every post will rank highly, and trust the process.
Build a supportive network: You should prioritize building relationships with other bloggers and mentors who can provide guidance and support.
Pursue high-quality backlinks: You should seek out opportunities to earn high-quality backlinks from reputable sources to improve your site's authority.
Optimize your titles and metadata: You should craft compelling and informative titles and metadata to improve your content's visibility and click-through rates.
Focus on your niche: You should focus on your unique expertise and niche, rather than trying to appeal to everyone or compete with others in your space.

Connect with Allie Hagerty

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In episode 608, Courtney Carey teaches us how to plan and organize the cookbook creation process while managing other life responsibilities.

Courtney Carey is the creator of Cake Me Home Tonight, a baking blog designed to help home bakers elevate their baking game! On her blog and social media, Courtney shares easy and delicious dessert recipes along with baking tips and tutorials to make baking fun and stress-free. Courtney recently released her debut cookbook, Girls Just Wanna Bake Cupcakes, an 80's themed cookbook featuring cupcake recipes inspired by nostalgic and classic snacks and desserts. She enjoys sharing her love of all things dessert and all things 80's because there is nothing sweeter than nostalgia!

In this episode, you’ll learn more about the challenges of balancing a blog, job, and family while writing a cookbook and how to meet deadlines despite setbacks.

Key points discussed:

Plan and organize thoroughly: Carefully evaluate your work style, schedule, and responsibilities to set yourself up for success when writing a cookbook.
Break down the process: Create detailed checklists and spreadsheets to break the book-writing process into small, manageable tasks.
Leverage your strengths: Allocate tasks based on when you feel most energized and productive to maximize your efficiency.
Seek help from your support system: Don't be afraid to ask your family and friends for assistance to balance the workload.
Outsource tasks you're less confident in: Consider hiring professionals for photography, editing, or other areas you may struggle with.
Expect the unexpected: Be prepared to adapt when life throws curveballs.
Embrace imperfection: Understand that perfection is unattainable, and focus on creating a high-quality product rather than striving for flawlessness.
Take mental breaks: Recognize when you need to step away and recharge to avoid burnout and maintain your productivity.
Prioritize your commitments: Be willing to temporarily scale back on other responsibilities to dedicate the necessary time and attention to the cookbook project.

Connect with Courtney Carey

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In this episode, we're going to talk about 5 strategies to be more consistent in your business in order to achieve more faster.

One of the things that have really served me well in my business is consistency. Consistent effort, even in small steps, leads to significant achievements over time. I help many food bloggers during planning calls on a monthly basis. What I find is that the ones who are consistent see results quicker than the ones who are not. If you are struggling with consistency and feel frustrated, the good news is you can teach yourself to be more consistent. Here are my top 5 strategies to improve consistency.

Action Plan:

1 - Identify your "why": Knowing your deeper motivation and emotional drivers can fuel your consistency in business.

2 - Track your time: Analyzing how you spend your time can reveal opportunities to improve efficiency and create more space for consistency.

3 - Implement systems: Developing predictable workflows and automating tasks can help you stay on track and free up mental energy.

4 - Seek accountability: Having someone or a group hold you responsible for your goals can push you to maintain consistency.

5 - Celebrate your wins: Acknowledging your progress, both big and small, can reinforce positive behaviors and keep you motivated.

Get in touch with Megan if there is a specific mindset and self-care topic you'd like her to cover.

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Food Photography by Kristina Cadelina

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Food photographer, Dyutima Jha, interviews Megan Porta about how to grow your business, becoming more successful, without working more hours. Originally published on Dyutima's podcast, My Food Lens.

In this episode, you’ll learn about powerful strategies to improve your mindset, increase productivity, and achieve better results in your food blogging businesses without burning out.

Key points discussed:

Acknowledge the power of your mindset: Your mindset is a crucial factor in achieving success, and it's often underrated - recognizing the impact of your thoughts and beliefs can be a game-changer.
Uncover and rewrite limiting beliefs: Many of the beliefs that hold you back are unconscious - identifying and rewriting these limiting beliefs can open up new possibilities for success.
Focus on the positive: Where you focus your energy and attention will determine the outcomes you experience - shifting your focus to the positive can attract more positive results.
Embrace change: Change is inevitable in business, and having a mindset that accepts and adapts to change can help you thrive during challenging times.
Avoid comparison and persistence: Comparing yourself to others can lead to discouragement and quitting too soon - focusing on your own journey and persisting through setbacks is key.
Start small and build confidence: Stepping out of your comfort zone can be daunting, but starting with small, manageable steps and gradually building up can help you become more confident and brave.
Prioritize self-care and productivity: Taking care of your physical and mental well-being, as well as implementing effective time management strategies, can significantly boost your productivity and success.
Create a nurturing work environment: Designing a comfortable and inspiring workspace can positively impact your mindset and productivity.

If You Loved This Episode...

Listen to Megan's interview with Dyutima Jha - Episode 540: How to Keep Readers on Your Page By Bringing Powerful Storytelling to Food Photos

Connect with Dyutima Jha

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In episode 606, Megan chats to Kris and Katie Kimball about their journey with The Blog Fixer, a service that helps WordPress bloggers automate technical tasks.

Kris Kimball is a software developer who left the corporate world of banking in 2015 to start the Blog Fixer. His company helps thousands of WordPress bloggers like his wife Katie automate the boring technical stuff so they can focus on what they love. Kris and Katie are full-time online entrepreneurs raising 4 kids, and they love hiking in the mountains and hate home improvement projects.

In this episode, you’ll learn about the common fixes for bloggers' sites and how Kris and Katie stay on top of relevant information to serve food bloggers' businesses.

Key points discussed:

Automate tedious technical tasks: Chris Kimball developed The Blog Fixer plugin to help his wife Katie automate the process of adding no-follow attributes to hundreds of links on her blog, Kitchen Stewardship.
The plugin makes permanent changes to blog content: Unlike other plugins that only make changes on load, The Blog Fixer makes permanent changes to the blog's content, ensuring the fixes remain even if the plugin is deactivated.
Stay up-to-date with SEO changes: The Blog Fixer team continuously monitors SEO best practices and updates their fixes to ensure your blog remains compliant with the latest recommendations.
A wide range of fixes: In addition to the no-follow link fix, the blog fixer provides solutions for internal redirects, link targeting, and other common technical issues faced by bloggers.
Primarily suitable for experienced food bloggers: The Blog Fixer's services are particularly valuable for food bloggers with extensive content archives, as it can efficiently address technical problems across a large number of posts.
The Blog Fixer offers a white-glove service: The blog fixer team handles all the installation, configuration, and optimization of their plugin, so you don't have to worry about the technical details.
Connected to the blogging community: The team actively listens to their clients' needs and develops new fixes to address the evolving challenges faced by food bloggers.
Deals with custom fixes: In addition to their standard fixes, The Blog Fixer is also capable of providing custom solutions to address unique technical problems on your blog.

Connect with Kris and Katie Kimball

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In episode 605, Nikki Rausch teaches us how to close more paid partnerships by having a strategic follow-up plan and focusing on relationships.

CEO of Sales Maven, Nikki Rausch has the unique ability to transform the misunderstood process of “selling”. With 25+ years of selling experience, entrepreneurs and small business owners now hire Nikki to show them how to sell successfully and authentically. Nikki has written 3 books, all available on Amazon. And she has a podcast called Sales Maven which you can find on your favorite podcast platform.

In this episode, you’ll learn about effective strategies for landing and securing brand deals, including how to leverage existing networks, create curiosity, and recognize buying signals from potential sponsors.

Key points discussed:

Identify your target sponsors: Make a list of the people/brands you want to work with as sponsors.
Leverage your network: Identify who in your network knows someone at the companies you want to work with, and ask them to make introductions.
Use your advocates: Make a list of your biggest advocates and ambassadors who could potentially make introductions on your behalf.
Create curiosity: When speaking with potential sponsors, ask strategic questions to pique their interest and get them engaged in the conversation.
Invite next steps: Before ending a call with a potential sponsor, schedule a "circle back" call to review any proposal or answer additional questions.
Focus on the relationship: Treat sales as a conversation and focus on building relationships, rather than just trying to make a sale.
Recognize buying signals: Learn how to identify buying signals, such as questions from the potential sponsor, that indicate their interest.
Follow up strategically: Don't chase clients excessively, but leave the door open and schedule follow-up calls when appropriate.

Connect with Nikki Rausch

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In this episode, we're going to talk about 5 steps to overcome the fear of investing in our business to avoid stagnation and foster growth.

Have you ever come across a business investment that you really needed? It could’ve been a mastermind group, a business coach or maybe a new camera for better photography. But when you considered the financial cost, you were hesitant. Maybe you thought it could wait or you need to be making more money before you can spend anything on your business. However, if all you do is wait for the perfect moment to invest, you might be missing out on significant revenue growth and something that could take your business to the next level. I’ve been there! Here is how I mastered the mindset for making the right business investments.

Action Plan:

1 - Pinpoint the investment and related concerns: Pinpoint the specific investment you want to make and the associated concerns, such as getting a return on investment or hiring a reliable coach.

2 - Gather information from trusted sources: Educate yourself and sleuth by reaching out to your trusted network of peers, such as a mastermind group or online communities, to learn about their experiences with various programs and individuals.

3 - Trust your intuition: Even after gathering data, you should lean into your intuition to guide your decision-making process, as your gut feeling can be a reliable indicator of whether an investment is right for you.

4 - Assess your budget: You should carefully evaluate your budget to ensure the investment is financially feasible, even if it means getting creative and making adjustments to accommodate the investment.

5 - Be willing to take the leap: Once you've checked all the boxes, you should confidently take the leap and make the investment, knowing that the right investments can ignite explosive growth in your business.

Get in touch with Megan if there is a specific mindset and self-care topic you'd like her to cover.

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In episode 603, Megan chats to Amy Angelli leveraging E-E-A-T and creating a robust About Page to significantly boost blog traffic.

Amy founded The Copper Table in 2019 to share recipes that minimize processed ingredients with a focus on cooking in season and cooking from scratch using fresh produce. She wanted these recipes to be for people who are busy and often don't have a lot of time to spend in the kitchen, but want great meals that make them feel good after a busy day. She lives on a small island in Washington state between Seattle and the Canadian border in a richly agricultural area that provides a lot of inspiration and recipe ingredients!

In this episode, you’ll learn about how Amy tripled her traffic during Google's HCU as well as strategies for effective interlinking, crafting compelling opening paragraphs, and shifting mindset around recipe creation and keyword research.

Key points discussed:

Update your About Page regularly: Continuously revise and expand your about page to showcase your expertise, authority, and trustworthiness as your knowledge and experience grow.
Link to your About Page conversationally: Incorporate links to your about page in a natural, conversational way within your recipe posts to guide readers and signal your authority.
Establish expertise in the opening: Dedicate the first 1-2 paragraphs of your recipe posts to clearly establishing your expertise and authority on the topic.
Address specific pain points: Focus on addressing specific pain points or needs that your recipe solves for the reader in the opening paragraphs.
Leverage your personal experiences: Incorporate relevant personal experiences, family history, or educational background that demonstrate your expertise in the niche.
Interlink strategically: Develop an interlinking strategy that connects your recipe posts to other relevant content, categories, and your about page to showcase the depth of your knowledge.
Prioritize helpfulness over metrics: Shift your mindset to focus on being a helpful, one-stop resource for your readers, rather than solely chasing traffic volume or low competition.
Continuously expand your expertise: Consider taking additional classes, courses, or pursuing other opportunities to deepen your knowledge and skills in your niche.
Maintain a positive mindset: Adopt a mindset of focusing on the present and not worrying excessively about future changes, as each day brings its own challenges.

If You Loved this Episode… You’ll love Episode 428: 5 Biggest Mistakes Food Bloggers Make In Their SEO with Ty Kilgore - this episode is referenced in Megan’s conversation with Amy.

Connect with Amy Angelli

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In episode 602, Petranka Atanasova teaches us how to grow rapidly on Instagram, sharing the strategy that she used to gain over 100,000 followers in just four months.

Petranka is an ex-professional chef turned food blogger and content creator! She shares easy vegan and vegetarian recipes for busy people who are beginners at plant-based cooking.

In this episode, you’ll learn Petranka's strategies for creating engaging reels and developing a successful content series that resonates with her audience. The episode also covers the mindset shift Petranka underwent to achieve this rapid growth and provides practical tips for food bloggers looking to expand their Instagram presence.

Key points discussed:

Establish authority: Use a strong hook at the beginning of your videos to immediately establish your expertise and credibility with your audience.
Prioritize visual appeal: Start your videos with movement or an eye-catching visual to capture viewers' attention in the first few seconds.
Provide digestible value: Deliver information and tips in a simple, easy-to-understand way, avoiding overwhelming your audience with too many details.
Experiment with content: Try different video styles and formats to see what resonates best with your audience, then duplicate the successful ones.
Maintain consistency: Develop a posting schedule that works for you, even if it means reducing the frequency, to ensure you can sustain your content creation.
Leverage analytics: Use Instagram's analytics to determine the best times to post for your specific niche and target audience.
Build a supportive network: Surround yourself with a network of peers and mentors who can provide feedback and encouragement to help you grow.
Shift your mindset: Focus on providing value and engaging with your audience, rather than solely chasing views and follower counts.
Keep clips concise: Aim for short, fast-paced video clips to maintain viewer attention and keep your content dynamic.
Embrace the journey: Trust that the path will become clear as you take action, rather than trying to have everything figured out from the start.

Connect with Petranka Atanasova

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In this episode, we're going to talk about why entrepreneurs experience fear of success and 5 steps to overcome this type of fear.

It’s crazy to think that as business owners we can be afraid of our own success. There are a number of reasons why this happens. You may be questioning wether you’re worthy of success, wether you’d be able to keep up with success or how people may perceive you. Sometimes there are legitimate reasons to hold off on a project that could lead to greater success. Other times, it’s you making excuses. Here are 5 steps to work through your fear of success.

Action Plan:

1 - Identify your excuses: Recognize the excuses you've been making for not achieving your goals, as these may be masking deeper fears of success.

2 - Examine your excuses: Critically analyze your excuses to determine if they are valid or simply cover-ups for underlying issues.

3 - Uncover the real issue: Dig deeper to identify the true reason behind your reluctance to pursue your goals, which may be rooted in a fear of success.

4 - Rewrite your narrative: Reframe your story by replacing negative, self-limiting beliefs with a positive, empowering perspective on the potential outcomes of your success.

5 - Take action: Once you've addressed your fears, take concrete steps to move forward and achieve your goals, as inaction will only perpetuate the cycle of fear.

Get in touch with Megan if there is a specific mindset and self-care topic you'd like her to cover.

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Madison Wetherill’s Web Design Services

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Megan’s recommended books and resources

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In episode 600, Dan Porta - Megan’s husband - interviews his wife about her food blogging journey, what it takes to succeed and why she started her podcast, Eat Blog Talk.

Dan and Megan have been married 18 years and have two boys. Dan works in the travel industry and enjoys driving the family in their RV, going sky diving and being a hand model for his wife. He fully supports having a fabulous food blogger in the family and does so very well.

In this episode, you’ll learn about Megan's journey from starting her food blog, Pip and Ebby to creating the Eat Blog Talk podcast and community. Dan interviews his wife about the challenges and triumphs of food blogging and running a business in general, as well as valuable lessons for aspiring and established bloggers alike.

Key points discussed:

Longevity is key in food blogging: You need to see food blogging as a long-term game, requiring patience and consistency, even when faced with industry changes.
Develop essential qualities for success: The top three qualities Megan recommends for aspiring food bloggers are patience, flexibility/resilience, and a willingness to learn and adapt.
Leverage your unique personality to build your brand: According to Dan, what makes Megan’s blog and podcast stand out is her personality.
Prioritize time with family: Megan and her husband value the schedule freedom they've achieved, allowing them to prioritize quality time with their children.
Recognize and address burnout: Dealing with burnout in a timely manner (and ideally preventing it) is essential to maintain a sustainable business and personal life.
Embrace the power of community: Megan was able to build a supportive community, both through the Eat Blog Talk podcast and the various mastermind groups she has created.
Leverage your partner's support: Megan credits her husband's unwavering support as a key factor in her ability to pursue food blogging and launch the Eat Blog Talk podcast.

If You Loved this Episode… You’ll loveEpisode 400: Why Did I Start Eat Blog Talk, Exciting Blogging Developments & How to Set Healthy Boundaries with Megan Porta - where Megan gets interviewed by Taryn Solie, her community manager.

Connect with Pip and Ebby

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In episode 599, Tammy Overhoff teaches us how to create a stable income stream by selling digital products instead of relying exclusively on SEO and ad-revenue.

Tammy Overhoff is a seasoned food blogger and digital product expert who began her journey in 2011 with the Organize Yourself Skinny blog. She empowers busy women to lead healthier lives through eBooks, digital guides, and courses. In 2023, Tammy expanded her business with Reset & Flourish, offering digital products and a meal prep membership site. Despite numerous Google algorithm updates, her focus on digital products has kept her blog successful. Tammy also launched Tasty Digital Eats to support food bloggers transform their recipes into digital products and build stable businesses.

In this episode, you’ll learn more about how Tammy overcame a devastating traffic loss due to a Google algorithm update and transformed her business by focusing on digital products. Discover strategies for creating, marketing, and selling digital products that resonate with your audience and provide a stable income stream.

Key points discussed:

Diversify your income: Create digital products to reduce reliance on volatile traffic and ad revenue that’s subject to Google updates.
Solve problems for your audience: Focus on creating products that address specific needs or help achieve goals - ask your audience, don’t guess!
Repurpose your content: Transform existing blog posts and recipes into valuable digital products.
Nurture your email list: Build a strong community to effectively market and sell your digital products.
Start with small wins: Begin with simple products like meal plans or ebooks to gain confidence and momentum.
Learn from your audience: Use email statistics and social media feedback to identify popular topics for products.
Create a system: Develop a consistent process for creating, launching, and selling digital products.
Bundle your offerings: Combine related products to increase value and boost sales.

Connect with Tammy Overhoff

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In this episode, we're going to talk about five practical steps to deal with entrepreneurial mistakes and how to move on.

We all make mistakes. When we make a mistake in our business, especially when we let others down, we can feel devastated. But this is part of being human. And being a business owner. I'm no different. I've made plenty of entrepreneurial mistakes. So how I do I deal with these types of situations? Here are some strategies that I use to deal with mistakes:

Action Plan:

1 - Accept and process mistakes: Take time to pause, feel the emotions, and let the reality of the mistake sink in before moving forward.

2 - Take action to clean up the mess: Identify the necessary steps to address the mistake and rectify the situation as best as possible.

3 - Learn the lesson: Reflect on the mistake to understand the underlying lesson and implement changes to prevent similar issues in the future.

4 - Practice self-forgiveness and grace: Extend compassion to yourself, as mistakes are inevitable, and avoid dwelling on them excessively.

5 -Set mistakes aside and move on: Recognize the broader context of life and the insignificance of small mistakes, allowing you to let go and focus on the future.

Get in touch with Megan if there is a specific mindset and self-care topic you'd like her to cover.

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Resources

Ghostwriter – Terrence Roche (terrence@plantpowercouple.com)

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Megan’s recommended books and resources

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In episode 597, Megan chats to Melodee Fiske about how food bloggers can hire a trained food photographer to scale their business and why it’s important to hire a specialised photographer.

Melodee is the creator and owner of Pretty Focused. She’s a wife, homeschool mom and a second grade teacher turned food photographer. Melodee started working as a food photographer for food bloggers in 2016. In 2017, she started to have friends ask her to teach them how to do it too, so she did, and that's when Pretty Focused was born. Since then, she’s had over 1,000 students join Pretty Focused to learn how to photograph food for food bloggers. Melodee connects them with potential clients inside their marketplace when they graduate. Over the last 3 years, 69% of our grads reported making $50,000+ working as food photographers for bloggers.

In this episode, you'll learn about the benefits of outsourcing food photography, the strategies Melodee teaches in her Pretty Focused course, and how to become a trained food photographer to generate extra income.

Key points discussed:

Hiring out photography is not a weakness: It is a strength that allows you to focus on growth and vision for your business.
Communication is key when handing over your brand's photography: Effectively communicating your brand and vision ensures the photographer can represent your blog well.
Pretty Focused teaches photography skills tailored for food bloggers: The course covers a variety of photography skills specific to the needs of food bloggers.
Pretty Focused provides coaching and community support: In addition to photography training, the course includes coaching and a supportive community.
Graduates earn significant income: Many graduates have been able to make substantial income working as food photographers for bloggers.
The Buyers Club connects trained photographers with food bloggers: This community facilitates connections between food bloggers and qualified photographers.
Outsourcing photography enables business expansion: Some bloggers have been able to start additional sites due to the ability to outsource their photography.
Make decisions based on your unique business needs: Avoid basing decisions solely on what others think and focus on what is right for your specific business

Connect with Melodee Fiske

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In episode 596, Megan Ellam teaches us how to write and market cookbooks to earn a significant portion of our income from self-publishing.

Megan Ellam is an Australian-based author, photographer, and recipe developer, best known for Mad Creations and 365 Keto Club. Since 2017, Megan has shared her low-carb recipes and weight loss journey, leading to the self-publication of over 10 keto cookbooks and more than 60 eBooks, including two World Gourmand Cookbook Award winners! A passionate foodie, Megan runs Mad Creations alongside her partner in love and life, Dave Hunter.

In this episode, you’ll learn more about how to add extra value to your cookbook or ebook, pricing books correctly and successful marketing ideas to sell more books fast.

Key points discussed:

Niche down and create a clear theme and vision for your book: Determine the topic, focus and feel of your book to ensure a cohesive final product.
Develop an index of recipe ideas before writing: Plan out the content of your book to make the writing process more efficient.
Assemble a team of diverse recipe testers: Include both skilled and novice cooks to get well-rounded feedback on your recipes.
Offer unique, original recipes that stand out: Develop creative, eye-catching dishes that your audience can't find elsewhere.
Add extra value through cook's notes, variations, and additional content: Enhance your books by providing helpful information beyond just the recipes.
Leverage your existing blog content by refreshing and repurposing it: Reshoot and repackage your popular recipes to create new book offerings.
Price your books and ebooks higher to reflect their value: Don't underestimate the time and effort you've invested; charge accordingly.
Utilize various marketing channels, including social media and email: Promote your books through a diverse range of platforms to reach your audience.
Consider collaborations and partnerships to expand your reach: Explore opportunities to work with brands or other creators to cross-promote your books.

Connect with Megan Ellam

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In this episode, we're going to talk about how to deal with negative emotions towards platforms like Google and social media networks.

Have you ever had a negative experience with an online platform? For us bloggers, it can be Google or any of the social media networks. It’s often a feeling of not being rewarded for our hard work on the platforms. I’ve said in the past things like: “I hate Facebook.” Because I genuinely felt like Facebook had something against me as if it were human. Following along with the idea that these platforms are like humans, how can we repair our relationships with them? Here are 5 steps I take to turn feelings of lack and hatred into appreciation and abundance.

Action Plan:

1 - Identify which relationship needs mending: Choose one platform that is causing you the most frustration.

2 - Make a list of how the platform has wronged you: Write out all the ways you feel the platform has let you down.

3 - Make a list of what you are grateful for regarding the platform: Reflect on the positive aspects and benefits the platform has provided.

4 - Give the relationship some love: Educate yourself on the platform, learn more about its features, and consistently pay attention to it.

5 - Lather, rinse, repeat: Go through these steps repeatedly until you feel the relationship is being repaired. Keep your gratitude list visible as a reminder.

Get in touch with Megan if there is a specific mindset and self-care topic you'd like her to cover.

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Resources

Food Blog Writing at Maes Media (Chelsea Plummer)

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Megan’s recommended books and resources

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In episode 594, Megan chats to James Wythe about why he decided to shift his focus from content creation for social media to creating content for his blog, despite having a social following of over 1 million.

After a sudden illness caused James to be housebound for 4 years, he taught himself to cook with a chair in the kitchen. James started his blog to share his journey of recovery and recipes in 2016. Since then James has built a social following of over 1M and published a cookbook. The blog currently has 300,000 monthly page views which James 5x in the last year.

If you Loved this Episode… You’ll love Episode 569: Turning to Instagram Because of the Helpful Content Update – How To Grow Your Instagram Account To Add More Revenue Streams with Mika Kinney and Sarah Bond (For a contrasting point of view!)

In this episode, you’ll learn more about social media burnout, finding your passion for content creation, how to step back from social media, especially if you have a large following, while considering the future of your career and longevity of your content.

Key points discussed:

Stepping back from social media can help overcome burnout: You may realize that you are feeling burned out from the pressure and comparison of social media, so focusing more on your blog could be beneficial.
Owning your content is important: Owning your content on your website is important to consider, rather than relying solely on social media platforms that can restrict or remove access.
Balancing social media and blog content is challenging: You may find it difficult to create separate content for your website and social media that appeals to different audiences consistently.
Large social media followings don't guarantee success: Even with a large following, the social media landscape is becoming increasingly saturated and competitive for brand collaborations.
Republishing and updating old content can significantly boost traffic: Going back and improving your existing blog content can lead to a significant increase in traffic.
Creating a depth of content is key for long-term growth: Focus on creating more new content and update older posts to build a stronger foundation for your blog.
Passion and enjoyment should drive content creation: You may realize that you still love creating content and helping others, but not the pressure of social media.
Cycles and trends in the industry require adaptability: The industry may shift back towards longer-form content, away from the current saturation of short-form video recipes, so you need to be prepared to adapt.

Connect with James Wythe

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In episode 593, Kimberlee Ho teaches us 3 easy ways to grow our blog part-time while working full-time, including, how to be selective with our focus and time.

Kim is a home baker from NJ, who loves to share approachable baking recipes and tips with busy families like her own on her blog, kickassbaker.com. Kim works full-time during the day and bakes, recipe tests, and photographs at night and on the weekends in between acting as an Uber driver for her two teenage daughters. Her goal is to inspire home bakers to kick ass in the kitchen!

In this episode, you’ll learn more about identifying growth drivers for your blog, the importance of adapting to changing industry trends as well as intentional time management and the support of a community in achieving blogging goals.

Key points discussed:

Focus on 1-2 key growth drivers: For example, you can focus on growing page views and sessions to attract and retain readers, rather than getting distracted by new platforms.
Test different work methods: Experiment with your work schedule and batching tasks to find the most efficient approach for you.
Use to-do lists: Keep multiple to-do lists to stay organized and reduce anxiety about forgetting important tasks.
Embrace flexibility: Maintain a flexible mindset, adapting your methods as your needs and circumstances change over time.
Leverage trusted networks: Ask for feedback and support from the blogging community to avoid shiny object syndrome.
Break down goals into steps: Break down larger goals into manageable, actionable steps to avoid feeling overwhelmed.
Advantages of working full-time: By having full-time job Kim can enjoy growing her blog without the pressure of relying on it as her sole income.

Connect with Kimberlee Ho

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In this episode, we’re going to talk about why we feel envious of other bloggers in our space and how to turn envy into celebration and collaboration.

Food blogging is competitive. There are thousands and thousands of food blogs online. For a long time I approached food blogging as a competitive career. I felt like I had to do better than everyone else, a feeling which led me to isolate myself. This held me back big time! And it’s only when I started changing my approach to seek out and collaborate with other food bloggers, that my business really started taking off. So here are 5 ways in which you can do the same.

Action Plan:

1 - Change your mindset from competition to collaboration: See other food bloggers as teammates, not competitors.

2 - Celebrate and support others with a generous spirit: Outwardly and inwardly express happiness for their successes.

3 - Celebrate your own accomplishments: Take time to write down your wins, no matter how small, to boost your confidence.

4 - Own your unique story and journey: Embrace the lessons and challenges that have shaped your business.

5 - Immerse yourself in the food blogging community: Reach out to those who inspire you and build relationships.

Get in touch with Megan if there is a specific mindset and self-care topics you'd like her to cover.

Website | Instagram

Resources

Coaching and Mentorship for Food Bloggers by Brittany Roche

Promote your food blogging services

Megan’s recommended books and resources

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In episode 591, Megan chats to Alexandra Shytsman about how to avoid 7 common food photography mistakes beginners make, including lighting, angle and styling mistakes.

Alexandra Shytsman is a recipe developer, food photographer, and creator of The New Baguette, a plant-based recipe site. Her mission is to inspire people to cook healthier plant-centered meals at home. She is the author of Friendsgiving, co-author of The Complete Vegan Cookbook, and contributes to sites like Simply Recipes and EatingWell. She has also been teaching in-person food photography classes (in groups and one-on-one) since 2018. Originally from Ukraine, Alex moved to New York City at a young age and has lived there ever since.

In this episode, you’ll learn more about using natural light versus artificial light, the correct angle for shooting food, which garnishes to use and which ones to avoid and how to make boring food stand out.

Key points discussed:

Lighting is crucial: Use natural light or photography-specific equipment, rather than overhead kitchen lights, to achieve flattering and accurate food photography.
Avoid tilted angles: Keep the camera horizon straight to create a more natural and comfortable viewing experience for the audience.
Provide context: Zooming out to show the entire plate or scene, rather than just a close-up, helps provide context and balance to the image.
Choose props carefully: Neutral-colored, non-distracting props are recommended to avoid drawing attention away from the food.
Are your photos in focus? Learning to use the camera in manual mode and checking focus before finalizing the shot can help ensure crisp, in-focus images.
Garnishes can transform boring photos: Adding thoughtful garnishes, such as herbs, spices, or seeds, can enhance the visual appeal of the food.
Plan before you shoot: Creating a mood board and shot list beforehand can help streamline the photography process and ensure all necessary shots are captured.
Embrace negative space: Allowing for some empty space around the food can create a more balanced and visually appealing composition.

Connect with Alexandra Shytsman

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Are you tired of feeling stuck or overwhelmed in your blogging journey? In this episode, I’m sharing some exciting news about the 2025 Eat Blog Talk Mastermind, including the new tiered packages designed for bloggers at every stage. I’ll walk you through the program’s logistics and highlight how the mastermind can fast-track your blog’s growth, no matter your budget or experience level.

But that’s not all—stay tuned for powerful transformation stories from current mastermind members! You’ll hear how they’ve overcome common blogging pain points, from stagnant traffic to unclear goals, and turned their blogs into thriving businesses with more traffic, revenue, and confidence.

Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:

New mastermind tiers for 2025 that cater to different budgets and experience levels.
How the mastermind can help you accelerate growth and avoid common blogging mistakes.
Real-life transformations from current members—how they grew their traffic, increased revenue, and found clarity in their blogging strategies.
Why community, expert guidance, and accountability are the key ingredients to lasting success.
How the program can help you gain confidence, clarity, and focus to tackle your biggest blogging challenges.

Ready to take your blog to new heights in 2025? Tune in now to hear how you can be part of this life-changing experience or visit eatblogtalk.com/mastermind to apply.

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In this episode, we're going to talk about 5 ways to be proactive, focus on progress and invite more good things into your business.

We all want good things to flow into our business. Sometimes, it feels like we’re making no progress or regressing. I’ve been there, multiple times. Even this year. For bloggers, this might mean losing followers, getting less pages views, trying to get into an ad network… the list goes on and on. By this same token, if you embrace a proactive, positive approach to your blog and focus on what’s going well, you will most likely invite more good things into your business. Here are some practical ways to do this.

Action Plan:

1 - Extend the invitation: Invite good things, opportunities, money, and positive energy into your business on a daily basis.

2 - Practice daily gratitude: Write down 5-10 things that are going well in your business each day and express gratitude for the progress (however small) you’ve made.

3 - Do daily decluttering: What tasks are cluttering your mind and business? Make a list and systematically work through and complete them.

4 - Engage in daily learning: Spend at least 15 minutes each day learning through podcasts, books, or discussions to stay eager and ready for good things.

5 - Invest in your business: Consider making strategic investments in coaching, masterminds, conferences, or courses to open the floodgates for positive growth.

Get in touch with Megan if there is a specific mindset and self-care topic you'd like her to cover.

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Resources

Madison Wetherill's Web Design Services

Promote your food blogging services

Megan’s recommended books and resources

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In episode 588, Megan chats to Laura Arnold about why an SEO content calendar is important for diversifying your brand and how to set it up to improve your rank on Google.

In this episode, you’ll learn more about how to balance new posts with content updates, which keywords to choose, the significance of storytelling and expert phrasing and whether social media is important or not.

Key points discussed:

Consistency is key: Maintain consistent SEO efforts and content creation for long-term growth and success.
Manageable workloads: Create a content calendar that fits within your capabilities and resources for sustainable success.
Competitor analysis: Research and understand the top-performing content in a given niche to help you develop effective SEO strategies.
Keyword research and targeting: Identifying high-volume, low-competition keywords is a key step in creating content that resonates with the target audience.
Interlinking and content pillars: Strategically linking related content within posts and building out content pillars can improve site navigation and user experience.
Storytelling and expert phrasing: Balance personal narratives with authoritative language to help engage readers and establish the blogger as an expert in their field.
Performance tracking: Regularly monitoring and analyzing SEO metrics, such as impressions and keyword rankings, can inform content optimization and strategy adjustments.
Social media integration: Leveraging social media platforms to share and promote content can help diversify a brand's digital presence and reach a wider audience.

Connect with Laura Arnold

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In episode 587, Brenda Cadman teaches us how to organize our uploads and templates in Canva to create designs quickly and without fuss.

Brenda Cadman is a Canva Verified Expert from Prince Edward Island, Canada. After spending more than two decades supporting businesses with their website development needs, she now focuses on teaching small business owners how to use Canva more effectively and efficiently. Brenda has taught thousands of business owners through her courses, and in particular, she loves to help business owners tame their hot mess Canva accounts by creating an organizational system that ensures they can spend less time in Canva, and more time doing what they love.

In this episode, you’ll learn about creating custom folders for better categorization, template and time management and thereby streamlining the design process.

Key points discussed:

Organize Canva uploads: Create custom folders to categorize and easily find your uploaded images, videos, and other media.
Leverage the brand kit: Use Canva's brand kit feature to store your logo, color palette, fonts, and other brand assets for consistent branding.
Streamline element organization: Use the "Add to Folder" option to create custom folders for frequently used icons, illustrations, and other design elements.
Manage templates effectively: Separate future-use templates from customized brand templates to maintain organization and efficiency.
Prioritize Canva organization: Dedicate time to organize your Canva account - this will help improve productivity and save time in the long run.
Use brand templates to speed up workflow: Creating and saving brand templates can ensure consistency and reduce errors when customizing frequently used designs.
Avoid wasting time in Canva: If you prioritize Canva organization, you will save time spent on the platform designing and looking for assets.

Connect with Brenda Cadman

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In this episode, we're going to talk about 5 ways to manage feelings of overwhelm in entrepreneurship.

If you are an entrepreneur long enough, you are bound to experience times when you have to evolve or you can't go on. Often, when you’re in a state of complete overwhelm, it’s a signal that something needs to change. I think most of us want to stay passionate about what we do but we don’t want to get buried by to do lists and business projects. Here are 5 ways I manage overwhelm and keep a positive outlook.

Action Plan:

1 - Time Tracking: Track everything you do for a minimum of 3 days, preferably 7 days. Comb through the data to identify where you're spending your time and make changes to reduce draining activities.

2 - Exercise and Self-Care: Commit to a daily habit of exercise, even if it's just 10 minutes and engage in self-care activities like meditation war spending time in nature, reading, or creative pursuits.

3 - Take a Break: Listen to your gut and take a break, whether it's a 30-minute break during the day or a longer, week-long or month-long break from your business. Giving yourself this time off can help reset and reduce overwhelm.

4 - Limit Tech and Social Media: Reduce the time you spend on your phone, computer, and social media platforms. The constant connectivity can contribute to feelings of anxiety and overwhelm.

5 - Laugh and Love: Surround yourself with situations and people that bring you joy, laughter, and love. Spend time with friends, family, or pets, and engage in activities that make you smile.

Get in touch with Megan if there is a specific mindset and self-care topics you'd like her to cover.

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Resources

Food Photography by Ikram Ali

Promote your food blogging services

Megan’s recommended books and resources

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In episode 585, Megan chats to Carol Borchardt about the advantages of being a food blogger after you’ve retired and how to succeed regardless of your age.

Carol Borchardt is a retired personal chef with 22 years of experience cooking food people want to eat! She is also a former newspaper food columnist and mom to rescue kitty, Olive. Carol is married (almost 29 years) with two stepchildren and four grandchildren. At From A Chef's Kitchen, which Carol started ten years ago, she shares easy, step-by-step, chef-tested restaurant-quality recipes that are easy to make at home.

If You Loved This Episode…

You’ll love Episode 132 with Jen Lefforge – Starting A YouTube Channel Over 40.

In this episode, you’ll learn about what it is like being a full-time retired food blogger, why it is important to start sooner rather than later and how to overcome technical difficulties.

Key points discussed:

Start a food blog at any age: Carol started her food blog between the ages of 40-50 - it’s never too late to pursue a creative passion.
Overcome technical fears: Start with a good host and theme, and use resources or hire experts to handle the technical aspects of blogging.
Embrace social media strategically: Focus on the platforms that you feel comfortable with and enjoy.
Monetization can provide financial freedom: If your blog is monetised, your retirement income will be self-sustaining and provide flexibility.
Blogging can be a fulfilling retirement gig: You may find immense satisfaction in the creative outlet of food blogging, keeping you active and productive in retirement.
Build a legacy through recipes: Think of preserving family recipes and creating a lasting legacy through a food blog.
Do it on your own terms: Pursue your passion and don’t feel pressured to conform to industry standards.
Find your true fans: Remember why you started the blog and connect with readers who appreciate your unique voice and content.

Connect with Carol Borchardt

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In episode 584, Chris De La Rosa teaches us 6 unique monetization strategies so that we can earn a living without relying on income from ads.

Chris De La Rosa, is the founder of CaribbeanPot.com, a platform dedicated to exploring the vibrant culinary culture of the Caribbean. Although his roots trace back to Trinidad and Tobago, Chris’s goal is to showcase recipes from all the enchanting islands that contribute to the rich tapestry of Caribbean cuisine. Through his website, social media channels, and YouTube videos, Chris shares the authentic flavors, techniques, and stories that make Caribbean food so special.

In this episode, you’ll learn how to outsource finding brand deals, successful ways of selling digital products and how to leverage your culinary expertise by collaborating with restaurants and tech companies.

Key points discussed:

Branded partnerships and sponsorships: It is essential to align brand deals with your niche and stay true to your audience. Hire out the process of contacting brands.
Digital products and online courses: Repurpose website content into digital cookbooks and courses to generate an additional revenue stream.
Seasonal content planning: Analyzing data, such as YouTube statistics, to help identify popular topics to create seasonal digital products.
Physical products and merchandise: Selling branded merchandise like t-shirts and aprons with your logo can generate additional income.
Menu consultation: Leveraging your expertise in a niche cuisine can lead to opportunities to consult with restaurants.
Culinary tours and experiences: Offering food-focused tours and experiences can be a unique way to monetize your brand.
Embrace the opportunities technology offer: Use your culinary expertise to collaborate with technology companies developing AI for recipes.
Ghost kitchens: Partner with shared kitchen spaces so that you can have a space for the production and distribution of your own food products.
Reduce food waste by offering made-to-order meals: By offering pre-ordered, made-to-order meals you can minimize waste and serve specific communities.

Connect with Chris De La Rosa

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In this episode, we're going to talk about 5 strategies you can use to accelerate business growth, especially when your business feels stagnant.

I don't know about you, but sometimes it feels like my entire business needs an overhaul, and other times, it just feels like a certain part of my business isn't growing. While our businesses can't be growing optimally all the time, there are strategies we can use to give our business a boost when it feels like we’ve hit a dead end or like we're running ourselves to the ground on the entrepreneurial hamster wheel of work, work, work. What’s more these strategies may lead to an increase in revenue and other rewards.

Action Plan:

1 - Prioritize relationships: Building and nurturing relationships with others can lead to exponential business growth that you may not be able to anticipate.

2 - Join or form a quality mastermind group: Being part of a high-quality mastermind group can provide unique perspectives, valuable connections, and accelerate the growth of your business.

3 - Hire a business and/or mindset coach: Investing in a good coach can help you identify and overcome personal and business obstacles, rewriting old stories and putting you on a trajectory for greater success.

4 - Be consistent: Committing to taking consistent action, even in small steps, towards your goals will help accelerate your business growth.

5 - Evaluate monthly what is and isn't working: Set aside time at the end of each month to reflect on your progress and use those insights to plan for the next month, ensuring you're focusing your efforts effectively.

Get in touch with Megan if there is a specific mindset and self-care topics you'd like her to cover.

Website | Instagram

Resources

Food Blog Writing at Maes Media (Chelsea Plummer)

Promote your food blogging services

Megan’s recommended books and resources

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In episode 582, Megan chats to Katharine Rosenthal about creative ways to earn money while waiting to join an ad network.

Katharine is a Dietitian and Food Blogger and she started her blog in early 2023. She focuses on healthy-ish recipes that are easy and approachable. As a Dietitian, Katharine fully believes that there is room for every food and she wants to spread that philosophy and idea to all of her readers. Katharine’s favorite saying is "nourish to flourish" and to her that means to eat nutrient-rich foods most of the time but also grab those fries and drink the milkshake when you are craving it!

In this episode, you’ll learn about how to generate income through online and local partnerships, how to use your expertise to earn extra money and time management tips for balancing multiple income streams.

Key points discussed:

Diversify income sources through online partnerships: While waiting to get into an ad network, you can generate revenue through online partnerships - you don’t need many followers on social media to do this.
Leverage local connections: Reaching out to local magazines, businesses, and organizations can lead to valuable partnerships and exposure.
Provide value through expertise: Use your background to offer unique value, for example through recipe development, nutrition articles, and cooking classes.
Prioritize time management: Even with multiple income streams, you can plan for time off and still focus on self-care by being organized and planning ahead.
Know your value: Price your services to reflect the value you offer and reassess your pricing as your experience increases.
Embrace boldness: If you want to succeed you need to be bold and take advantage of opportunities, even when they may seem daunting.
Focus on long-term growth: Blogging is a long-term game, and she encourages persistence and patience in the face of challenges.
Create dual-purpose content: When creating content for partnerships, do it so that it can be used on your own blog.

Guest Details

Connect with Katharine Rosenthal

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In episode 581, Leslie Osborne teaches us how to create high-quality recipe videos using a phone, including what settings to use while recording and how to use artificial lighting correctly.

Leslie started her food blog Bessie Bakes in 2015 after going to artisan bread and pastry school in Chicago, IL in 2012. She wanted to have a food-based business but after having her son, she realized that she needed to work from home but still share her recipes and passion for baking. After really struggling with food photography because she couldn't find affordable yet high-quality backdrops, Leslie started learning how to make her own. In 2019 she launched Bessie Bakes Backdrops and began selling her own line of lightweight, cleanable photography backdrops on her own website and Amazon. Along the way, Leslie has personally done all the photography and videography for her products and social media accounts and shares lots of tutorials and behind-the-scenes content on IG and Youtube!

In this episode, you’ll learn about video filming apps for your phone, using diffusers and bounce cards, making food look delicious and many other tips.

Key points discussed:

Film in 4K 60fps: Filming recipe videos in 4K resolution at 60 frames per second can improve the quality and clarity of the footage.
Use a video filming app: Using a dedicated video filming app, rather than the default camera, allows for better control over camera settings like white balance and exposure.
Get close-up shots: Zooming in and positioning the camera close to the food can help make the recipe the star of the video.
Use food styling techniques: Make your food look extra delicious and textured by adding extra sauce, oil, seasoning, dressing etc.
Pay attention to lighting: Proper lighting, whether natural or artificial, is crucial for achieving vibrant colors and textures in recipe videos.
Use diffusers and bounce cards: Using diffusers and bounce cards can help soften and balance the lighting for a more natural look.
Tripods make filming easier: Different types of tripods, from tabletop to C-stands, offer varying levels of stability and flexibility for phone-based recipe videos.
Embrace failure and practice: Mastering videography skills takes time and a willingness to experiment and learn from mistakes.

Guest Details

Connect with Leslie Osborne

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In this episode, we're going to talk about 5 steps to improve your meditation practice so that you can experience rewards like better sleep and less anxiety.

Meditation has changed my life. That is ever since I learned how to mediate correctly. Because, I imagine like many other people who have given up this mindfulness practice, I was approaching it all wrong. In fact, it was never a priority for me, just something I would try before work calls or meetings and then in a panicked state. This year I changed my approach and I’ll never go back to life without meditation. This year I changed my approach and I’ll never go back to life without meditation. It just makes me a better mom, wife and business owner. Here are the 5 steps I use for successful meditation.

Action Plan:

1 - Play theta waves music before you get settled into your meditation. This will help put you in a relaxing theta brain wave state.

2 - Find a quiet place to sit for 15 to 30 minutes, where you won't be disturbed. Communicate with family members so they know not to bother you during this time.

3 - Establish an anchor, such as your breathing or a mantra, to gently bring your mind back when it starts to wander. Be patient and don’t worry if your mind wonders.

4 - Just be - create space for your mind to rest and clear. Experiment with visualizations like an empty room to help quiet your thoughts.

5 - Continue mindfulness practices throughout the day, such as noticing and releasing any anxious habits like clenched fists or tight shoulders.

Get in touch with Megan if there is a specific mindset and self-care topics you'd like her to cover.

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Resources

Meditation Track mentioned in Episode 580

Food Blogger Services – Mika Kinney

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Megan’s recommended books and resources

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In episode 579, Megan chats to Sandie Markle about why we should shift our mindset about AI and instead leverage technology to create sustainable revenue growth beyond ads.

With a passion for all things food, Sandie's journey in the tech world has equipped her with a unique perspective and a refined palate. As the former Senior Director of Content Engineering at SideChef, she led strategic initiatives to optimize grocery partnerships and recipe content, amassing over 18 years of expertise in efficient processes and robust strategies. Now, as the founder of Blueberri Consulting, she's dedicated to helping businesses elevate their content and tech infrastructure to help home cooks all over the world make memorable meals.

In this episode, you’ll learn about how to stay ahead of the curve with AI and other technology advancements as well as the importance of updating your LinkedIn page as you never know how it might benefit your business.

Key points discussed:

Embracing AI and technology: Embrace AI and new technologies to stay ahead of trends and remain competitive in the food blogging industry.
Overcome resentment through education: Educate yourself on AI concepts and trends to help overcome the resentment towards AI-generated content.
Collaboration with tech companies: Explore non-traditional partnerships and collaborations with tech companies to integrate recipes and leverage your food blogging expertise.
Prompt engineering opportunities: You can leverage your domain expertise to help refine AI models and produce better quality, practical recipes.
Strengthen LinkedIn presence: Maintaining a strong LinkedIn profile can help food bloggers connect with B2B opportunities and stay informed about industry changes.
Bridge the gap between food and tech: There is a need to bridge the communication gap between food bloggers and tech companies to create better content experiences.
Embrace change and innovation: Technology is constantly evolving, and you need to be adaptable and willing to embrace new opportunities.
Importance of teamwork: The strength of the team is in the individual members, and food bloggers should focus on being strong individual contributors.

Connect with Sandie Markle

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In episode 578, Kathy Berget teaches us what to do when our blog images have been used without our permission and how to get compensated for them.

Kathy is the author, photographer, recipe developer, and writer at Beyond the Chicken Coop where she creates delicious home-cooked recipes utilizing what they grow and raise. Kathy is a former elementary school principal and has three grown kids; twin boys and one girl. Kathy and her husband live in the country on their own little farm.

In this episode, you’ll learn about copyright for images, ways in which you can respond and how to use image theft protection services like Pixsy to get compensated.

Key points discussed:

Image theft is a common issue for food bloggers: Food blog images are often stolen or used without permission by various businesses, including restaurants, markets, and online retailers.
Copyright protection is automatic for blog images: Photographers automatically have copyright over their images, even without formal registration.
Services like Pixsy can help track and fight image theft: Pixsy is an online service that helps photographers find and fight unauthorized use of their images.
Responding to image theft requires a balanced approach: Do not obsess over every instance of image theft - selectively pursue cases that are worth the time and effort (especially if images are used for commercial purposes).
Watermarking images can increase their value if stolen: Removing or altering a watermark on an image can actually increase its value if used without permission.
Educating the public about image rights is an ongoing challenge: Many people may be unaware that using images found online without permission is considered theft.
Persistence and documentation are key when pursuing image theft cases: It’s important to thoroughly document evidence and follow through with service providers like Pixsy.
Maintaining a positive attitude is important when dealing with image theft: Do no let image theft issues negatively impact your overall mindset and productivity.

If You Loved This Episode… You’ll love Episode 390 with Rob Finkelstein - Legal Issues Every Food Photographer Should Consider

Connect with Kathy Berget

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In this episode, we're going to talk about how to respond with confidence to 5 questions food bloggers get from friends and family that can upset us.

People outside our industry may struggle to understand what we do as food bloggers. It is not as evident as being a doctor or a teacher and so we might get more questions that seem ‘stupid’ when we tell people what we do. Here are some common ones and how not to let these questions get to you, but instead learn how to respond with confidence and patience.

Action Plan:

1 - "You're a what or what exactly do you do?" - Explain in simple terms what you do, so that a 13 year old can understand.

2 - “Do you make money? How do you make money? How much money do you make?" - If you’re comfortable with the question, answer again in an easy way to understand or gently change the subject.

3 - “How is your business doing?" - Respond positively and avoid getting angry over any underlying meaning.

4 - “How is your little blog doing?" - Nobody has the vision you have for your business. Do not let questions like these upset you. The only thing that matters is that you are passionate about what you do.

5 - “What do you do all day? Can you watch my kids? You must have so much time on your hands?" - Set clear boundaries and explain that you have a full-time commitment to your blog during the day. That remains your priority.

Get in touch with Megan if there is a specific mindset and self-care topics you'd like her to cover.

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Resources

Food Blog Writing by Jenny Farley

Promote your food blogging services

Megan’s recommended books and resources

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In episode 576, Megan chats to James Elliot about how to manage business obstacles, turning unexpected changes into opportunities for growth.

James is a passionate and enthusiastic presenter who genuinely cares about people, and loves to speak, teach and deliver value. He's spoken at live events, as well as virtual ones, for people all over the world. He even has his own private training institution, where he trains people who want to make an impact on their organization, and do it in a fulfilling way.

In this episode, you’ll learn why business obstacles are ideal opportunities for business growth, specifically how to use self-reflection to pivot tasks that are no longer lighting you up to something you truly want to do.

Key points discussed:

Navigating tough transitions: You can navigate difficult industry changes and transitions by embracing them as opportunities for growth and pivoting your business.
Don’t be afraid to be you: Embracing one's authentic self and unique qualities can lead to greater success, trust, and connection with others, despite potential fears or criticism.
What are your limiting beliefs: Working with a great coach can help eliminate deep-seated limiting beliefs and unlock one's true potential through subconscious work.
Resilience and perseverance: Persistence and a refusal to give up, even in the face of challenges, are key to achieving long-term success as an entrepreneur.
Importance of self-reflection: Regularly taking time for quiet self-reflection can help uncover inner wisdom and guide the next steps for personal and professional growth.
Find a coach that resonates with you: Investing in a quality coach who resonates with you can accelerate personal and business transformation in ways that may take years to achieve alone.
Embracing change: View industry changes and challenges as opportunities for growth, rather than threats - can help you pivot and thrive.
Focusing on what you want: Maintaining a strong focus on your desired outcomes and goals, rather than dwelling on fears or doubts, can help drive progress.
Taking action: Consistent action, even in the face of limiting beliefs, is essential for turning dreams into reality and achieving success.

Book a complimentary strategy and growth call with James Elliot HERE!

Connect with James Elliot

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In episode 575, Natasha teaches us how to effectively delegate tasks to our team and empower them to run our business when we’re not there.

Natasha Zo is a former journalist from Siberia today running her international PR and visibility agency. As a PR agent, she’s helped authors launch #1 bestselling books, booked national TV, and landed clients on the world’s top podcasts and magazine covers. Leading up to this she lived on 3 different continents, volunteered in Central America, managed a high-performing marketing team in Asia, and taught public speaking to refugee teenagers. She is on a mission to see less clickbait and more empowering knowledge in the media.

In this episode, you’ll learn about what to look for when hiring employees, or outsourcing tasks, and how to prepare for extended periods off in your business (like maternity leave) by delegating tasks effectively.

Key points discussed:

Delegating and streamlining are crucial for growth and freedom: Automating and delegating tasks allows entrepreneurs to focus on innovation and creating their best work.
Regular team check-ins and clear communication: Scheduling weekly one-on-ones and team meetings ensures a shared understanding of goals and responsibilities.
Maternity leave can be a catalyst for streamlining a business and building a strong team: Preparing for an extended leave forces you to document processes and distribute tasks effectively.
Tracking tasks can provide clarity on what to delegate and automate: Logging your daily activities helps identify opportunities for outsourcing and streamlining.
You can take a break from social media as long as other visibility strategies are in place: Maintaining a referral network and offline relationships can sustain a business during a social media hiatus.
Building a referral network and deliberate offline networking: Diversifying lead sources so that you are not dependent on source for all your clients.
Test for self-motivation and initiative in potential team members when hiring: Incorporating specific tasks and instructions into the application process helps identify proactive and detail-oriented candidates.
Automation and delegation allow entrepreneurs to focus on innovation: Streamlining administrative and operational tasks frees up time for strategic planning and creative pursuits.

Connect with Natasha Zolotareva

Website | Instagram

DM Natasha's Instagram "20 tips” and get a free guide “20 Practical Tips to get on 20 podcasts in 90 days”

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In this episode, we're going to talk about 5 things to let go of in our business, especially looking at how these things are holding us back and what we can do instead.

Internally, we hold on to so much unnecessary baggage, and this can impact us very negatively if we're not careful. As entrepreneurs, we can get even more bogged down, because with this territory comes a lot of daunting situations and therefore a lot of opportunity to just hold really tightly onto some things. So, here are the 5 things I’ve learned to let go of in my business.

Action Plan:

1 - Caring what others think: Stop worrying about what people will think or say about you and your business, and instead focus on operating with integrity and serving your audience.

2 - Fear of failure: Embrace failure as a necessary part of the entrepreneurial journey, as it provides opportunities for learning and growth.

3 - Lack of confidence: Replace feelings of self-doubt with courage, and take bold actions in your business despite any lack of confidence.

4 - Perfectionism: Let go of the unrealistic pursuit of perfection and instead focus on taking imperfect action and continuously improving.

5 - Making excuses - Avoid making excuses for why you can't start or complete important projects, and instead prioritize and take action.

Get in touch with Megan if there is a specific mindset and self-care topics you'd like her to cover.

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Resources

Caro Jensen – Food Videography Services

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Megan’s recommended books and resources

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In episode 573, Megan chats to Emilie Pullar about how she monetized her food blog quickly by having a strong work ethic and writing blog posts for her reader instead of focusing just on SEO.

The Burnt Butter Table is run by Emilie Pullar and is a pasta filled blog with recipes ranging from quick 10 minute pasta sauces to intricate filled pasta shapes made from scratch. Emilie's true passion for food shines through her recipes where she endeavors to explain and break down processes in an easy to understand way.

In this episode, you’ll learn about the value of believing in yourself and following your passion as well as the need for mindset shifts to maintain a sustainable entrepreneurial journey.

Key points discussed:

Passion and hard work are key to building a successful food blog: Are you passionate about your niche because you’re going to need it to motivate you to put in the work.
Detailed, user-focused content is more important than SEO: Create high-quality, detailed recipes that provide a great user experience and don’t only optimize for search engines.
Overcoming burnout requires setting boundaries: Hard work might lead to burnout unless you set clear boundaries to maintain work-life balance.
Resilience and perseverance are essential for entrepreneurs: Those who are willing to put in the hard work and don't give up at the first hurdle are the ones who ultimately succeed.
Finding a mentor can accelerate your growth: Mentors provide valuable guidance and support that can make the difference between you giving up and pushing through.
Building a supportive community is crucial: Try to connect with others in the industry and find a community to share experiences and seek advice.
Setting clear goals and celebrating wins boosts motivation: Set written goals and celebrate small victories to maintain momentum and direction.
Incorporating personal voice and face builds connection: Use your own voice and share your face on social media to help readers connect with you on a deeper level.
Avoiding comparison and focusing on your unique journey is key: Don’y get caught up in comparing yourself to others, instead embracing your own unique path.

Guest Details

Connect with Emilie Pullar

Website | Instagram

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In episode 572, Dee Rotman teaches us how to create strong results for a new blog, getting high page views from the start by building an audience on social media first.

Deeckla (Dee) Rotman founded Dee & Sweets in December 2022, sharing baking recipes and tips with time-sensitive home bakers on social media. Having created over a hundred dessert recipes, Dee launched her blog in April 2024 and is already seeing strong growth. Dee became an entrepreneur after having been a marketing leader in the corporate world for most of her career.

In this episode, you’ll learn why Dee prioritized growing a following on Instagram before launching her blog, what she plans on prioritizing next and how she handles competition.

Key points discussed:

Start building an audience on social media before launching a blog: This helps drive traffic to the new blog and establish an engaged following.
Hire help strategically: Bringing on freelancers and part-time assistants can alleviate burnout and allow you to focus on growth.
Diversify traffic sources beyond just SEO: Explore different social platforms like Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, and TikTok to reach new audiences and land brand deals.
Analyze successful creators to learn and improve: Studying what works for others can inspire ideas for your own content and strategy.
Be comfortable with being uncomfortable: Embrace the challenges of entrepreneurship and use them as opportunities for growth.
Refocus comparison energy into learning: Instead of feeling demotivated by others' success, use it as motivation to improve your own skills and approach.
Prioritize mindset and self-care: Maintaining a positive, resilient mindset is crucial for sustaining a successful blogging business.
Start small and scale gradually: Some creators grow slowly and steadily overtime - this can be just or more beneficial than a sudden, rapid growth.
Leverage existing connections and relationships: Tapping into your professional network can lead to valuable partnerships and collaborations.

Connect with Dee Rotman

Website | Instagram

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In this episode, we're going to talk about 5 steps to prepare for Q4, so that you can get the most out of it without risking burnout.

Q4 is a big deal in our industry. People love food. And people especially love food from approximately October 1st through the end of the year, every year. How can we make the most of this time of year as a food blogger? Here, I share 5 steps I take to prepare for Q4 so that I can stay on top of my food blog, watching the increase in traffic and revenue that comes with Q4, while still being able to enjoy the holidays. These steps will also help you prevent burn out as you manage the busiest time of year for us food bloggers.

Action Plan:

1 - Change your perspective: Approach Q4 with gratitude and excitement rather than fear or worry. 2 - Delegate, automate, and eliminate: Identify tasks you can delegate, automate, or eliminate to free up time and energy for Q4. 3 - Make self-care and mindset a priority: Proactively schedule time for physical exercise, meditation, and other self-care activities. 4 - Stay in the game: Focus on the progress you've made in your business rather than what you haven't yet achieved. 5 - Put a plan in place: Establish your Q4 goals, create a content and task calendar, and block off time for rest and relaxation.

Resources

90-minute planning session

Promote your food blogging services

Megan’s recommended books and resources

Get in touch with Megan if there is a specific mindset and self-care topics you'd like her to cover.

Website | Instagram

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In episode 570, Megan chats to Heather Farris about optimizing Pinterest to boost blog traffic, including how to use Pinterest Trends as part of your keyword strategy.

Heather is an accountant and bookkeeper turned blogger and Pinterest marketer. Since 2016, she has helped hundreds of Pinterest creators grow their traffic and sales through both organic and paid ads. She regularly helps creators understand how to spend their time and money to grow their businesses on and off Pinterest.

In this episode, you’ll learn how to interpret Pinterest trends, why Pinterest is an important search tool like Google and what types of pins you should be making to get traction on the platform.

Key points discussed:

Pinterest is a powerful search engine for food bloggers: Pinterest users often use the platform as their primary search engine, making it a valuable tool for food bloggers to reach their audience.
Treat Pinterest as a "parking lot" for content: Think of it as a long-term time investment as, if you’re using the right keywords it will get indexed and pinners will discover your content and website.
Leverage Pinterest trends for content creation: Use the Pinterest Trends tool to identify popular and evergreen keywords and topics, which can inform content creation and optimization.
Create a separate workflow for Pinterest: Create a dedicated workflow for your Pinterest content, focusing on 15-30 URLs per month to stay consistent and efficient.
Prioritize saves over follows on Pinterest: Saves are more important than follows for Pinterest content visibility, as they indicate user interest and can lead to more content exposure.
Optimize pin descriptions and titles with keywords: Use relevant keywords in pin descriptions and titles to improve visibility and reach on the platform.
Repurpose content by creating video and animated pins: Save time by repurposing existing content into video and animated pins, which can perform well on Pinterest.
Maintain consistency and persistence on Pinterest: Keep creating and sharing content on Pinterest, even if you don't see immediate results, the platform can be a valuable long-term investment for your business.

If You Loved This Episode…

You’ll love Episode 567 with Shaunda Necole - Pin Your Way to Online Traffic Success! How Pinterest can Transform Your Business

Connect with Heather Farris

Website | Instagram

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In episode 569, Mika Kinney and Sarah Bond teach us the nitty gritty of growing an Instagram account as a way to drive traffic to our blogs and add new revenue streams instead of relying on Google.

Guest Bio:

Mika: Mika is a food-obsessed gal who has learned everything she knows from Food Network and cooking shows. She learned how to combine sweet and spicy from Bobby Flay and how to make a sponge cake from the Great British Baking Show. As the co-founder of Joy to the Food, her mission is simple: To prove that eating more protein is not complicated and can actually be a lot of fun!

Sarah: Sarah Bond is the food blogger behind the vegetarian website, Live Eat Learn. With degrees in nutrition and food science, she started her food blog in 2015 as a creative outlet that combined her favorite things - photography, food, and writing. She now works full-time on her blog from Denver, Colorado. Along the way, she started her niche sites Brew Buch (pronounced "booch") for all things kombucha brewing, and Bone Appetreat, a dog food blog! She is currently working on her first self-published cookbook, which will be released in July of 2024.

In this episode, you’ll learn about how to optimize your Instagram account, consistently create and analyze your content to increase your chances of going viral and increasing your followers quickly.

Key points discussed:

Analyze viral content: Identifying what made a particular post go viral, whether it was the ingredient, method, or presentation, can help guide future content creation.
Repurpose content across platforms: Repurpose the same video content on multiple platforms, such as Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, to help save time and reach a wider audience.
Leverage tools like ManyChat: Using tools like ManyChat to send direct links and messages to followers can help drive traffic from Instagram to your blog.
Experiment with content styles: Try different types of content, such as recipe reels, lifestyle posts, and collages, to see what resonates best with your audience.
Engage with your community: Actively engage with other creators in your niche, by commenting on their posts and supporting their content - this can help you build relationships and increase visibility.
Optimize your Instagram profile: Ensuring your Instagram profile is set up to clearly communicate your brand and niche can help new followers understand why they should follow you.
Analyze Instagram analytics: Tracking engagement metrics and identifying patterns in your top-performing content can help guide future content creation and strategy.
Use natural lighting: Using natural lighting, even if it's not "perfect," can create a more relatable and authentic look.
Leverage your Instagram following for email list growth: Growing an engaged Instagram following can help drive newsletter signups and build a loyal audience.

Connect with Mika Kinney

Website | Instagram

Connect with Sarah Bond

Website | Instagram

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In this episode, we're going to talk about five ways to find inspiration in your business and life when you feel depleted.

As a creative individual and entrepreneur who has typically a stream of inspiring ideas running through my head, it feels really confusing when I feel uninspired. I always find it useful to pinpoint why I’m feeling uninspired first before I actively seek out inspiration. And yes, you can reignite your inspiration! You do not have to go about your day depleted. Here are 5 ways you can do it.

Action Plan:

1 - Start a creative project: engage in a creative activity like art, crafting, writing, or design to stimulate your brain and boost inspiration.

2 - Research a vacation: research travel destinations, hotels, restaurants, and activities that you would like to experience, even if you don't have immediate plans to take the trip.

3 - Consume inspiring content: seek out podcasts, books, music, or other media that typically fills you with inspiration.

4 - Journal: write about the things that inspire you and reflect on why they are inspiring to you.

5 - Get outside and get quiet: spend time in nature, whether by sitting outside or going for a walk, to allow inspiration to flow.

Get in touch with Megan if there is a specific mindset and self-care topics you'd like her to cover. Go down the outcome rabbit holes. Explore the worst-case and best-case scenarios of failure to put it in perspective.

Website | Instagram

Resources

Food Photography by Kristina Cadelina

Promote your food blogging services

Megan’s recommended books and resources

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In episode 567, Shaunda Necole teaches us how to think of Pinterest as a search engine and effective keyword strategies which will help our pins rank and drive traffic to our blogs.

Shaunda Necole is the go-to recipe creator for modern soul food cuisine. She's the founder of The Soul Food Pot, the #1 Southern soul food site on Google, the author of seven culinary guides, and the host of The Soul Food Pod, Apple's first show dedicated to the history and culture around iconic African American dishes. She believes in making life easier and more soulful, one recipe at a time!

In this episode, you’ll learn how to word your keywords and stylize your pins for optimal impact, as well as how to use keywords in pin titles, descriptions, and board titles to help Pinterest understand the content's relevance.

Key points discussed:

Pinterest is a visual search engine that delivers lifestyle photos: You should leverage Pinterest's visual nature to create appealing, relatable pins that showcase your recipes and content.
Keyword optimization is crucial for Pinterest success: Research and use relevant keywords in your pin titles, descriptions, and board names to ensure your content is found by users.
Creating multiple pins per URL is recommended: You should create several unique pins for each blog post or recipe to target different keywords and increase visibility.
Repinning evergreen content is important: Use scheduling tools to continuously repin your best-performing content to maintain relevance and attract new users.
Lifestyle and kitchen-focused imagery works well for food pins: Use appetizing, visually appealing photos that allow users to imagine themselves engaging with the content.
The Pinterest Pyramid strategy optimizes content: Aligning board titles, pin titles, descriptions, and graphic design with target keywords can improve a pin's visibility.
Dedicating time to Pinterest marketing is essential: Dedicate a few hours per week to create, schedule, and analyze your Pinterest content.

Connect with Shaunda Necole

Website | Instagram

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In episode 566, Carrie Tyler teaches us how to establish a strong brand position and why this is essential to understand and meet our target audience’s needs.

Carrie Tyler is a brand positioning and brand marketing expert with over 20 years experience in Consumer Brand Management for large consumer goods companies. In 2018, Carrie launched her food blog, Talking Meals focusing on easy dinner recipes for busy families. In 2022, Carrie launched a second niche food blog and continues to run both blogs successfully today. Carrie has applied her brand positioning expertise to her own two food blogs and now helps other food bloggers to do the same. Through in-depth customer targeting and using a Food Blogger Brand House Model that she developed, Carrie helps food bloggers narrow in on their customers needs and how they uniquely solve those needs.

In this episode, you’ll learn the benefits of brand positioning, such as increased email list growth, return traffic, and product sales and practical ways to create a memorable brand for food bloggers.

Key points discussed:

Brand positioning is crucial for food bloggers to stand out in a crowded market: Establishing a clear brand positioning can help food bloggers differentiate themselves, connect with their target audience, and grow their business.
Understanding the emotional needs of the target audience is key: Connecting with the audience on an emotional level, beyond just meeting their rational needs, is essential for building a loyal following.
Brand positioning can improve focus and motivation: Having a clear brand positioning can help food bloggers prioritize their tasks and stay motivated, even during challenging times.
Brand positioning can enhance website, email, and product/service offerings: Implementing brand positioning across various touch points can improve the user experience and help diversify income streams.
It's never too late to establish brand positioning: Food bloggers at any stage of their business can benefit from defining their brand positioning, even if they've been blogging for years.
Small changes can make a big impact: Implementing small, incremental changes to align with the brand positioning can have a significant positive impact on a food blogger's business.
The "brand house" model provides a visual framework: Carrie "brand house" model helps food bloggers understand the different elements of their brand and how they work together.

Connect with Carrie Tyler

Website | Facebook

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In this episode, we're going to talk about five ways to reduce blogging anxiety by setting boundaries online and finding a supportive blogging peer group.

Even after 14 years of blogging, I still experience blogging anxiety. It's part of the job, isn't it? There's so much pressure inside and outside of the blogging industry. Every year there are new strategies to increase our traffic and grow our audience. Every year, we scramble to keep up with changes in our industry. While outside of the industry there's pressure to make our businesses successful, and sometimes loved ones with the best of intentions add the pressure of doing so. Above all, we probably want to prove to ourselves and others that we’ve got this. We can be successful entrepreneurs.

And so the anxiety sets in... But there are ways in which we can minimize blogging anxiety!

Action Plan:

1 - Hire someone to respond to your comments to shield you from negative feedback and criticism.

2 - Join a quality mastermind group to surround yourself with a supportive, understanding peer group that can provide the encouragement you need to manage the ups and downs of being a blogger.

3 - Minimize time spent in Facebook groups to avoid any unnecessary drama and toxicity.

4 - Be selective about who you allow into your business circle whether it's on social media or in other online spaces, as negative influences can increase your anxiety.

5 - Set a timer for your social media usage so that you don’t get caught in the endless scroll which can fuel feelings of inadequacy and anxiety.

Website | Instagram

Resources

Promote your food blogging services

Megan’s recommended books and resources

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In episode 564, Megan chats to Anjali Shah about a unique affiliate marketing strategy bloggers can use to earn additional revenue by negotiating directly with brands they truly believe in.

Anjali Shah is a food writer, best-selling author, board certified health coach, nutritionist, mom of two, and an advocate for healthy, clean eating for individuals and families. Her work has garnered nationwide attention as she has been featured on Oprah.com, Women’s Health, Cooking Light, Reader’s Digest, CNN, Food Network, and more. Anjali grew up a “whole wheat” girl, but married a “white bread” kind of guy. Hoping to prove that nutritious food could in fact be delicious and desirable, she taught herself how to cook and successfully transformed her husband’s eating habits from a diet of frozen pizzas and Taco Bell to her healthy, yet flavorful recipes made with simple, wholesome ingredients. After becoming a mom, Anjali expanded her work to include strategies and techniques to combat picky eating in kids of all ages. Anjali started The Picky Eater in 2011 to make healthy food accessible, tasty, easy to make at home, and picky-eater proof. You can follow her on Facebook, Pinterest, or Instagram.

In this episode, you’ll learn what commission to expect from brands, how to pitch brands without coming across as salesy and how to approach SEO in sponsored posts.

Key points discussed:

Affiliate marketing can be a significant revenue stream for food bloggers: It could make up as much as 70% of your income over time.
Reaching out to brands directly can be an effective affiliate marketing strategy: Contact brands on Instagram to pitch collaboration opportunities rather than using email templates to make it more personal.
Negotiating fair compensation is important: Ask for sufficient commission - around 20% - from affiliate programs, and be willing to negotiate for higher rates.
Authenticity is key when pitching to brands: Focus on products she already uses or believes in, making the pitch feel more like a conversation than a sales pitch.
Building long-term partnerships with brands can be beneficial: If you start now, you can establish potentially beneficial long-term affiliate partnerships.
Keyword research for affiliate marketing content should target high-intent keywords: Look for keywords that indicate a user's intent to purchase, rather than just general category searches.
The changing Google landscape may require adjusting affiliate marketing strategies: You might need to adapt your SEO-focused affiliate marketing approach due to recent changes in Google's search results.
Asking to be paid for your work is important: Bloggers should ask for fair compensation, rather than accepting product as payment.

Connect with Anjali Shah

Website | Instagram

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In episode 563, June Dick teaches us how to make the process of self-publishing a cookbook easy and efficient and how to avoid the mistakes she made.

June is the recipe developer and photographer for her food blog, Practically Homemade. Here you will find simple recipes for everyday families inspired by years of being a restaurant owner, high school culinary teacher and mom of 4. Now as an empty nester, June is still looking for shortcut ingredients and kitchen hacks to save time in the kitchen. Her life mission is to share them with you so that you can have time back in your life to enjoy the little things.

In this episode, you’ll learn about what June thinks went really well during her self-publishing process, what she would do differently and how to get help from your audience to put a cookbook together.

Key points discussed:

Plan ahead for a cookbook project: Think about the end product and work backwards to plan the steps, rather than jumping right into creating recipes.
Establish a consistent recipe format: Create a template for recipes to ensure consistency throughout the book.
Involve your audience: Reach out to your audience for recipe testing. This can provide valuable feedback and help build excitement for the book.
Consider outsourcing tasks: Outsource tasks that you don’t enjoy doing (e.g. layout, photography, editing), to free up your time for the parts you enjoy.
Expect the unexpected: Be flexible as there might be unexpected changes you need to make.
Prioritize your blog: Plan ahead and schedule out your blog content so you can focus on your cookbook project without going into burnout.
Choose a topic you're passionate about: Select a topic you truly enjoy, as you'll be working on it for an extended period.
Be patient with the process: Self-publishing a cookbook takes longer than expected, so be be patient and persistent.

Connect with June Dick

Website | Instagram

If You Loved This Episode…

You’ll love Episode 146 with Jason Logsdon - Self Publish Cookbooks To Launch Into A New Level Of Success

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In this episode, we're going to talk about five steps for dealing with failure when you start something new. I love this topic because failure is a given for entrepreneurs, and starting new things is essential for our success. If we cannot handle failure properly and if we don't start new things, entrepreneurship will be unsuccessful.

I've been an entrepreneur for 14 years, and I can say that most of the reason I've found success is because I've picked myself up again and again after many failures over the years. I'll share two of my biggest failures with you, so you never feel bad or stupid or worthless after failing. Failure is proof that you're trying, doing your best, and taking action. We don't learn anything when we succeed; we learn and grow when we fail.

Action Plan:

1 - Face the fear of failing: Sit with your fears and understand that failure is a growth tool.

2 - Go down the outcome rabbit hole: Explore the worst-case and best-case scenarios of failure to put it in perspective.

3 - Evaluate past failures: Reflect on previous failures and identify the valuable lessons and skills you gained.

4 - Make a plan: Set a goal and create guideposts to stay accountable and overcome your fears.

5 - Take action: Don't let fear paralyze you - take the first small step to move forward.

Website | Instagram

Resources

Ghostwriter – Terrence Roche (terrence@plantpowercouple.com)

Promote your food blogging services

Megan’s recommended books and resources

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In episode 561, Megan chats to Sophie Sadler about the strategy she implemented to rapidly grow her IG followers based on what she learned from Meta (Facebook) during multiple calls.

Sophie has been baking and cooking from as early as she can remember. From helping as a child in her Oma's kitchen in Germany to starting her own cupcake catering business and working in a handful of restaurants and bakeries while attending college in the USA. 8 years ago she found her calling with her authentic German food blog dirndl kitchen. Sophie has launched two online courses this year on German baking and will publish her first German cookbook in 2025.

In this episode, you’ll learn about Sophie ‘reel’ strategy including how to keep up with posting daily, overcoming creative blocks and focusing on serving your audience by being real and raw instead of wasting time perfecting content.

Key points discussed:

Consistent daily posting on Instagram is key to rapid growth: You can rapidly increase your following if you post content daily that resonate with your audience.
Authenticity and imperfection resonate with followers: Followers connect more with "real" and raw content rather than overly polished posts.
Diversifying content beyond your niche can be beneficial: Viral reels don’t necessarily need to be about recipes and you can post about various topics related to your niche.
Building an email list is crucial for long-term success: Grow your email list and redirect Instagram followers to a platform that you have more control over.
Overcome creative blocks through a content idea bank: Keep a running list of reel ideas to reference when your struggling for inspiration.
Focusing on a specific ideal follower can guide content creation: When planning Instagram posts, it can be helpful to think of your ideal audience and what they would enjoy and find helpful.
Experimenting and not overthinking content is important: Try different types of posts without worrying too much about performance.
Leverage Instagram growth to support other business goals: Instagram growth can help you land other business deals like brand sponsorship and book deals.

Connect with Sophie Sadler

Website | Instagram

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In episode 560, Melissa Mitri teaches us how to improve our productivity and become more successful bloggers by paying attention to our diet, exercise, sleep and stress management.

Melissa Mitri is a Registered Dietitian-Nutritionist, Weight Loss Specialist, and Expert Health Writer with over 15 years of experience in the health and wellness industry. Melissa Mitri, MS, RD, is a weight loss expert, blogger, and freelance writer for health professionals and brands. Melissa blogs regularly at melissamitri.com where she shares helpful content, tips, and recipes for those looking to lose weight in a sustainable way.

In this episode, you’ll learn about specific foods, beverages and habits that can improve your cognitive function and mental focus, including how to incorporate physical activity and self-care practices seamlessly into your daily life.

Key points discussed:

Build healthy habits consistently: Incorporating healthy habits like diet, exercise, and self-care into your daily routine is more effective than sporadic efforts.
Begin with small, sustainable changes: By making small changes at the start like 10-15 minutes of exercise or a 3-minute gratitude practice, you’re more likely to build a sustainable habit.
Plan ahead: Meal planning and scheduling movement breaks can help you stay focused and productive throughout the day.
Hydration is important: Drinking water regularly can improve mental focus and energy levels.
Limit alcohol: Alcohol can negatively impact sleep quality and next-day productivity.
Experiment with different self-care practices: Find what works best for you, whether it's meditation, journaling, or talking to a friend. Remember self-care is investing in your well-being.
Prioritize sleep: Establishing a consistent sleep schedule and nighttime routine can boost energy and focus.
Movement breaks boost productivity: Short bursts of physical activity can re-energize the mind and body.
Certain foods can enhance focus: Blueberries, broccoli, fatty fish, and nuts are examples of brain-boosting foods.

Connect with Melissa Mitri

Website | Instagram

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We all know the feeling of waking up and dreading the day. When you feel negativity early in the morning it can ruin your productivity and sometimes human interactions. That’s why I want to share a simple morning ritual I started using by saying 5 powerful words - gratitude, wisdom, abundance, inspiration, and love.

After recently feeling low and depleted, I started intentionally changing the language I use immediately after I wake up. Focusing on concepts like gratitude, love and inspiration before even getting out of bed, has helped me reframe negative thoughts and rekindle my motivation for work. If nothing else it has helped me be in a better mood the rest of the day. Try this and let me know how it turns your day around!

Action Plan:

When you wake up…

1 - Say the word "Gratitude" and think about the first handful of things you are immensely grateful for.

2 - Say the word "Wisdom" and envision yourself making wise decisions throughout your day.

3 - Say the word "Abundance" and think of the abundant blessings in your life.

4 - Say the word "Inspiration" and reflect on what inspires you.

5 - Say the word "Love" and think about the things that make you feel love.

Get in touch with Megan if there is a specific mindset and self-care topics you'd like her to cover.

Website | Instagram

Resources

Coaching and Mentorship for Food Bloggers by Brittany Roche

Promote your food blogging services

Megan’s recommended books and resources

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In episode 558, Megan chats to Carrie Barnard about strategies to create a community on Facebook and how to generate genuine engagement from your followers by asking them what they want and giving it to them.

Carrie is a mother to 8 amazing children. She has some biological children and has adopted through foster care. She is a huge advocate for helping others which is how Eating on a Dime was born. With over 3 Million Fans on Facebook and recipe videos with over 100 million views, Eating on a Dime has become a trusted source for easy recipes for the entire family.

In this episode, you’ll learn why being flexible in your approach is essential to succeed on Facebook, what type of content is currently doing well on the platform and how to make the most of it to help drive traffic to your blog.

Key points discussed:

Build community, not just traffic: Focus on serving your followers and asking what they want rather than solely growing numbers. This builds loyalty.
Ask for content ideas: Regularly ask your Facebook followers what types of posts and recipes they want to see. Deliver this content to maximize engagement.
Experiment with formats: Try different types of posts like photos, videos, questions and collages rather than sticking to one format like curated photos.
Do live videos: Short, casual live videos help build authentic connections and a sense of community through welcoming viewers into your home.
Focus on your page: Put primary efforts into optimizing your business page over managing multiple groups and your page.
Repurpose content: Live videos, hands and pans videos, and other content can be adapted into short Facebook reels and videos for multiple platforms.
Be authentic: Showing your real, imperfect self through videos and posts builds trust and makes content more relatable and human compared to highly polished photos or videos.
Ask for engagement: Prompting comments and questions increases interaction. Auto-responders can help redirect followers to your website.
Adapt to changes: Willingness to change strategies and formats based on trends and feedback keeps content fresh and optimized over time.

Connect with Carrie Barnard

Website | Facebook

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In episode 557, Emily Baksa teaches us how to build an engaged email list and why this is essential for our businesses, especially during volatile times.

Emily is a food copywriter and content strategist who uses mealtime to make a positive impact on people and the planet. She writes crave-worthy, conversion-generating copy for food bloggers, CPG brands, chefs, farmers, and other culinary change makers to help grow their businesses.

In this episode, you’ll learn practical tips for creating enticing opt-ins, email series showcasing your expertise, providing valuable, personalized content and leveraging testimonials and reader favorites.

Key points discussed:

Build email series: Create ongoing email conversations around seasonal topics or your areas of expertise to keep subscribers engaged.
Highlight reader favorites: Share the most popular recipes or content from your site each month to focus on what readers enjoy rather than self-promotion.
Optimize opt-ins: Craft enticing sign-up offers that showcase value to visitors through solutions to common problems or personalized experiences.
Leverage expertise: Lean into your unique knowledge or skills when developing opt-ins and content to form a strong connection with potential subscribers.
Consider quizzes: Interactive opt-in formats like quizzes provide a customized experience that can appeal to subscribers' interests.
Focus on readers: Reframe emails, content and offers from the subscriber's perspective by emphasizing value and benefits rather than self-promotion.
Build relationships: Develop trust and loyalty by communicating regularly with subscribers through a variety of personalized, non-promotional messages.
Own your business: Invest in email marketing to gain more control over monetization and revenue through direct paid offers to your engaged audience.
Think creatively: Don't limit yourself to traditional strategies; explore new marketing channels and formats to take your business in an empowering direction.
Engage subscribers: Keep content fresh through light refreshes while leveraging subscriber data to continuously provide relevant value and keep them involved.

Connect with Emily Baksa

Website | Instagram

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Many of us struggle with anxiety, overthinking and stress. In this episode, I discuss 5 ways for cultivating more mindfulness and reducing stress by being in the present moment.

Being happy doesn’t need to be complicated. And we actually don’t need a ton of money, beauty or possessions to feel happy. Happiness can actually be found in simply letting go of our anxiety, overthinking and distractions and really taking in our surroundings - appreciating life and people who support us. But, you’ll need to be intentional about it. Here are 5 ways in which I live in the moment, letting go of distractions and overwhelming thoughts.

Action Plan:

1 - Meditate - Sit quietly for 15 minutes a day to get the mind to stop thinking (make it less or more time depending on your situation). This can change your life if you do it consistently.

2 - Get caught up in the fun parts of life - Do enjoyable activities like skydiving, hiking with friends, amusement parks that fully engage you in the moment and prevent worrying.

3- Call out anxious habits - Through self-awareness, identify habits like shoulder tensing or repetitive thoughts caused by anxiety, and gently remind yourself to "change" the habit in the moment.

4 - Spend time in nature - Sitting outside and observing nature can help us feel the present more intensely.

5 - Mindfulness exercises - Simple practices like noticing 5 things you see, hear, feel can help center your mind on the present. Breathing exercises can help as well.

Get in touch with Megan if there is a specific mindset and self-care topics you'd like her to cover.

Website | Instagram

Resources

Brand Positioning Coach (Carrie Tyler)

Promote your food blogging services

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In episode 555, Megan chats to Katie Jasiewicz about the ins and outs of hiring interns to help us with our blogs, covering everything from job descriptions, the hiring process and quality of work delivered.

Katie Jasiewicz (jazz uh wits) is a seasoned blogger with almost 15 years of experience. She's known for her popular websites; Katie’s Cucina (a recipe blog) and Sew Woodsy (a craft/DIY blog). In 2014, she transitioned from a corporate marketing job, and turned her passion for food and crafting into a full-time career. She recently launched Easy Seafood Recipes, a niche seafood recipe website. Katie continues to share her expertise and insights from her journey spanning over a decade in the blogging world.

In this episode, you’ll learn how to hire an intern either for college credits (i.e. free) or a salary, what tasks to give them, how to train them and whether it’s a viable way to outsource blogging tasks.

Key points discussed:

Motivated interns can help lessen your workload: Use a diligent hiring process to find motivated interns that can be an asset to your business.
Start with one intern per semester: Taking on multiple interns initially can be overwhelming, it's best to start small and gain experience.
Research college timelines: Understanding semester schedules at target schools helps post internships at optimal times for recruitment and onboarding.
Students need own equipment for virtual internships: If you’re offering a virtual internship, think through the requirements for students like access to internet and a computer.
Use a detailed contract: Outlining expectations, responsibilities, confidentiality and more through a contract establishes structure and accountability.
Assign tasks on project boards: Use organizational tools like Trello to help assign and track tasks to keep internships on schedule.Provide training and support: Take time to onboard interns through tutorials and regular check-ins. It will help them succeed in their roles.
Leverage an intern's strengths: Tailoring tasks to skills and interests fosters engagement and quality work from motivated interns.
Communicate schedules and allow for flexibility: Allow for life events on both sides to maintain understanding during a long-term collaborative relationship.

Connect with Katie Jasiewicz

Website | Instagram

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In episode 554, Sonia Khosla teaches us several mindset hacks for a happier, more successful life, including how to make small changes over time to create momentum in your business and what to do when things don’t go as planned.

Sonia Khosla founded Love Incredible Recipes as a way to share her favorite vegetarian and refined sugar-free recipes. She has a passion for food and making recipes using fresh and healthier ingredients. Love Incredible Recipes aims to inspire people to make fresh vegetarian meals using wholesome ingredients as well as refined sugar-free desserts and snacks.

In this episode, you’ll learn why adopting a positive outlook and focusing on serving others can help keep you motivated when things go wrong, especially as you’re starting out in blogging.

Key points discussed:

Small, consistent changes can have a big impact over time: Small, consistent changes to habits and routines can lead to significant improvements in mindset and success when done regularly.
Shifting perspective helps maintain a positive mindset: Focus on gratitude, small wins, and how you are inspiring others to help shift perspective away from challenges and towards a more positive outlook.
Community support strengthens food bloggers: Food blogging community is a good example of how to give by helping one another and sharing valuable resources, which benefits all.
Self-defined success leads to happiness: Success can come from inner fulfillment - it’s more important to be happy in the present moment rather than waiting to achieve milestones.
Serving and giving to others is fulfilling: Focus on how you can help and inspire people through blogging to keep yourself motivated like Tony Robbins says, "the secret to living is giving."
Gratitude cultivates abundance: Practice daily gratitude to help shift your mindset towards abundance.
Self-care prevents burnout: Prioritize activities that you enjoy like cooking without limitations, exercise, meditation and unplugging to recharge and maintain well-being.

Connect with Sonia Khosla

Website | Instagram

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Do you ever wonder where your time goes? Do you ever feel completely drained but don’t understand why? It’s probably time to do an audit.

I realised the importance of doing regular audits on my life and business a few years back. Like tracking time, energy drains and to do lists. It has made a huge difference. However, in order to make the most of your audit, you need to be prepared to make some life changes. Here are 5 audits that can change your life and practical strategies for how to implement changes to improve your health, income and relationships.

Action Plan:

1 - Time audit: Complete at least a week-long time audit and note any discrepancies between perceived vs actual time spent working.

2 - Energy audit: Fill out "gives me energy" and "drains my energy" lists, then take steps to minimize your biggest drains.

3 - People audit: Evaluate your closest relationships by making a list of the 10 people you spend the most time with. Identify anyone on the list that seems to drain your energy.

4 - Calendar audit: Audit your calendar for the next 3 months and remove any items that feel unnecessary or don't align with your goals. Make room for important tasks.

5 - To do list audit: Sweep through your existing to-do list, removing any items that can be deleted, delegated, or postponed. Tackle remaining high-priority tasks.

Get in touch with Megan if there is a specific mindset and self-care topics you'd like her to cover.

Website | Instagram

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In episode 552, Megan chats to Parker Thornburg about his recent experience of buying an existing blog, how it is different to starting a new one and practical advice for succeeding as a blogger regardless of which path you choose.

Parker Thornburg worked at Yahoo for 8 years in Omaha, NE. After Parker left Yahoo to enter the startup world, he told his manager of 8 years that he wanted to stay connected and possibly even own a business together someday. That day came in April 2023 when they purchased a food blog, Foodness Gracious, that had been established since 2012. They continue to work full-time jobs while spending all of their spare time trying to grow Foodness Gracious. Parker has an amazing wife of 23 years and three great children aged 18, 16 and 11.

In this episode, you’ll learn about which factors you should evaluate before buying or selling an existing blog (or starting a new one), including time, energy, goals, and budget, and making sure your passion aligns with the blog’s niche and target audience.

Key points discussed:

Time and energy considerations are important when deciding to buy or sell a blog: How much time and effort is required to keep the blog going and is it worth it?
Passion for the topic is important: Don’t pursue a niche that you do not really feel passionate about.
Know your strengths and weaknesses: Outsource tasks that you feel less confident in and focus on tasks that you are skilled at.
Change the blog design only if it really makes an improvement: Analyze your analytics to know what impact your design had.
Audience engagement must be maintained during transitions: Try to smoothly transition ownership by respecting the previous owner’s vision and followers.
Social media isn't always traffic-driving: You can focus on posting regularly for followers but don’t have to obsess over engagement metrics.
Intentionality helps prevent burnout: To maintain a healthy work-life balance set clear boundaries.

Connect with Parker Thornburg

Website | Instagram

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In episode 551, Lilian Boukheir teaches us how to cultivate a growth mindset in food blogging, by understanding the ups and downs of running a business and the need to focus on progress rather than perfection.

The Matbakh is a Mediterranean food blog blending culture and good food. I’m a mom, engineer, psychology grad student, and food blogger. The Matbakh started as a passion project and has since grown into a monetized food blog.

In this episode, you’ll learn about developing a flexible mindset instead of a rigid approach to blogging, having compassion for yourself in the face of life’s challenges and why you should keep your wins top of mind.

Key points discussed:

Focus on progress, not perfection: Focus on gradual improvements rather than getting stuck in perfectionism.
Build habits for success: Create consistent habits like publishing frequently to grow your blog steadily over time.
Celebrate small wins: Appreciate comments or minor improvements to keep yourself motivated through challenges.
Manage overwhelm with gratitude: Get through busy periods by focusing on what your thankful for in your business.
Overcome self-doubt with action: Start publishing to move past your initial fears instead of waiting for perfection.
Prioritize self-care: Making time for yourself through exercise or meditation to help you show up better for your blog work.
Keep perspective on setbacks: Fluctuations are normal parts of the nonlinear entrepreneurial journey rather than failures.

Connect with Lilian Boukheir

Website | Instagram

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Food blogging is an intense job. This year in particular feels extra turbulent for us food bloggers. On top of Google’s HCU, I’ve taken on some new projects (who remembers that food blogging conference in Denver?) and had to part ways with my VA who’s worked for the business for many years. So I’d like to share 5 steps I’ve been taking to get through this turbulent time.

In this episode, you’ll learn about the importance of slowing down and focusing on things you can control when you feel overwhelmed by changes in your space. And remember, self-care and keeping a positive mindset are more important than ever during turbulent times!

Action Plan:

1 - Awareness: Ask yourself, what is the source of turbulence and what is in your control?

2 - Plan: Pull out the top 5-10 things you can do this week to minimize your distress.

3 - Delegate: Assign realistic due dates or people to each point on your list to manage the workload.

4 - Action: Do the things on your list and get accountability from others.

5 - Evaluation: Keep an eye on your list and prioritize self-care - remember even if you regain some control, turbulence can resurface, so it’s a continual process.

Get in touch with Megan if there is a specific mindset and self-care topics you'd like her to cover.

Website | Instagram

Resources

Content Creation for Food Bloggers (Ella Gilbert)

Promote your food blogging services: www.eatblogtalk.com/audioclip

Megan’s recommended books and resources at eatblogtalk.com/books.

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In episode 549, Megan chats to Jess Saunders about strategies for growing a big Instagram account, emphasizing the importance of consistency, experimentation, and connection with followers.

Jess Saunders co-founded Vegan Punks in 2017 in order to show that vegan food is delicious, easy to make and accessible. Prior to this, Jess was the social media lead at the world's first green energy company, is accredited by the Charted Institute of Marketing and social media agency founder. In recent times, Jess has over tripled her Instagram following to over 110,000 using a unique strategy and reel formula that she developed over a number of months.

In this episode, you’ll learn how to use Instagram analytics to find content that works, effective hooks that grab attention and whether the timing of your post matters.

Key points discussed:

Consistency is key to Instagram success: Post in line with your strategy every day (or on a consistent basis) even when it feels like it's not working to see big results eventually.
Compound small actions over time: Consistency compounds to significant results when maintaining effort on a long-term growth strategy.
Find your niche: The narrower your niche, the easier it will be to find what engages your audience best.
Experimentation is crucial for growth: What is working for other content creators? Trying new content types, hooks and styles is needed to find what resonates with your audience and increase reach.
Analyze engagement metrics: Watch time, saves and comments can reveal what content performs best and where users lose interest to improve future posts.
Consider audience activity times: Posting when followers are online can boost initial engagement and trigger wider distribution from Instagram.
Use hooks to grab attention: Visual and spoken hooks at the start can intrigue viewers and increase time watched, a strong signal to Instagram.
Engage your community: Asking viewers to comment or DM in captions builds relationships and indicates when a recipe is really popular.

Connect with Jess Saunders

Website | Instagram

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In episode 548, Luay Ghafari teaches us strategies for growing a food blog through SEO and social media and why your audience should be your main focus.

Luay is a published author, social media content creator, blogger, photographer and gardening educator. Like many other bloggers, he wears multiple hats. Luay is based in Toronto Canada and his gardening/cookbook, Seed to Table, was released July 2023. He also teaches a garden-to-table Master Class.

In this episode, you’ll learn about how Luay grew his blog sessions quickly over the last 2 years, including his unique approach to SEO, building a strong social media presence and his emphasis on E-A-T.

Key points discussed

Create for your reader while following Google’s guidelines: Focus on building a loyal following through consistent content creation aimed to serve your audience instead of creating for Google.
Streamline recipes for readability and internal linking: Write recipes concisely without unnecessary photos or fluff and link related recipes to boost older posts and improve user experience.
Consider seasonality and content clusters when planning topics: Focus content by season or topic area to provide more value to readers.
Invest in tools and services to help your blog business grow: If you treat your blog as a business, you would invest in audits, keyword research and other paid services to help it grow.
Diversify revenue streams and platforms to weather industry changes: Do not rely solely on one platform or monetization method.
Create unique, shareable content for social media growth: Novel, interesting content is more likely to drive engagement and new followers on social media - what unique twist can you put on your content?
Leverage redirect tools like ManyChat for social traffic: Use automation tools to easily share blog content in response to social media comments.
Continually increase your E-A-T: Promote your qualifications and achievements on your About Page and keep it up to date.

Connect with Luay Ghafari

Website | Instagram

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Burnout. Every time it hits, I act like I’m all surprised. Like, what? How can this happen? Have you ever felt the same? As I’m currently going through a bout of burnout, I want to share 5 ways in which you can recover from it.

If there is one lesson I have learned about burnout, it is: Once it happens you can’t undo what has been done. And you can’t rush your recovery. You’ll need to let it run its course. There are ways in which you can help yourself recover quicker. And this is what I’d like to share with you: practical ways to get back on track with your work and prevent burnout from happening again.

Action Plan:

1 - Acknowledge when you feel burnt out and surrender yourself to recovery.

2 - Pump the brakes, slow down work, and have grace for the healing process.

3 - Prioritize daily acts of self-care to help with recovery and continue making this part of your routine.

4 - Seek support from loved ones (or professional if needed) by openly discussing feelings of burnout.

5 - Reevaluate your goals and plans to figure out how to prevent future burnout - journal about your main goals for next year and what you need to prioritize now to achieve them.

Get in touch with Megan if there is a specific mindset and self-care topics you'd like her to cover.

Website | Instagram

Resources

Ghostwriter – Terrence Roche (terrence@plantpowercouple.com)

Promote your food blogging services: www.eatblogtalk.com/audioclip

Megan’s recommended books and resources at eatblogtalk.com/books.

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In episode 546, Megan chats to Carl Ross about the current state of SEO and why our traffic is either dropping or increasing following changes in Google’s algorithm.

Carl is an engineer who spent many years in corporate technology consulting roles which gave him a unique perspective on the application of technology, processes, and getting a return on your investments. It means he’s spent literally decades helping customers make sense of technology products. In 2019, he started offering SEO services and the food blogging niche was an obvious fit. While Carl works with bloggers in many different niches, food bloggers are his bread and butter.

In this episode, you’ll learn about current effective strategies to rank on Google, including what is implied by ‘helpful content’ and why you should focus on user experience and backlinks.

Key points discussed:

SEO is not dead: While some sites have seen traffic declines, Google is still sending traffic to food blogs and recipe sites through search results.
Focus on content, technical SEO, and backlinks: These three pillars are important for SEO success according to the three-legged stool analogy.
Optimize ad density: Reducing intrusive ads can improve the user experience and SEO performance of a site.
Build your brand: Establishing a presence on platforms beyond your website signals to Google that you are a genuine content creator rather than AI.
Be careful with AI-generated content: You can use AI to generate ideas, but do not copy and paste AI-generated text for your blog post.
Evaluate affiliate links: Excessive low-revenue affiliate links may affect your site’s Google ranking.
Experiment with changes: Disable or turn down ads to evaluate how they affect traffic and revenue.
How to deal with algorithm updates: During an algorithm update, some blogs rise while others fall, so monitoring changes and being flexible is important.
Focus on what you can control: Prioritize your efforts on things you can control on your blog, social media profiles, email list and other revenue streams.

Connect with Carl Ross

Website | Facebook

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In episode 545, Desiree Nielsen teaches us how to find our unique voice and cooking style in food blogging through self-reflection, embracing creativity and sharing vulnerability to meaningfully connect with readers.

Desiree Nielsen is a registered dietitian in Vancouver Canada with over a decade of experience in plant-based nutrition and chronic digestive and inflammatory disease. She is the author of two Canadian bestselling and award-winning cookbooks, Eat More Plants and Good For Your Gut. Her latest book, Plant Magic, arrives April 2024.

Her work has been featured in People, Washington Post, The Globe and Mail, KTLA, WGN Chicago, The Social, Food Network Canada and Elle Gourmet Canada in addition to hundreds of media features across North America. Desiree is also a food blogger and the host of the evidence-informed wellness podcast, The Allsorts Podcast, where she hosts a diverse roster of guests from NYT bestselling authors to leading health professionals and researchers.

In this episode, you’ll learn about the importance of standing out as a food blogger, how to find your unique voice and style (while still following SEO guidelines) and how to build a community that is not reliant on social media platforms or Google.

Key points discussed:

Reflect on your personal food interests and cooking style: Take time to understand your preferences, tastes, and approach to cooking to develop a unique voice.
Look at what others are doing differently: Analyze popular blogs and recipes to find gaps that allow you to approach topics in a distinctive way.
“Write drunk, edit sober”: Write without inhibition first and then structure anecdotes and humor within a format to meet SEO guidelines.
Prioritize search volume: Focus recipes on your blog on trending topics and keywords people are actively searching to maximize visibility.
Develop recipes with unique ingredients: Add a flavor profile or component that is unique to you to make recipes stand out and memorable.
Build community consistently: Nurture readers through high-value, free content to develop loyal readership and build a newsletter to connect directly with your community.
Embrace the unexpected: Leave space for unforeseen opportunities that could further your growth in surprising new directions.
Share vulnerability: Connect with readers through candid self-disclosure in small doses to form deeper relationships.
Your Path is Your Path: Pursue your interests wholeheartedly and say "yes" to chances that excite you creatively.

Guest Details

Connect with Desiree Nielsen

Website | Instagram

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Moving your body and staying physically fit has a significant impact on your mindset. Yet, many of us depioritize fitness in favor of work. In this episode, I explain why we should avoid falling into this habit and my top 5 ways to stay active.

I found that the peak of my mental performance has always aligned with times when I was prioritizing my physical health. Moving my body consistently gave me confidence and I experienced so many other physical and mental benefits, including just being in a better mood.

Action Plan:

1 - Track your steps using your watch, Fitbit or phone and find an accountability buddy.

2 - Commit to a workout program whether at home or at the gym, or choose a sport like running, cycling, CrossFit etc.

3 - Do daily bursts of physical activity like pushups, burpees or running on the spot.

4 - Double duty: Move while doing other tasks, for example you can walk while on a call.

5 - Choose the harder option such as taking the stairs instead of the escalator or parking far away from a venue.

Resources

Beach Body On Demand

Coaching and Mentorship for Food Bloggers by Brittany Roche

Promote your food blogging services: www.eatblogtalk.com/audioclip

Megan’s recommended books and resources at eatblogtalk.com/books.

Get in touch with Megan if there is a specific mindset and self-care topics you'd like her to cover.

Website | Instagram

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In episode 543, Megan chats to Shyanne Reynolds about why it is worthwhile to hire a food blog writer, where to find reliable writers and other tips for the hiring process.

Shyanne is a food blog content writer who helps bloggers manage editorial teams and rank in Google. She has 7 years of writing experience and a degree in English. Shyanne started her freelancing journey while in college and accidentally on purpose launched a 6 figure career.

In this episode, you’ll learn about how to outsource food blog writing, how this benefits your business and why you shouldn’t ask your VA to do blog writing.

Key points discussed:

Where to Find Food Blog Writers: Word of mouth is one of the easiest ways to find a reliable blog writer.
Why Should You Outsource Writing: Blog writing takes up most of our time, and can be especially overwhelming during content updates.
What to Look For In a Content Writer: Look at a content writer’s portfolio and someone who has ideally studied English, journalism or another relevant degree. Start with a test project.
Is Your Writer a Good Fit: Do you feel like they are matching your voice, do you have similar values and a positive base of communication?
What is an Editorial Manager: Editorial Managers oversee the work of several writers, making sure they all stay on brand.
What If It Doesn’t Work Out: Hiring a writer does not always work out, but it is worth trying several writers if that happens.

Guest Details

Connect with Shyanne Reynolds

Website | Instagram

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In episode 542, Kathie Lapcevic teaches us how to create products that fill us up creatively and make customers happy, while making a profit.

Kathie Lapcevic is a blogger and teacher living in northwest Montana. She is a quiet rebel, embracing a simple and seasonal life that isn’t exactly mainstream. She can often be found either making a mess in the garden or in the kitchen where she focuses on intentional living that showers love upon the important people in her life.

In this episode, you’ll learn about how to brainstorm ideas for products that could work well for your niche and why testing the idea is essential before investing time and money into it.

Key points discussed:

Align Your Product and Actions With Your Values: If you stay true to your niche you’ll feel good about your product and selling it will come more naturally.
How to Think Outside of the Box with New Products: Look at your competition - what are they selling? Will it work for your audience? Use it as inspiration but do not copy.
Research the Market Before You Launch a Product: Ask your audience directly what they want to learn from you - use a survey with a few specific options.
Digital Products Become Passive Income: Digital products may require a lot of work upfront but beyond that you earn money from them with minimal time spent.
Add a Personal Touch to Your Products: How can you make your products unique and personal to your brand?
Know Your Ideal Profit Margin Before You Start: Tally up costs of production (if any) with your time spent to work out a suitable price for your products - avoid undervaluing yourself and remember that success takes time.
Reach Out to Other Bloggers: Are there other bloggers or brands you can collaborate with? Subscribe to newsletters in your niche to stay up to date with trends and potential collaborations.

Guest Details

Connect with Kathie Lapcevic

Website | Instagram

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Do you finish your projects or do you postpone them indefinitely? It’s important to finish projects off in order to open up doors to new opportunities. Megan shares 5 things you can finish this week to reap the rewards waiting for you.

Finishing off work projects can be hard. It’s sometimes easier to get started on an exciting new idea, but seeing it through to the end requires perseverance. Besides work, there are other things in our life that often get put on the back burner. But what if we just finished them? Stubborn admin tasks, home projects and other to do list items. Imagine the relief you’ll feel if you finish off one thing this week.

Action Plan:

Finish off a house project: make it small and manageable like tidying up a drawer before moving on to bigger tasks.
Finish off a work project. Especially as an entrepreneurs, we tend to collect unfinished projects. If you’re putting something off the whole time, is it really worth your time at all?
Finish off a conversation with a family member, friend or colleague. Are there any important topics that could be a game changer in life or business?
Finish off an admin task. What easy admin task can you finish this week?
Finish off a to do list item, either work or personal. Are there any to do list items that have been on your radar for months? Do them this week!

Get in touch with Megan if there is a specific mindset and self-care topic you'd like her to cover.

Website | Instagram

Brand Positioning Coach (Carrie Tyler)

Explore Megan’s recommended books and resources at eatblogtalk.com/books.

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In episode 540, Dyutima Jha teaches us how to keep readers on our food blogs for longer by creating visually compelling narratives with our photos, and which common mistakes to avoid.

Dyutima is an architect-turned commercial and editorial food photographer and podcaster based in Singapore. She is the first South Asian woman to host a food photography podcast, My Food Lens. After 15 years as an architect, designing healthcare facilities around the world, she found her passion in food styling and photography. Today, she has a successful business working with clients around the world and teaching other photographers how to do so as well. Her work has been featured in a range of food & photography magazines like Thrive magazine, Whalebone magazine etc. and she has worked with several prestigious clients like The Intercontinental Hotel Singapore, McCormick etc.

In this episode, you’ll learn about the importance of visual storytelling, lighting, angles, and consistency in creating compelling narratives that engage and retain the viewer's attention.

Key points discussed:

Plan Food Photo Shoots in Advance: Use a storyboard to stay focused creatively and save time during a photo shoot.
Think of Your Recipe as a Story: Like a movie, there's a plot, hero, theme and genre. Use these elements to tell your story.
Bring Readers into Your Story Through the First Image: Improve first impressions with powerful opening photos that hook readers emotionally or visually
Activate the Viewer's Imagination: Create a sequence of events and narrate this through your photos using ingredients, movement and context.
Readers Disengage with Technically Weak Photos: Check lighting, camera angles, storytelling cohesion, and color editing in photos.
Readers Disengage with Disconnected Visuals: Do your photos match with the vibe, colors and branding of your website? Do they match the specific type of recipe?
Show Readers the Bigger Picture: As a final photo, include the context of where readers might enjoy the recipe; use props to narrate this visually.
Make Dull Food Look Appetizing: By adding contrasting colors using herbs or flowers and by using macro shots, you can make unappealing food look great.

Connect with Dyutima Jha

Website | Instagram

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In episode 539, Megan chats to MaryAnne Hoekstra about why joining an accountability group can help you refocus and gain direction, especially after a drop in traffic.

MaryAnne is the writer, recipe developer, and photographer behind Gastronotherapy, where she creates delicious recipes that are mainly vegetarian and vegan. MaryAnne grew up in Minnesota with a fondness for baking, and lived in NYC for 17 years. While there, she sharpened her palate over the years while taking cooking and baking classes, making dinner for friends, and trying as many restaurants as she could afford.

In this episode, you’ll learn about 7 benefits of joining an accountability group, including having a supportive community with which to share resources, ideas and receive weekly support to help you set and achieve your blogging goals.

Key points discussed:

Get Specific Support From an Engaged Community: Unlike general food blogger groups, a focused accountability group, like the Eat Blog Talk Accountability group, allows for more specific support from bloggers who are invested in each other’s success.
New Ideas for Diversifying Your Income etc.: An accountability group helps you share your ideas and get inspired by others in the group when it comes to diversifying income and other topics.
Set and Achieve Goals: You’ll be encouraged to set blogging goals and will receive support to achieve them, helping you stay motivated.
Receive Diverse Resources: Accountability groups consist of bloggers with diverse skills - you’ll be able to improve your knowledge and skills and share useful resources.
Benefits of the Eat Blog Talk Accountability Group: The Slack channel, leverage the knowledge of the other group members, the twice-weekly productivity focus calls and once a month Zoom calls with specific topics.
Why is the Investment Worth It?: By investing in a resource like an Accountability Group, you regain your blogging motivation, narrow down your priorities and invest in a successful blog.

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Time off can often derail us from our goals. In this episode, Megan talks through 5 ways you can prepare for time off, whether planned or unplanned, so that you get back into work without disruption.

Whether it’s a planned vacation or sudden sickness, if we don’t plan for time off, it can be challenging to get back on track when we return to work, especially as entrepreneurs. Therefore, some entrepreneurs never take time off. But there’s a way around it!

Action Plan:

Plan ahead and have your content ready and scheduled a few weeks or months in advance.
When planning time off, allow for wiggle room so that you give yourself time to get back into your routine - Don’t overload your to do list on the first day back!
Set a ‘jump back in date’ and stick to it to avoid compounding work. This counts for your self-care and workout routine as well.
Work on your mindset as many of the struggles related to getting back into work after “time off” is related to mindset.
Do not feel guilty for taking time off - it’s essential to maintain a healthy balance and you’ll be more productive if you allow time for self-care.

Resources

Food Photography by Ikram Ali

Promote your food blogging services: www.eatblogtalk.com/audioclip

Explore Megan’s recommended books and resources at eatblogtalk.com/books.

Get in touch with Megan if there is a specific mindset and self-care topic you'd like her to cover.

Website | Instagram

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In episode 537, Megan chats to Madeeha Anwar about why blogging is a marathon and not a sprint and how to prepare yourself accordingly, especially if you’re starting out, including what to prioritize now for long-term success as a blogger.

Madeeha is a baker, recipe developer, food stylist, and photographer. Her blog, Now Delish, was started in December 2021. In addition to the blog, Madeeha continues to work full time, and has reached a point where she knows how to organize her blog well to keep things moving forward. Now Delish primarily features baking recipes and easy main course recipes, especially the authentic Pakistani recipes that Madeeha grew up with.

In this episode, you’ll learn about common difficulties food bloggers face, the need for patience, why you should spend time to understand your analytics and invest in your blog, as well as other strategies for continued growth.

Key points discussed:

Prepare Your Mindset For A Marathon: Blogging is complex with many layers to learn; there is no get rich quick scheme that gets you long-term success overnight.
Plan Your Content In Advance: It’s important to plan and create a content calendar prior to creating blog posts - it will help you stay organized and on top of your goals.
Find a Way to Pivot and Adapt: Adapt your content strategy when something is not working or as a result of Google updates and other changes in the field.
Allow Yourself to Procrastinate: If you do not feel inspired to do a certain task, be easy on yourself and postpone if necessary.
Stay Productive, Avoid Burnout: By focusing on quality over quantity in blogging and social media it’s easier to stay balanced.
Invest Time in Free Resources: Use free resources like podcasts and YouTube videos to learn as much as possible about different aspects of blogging.
Get an Audit as Soon as You Can: If your budget allows, get a website audit as this reveals SEO mistakes you may not know of and other areas that you can improve.

Connect with Madeeha Anwar

Website | Facebook

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In episode 536, Mike Cleavenger teaches us how to prioritize deep work and set boundaries to minimize distractions to get more done in less time.

Mike Cleavenger of the Frizzled Leek started his career after culinary school working in professional kitchens in the San Diego area. He got laid off during the Covid-19 pandemic and as a result decided to embark on a journey as a food blogger. The goal of The Frizzled Leek is to show people that cooking shouldn't be intimidating but fun! They specialize in Sous Vide and Air Fryer recipes.

In this episode, you’ll learn about managing social media distractions, time management strategies and creating a conducive work environment to maximize productivity and focus.

Key points discussed:

Why Should you Prioritize ‘Deep Work’: Deep work is when you focus on one task and eliminate all distractions in order to be more productive.
Manage Distractions to Increase Your Focus: Put phones in a different room and remove other distractions that may prevent you from focusing 100%.
Schedule Time for Social Media: If you schedule for example 30 minutes a week for social media you’ll feel less tempted to go on your phone when you’re working.
Spend Time on Your Phone Wisely: Decide what are beneficial activities on your phone and which social media accounts are most inspiring - curate your feed and be intentional.
Increase Your Productivity with Time Blocking: Time block as much of your workday as possible - do not leave open space.
Brain Dump all Tasks Before Planning: Use brain dump techniques to plan and prioritize tasks for the week, batching similar tasks together for maximum efficiency.
Take Breaks to Recharge and Gain New Insight: Include breaks in your daily planning and do things outside of work that bring you joy as a reward for deep work.
Schedule a Shutdown Routine: Be strict with ending your work day at a specific time and give yourself some time to plan for the next day.

Connect with Mike Cleavenger

Website | Instagram

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How you plan your calendar can either lead to increased productivity or burnout. In this episode, Megan shares 5 things to put in your calendar for a balanced week and how to avoid work backlogs.

If you want to maintain a healthy work-life balance, it’s essential to start your calendar planning with self-care, downtime and family time. While it might seem counterintuitive to prioritize non-work related activities, if you plan on constantly working, especially at unrealistic times and without quality breaks, you’ll risk low levels of motivation, productivity and potentially burnout.

Action Plan:

1 - Block out self-care and downtime for the following week before adding other items.

2 - Consider when and for how long you want to spend quality time with loved ones - plan dates or meetings with friends/family.

3 - Schedule regular time for life and work admin tasks on a weekly basis to avoid backlogs.

4 - Schedule calls and appointments on your calendar to avoid last-minute chaos and ensure preparedness.

5 - Once you’ve scheduled your self-care and admin tasks, block out time to work around other priorities.

Get in touch with Megan if there is a specific mindset and self-care topic you'd like her to cover.

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In episode 534, Megan chats to Teri-Ann Carty about the value of asking for help in life and food blogging, including the potential for growth and success.

Teri-Ann is a Toronto native renowned for her culinary creations and photography skills. Formerly a high-end restaurant manager grappling with addiction, she chose a different path, traveling solo and becoming a certified yoga instructor. Now settled in Toronto with her hubby and their two cats, Teri-Ann focuses on recipe development and photography, while also teaching yoga. Her journey to sobriety fuels her determination for future endeavors.

In this episode, you’ll learn about embracing your vulnerability, being courageous, the importance of surrounding oneself with supportive people and learning from others to succeed as a food content creator.

Key points discussed:

Don’t be Afraid to Ask for Help: Everybody who seems successful, probably has help. It may seem scary, but asking for help will be a game-changer for your life and business.
How to Ask for Help: Start by approaching friends or colleagues to make it less intimidating.
Start Small When Looking for Help: Ask students for help if your budget is limited - look for someone who is aligned with your values.
Release Control and Surrender to the Process: By releasing control, you’ll have more time to focus on other aspects of your business and doing what you love most.
Tap into Your Community on Instagram: Make connections on Instagram or your favorite social media platform. Normally, people are eager to help others.
Invite More Good Things Into Your Life: By reaching out to others and thereby building your network, you’re opening up the door for more good things to happen.

Connect with Teri-Ann Carty

Website | Instagram

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In episode 533, Megan chats to Tonya Lawson about strategies to generate regular passive income through affiliate marketing and what you should do to make sure your affiliate posts adhere to Google’s Helpful Content Update.

Dr. Tonya Lawson is a musician, blogger, passive income and SEO specialist whose mission is to empower creatives to build out passive income streams so they have the financial freedom to live the life they want to live. She is a multi-passionate entrepreneur who runs 3 blogs, a coaching business, a private music studio, and teaches at Middle Tennessee State University.

In this episode, you’ll learn more about creating valuable content that attracts organic traffic and affiliate income, through programs like the Amazon Associates Program or while working with brands.

Key points discussed:

Passive Income Through Affiliate Marketing and Niche Websites: Make it easier to rank on Google by having a well-defined niche and using new SEO strategies.
Amazon Associates Program and the AAWP Plugin: Amazon remains a popular option for affiliate marketing and the AAWP plugin for WordPress can streamline the process of adding affiliate links to your blog.
Maximize Affiliate Income: Share your blog content with affiliate links as widely as possible - email list, social media etc.
Affiliate Links with Sponsored Work: Ask for affiliate links when working with brands to maximize long-term income potential.
Think Big, Earn More: Think beyond immediate work and set bigger goals for yourself over time to expand your reach and income.
Blog Posts Need to Be Real and Helpful: Google prioritizes helpful content, such as original images and real-life experiences, over curated flatlays and special images.
SEO Optimization and Understanding Google Updates: Google seems to follow trends on social media platforms like Instagram, so focusing on real people and helpful information in blog posts can give an edge in SEO.

5 day challenge just for Eat Talk Blog listeners!

Connect with Tonya Lawson

Website | Instagram

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Do you celebrate your wins or do you let them pass by quickly? Megan shares 5 ways to get the most juice out of your wins, so that you can fully enjoy your success and invite more good things into your life.

As we are often rushing to our next goal, it is easy to brush off our wins when they do happen. In this episode, Megan emphasizes the value of gratitude and appreciation in attracting positivity as well as the importance of acknowledging and appreciating small and big wins in life, encouraging us to create a win list and journal about them to keep gratitude alive.

Action Plan:

Write down 5-10 wins in a Google Doc or notebook daily to reflect on and feel accomplished.
Journal about wins when they occur as this will help you understand the process that bring you success.
Set up win triggers in daily life so that you can remind yourself daily of your accomplishments and express gratitude.
Practice meditating while focusing on wins - this will help you appreciate life’s wins leading to personal growth and more success.
Celebrate wins verbally - say it out loud - or through a special occasion. This will help boost your confidence and morale.

Get in touch with Megan if there is a specific mindset and self-care topic you'd like her to cover.

Website | Instagram

Resources Mentioned

Brand Positioning Coach (Carrie Tyler)

Explore Megan’s recommended books and resources at eatblogtalk.com/books.

Promote your food blogging services: www.eatblogtalk.com/audioclip

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In episode 531, Octavia Conner teaches us strategies to increase profits, including how to determine the overall financial health of our business, identify financial leaks and avoid overpaying on tax.

Octavia Conner stands as an esteemed financial and tax strategist, celebrated best-selling author of two books, accomplished speaker, and the visionary proprietor of not one but three successful enterprises: Say Yes To Profits, Her CEO Space, and Octavia’s Helping Hands Inc.

With notable mentions in Forbes and prominent features in Essence, Fox Five News, Portia TV, Fox Soul, ENSPIRE Magazine, Voyage ATL, Authority Magazine, Intuit, and numerous other esteemed platforms, Octavia’s unwavering mission is to eradicate small business failure and create wealthy entrepreneurs.

Recognized as one of the top 50 accountants in North America for two consecutive years, Octavia boasts a remarkable history of guiding more than 90% of her clients to achieve remarkable growth ranging from 30% to a staggering 350% within just 12 months, all while saving over 55% in business taxes.

Octavia Conner isn’t merely a financial and tax strategist; with over 20 years of accounting and finance experience, she is the go-to Chief Financial Officer (CFO) for entrepreneurs or small business owners seeking to streamline their finances and pave the way for generational wealth through their business’s success.

In this episode, you’ll learn about having a solid financial foundation, accurate bookkeeping, pricing your services or products for profit, and proactive cash flow management in order to maximize profits.

Key points discussed (and action items!):

Pricing Strategies for Small Businesses: Review your pricing strategy and ensure your products and services are priced for a profit margin of around 30% (including hidden costs).
Identify and Address Financial Pitfalls: Business owners should conduct a "profit audit" to identify unnecessary expenses and "profit leaks" in their business.
Are You Overpaying on Tax? Implement a tax strategy at the beginning of the year and check progress regularly to take advantage of deductions and reduce taxes (examples given in episode).
Bookkeeping is Crucial to Make Informed Decisions: Maintain good bookkeeping practices and use an accounting system to track finances and identify expenses for tax deductions
How Much Should You Have Saved? Save a portion of each payment received, such as 20-30%, in a separate "financial peace" or savings account and do not dip into it for other expenses.
Be Prepared for Emergencies: Project business cash flow and revenues several weeks in advance to prepare for periods where cash may be low.
Financial Planning and Profitability for Entrepreneurs: Keeping a track record of your finances and understanding where you can save or cut down on costs will help you become more profitable.

Octavia Conner's Free Financial Toolkit

Connect with Octavia Conner

Website | Instagram

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In episode 530, Megan chats to Brenda Cadman about how to use Canva efficiently to organize and optimize content creation for food bloggers.

In this episode, you’ll learn about how to use features effectively, like the brand kit and magic tools, and how to organize your Canva account using folders to save time and boost productivity.

Key points discussed (and action items!):

Declutter Your Canva Account: Create an "Archive" folder and move all old Canva designs and images into it to declutter the account.
Images in Canva: Organize images by moving them from the "Uploads" folder into custom categorized folders like "Images", "Pizza" etc. using the bulk select and move features.
Differentiate Important Files: Star templates, elements, icons and photos in Canva that are used frequently by clicking the three dot menu to access them easily from the starred folder.
Streamline Branding: Use the Canva "Brand Kits" feature to organize company branding assets like logos, colors and fonts for quick access.
Save Time Using Canva: Canva Pro’s features can help save you time and repurpose content easily, using tools like resizing, mock-ups, background remover and other AI-powered tools.
Don’t Postpone Decluttering: Set up a regular schedule (e.g. Fridays) for a VA or assistant to maintain the Canva organization system.
Don’t Overcomplicate it: Make most of the time you have, progress over perfection.

Resources

Canva Organization Roadmap - help organizing your Canva account

Listen to Episode 502 on 5 Ways to Declutter Your Life.

Connect with Brenda Cadman

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In this episode, Megan talks about the importance of social connections for well-being and business success, sharing five steps to nurture healthy relationships and turn your network into a strong support system.

How will inviting more people into your life change anything? Will it not be overwhelming and give you more to do? That is why Megan explains, firstly, the benefits for personal growth and business success by inviting high-quality people into your life. Secondly, she share five steps that will help you manage new connections, making them a meaningful part of your life and potentially opening up new business opportunities.

Action Plan:

Send an invitation to the universe / God for more high-quality people in your life.
Prepare your calendar or routine to make room and time for new connections.
Express gratitude daily for the people already in your life.
Host something new, even if small, to take action on your invitation.
Show up as the best version of yourself when interacting with others.

Resources mentioned

Food Blogger Services – Mika Kinney

Explore Megan’s recommended books and resources at eatblogtalk.com/books.

Promote your food blogging services: www.eatblogtalk.com/audioclip

Get in touch with Megan if there is a specific mindset and self-care topic you'd like her to cover.

Website | Instagram

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In episode 528, Cheryl Norris teaches us the importance of our core belief system and how we to replace negative beliefs with positive affirmations.

Cheryl Norris is a food blogger in Portland, OR where she lives with her husband. Her blog, Bakes by Brown Sugar, in business since 2018, specializes in desserts with a focus on using seasonal and quality ingredients. In addition to running her food blog business, she works full-time as an engineer. She loves to travel, with Paris being her favorite place to visit.

In this episode, you’ll learn about the pervasive nature of negative self-talk and its consequences on self-perception, decision-making, and success, highlighting the importance of recognizing and managing these emotions to achieve personal growth.

Key points discussed (and action items!):

Identify and Address Your Pain Points: Be aware of what you're thinking and saying about yourself and what you struggle with most.
Journal to Increase Awareness: Journal your thoughts so that you know exactly what you say to yourself with regard to situations.
What is the Source of Your Self-doubt: Discover the source of thoughts - why are you feeling a certain way about situations?
Negative Self-Talk Impacts Your Success: Change negative self-talk to positive affirmations - only through awareness and determination can you shift your mindset.
Recognize and Overcome Negative Self-Talk: Note words used about self in times of difficulty like workouts to identify patterns of self-talk.
Affirmations, Self-belief, and Confidence: Be conscious of what you affirm about yourself every day - do you need to change your self-talk?
Recognize and Overcome limiting beliefs: "Break up" with limiting beliefs by deciding to break up with them, replacing them with empowering beliefs, and saying empowering affirmations daily in writing until internalized.

Connect with Cheryl Norris

Website | Instagram

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In episode 527, Megan chats to Candice Ward about the importance of having multiple income streams and how to pitch brands in an effective and time efficient way.

Candice is the Founder of Eat More Cake Dessert Blog, Food Photographer, Educator, and Sales Expert. Candice spent over a decade in corporate sales and translated that experience to help other food content creators monetize and scale their businesses. She has coached hundreds of food content creators in her business course, The Confident Pitch Program. She is passionate about helping other food bloggers reach their full potential!

In this episode, you’ll learn about different ways to diversify your revenue streams, including freelancing, affiliate work and coaching, but most importantly how to tap into sponsored work by pitching brands using Candice’s time efficient, strategic pitching method (i.e. the Strategic Pitching Approach).

Key points discussed:

Diversify Your Revenue Streams to Reduce Business Risk: Diversifying income sources helps mitigate risk and prevents burnout by ensuring you're not solely reliant on one stream of revenue.
Is Direct Pitching to Brands Effective? Sending targeted pitch emails and following up persistently can yield better results than relying solely on social media for brand collaborations.
Practical Ways to Add Additional Revenue Streams: Explore various avenues such as freelance work, sponsored content, coaching, and digital product creation to diversify your income streams and maximize earning potential.
The SPA (Strategic Pitching Approach) method for targeted and effective brand pitching: Use the Strategic Pitching Approach, focusing on personalized pitch emails and consistent follow-up, to increase the success rate of brand collaborations and revenue generation.
Tailor Pitch Emails to Emphasize the Value Proposition to the Brand: Customize pitch emails to highlight how your content creation can directly benefit the brand's goals, this will increase the likelihood of engagement and collaboration.
Focus on Quality Over Quantity to Maximize Conversion Rates: Prioritizing targeted and personalized pitches to a select number of brands increases the chances of successful collaborations and optimizes time and effort spent on pitching.
The Confident Pitch Program: Candice’s comprehensive marketing plan designed to simplify the brand pitching process for influencers and content creators, offering modules on business planning, pitching formulas, negotiation strategies, and post-sales processes.

Connect with Candice Ward

Website | Instagram

Resources

Coaching Services

Pitch to Profit Workshop

Freebie: List of 10 brands with contacts to pitch

Freebie: 6 Strategies to Stand out to Brands

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Megan dives into the final part of her series on how to bring more money into your business, focusing on improving your financial mindset through positive language and preparing the way for financial abundance.

What is the source of your income? Can the way you perceive this change your financial situation? And do you generally speak positively or negatively about money? Addressing these questions, Megan suggest various ways in which we can further shift our mindset when it comes to money in order to increase our revenue.

Including, these key points:

Shift Your Perception of Income Sources: The true source of income lies beyond people and businesses, emphasizing a universal force as the primary source of abundance.
Release Mental Pressure on Income Channels: By reframing the source of income from external entities to a limitless universal force, you open yourself to alternative channels for financial flow, reducing pressure on specific revenue streams.
Align Actions with Serving and Value Creation: Remember to deliver value from a place of love - genuine service and value provision are foundational to sustainable financial success.
Conscious Money Talk: Conduct regular audits of your thoughts and words surrounding money. Replace limiting beliefs and negative phrases like "I can't afford it" with empowering statements that align with abundance and prosperity.

-Prepare for Abundance: Create space for financial abundance like clearing mental and physical clutter to welcome new opportunities. Ensure your financial infrastructure and personal readiness align with your goals for increased prosperity.

Promote your food blogging services

Megan's recommended books

Get in touch with Megan if there is a specific mindset and self-care topic you'd like her to cover.

Website | Instagram

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In episode 525, Nicole Winegardner teaches us the importance of staying true to who we are in a world full of distractions and focus on what lights us up.

Nicole blogs with her bestie Andrea, who lives in Washington and you’ll find Nicole in Virginia. Together they have a food blog where they specialize in simple delicious recipes for busy families. Nicole is the one to do the recipe development and food photography and keyword research. Andrea takes care of the writing and Pinterest, web stories, social media and is currently learning video editing. Their blog was founded in 2021.

In this episode, you’ll learn how to overcome blogging challenges like spreading yourself too thin, struggling to achieve your goals and feeling bogged down by your responsibilities.

Key points discussed:

Focus: Evaluate where your focus lies regularly. Redirecting your focus can guide you towards positive outcomes and away from distractions.
Stay True to Yourself: Authenticity fuels success. It's crucial to reassess your goals and ensure they align with your true desires.
Effective Goal-Setting: Set achievable goals without overwhelming yourself. Habit stack and regularly evaluate your to do list to maintain balance and prevent burnout.
Regularly Revisit Goals: Rather than setting and forgetting goals, consistently evaluate them to ensure they are still relevant to your priorities.
Focus on One Thing at a Time: If you spread yourself too thin, you risk not achieving anything. Delegate tasks and focus on mastering selected skills.
Prioritize Fun: There is a correlation between enjoyment and productivity. Incorporate moments of joy and relaxation into your daily routines to enhance overall well-being and effectiveness.
Rest is Important: Don’t be scared to take a break when needed as your blog will always be there when you return and you’ll be more productive.

Connect with Nicole Winegardner

Website | Instagram

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In episode 524, Megan talks to Lauren Woodger about why mindset is such an important element of building a successful business and 8 mindset hacks we can implement today.

Lauren began "The Scatty Mum" in 2019 as a hobby blog to share allergy-friendly recipes when her daughter was diagnosed with multiple food allergies. In 2022, she took a leap and left her day job to focus on her blog full-time. Even though her daughter has outgrown her allergies, Lauren still understands the struggle of preparing meals for everyone. She's passionate about creating easy, allergy-friendly recipes that the entire family can enjoy. Lauren lives in Surrey in the UK, with her husband and two children.

In this episode, you’ll learn about how to cultivate a positive mindset as a blogger and entrepreneur, including prioritizing networking, becoming a more productive entrepreneur and celebrating your progress every day.

Key points discussed:

Connecting with other bloggers: Build connections within the blogging community through social media, Facebook groups, and networking events to combat feelings of isolation and provide valuable insights and encouragement.
Celebrating progress: Track and celebrate your achievements, no matter how small. It is crucial for maintaining motivation and perspective on your blogging journey.
Invest in productivity courses: Transform your approach to work and time management by learning strategies such as backward planning and focus work sessions.
Limit comparison: Avoid the trap of comparing your progress to others’. It is essential for maintaining a positive mindset.
Concentrate on one main goal at a time: By focusing on a single primary goal, you can channel your energy and resources effectively.
Implement a timed daily schedule: Planning your day ahead can help you maintain focus and structure throughout the day.
Combat shiny object syndrome: Prioritize ‘focus work’ in the morning and allocating time for administrative tasks later in the day.
Take breaks when you need to: Don’t forget to do things that promote well-being, such as going for walks and listening to podcasts.

Connect with Lauren Woodger

Website | Instagram

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Are your thoughts about money generally positive or negative? Megan discusses the topic of money as energy as well as wealthy habits that will help increase our revenue. This is Part 2 of 3 about 5 ways to help us bring more money into our business.

Our thoughts and beliefs influence our financial situation. Megan emphasizes this by exploring the importance of tracking and appreciating every penny earned and encouraging us to adopt wealthy habits and qualities, suggesting that creating a welcoming environment for money can lead to increased financial prosperity.

She covers the following key points:

Money as Energy: Thoughts, beliefs, and actions influence the flow of wealth in your life.
Track and Appreciate Every Penny: Track every penny earned or found, and express gratitude for all forms of income, no matter how small.
Adopt Wealthy Habits and Qualities: What are the habits and qualities of wealthy individuals? Emulate these traits to attract abundance into your life.
Create a Welcoming Environment for Money: Assess whether you are fostering an environment conducive to attracting wealth, or inadvertently repelling it.

Get in touch with Megan if there is a specific mindset and self-care topic you'd like her to cover.

Website | Instagram

Resources

Money as Energy: The Dynamic Flow of Wealth in the Cosmos by Kulwant Saluja (article referenced in episode)

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In episode 522, Elizabeth Emery teaches us how to create a sustainable income from blogging, finding joy and balance in our work without risking burnout.

Elizabeth is a plant-based food blogger and recipe developer based in Vancouver BC. Her passion is showing people how fun and accessible vegan and plant-based eating can be. Elizabeth created and has run Vancouver with Love for 5 years and have turned it into a full-time income during that time.

In this episode, you’ll learn about why you should find income streams that you are passionate about, why you should pick freelance work carefully, as well tips to work less hours for more money.

Key points discussed:

Find Joy in Work: Find joy and passion in your blogging work to sustain long-term success. What aspect of blogging brings you most fulfilment?
Set Boundaries: Set clear boundaries to avoid burnout and work intentionally to condense work into four days a week, allowing for adequate rest and personal time.
Diversify Revenue: Diversifying revenue streams in blogging helps you tap into the potential of ad revenue and incorporate it alongside freelance work and sponsored content.
Consistency and Intentionality: You have to be not only consistent but also intentional with you blogging efforts - where do you want to be in the long run?
Invest in a Business Coach: If you feel stuck or burnt out, reach out to a business coach to seek support and guidance from someone with experience.
You’re not Alone: Having a business coach or other support will help you navigate the challenges of entrepreneurship and decision-making.
Recognize When You Need to Change: Acknowledge when adjustments in your work are necessary for personal and professional growth.
Balance Work and Personal Life: To sustain long-term success, use strategies for setting a healthy work-life balance including prioritizing self-care, and finding joy outside of work.

Connect with Elizabeth Emery

Website | Instagram

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In episode 521, Megan chats to Jessica Mode about the impact of going to culinary school on her food blogging career, including learning new culinary skills, kitchen organization and choosing ingredients.

Jessica Mode created Homebody Eats in 2019 as a way to teach home chefs how to master new culinary skills and create high-quality dishes in their home kitchens. With every recipe, she hopes to teach her readers one new kitchen skill that they can master and use in a future recipe. While you'll find a variety of recipes on her site, Jessica really enjoys baking and shaking up a good cocktail. Jessica has recently released her first online course, The Macaron Baking Experience, which teaches her readers how to successfully bake perfect macarons. In the coming year, Jessica hopes to release more online courses to share the skills she learned by attending culinary school in Italy.

In this episode, you’ll learn about what to expect from culinary school, different courses available and how that translate your new skills to food blogging.

Key points:

Choose the Right Culinary Institute: Depending on your budget and how much time you want to dedicate to culinary school, there are different courses available.
Learn about High-Quality Ingredients: Understand how to select the best ingredients for your recipes to develop amazing flavor while keeping it simple.
Improve Organisation and Composure in the Kitchen: Being organised with measurements before you start testing your recipe can streamline the testing process and improve your overall result.
Network with Professionals in the Culinary Industry: Get the chance to network with professional outside of the blogging space.
Access to Diverse Ingredients and Food Experiences: Culinary school offers new food experiences, like learning how to make pasta, charcuterie and wine pairing.
New Recipe Inspiration: Attending culinary school can expose you to new and unexpected flavor combinations and cuisines.
Invest and Do Hard Things in Your Business: Investing in your business and pushing yourself beyond your comfort zone is a way to prove to yourself that you are committed and want to make your business as successful as possible.

Connect with Jessica Mode

Website | Instagram

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Do you want to earn more money? Most of us would answer ‘yes’ to that question, yet we don't feel like we can talk about money openly. Megan unpicks this topic from a mindset perspective. This is Part 1 of 3 about 5 ways to help us bring more money into our business.

As food bloggers, we normally have the potential to earn a lot. We’re skilled and passionate about what we do, generous and willing to seek financial freedom for our families. Yet, if we are looking to achieve our financial goals, it’s important to embrace a positive attitude towards money, debunking limiting beliefs, including those inherited from childhood.

Megan talks through her own example of having gone from unnecessary debt to financial empowerment and encourages us to rewrite our own money stories like she did.

She covers the following key points:

Money Matters: Don’t be afraid to discuss money openly.
Budgeting is Important: Keep track of your income and expenses to avoid debt and make more money.
Money Beliefs: Recognize and challenge ingrained money beliefs (e.g. you have to work hard to earn more money)
Overcome Limiting Beliefs: Strategies for rewriting the stories you tell yourself about money and foster abundance.

Get in touch with Megan if there is a specific mindset and self-care topic you'd like her to cover.

Website | Instagram

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In episode 519, Madison Wetherill teaches us why it’s important to embrace the CEO mindset and implement regular CEO time in our businesses for risk management and goal-setting.

Madison Wetherill is the founder of Grace + Vine Studios, as well as a food blogger and homeschooling mama to 3 boys. She is passionate about supporting bloggers and helping them to scale their blogs to increase their impact. She is the host of The Vine Podcast, sharing strategies for content creators to grow their food blog and connect with their audience.

In this episode, you'll learn why scheduling regular CEO time can help your business grow, the importance of distinguishing between working on your business versus in it, and strategies for standing out in a crowded market. Key points include:

Is Your Blog a Business? If your blog is generating an income, you should start thinking of it as a business.
Regular CEO Time: Add regular CEO time to your calendar and involve your support system, like your spouse, to help you stick to it.
Have a Plan: It's crucial to have a clear plan of action for each CEO session to avoid getting sidetracked by other tasks.
CEO Checklist: Create a checklist for CEO time, including tasks like reviewing income/expenses, analyzing post performance, and planning upcoming tasks.
Assess Risks in Your Business: During your dedicated CEO time, risk management is one of the most important tasks to future-proof your business.
Create Additional Income Streams: Risk management involves coming up with backup systems and additional stream of income for when things go wrong.
Invest in Yourself: Taking on the CEO role means investing in yourself, whether through joining masterminds, attending conferences, or other professional development opportunities.
Stand Out: Don't be afraid to differentiate yourself from others in the industry, as blending in can hinder growth and opportunities.

Connect with Madison Wetherill

Website | Instagram

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In episode 518, Megan chats to Nadia Tariq about the transition from a food blogging hobbyist to business owner, highlighting key shifts in mindset, organization, and discipline.

Nadia is a computer science graduate, x- project manager turned into pastry chef. She has been creating customized themed cakes for over a decade as a home business creating beautiful cakes for friends and family. Originally from Pakistan, she is based in Riyadh, KSA. Nadia started blogging in 2009 and only recently she decided to turn it into a business.

Nadia is now working on her blog strategically in the quest to share her family recipes, Pakistani bakery and street foods to get recognized on the face of the culinary world She is also working as a food photographer, which was her long lost passion to generate some extra income which was not possible earlier due to raising a young family.

In this episode, you’ll learn about why a food blogger would decide to turn their blog into a business, how to recognize that pivotal moment and what changes you should make to prioritize your blog’s growth. Here are the key takeaways:

Recognize the Shift: You have to make the decision to turn your blog into a business, and start either part-time or full-time.
Invest in Learning: A crucial element is continuous learning and investing in resources like podcasts and courses to enhance your skills in food photography, SEO, and content creation.
Listen to Audience Needs: By paying attention to audience feedback and trends, you can adapt your content strategy to meet the demands of your audience.
Effective Time Management: Use batching techniques to streamline your workflow and balance blogging with other responsibilities and sources of income (e.g. food photography for clients).
Discipline and Productivity: Motivation is unreliable, you need to be disciplined and work according to a plan.
Setting Up for Success: Set yourself up for success as a food blogger by being consistent, niching down, and taking a long-term approach.
Embrace Change and Exploration: Don’t be afraid of changing your path if you are no longer passionate about what you are doing.

Connect with Nadia Tariq

Website | Instagram

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In this episode, Megan teaches us five practical ideas to alleviate the stress and overwhelm often associated with Mondays, offering insights and strategies to make the start of our week more manageable and fulfilling.

Planning can make a notable difference to the start of your week. The better you prepare for what you have to do on a Monday, the better you will feel. In this episode, Megan explains how she prepares for Mondays in order to set a positive tone for the week ahead.

Megan covers the following key points:

The 15 Minute Friday Plan: Plan ahead by dedicating just 15 minutes on Friday to map out your upcoming week. By scheduling downtime and aligning tasks with your goals, you can reduce mental clutter and increase productivity.
The One Hour Friday To-Do List Tackle: Allocate one hour on Friday or Saturday to tackle small tasks from your to-do list for the following week to minimize Monday morning stress and set yourself up for a smoother week.
Inbox Zero: Dedicate time on the weekend to clear out your inbox. By organizing emails into folders and archiving non-essential items, you can start Monday with a clean slate and reduce mental clutter.
Tidy Up: Declutter and tidy up your physical environment. By maintaining order in your surroundings you can positively impact your mindset and productivity on Monday mornings.
Plan and Protect the Monday Morning Routine: Establishing and sticking to a morning routine sets the tone for a successful week. Remember to prioritize sleep, visualize your morning routine, and set intentions before bed to ensure a smooth start to Monday.

Get in touch with Megan if there is a specific mindset and self-care topic you'd like her to cover.

Website | Instagram

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In episode 516, Jo Keohane teaches us how to style food to make it look as delicious as possible in order to drive more traffic to our blogs.

Since graduating from Culinary School in NYC in 2010 Jo Keohane freelanced as a Recipe Developer and Food Stylist in test kitchens of many America’s best known publications, like Bon Appetit Magazine, Epicurious and Saveur. She has also worked with a variety of household brands like William Sonoma, Weightwatchers, Staub Cookware, Danone, Kraft and more.

She started off life as a BBC journalist and then worked in PR in London. But a love of cooking and a desire to find a fulfilling career which would allow her to spend more time with her 3 kids took her back to school to study cooking. After moving to the USA in she was lucky enough to attend the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City.

Now she runs her own food blog - The Family Food Kitchen - helping other busy families to eat well even when time is short! her blog focusses on easy, delicious and do-able recipes - and contains lots of one pot, sheet pan and easy meal ideas.

In this episode, you’ll learn about what to consider before you start shooting your recipe, including how to layer and pick ingredients, backdrops, props and garnishes.

Food Styling is a Problem Solving Exercise: During recipe development, plan ahead to make sure your ingredients will help you make your dish look appealing.
Don’t Hold Back on Good-Quality Ingredients: Better quality ingredients will have more vibrancy and make your photos pop more.
Create Depth and Movement in Food Photography: Use layering to create depth in your photos and take photos of movement (e.g. pouring a sauce).
Balance Perfection and Authenticity: While it’s important to make your photos look appealing and create intrigue avoid overly perfect photos - crumbs and spills in small quantities add character.
Proper Ingredient Storage: Store ingredients to maintain freshness and quality. For example improper storage of herbs can lead to wilting and might detract from your photos.
Adjust Cooking Times for Food Photography: There’s a difference between cooking to eat food and cooking for photography. Adjust cooking times to ensure that the food looks its best on camera.
Use Props and Tools for Food Styling: Jo discusses the importance of having a set tray with essential tools and props for food styling, such as sharp knives, tweezers, Q-tips, paper towels, toothpicks, spritz bottles, squeeze bottles, spatulas, and brushes to aid in food styling.
Layering Garnishes to Enhance the Dish: Use different garnishing techniques to elevate the appearance of dishes for photography. By layering garnishes strategically, you can add depth and visual interest to the dish.

Connect with Jo Keohane

Website | Instagram

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In episode 515, Jenn Trepeck teaches us why comparison is natural and how to deal with it in a healthy way that leads us closer to our goals by building our confidence instead of creating self-doubt.

Jenn Trepeck has been described as a "force of nature" in the wellness space, recognized as one of Podcast Magazine’s 40 under 40, and nominated for the 2022 International Women’s Podcast Award for Visionary Leadership. She is an Optimal Health Coach, Podcaster, and Business Consultant. After graduating from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business, Jenn founded Better Life Now LLC while working full time in hedge funds. After over a decade of building her practice as a side-hustle, Jenn took the leap to full-time self-employment. That’s when she launched Salad with a Side of Fries Podcast, empowering larger audiences to achieve optimal health. She helps aspiring wellness warriors break into the health world, and mentors entrepreneurs to get started or level-up.

In this episode, you’ll learn why our brains are hard-wired for comparison and practical strategies to handle the frustration of feeling that we are not doing as well as others in our space and how to reframe the situation in order to unlock more opportunities. Key points include:

Understand the Psychological Basis of Comparison: The innate tendency of human brains to compare is a natural response rather than a flaw. By acknowledging this tendency, individuals can adopt a more compassionate approach towards themselves and others.
Reframe Your Perspective: Instead of viewing others' success as a threat, recognize the abundance of opportunities within your niche by embracing a mindset of collaboration over competition.
Cultivate Grounded Confidence: Grounded confidence means that you stay true to your vision amidst external comparisons. By cultivating confidence in your expertise and audience, you can can navigate challenges with resilience and creativity.
Journal and Seek Support: By articulating your thoughts and seeking alternative perspectives, you can gain clarity and resilience in the face of comparison.
Creating New Neuropathways: Create new neuropathways by interrupting negative thought patterns with a simple "Cancel, cancel" technique. By replacing unproductive thoughts with positive affirmations, you can shift their mindset towards growth and possibility.
Observing the Mind: Meditation is highlighted as a powerful tool for observing the mind rather than trying to control it.
Strategic Competition Analysis: While it's essential to stay informed about competitors' strategies, it’s important to do strategic analysis at specific intervals rather than constant comparison.
Make Changes in a Constructive Way: If you do decide to change your strategy in line with competitors, make sure that it’s still in line with your values and not shiny object syndrome.

Connect with Jenn Trepeck

Website | Instagram

Book a 30-min complimentary consultation with Jenn Trepeck.

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Megan shares five powerful questions to help shift our perspective during challenging times and help us find clarity.

What do you do when you are experiencing a tough time in your life? It is when we face challenges that mindset shifts can really make a difference. Megan talks through the diverse range of challenges faced by entrepreneurs and emphasizes the importance of embracing difficulties as opportunities for growth. She shares her recent experience with a significant challenge and reveals how she navigated through it using mindset strategies.

She covers the following questions points:

Who would I be without this thought? Challenge your thoughts during a rough time and envision a perspective free from negativity and embrace acceptance and peace instead.
What if it's a gift? Challenges can be potentially life-changing in a positive way. Recognize the unexpected gifts that emerge from these times in your life.
Who would I be without this challenge? Consider the personal growth and resilience cultivated through confronting challenges. Envision yourself without the current challenge, can you recognize your strength and adaptability?
How can I take care of myself? Self-care is a foundation for resilience and emotional well-being during challenging times. Which self-care practices can help you pull through adversity?
Who can I lean on for support? Seek support from trusted individuals during difficult times or engage with supportive communities and reach out for assistance when needed.

Get in touch with Megan if there is a specific mindset and self-care topic you'd like her to cover.

Website | Instagram

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In episode 513, Megan chats to Samantha Blake about the lessons she learned from her experience as a food blogger, including the importance of niching down, SEO strategy, web design and building a blogging network.

Sam began a web design & SEO business after food blogging didn’t go as planned. While she still enjoys cooking and baking as a hobby, she learned she truly had a love for web design & SEO pieces when it comes to business. Sam particularly loves designing and developing websites & coming up with SEO strategies for food bloggers - it's the best of both worlds! She is so excited about the opportunity to share her experience and knowledge about SEO to help more food bloggers grow their blog.

In this episode, you’ll learn about the common mistakes made by food bloggers, such as neglecting niche selection and keyword strategy, underestimating the value of backlinks, and prioritizing design over functionality. Key points include:

Niche and Keyword Strategy: It's crucial to pick a clear niche and develop a proper keyword strategy to enhance topical relevance and attract organic traffic.
Start Broad, Then Narrow: Begin with a broader topic or competitor analysis, then drill down to find high-volume, low-competition keywords to target.
Avoid Primarily Seasonal Content: Prioritize evergreen content to maintain consistent traffic rather than relying solely on seasonal spikes.
Comprehensive SEO Strategy: Piecemealing SEO strategies from various sources may not yield desired results; focus on one comprehensive approach tailored to your goals.
Prioritize Functionality Over Design: In the early stages, prioritize a simple, professional, user-friendly, and searchable blog design over intricate aesthetics.
Build a Blogging Network: Connect with fellow bloggers through Facebook groups, social media, or accountability groups to learn, grow, and collaborate.
Value of Backlinks: Recognize the importance of backlinks for SEO and credibility; engage in outreach and collaborations to acquire them.
Participate in Roundups and Guest Posts: Explore opportunities to contribute to roundups or guest posts on other blogs to gain backlinks and exposure.

Connect with Samantha Blake

Website | Instagram

Interested in taking your food blog to the next level? Here are ways to work with Sam:

Need a new website fast? Check out Sam's One-Day Website service.
Ready to take action on an extensive SEO audit & strategy? Check out Sam's SEO Audit service.
Looking for comprehensive SEO services and coaching? Check out Sam's Food Blogger SEO services.

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In episode 512, Janelle Hama teaches us how to build a supportive community, especially around your blog’s niche, highlighting the benefits of collaboration, networking, and accountability within such communities.

Janelle is a keen plant based recipe blogger specialising in vegan Lebanese food. Due to having to change her diet a few years ago for health reasons, this, coupled with her love of cooking, started Janelle on a blogger journey 3 years ago.

In this episode, you’ll learn about whether you should create your own group or join an existing one as well as these topics:

Benefits of Community: Networking, collaboration, and seeking advice from others are key benefits of being part of a community.
Experience Sharing: Engaging with bloggers from diverse backgrounds brings different perspectives and learning opportunities.
Friendships and Support: Community offers emotional support, understanding, and celebration of achievements among bloggers.
Accountability: Being part of a community helps in setting and achieving goals through mutual accountability.
Start a Community: Initiate a group or join existing ones on platforms like Facebook and Instagram.
Set Clear Parameters: If you start your own group, set clear guidelines for who it caters for and what the community rules are.

Connect with Janelle Hama

Website | Instagram

Apply to Janelle' Community for Vegan / Plant-Based Recipe Bloggers here.

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Have you ever felt worried about your screen time? Megan shares her personal struggles with tech addiction and offers five actionable strategies to limit tech usage for improved well-being.

In this episode, you’ll learn practical methods to reduce tech dependency and reclaim control over your time and mental space. While technology makes our lives more comfortable, Megan emphasizes the importance of setting boundaries and creating healthy habits to foster a balanced relationship with tech.

She covers the following key points:

Set Times for Email Dipping: Establish specific times during the day for checking and responding to emails to prevent constant distraction and maintain focus on important tasks.
Establish Downtime Before the Week Begins: Plan and schedule dedicated downtime periods in your calendar to disconnect from technology and prioritize self-care and family time.
Set Timers for Social Media: Use timers to limit the duration of social media usage, gradually reducing dependency and reclaiming valuable time and energy.
Remove Apps and Email from Your Phone: Experiment with removing addictive apps and email from your phone to minimize temptation and break unhealthy habits.
Create a Boring Phone: Make your phone less appealing by turning on grayscale mode or choosing neutral wallpapers, reducing the allure of constant screen engagement.

Get in touch with Megan if there is a specific mindset and self-care topic you'd like her to cover.

Website | Instagram

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In episode 510, Megan chats to Lily Payen about how to transition from a full-time job to full-time blogging without getting overwhelmed and while managing responsibilities as a parent.

Lily, a mom of three and former math teacher turned food blogger, never envisioned ever leaving the world of teaching, but the opportunity to blog somewhat fell into her lap and she’s now enveloped into that world. When Lily had her second son, she started sharing baby-led weaning recipes online and discovered a community of parents who were also looking for similar recipes. Things took off from there and she found herself in this new profession of blogging. Now Lily can't imagine doing anything else.

In this episode, you'll learn about the importance of starting with a specific niche to make it easier to rank, maintaining consistency in content creation without burning out, having backup content prepared and not being too hard on yourself when you need to rest.

Start Specific: Learn the importance of starting with a specific niche, which allows for easier ranking and targeting a more defined audience.
Consistency Matters: Maintaining consistency in content creation is vital for success, even if the frequency varies over time. The importance is in delivering quality over quantity.
Balance Work and Parenting: Managing blogging while caring for children can be difficult, so why not plan your work around nap times and find a routine that works for the family?
Invest in Learning: Investing time and money in learning about blogging, SEO, and other relevant topics is crucial for long-term success.
Adopt a Business Mindset: Transitioning from a full-time job to full-time blogging requires adopting a business mindset, being one's own boss, and holding oneself accountable.
Flexibility in Scheduling: Being flexible in scheduling and adapting to unexpected situations, such as sick days, is essential for maintaining productivity and consistency.
Use Backup Content: Having backup content ready for unforeseen circumstances to ensures consistent publishing.
Encouragement for Mom Bloggers: Despite the challenges, moms should be encouraged to pursue blogging, knowing that it gets easier with time and dedication.

For example when Lily was pregnant with her 3rd child, during her first trimester she was so sick and nauseous and couldn’t find the energy to pre-plan and post content and she just had to take time off from posting content. She thought that she would come back to a “dead blog”, but she was surprised to know that her traffic had actually increased during that time. The work Lily had put into previous posts was picking up traction and she was still able to maintain her traffic.

Connect with Lily Payen

Website | Instagram

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In episode 509, Amy Whiteford teaches us what to do when our niche no longer aligns with our personal or professional circumstances and the importance of mindset shifts in sustaining a successful food blog.

Amy Whiteford is a food enthusiast originally from Scotland, now residing in Sydney, Australia, and has been the driving force behind the blog Healthy Little Foodies since 2012. Amy is a mum of two "Little Foodies", Finlay (12) and Rory (9), and has a background in Food Science, Education, and Childhood Nutrition. Amy is on a mission to simplify mealtime for parents of babies / young children by providing healthy and delicious recipes and feeding tips.

In this episode, you’ll learn about the challenges and rewards of maintaining a niche food blog as well as insights about rebranding, staying inspired, and focusing on the expertise you've gained even if you've outgrown your niche.

Niche Evolution: Sometimes you have to adapt your blog’s niche to changing circumstances.
Rebranding Strategy: Rebranding can help you expand your blog's audience and content focus.
Target Audience: Identifying and catering to a specific audience, such as parents seeking baby and toddler recipes, can drive blog growth.
Niche Challenges: Can you explore other types of recipes or should you adhere to your niche’s recipe standards?
Mindset Shift: Changing your mindset to appreciate the depth of knowledge and skills gained within a niche is crucial for long-term sustainability.
Recipe Diversity: Ask yourself how you can broaden your niche to include different recipes while still catering for your audience.
Secondary Blog Ventures: Starting a secondary blog can be a creative outlet while maintaining financial stability from an established blog.
Niche Flexibility and Growth: Bloggers should assess their passions, expertise, and niche viability, recognizing the need for specialization in a saturated blogging landscape.

Connect with Amy Whiteford

Website | Instagram

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What are 5 things we do that hinder our success and happiness?

Megan talks through these self-sabotaging behaviors and how to cultivate a mindset conducive to greater happiness instead.

You’ll learn valuable strategies to stop sabotaging yourself and your business success, including being aware when you are making excuses or resorting to inaction as a way to avoid scary tasks.

She covers the following key points:

Making Excuses: Recognize and challenge excuses that hinder progress. By fostering awareness, individuals can break free from self-imposed limitations and pursue their goals with determination.
Letting Fear Run Your Life: By confronting fear head-on, you can experience growth and fulfillment. Taking bold actions can yield significant rewards and propel you towards your aspirations.
Caring What Others Think: It’s important to overcome the need for external validation and embrace who you are.
Not Taking Action: Inaction is detrimental to progress; embrace the power of small steps towards your objectives. By harnessing the momentum of even the smallest actions, individuals can make meaningful progress and realize their aspirations.
Overthinking Everything: Discover practical techniques to combat overthinking and cultivate mindfulness. By redirecting focus and practicing gratitude, individuals can alleviate mental clutter and experience greater peace and contentment.

Get in touch with Megan if there is a specific mindset and self-care topic you'd like her to cover.

Website | Instagram

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In this bonus episode, Megan Porta and Melissa Erdelac discuss strategies for pulling yourself out of a business rut and the importance of investing in your business to accelerate your success.

They cover information about identifying when your business growth is stagnant and one of the best ways to find new inspiration and valuable knowledge through in-person or virtual blogging retreats and conferences like Flavor Media Summit. This is an exclusive event run by Megan and Melissa for experienced food bloggers who have successful and income-generating businesses. Their goal is to unite accomplished food bloggers for strategic networking, empowering them to thrive, collaborate and ignite long-term growth in an exclusive and transformative gathering.

Flavor Media Summit is a two-day workshop-style event taking place on May, 2nd and 3rd in Denver, Colorado. Their goal is to ensure that attendees walk away with a TON of valuable information that they started applying during the event so that they are not stuck with information overwhelm.

In thie episode, you'll learn more about:

Recognizing Signs of a Business Rut: Feeling uninspired or stagnant in business growth could indicate you're in a business rut.
Reassessing Systems and Strategies: Regularly evaluating and updating your processes ensures they remain effective and aligned with your goals.
Networking and Collaboration: Engaging with other bloggers, attending conferences, and collaborating on projects can spark new ideas and reinvigorate your business.
Overcoming Fear of Investment: Investing in your business, whether financially or through time, can lead to significant growth and transformation.
Mindset Development: Investing in mindset resources and seeking accountability can shift your perspective and propel your business forward.
Practical Investments in Tools: Investing in tools, outsourcing, and plugins can streamline operations and free up time for high-impact tasks.
Outsourcing and Building a Support Team: Having a reliable team in place for tasks like web development and hosting support can save time and ensure smoother operations.
Flavor Media Summit 2024: A unique opportunity for in-person learning, networking, and collaboration, offering valuable insights, workshops, and mindset strategies tailored to bloggers' needs.

SPECIAL OFFER - Exclusive Post-Summit Mastermind Session: A 90-minute mastermind session hosted by Megan and Melissa, aimed at applying summit learnings to attendees' businesses and fostering collaboration and strategy development.

Connect with Flavor Media Summit

Website | Instagram

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In episode 507, Megan chats to Sally Cameron about the process of recipe development, including thorough testing, catering for your readers’ needs, food safety and building trust through recipes that succeed time and time again.

Sally is a professionally trained chef, recipe developer, online content creator, speaker, and certified health and nutrition coach. She created all of the recipes for Dr. Mark Hyman’s NYT best seller Eat Fat Get Thin, the NYT million copy bestseller “The Daniel Plan: 40 Days to a Healthier Life” companion cookbook, and Sony Five Essentials video series. She’s been blogging at A Foodcentric Life longer than she’d like to admit. Changing her diet by going gluten-free and focusing on whole fresh foods, lots of plants, nuts, seeds, healthy fats and quality proteins helped her lose weight, get healthy, detox from heavy metals, and recover from Lyme, mold, and gut issues. With all of that, it’s no surprise that special diets are her forte, because healthy is a lifestyle.

Fun Fact: Sally's fun fact is they did a two week expedition to Antarctica because they like to shoot landscape photography too. It was utterly amazing.

In this episode, you’ll learn the different steps of developing great recipes and why this is a crucial element to a successful, revenue-generating blog. Sally provides practical tips about recipe writing and revision, including keyword consideration and making the most of flavor profiles.

Definition and Purpose: What is the purpose of the recipe? Is it for your blog or for a sponsored post or a client?
Find Inspiration: Keep notes about flavors, ingredients, beautiful photos and restaurant meals and other recipes that inspire you.
Find the Right Keyword: Before putting effort into recipe testing, research keywords and brainstorm ideas around your recipe (e.g. does your recipe fit within your niche, how is it different?).
Be Creative: Find ways to make it easier, faster and more fun for readers or ways to cater for specific dietary needs.
Recipe Testing and Revision: Test, revise, and make adjustments to your recipes to ensure your readers are able to reproduce it.
Equipment Considerations: Consider readers' kitchen equipment and provide alternative methods for those with limited tools.
Food Safety and Testing: Do a thorough test for food safety, including cooling and storage trials and check verified online resources for food safety information.
Consistency in Recipe Writing: Be consistent in recipe writing, including clear instructions, accurate measurements, and detailed notes for successful replication.

Connect with Sally Cameron

Website | Instagram

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In episode 506, Jillian Leslie teaches us strategies for how to get our mindset in the right place for 2024 and stay positive, while navigating the ever-changing landscape of online business.

For the past 4 years, Jillian has been hosting her weekly podcast called The Blogger Genius Podcast. She interviews successful bloggers, entrepreneurs, and industry experts to break down what's working now in online business.

In this episode, you’ll learn about the power of staying open-minded and flexible in the face of changing circumstances, the significance of surrounding yourself with positive and supportive individuals and how to leverage tools like MiloTree Cart to streamline online business endeavors and monetization efforts.

Flexibility and Adaptation – Due to the dynamic nature of business, be open to change and experimentation in business strategies.
Community Support – It’s important to surround yourself with positive and supportive peers who understand the challenges and opportunities
Embrace Authenticity - Be authentic and vulnerable, even if it means being perceived as imperfect or "cringey," fostering genuine connections with audiences.
Be Proactive - Take initiative and seize opportunities for growth rather than waiting passively for success to happen.
Continuous Learning and Evolution - Embrace continuous learning, adaptation, and a willingness to pivot strategies based on feedback and changing trends.
Optimism and Resilience - Foster a mindset of optimism, resilience, and belief in your ability to overcome challenges and achieve success in the blogging and online business journey.

Connect with Jillian Leslie

Website | Instagram

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Megan explores 5 ways to celebrate wins in our business and life so that we can cultivate happiness every day.

We tend to overlook our wins while constantly striving for the next best thing or goal. This way we never truly feel happy in the present moment. Megan therefore highlights the significance of pausing to appreciate our journey and accomplishments because by reflecting on our progress and successes, we can boost our happiness and mindset.

She covers the following key points:

Acknowledge Your Present Wins: Consider how often you appreciate your current circumstances and reflect on your journey over the past months or years.
Celebrate Your Achievements: Celebrating wins sends a powerful message of gratitude. Whether through quiet moments of acknowledgment or indulgent treats, celebrating reinforces the value of our accomplishments.
Five Wins to Celebrate Now: Track Blog Statistics, Completed Projects, Physical and Mindset Progress, Goals and Dreams realised and Financial Gains.
Cultivate a Habit of Celebration: Scheduled regular moments in your week/month to celebrate wins, fostering a positive outlook and reinforcing achievements.

Get in touch with Megan if there is a specific mindset and self-care topic you'd like her to cover.

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In episode 504, Megan chats to Erin and Ben Clarke about running a business as a couple, including the importance of setting boundaries and dividing responsibilities.

Erin Clarke is the creator of the tremendously popular recipe blog Well Plated and the author of the best selling Well Plated Cookbook and forthcoming book, Well Plated Every Day. She's fearlessly dedicated to making healthy cooking easy, affordable, and of course: delicious! She specializes in lightened-up comfort foods, easy weeknight meal ideas, and wholesome versions of your favorite treats. Erin lives in Milwaukee with her husband Ben and their lazy, loveable beagle mix Teddy.

In this episode, you'll learn about the challenges and rewards of running a business as a couple and the importance of over-communication, mutual understanding, and adapting responsibilities to suit each partner's interests and strengths.

Over-communication is Key: Clear and frequent communication helps navigate challenges and expectations effectively.
Recognize Individual Interests: Acknowledge and leverage each partner's interests and strengths within the business to create a more fulfilling work environment.
Balance Work and Personal Life: Understand that work and personal life are interconnected, and strive to maintain a healthy balance between the two.
Be Open to Adjustments: Be willing to adjust roles and responsibilities based on individual preferences and skills to optimize productivity and happiness.
Value Shared Successes: Celebrate and share the successes and challenges of the business together, fostering a sense of teamwork and mutual support.
Embrace Fluidity: Embrace the fluidity of roles and responsibilities, understanding that flexibility is essential in adapting to the evolving needs of the business and personal life.
Find Joy in Shared Endeavors: Find joy and fulfillment in working together toward common goals, appreciating the unique contributions each partner brings to the table.

Connect with Erin and Ben Clarke

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In episode 503, Jenny Meier teaches us 3 ways to build a community on Substack and how to use the platform to network and increase our blog's reach.

Jenny founded Kitchen Skip in 2019 as a place to share easy dinner recipes with busy parents like herself. Almost 20 years earlier, Jenny had attended culinary school and spent years working in restaurants, cheese shops and wine stores before she started developing recipes for food and wellness websites in 2009. Finally, in 2019 Jenny started her own food blog. She monetized with MediaVine at the end of 2021 and started her Substack newsletter in June of 2022.

In this episode, you'll learn about how to get started on Substack and why it's a great platform to build community and expand your reach and knowledge, and how embracing new writing platforms can enhance your skills and open doors to collaboration opportunities.

Alternative to Email Newsletters: Substack makes it easy to send out newsletters to subscribers, helping you build a community around exclusive content.
Getting Started with Substack: It is simple to get started on Substack. Read other people's newsletters to get an idea of how it works.
Discover Communities: Substack provides a platform for connecting with other writers and bloggers, fostering a sense of community and collaboration.
Benefits of Substack: Substack can help you improve your writing, marketing skills, and connect with like-minded individuals.
Networking Opportunities: Substack offers various networking avenues such as recommendations, discussion threads, and the Notes Feed for writers to promote their content and collaborate with others.
Additional Revenue Stream: By offering a paid subscription, you can generate extra income through your newsletters.
Start Simple, Learn by Doing: Starting with small steps and learning through experience is key to success on Substack and in any endeavor.

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Connect with Jenny Meier

Website | Substack

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Megan discusses the importance of decluttering our life, its impact on mental health and productivity and 5 ways in which we can get started.

Decluttering your life is an easy, practical way to open up space for good things to come into your life. Megan shares strategies for decluttering physical spaces, electronics, calendars, relationships, and your mind. She also provides actionable insights to help you enhance your well-being and productivity by creating space for positive change through decluttering.

She covers the following key points:

Declutter a Physical Space: Decluttering spaces like closets, cars, desks, and pantries, can be broken up in bite-sized tasks and will affect the way you feel.
Declutter Electronics: Tips include organizing phone apps, deleting unnecessary files, and managing email subscriptions.
Declutter Your Calendar: Evaluate commitments and redistribute tasks to prevent burnout.
Declutter Relationships: Assess and adjust relationships for mental well-being.
Declutter Your Mind: Strategies include scheduling appointments, journaling, practicing mindfulness, and limiting screen time.

Get in touch with Megan if there is a specific mindset and self-care topic you'd like her to cover.

Website | Instagram

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In episode 501, Amanda Polick teaches us how to embrace rejection so that it becomes a catalyst for personal growth and resilience.

Amanda Polick is a cookbook and food memoir coach. Her work has been featured by Cooking Light, Time, Southern Living, and Food & Wine. She’s a proud member of Cherry Bombe, Les Dames d'Escoffier International, and the International Association of Culinary Professionals. Amanda lives in Nashville, Tennessee now, but a piece of her will be in California forever.

In this episode, you'll learn about handling rejection gracefully by staying true to your purpose and the value of embracing feedback, and supporting fellow creators amidst challenges and uncertainties.

Remember Your Identity: When you get rejected, remember your identity and purpose to help you maintain self-assurance and direction.
Embrace Rejection as Growth: Rejection is a catalyst for learning and personal development, essential for building resilience and determination.
Boldness and Authenticity: Uniqueness attracts attention and fosters connection so make bold choices and embrace authenticity.
Support Others: It’s important to support fellow creators, whether through feedback, reviews, or messages of encouragement, fostering a sense of community.
Resilience through Feedback: Discern between constructive criticism and tactless feedback, but either way be open to critique while maintaining confidence in one's abilities.
Find Your Niche: Discover your unique voice and space within a competitive landscape, while staying true to yourself.
Acknowledge the Reality of Rejection: Rejection is inevitable in creative pursuits; perceive it as a stepping stone rather than a setback.
Cultivate Persistence: In order to succeed and find unexpected opportunities and growth, you need to be persistent and have self-belief in the face of uncertainty.

Connect with Amanda Polick

Website | Instagram

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In episode 500, Megan chats to 3 SEO experts: Ty Kilgore, Samantha Blake and Steve Wiideman, about what SEO strategies will help food bloggers grow most in 2024.

Ty Kilgore has been geeking out on SEO and Digital Marketing for over 14 years. He founded Everything Digital Marketing in order to share his passion and to clearly instruct, guide, and help influencers overcome the frustrations related to SEO and Digital Marketing.

Samantha Blake began a web design and SEO business after food blogging didn’t go as planned. While she still enjoys cooking and baking as a hobby, she learned she truly had a love for web design and SEO pieces when it comes to business. Sam particularly loves designing and developing websites and coming up with SEO strategies for food bloggers - it's the best of both worlds!

Steve Wiideman is the Orange County, California based strategic planning specialist, founder of The Wiideman Consulting Group, and renowned as “SEO Steve” for the extraordinary breakthroughs he helped achieve for Fortune 500 companies and local small startups alike.

In this episode, you’ll learn what you need to do in 2024 to rank on Google and grow your blog, including which SEO strategies are outdated, how to get ahead of competitors and how to use AI to improve your SEO.

Unique Perspective is Key: It’s important to offer a unique perspective in content creation to stand out in search results. With AI becoming more integrated into search engines, bloggers must focus on providing content that goes beyond generic answers and offers a distinct viewpoint.
Strategic Optimization: Analyze existing content and strategically optimize it for better SEO performance. Find a balance between creating new content and optimizing existing posts.
Don't Obsess Over Technical SEO: While technical SEO is important, bloggers should focus on creating high-quality content and trust in the main technical aspects provided by their hosting, theme, and plugins.
Adaptability in Food Blogging: You have to be flexible and responsive to changes in the food blogging realm.
Create High-Quality Content: Focus on providing comprehensive and valuable content to users. This includes detailed instructions, variations, and supplementary resources such as videos to cater to diverse preferences and enhance user experience.
Backlinks and Shareable Content: Create shareable content and acquire backlinks to improve visibility and engagement.
Use AI Tools Carefully: AI tools can enhance your content but be aware of the pitfalls of using it in a way that generates generic or inaccurate content.
Regularly Monitor Competitors' Activities: Stay informed about competitors' strategies and content gaps by frequently scanning their XML sitemaps to identify areas for improvement and new content opportunities.
Identify Primary Competitors Based on Business Goals: Determine key competitors aligned with your business objectives, focusing on top search results in Google for relevant topics to benchmark against and monitor their strategies.
Diversify Marketing Efforts Across Platforms: Expand marketing efforts beyond Google by prioritizing video content creation and distribution across various platforms such as TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts, enhancing brand visibility and engagement.

Connect with Ty Kilgore Website

Connect with Samantha Blake Website

Connect with Steve Wiideman Website

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In this episode, Megan outlines 5 steps to help us craft a morning routine that fosters energy, productivity, and overall well-being.

Whether you spend 10 minutes on a morning routine or 3 hours, these rituals can enhance our consistency in business endeavors and our personal lives. Megan explains the multitude of benefits of morning routines, including increased productivity, improved mood, mental and physical health, and the cultivation of gratitude and inspiration.

She covers the following key points:

Design Your Dream Morning Routine: Envision an ideal morning routine without time constraints, considering activities that ignite energy and align with personal goals.
Develop a Baseline Morning Routine: Determine the time available for your morning routine and prioritize activities accordingly. Even short routines can yield significant benefits.
Prepare in Advance: Visualize the morning routine before bedtime to set intentions and align the mind with upcoming activities. Use strategies like going to bed earlier, removing distractions like phones, and finding an accountability partner to keep you on track.
Set It in Motion: Initiate your morning routine without delay; you’ll be surprised at how empowering it feels to take action. Start immediately rather than procrastinating for the "perfect" moment.
Refine and Repeat: Do your routine consistently but remain flexible and adapt it when necessary, this will make it sustainable in the long run.

Get in touch with Megan if there is a specific mindset and self-care topic you'd like her to cover.

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In episode 498, Megan chats to Brittany Roche about mindset shifts and practical strategies for successful brand collaboration while staying true to ourselves.

Brittany Roche founded Plant Power Couple with her partner Terrence in 2015, eager to share their innovative take on vegan cooking with other plant-curious people. Brittany started working with brands in 2020. She had just made it into MediaVine when the pandemic hit and she saw her RPMs drop drastically. She had been learning about working with brands for 3 years prior to this, but when she knew she had to diversify her income, she decided to really go for it! Now, she's formed genuine relationships with dozens of brands and has created a system that ensures a consistent stream of brand work that feels natural.

In this episode, you'll learn about the importance of building genuine relationships with brands, strategies for resilience in the face of rejection, and effective follow-up techniques to maximize collaboration opportunities.

Build Genuine Relationships: It is important to establish authentic connections with brands to create meaningful collaborations.
Resilience in the Face of Rejection: Maintain a positive mindset and separate your self-worth from the outcome of pitches; you’ll need perseverance.
Effective Follow-up Strategies: Pitch with a timeline in mind and implement follow-up sequences to maintain engagement with brands.
Setting Deadlines and Themes: Set deadlines and create themed series to structure pitches and provide a clear framework for collaboration opportunities.
Recognize the Emotional Toll: Don’t underestimate the emotional challenges of pitching - continue self-care practices and self-compassion throughout the process.
Apply Mindset Shifts Beyond Pitching: The mindset shifts discussed can be applied not only in pitching to brands but also in various aspects of entrepreneurship and personal growth.
Celebrating Progress and Resilience: Celebrate small victories and recognize the courage and resilience required to pursue entrepreneurial endeavours.

Connect with Brittany Roche

Website | Instagram

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In episode 497, Lexi Harrison teaches us the latest strategy to grow on Instagram and TikTok and how to generate a lot of audience engagement.

Lexi and Beth are the mother-daughter duo behind Crowded Kitchen, a (mostly) vegetarian food blog. In addition to creating recipes, photography and videography for Crowded Kitchen's social media and website, Lexi and Beth also create freelance content for many food and beverage brands.

In this episode, you’ll learn about how to increase your social media following and improve your engagement using hooks, voiceovers and captions.

Post a Series to Build an Audience: Posting a series of related content on Instagram Reels encourages people to follow your account for more.
Leverage Facebook for content distribution: Leverage your content via Facebook, especially now that there is the ability to post reels.
Casual Setup and Filming: Avoid overstylizing your shots and use an iPhone for filming.
Longer Form Content for TikTok: TikTok strategy includes using longer videos to qualify for the creator fund (i.e. monetization).
Variable Posting Frequency: The frequency with which you post can vary without it necessarily affecting your views (e.g. daily, weekly, bi-weekly etc.).
Caption This: Detailed captions on Instagram Reels are emphasized for audience engagement.
Your Voice = Engagement: Voiceovers are crucial for engagement, especially on TikTok.
Showing Your Face: Showing one's face is not necessary for content success; Lexi suggests you focus instead on compelling hooks.
Practice, Practice, Practice: Experiment with different hooks to capture audience attention and drive engagement.

Connect with Lexi Harrison

Website | Instagram

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In this episode, Megan explores the transformative power of visualization, focusing on five steps to help you manifest your dreams.

Megan explains why visualization is essential in accelerating personal and professional goals. Visualizing your dreams involves more than just imagining; it entails embodying the emotions and sensations associated with achieving your desires and requires clarity, belief, and inspired action in the process.

Megan covers the following key points:

Know What You Want: Clearly define your goals, whether they involve material possessions, experiences, or personal growth. Be open to flexibility in the details while maintaining clarity on your desires.
Understand Why You Want It: Dig deep into the reasons behind your aspirations. Your true motivations often extend beyond surface-level desires and connect to deeper values and emotions.
Believe It Is Yours: Embrace a mindset of unwavering belief that your dreams are within reach. Visualize them as if they are already manifesting in your life, amplifying the emotions of gratitude and fulfillment.
Release and Trust: Surrender control over the "how" and trust in the universe, God, or your higher power to orchestrate the details. Let go of doubt and have faith that your intentions will materialize in due time.
Take Inspired Action: Remain open to signs and inspirations that guide you towards your goals. Act upon these insights with confidence and determination, knowing that each step brings you closer to realizing your dreams.

Get in touch with Megan if there is a specific mindset and self-care topic you'd like her to cover.

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In episode 495, Megan chats to Ashley Covelli about how to host successful virtual or in-person cooking classes, including technical setup, engagement strategies, and pricing considerations.

Ashley Covelli is the food photographer, recipe developer, and culinary instructor behind Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen and the co-founder of Passing the Plate. She loves helping busy people find time to cook delicious meals while reducing the amount of stress, money, and waste involved in the process. She believes in the restorative and joyful practice of sharing meals in the community, preserving the recipes of our ancestors, and cooking as a way of creating memories with loved ones. Ashley’s legitimately tiny kitchen is located in Ossining, New York, where she lives with her husband, son, and a feisty rescue cat. Her professional background is in graphic design and fine art, and she brings that aesthetic to her culinary creations.

In this episode, you’ll learn about how to generate additional income through cooking classes and finer details like creating a welcoming environment, managing class logistics, and striking a balance between preparation and execution.

Diversify Revenue Streams: Consider various income sources like sponsored posts, affiliates, and teaching classes to sustain your business.
Protect Your Energy Levels: Avoid overcommitting to classes or projects to maintain balance and prevent burnout.
Factor in Prep Work: Acknowledge the extensive preparation involved in virtual classes, including recipe testing, setup, teaching, and cleanup.
Test Your Gear: Prioritize tech checks and microphone charging to ensure smooth virtual class experiences.
Encourage Audience Interaction: Create a welcoming environment by inviting questions and feedback during classes.
Be Prepared for Tech Glitches: Stay calm and adaptable in case of technical issues during live sessions.
Use Instagram Stories: Use platforms like Instagram Stories to practice and improve comfort with video content.
Engage Authentically: Embrace imperfection and genuine interactions to connect with your audience effectively.

Connect with Ashley Covelli

Website | Instagram

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In episode 494, Ella Gilbert talks about how to create extra income streams for your business through freelancing while still maintaining time for your blog.

Ella is a food blogger focused on cozy and approachable recipes for the modern baker and home cook. Ella is also a food photographer and writer for other food bloggers.

In this episode, you’ll learn about the viability of having a career in freelancing, how to build your personal brand, develop strong relationships and manage your time.

Freelancing as a Viable Career: Freelancing offers a viable career path, providing opportunities for individuals to showcase their skills and expertise in a flexible and independent manner.
Personal Branding: Building a strong personal brand is crucial in freelancing, enabling freelancers like Ella to differentiate themselves and attract clients based on their unique skills, experience, and reputation.
Client Relationship Management: Clear communication, transparency, and professionalism foster long-term client partnerships.
Continuous Skill Development: Freelancers need to prioritize continuous skill development to stay relevant in the ever-evolving market, by consistently upgrading skills and knowledge.
Time Management and Discipline: Managing time effectively and maintaining discipline are essential for freelancers to balance multiple projects, meet deadlines, and maintain a sustainable work-life balance.
Value Proposition: Ella stresses the importance of articulating a clear value proposition to potential clients, demonstrating how freelancers can communicate the benefits of their services and expertise to meet client needs effectively.
Financial Management: Freelancers need to prioritize financial management, including budgeting, invoicing, and tax considerations, to ensure financial stability and sustainability in their freelance careers.
Work-Life Balance: Maintaining a healthy work-life balance is essential for freelancers' well-being and productivity - set boundaries and allocate time for personal pursuits and relaxation.
Adaptability and Resilience: Freelancers must be adaptable and resilient in the face of challenges and uncertainties, demonstrating the ability to navigate setbacks, learn from failures, and persevere in pursuing their career goals.

Connect with Alpine Ella

Website | Instagram

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In this episode, Megan explores the 5 steps to release business grudges and why it’s important for our blogging career and mental health.

It is important to address business grudges, because they can evolve into significant mental burdens affecting various aspects of our lives. From negative comments and unsolicited advice to challenges with platforms like Facebook, Megan unveils the common grudges that plague the food blogging community.

She covers the following key points:

Defined and Acknowledge the Grudge: Identify the business grudge occupying the most mental space and write down specific details.
Write Out Your Grudge Story: Delve into your grudges, answering why you hold them and exploring the emotions associated with these grievances.
Analyze Your Grudge Story: Take a step back, analyzing the grudge story with a big picture lens. By distancing yourself from the emotions, you can identify patterns and underlying issues.
Rewrite Your Grudge Story: Reframe the narrative with a collaborative and empathetic tone. By taking responsibility for our attitudes, we can shift the perspective and find positive aspects even in challenging situations.
Release Your Grudge and Forgive: The final step involves a powerful declaration of release and forgiveness.

Get in touch with Megan if there is a specific mindset and self-care topic you'd like her to cover.

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In episode 492, Megan chats to Murielle Banackissa about how to create inspirational food photography and tell a story using lighting, props, food and textures.

Murielle Banackissa is a food photographer, food stylist, YouTuber, and soon-to-be cookbook author based in Montreal, Canada. Outside of spending hours developing new recipes and shooting them in her home studio, Murielle loves getting lost in good books, designing her bullet journal spreads, sipping on warm beverages, and going on long walks. She draws a lot of inspiration from the colors and textures found in nature. From water droplets to the sun shining through the leaves early in the morning and the orange glow of summer nights, Murielle loves paying attention to the magic surrounding her as a way to feel more grounded and present.

In this episode, you’ll learn how to improve your food photography, from setting mood and learning from others to practical advice such as which lenses are best depending on where you are in your own food blogging journey.

Intentional Photography - Tell a story by focusing on details, intention, and purpose, bringing elements like family history and special moments into visuals.
Create Atmosphere - Consider the story and mood behind a recipe.
Moody Photography - Moody photography evoke comfort and warmth. Achieve this style using black foam boards to control natural light and creating a cozy atmosphere.
Learning from Others - Look at the work of other photographers for inspiration. Analyze behind-the-scenes content and experiment with different techniques.
Creative Seasons - Accept the non-linear nature of the creative journey.
Favorite Lens - Use a 50mm F1.8 lens, particularly for those starting in food photography. This lens allows for a low F-stop, enabling a beautiful blurry background and focus on the main subject.
Macro Shots Capture Close-Up Details - It also highlight textures, decadence, and intricate elements of the food.
Observing Light - It’s important to observe and understand natural light. Recognizing how different lighting conditions affect food can help develop a unique style and improve photography skills.

Connect with Murielle Banackissa

Website | Instagram

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In episode 491, Jacqueline Debono teaches us how to grow an engaged audience of email subscribers by sending authentic newsletters.

Jacqueline is a Brit living in Verona Italy for 20 years, happily married to a wonderful Sicilian. Jacqueline has a love of Italian food, particularly pasta and so 7 years ago she started her blog about Italian pasta, including only authentic Italian recipes for all kinds of pasta (dried, fresh, homemade). Her original goal was to feature as many types of pasta as she could (with recipes). So far Jacqueline has about 400 recipes for 80 types of pasta! Many more to go! Jacqueline got accepted to MediaVine in 2019 (with 25k sessions) now at 190-200k sessions a month. She can say it's a pretty successful niche blog. But then everybody loves pasta, right?

In this episode, you’ll learn how to grow your newsletter subscription base using personal anecdotes, insights into your own life and evergreen content, as well as finding out how often to send out emails to your subscribers.

Apply A Growth Strategy: How to approach growing your email subscribers, including the use of the MediaVine subscribe widget, social media, and regular newsletters.
Add a Personal Touch: Adding personal elements about your own life into your newsletter, like failures or anecdotes, can lead to increased engagement and a healthy circle of followers.
How to Monetize Newsletters: Strategies include the creation of paid-for eBooks and addition of affiliate links.
Build Relationships With Your Subscribers: Newsletters offer the opportunity to build real relationships with subscribers, even leading to in-person meetings.
Use Social Media Influence: Using success on other platforms such as Facebook is a great way to encourage newsletter sign-ups.
Content Reusability: Reusing content, especially recipes, is a unique advantage for food bloggers with evergreen content.
Build Subscriber Loyalty: Email subscribers tend to be the most loyal followers, engaging through comments and emails, providing a dedicated audience.
A Blogger's Passion Is Important: Appealing to the passion or interests of the target audience, Jacqueline focused on Italy and Italian food as an example.

Connect with Jacqueline Debono

Website | Instagram

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In this episode, Megan shares quick ways to boost your mood and feel good instantly.

When we're going through a tough time, we ironically resist positive activities. Find out how to overcome this barrier with a set of easy ways to feel good instantly and create your own personalized list of activities that bring you joy.

Megan covers the following key points:

Breathe: Explore the power of intentional breathing, giving you instant relief and rejuvenation.
Express Gratitude for Another Human: Express gratitude, focusing on specific individuals who bring joy and support. Take immediate action to convey appreciation.
Hydrate: Use quick hydration as a simple yet effective way to improve mood and energy levels.
Quick Workout Burst: Do a brief one to five-minute workout to instantly boost energy and improve mood.
Get Out in Nature: Spend just a few minutes outdoors, connecting with the environment and experiencing the instant mood-lifting effects.

Get in touch with Megan if there is a specific mindset and self-care topic you'd like her to cover.

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In episode 489, Megan chats to Shannon Peel about how we can craft our business brand story in a unique and engaging way to resonate with the right people at the right time.

Shannon Peel has over 30 years experience in marketing, sales, advertising, and storytelling. Due to her insatiable curiosity and desire to learn new things, Shannon has a unique skill set enabling her to see how all the pieces of a brand story come together to guide an audience from brand awareness to brand advocacy. She recently published her interactive, multimedia digital book called BrandAPeel: Brand Storytelling in the Digital Age filled with videos, podcast episodes, and downloadable workbooks to help small businesses define their brands and create content to tell their stories.

In this episode, you’ll learn about various aspects of effective business brand storytelling, including finding your core values, determining your voice, mapping out a digital footprint, and so much more.

Define Your Core Values: Identify five core values that truly reflect who you are and go beyond surface-level definitions.
Brand Storytelling Do’s and Don’ts: Brand storytelling involves narrating your journey, experiences, and values and telling your audience’s story in a way that invites them to connect with your brand.
Communicate Your Challenges: When sharing vulnerable stories, it's essential to shift from a victim mindset to a hero mindset.
Maintain a Consistent Brand Voice: It is key to building trust and meeting audience expectations.
Map Your Digital Footprint: Understand where your audience hangs out online and create a strategy to meet them there. Conduct a brand audit or involve trusted peers to evaluate your online presence and ensure a cohesive journey from discovery to engagement.
Organize Your Content: Consider creating an index or an interactive digital book that guides your audience from one piece of content to the next.
Create Year-long E-Newsletters to Sustain Engagement: Develop a series of e-newsletters linked to your digital book, offering readers a continuous stream of content.
Brand Guides for Consistent Messaging: Establish a brand guide detailing voice, fonts, colors, mission, and vision statements.

Connect with Shannon peel

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In episode 488, Erin Harding guides us through the essential steps for food bloggers looking to leverage Pinterest ads successfully.

Erin is the Director of Pinterest Ads Management at Simple Pin Media. For 8 years she has been bringing the power of Pinterest to brands and businesses, large and small. While she started out developing & managing organic strategies, she is now managing hundreds of thousands of dollars in ad spend for brands on Pinterest.

In this episode, you’ll learn about the requirements you need in order to advertise on Pinterest, whether it is right for you and three key points to create successful ad campaigns on Pinterest.

Prepare Your Offer: Ensure your product or lead magnet is ready for advertising, and consider its circulation and success on other platforms.
Understand the Pinterest Mindset: Recognize that Pinterest is a visual search platform, not social media. Meet users at every stage of their journey, from inspiration to decision-making.
Run Ads For A Period of Time: Pinterest ads are not an overnight solution. Plan to run ads for a minimum of 8-12 weeks.
Budget wisely: Plan for 8 to 12 weeks of consistent advertising with a budget ranging from $20 to $100 per campaign per day, depending on your goals and the nature of your offer.
Advertising is an Investment: Know what your budget is before you start. Whether you hire an agency or run ads on your own, set a budget that is comfortable and stick to it.
Outsource Pinterest Advertising: Can you run Pinterest ads on your own and what are the advantages of hiring an agency?

Connect with Erin Harding

Website | Instagram

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In today’s Mindset & Self-care episode, Megan shares how five of her favorite books changed her life, delving into topics such as thinking yourself to wealth, habits that shape success, the importance of gratitude and living in the present.

Books have the potential to reshape your mindset and enhance your self-care practices. Megan emphasizes this through anecdotes from her own life, touching on the contents of each book and how it can change your life.

Thinking Yourself to Wealth and Happiness: Explore the timeless wisdom of "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill, a classic that unravels the secrets of building wealth and attracting positive influences into your life.
Habits That Shape Success:"Atomic Habits" by James Clear, a book that simplifies the process of developing good habits and how small changes can lead to significant improvements in your life.
Living in the Present Moment: "The Power of Now" by Eckhart Tolle is a transformative guide that emphasizes the importance of living in the present moment and escaping the trap of constant thinking about the past and future.
Letting Go: The Pathway of Surrender by David R. Hawkins: How can you find release from life's challenges and the emotional baggage we carry? This book prompts self-reflection on resentments and the freedom that comes with letting go.
Mindset Shift with "The Gap and the Gain”: During the hardest time in your life, you can adopt a life-changing mindset. Instead of focusing on the negative, shift from a gap to a gain perspective to appreciates incremental progress, leading to increased gratitude, accomplishment, and motivation across various life areas.

Get in touch with Megan if there is a specific mindset and self-care topic you'd like her to cover.

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In episode 486, Megan chats to Janessa Heck about 10 ways to manage health issues and diet restrictions while food blogging.

As an avid cook, baker and food blog reader, Janessa long dreamed of starting her own food blog and finally took the plunge in December 2020. Janessa focuses on easy, healthier recipes made mostly with whole food ingredients as well as oat flour baking. After a year of plugging away at it as a hobby, she decided she wanted to treat it as a business and started to learn about SEO in January of 2022. The Nessy Kitchen grew from less than 1000 visitors in February 2022 to over 100 000 monthly visitors 18 months later. Janessa lives in Alberta, Canada and in her free time you can find her enjoying yoga, reading or in the Rocky Mountains skiing in the winter and paddleboarding or hiking in the summer.

In this episode, you’ll learn how you can carry on blogging throughout health obstacles including selecting a group of trusted taste testers, exploring non-recipe content and selecting recipes that align with new dietary recommendations.

Trusted Taste Testers: During times of reduced appetite or illness, having a group of trusted taste testers can help ensure the quality of recipes even if the blogger cannot taste them personally.
Consistency with Adjusted Frequency: Bloggers can maintain consistency by adjusting the posting frequency.
Non-Recipe Content: Explore non-recipe content to provide valuable information to the audience without the need for recipe testing and tasting.
Update Old Recipes: Revise and update old recipes, leveraging existing content and photos.
Publish Previously Tested Recipes: Share recipes that have been previously tested, even if not initially pursued, as a way to maintain consistency and offer unexpected surprises.
Consider Dietary Changes: Explore recipes aligned with any dietary changes the blogger may be experiencing.
Outsourcing: If feasible, consider outsourcing tasks like photography during times of reduced well-being to lighten the workload and maintain blog activity.
Avoid Comparisons: Refrain from comparing one's blog progress to others, as each blogger's journey is unique.
It's Okay to Take Time Off: Recognize that it's acceptable to take breaks when needed to prioritize well-being and avoid burnout.
Make Peace with Pivoting Plans: Be flexible with goals and plans, acknowledging that unexpected changes may lead to new and positive outcomes.

Connect with Janessa Heck

Website | Instagram

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In episode 485, Hanelore Dumitrache teaches us how to use AI to improve our workflows and how to write prompts to get personalized blog posts.

Hanelore is a London-based architect turned recipe developer and food blogger. In 2020, she won the international Netflix show 'Crazy Delicious', which opened new doors into blogging as a career. Since 2022, you will find Hanelore focusing entirely on growing her blog SugarYums.com, where she shares delicious Asian desserts, drinks, and street food. A tech geek at heart, she is fully immersed in all things AI and is constantly on the lookout for new tools that can streamline her work.

In this episode, you’ll learn how to incorporate AI into your workflow, speeding up blog post writing using tools, like ChatGPT, and teaching AI how to mimic your writing style.

AI tools like ChatGPT can PREDICT and replicate patterns in HUMAN SPEECH.
AI can TAKE PRESSURE OFF when it comes to the most time-consuming tasks.
How can you PERSONALIZE what AI writes?
Apply the concept of CIDI (context, instruction, details, input).
Train AI to MIMIC your WRITING STYLE by giving it example texts.
Does Google PENALIZE AI-generated content?
Maintain your personal VOICE and BRAND.
If you use AI to write content, DISCLOSE this on your blog.

Connect with Hanelore Dumitrache

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In episode 484, Megan teaches us why our energy is a precious resource and five effective ways to safeguard it.

In this episode, you’ll learn the significance of understanding that our energy isn't limitless. We explore five practical ways to protect and replenish our energy, essential for maintaining overall well-being and thriving in our personal and professional lives.

Megan covers the following key points:

Analyze Historical Data: Reflect on past experiences to identify patterns and triggers affecting your energy. Learn from the past to make informed decisions for the future.
Evaluate Your People: Recognize relationships that may drain your energy. You can manage interactions to preserve your emotional well-being.
Manage Inputs and Outputs: Discover strategies to control the information you consume and how you respond to it. Establish boundaries to prevent energy depletion from external sources.
Make a Plan: Plan your year, month and week ahead of time to reduce stress and efficiently use your energy. Implementing simple planning routines can transform your week and enhance productivity.
Fill Your Tank: Acknowledge activities or moments that replenish your energy. Make a list of what brings you joy and vitality so that you can recharge your energy when needed.

Get in touch with Megan if there is a specific mindset and self-care topic you'd like her to cover.

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In episode 483, Megan chats to Nosheen Babar about finding our purpose, knowing exactly why we create content and who the content is for.

As a first-generation immigrant from Pakistan, Nosheen is a self-trained home cook turned recipe developer, food photographer, and content creator. Nosheen started her blog 3 years ago to create a reference tool for people interested in exploring authentic Pakistani cooking. She is using her 30+ years of cooking experience to create recipes that are accessible, foolproof, and adaptable for her audience. Her goal is to take you on a culinary journey through Pakistan and showcase its cuisine along with its rich history and cultural influences.

In this episode, you’ll learn why having a clear purpose can be a game-changer for your blog, even if it takes time to grow, and how to use your WHY to guide you in the right direction and set achievable goals.

WHY did you start your blog and WHAT do you hope to achieve?
A WRITTEN PURPOSE combined with a CONTENT AUDIT will help you hone down on your content strategy.
How does your why influence your BUSINESS STRATEGY?
How to PRIORITIZE to set definitive and achievable goals for your brand.
Purpose will help you stay FOCUSED and not get distracted.
If your blog aligns with your why, it’s easier to STAY CONSISTENT.
Identify the NEEDS of your AUDIENCE through analytics.
Don’t be afraid to GROW SLOWLY but with clarity.

Connect with Nosheen Babar

Website | Instagram

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In episode 482, Rae Aflatooni teaches us her best tips on how to get through hard times and why she focuses on success and learning instead of failure.

Rae Aflatooni, the voice behind Raepublic, has an MS in Nutrition and Functional Medicine. She enjoys creating content with the aim to assist people who have experienced trauma to live a more holistic, well-balanced life. Through nutrition, plant-based eating, sustainable living, mindfulness, and movement.

In this episode, you’ll learn how to keep going with your blogging business when you feel like you’re failing, other tangible things you can do to grow your business and how to make sure your mindset and self-care is on the right track.

Be okay with changes when life happens - sometimes you have to take a BREAK.
Should you start a new social media account if you’re STRUGGLING TO GROW an old account?
Use online resources to REGAIN FOCUS.
Learn how SEO tools like RankIQ can really improve your site traffic.
ITEMIZE, PRIORITIZE, and EVALUATE what you can outsource to a software solution or to another person/company.
START your day with GRATITUDE, using the mindset that you get to do what you do.
There isn’t success or failure, just SUCCESS and LEARNING.
Set a TIMER for TASKS and stick to it - for example don’t check emails 20 times per day.
Whether it takes them 10 years or 1 year to monetize, listen and learn from other bloggers.

Connect with Rae Aflatooni

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In episode 481, Megan shares 5 phrases we can use to take back control and reprogram our subconscious so that we can fulfil our aspirations.

Subconscious beliefs and behaviour often control the trajectory of our lives and businesses. In this episode, you’ll learn why ‘unconscious programming’ stunt the potential of our businesses, how to identify the triggers of misguided beliefs and how a simple, repeated phrase can change what we think and do.

Megan explores these topics:

How can you get RID OF FEAR? (e.g. fear of failure, fear of the unknown, comparison…)
Invite more GOOD THINGS into your life by acknowledging your gratitude.
Why is it detrimental to ignore the SMALL DETAILS in your life that need ATTENTION?
How can you reprogram your subconscious to ATTRACT MORE MONEY into your life?
REPEAT “I live a life of EASE” or fill in the quality or asset you most want for your life.

Get in touch with Megan if there is a specific mindset and self-care topic you'd like her to cover.

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In episode 480, Liz Wilcox teaches us simple, yet effective email marketing strategies, including how we can streamline the writing process and make our emails relatable.

The Fresh Princess of Email Marketing, Liz Wilcox is an Email Strategist and Keynote Speaker. She shows small businesses how to build online relationships, package up their “magic” and turn it into emails that people want to read and, most importantly, purchase from. Liz is best known for her 3500+ users membership, 20 Minute Newsletter technique, and the Email Staircase framework she’s taught to tens of thousands of creatives, freelancers, ecommerce shop owners, and small businesses across the globe.

In this episode, you’ll learn the different components of a welcome series, simple ways to structure newsletters and how to reframe the way you think about email.

Email marketing is a MONEYMAKING activity.
You're converting FOLLOWERS into FRIENDS into customers.
Use a well-structured WELCOME SERIES to convert a follower into a friend.
Add an essence of your PERSONALITY and VISION in your welcome sequence.
Share your VALUES, so that your email subscribers know what to expect.
Be RELATABLE in your emails - that means it’s okay not to be perfect!
The simplest way to properly warm up a NEW LEAD.
Simplify your emails so that you can STAY CONSISTENT with weekly newsletters.
How to write emails that DON'T suck or SUCK UP TIME.

Connect with Liz Wilcox

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In episode 479, Megan chats to Lynn Polito about whether we should still be making Web Stories and how they can help us bulk up our blog traffic.

Lynn has been a food blogger for a little over 2.5 years. Her niche is creating recipes using 10 ingredients or less. She also focuses on almost all of the ingredients being pantry staples.

In this episode, you’ll learn how to create web stories, what animations to use and other logistics to make them go viral and boost your site traffic.

Use web stories to BOOST TRAFFIC to your blog without having to post new content frequently.
It can help your post appear in GOOGLE DISCOVER.
Choose SEASONAL RECIPES for web stories.
What should you put in a web story in terms of SLIDES AND ANIMATIONS?
Post web stories CONSISTENLY and track results.
You can SCHEDULE web stories in advance.
What should you change when DUPLICATING a web story?
The new Google algorithm is not pushing web stories as much, but it's still a good SOURCE OF TRAFFIC and WORTH THE TIME investment.

Connect with Lynn Polito

Website | Instagram

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Welcome to the first ever Mindset and Self-Care episode here on Eat Blog Talk! Every Wednesday, Megan will pop in for a few minutes to talk about key topics concerning mindset and how to look after ourselves as entrepreneurs. In this episode, she shares 5 ways in which we can pull ourselves out of a slump and rediscover our mojo for life and blogging!

Knowledge and blogging hacks won’t get you very far if you don’t have the right mindset and self-care strategies to help prevent burnout and build resilience for when the going gets tough. In episode 478, you’ll learn 5 easy strategies that you can do every day to help reinvigorate you and get you back on track towards achieving your blogging goals.

How can you create daily quiet time so that you actually feel calmer (and why is it life-changing)?
Learn how to make small upgrades to your life daily.
Improvements to your life can be fun and easy - go for a haircut, get your nails done, declutter a drawer!
Don’t underestimate the power of extending love to someone every day.
Take time to be creative.
Why is gratitude the easiest, quickest way to pull yourself out of a slump?

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In episode 477, Andrea Liebross teaches us an easy, 5-step process to think big, do big things and take big leaps in our life and business this year.

Andrea Liebross is a business and life coach specializing in working with unapologetically ambitious women entrepreneurs from a variety of industries. A speaker and host of the Time to Level Up podcast, Andrea guides her clients to combine Big Thinking with solid systems that work together to unleash their success and find the freedom of time, money, and energy they crave. She is excited about the release of her book She Thinks Big: The Entrepreneurial Woman’s Guide to Moving Past the Messy Middle and into the Extraordinary in the fall.

In this episode, you’ll learn the method Andrea developed around the acronym TRUST to help you be a bigger thinker and push yourself beyond your comfort zone to get closer to your true potential.

What ACTIONS would the Future You take today to bring you CLOSER to your GOAL?
Analyse your THOUGHT OPTIONS and adjust your thinking.
Give as much airtime to POSITIVE OUTCOMES as you would to negative outcomes.
Do you have a SUPPORT STRUCTURE outside of your family?
Look for support from someone who will ask you the HARD QUESTIONS in a loving way.
TAKE ACTION following valuable advice.
Ask yourself, what is the WORST THING that can happen?

Connect with Andrea Liebross

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Are you ready for 2024? In this episode, Megan Porta explains how we can make 2024 our best year ever, including planning strategies, mindset and self-care and how to deal with uncertainty.

In this episode, you’ll learn Megan’s planning strategy, how to make the most of everything Eat Blog Talk has to offer, other helpful resources and why mindset and self-care are essential to remain motivated and healthy as an entrepreneur.

Block off 2-4 hours in your calendar to PLAN THE YEAR ahead.
Create a few simple lists - one for YOUR WINS from 2023 and one for YOUR CHALLENGES.
Based off of your lists, what should you DO MORE of and what should you AVOID in 2024?
Make another list for small improvements or UPGRADES you can make to your life.
Write a letter to your FUTURE SELF of everything you want to ACCOMPLISH this year.
Surround yourself by POSITIVE people who inspire OPTIMISM.
How can you be PROACTIVE about MINDSET and SELF-CARE?
What should your FOCUS be for 2024?
Throughout any uncertainty, keep your USER at the top of your mind.

For the full list of resources mentioned in the episode, go to eatblogtalk.com/2024kickoff

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In episode 475, Megan chats to Jacqui Wormington about how our community’s purpose and core values should form the foundation of our actions.

Jacqui started food blogging around 3 years ago as a hobby and got more serious last year. At first, it was to hold herself accountable for being vegan and sharing the food she loves to create with people. Jacqui has always loved online communities. She has enjoyed creating a safe space for people to learn about the vegan lifestyle, while also connecting with like-minded people to share more about each other than just food.

In this episode, you’ll learn how to identify the values and purpose of your community so that you can choose the right platform, create valuable, relatable content and build personal relationships with your readers.

Select the social media channel that best SUITS your TARGET AUDIENCE and content type.
Regularly share CONTENT that aligns with your community's INTERESTS and VALUES.
How can you PARTICIPATE in conversations within your COMMUNITY to keep them ENGAGED?
BOOST ENGAGEMENT by encouraging your community members to CONTRIBUTE their content.
How can you EMPOWER your community members?
Use FEEDBACK from your community to understand their NEEDS and IMPROVE your content.
Go beyond the screen and BUILD personal RELATIONSHIPS with your community members.
Show that you genuinely CARE about their SUCCESS and WELL-BEING.

Connect with Jacqui Wormington

Website | Instagram

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In episode 474, Kathleen Phillips teaches us 10 unique ways to grow our network and create valuable opportunities for our blogs.

Kathleen Phillips is a cookbook author and professional food stylist. She is the creator and digital publisher of her food blog GritsAndGouda.com. Drawing upon years of experience as a test kitchen director (Oxmoor House-former cookbook publisher for Southern Living/Cooking Light/and more), she takes traditional Southern recipes and makes them with a shortcut so you can enjoy them faster. She likes to say she’s “Short and Southern, just like her recipes”. She incorporates fresh ingredients from her own garden as well as local, seasonal ingredients. Her love for local farmers led to her becoming one of the first Sweet Grown Alabama ambassadors.

In this episode, you’ll learn different ways to make long-term connections that will help you grow your center of influence and reach your goals quicker.

Networking is most valuable when you have a clear goal in mind.
You cannot predict where the connections you make today might lead you in the future.
Reach out to a big blogger in your niche and ask to meet for coffee.
Comment on other bloggers social media - use their first name in comments to have more impact.
Why should you join your Chamber of Commerce?
Contact the PR person for cooking stages at large home shows and women's shows.
Find unique locations in your area where you can teach cooking classes.
Reach out to local TV stations to be on morning cooking segments.
Contact local print and digital magazines to feature your recipes.

Connect with Kathleen Phillips

Website | Instagram

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In episode 473, Megan chats to Aimee Pruett about the benefits of food blog audits and common mistakes bloggers make when they audit their sites.

Aimee is the creator of the Food Banjo blog. She has almost 20 years experience in marketing and over 7 years running a food blog. As part of her marketing job, Aimee performed over 100 website audits throughout her career, so she decided to bring her marketing know-how and food blogging love together to do food blog audits.

In this episode, you’ll learn how to do a a food blog audit, how it differs from an SEO audit and how it can impact your blog’s growth.

Do regular food blog audits to get perspective on your blog’s progress.
Blog audits look at branding, promotions, site experience and other elements.
It does not look at SEO in-depth (only a high-level analysis).
Do a professional audit when you hit a wall and you don’t know what to do next.
Find out if you're on the right track and uncover opportunities that you may be missing.
How often should you do a blog audit?
Start your self-audit by placing yourself in a user’s shoes.
Pay attention to your Google Analytics and any reoccurring trends.
What are the most common site mistakes food bloggers make?
Prioritize the most important improvements you have identified for your site.

Connect with Aimee Pruett

Website | Instagram

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In episode 472, Cliff Ravenscraft teaches us his 10-step formula for how to achieve any goal.

Cliff Ravenscraft a Master Business Coach, Mentor & Speaker. His focus is to help you break free from any beliefs and/or behaviors that are holding you back from living the life of your dreams and doing the work you feel most called to do in this world.

In this episode, you’ll learn why goal-setting is important for food bloggers and how to overcome limiting beliefs that are holding you back from achieving your dreams.

Be very specific about what you want.
Filter all your goals into the top 3 and prioritize them.
Believe that it’s possible - otherwise you won’t put time and effort into it.
How do you eliminate any doubt around the goal you want to achieve?
You are more likely to achieve your goal if you write it down.
Vision boards are powerful reminders of our goals - get an object that represents your dream.
Tell others about your goal - they might have the missing elements to achieving it.
Create a Massive Action Plan - what’s one, two, or three actions I can take within the next 24 hours, 7 days, 30 days etc.?
Evaluate your results, categorize as desired or undesired.
If they are undesired, how can you improve your approach?

Connect with Cliff Ravenscraft

Website | Instagram

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In episode 471, Megan chats to Liz Douglas about her short-form video strategy that helped her grow her Instagram account to over 200k followers.

Elizabeth is a food buyer and product developer turned plant-based foodie influencer at Glow Diaries. Elizabeth chose the vegan path in 2019 and it sparked a love of exploratory cooking. She then started an Instagram page not long after but didn't see much growth until she began consistently posting reels in late 2021. Elizabeth’s account grew from 12k followers in early 2022 to 202k followers in just over a year, with most growth happening in spurts of 40k followers in one month. Once she started directing traffic to her blog, she qualified for Raptive within a few months thanks to viral reels. She loves to create easy wholesome plant-based recipe ideas, help other content creators and she also hosts her own podcast, Thrive Diaries, which is all about lifestyle, wellness and personal development.

In this episode, you’ll learn how to use your iPhone to film, the right hook for your video, common mistakes you can easily avoid and clever editing techniques to keep your audience engaged.

Get lucrative brand sponsorships if you have an engaged audience on Instagram.
Instagram can drive traffic to your blog, increasing your page sessions fast.
What are the best-performing food videos on social media?
Food videos on social media are mainly for entertainment.
Film aesthetic videos with an iPhone - finding the balance between realistic but still drool worthy.
Use voiceover and putting yourself on camera to tell your story and build connection with your audience.
Open your video with a lot of action and a hook to keep your audience engaged.
Use intrigue to keep your audience watching.
Make sure that you cut your video in a fast-paced style - you don’t have to show every step.
Do you really have to post every day to gain many new followers?

Connect with Liz Douglas

Website | Instagram

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In episode 470, Anja Eckert teaches us how to keep going despite setbacks caused by major changes in the blogging industry or in our personal lives.

Anja’s been a food and lifestyle blogger since 2018. What first started as a pet project, turned into an almost full-time job after a severe knee injury that prevented her from continuing on as Yoga teacher. In March 2020, Anja was at almost 25k sessions when MediaVine raised their requirement to 50k. It took her another setback and 3 years to finally reach the 50k. Refusing to give up, continually learning and upgrading, and remembering her “why”, were the qualities that got her to the goal.

In this episode, you’ll learn how to persevere through blogging challenges especially by understanding your ‘why’ and nurturing a strong mindset around it.

Define your ‘why’ and visualize it.
When you feel like giving up, think of your ‘why’.
How to deal with potential setbacks from Google Updates and other changes.
Diversify your income so that you don’t rely only on your blog.
Use your email lists, look into sponsorships or create courses within your niche.
Create an additional revenue stream through a digital product catered to your niche.
When things aren’t going well, they can only get better.
We tend to dwell on negative experiences and forget positive ones.
Find a supportive community that you can rely on.

Connect with Anja Eckert

Website | Instagram

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In episode 469, Megan chats to Callan Wenner about how she planned and executed a schedule and content calendar so that she could take 4 months off for maternity leave.

Callan started her food blog, The Cozy Plum, in spring 2020 with a focus on elevating classic baked goods and savory appetizers and small bites. After quickly honing in on her photography and videography skills, as well as thorough recipe development techniques, she was able to quit her corporate job after a year and a half to pursue The Cozy Plum full-time.

In this episode, you’ll learn how to stay efficient and organized, creating a month-to-month calendar for the year, outsourcing tasks and using project management software to stay on track.

Define the priorities and goals for the year, and for the months you are taking off.
Create a month-to-month calendar for the year with each week having a general focus.
Create weekly/daily tasks each week from there.
Build in buffers and scheduled time off, but keep to the schedule as closely as possible.
Outsource what you can and create a strong SOP to help keep your hands off.
Be as efficient as possible by combining process shots and video during shoots.
Use project management software to help keep you on track - review your daily to-do every evening/morning.
Have a go-getter attitude - it will be more work than usual up front, but will be worth it once the time comes.
Let go of the need to grind and enjoy that time off.

Connect with Callan Wenner

Website | Instagram

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In episode 468, Emily Rhodes teaches us the value of a hyper-niche blog and how to make an income from it.

Emily started Steam & Bake a little over 10 years ago. Emily is now a journalist and nutritionist, but at that time, she was a home economist and demonstrator for a global appliances manufacturer. Clients kept complaining about the lack of steam oven recipes and resources after they'd bought these fancy new ovens. After a couple of years in the job, Emily realized no one was coming to save these people! The manufacturers were not much help and no one else was writing recipes specifically for these appliances, so she figured she’d put a few posts up and see what happened. Fast forward a decade and Steam & Bake is the number one source of steam oven recipes on the internet, earning her an income from home while raising three boys. It absolutely blows her mind that a tiny little website in Australia has taken her to this point. Emily is grateful every day for what she gets to do.

In this episode, you’ll learn how to do keyword research for a narrow niche blog, how to diversify your income and how to deal with becoming the go-to person in your category.

Don’t choose a niche you don’t know anything about or have no interest in.
You have to be willing to go deep and wide into your topic.
What to do when you're the 'first one' or have no role models in your niche.
Your food blog role model does not have to be a blogger (for example who inspires you in the way they connect with their readers?)
Writing in a very small niche means you aren't competing with a million other blogs.
You don’t have to follow the same rules about SEO, social platforms and posting.
Find keywords that cater for what your audience wants to know and tailor popular keywords to your niche.
Diversify your income by creating cookbooks, e-books and memberships in your niche.
If you become the go-to person in your niche, you can create more opportunities for monetization.

Connect with Emily Rhodes

Website | Instagram

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In episode 467, Megan chats to Briana DeBolt and Chamere Orr about the importance of investing in our businesses instead of relying on free resources to make progress.

Briana and Chamere of A Full Living are the husband and wife team behind the website! They have been blogging (a bit aimlessly at first) since 2016, and in the past 3 years, have really dug into strategizing to the next level by improving on their photography, SEO knowledge, and hiring contractors to help them manage the day to day of their growing business. Blogging has been their full-time job since mid-2020, and are always looking to improve.

In this episode, you’ll learn why investing in aspects like SEO expertise, mentorship, photography skills and outsourcing in general is important to accelerate your blog’s growth.

Food bloggers tend to start blogging without understanding SEO and what their readers want.
”Diy-ing" your blog by using free resources might slow down your blog’s growth.
Ask yourself, what do I want to improve first and invest in a course or get help from a mentor.
Invest in the right skills, for example learning food photography, to take your business to the next level.
If you outsource, you can free up your time to prioritize another task that will grow your blog.
Start with resources like a website audit, courses or webinars to learn about targeting keywords that you can rank for.
The longer you hold off, trying to find out information for free, the longer it will take to make money.
Never stop learning! You have to stay up to date on best practices all the time.
Never assume you know it all, there is always areas to improve and learn.

Connect with Briana DeBolt & Chamere Orr

Website | Instagram

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In episode 466, Mary Ellen Valverde teaches us how to nourish our bodies and look after ourselves so that we can handle stress and avoid burnout.

Mary Ellen Valverde MS, CNS, LDN is a Licensed Nutritionist & Holistic Nourishment Coach who guides women to feel clear and confident about what is uniquely nourishing to them. She works with busy women who are frustrated and confused about wellness and helps them reframe their beliefs around food and movement, their inner wisdom, and their full potential. By using a combination of scientific research, embodiment practices, and intuition, Mary Ellen helps equip her clients with the tools they need to deeply understand their own body's unique cues, needs, and desires so they can experience true self-care free from rules and restrictions.

In this episode, you’ll learn how to take care of yourself, including paying attention to your eating habits and stress levels, and how concepts like mindfulness and play can greatly benefit you while you’re building a business.

If you’re burnout, put everything aside and take time to work on yourself.
Don’t underestimate the power of meditation.
No one’s self-care can look exactly the same, but there are 5 similarities in how we can optimally nourish ourselves.
Focus on your nervous system first and make sure you get enough rest.
Aligned eating is less about what you eat but how you eat - are you taking time to sit down and have a meal?
How can you fit movement that you enjoy into your busy schedule?
Be conscious of what your body needs most and adjust your workouts and meals to your current needs.
Mindfulness is being fully present and aware of our surroundings.
Tune in to your senses when you’re working in the kitchen.
Bring in creativity and play to feel happiness in your day and have fun.

Connect with Mary Ellen Valverde

Website | Instagram

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In episode 465, Megan chats to Liz Capozzoli about how to easily incorporate filming recipes into our business strategy.

Liz is the creator behind OwlbBaking ("I'll be baking") which is a recipe blog focused on classic homemade desserts and sweet treats. Liz has been blogging as a business since 2019 and she also did recipe development, photography and video for Mashed.com, Tastingtable.com, and has created videos for other food bloggers. Liz runs a cookie decorating online course and also has an Etsy store with baking/food related merch!

In this episode, you’ll learn how to overcome the overwhelm of creating video content for your blog, including what equipment you need, why you should write storyboards and other tips.

Video is a must for your blog and social media content.
You don’t have to show yourself on camera - there are ways around it.
Research different kinds of video styles and formats.
DIY expensive equipment like c-stand/overhead camera mounts and lighting.
Plan and prepare your scenes by writing storyboards.
Envision how you want your video to look and create a checklist for yourself so you can keep track.
Don't rush through the process as it creates unnecessary stress.
Don't worry about making mistakes while the camera is recording.
Your video doesn't need to have fancy shots or transitions to be successful.
Keep people engaged by keeping things moving quickly.

-Use one video for different platforms to save you time - for example film in 16:9 format with empty space so that you can crop it to vertical format for Instagram, TikTok and YouTube Shorts.

Connect with Liz Capozzoli

Website | Instagram

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In episode 464, Liz Thomson teaches us what to expect if we buy a second blog and how to get on to a premium ad network quickly.

Liz Thomson is a full-time content creator who has been running the blog I Heart Vegetables since 2010. She loves chatting about influencer marketing, food photography, and why everyone needs an air fryer. In this episode, you’ll learn if buying a second blog is right for you, what are the challenges and what does the process look like and to get on to an ad network quickly.

Buying another domain can be a seamless process.
Be prepared to update old content to make it SEO optimized.
Find very specific niche groups on Facebook to share recipes to.
Visual graphics like ingredient lists perform well in Facebook groups.
Use web stories to boost traffic to a new domain.
Don’t reinvent the wheel, find a template that works and duplicate it.
For a quick boost, submit a recipe to Foodtalk - a site that will share your content.
Use Flipboard for a surprisingly quick and easy source of traffic.
Should you invest time in long-term social media strategies when you’re trying to get into an ad network?
Be intentional about why you are starting a second site and what you intend to publish.

Connect with Liz Thomson

Website | Instagram

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In episode 463, Megan chats to Sonila Zarate about how food bloggers can make extra revenue through the Amazon Influencer Program.

Sonila is a mom, wife, engineer and food blogger. Sonila was born in Albania and came to the US to study engineering. She met her husband (who was born in Bolivia) while studying at University of Miami. Her everyday cooking is influenced by both Albanian and Bolivian cuisines as well as the fusion of Miami's food scene.

In this episode, you’ll learn how to apply to be an Amazon Influencer, how it works and what you can potentially earn through the program.

Amazon is looking for influencers to post review videos of products.
How is the Amazon Influencer program different to the Amazon affiliate program?
Follow the rules on the Amazon page to get accepted - the exact criteria is not disclosed.
For the review videos, pick items that are easy to demonstrate.
Horizontal videos tend to bring in more commission.
Keep videos simple and short. Shoot them as you use the products and add a voice-over.
You don’t have to focus only on your niche or food blogging in general - you can review any items.
What is the potential for income with this program?
What is an optimal workflow to run a food blog and also keep adding videos to the Amazon Influencer program?
It helps if you enjoy making videos and have some experience to do it quickly.

Connect with Sonila Zarate

Website | Instagram

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In episode 462, Christine McMichael teaches us how to balance being a blogger with taking care of our families without getting stuck in burnout.

Christine is the recipe creator and food blogger at Jar of Lemons. Jar of Lemons is a healthy recipe website focused on easy-to-find ingredients that are flavorful and creative. From comforting dinners that can be made in 30 minutes or less, to healthier takes on classic favorites, Jar Of Lemons is here to help with inspired recipes and a refreshing, relatable community. In this episode, you’ll learn productivity and time management strategies geared towards being a full-time parent while running your own business.

When you experience burnout as a parent and blogger, shift your focus back to what you love doing.
Should you remove SEO and other blogging tools to revive your passion for blogging?
Plan your content out in advance and hire help to make it easier.
Outsource where you can because it can be a game changer long-term.
Find the parenting approach that works for you - everyone is different.
Are you making space to still spend quality time with your family?
Mom guilt is normal and don’t feel like you need to do everything when it comes to your work or home.
Set realistic content creation goals.
Done is better than none - not everything will be perfect.
Avoid comparing yourself to other bloggers and stick to your boundaries.

Connect with Christine McMichael

Website | Instagram

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In episode 461, Megan chats to Brandon Gaille about why food bloggers should regularly update old content and how to do it so that you increase your Google traffic.

Brandon Gaille is an entrepreneur who founded multiple 7 figure businesses in his 20s before becoming disabled by a rare disorder for nearly a decade. He eventually regained his health and started a blog. He grew his blog to over 1 million visitors in just 18 months after his first blog post. Today, he gets 5 million monthly visitors from over 100,000 first-page Google rankings. Brandon has taught his SEO growth hacks to over 20,000 bloggers through his podcast (The Blogging Millionaire). This past year he launched RankIQ, an AI-powered SEO toolset tailored for bloggers and small businesses that have a blog. This year RankIQ was ranked #1 out of all 333 SEO tools by G2 for customer satisfaction and ease of use.

In this episode, you’ll learn about the best strategy for updating old content, including identifying posts that need updating, how often should you do it and how to balance it with new content.

If you update old posts you can increase your traffic and income from ad revenue.
It takes less time to update an old post than to create a new one.
Ideally post 8 new blog posts and update 8 old blog posts per month.
Posts which are losing traffic year over year need to be updated first.
What is the best way to update the content on a single recipe post?
How do you update a roundup-style post?
Only change the front end and tail end of your title during an update.
How long after writing a new post should you consider updating?
Keep track of your posts and when you need to update them using a planner.
RankIQ is more than just a keyword research tool, it includes a content optimization tool, content planner and more.

Connect with Brandon Gaille

Website | Facebook

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In episode 460, Laura Rike teaches us the latest Pinterest strategies for food bloggers to help us grow and monetize our blogs.

Laura Rike is a Pinterest Strategist who helps high-performing business owners implement content growth plans, outsource their visibility and steadily grow their monthly revenue through her signature growth to greatness framework with done for you services and course packages. She has helped clients and students bring in over 50k+ in monthly revenue. Her clients have become industry leaders with 6-figure businesses and are growing sustainably by ranking on the first page of Google and getting targeted email leads daily.

Laura has been featured on Social Media Examiner, Tailwind, MeetEdgar, and Ecamm Network. If you need a place to start, she offers a Pinterest foundation jumpstart here so that you can start getting more visible online & grow sustainably by ranking on the first page of Google and getting targeted email leads daily.

In this episode, you’ll learn new strategies for Idea Pins, keyword research on Pinterest and how the new concept of ‘Design Relevancy Score’ affects food bloggers.

Learn Pinterest strategies to bring in more traffic.
Don’t restart your account if you feel like you’re not getting traction.
Idea pins are going away - add links to your best performing pins.
Focus static pins on new content and don’t post too many pins too quickly.
Concentrate your boards on the pillar keywords of your blog.
Should you get rid of boards that aren’t doing well?
Insert 5-7 keywords into your descriptions and avoid hashtags.
The ideal pin size might change depending on what’s in your pin.
Design relevancy score and what that means for pin designs.
Develop a Pinterest strategy that you can stay consistent with.

Connect with Laura Like

Website | Instagram

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In episode 459, Allison Ferraro teaches us the importance of not making excuses when it comes to reaching our goals, and other easy mindset hacks to grow our blogs while keeping a healthy work-life balance.

Allison is the recipe developer and food photographer behind the baking blog, Always Eat Dessert. What began as a fun hobby back in 2014 while she pursued a career in advertising became a much-needed creative outlet when she left her job to be a stay at home mom and is now a full-fledged business sharing scratch baking recipes and baking tips. Allison lives in Philadelphia, PA with her husband, Alex, and their two children.

In this episode, you’ll learn how to cultivate the right mindset to build a successful blog while staying sane amidst various responsibilities, including goal-setting tips and focusing on a lucrative income stream before you diversify.

Stop making excuses. Don’t wait for the perfect moment to make your dreams come true.
Prioritize your goals and focus on just one at a time.
Go ahead and put all your eggs in one basket - focus on one income stream at a time.
To make a real difference, avoid shiny object syndrome.
Know what to do and where to focus when your traffic goes down.
When you feel overwhelmed, go back to your WHY - Why do you want to be a food blogger?
Set lots of small goals that lead up to your larger goals, and then celebrate every time you achieve one of your goals.
What is your next area of focus?

Connect with Allison Ferraro

Website | Instagram

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In this bonus episode, Megan chats to Melissa Erdelac about why advanced food bloggers are falling through the cracks and how to access the info we actually need.

In particular, they explain how their new initiative, The Flavor Media Summit, can help. It is a two day workshop-style event taking place May, 2nd and 3rd of 2024 in Denver. Their goal is to ensure that attendees actually walk away with a TON of value information.

Given that food blogging has made quite the transformation over the past decade, going from narrative, creative, fun hobby sites to a massive income-driven industry, it’s easy to become overwhelmed, and sometimes stagnant, as you progress along your journey.

While content creation can be a solo-preuneuer endeavor, conferences have been the catalyst for countless collaborative connections. Plus, attending an in-person event causes a major trajectory shift in mindset. Inspiration from others’ success unleashes our own personal brands’ potential!

However, once Megan and Melissa’s businesses were established and generating growing revenues, they found these events still sparked personal connections, but didn’t offer revelatory content for monetized food bloggers.

That’s why they decided to create an intimate conference for advanced food bloggers to give everyone an opportunity to nurture long-term connections and receive highly valuable content, including business tactics they can implement immediately.

In this episode, you’ll learn more about how the Flavour Media Summit can help you grow your business even further.

Mastermind groups and retreats provide bloggers with a good return on their investment.
The Flavor Media Summit combine the benefits of mastermind groups and retreats at an affordable price.
Stay on top of Google updates, AI and other changes in the blogging industry.
The FM Summit will be in a smaller setting than a large conference to allow attendees to network easily.
Speakers will deliver information in a transparent and practical way so that it is easy to implement straightaway.
Be willing to share information with fellow bloggers and learn from them.

About Flavor Media Summit

Website | Instagram

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In episode 458, Megan chats to Laura Scherb about how Substack can be used as a replacement for a blog to monetize our recipes or as an additional tool to drive traffic.

Laura is a food photographer, stylist, and writer based in Chicago, IL. Since 2017, she’s been taking pictures of food. Laura has created imagery for food blogs, restaurants, CPG brands, and cookbooks. Laura’s photography and styling have been featured on The FeedFeed, The TODAY Show, Esquire, The Spruce Eats, Eater, and FoodGawker. Aside from food photography, she’s passionate about travel, reading, writing, her cats, natural wine, and her nieces and nephew. Laura also runs a newsletter over on Substack where she enjoys talking about all of those things.

In this episode, you’ll learn how to get started on Substack, how much money can you expect to make and who will benefit most from using the platform.

What is the difference between an email list and a Substack?
Share recipes, stories and opinions with your audience without worrying about SEO and a blog.
Substack can used as a replacement for a blog or additional tool to drive traffic.
How can Substack help you make money from your recipes?
How long should your Substack content be?
Substack can benefit food bloggers even if they still have a traditional SEO-based blog.
The importance of making constant pivots in your business to create a new revenue streams.
Use Substack to grow your audience.

Connect with Laura Scherb

Website | Instagram

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In episode 457, Andrea Mut explains why she sold her bakery to become a food blogger and how to deal with being overwhelmed as we manage Google updates and other unexpected factors that affect our blog’s traffic.

Andrea's culinary journey began at age 14 when she worked in her grandparents' three restaurants. She later received formal Chef's training, and later specialized in Baking & Pastry Arts. Throughout her career, Andrea gained experience in various restaurants and bakeries, as well as teaching cooking and baking classes at both recreational and college level. Her most significant achievement was owning a successful bakery in Toronto, which she sold in 2018. In 2019, she launched her blog, My Pocket Kitchen. A few months later Andrea's blog shifted its focus when she embarked on a one-year weight loss journey. Today, Andrea shares her culinary expertise and commitment to a healthier lifestyle, offering easy-to-make, nutritious recipes with a touch of restaurant quality.

In this episode, you’ll learn about how to deal with blogging overwhelm and ways to keep yourself motivated and not give up, even when your blog traffic slows down.

Embrace the ups and downs of your blogging journey.
Don’t skimp on your blog when you get started, invest in guidance.
What to get right from the start and what can wait?
No matter what you think, SEO and keyword research are important for blog traffic.
What to do when your traffic suddenly drops.
Tap into blogging services to help alleviate the feeling of overwhelm (e.g. audit with Casey Markee).
Start with manageable steps to improve your posts’ ranking.
Mindset can make or break you in the food blogging industry.
Give yourself a break when needed.
Don’t underestimate the power of organization.

Connect with Andrea Mut

Website | Instagram

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In episode 456, Megan chats to Nick Minnick about how Chicory’s seamless, contextual shopping experience can help new and veteran bloggers monetize their blogs.

As the Vice President of Strategic Partnerships at Chicory, the leading contextual commerce advertising platform, Nick Minnick strategically builds, fosters, and oversees relationships with key recipe publishers, grocery retailers, and retail media networks. His purview spans 5,200+ recipe sites, including the Food Network, Delish, and Food52, as well as *70+ leading retailers, such as Kroger, Walmart, and Ahold Delhaize. Minnick is hyper-focused on developing partnerships that fuel synergies between Chicory’s audiences and enhance the impact of Chicory’s contextual commerce advertising solutions for retailers and CPG brands.

Minnick brings over 20 years of sales and marketing experience in the retail, CPG, shopper marketing and digital advertising sectors to his role at Chicory. Prior to joining Chicory, Nick advised retailers on their digital couponing and retail media platform development strategies while at Quotient. In addition to product development, marketing and sales roles, he led the retail in-store advertising sales and marketing teams at Valassis.

In this episode, you’ll learn how the contextual commerce advertising platform, Chicory, works, including why it improves food bloggers' site engagement and helps them make money through their blogs.

Monetize your blog using contextual commerce.
Contextual commerce advertising solutions use recipe category and ingredient data to target consumers with relevant, shoppable ads.
Benefits to shoppers include privacy and better browsing experience.
Bloggers benefit from ads that align with values and content of their blogs.
Increase site engagement by using ads relevant to your users.
Increased site engagement leads to more revenue.
Create a simple shopping experience for users.
Why does a positive shopping experience make a difference?
Gain access to consumer trends through Chicory - gain insights into your top-performing content.

*Since we recorded this podcast, Chicory's retailer partnerships have grown from 60+ to 70+.

Connect with Chicory

Website | Instagram

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In episode 455, Megan chats to Alessandra Macaluso about following our intuition and why she chose her niche of seasonal eating and the impact it has had on her blog and life.

Alessandra Macaluso is the author of What a Good Eater!, Lucy the Bee and the Healing Honey, and The Real-Deal Bridal Bible. She’s also a Qigong and Tai Chi instructor, and overall wellness advocate. Her work has been featured in several anthologies which can all be found on her Amazon author page, and she has contributed to The Huffington Post, Scary Mommy, TODAY Parents, and many other online publications. Alessandra is a northerner-turned-southerner, enjoying the south with her children, Penelope and Ciro, and her husband, Greg.

In this episode, you’ll learn more about Alessandra’s niche of seasonal eating and its positive effects on her blog and life as well as tips for finding your own direction, following your intuition and the importance of niching down into yourself.

Find a direction you'd like to take in food blogging (i.e. niche).
A direction can help you drill down when it comes to content creation.
Why is the idea of "Niching down into yourself” important?
Let other sides of yourself come out to bring a unique flair to your blog - YOU are the niche.
How can you incorporate healthy eating and caring for one's body into your blog?
Eating based on the seasons is one way to find natural inspiration for blogging.
Eating certain foods in season can lead to improved health and have a higher nutritional impact.
Seasonal recipes allows you to support local farmers.
It furthers the "eat local" movement and helps you build relationships in your area.
Relax on keyword searches and numbers; let your humanity shine through in your content.

Connect with Alessandra Macaluso

Website | Instagram

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In episode 454, Brooke Burks teaches us tangible strategies to manage a full-time job while growing a successful blog.

Brooke Burks is the owner and head dishwasher at TheButteredHome.com. She started her blog in 2018 at the urging of a friend. In the last 5 years, she has juggled this HUGE learning curve all while working full time, being a mother to two girls and now a grandmother to a new grandson. She is an expert in consistency and planning for steady growth all while managing another career. In this episode, you’ll learn the most important strategies for growing a blog while managing a full-time job, including how to stay consistent, plan content effectively and schedule time off.

When you just start blogging, Google looks for consistency.
Commit to a posting schedule that fits in with your full-time job.
Content planning can help you publish consistently.
A plan only works if you stick to it.
Take time off to avoid burn out.
Be ALL IN. If you decide to commit to this, be patient and ask for help to find the best schedule for you.
What is the best planning strategy for someone who blogs and have a full-time job?
Have an honest conversation with yourself about what you can commit to.
Be realistic in your goal of monetization.
Don’t compare yourself to others who monetize their blogs quickly.

Connect with Brooke Burks

Website | Instagram

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In episode 453, Megan chats to Danielle Wolter about how to recognize and deal with burnout by learning how to manage your time and priorities.

Danielle has been a food blogger for almost 7 years at Went Here 8 This. She spent the first 2.5 years struggling not knowing anything about blogging. Then Danielle dove into learning about keyword research and grew her blog to about 175K visitors/month (currently) while starting and growing 2 other businesses and working full-time. The blog focuses on creating internationally inspired recipes as well as a strong focus on sous vide cooking as a niche.

In this episode, Danielle shares how she manages her priorities and time, including the importance of quality business coaching and hiring out, so that she can take care of herself and avoid burnout.

Stop scrambling to try and do everything yourself to "save" money.
Working non-stop with no freedom can lead to burnout.
Learn to prioritize what is working and cut out unnecessary tasks.
Hire out some areas so you can better focus on what you love.
Niche down to see more additional growth.
Time block and batch tasks to improve your productivity.
What other streams of income can you invest time in?
Self care can make you a better business owner.
The benefits of keeping a journal, meditating and gratitude lists.
If you do feel burnout, talk to someone about it.

Connect with Danielle Wolter

Website | Instagram

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In episode 452, Megan Johnson teaches us about the importance of mindset in the growth and success of our blogs and businesses.

Megan took a big leap in 2021 and quit her job to become a full-time food blogger. Megan was super optimistic and excited, but then, in her first year, she failed... hard. Megan realized she had the wrong strategy. On top of that, when she didn't see success, she took that very personally. Megan has made it a priority in 2023 to fix her mindset and start pushing the limits for success with her food blog. In this episode, you’ll learn why business success is not only dependent on your SEO strategy, how you drive traffic to your website or your email marketing campaigns, but also on your outlook on life and business mindset.

Make a list of everything you want to change and how you can make it happen.
Books and podcasts can teach you how to think positively.
When things don’t go according to plan, give yourself grace.
Be grateful for what you have.
Acknowledge your accomplishments frequently.
Set goals, not deadlines.
Look at how far you’ve come, not where you’re not.
Look after yourself through exercise and healthy eating - it can have a big impact on your work life.
What can you do to have a better outlook on your blogging journey?

Connect with Megan Johnson

Website | Instagram

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In episode 451, Megan chats to Wan Na Chun about how we can develop more nutrient dense recipes, giving our readers healthier options without specific diet talk.

Wan Na Chun is a registered dietitian and personal trainer. Her blog, One Pot Wellness, is focused on prioritizing self-care through nutrition, physical health, and mental health for the busy working professional. In this episode, you’ll learn more about adding nutrient dense ingredients to your recipes as well as other important aspects to consider when developing healthier meals for your blog.

Why is it important to create more nutrient forward recipes?
What to consider when using words such as ‘healthy’ and ‘unhealthy’.
Make recipes more nutrient-dense by using easy swaps, for example coconut sugar or dried fruits for a natural sweetener or oat flour instead of refined flour.
Add cultural recipes (e.g. Mediterranean, Indian, Japanese) that focus on nutrient density such as fiber, olive oil, omega 3s.
Should you claim cultural recipes are ‘authentic’ and how can you rephrase it?
Add valuable nutrient information in your blog posts by cross-referencing scientific articles.
Fact-check with a qualified health professional, such as a registered dietitian, if you make any qualified claims (e.g. low-carb, vegan, gluten-free).
Do it scared - if you’re comfortable in what you’re doing, you’re not growing.

Connect with Wan Na Chun

Website | Instagram

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In episode 450, Rebecca Eisenberg teaches us practical and unique ways to repurpose our content on social media and on our blogs, including what to do if our content goes viral.

Rebecca is a journalist turned food blogger who built a career at media and tech companies like Buzzfeed, Upworthy, Medium, and Headspace, before launching The Practical Kitchen in 2019. In 2020 she got her pastry certification at Cambridge School of Culinary Arts, graduating as valedictorian of her class. The Practical Kitchen is a food blog geared toward ambitious beginner cooks and bakers, providing lots of in-depth tutorials and tips to give readers the confidence to try new things in the kitchen. The Practical Kitchen is known for unfussy, straightforward recipes, and is particularly well known for the viral mini focaccia recipe as well as other mini bread recipes that use just one cup of flour.

In this episode, you’ll learn exactly what Rebecca does to repurpose her content, including how she films her recipes in order to use it multiple times on social media, making it more likely to go viral. Megan and Rebecca cover the following information:

How can you get a good ROI for time spent on social media?
If you repurpose content you make less work for yourself.
Repurposing content gives more people the chance to discover you.
Unique ways to make your content reach more people and go viral.
It is beneficial to cut different versions of the same recipe.
Use and reuse existing content - don’t be precious with edits!
Work smarter not harder by using the same process shots for blog posts.
How can you rework segments of videos so that they can serve multiple blog posts?
What should you do if your posts go viral?

Connect with Rebecca Eisenberg

Website | Instagram

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In episode 449, Megan chats to Kayla Burton about the hurdles she had to overcome in order to become a full-time blogger, quitting her corporate 9-5 job, and ways in which we can make our own blogging journeys easier.

Kayla founded the baking blog, Broken Oven Baking Company, in May 2020 after a few months of sharing baked treats on Instagram. She didn’t know much about blogging when she started, but she got eager to dive in and learn as much and as fast as she could. At the end of April 2021, Kayla left a corporate job to pursue blogging full-time. A year later, Kayla was excited to be accepted into Mediavine. Today, you’ll find Kayla coaching other food bloggers to help them achieve their business goals.

In this episode, Kayla shares the details of how she transitioned seamlessly from her 9-5 job into a full-time blogging career, including learning how to shift her mindset to overcome fear, what she did before she quit her 9-5, how she dealt with her finances and picking the right website theme and host from the start.

Save up money before you decide to quit your 9-5 job.
Find one person to believe in you, even if it’s yourself.
Create systems and proof that you know you can make it work before taking the leap.
The entrepreneurial route is not easy but with the right mindset you can make it a success.
Ask yourself, what is the worst case scenario and would you be able to deal with that?
Create a business entity and bank account, separate to your personal one.
Choose the right host and theme for your blog from the start.
Hire help to soften the workload and build long-lasting work relationships.
Use free food blogging resources to set you off in the right direction.

Connect with Kayla Burton

Website | Instagram

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In episode 448, Michelle Morey teaches us how to avoid getting discouraged while blogging, especially when we experience challenges like slow traffic or seeing other bloggers succeed faster.

Born and raised as a Mainer, Michelle is a stay-at-home mom who started blogging right before the pandemic. She’s been working with food since graduating high school in 2004 and has successfully turned her love of food into a passionate business. Today, Michelle and her husband whom she met at the bakers they both worked at share a love of all baked goods and a love to entertain and explore beautiful Maine outdoors. In this episode, you’ll learn how to avoid becoming discouraged when you experience obstacles in your blogging journey, covering topics from finding an inspirational keyword research tool to the importance of time off and not comparing yourself to others.

Find a keyword research tool that takes the load off when it comes to SEO.
Rank IQ is great for planning content - use their keyword library when you just can't be creative.
Invest in an SEO course that could help you take a more logical and analytical approach to keyword research and writing posts that would rank.
Connect with fellow food bloggers for a monthly chat provides encouragement and helps to refresh your ideas.
Take breaks when you have to.
Stop comparing yourself to others - remember “Comparison is the thief of joy”.
Other bloggers probably went through what you are going through right now.

Connect with Michelle Morey

Website | Instagram

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In episode 447, Dalia Escobar teaches us the Keyword Golden Ratio (KGR) method to find low-competition keywords that will increase our traffic by helping posts rank quickly.

After bidding farewell to an engineering career, Dalia wholeheartedly embraced her blogging dreams and embarked on a new path. Cooking has always been a lifelong passion, which motivated her to open several restaurants, despite not achieving the financial success she had hoped for. However, this setback served as a catalyst for her transition into the world of blogging. Initially, Dalia began with a personal finance blog, dedicating three years to learning and refining her skills until finally, she felt confident enough to pursue her true passion and establish a food blog.

In this episode, you'll learn how you can increase your traffic using the Keyword Golden Ratio (KGR) method and how to use it in combination with other keyword research tools.

How does the Keyword Golden Ratio (KGR) work?
Why does it increase traffic to your blog?
The research process that involves KGR, RankIQ, Google autocomplete, and Google directives.
What is a good ratio to look for when using the KGR?
Should you still target higher competition keywords?
Can more experienced bloggers use the Keyword Golden Ratio strategy?

Connect with Dalia Escobar

Website

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In episode 446, Megan chats to Karin Collins about dealing with a chronic condition while building a food blog and how we can do the same by overcoming our own challenges.

Karin started her blog with a severe disability. Even though she has MS, she turned her blog into a success so she knows anyone can do it. Karin is a blogger as well as a social media manager for bloggers with over 2 million followers. She is proud to also run a video business as well that shoots food videos. Karin added the title blog coach to her list of skills and offerings. She does it all from a wheelchair. In this episode, she shares how she was able to overcome her health challenges while growing a successful blog and still being able to spend time with her family and lead a balanced life.

Can you keep up with the food blogging industry while dealing with severe life challenges?
Should you be truthful to your audience about serious health issues?
How do you deal with negative comments?
Make the workload more manageable by outsourcing tasks.
How do you hire the right people for your team?
Separate food blogging from the rest of your life to keep balance.
Should you push through a bad day when you run your own business?

Connect with Karin Collins

Website | Instagram

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In episode 445, Megan talks about how you can experience a transformation in your business in 2024 by joining the Eat Blog Talk mastermind experience.

Inside the episode you will learn about:

The definition of a successful mastermind group.
How the EBT mastermind differs from other groups.
Information about investment and discounts, including a value analysis.
How to determine if you are a good fit for the group.
Information about how to get started.
Audio testimonials from previous and current members of the Eat Blog Talk mastermind groups.

Head to the EBT mastermind page for more information and to read in-depth case studies and to apply to be in the group in 2024!

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In episode 444, Jessie-Sierra Ross teaches us how to book TV food segments and why this will help us grow our audience and expand our brand.

Jessie-Sierra Ross is a former professional ballerina turned food blogger and home entertaining specialist. A self-taught cook and food stylist from Boston, Jessie is the personality behind her blog, Straight to the Hips, Baby. Known for her step-by-step recipes, easy elegance, and light and bright photography style. Working alongside her photographer husband, Jessie creates food and drink recipes for her blog, and features in magazines, as well as on TV, via cooking segments on NBC, PBS, and BloomTV Network. Jessie-Sierra is currently working on her latest creative project, a floral-inspired cookbook with Schiffer Publishing.

In this episode, you’ll learn everything about appearing on TV to share your recipes as a food blogger, including how to find a producer and how to best prepare for your appearance on live TV.

Why is getting on TV important for food bloggers?
TV provides exposure to more diverse audiences.
Which stations should you aim to feature on?
What should you ask the producer before stepping into the studio?
What makes a great TV recipe?
Tips to prepare for your appearance.
How to chat on camera.
How to leverage your appearances for more work.

Connect with Jessie-Sierra Ross

Website | Instagram

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In episode 443, Megan chats to Michelle Hauck about copywriting for food bloggers, including how to become a copywriter and hiring tips if you’re looking to outsource your copywriting.

Michelle is a copywriter for food bloggers so they can focus on their favorite part - creating, testing, and sharing their recipes. Michelle loves what she does because it helps overwhelmed foodies find joy in their business again. Many bloggers aren't aware that they can have someone write SEO packed and engaging blogs for them. That's where Michelle comes in. In this episode, you’ll learn how to start a career in copywriting and if you’re a food blogger looking to outsource, you’ll find out how the process works.

Should I become a copywriter?
What is the difference between copywriting and content writing?
What steps should you take to become a copywriter?
Is SEO important for copywriting?
What do copywriters charge?
If you’re looking to outsource, what should you look for in a copywriter?
Effective copywriting includes knowing your ideal client and CTA.
What is the process of working with a copywriter?

Connect with Michelle Hauck

Website | Instagram

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In episode 442, Megan chats to Geo Banks-Weston about using social media, specifically Instagram, to springboard the development of a blog and/or podcast.

Geo Banks-Weston is a food and culture blogger, influencer, and recipe developer based in Philadelphia. In 2014, he launched his blog, Geo's Table, where he shares recipes rooted in the African diaspora, as well as highlights black-owned businesses, and explores food's connection to Black culture. In 2019, he started his podcast, Table 86 to showcase underrepresented creators transforming the food and beverage industry. His work has been featured in Food52, The Washington Post, The Spruce Eats, and Philadelphia Magazine and he currently serves on the boards of PA Eats and Eat the Culture, combating food insecurity and supporting Black culinary entrepreneurs, respectively.

In this episode, you’ll learn how you can transfer the skills you gain by building a social media profile to grow your blog/podcast.

Instagram (and other social media platforms) can inspire other creative outlets.
What are the main transferable skills from social media that can help you with blogging / podcasting?
Where should you focus your energy/effort first?
Does it matter how many followers you have?
Pay attention to the types of content you’re constantly engaging with and liking.
Embrace continuous learning to see more rapid growth.
What are the core 3-5 values of your brand?

Connect with Geo Banks-Weston

Website | Instagram

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In episode 441, Rob Finkelstein teaches us about supplier diversity and its importance in the recipe development/food photography marketplace.

Rob is a lawyer, practicing for over 20 years in NYC. In 2017, Rob decided to pursue his passion of baking and went to culinary school for pastry arts. After graduating, not wanting to leave the law, Rob started blogging and found Cinnamon Schtick, which was also his entry into food photography. He worked with a number of brands and came to represent lots of food photographers in connection with their contracts and business set ups. Rob also spent more than 10 years as a volunteer with the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) where he was Chair of Supplier Diversity for New York and also a Co-Chair of the National Legal Industry Council, facilitating opportunities for LGBT owned businesses with majority owned companies.

In this episode, you’ll learn what is meant by supplier diversity and why it may be beneficial to your blog and business.

Does supplier diversity apply to you?
Big companies are looking to fill their diverse supplier quota.
How can you get certified as a diverse supplier?
Understand the importance of making brands aware of supplier diversity.
Once you get certified, what should you do?
How does supplier diversity benefit you as a food blogger?

Connect with Rob Finkelstein

Website | Instagram

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In episode 440, Megan chats to Tara Smithson about why going viral is often bad for your business and 6 tips that will help you stay motivated as you set healthy, long-term goals.

Tara enjoys creating quick and easy recipes for busy people, who love the flavor, but lack time. Tara’s intention is to make cooking less intimidating by sharing easy recipes that will begin to help people get inspired to cook delicious food. In this episode, you’ll find out why setting long-term goals instead of focusing on immediate income and short-term success hacks, like going viral, is important for a fulfilling food blogging career.

Focus on a few activities instead of being all over the place.
Take pleasure in watching your growth over time.
Should you expect to make money from blogging at the start?
Are you passionate enough about food content creation?
Find your own path to success and enjoy the process.
Learn how to deal with people who struggle to understand what you do.
Should you get involved in the food community?

Connect with Tara Smithson

Website | Instagram

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In episode 439, Tammy Spencer teaches us about being open to learn about all different aspects that go into successful food blogging.

Tammy started Scotch & Scones in 2017 as a way to keep track of her whisky-tasting notes and share her experiences of having fun baking. In 2019, she devoted herself full-time to developing her site for commercial success, learning about the business of growing a blog from the ground up. Since then, she's applied her culinary school training by sharing recipes and tips for desserts, bread, and other goodies that home cooks will feel confident creating. In this episode, Tammy shares common blogging mistakes she made when she started and what she would’ve done differently.

Choose your blog theme wisely.
Play with recipes and think outside the box.
Take food photographs that attract readers.
SEO is essential and why you should get your site audited.
Why it’s worth getting help with the tech side of your blog.
Accept that you’ll always be learning.

Connect with Tammy Spencer

Website | Instagram

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In episode 438, Megan chats to Breanna about how to land paid brand deals as a small creator.

Breanna started on Instagram in January 2023 and then followed with a food blog in February 2023. She always had a passion for writing and cooking but never thought that she would be able to do something like this. Breanna loves sharing easy meals that are family-friendly and perfect for those with busy schedules. She has been doing this full-time as of last month and wants to share how she was able to land a brand deal with less than 2k followers on Instagram. In this episode, you’ll learn Breanna’s strategy for landing attractive brand deals that align with your expertise and values.

You don’t need 10k followers to land brand deals.
What are the essentials of a successful pitch?
What is the difference between email and DM pitches?
Make sure you are an expert in your proposed service(s).
How many brands should you pitch per day?
Stand firm on your rates.
Does the proposed deal align with your brand values?

Connect with Breanna

Website | Instagram

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In episode 437, Megan chats to Jessica Scully about dealing with the uphill battles in blogging, especially when you see a dramatic, instant drop in traffic.

Jessica began her journey into food blogging after her family had a house fire and had to move out for 11 months. Blogging became a hobby to distract her mind that then grew into a business. A former gym owner, personal trainer, and homeschool mom to her 5-year-old, Jessica has been running the food blog since 2015 and has seen her fair share of ups and downs. In this episode, you’ll learn about potential reasons why your website traffic suddenly drops and what steps you can take to get your traffic back.

What to do when your blog traffic plummets.
How not to get discouraged.
How to diversify your site traffic.
Consider getting help from the outside.
How to re-motivate yourself when you feel defeated.
Where to focus your efforts for the most impact.

Connect with Jessica Scully

Website | Instagram

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In episode 436, Megan chats to Candice Ward about how to convert 75% of cold pitches to closed opportunities using a tried and tested sales process.

Candice is the Founder of Eat More Cake Dessert Blog, Food Photographer, Educator and Sales Expert. Candice spent over a decade in corporate sales and translated that experience to help other food content creators monetize and scale their business. She has coached hundreds of food content creators inside her business course, The Confident Pitch Program. She is passionate about helping other food bloggers reach their full potential. In this episode, you’ll learn how to find the right brands at the right time and how to pitch confidently to close most of your sales opportunities.

What is the sales process and how will it help our businesses?
Streamline your workflow and take away the guesswork when it comes to pitching.
What is prospecting and how can you find the right brands?
Research brands that you are interested in to assess their budget and needs.
Spark a brand’s interest and tactfully suggest improvements.
To make a sale you have to approach a brand at the right time.
What should you do when brands ghost you?

Connect with Candice Ward

Website | Instagram

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In episode 435, Carmen Spillette teaches us the latest strategies to grow our blogs and gain success in the food blogging industry, especially if we’re just starting out.

Carmen is a food blogger and stay-at-home mom from Canada. Carmen started her food blog in the spring of 2022. It has always been her dream to share her recipes and once she started she has never looked back. Last year, Carmen gained 106,000 followers on Instagram in 5 months and she’s excited to have recently qualified for Mediavine.

In this episode, you’ll learn the latest strategies to grow your blog if you’re a new blogger.

What does it mean to treat your blog like a business?
Why should you treat your website like you built a store?
Is videography really important for food blogging these days?
The importance of posting EVERY DAY.
Use project-management software and AI to your advantage.
Expect to put in long hours at the start to make your business work.
Learn time-management strategies like batching, from successful people.

Connect with Carmen Spillette

Website | Instagram

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In episode 434, Megan chats to Amy Reid about imposter syndrome, what causes it, how it affects our businesses and how to overcome it.

Amy started her blog, Baking with Granny in 2015, as a way to document her mother's (her kids Granny) recipes. Within a couple of years, Amy gave up full-time employment to make money blogging. She then became a single mum and the pressure was on to make it work. 8 years later and Baking with Granny has excelled past any expectations she could have ever had for it. In this episode, Amy shares her journey of dealing with imposter syndrome while trying to make a success out of her blog, including why we may feel like we don’t deserve success and tips to overcome imposter syndrome and embrace our full potential.

What is imposter syndrome?
Why do we feel like we don’t deserve success?
It may feel like our achievements mean nothing.
How do we overcome feeling like a fraud?
Community is essential in overcoming imposter syndrome.
Recognize the work that goes into blogging.
Fake it until you make it.
Explore deeper than just your work - what other reasons contribute to imposter syndrome?

Connect with Amy Reid

Website | Instagram

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In episode 433, Megan chats to Alexis Leonhardt about different ways to use RankIQ to grow your blog.

Alexis is founder of the blog, Fancy Apron, which shares upscale recipes that everyone can make. She cooks lots of Traeger recipes, weeknight dinners, and shares tips for shopping at Costco. She started the blog 3 years ago and has had a slow start, but 2023 is bringing big growth. In this episode, Alexis explains how she uses RankIQ for keyword research to help her write blog posts that rank quickly.

Make keyword research faster.
What to do for new posts and how to optimize old content.
Why it’s important to find your niche.
Write blog posts faster.
How to incorporate round-ups and non-recipe posts into your blog.
RankIQ is a guide for finding non-recipe posts.
Use as a guide for scheduling content and batch working.

Connect with Alexis Leonhardt

Website | Instagram

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In episode 432, Adam Sobel teaches us how to monetize and market online cooking classes as well as the technical details of running such classes.

Adam Sobel is the chef and owner of The Cinnamon Snail, an award-winning vegan food truck, restaurant, and catering company serving New York and New Jersey. Adam has cooked at the James Beard House, represented the USA at the World Street Food Congress in the Philippines, and teaches cooking at the Institute for Culinary Education, De Gustibus Cooking School, and independently online. Adam has appeared on the food network, Cooking Channel, PBS, and several networks, and is the author of the popular cookbook Street Vegan. He has had a lot of success with The Cinnamon Snail, which has rose to become one of the country’s most sought-after food trucks. In 2014 The Cinnamon Snail was the #1 highest-rated place of any kind to eat in NYC and the #4 highest place of any kind to eat in the entire USA on yelp.com.

In this episode, you’ll learn 3 ways in which you can monetize your online cooking classes, how to set them up, make them look professional and market them effectively.

How to sell live class sales using Eventbrite.
Which platform should I use for my cooking classes?
Manage a class subscription and class recording sale.
How to make classes look professional and edited, even if it’s just you.
Equipment breakdown: OBS, switchers, audio, lighting and camera management.
How to market cooking classes through a blog, email marketing and retargeting on social media.

Connect with Adam Sobel

Website | Instagram

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In episode 431, Megan chats to Shanika Graham-White about how to incorporate videography into our businesses and why it is essential in today’s video-focused social media world.

Content creator and recipe developer, Shanika, is part kitchen ‘ninja’ and connoisseur of interior decorating (hence her passion for beautifully staged food photos and videos). She is a self-taught cook and baker, who has partnered with top brands like Ripple Foods, So Delicious Dairy-Free, Vitamix and California Olive Ranch, to be the source for comfort food and sweets, with a healthy twist. She desires to help others turn the ‘little’ that they have into something magical - great food. On her blog, Orchids + Sweet Tea, you will find traditional dishes using organic ingredients as well as dairy-free, gluten-free, and vegan versions of your old and new favorites.

In this episode, Shanika talks through her videography workflow, equipment and tips for creating captivating videos.

How to best transition to videography in a video focused social media world.
Translate food styling/photography into the space of videography.
The new age of food blogging and the need for social media AND SEO.
The best equipment to get started in food videography (for the novice and expert).
How to manage content creation, using techniques like batching.
Avoid trends and "burnout" in the new video age.

Connect with Shanika Graham-White

Website | Instagram

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In episode 430, Jaimee Campanella teaches us how to take back control of our time to meet our goals and lead balanced lives.

Jaimee Campanella is a time strategist and productivity consultant who mentors and guides parents, professionals, and entrepreneurs to take control of their time. She is the creator and principal facilitator of the Time Power program which gives people the essential tools and strategies to avoid overwhelm and tame chaos to regain control of their time for good. In this episode, you’ll learn more about how our mindset about time is crucial to make sure we set the right priorities, focus on what we love and block time off.

How do you overcome limiting beliefs around time?
Free yourself of the time scarcity mindset by changing the way you speak about it.
How can you feel in control of your time?
Why do bloggers struggle with time management?
What are common time management mistakes and how can we solve them?

Connect with Jaimee Campanella

Website | Instagram

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In episode 429, Megan chats to Samantha Erb about how she grew her Instagram account to more than 82K followers mainly using reels.

Samantha is the busy woman behind Everyday Family Cooking for the last 4 years. She began the blog in the summer of 2019 and worked her way through COVID growing the blog while being mom to two small kids at home. Since then, Sam has grown the site tremendously along with her Instagram account to 82.5K mainly using reels. In this episode, Sam shares her Instagram growth strategy in detail, including how she edits her videos, if and how she chooses trending sounds and how she uses captions to her advantage.

What do you gain from building a community on Instagram?
What kind of videos do well?
Repurpose your existing videos to create a bank of reels.
How to pick sounds that will give you more views.
How to select hashtags (including volume).
What determines if a reel will do well once it's posted.
What videos/recipes will work best (niched, curiosity, ooey gooey, over the top etc).

Connect with Samantha Erb

Website | Instagram

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In episode 428, Ty Kilgore teaches us the 5 biggest mistakes food bloggers make in their SEO journey.

Ty Kilgore has been geeking out on SEO and Digital Marketing for over 14 years. He loves getting results and has successfully increased rankings for over 150 major sites in over 40 industries. He founded Everything Digital Marketing in order to share his passion and to clearly instruct, guide, and help influencers overcome the frustrations related to SEO and Digital Marketing.

In this episode, you’ll explore SEO tips for food bloggers, especially how to avoid the biggest SEO mistakes food bloggers make and how to optimize your page for the right keywords.

Bloggers tend to copy and model the wrong examples for their blog.
Why is domain authority crucial for your SEO strategy?
Write for your end user in mind.
What is your unique point of view?
How do you avoid optimizing your page in the wrong way (putting the wrong keyword everywhere)?
How to leverage internal and external links.
What is the number 1 tip for SEO success?

Connect with Ty Kilgore

Website | Instagram

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In episode 427, Megan chats to Joanne Stekler about lessons she learned as an academic and how she has applied those to grow her blog.

Joanne is a lifelong baker, but it wasn’t until 2020 when she was stuck at home with her elementary school child, that she started baking and cooking with a purpose. You’ll find recipes on the Ugly Duckling Bakery blog that she makes for her family, ranging from 30-minute weeknight meals to more complicated weekend cooking, baking projects made from scratch, and classic cocktail variations. Joanne hopes to share some of the science and history, tips and tricks to understand how and why recipes work, and enough foundation so that readers can start to create their own recipes.

In this episode, Joanne explains how she balances life as a doctor with food blogging, the lessons she learned from academic medicine and why they are relevant to food bloggers.

Your path is your path - avoid comparing yourself to others
Accept that nothing is ever going to be perfect.
Persistence pays off, but you can’t just rely on hard work.
Why is self-promotion critical to success?
Be open to learn, even from someone who has less experience than you.
How do you deal with having too much to do?
Understand the importance of saying ‘no’.

Connect with Joanne Stekler

Website | Instagram

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In episode 426, Alexandria Drzazgowski teaches us how to keep track of our blog content and it repurpose easily using AirTable.

Alexandria Drzazgowski is the food blogger behind The Foreign Fork, a project where she is cooking a meal from every country in the world. After backpacking to 15 countries in Europe and taking cooking classes in each one, Alexandria decided to take her project of cooking-around-the-world home with her. She started her blog in 2018, and to date has cooked over 400 recipes from over 85 countries. The Foreign Fork has been featured in Buzzfeed, The Detroit News, and Elite Daily and is the recipient of the Saveur Blog Award for Most Groundbreaking Voice. Most importantly, Alexandria is proud to have helped over 5 millions readers across the world Put Some Culture in their Kitchen.

In this episode, you’ll learn about repurposing content and efficient ways of organizing and keeping track of your blog content using AirTable.

Why should you repurpose content?
How to develop a system to repurpose content.
Why does AirTable make repurposing content easy?
Different ways to use AirTable to organize and repurpose blog content.
How to start getting your AirTable setup.
How long should you wait before you repurpose content on the same platform?
Tips for sharing content across social media platforms.

Connect with Alexandria Drzazgowski

Website | Instagram

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In episode 425, Megan chats to Ally Kepley about how to maintain a healthy relationship with Instagram and our mobiles devices.

Ally is a home baker who grew up baking with both of her grandmothers since she was little. Ally started creating her own recipes at age 11 or 12 and was on a roll through becoming a stay at home mom. She decided to create a recipe website a little over a year ago out of a desire to bake full time and have more freedom and time with her son. Ally’s blog is catered towards those who want to make elevated recipes that are approachable to anyone. In this episode, Ally reveals how she improved her relationship with Instagram while growing her blog, including setting boundaries regarding how much time she spends on the app, when and how she posts and responds to comments. She also shares personal growth techniques to help keep you on track with your goals.

Why is Instagram like a “toxic boyfriend”?
It is hard to keep up with Instagram’s algorithm changes in a sustainable way.
How to make a real plan to deal with the challenge of delayed gratification?
Personal growth tips to help set healthy boundaries.
Keep the big picture in mind while taking steps to reach your goals with your blog.
Why do we become addicted to our phones?
Use your time wisely and practice gratitude.

Connect with Ally Kepley

Website | Instagram

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In episode 424, Matt Briel teaches us several ways to use a book as a growth tool for our business and how to go from idea to published author.

Commonly described as equal parts loud music, Disney culture, tattoos, and book nerd, Matt Briel is an entrepreneur and the Vice President of Marketing & Communications at Lulu.com. After more than 15 years leading Sales and Marketing teams in the Media & Publishing spaces, he’s developed a unique passion for helping creators become more successful by leveraging books as a catalyst for opportunities and sustainable revenue. In this episode, you’ll learn more about the benefits of publishing a book or cookbook, including how it can help build your brand and provide you with more business opportunities.

Publishing a book is the best way to build credibility and increase visibility.
What are the advantages of being a published author?
A book is an alternative way of monetizing your content.
Create a physical touch point for your digital community.
Is self-publishing or traditional publishing better?
Having a published book helps you land speaking gigs.
What is Lulu and how can it benefit food bloggers who want to publish a book?

Connect with Matt Briel

Website | Instagram

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In episode 423, Megan chats to Nicole Liloia about being burned out as an entrepreneur, how we can avoid it, including tips for building multiple income streams efficiently.

New Jersey-based Nicole Liloia is a small business coach and strategist. Over the course of her 9 years in this business, she has helped over 500 service providers build their businesses and diversify their income streams through her signature Bigger Business Bootcamp and Grow Your Income Mastermind. Her Facebook group supports over 10,000 entrepreneurs by giving them real, unmatched support and resources to get to that next level in their business. In this episode, you’ll find out what causes burn out, how to be more productive without exhaustion and why multiple income streams can help us avoid burnout. Nicole further shares tips for how to decide which income streams are right for you.

We thrive on being busy.
Even if you love your work, working all the time leads to burn out.
How can entrepreneurs alleviate burnout?
Why do entrepreneurs need multiple income streams?
How do you decide what income streams are suitable for you?
What does your audience struggle with that you can provide a solution for?
If you outsource tasks, you can get time back.
Are you scheduling your day effectively?
Spend time on what is going to bring in money in your business.

Connect with Nicole Liloia

Website | Instagram

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In episode 422, Lauren Sawant teaches us how to think like an editor and incorporate editing techniques into our blog and cookbook writing.

Lauren Sawant is a freelance editor specializing in cookbooks, recipes, and food writing. She has worked in and adjacent to the food and beverage industry for over 15 years, including three years as a pastry cook. She has been a freelance editor since 2021. In this episode, you’ll learn more about different editing techniques, when you should hire an editor, in depth guidelines for editing content yourself and what writing mistakes to look out for.

What does a cookbook and recipe editor do?
Benefits of incorporating editing techniques into your brand.
Tips for editing social media and website copy.
Become familiar with common missteps in recipe writing.
How to “work like an editor”.
What is a style sheet and what are the benefits of creating one?
What should you know about hiring an editor?
Red flags to look out for when you’re looking for an editor to work with.

Connect with Lauren Sawant

Website | Instagram

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In episode 421, Megan chats to Caitlin Ritchie about how to establish a blog’s identity through strong branding and photography.

Caitlin is a brand strategist/professional photographer turned blogger. While continuing to work as a branding and photography consultant, she is growing her blog The Rooted Farmhouse, a gardening, food and slow living blog. In this episode, you’ll learn how to stay true to your voice and niche as you establish your brand identity. Caitlin also shares tips on how to strengthen your brand through using photography.

A strong brand is essential to help you grow a bigger audience.
What is branding?
Can you have a strong brand with a limited budget?
Why should you stay cohesive with your branding on social media?
Tools to help you stay on brand and consistent
How templates increase your productivity and help you stay on brand.
Create an identity in your photography.
What are presets and how can you use them to save time with your editing workflow?

Connect with Caitlin Ritchie

Website | Instagram

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In episode 420, Megan chats to Marley Braunlich about how to stand out to brands and establish long-term partnerships with the brands you love.

Marley has been food blogging for a little over 1 year. She started working full-time for an SEO agency one month later. During this time, she grew her Instagram audience to 13k followers and started working with brands to earn a side income while the blog matured and she continued to pour into the blog. Marley has learned how to successfully land brand deals and form long-term partnerships and shares her tips in this episode. You'll learn how to land your first brand partnership, what to include in your pitch email and ways in which you can set yourself apart so that brands want to continue working with you.

DM brands on Instagram, show genuine interest and knowledge of the brand.
Create your pitch email early on and revise as you gain experience.
Have a portfolio you feel proud of (doesn’t have to be perfect right away).
Should you include examples of past client work or successful social posts/metrics in your pitch?
How can you add a human touch and stand out even more in your pitch?
Why does it help to ask a question or have a CTA in your email?
Stay consistent and keep trying, sooner or later you will land your first brand deal.
What are the best practices when you work with a brand?
What should you do if you don’t hit target metrics with content for brands?

Connect with Marley Braunlich

Website | Instagram

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In episode 419, Rob Finkelstein teaches us how to protect our business and brand name by forming a business entity.

Rob is a lawyer, practicing for over 20 years in NYC. In 2017, Rob decided to pursue his passion of baking and went to culinary school for pastry arts. After graduating, not wanting to leave the law, Rob got started blogging at, http://www.cinnamonshtick.com, which was also his entry into food photography. He worked with a number of brands and came to represent lots of food photographers in connection with their contracts and business set ups. They all inspired Rob to create an online course about contracts specifically for food photographers. In this episode, you’ll learn more about the details of forming a business entity, including liability protection, finances and the differences between various entities.

Why form a business entity?
The importance of having a separate business bank account.
How to choose a name for your business/brand.
Why searching your brand name on the USPTO website is critically important, even if you have been using your brand name for years.
Types of business entities and which is best suited for food bloggers.
How to form an LLC and useful resources to do so.

Connect with Rob Finkelstein

Website | Instagram

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In episode 417, Vinessa Knabbe teaches us how to be confident food bloggers, talking about our jobs without hesitation, regardless of where we’re at in our blogging journey.

Vinessa and her family live in Long Beach, New York, a barrier Island on Long Island. Vinessa loves the beach and everything that goes along with it, heat, tan skin, sand on her feet and being outside as much as possible. She loves the heat in the kitchen also as she comes from an Italian family full of cooks. Inspired by her love of cooking, she shares family recipes on her blog, Vinessa Rae. Her skills come mainly from her grandmother, Annette, who is no longer with us but she feels close to her every time she’s in the kitchen, and her mom who still amazes her with things she makes and comes up with. In this episode, she shares how she went from feeling uncomfortable talking about her job as a food blogger to being able to promote her blog without fear. Learn more about being a confident blogger and treating your blog as a business from the start.

When and why you should treat your blog as a business from the start.
Don’t downplay your blog because otherwise others will do the same.
Businesses take time to grow and become profitable.
Why you shouldn't be afraid to talk about and promote your blog.
The positive feedback you’ll receive from sharing "what you do for work”.
What opportunities will you find once you overcome this?
Understand the value that you provide to your community.

Connect with Vinessa Knabbe

Website | Instagram

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In episode 416, Megan chats to Amanda Polick about how to write a cookbook and intentionally build your platform without getting overwhelmed.

Amanda Polick is a cookbook and food memoir coach. Through their work together, clients have landed Big 5 publishing deals and secured media clips for publications including Food 52 and The Los Angeles Times. Her work has been featured by Cooking Light, Time, Southern Living, and Food & Wine, and she’s a proud member of the Cherry Bombe community. In this episode, you’ll find out more about the process of writing a cookbook, including how to write a book proposal, identifying why people would love your cookbook more than others and what happens once your book proposal gets accepted?

Tell stories beyond the recipes you include.
The book proposal is your cookbook’s business plan.
Why will people pick up your book rather than others?
How to get a publishing deal?
How can you stand out in a saturated market by owning your voice?
You can truly show your personality in your email marketing.
Write through your resistance when you feel blocked during the process.
What’s the first thing you should do to start your cookbook writing process?

Connect with Amanda Polick

Website | Instagram

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In episode 415, Ryan Allen teaches us how to monetize our sites and get 100k page views in 30 days.

Ryan has been a food blogger for just under a year. Ryan knew when he started blogging, he wanted to be able to monetize as quickly as possible. So he planned to leverage Facebook and Facebook groups to reach 100K page views in his first 30 days. In this episode, Ryan shares in detail how he used Facebook to gain traction for his blog. Find out how you can implement his Facebook marketing strategy to increase traffic and monetize your own blog.

Be able to look at your content objectively.
What is the quickest way to grow as a new blogger?
Use Facebook groups socially.
The more you help and interact with others, the more they’ll do the same for you.
The more consistent you are, the more success you’ll find.
What are the advantages of Facebook groups compared to your own pages?
How to get quality traffic from Facebook that won’t affect your RPM?
What types of recipe content performs best?

Connect with Ryan Allen

Website | Instagram

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In episode 414, Megan chats to Eric Samuelson about common mental health issues food bloggers struggle with and how they can keep on top of their blogs regardless of what they experience in their day to day life.

Eric runs the blog, Eat Like No One Else - the place to learn how to enhance the way you eat through learning of specialty foods and ingredients and how to make the most amazing food at home. At Eat Like No One Else, they solidly believe in the philosophy "if you teach a man to fish..." . In 2022, Eric introduced a podcast, Eat Shop Waste Not, that teaches people how to source the most delicious groceries without wasting food or a single penny. In this episode, you’ll learn about common mental health issues bloggers experience, including feelings of isolation, anxiety, low self-esteem and depression.

Why is food blogging so mentally tasking?
Evaluate your work-life balance.
How does income affect your mental health?
Tips to deal with the anxiety of blog analytics.
Perfectionism increases your stress-levels.
Everyone’s life situation is different - identify what you struggle with mentally.
Understand your “why”, it will keep you on track.
Don’t try to do more than you are realistically able to do.

Connect with Eric Samuelson

Website | Instagram

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In episode 413, Aleka Shunk teaches us effective keyword research strategies, sharing tips about which search volumes to target, how to analyze competition and which mistakes to avoid.

Aleka is the founder of Aleka's Get-Together, a food and entertaining blog, and Keywords With Aleka, a keyword research school for bloggers. She has a Master's Degree in Teaching, Learning and Curriculum and was a teacher for ten years. Aleka took her expertise as both a teacher and blogger to create courses to help others learn how to navigate and excel at a small, but important, piece of SEO: keyword research. In this episode, you’ll learn how to do keyword research to maximize traffic coming to your website no matter where you are in your blogging journey.

You can naturally rank for more than one variation of a keyword.
What do you do if the search volume is low for your particular keyword?
What should we do with keywords with high competition?
Track your higher ranking posts.
It’s really important to keep readers on your site.
How should you analyze your competition?
Why you should invest in keyword research tools.
What are common keywords research mistakes?

Connect with Aleka Shunk

Website | Instagram

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In episode 412, Megan chats to Kristin Weeks about how to set healthy habits that help us push through hard times and grow our businesses in the long-run.

Kristin started her blog 3 years ago with the passion to teach others how to cook more homemade meals, bake with sourdough, and how to start a backyard garden to grow fresh produce. Since then, Kristin’s journey has had a lot of ups and downs. A year ago she decided to take her blog and business seriously and that had a lot to do with habits, routines, and mindset. By working on herself first, she found she was able to focus. The hard work turned her hobby into a viable business, going from a few thousand sessions a month to qualifying for Mediavine within a year. In this episode, you’ll learn how to identify areas in your life you’d like to improve, setting positive, lasting habits that will help you achieve your goals.

Do you feel ready to put everything you have into your blog?
Which areas of your life would you like to improve?
Your strengths are just as important as your weaknesses.
How important is your morning routine?
Have you incorporated fitness into your routine?
Tailor each morning to what you need in the day.
Habits that you enjoy are easier to keep.
Focus on the result in order to love the process.
Why is it important to remember the milestones we achieve along the way?

Connect with Kristin Weeks

Website | Instagram

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In episode 411, Sabrina Currie teaches us how to up our writing game by focusing on clear, concise blog writing that shows our personalities while providing accurate information about our recipes.

Sabrina started her career in food right after high school by attending cooking school. After doing a few different jobs in the food industry, she went into the healthcare field. She eventually found herself needing a creative outlet so she picked up a DSLR and started photographing food and nature. After taking a Wordpress blogging course, Sabrina decided to start a food blog and after a while wanted to make it more than a hobby. She has steadily increased her web traffic by scheduling an audit by Casey Markee and using tools like RankIQ and Keysearch. Her days are spent working half time in a hospital and half time blogging and writing while enjoying being a wife and mom. In this episode, you’ll learn about small tweaks you can make to your writing to make it more accessible and appealing to your readers.

Answer simple questions about your recipe to create a clear context.
Who will your recipe be great for?
Where will you enjoy eating a given recipe - use vivid visuals.
Why should they make a recipe?
Along with your step-by-step photos, answer: How do you make this?
Be descriptive but concise.
Show EAT (expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness) through your writing.
Should we use AI to help us write blog posts?

Connect with Sabrina Currie

Website|Instagram

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In episode 410, Megan chats to Jenna Urben about what we need to do now in our businesses to be able to take a significant amount of time off later on.

Jenna is the content creator of The Urben Life, a food and lifestyle blog where she shares allergy-friendly recipes and travel guides. Jenna started blogging about 5 years ago and was immediately drawn to the community aspect. Over the years, she realized there was a need for more transparency in the creator space. So she went on to create Bloggerbytes to provide bloggers and influencers with resources and tools they can use to thrive. In this episode, you’ll learn how to prepare blog posts, social media and email marketing in advance so that you can take time off when you want.

Have checklists ready to check what you can do ahead of time.
Post your content now so that it works for you when you’re taking time off.
Do’s and don’ts for scheduling out social media.
Why is a Canva subscription life-changing?
Save money by curtailing subscriptions you don’t use.
Tips for scheduling out emails ahead of time.
Use automation tools like Zapier.
Should you let people know that you’re taking time for yourself?
Turn off all notifications on your phone.
Should you reply to DMs?

Connect with Jenna Urben

Website |Instagram

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In episode 409, Laura Tobin teaches us how to treat our blogs like actual businesses, getting into the right mindset and talking about our business with confidence.

In 2018, Laura’s husband suddenly passed away, and she became a single mom with two teenage sons and no income. In 2019, Laura decided to focus on a food blog that she’d started previously as a hobby and turn it into a viable business. Applying her technical and business skills, Laura was successful in joining Mediavine one year later. The last 4 years, Laura has worked as a single mom of two sons, while growing a business with limited time and resources. In this episode, you’ll learn how to think about your blog to develop it into a business, including being able to confidently discuss your work with other people and break down food blogger stereotypes.

How do you answer when someone asks you what you do?
Why are food bloggers underrated?
Develop an entrepreneurial mindset.
What are the 5 stages of developing a startup?
Stay true to your blog mission statement and vision (i.e. values).
It takes more or less 5 years to become profitable.
Track your time to understand how to improve your efficiency.

Connect with Laura Tobin

Website

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In episode 408, Megan chats to Miriam Schulman about why embracing our inner uniqueness can take us from being a starving artist to a well-paid and well-known one.

Miriam Schulman is an artist and founder of The Inspiration Place podcast, where she helps other artists learn how to profit from their passion or become better artists. She’s helped thousands of artists around the world develop their skill sets and create more time and freedom to do what they love. Her art and story have been featured in major publications including Forbes, The New York Times and the Art of Man. The Inspiration Place podcast is in the top 1% of all podcasts and is listened to in over 100 countries. In this episode, you’ll learn why you should embrace your weirdness and how it can help you become a successful artist. Miriam shares various tips from her new book with HarperCollins Leadership Arpreneur.

How can we stand out?
Let go of people-pleasing tendencies to make yourself more marketable.
Idiosyncrasies make you more relatable.
Your authenticity will make you memorable.
Don’t worry about repeating yourself.
Should you share your values?
Be authentic in order to build a following.
Why is email marketing more effective than social media?

Connect with Miriam Schulman

Website | Instagram

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In episode 407, Jazzmine Woodard teaches us about DEI (diversity, equality and inclusion) and how to create inclusive content in our niche to make as many people as possible feel included and valued.

Jazzmine has balanced growing her food and travel blog, Dash of Jazz, with a corporate career in DEI for the last 8 years. In this time, Jazzmine has learned how to be inclusive in her content approach without alienating her niche audience. She has also cultivated an audience that engages with both food and travel content. In this episode, learn about DEI and how to avoid alienating your readers. Jazzmine discusses how we can position ourselves as teachers while respecting our readers' different tastes and making our content as accessible as possible.

Respect your readers’ differences (i.e. in opinion and taste).
Using captions on social media videos and alt text.
Does each person have equal opportunity to enjoy your content?
People who do feel included, really feel included by the extra measures we take.
How can you make your links more inclusive?
Be aware of the language you use to describe your recipes.
How to be culturally aware on your blog.
Provide as much information as possible for recipes.

Connect with Jazzmine Woodard

Website | Instagram

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In episode 405, Natasha Levai teaches us how to stay motivated as we wait for our food blogs to grow.

Natasha is a half-Russian, half-Ukrainian living in Eastern Hungary with her family. Her food blog, Natasha’s Home, focuses on gluten-free cooking and baking, including gluten-free sourdough recipes. Natasha is up front about being a beginner, with her blog live for a little over a year. She is in the process of learning and growing toward making this business into a full-time job. Natasha’s first job was at McDonald's and, more importantly, doing much-needed work at orphanages around the world for most of her adult life. In this episode, you’ll find out how to accept that you’ll make mistakes, effectively explore new platforms and how to plan for blog growth when you’re just starting out.

Narrow down your niche to get off to a good start.
Don’t forget SEO and keyword research - are there any topics no one’s written on?
Develop a system that will allow you to post ahead of schedule.
Make the most of free resources online.
Find other food bloggers who inspire you.
You learn when you do something yourself
Make an action plan to implement what you learn.
How do you deal with burn out and how do you set realistic goals?

Connect with Natasha Levai

Website | Instagram

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In episode 404, Megan chats to Clara Cheng about achieving fitness goals and how applying a fitness mentality to your blogging business can help you grow.

Clara is a content creator for the last 2 years at Fitsian Food Life, which shares macro-friendly healthy recipes that are still delicious. Fitness is a very integral part of her life and is also the key reason why she started the blog. Clara likes to stay active by training Muay Thai and powerlifting. In order to make sure she has enough energy to train well, it’s essential for her to replenish her body with adequate nutrition. At the same time, Clara loves good food and she started creating recipes of her favorite dishes, tweaked to be healthy and nutritious. Throughout the past year, Clara has invested in the right tooling and education to see meaningful traction in traffic growth for her blog. In this episode, you’ll find out what is meant by "fitness mentality", understanding that change and success don’t happen overnight and how to adopt the same determination to achieve your fitness goals to help build your blog.

The frustrations of blogging are similar to achieving fitness goals.
Invest in tools that will help you advance in your goal.
Understand that improvement takes time.
You don’t walk into the gym and start lifting heavy weights.
Line up your expectations to reality.
Take a break to help you get clarity for your goals.
How do you keep a work-life balance?
Understand what you need to prioritize and de-pioritize.
What can you control to help grow your business?

Connect with Clara Cheng

Website | Instagram

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In episode 403, Megan chats to Jillian Leslie about which types of digital products are good for food bloggers to add to their businesses and which ones are most effective to start with.

Jillian Leslie loves building businesses on the internet with her husband, David. In 2009, they started Catch My Party, one of the largest party ideas sites on the web. In 2016, Jillian and David built MiloTree, a smart pop-up app to help bloggers and creators grow their social media followers and email lists. And in 2021, they built MiloTreeCart, the easiest tool for bloggers and creators to sell digital products. It's built for non-techies. For the past 4 years, Jillian has been hosting her weekly podcast called The Blogger Genius Podcast. She interviews successful bloggers, entrepreneurs, and industry experts to break down what's working now in online business. In this episode, you’ll learn about which digital products you should avoid at the beginning, understanding the psychology behind a digital product that your clients will buy and how to price products correctly.

Is it worth building a course as your first digital product?
It’s about trial and error - what kind of product will people buy?
Learn from your customers and make your products better.
Find a problem to solve, be specific and go deep.
What is the best digital product to start with?
How to price your digital product effectively.
Should you give something away for free?
Aim for good work that you get published instead of unpublished perfect work.

Connect with Jillian Leslie

Website | Instagram

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In episode 402, Megan chats to Maren Epstein about how she reached 85k page views from 5k page views in 7 months after 7 years of failing.

Maren Epstein is a health supportive chef with a degree from the Natural Gourmet Institute which is a part of the Institute of Culinary Education and a bachelor’s Degree from Drew University. She specializes in developing diets and recipes for gut health that are Gluten Free, which is the focus of her blog, Eating Works. She has published food pieces in The New York Daily News and The Independent along with many recipes for Mashed, Healthline, Tasting Table and more. In this episode, you’ll find out that it’s normal not to be an expert from the start and how to stay resilient and search for the right strategy to help you succeed in your blogging journey long-term.

Slow success is normal for bloggers.
It’s natural that bloggers learn more about website hosts and SEO with time.
Do you feel frustrated at not knowing whether a strategy you’re using is effective?
Consider adding articles in your field of expertise to increase page views.
Consult resources like podcasts and join masterminds.
Embrace your story.
Create supporting content for your recipes.
How to use web stories and other strategies effectively.
Be honest with yourself in terms of how much work you’re willing to put in.

Connect with Maren Epstein

Website | Instagram

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In episode 401, Marta Rivera Diaz teaches us how to be an authentic ally as a content creator, helping under-served individuals in thoughtful and genuine ways.

Marta Rivera Diaz is a formally trained chef with more than 25 years of cooking and baking experience and is the chef and author behind Sense & Edibility®, her “online culinary school.” Marta created Sense & Edibility® to encourage advanced and novice cooks alike, to explore- and succeed at executing culinary fundamentals, techniques, and cuisines never before explained or introduced to them. As a bi-racial woman, who grew up and married into the military, and one who lives with a disability, Marta is a staunch advocate for under-served communities, especially in the food space. In this episode, you’ll learn more about how to stand up for equality, diversity and inclusion in your field of expertise.

When you want to be inclusive and consider diversity, look beyond yourself.
How can you be a better, considered person online?
Don’t limit creators’ abilities based on their racial and gender characteristics.
How to respond to someone’s suggestion for your own content?
Find someone to openly ask about what is potentially offensive to them.
Be careful when you are writing about a certain culture in your content.
Provide recipe hacks in a sensitive way to people with disabilities etc.
Write exciting Alt Text for your images.

Connect with Marta Rivera Diaz

Website | Instagram

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Megan gets interviewed in episode 400! Eat Blog Talk’s community manager, Taryn, asks Megan a list of personal, mindset, entrepreneurial and food blogging questions sent in by her listeners in this AMA episode.

Megan started her food blog Pip and Ebby in 2010 and food blogging has been her full-time career since 2012. Her passion for blogging has grown into an intense desire to support fellow food bloggers so they have access to the information, insight and community that accelerates their paths to achieving desired freedoms. In this episode, you’ll learn more about Megan’s experience as a seasoned food blogger. She’ll share what is she most excited about for the future, what hasn’t changed in blogging throughout the years, the impact of AI, life-changing resources for entrepreneurs, scary long-term goals and keeping a healthy balance between working hard and taking time off.

Why is getting into podcasting a huge opportunity for bloggers?
What is unique about Pinterest in the blogging space?
The benefits of AI for food bloggers.
What is the best way to find a business mentor?
Tips to get started with freelance work.
It's important to set clear boundaries for yourself to keep a balanced life.
Tips for starting a food blogging podcast.

Connect with Megan Porta

Website | Instagram

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In episode 399, Megan chats to June Albertson-Dick about the blogging lessons she learned the hard way and how new bloggers can avoid her mistakes.

June started Practically Homemade in late 2017 as a way to share her love of making simple recipes spectacular. For years June had owned and operated a cake decorating business and deli in her hometown before becoming a high school culinary teacher. It wasn’t until June of 2021 that she stepped away from 8 years of teaching young adults to cook to make Practically Homemade a full time job. June truly believes that we don’t have to spend hours in the kitchen to make amazing food that everyone will go crazy for. In this episode, you will find out how to create a great brand from the start, the importance of consistency and SEO and social media strategies for Pinterest.

Pick the right name for your blog.
Consistency sets you apart from other bloggers.
Make your pins for Pinterest distinctive.
SEO is essential if you want to make enough money to go full-time.
Is it hard work to be a successful blogger?
Think about how to write for your reader.
How many pop ups are too many?
Don’t compare yourself to others, keep focused on your own journey.

Connect with June Albertson-Dick

Website | Instagram

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In episode 398, Megan chats to Lee McGuire about how she grew her Instagram account to over a 100k followers in one year using mostly reels.

Lee is the creator, photographer, recipe developer and writer of the gluten free food blog, Lane & Grey Fare. There, you will find gluten free and allergy-friendly food that is as decadent, savory and as rich as other food, while still being simple enough to make in your own home. As a mother of two children with celiac disease and multiple food in a way that’s entertaining and helpful. One of the ways she does this is by making beautiful and tantalizing reels on Instagram. In this episode, you’ll find out how she grew her account from 19k followers to 144k in one year. She also shares how her strategy has impacted traffic going to her blog.

Should I post every single day? (including weekends)
Spend time to engage with people who engage with your content.
Engage with our followers’ accounts.
Is there a correlation between the amount of IG followers and my website traffic?
Shorter videos perform better (a few seconds).
Is it worth posting longer videos?
Post at your key times (preferably twice a day).
Advice on using hashtags for reels.
Does quality matter?

Connect with Lee McGuire

Website | Instagram

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In episode 397, Megan Gonzalez teaches us how to use PDFs and video to quickly grow our email list.

Megan Gonzalez is the knitter behind Nurture Knitwear, and she strives to create a chic casual style for modern women. At Nurture Knitwear, they are focused on empowering women to carve out a little creative space for themselves to learn, to find peace and satisfaction, and to refill so that they can keep pouring out into the lives of those we love. In this episode, Megan shares her journey in becoming a knitting blogger and how she used PDFs to double her email list by offering knitting patterns. She also explains how she uses video tutorials to get more email subscribers and boost her page views.

Use PDF printouts of recipes as an opt-in for new email subscribers.
PDFs can generate interest on other platforms too, like social media.
How to use video tutorials as an opt-in to build your email list.
Videos give a more personal touch point and therefore a deeper connection.
Where do you embed the videos so that only subscribers can view them?
Videos can boost your page views.
Offer something of real value to your audience.
Share your content in a natural way, especially in social media groups.

Connect with Megan Gonzalez

Website | Instagram

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In episode 396, Megan chats to Marley Braunlich about different ways to use AI tools like ChatGPT to streamline writing for our blogs, helping us become more efficient bloggers.

Marley has been a food blogger for a little over 1 year. She started working in SEO shortly after starting her blog. During this time, she grew her Instagram audience to 13k followers and started working with brands to earn a side income while the blog matured and she continued to pour into the blog. Marley has learned how to successfully land brand deals and form long-term partnerships. She also grew an understanding of SEO. She is now leveraging AI to grow her business and streamline writing so that she can save time and create more content. In this episode, you’ll learn about different ways to use ChatGPT (and other AI tools) to your advantage and what to avoid when it comes to using AI.

AI can speed up processes like writing for your blog.
Can Google detect AI written content?
Understand what is meant by Google’s Helpful Content Update.
How can bloggers make the most of ChatGPT?
Edit the result from ChatGPT to give it a human touch.
What to check if you let ChatGPT write recipes (e.g. oven temperatures and timings).
Use it for social media captions and email marketing.
How do these AI writing tools affect the future of content writers and bloggers?
Use plagiarism checkers to make sure you’re using truly unique content.

Connect with Marley Braunlich

Website | Instagram

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In episode 395, Megan chats to Cynthia Christensen about ways to deal with and overcome our limitations while growing our food blogs.

Cynthia is a professional baker and cook who has transitioned to running a breakfast and brunch focused blog. She also does freelance recipe development for larger online magazines, runs private chef events, and does occasional food photography. In this episode, Cynthia motivates us to find ways around our limitations which can be anything from work or family responsibilities to health or mental challenges. She shares examples from her own life, how she achieves her blogging goals despite physical limitations and being comfortable with taking days off when she needs it.

Limitations stand in your way or slow you down when blogging.
Create an appropriate goal sheet that will help you manage life obstacles.
Be kind to yourself when you can’t get everything done.
Give yourself a day off when you need it. Zero guilt for self-care.
Be careful not to compare yourself to others on social media.
Talk about what you’re going through to help manage your emotions.
Assume the answer is yes and embrace new opportunities.

Connect with Cynthia Christensen

Website | Instagram

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In episode 394, Jules Grasekamp teaches us how to create a roadmap for success, based on lessons she learned during 10 years of building her own baking business.

Jules, a dessert blogger from Scotland, started her own bakery at age 16 and she ran that for 10 years before selling up and moving to Canada. After a few years of working as a business coach, Jules realized she missed working with food, so she purchased a camera to share her recipes on her blog - Bonni Bakery. Now, Jules shares accessible recipes using real and simple ingredients to help people create professional quality desserts in their own kitchens. In this episode, you’ll learn how to set an end-goal for your roadmap to success, how to create a realistic action plan that will help you get there and tips for tracking your progress.

Start by thinking what do you want your business to look like in 3, 5 or 10 years?
What your business looks like will determine what your life will look like.
It’s possible to dream big and achieve your goal.
What are the achievable, daily tasks that will help you reach your end-goal?
Make an action plan according to those tasks.
Implement SMART goals to help you accomplish all your tasks?
What do you do when you have to skip daily tasks (i.e. illness, emergency)?
Be realistic when you set goals, take into consideration your weak spots.
Find the best tool for project management and goal-tracking.

Connect with Jules Grasekamp

Website | Instagram

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In episode 393, Megan chats to Chrissy Carroll about nutrition considerations for bloggers, especially within the wellness niche, and how to provide the best healthy recipes.

Chrissy Carroll is a Registered Dietitian and the creator behind Snacking in Sneakers, where she shares food and fitness tips for active women – especially runners and triathletes. After growing her main site to more than 100,000 page views a month, Chrissy has gone on to launch several other successful websites like Build a Wellness Blog. She is passionate about helping other dietitians grow profitable websites, sharing helpful blogging and social media tips. She also runs an online course teaching bloggers how to create content that ranks higher and drives more traffic. In this episode, you’ll learn which sources to trust when it comes to nutrition advice, how to check the accuracy of nutrition information you provide and understanding key dietary terms before you use them.

Be careful with giving advice when it comes to nutrition.
Collaborate with a registered dietitian.
Always include a disclaimer when you provide wellness information.
When recipes are vegetarian / vegan?
What to consider if you’re developing gluten-free or dairy-free recipes?
Know the difference between the terms sugar-free and no-added sugar.
Ketogenic diet is sometimes used to manage epilepsy.
Should you mix different types of dietary recipes on your blog?
Can you trust nutrition card calculators?
Food safety tips.

Connect with Chrissy Carroll

Website | Instagram

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In episode 392, Jen Talley teaches us how to use checklists effectively to optimize our workflows for blogging.

Jen grew up eating dinner with her whole family every night. In 2006, Jen moved across the country for college and she found a love for cooking and experimenting with new recipes. When Jen graduated, she had 3 kids and became a stay at home mom. Many years later, Jen finally got the courage to start a food blog and she now loves following her passion for food. Jen is really enthusiastic about this job and wants to share her love of blogging and productivity tips with others. In this episode, you’ll find out how to simplify your blogging workflow, using checklists for before you write a blog post, while publishing a post and the after publishing your recipe.

Checklists are useful for beginner and seasoned bloggers.
Divide your checklists into pre-publishing, during publishing and post-publishing.
What are the most essential tasks you should do before you post?
Checklists help you remember all the most important steps on a recipe day.
Have a checklist for your photos, including file names and alternative text.
What do you need to include in your recipe card to rank on Google?
Post-publishing, create a checklist for social media and email marketing.

Connect with Jen Talley

Website | Instagram

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In episode 391, Megan chats to Taryn Scarfone about the advantages of starting a second food blog.

Taryn is a happily married, busy mom of 6. She began her blogging journey as a hobby in 2015 and it took off pretty quickly. Joy Filled Eats concentrates on low carb and keto recipes that are easy to make and suitable for the whole family. Since starting her blog, Taryn has launched two more food websites. In this episode, Taryn talks about how her second food blog allowed her to expand into a different niche and do everything better from the start, getting a lot of organic traffic quickly.

How do you decide on a second niche?
What should you do differently in a second blog?
Approach SEO and keywords carefully before you launch.
How much do you post on social media for new food blogs?
Time management tips for managing multiple food blogs.
A new blog can add new inspiration to your blogging journey.
How much effort should you put into logos and branding?

Connect with Taryn Scarfone

Website | Instagram

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In episode 390, Megan chats to Rob Finkelstein about why it’s important for food bloggers and photographers to have contracts and understanding important legal terms.

Rob is a lawyer, practicing for over 20 years in NYC. In 2017, Rob decided to pursue his passion of baking and went to culinary school for pastry arts. After graduating, not wanting to leave the law, Rob got started blogging at Cinnamon Shtick, which was also his entry into food photography. He worked with a number of brands and came to represent lots of food photographers in connection with their contracts and business set ups. They all inspired Rob to create an online course about contracts specifically for food photographers. In this episode, you learn how to set up a contract, what kind of clauses you need to include, tips for copyright and licensing terms and why this can make a massive difference in your business.

Difficult legal terms put people off drawing up contracts.
It doesn’t seem important until there’s an issue.
It defines your relationship with your client.
Do you have a business entity name?
What should you do if you don’t agree with the contract terms?
Get a basic education about legal terms.
What should you know about copyright law and licensing?
What if a brand asks for revisions of your photography work?
Define which country and state’s laws apply.

Connect with Rob Finkelstein

Website | Instagram

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In episode 389, Megan chats to Christina Jolam about why Christina was held back from blogging and how she overcame doubt, perfectionism and other obstacles that stood in her way.

Christina Jolam is a communications consultant turned food writer and founder of the blog Weekday Pescatarian. She creates easy and impressive fish-forward recipes and shares tips for incorporating more seafood into your diet, all from her tiny sea-side flat in Portugal. In this episode, you’ll be able to explore common reasons why we put off starting a blog, including perfectionism and doubts of whether we’ll succeed. Christina shares her blogging journey and how she overcame her fear of failure.

Perfectionism often stand in our way to start something new.
Perfectionists fear criticism.
Perfectionists feel like nothing is good enough.
Perfectionists tend to avoid risks.
Address your doubts, instead of ignoring them.
Dread leads to procrastination.
Use journaling as a way to navigate your feelings.
Listening to other bloggers’ stories will help you realize you’re not alone.

Connect with Christina Jolam

Website | Instagram

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In episode 388, Ruth Grindeland teaches us how to find international resources for effective and cost-efficient outsourcing.

Ruth started Sinful Kitchen in 2020, during the Covid pandemic. After binge watching 9 seasons of The Great British Baking show, Ruth knew she needed to find a better way to connect with the world. Hence, Sinful Kitchen was created. It’s a vegan and vegetarian blog that shares recipes from all around the world, while occasionally trying to recreate Baking Show challenges. In this episode, Ruth explains why she wanted to outsource her blog tasks to women overseas with less opportunities using platforms like Fiverr and Upwork. She delves into the details of finding the right people, quality-control, mediating with sellers when things go wrong and the benefits of outsourcing.

Decide if you want to hire per job or per post.
How do you decide if someone is a good fit for the job?
Come up with a system of operation that makes it easy to work together.
What happens when you get poor quality work back?
Tips to mediate with sellers on Fiverr.
What kind of jobs can you hire out?
Save time and focus on developing other parts of your business.

Connect with Ruth Grindeland

Website | Instagram

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In episode 387, Olena Osipov teaches us how to batch produce YouTube content for increased growth and efficiency.

Olena of iFoodReal has been blogging for 11 years. While blogging, she tried to grow her YouTube channel, however she stopped a few times as she did not have the right strategy amongst other reasons. In 2021, Olena needed a break because she recognized that she was burnt out. She came back in 2022 with a new strategy to produce video content more efficiently for YouTube and she’s here to share her strategy with us. In this episode, you’ll learn her process for batch producing YouTube content, everything from finding a reasonably priced videographer to the most efficient way to film and edit videos and how to look your best on film.

Batch filming to get as many recipes done as possible in one session.
Prepare all utensils and ingredients before a filming day.
Batch record intros and outros and cooking processes.
Use YouTube analytics to find the ideal video length (normally around 5 minutes).
How do you deal with comments on YouTube?
Tips for how to streamline the editing process.
Film short vertical videos too for TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts.
Make-up, outfit and posture tips to look good on film.

Connect with Olena Osipov

Website | Instagram

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In episode 386, Megan chats to Erin Gierhart about getting clarity on what is essential in order to grow your blog and how to let go of everything else so that you can get more done by doing less.

Erin founded her blog, State of Dinner, in 2020, after almost 20 years in the food and beverage industry. She enjoys developing mostly from scratch recipes that bring comfort to her family, without spending all day in the kitchen. She quadrupled her blog traffic year over year by getting clear on what was essential and letting go of everything else. In this episode, you’ll learn how to decide on tasks that will help increase your traffic most, which tasks are less important and using discipline and time management techniques to stay on track.

Are you getting the right things done to move the needle in your business?
Decide which skills you need to develop most to increase your traffic.
Make a list of things that you will NOT do.
Can you use outsourcing to help free up your time?
Have discipline to stay on track by knowing your WHY.
How do you plan your week to align with your priorities?
Set time boundaries to complete your priorities for the week.
How to deal with distractions.

Connect with Erin Gierhart

Website | Instagram

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In episode 385, Megan chats to Katalin Nagy about extra revenue streams for our blogs, specifically how to monetize online baking classes and other skills.

Katalin started her food blog, Spatula Desserts, in spring 2020 during the lockdown. She loved baking and teaching people how to bake, but at the start, she didn’t know anything about SEO, search consoles, or the importance of keywords. She quickly picked up an avid desire to learn more about the industry in 2021. She began to monetize her blog in October 2021 via Mediavine. From there, Katalin found joy in creating live and pre-recorded baking classes in 2022 to further showcase her passion for baking with her audience and create a new revenue stream, all while working full-time for a corporate company. In this episode, you’ll learn more about how we can monetize our skills by teaching them to others, for example through online baking classes, and why this is good for our blogging careers.

Gain more traffic through online baking courses.
What are the advantages of live baking classes versus pre-recorded?
When you record live classes, you can resell those to generate passive income.
What should you do if you’re afraid of public speaking?
It is more secure to have at least two sources of income.
Discipline over motivation will bring you closer to your goal each day.

Connect with Katalin Nagy

Website | Instagram

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In episode 384, Caro Jensen teaches us four easy steps to build a strong food brand, stand out from the crowd and offer maximum value to our readers.

Caro is a seasoned marketing professional who has worked in the food and wine space for over a decade. As a Brand and PR Manager in the wine industry she’s worked with bloggers directly and via agencies. She’s also connected bloggers and brands as a marketing consultant and works as a food and wine content creator to build her own brand and channels. In this episode, you’ll find out what branding is, why it is important for business growth and how to build a strong, identifiable and likable brand.

Branding is not just your logo.
With SEO being popular, individuality is more important than ever.
Find your brand mission and create a vision board.
How do you want to serve your reader?
Why did you start your blog?
A tag line helps others to understand quickly what you do.
Create a mood board for your brand.
Formalize your brand feel in a style guide.
Decide what photography and videography style you want to use.
What writing style will you use?
Being on brand should allow you to be yourself.
Be consistent with your branding on all platforms.

Connect with Caro Jensen

Website | Instagram

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In episode 383, Sarah Holt teaches us how to make a full-time income creating recipes, making videos and doing photography for food brands while blogging.

Sarah has been a food blogger for almost 3 years at Real Food with Sarah. After years of struggling with keyword research and SEO, she is excited to be close to reaching her goal of qualifying for Mediavine in the next few months. While Sarah’s blog is growing, she was successful in focusing a lot on freelance and sponsored brand work this year and has so far made 15x more than she made in 2021. Sarah only has a following of 2200 on Instagram so she’s showing it can be done. In this episode, you will learn how Sarah selects brands she wants to collaborate with, how she pitches them and tips for pricing yourself that will make you feel valued as a freelancer.

Find a brand’s gaps when planning your pitch.
Decide on the brand’s individual needs before working out pricing.
What are red flags when it comes to pricing and when should you walk away?
Should you let go of brand work that you don’t enjoy?
Will brands work with you if you have a small following on Instagram?
Follow up on any pitches you’ve sent.
Don’t be scared to invest in your business.

Connect with Sarah Holt

Website | Instagram

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In episode 382, Megan chats to Bobbie Blue about why investing in ourselves and our business from the beginning will help us reach our goals quicker and with less stress.

Bobbie Blue lives in Florida with her husband and step-daughter. She started the blog, Blue's Best Life in 2018, however it had no focus and she wrote about everything from fitness, being a step-mom to healthy recipes. Bobbie’s ears perked up and she finally took the advice from the blogging community and niched down. But it wasn’t until 2020 that it became clear that food blogging was her true passion. She fell in love with recipe development and food photography and dove into that. Bobbie shares her blogging journey, exploring some of the key mistakes she made at the start and how she invested in herself and her business to turn her blog into a money-making business.

What game-changing improvements can you make in your blogging kit (e.g. photography equipment, photography courses)?
How can you create a second source of income?
Is there a way to improve your writing style?
Have you niched down?
Find a like-minded community of people who can support you.
Learn from the blogging mistakes you make at the start.
Who can you contact to be a blogging mentor?

Connect with Bobbie Blue

Website | Instagram

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In episode 381, Megan chats to Erica Hopper about ways in which you can apply your previous work experience to improve your blogging skills.

Erica, the creator behind the sugar + salt co., uses nearly 2 decades of professional culinary experience to create mostly gluten free, veggie forward recipes that anyone can make and the whole family will love. Erica has worked in all areas of the "food biz", and for the last couple of years has enjoyed developing her own blog, diving into the world of food photography and recipe development, and really found she loves developing relationships with brands and clients to help them tell their stories. In this episode, you’ll learn about time management, keeping motivated, social media management and applying other skills you might have learned in the past to improve your blog today.

Break down your tasks into digestible chunks throughout the day.
Be flexible when your schedule doesn’t go according to plan.
Take a step back from social media and avoid comparing yourself to others.
What skills did you learn in previous jobs?
How can you apply these skills to blogging?
Outsource where you can to see your creativity flow more easily.
Everyone has something valuable to share.

Connect with Erica Hopper

Website | Instagram

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In episode 380, Megan chats to Shani Whisonant about how she turned her blog into a lucrative baking academy and bootcamp.

Shani is the creator behind Begin with Butter, a baking education platform. It started as a baking blog in 2021, and she’s now grown it to include the Begin with Butter Home Baking Academy. She uses this platform to host live and pre-recorded baking classes to help home bakers and cottage bakers reach their baking potential. Shani enjoys demystifying baking for people by teaching them tips and techniques that help them become more consistent and confident in the kitchen. In this episode, find out how you can make more of an impact by teaching people the skills you’ve learned while growing your blog, specifically from a place of love and with an authentic desire to help others. You’ll also learn about the logistics of organizing baking or cooking classes online.

Approach a business idea from a place of love and service.
Balance writing about what you love with the things that’ll make you rank higher.
Bring your authentic self, then your audience will find you.
Approach your business from a space of gratitude.
Have a team to support you as you expand your blog into a business.
Why is it crucial to believe that you’re on the right path?
How do you set up an online academy and what platforms work well for teaching?
You can effectively and organically market your classes through social media.

Connect with Shani Whisonant

Website | Instagram

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In episode 379, Brooke Harmer teaches us how to monetize our blogs before hitting 50,000 pageviews. Explore 7 strategies ranked in order of difficulty and time required.

Brooke launched her food blog in March 2020, because she knew she could work from home and still be a full time mom. However, after her son was born, she struggled to keep up with the demands of the job and constantly felt discouraged that despite her best efforts, she still hadn't hit 50,000 monthly pageviews. Instead of focusing on what she didn't have, she honed in on the time and talents she DID have and began to monetize her business in other creative ways, even while raising her 6 month old son by herself for a time. She has since self-published two cookbooks, landed 5-figure brand deals, and hired her first employee. In this episode, you’ll learn about additional sources of income for your blog, from easy ways to earn money through affiliate marketing and more intense methods like brand work and online courses.

Focus on the qualitative aspects of your business instead of the quantitative.
How do you create the habits that will help you monetize?
What is the best way to go about affiliate marketing?
Email marketing gives you full control of your audience.
Sponsor work for a brand requires more time but allows you to make more money.
What is the difference between sponsor work and freelance work?
Why do unpaid speaking gigs help your business grow?
Digital products can help expand your brand and help your audience.
Are online courses and coaching worth investing time in?

Connect with Brooke Harmer

Website | Instagram

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In episode 378, Megan chats to Zhen Zhou about how her experience in business school translated into her blogging career and how that has helped her succeed.

Zhen blogs about cooking up flavorful South East Asian recipes for her audience because she can't stand bland food. She also occasionally shares about the life of a food blogger. She shares her story of going from doing an MBA in London to starting a food blog as a way to reach more people with her creative work on the Internet. In this episode, you’ll learn more about Zhen’s top five lessons from business school, including what helps you succeed in one field won’t necessarily help you get to the next level, invest in your blog like a real business, the importance of diversification, lean into what is uncomfortable and think about the consumer.

Set different goals to adapt to your blogging journey and the next step of success.
Should you focus on RPMs more than keywords?
What you don’t pay for in money, you pay for in time.
Invest in courses that will help move your blog to the next level.
Ways to diversify in traffic sources and income.
If your ranking gets affected on Google, having diverse sources of traffic is useful.
There is a payoff in doing what feels uncomfortable, like being a guest on a podcast.
Imagine yourself in the consumer’s shoes - do you need to adapt your marketing for your ideal audience?

Connect with Zhen Zhou

Website | Instagram

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In episode 377, Jamie Silva teaches us strategies that we can use to grow our blog business without relying on Instagram.

Jamie quit a safe and secure full-time job in 2016 and started A Sassy Spoon, her food blog. Two years later, Jamie began making a full-time income (from $0 to $85k in 2 years). Today, she’s making over six figures from various income streams (close to $100k from ad revenue alone). Jamie focuses on coaching food bloggers on how to grow and manage their food blogs so they can turn them into a full-time business in less time. If you’re feeling frustrated with Instagram right now (or another social media network), this episode will show you how to make progress without the need to rely on that platform. Jamie shares why she stopped posting regularly on Instagram, what she does instead and how this impacts her business and wellbeing positively.

The attraction and trap of Instagram is chasing likes, shares and views.
For the time spent, how much ROI do you get from posting reels?
Instead of posting on Instagram, how can you spend your time differently?
Going back to the basics is invaluable.
Audit your blog and reevaluate your niche.
Can you land sponsorship deals without Instagram?
Make your largest traffic source organic search by paying attention to SEO.
Be intentional with key words and establishing E-A-T for a bigger ROI than Instagram.
Be transparent and negotiate carefully when discussing brand sponsorship contracts.
Do all brands care about Instagram followers and engagement?

Connect with Jamie Silva

Website | Instagram

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In episode 376, Megan chats to Nadalie Bardo about why we are losing potential traffic opportunities by not exploring Pinterest more and which Pinterest strategies work the best for growth.

Nadalie is a Pinterest coach dedicated to helping blogs, brands, and businesses like yours achieve their goals of more traffic, more subscribers, and more sales. Achieving 1M views on Pinterest since her very first month for her personal development blog, It’s All You Boo, she’s grown her email list to 14K subscribers and has sold 1000s of copies of her digital products and courses. As a Pinterest Coach, Nadalie has taught thousands of creators how to market their blogs, businesses, and brands on Pinterest. In this episode, learn why you should be immersing yourself in Pinterest marketing and how to balance new features like Idea Pins and Video Pins with your Static pins to drive maximum traffic to your website.

Food and recipes is the biggest niche on Pinterest.
New space is opening up as old users are dropping off from Pinterest.
Great images are your edge on Pinterest.
Which type of pin will drive most of your traffic?
Use pins as trailers for your website.
What are the best practices for Pinterest in 2023?
Make the most of Pinterest Trends to map out your recipes according to seasons.
Market your Pinterest account outside of the platform.
How can you optimize SEO for Pinterest?
Promotion is almost as important if not more important than just creating.

Connect with Nadalie Bardo

Website | Instagram

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In episode 375, Megan chats to Tim Schmoyer about expert strategies to optimize our YouTube channels for easy discovery and growth in 2023.

Since 2011, Tim Schmoyer has been one of the leading YouTube strategists in the online video industry. His company, Video Creators, has been featured by FOX, Forbes, BBC even YouTube themselves as his team trains creators and brands to master YouTube and use it as a place to spread messages that change lives. Their clients have organically grown by over 20 billion views and 81 millions subscribers under their guidance. In this episode, you’ll learn more about YouTube search, discovery systems and YouTube’s goals in general so that you can optimize your channel to get discovered more and increase your subscribers.

What are YouTube’s goals and how can you align your channel with that?
How much do keywords and viewing time impact your discoverability on YouTube>
Content on YouTube has become completely customized.
Optimize your content for your ideal audience - think how will they respond?
How do you spark curiosity and create intrigue?
Create title, thumbnail and first couple of seconds before you create your content.
Should you request viewers to subscribe, like and comment?
Take the approach: Hang out in the kitchen with me while I cook.
When analyzing your content, think how can I improve my game?

Connect with Tim Schmoyer

Website | Instagram

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In episode 374, Andrea Liebross teaches us effective strategies for long-term planning, making it less daunting, doable and fun. Learn how two become clear on what you want to achieve and how you’re going to make it happen in 2023.

Andrea is a coach, speaker, podcast host, and soon to be published author who is known for helping bold, ambitious women make clear, confident decisions, so that they get exactly what they want, every time, and not just add another thing to their to-do list. Andrea’s clients become “I’ve got this” kind of women by creating their own custom secret sauce for success in both life and business; the sauce has just two ingredients - the right mindset and solid systems. In this episode, find out how to shift your mindset about annual planning, set SMARTER goals, get over your fear of failure and think honestly about how you want to grow in life and business.

Why are we daunted by long-term planning?
Our fear of not achieving goals often prevents us from making them in the first place.
In life and business, ask yourself: What do you value most?
Start your vision with 10 years - where will you be?
How do you see yourself evolving as your business grows?
Set SMARTER goals.
Do you truly celebrate reaching your goals?
Partner with someone when you go through your future vision.
Spend half of your energy on mindset and half of your energy on your goals.
A plan helps you focus on what you need to do to move forward faster.

Connect with Andrea Loss

Website | Instagram

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In episode 373, Megan chats to Chandice Probst about the importance of networking to grow your business and how your business community can help you succeed.

Chandice Probst is the business partner and sponsor director of Tastemaker Conference, which is the premier food blogger conference and community for food content creators. It is a place where food bloggers and content creators make contact with incredible brands and foodies. Based on Chandice’s experience of Tastemaker Conference, and making lifelong connections in a community of like-minded creatives, in this episode, you’ll find out more about every aspect of networking. This includes everything from reaching out to someone on Instagram to networking with competition and making the most of an in-person event.

What is the best networking method?
In-person and virtual conferences are worthwhile investments.
Find the right conference for you.
Why do food bloggers need community?
What are the best ways to connect outside of conferences?
Do not focus on isolating yourself from competition.
Focus on building a support group, even within your niche.
Overcome fear of reaching out to somebody and asking for help.
What happens at Tastemaker Conference and why can it make a difference to your business?

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In episode 372, Casey Markee gives us his best SEO predictions for 2023, describing the bigger picture and what we should be thinking about as we create our content in the new year.

Speaker, writer, and trainer, Casey Markee, is the founder of digital consultancy company Media Wyse. He is a well-known SEO professional with 20+ years of experience. Casey has trained SEO teams on five different continents, he has spoken at over 100 conferences, and he has worked with thousands of bloggers in the Food, Lifestyle and Travel niches. He also collects comic books, enjoys watching trashy reality TV with his wife Tifany, and he believes bacon should be its own food group. In this episode, you’ll learn exactly what to look out for when it comes to SEO in 2023, including how to deal with new Google updates, how visual content is going to have a major impact on your Google rankings going forward, keywords versus entities and the importance of E-A-T.

What should you know about the Helpful Content Update?
Product reviews should be unique.
What does Google prefer: Quantity or Quality?
Tips to rank for visual content.
What is the difference between entities and keywords?
How to optimize for semantic SEO for higher rankings
Ranking categories: Navigational, Informational, Transactional and Commercial
Target featured snippets on Google (quick answers to questions)
What to know about E-A-T optimization?
Google ranks according to 2 factors: 1) relevant scoring, and 2) a quality assessment.
How can podcast guesting help your E-A-T?
Why should you consider openly supporting a social cause on your blog?

Connect with Casey Markee

Website | LinkedIn

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In episode 371, Megan chats to Vanessa Mota about how to niche down, finding the ideal topic for your blog, and why this can increase traffic and income.

Vanessa Mota is an award-winning food photographer and nationally recognized content creator. Her love for food led her to create My Dominican Kitchen, a bilingual platform with traditional Dominican recipes and Latin-inspired meals for home cooks, as a way to preserve her family’s recipes and share with the world the flavors of la comida criolla. In this episode, you’ll learn about the benefits of having a specific niche for your food blog and what to focus on when deciding your niche.

Make everything clear for yourself and your readers.
Who is your reader and how do you help them?
Develop a content strategy that is SEO-focused.
Ask your audience what they’re struggling with as the base for your content strategy.
Build trust with your reader.
What is your top content on your blog and social media?
Learn from your competition.
A specific niche helps you create specific products you can sell.

Connect with Vanessa Mota

Website | Instagram

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In episode 370, Jenna Gibbons teaches us techniques to take care of our wellbeing, our family and improve our productivity while turning a passion project into a business.

Jenna is a stay-at-home mom and founder of the Whole Mama business and non-profit, Hickory Hill Farm. In 2016, living on a small farm in Nashville, Jenna decided to devote her time to her boys and started the Whole Mama business after feeling frustrated with the dynamics of public education. The Whole Mama business and international podcast began in 2020 to help mamas break free from the chaos in education and bravely start homeschooling with the tools and confidence they need to raise happy, healthy, and well-rounded kiddos. In this episode, you’ll learn how to turn a passion project into a business, especially when you’re a full-time, homeschooling parent, including strategies to keep yourself motivated and productive.

How should you start off your day in order to feel energized?
Who you choose to hang out with makes a huge difference whether as a homeschool mom or business owner.
Have daily reminders to help keep you on track on hard and good days.
How do you fill your cup emotionally and spiritually?
Is hustling really the key to success?
Part of your journey is discovering your purpose.
Do one thing at a time and set yourself realistic goals.

Connect with Jenna Gibbons

Website | Instagram

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In episode 369, Megan chats to IP specialist and attorney, Maria Spear Ollis, about protecting our recipes and images online.

Maria Spear Ollis is an attorney bringing peace of mind to content creators when it comes to IP protection, contracts, and internet law. Her goal is to help her clients before “it” hits the fan so that if setbacks happen, they’ll bounce back faster. When Maria isn’t hammering away at a copyright issue or recording a YouTube video, you can catch her dancing to Motown hits with her two sons, cooking with her husband, learning about herbs and medicinal plants, or hollering at her dog to get down from the couch. In this episode, you’ll learn more about how to protect your intellectual property (i.e. recipes and images), the essentials of Internet law and why it is important for your business.

How can you protect a recipe that several people make?
Which aspects make a recipe unique to you?
What is the history of your recipe?
The story behind the food is critical for IP protection.
Can you protect ingredient lists?
What should food bloggers know about the Trade Secrets Law and when is it applicable to them?
Can I reference someone or something famous in my recipe name?
How do I protect my blog images?

Connect with Maria Spear Ollis

Website | Instagram

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In episode 368, Meredith Kruse teaches us 10 strategies for sustainable side-hustling and why we don’t have to quit our full-time job to be successful food bloggers.

Meredith is the photographer, recipe developer, and voice behind the blog, Our Love Language is Food. She also works full-time in the commercial construction industry in addition to her food and photography business. Many of her favorite memories were made around a big table sharing food that everyone helped to prepare in her tight-knit family. She started Our Love Language is Food to help aspiring cooks and bakers feel confident in the kitchen so they can bring these types of experiences into their home too. In 2022, Meredith turned her passion for food and photography into a thriving side hustle, booking client work equal to nearly half the value of her day-job salary by mid-year in 2022. In this episode, she shares what she does differently to achieve success in food blogging and photography while maintaining a healthy work-life balance with her full-time job.

Money from a side-hustle can be used for a variety of expenses.
Having a baseline of income removes the pressure of making money from your blog.
It gives you more time to grow an audience and invest in courses and gear.
Get rid of should’s in your life in general and prioritize what’s going to help you most.
What does it mean to set realistic goals?
What will you sacrifice when you start a side-hustle?
Should you take on free jobs or only select paid jobs?
Manage your work-life balance and success according to what makes you happy.
How can multitasking help you complete tasks for your side-hustle?
Mindset can put you in the right frame of mind to work towards success.
What does self-care really mean and how can it help you?

Connect with Meredith Kruse

Website | Instagram

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In episode 367, Megan chats to Jessica Fisher about rising grocery prices and how to do food shopping for your blog in an economical way without sacrificing quality or taste.

Jessica Fisher is a cookbook author and food writer at Good Cheap Eats. She enjoys helping people who want to save time and money so they can enjoy stress-free meals. In the last recession, she and her husband made a decision to live more economically and manage their finances more wisely in order to pay off a 60K debt and have more financial freedom, all while keeping their six kids fed and clothed. In this episode, she shares the Good Cheap Eats system as a way to deal with rising grocery prices, giving us tips to eat great and make enjoyable recipes without breaking the bank.

The Good Cheap Eats system has 7 steps to save money when buying groceries.
Use inventories for the contents in freezers and fridges.
How can you do your future self a favour?
If you want to prepare a frugal meal, don’t make a trip to the grocery store, check what you already have.
As food bloggers, explain what ingredients are readily available and affordable.
Build your meal plans around what is affordable.
Scout out the most economical stores.
Should you shop from clearance sections?
How to avoid food waste.
Cook from scratch when it matters: do you want to save time or money?

Connect with Jessica Fisher

Website | Instagram

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In episode 366, Kate Ahl teaches us strategies to use Pinterest effectively and grow our reach as food bloggers.

Kate Ahl is the founder of Simple Pin Media. She has been helping businesses discover, learn and master Pinterest marketing for over 7 years. She combines the data learned from working with clients, education from Pinterest, and her knowledge of the platform to help people expand the reach of their business using Pinterest. Her mantra is to keep it simple, be authentic, and Pin with purpose. She also hosts her own show, Simple Pin podcast. In this episode, you’ll find out how to adapt to Pinterest’s updates as we wrap up Q4. Kate dives into getting maximum exposure for your content, repurposing and incorporating video on Pinterest and effective ways to use new features like Idea Pins.

Q4 is the time to get max exposure for your content depending on your niche.
Look at your traffic patterns to predict what content will do well when.
Select strategies based on your expectations of Pinterest.
Experiment with changes to determine what is the best strategy for you.
When repurposing content, make sure you adapt it to the platform.
Remember the pinner is in a ‘delight and surprise me’ mindset.
An Idea Pin is a hybrid of an Instagram Story and a Reel.
What are effective ways to use Idea Pins and how to use Pinterest trends?
Is it worthwhile to put videos on Pinterest?

Connect with Kate Ahl

Website | Instagram

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In episode 365, Megan chats to Kristen Bousquet about how food bloggers can successfully work with brands, negotiate win-win contracts and build long-term relationships with their dream company.

Kristen Bousquet is social media expert, a Charlotte-based content creator and influencer coach at Your Soulcialmate with a goal of educating entrepreneurial creators on how to turn their online influence into a profitable, self-sustaining business through her podcast, community FB group, and coaching programs. She wants creators to learn how to be successful digital business owners while keeping the "soul" in "soulcial media”. In this episode, she shares invaluable information about how to approach brands for sponsored work, the importance of building an organic relationship and what to look out for when negotiating contracts.

Essential steps to take before you consider approaching a brand.
Warm up the brand by engaging with them on social media.
Pick the time to pitch a brand wisely: are you at a peak with your social media engagement?
Write your bio with brand work in mind - explain what you do in 10 words or less.
Why cold-pitching is ineffective.
Use the anti-pitch method.
Building an authentic relationship is the best way to open up the possibility of collaboration.
Make yourself part of the team and other tips to continue building a sustainable relationship.

Connect with Kristen Bousquet

Website | Instagram

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In episode 364, Megan chats to Claire Woodhouse about how to self-publish a cookbook, including all the logistical details of printing and selling books online all by yourself.

Claire is a stay-at-home mom of 2 who loves creating nourishing, delicious, and simple recipes that don't break the bank when it comes to healthy baking. She started the healthy baking blog, Secretly Healthy Home, 2.5 years ago and also runs an intuitive eating membership called, The Smart Sweet Tooth, in which she teaches ladies how to find balance and peace with food. Claire also sells online courses and resources that have helped her achieve a solid passive income for her family. In this episode, Claire breaks down the logistics of self-publishing a cookbook into achievable steps, sharing tips that you won’t find easily anywhere else.

How to choose a marketable topic and how many recipes do you need?
Pros and cons of using Canva to design your cookbook.
What size font is best?
Amazon is not the only platform to self-publish your book.
Cost-effective ways to print your cookbook.
How to make sure that there is profit when printing and shipping your cookbook.
Giving people an incentive to review the book.
Free strategies to market your cookbook.

Connect with Claire Woodhouse

Website | Instagram

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In episode 363, Andrea Hundley shares six ways to think outside of the box when it comes to blogging. These are unique strategies that can potentially help you grow and keep you motivated.

Andrea is the creator behind Design Morsels. She has been writing about decorating and design for the last 4 years. Andrea successfully joined Mediavine after two years by focusing on low-competition keywords and SEO and has seen her traffic greatly increase since embracing Rank IQ. Since then, Andrea trained a VA to update old content inside the tool to keep the momentum going. In this episode, using her insight from blogging in a different niche, she explains six unusual strategies to grow our blogs, encouraging us to approach blogging from a new perspective in general.

Can you rank for topics outside of your niche, especially non-recipe content?
What are good options for non-recipe content?
Delegate more, even when you believe you can do the tasks better.
Should we always listen to everything experts say in our field?
Invest your time wisely - focus on what you’re good at and what you enjoy.
Find communities and experts to learn from outside of your niche.
How can spending time on personal development impact our blogs and businesses?
Focus on passive income strategies instead of followers.

Connect with Andrea Hundley

Website | Instagram

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In episode 362, Bree Pair teaches us about batching and how time-management tools like this can be game-changers for food bloggers.

Bree Pair is a coach for bloggers and entrepreneurs. Her company, Thrive, educates and empowers bloggers and influencers to build their brands so that they have financial freedom and the flexibility to live their lives to the fullest. She's passionate about helping female entrepreneurs live out their dreams and helping them with the strategy to do so. In this episode, you’ll find out what batching is, how to adapt it to your life to save time and get more done and what other time-management techniques are useful to implement for a greater work-life balance.

What are the different batching techniques?
Once you’ve started a task, you can keep your flow going through batching.
Why does batching allow us to save more time?
Think of ways to motivate you to batch, because in the long run it will save you time.
Tips on how you can break down tasks to make batching work for you.
Do your timelines make you feel rushed or stressed out?
What boundaries do you need to set around your work to live the life you want?

Connect with Bree Pair

Website | Instagram

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In episode 361, Megan chats to Taran Conwell about hiring a mother’s helper so that you can carve out more time for blogging.

Taran is the host of the podcast the Undomestic Mom, which forms part of her mission to dismantle the watered-down version of self-care in today’s motherhood. She coaches millennial moms and takes them from survival mode to thriving mode by helping them create and implement their own self-care routines and find fulfillment outside of motherhood. Taran became passionate about helping mothers live fulfilling, balanced lives after experiencing mom burnout. In this episode, she explains the ROI of hiring a mother’s helper, including saving money, having more time to focus on your blog and feeling more refreshed during family time.

Why is hiring a mother’s helper more economical than hiring a VA?
It can be more beneficial, especially if you’re a new blogger.
Will it help you be more intentional and get more work done in a shorter amount of time?
How do you find a mother’s helper?
Lay out your expectations clearly (i.e. phone usage during their hours).
Hiring help can lend legitimacy to your business.
What age group should the mother’s helper be and how does this impact their work?
Best interviewing practice to find the best fit for you.

Connect with Taran Conwell

Website | Instagram

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In episode 360, Kimberly Espinel reveals 5 photography styling tips that will take our food photography to the next level and she teaches us how to develop a unique visual identity for our food blogs.

Kimberly is a London-based, award-winning editorial and commercial food photographer, bestselling author, educator and creative business mentor. She runs a thriving food photography business and has created content for many brands including Sony, KitchenAid and more. She is also the host of the podcast, Eat, Capture, Share, focusing on how bloggers can progress in their careers by developing an original impactful visual identity. In this episode, find out first-hand how you can do the same.

Tips to work with light and shadow to maximize the depth and impact of your photos.
Color theory is an essential part of defining your unique style.
Be intentional with your color.
What are presets and how to use them to save time and create different photography looks.
Choose the correct equipment to compliment your style.
Expand your food styling composition to set yourself apart.
Think of the story that you’re telling through your photography.
How can a unique look help you grow your audience and business?

Connect with Kimberly Espinel

Website | Instagram

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In episode 359, Megan chats to Sally Aleckson about why being a part-time food blogger can help cultivate your passion.

Sally started food blogging in 2014 and since then has gone through a rebrand and a complete overhaul of her site to what you can see today on Eight Forest Lane. Despite not having the same financial success and traffic as others who have been doing it for less time, she keeps going because she loves it. In this episode, she shares her journey and why she decided to blog as a hobby instead of making it a full-time job. Learn about the advantages of being a part-time blogger and why this will cultivate your passion and why knowing that your bills are paid can allow you to create more freely.

Is your blogging journey resonating with your personality?
Learn from others but follow your own unique path.
What do you have to spend your time on versus what you want to spend your time on?
Why do we lose joy when we make our passion a full-time job?
Use your blog to learn new skills and transfer these into a career that you love.
Have the freedom to create knowing your bills are paid.
Choose the path that aligns closely with your values and why you started food blogging in the first place.

Connect with Sally Aleckson

Website | Instagram

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In episode 358, Megan chats to Lauren Klein about how to pursue blogging as a hobby while still making money.

Lauren is a professional dietician, who started her food blog, Piece of Lulu, mainly as a hobby and shares original recipes as well as a wealth of wellness and nutrition content. She found the process of developing her blog and helping her readers understand how to live healthier lives, extremely rewarding. In this episode, find out how to also have a rewarding experience and develop a successful food blog, while still making money yet not having the pressure of earning a full-time income.

How much time should you put into a hobby blog to make it lucrative?
Which areas are most important to focus on with limited time?
Write from inspiration and not obligation.
Break up tasks into small, easily doable steps.
Balance SEO relevant posts with what you’re passionate about.
Build a community on a social media platform of your choice.

Connect with Lauren Klein

Website | Instagram

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In episode 357, Olivia Parsons teaches us how to fit video into our food blogging workflow, cutting down on production time while seeing the same gains as everyone else.

Olivia Parsons is gluten-free foodie and the creator behind Liv Gluten-Free food blog. She believes anyone with a dietary requirement should be able to enjoy good food. Sharing a variety of sweet and savory gluten-free recipes, Olivia dived head first into the food blogging world at the beginning of the pandemic. From the start, she focused on efficient workflows, adapting to trends and creating quality recipes, photography and video content. In this episode, find out how to incorporate different video styles into your workflow to grow on social media.

Best way to streamline the process with video and photos.
What are the different ways of videoing a recipe?
Keep it quick, these are more likely to go viral.
Use behind the scenes videos for maximum effect (engagement and interest)
Entertain, inspire and educate your audience on TikTok.
How do we adapt our video to different platforms?
Time-saving equipment hacks.

Connect with Olivia Parsons

Website | Instagram

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In episode 356, Megan chats to Bita and Beata about leveraging your blog for new opportunities using podcasts.

Bita Arabian and Beata Nazem Kelley are two food bloggers who co-host the podcast, Modern Persian Food. Bita / Beata means ‘unique’ and in the podcast the duo share their unique approach to cooking and eating Persian food and how to incorporate the rich flavors and fresh ingredients into today’s modern lifestyle. Both started out working on their individual blogs and then teamed up to launch their podcast with which they’ve been nominated for awards and reached amazing milestones. In this episode, they discuss how they’ve used their blog niche to create a unique podcast with great potential to grow their business and to stay connected to their audience.

Podcasts is an extension of your blog.
It offers a different way to stay connected.
What kind of opportunities can you expect by starting a podcast?
Audio is about inspiring others and being inspired.
Using audio, you can share a combination of guest expertise or your own.
As a new field, podcasts still offer the chance for new bloggers to stand out.
Take time to plan in order to be consistent.

Connect with Bita and Beata

Website | Instagram

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In episode 355, Megan chats to Jodi Danen about pivoting away from focusing on clients to working for yourself. She delves into the advantages of dedicating all your time to your own blog and some of the drawbacks of making that shift.

Jodi is a registered dietician and founder of Create Kids Club, a food blog for easy gluten-free kids meals and family meals. She is also the author of Super Simple Cooking for Kids. In this episode, Jodi talks about knowing when to pivot away from focusing on client work to focusing on reaching your own goals. While clients are a good way to start earning an income, eventually if you want to grow your blog, you need to decide which way you want to go. Find out when is the right time and what are the main considerations when you make this shift.

It is important to decide: What is your goal?
Financially, is it viable to shift away from client work?
Burn out is possible when balancing client work and your own blog.
You can always keep some clients for additional income.
Being focused on your own blog will allow you to grow quicker.
Regular posting and keyword research is the route to more income.
What should you do first when you decrease client work?

Connect with Jodi Danen

Website | Instagram

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In episode 354, Megan chats to Kay Ratford about the benefits of SEO tools and how to use them to build organic traffic quickly.

Kay runs the UK-based food blog Flawless Food with her partner Luke. They started over 2 years ago and, using SEO strategically, they’ve grown their blog to over 600k page views a month, of which 365k is organic traffic. Kay and Luke started off with doing brand work but soon discovered that it was possible to make money by posting your own recipes. The key was: Understand SEO and do keyword research. Kay unravels her SEO journey, explaining which tools she uses, which keyword statistics she pays attention to and other SEO tips to grow your traffic within a short timespan.

If you want to make a recipe, is it being searched for?
In which region should you try to rank for?
Could you rank for something that you shouldn’t be ranking for?
If you add additional key words, your chances of ranking increase.
Batch cook recipes according to keywords for a food category.
You don’t have to use all of the keywords you can find at once.
Photography is important to increase clickthrough rates too.

Connect with Kay Ratford

Website | Instagram

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In episode 353, Megan chats to Melinda Keckler about how to establish a strong brand identity and why building brand affinity with our audience is so important in order to have a successful blog.

Melinda is the founder and photographer behind the blog Crinkled Cookbook and has been blogging since 2019 while juggling a full-time marketing job. She is applying her vast experience working in marketing and brand strategy to help grow her food blog. Eager to share her expertise, she explains what is meant by brand identity and marketing, busting common false beliefs around both topics. She then lays out easy steps to build a strong brand identity using marketing effectively so we become a recognised, trusted and loved authority in the food blogging space.

Be ready to play the long game to build brand identity and affinity (your Google analytics won’t change overnight).
How much do logos and fonts define your brand identity?
Brand lives in the experience our readers have - why will they remember your blog?
How can you establish brand affinity with your audience?
Marketing is meant to get people to do something.
Social media posts build and sustain brand affinity.
Steps for how to use a marketing funnel effectively - going from awareness to engagement to familiarity and loyal followers.
Video and audio are the most effective tools to build brand affinity.

Connect with Melinda Keckler

Website | Instagram

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In episode 352, Lauren LeBlanc teaches us how to make money doing SEO-focused ghostwriting for other food bloggers.

Lauren is the creator of the blog, Lauren from Scratch, where she focuses on how to make savory recipes from scratch using high-quality ingredients and teaches readers how to make restaurant-worthy dishes in their kitchens. Working as a physician assistant by day and food blogger by night, Lauren realized that initially while she was growing her blog, she could make money by doing SEO-focused ghostwriting for other food bloggers. In this episode, she walks us through the process in five steps to get started and flourish, earning additional income.

Understand what are reasonable blogging rates.
Increase your level of professionalism using templates and checklists.
What is the key to retain clients and grow your client base?
Tips to organize information for your clients for seamless interaction.
Balance your client’s voice and keywords for SEO .
What are SOPs and why can this make all the difference to your workflow?
Track your time and save time for your own blog.

Connect with Lauren LeBlanc

Website | Instagram

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In episode 351, Megan chats to Jessica Burgess about how to focus more on doing what is working and select blogging strategies that help us grow.

Jessica is a lifestyle blogger whose mission is to add simplicity to our busy lives. She focuses on easy recipes for people on the go and, having started in 2011, she shares her passion for blogging and knowledge of the field by helping other bloggers grow too. In this episode, Jessica explains how to avoid getting caught in trying too many blogging strategies and how to focus on the ones that work, using analytics and other indicators as guide posts.

Be selective about trends.
Use real-time traffic to find out what works.
Which statistics should you pay attention to?
Be flexible to change when necessary.
Invest time in the social media platforms that work for you.
How to interpret blogging RPM (revenue per mile)
The impact of tracking your income - what’s coming in and out?

Connect with Jessica Burgess

Website | Instagram

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In episode 350, Megan chats to Alyssa Brantley about the process of writing a cookbook and how it can reenergize your creativity for blogging.

Alyssa is the author of I Don’t Want to Cook Book and her cooking philosophy is whole foods that take half the time, meaning just because you’re busy doesn’t mean you shouldn’t eat great. She applies this philosophy to her popular food blog, Everyday Maven, where she shares seasonal whole food recipes that are packed with flavour made in minutes with easy shortcuts. Her work has been featured widely in magazines such as Gourmet and Real Simple. In this episode, Alyssa shares tips for making the process of writing a cookbook manageable and enjoyable.

Can you remove your biggest hurdle to writing a cookbook?
What elements can you change to make your cookbook unique?
If you do everything, you can’t do anything to the best of your ability.
Which tasks can you hand over to someone else?
Think strategically about the ingredients and instructions for your recipes.
What extra value can you add to your readers’ lives?
Be creative in a field other than blogging to spark your inspiration for food blogging.

Connect with Alyssa Brantley

Website | Instagram

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In episode 349, Megan chats to Sam Adler about how she built a 6-figure food photography business in 4 years, touching on everything from finding clients to pricing and offering unforgettable value.

Sam is a professionally trained pastry chef and creator of the baking blog, Frosting & Fettuccine. She is also a professional food photographer who, within a year of starting, got her first client. In addition to regular clients, she has a range of food photography courses to help photographers find their unique style. In this episode, discover how to find your first client, put yourself out there, negotiate valuable partnerships and develop a remarkable style to set you apart from other photographers.

Deal with the fear of a new venture.
Client-getting strategies - how to get the right clients.
Should you be persistent while reaching out?
What to do when brands approach you as potential clients.
Get paid what you’re worth.
Tips for pitching and how to retain clients.

Connect with Sam Adler

Website | Instagram

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If you are a food blogger who can relate to any of the following challenges, this episode is for you!

You feel like you are spinning your wheels constantly.
You're working harder than ever, but never seem to get anywhere.
You feel isolated and alone and unsupported in the work you do as a blogger.
That "next level" feels so hard to reach and you're not even remotely sure about how to get there.
Either you don't have clearly defined goals or your current goals seem unattainable.
You don't have a clue what projects are relevant and where your focus should be.

The 2023 Eat Blog Talk Mastermind program is opening enrollment and could be the solution to your challenges! Inside this episode you will hear from current members who have seen transformations happen in their business after being in this impactful group.

To achieve your goals faster than you ever thought possible, apply for the 2023 Eat Blog Talk mastermind program at: https://eatblogtalk.com/2021masterminds/

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In episode 347, Megan chats to Aimee Pruett about time management tactics to help you grow your blog when you have limited time.

Creator of Food Banjo, Aimee is a food blogger by night, marketing manager by day and a mother of 2 small kids. Regardless of her busy schedule, she has been able to scale her blog’s sessions monthly, going from 10K to over 80K over the past year by using her time wisely. In this episode, she shares her top time management tips that have helped her grow her blog exponentially while still fulfilling her other commitments.

If you don’t have a lot of time, what should you lean into?
Tips for optimizing old content.
Priotizing your responsibilities
Recipe testing tactics to save time.
Time efficient ways to do food photography.
How to find free hours to accomplish your goals.
Timely ways to learn new skills.

Connect with Aimee Pruett

Website | Instagram

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In episode 346, Eric Samuelson teaches us how to rank for non-recipe posts and why this content is often easy to create and valuable as it attracts new readers to our blogs.

Eric has been blogging since 2009 and, as the creator behind Eat Like No One Else, he teaches his readers how they can enhance the way they eat through specialty food and ingredients and how to use it to make the most amazing food at home. As someone who is passionate about finding the right ingredients, he talks about ways to write about your passion on your blog and why an experimental mindset is beneficial in the long-run. Find out how you can share your knowledge and expertise alongside recipes to help you rank on Google.

What expertise do you have that might generate interest?
Non-recipe posts take less time.
‘How to…’ posts are a great way to share your knowledge.
Check which posts you rank for and create roundups for them.
Think of the problems people might encounter with popular recipes.
Keep a balance between writing for Google and writing because you enjoy it.

Connect with Eric Samuelson

Website | Instagram

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In episode 345, Megan talks to Jenna about which trends to look out for in Q4, 2022. They explore topics like maximizing Web Stories for explosive traffic, gaining extra revenue from Pinterest and buidling rewarding communities with Facebook Groups.

Jenna is the creator behind The Urben Life, a food and lifestyle blog where she shares allergy-friendly recipes and travel guides. She started blogging in 2016 and, as someone who is eager to help others, she was drawn to the community aspect of it. She realized there’s a need for more transparency in the creator space and went on to provide bloggers and influencers with resources and tools they can use to thrive. Use this episode to decide which trends to spend time on and how you can accelerate your blog growth and earn more in Q4.

Be strategic (i.e. seasonally relevant) about what you are posting in Web Stories.
Explosive traffic comes from what is most likely to be viral.
PinTV creates a space to share your recipes directly with your audience.
Repurpose your content and be flexible with Creator Rewards.
Look at your analytics to guide whether you should invest time in a platform or not.
Facebook’s new page experience gives you a more curated feed.
If you’re trying to grow your FB page, consistency plays a huge role.
Create a true community with Facebook Groups.
What generates interest?

Connect with Jenna Urben

Website | Instagram

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In episode 344, Megan chats to Cheryl Norris, creator of Bakes by Brown Sugar, about why we should treat our blog as a business from the beginning, the importance of SEO and investing in yourself.

Engineer by day, baker by night, Cheryl has been a food blogger since 2018. Passionate about the science of baking and eager to share delicious recipes of our favorite desserts, she launched her blog not realizing how much work it takes. What started as a hobby, she quickly decided to treat it as a business and invest in herself, always learning something to improve her content for her readers. In this episode, you’ll hear Cheryl's key tips on where to focus and what to do to grow your blog quickly from the start.

Ask yourself: What is your audience looking for?
Prioritize SEO and keywords - it’s a crucial element of success.
Once you start creating for the user, you start caring for the user.
If it’s a really popular recipe, post it anyway.
Invest in courses, conferences and other additional learning.
Pay attention to how you configure your website from the start.
You don’t have to do everything at once.

Connect with Cheryl Norris

Website | Instagram

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In episode 343, Tyanne Johnson teaches us how to self-publish a cookbook in 45 days. She walks us through every step she took from what’s essential during market research to how a book launch team can help you and tips for book promotion.

Tyanne is food blogger and recipe developer at Cooking with Tyanne, specializing in easy, flavourful recipes using basic ingredients anyone can find no matter where they live. She started food blogging in 2019 and after switching from Wix to Wordpress, she decided she needed a product to go with her new website. In this episode, she shares how she published a cookbook, Deliciously Fresh Freezer Meals, in under 45 days right after graduating from college in 2021.

Use a database of recipes that work.
Survey your audience to check if your product resonates.
Have an ebook and hardcopy version.
Create a publishing schedule.
Find the right publisher from the start.
Gather a launch team to help with feedback and promotion before your book launch.
Don’t aim for perfection. Getting it done is an accomplishment in itself.
Pay attention to details, like fonts.

Connect with Tyanne Johnson

Website | Instagram

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In episode 342, Megan chats to Madison Wetherill about how to get the most out of Gutenberg blocks in order to streamline our blogs and make them fast and easy to navigate.

Madison is a food blogger turned web designer at Grace & Vine Studios. She helps clients’ make their website and brand stand out from the crowded food blogging space. She also hosts the Vine podcast for food bloggers looking to increase their impact and connect with their dream audience. In this episode she demystifies Gutenberg blocks and explains why it allows you to customize different pieces and sections of your content. In turn this simplifies how you build your website to streamline updates and make it noticeable and easy to navigate.

Use the Gutenberg editor to have certain sections of your blog pop out.
Create a template or blogging outline to give you a head start.
Reusable blocks are templates that contain information that you want to reuse.
When used well, reusable blocks can educate your reader and provide helpful content in a clear way.
Color can be a great way to guide readers to information they want.
The Classic editor may get outdated. Switching to Gutenberg will be beneficial in the long-run.

Connect with Madison Wetherill

Website | Instagram

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In episode 341, Allea Grummert teaches us how to segment our email list so that we can send tailored content to our subscribers and get higher conversion rates and earn more revenue.

Allea is the founder of Duett where she works as an email marketing strategist and conversion copywriter. She helps online business owners make a killer first impression through automated welcome and nurture sequences that engage readers, build brand loyalty and optimize conversions for sales and site traffic. In this episode, find out which strategies to use to segment your email subscriber list and why this will help you sell your product or service more easily by identifying the different interests of your subscribers. She highlights clever ways of approaching our mailing list for maximum benefit to our online businesses.

With the right email subscriber strategy we can achieve our business goals.
Serve your readers better, send them more relevant content using segmentation.
Increase the chances of them engaging with your content.
Divide your readers into different categories by using a welcome email sequence to get to know them better.
Reduce inbox noise and streamline the emails you send by using tags.
Use opt-ins and opt-outs.
Personalized content performs higher than generalized content.

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Connect with Allea Grummert

Website | Instagram

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In episode 340, Megan chats to Courtney Paige about how to turn your blog and the community you build into a full-time job. She explores different sources of revenue and shares her strategy for social media growth and negotiating brand sponsorships.

Courtney is a freelance food photographer and founder of A Page of Positivity, a healthy delicious food blog. She used to work full-time as an interior designer while dedicating the rest of her time to blogging. She started on Instagram sharing beautiful pictures of food as part of a recovery process from an eating disorder. In 2020, she discovered food blogging as a way to create a space to call her own. Now she is able to make most of her income from Instagram in a positive way, leveraging her online audience as she collaborates with brands. In this episode, find out how she transitioned into blogging and built a large, engaged community on Instagram, enabling her to become a full-time food creator.

Be transparent about your pricing.
Explore different sources of revenue.
The sooner you start doing video (or another trend), the less regret you’ll have later.
Do different things consistently to help evolve your brand.
Outsource from the get-go.
Is what I am doing right now making me money? If yes, continue. If not, move on.
It’s okay to change your mind about which platforms can help you grow.

Connect with Courtney Paige

Website | Instagram

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In episode 339, Dalya Rubin, creator of It’s Raining Flour, teaches us how we can attract potential clients from the blogging community, helping other bloggers grow. This can in turn provide us with a rewarding additional source of income from the start of our blogging journey.

Dalya runs a gluten-free blog and works as a recipe developer, food photographer and trained chef in New York City. She creates food content for brands and bloggers while exploring everything the Big Apple has to offer for foodie creators. Dalya is especially passionate about recipe development for other food bloggers and in this episode she shares how she markets her passion to generate additional revenue for her business. Find out how to market yourself, attract clients and what to focus on first to stop yourself from feeling discouraged.

What are you really confident in or do you have a niche speciality?
Make sure you know who you are reaching out to.
Narrow down the search (i.e. look up recipes that you’re interested in and approach the top bloggers ranking for it).
Have a contract and communicate regularly.
Be transparent when you do recipe development. Credit your sources.
When one door closes, another opens. Don't lose motivation.

Connect with Dalya Rubin

Website | Instagram

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In episode 338, Megan chats to Kathleen Pope about starting a food blog late in life, a mindset for a new, exciting and successful career and how to keep motivated. Kathleen especially encourages us not to give up until we start reaping the fruit from our hard work.

Kathleen transitioned into food blogging after running her own product marketing and development business for non-profit organizations. Since 2017, she shifted her focus to her passions of cooking and hospitality and runs the blog, The Fresh Cooky, which now has over 500 recipes. She encourages families to get together, make healthier food choices and invite others to the table. In this episode, she explains the advantage of becoming a food blogger later in life, including having less inhibitions to try something new and more resilience to keep going.

Find a career that allows you to schedule your life the way you want.
The older we are ,the less inhibited we are to try and fail until we succeed.
If you say you can’t, it really means you won’t.
Don’t do it all by yourself, find a community and make connections.
Narrow down your expertise.
Use key words to your advantage using your expertise.
Use SEO tools to do content analysis (i.e. like RankIQ).
See what is doing well on your blog and how can you use the information to tweak future content?

Connect with Kathleen Pope

Website | Instagram

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In episode 337, Megan talks to Sue Ringsdorf about starting a food blog as a second chapter in life and seeing blogging from a different perspective. It is not only about making money but also the legacy you leave behind.

Sue started Sue Bee Homemaker on her 50th birthday after wondering for several months what her next phase in life would be. With a soon-to-be empty nest, she wanted to find a new passion to invest her time in and was encouraged by several friends’ to start a blog. Sue’s cooking is inspired by her mother and now she helps make other people feel comfortable in the kitchen, learning new recipes to nourish and treat their families without breaking the bank. In this episode, she unpacks common feelings that hold us back from starting something new, regardless of our age (e.g. imposter syndrome) and why despite those obstacles you can succeed.

We are often held back by comparing ourselves to others.
Can you succeed doing your blog your way?
Define your primary goal for your blog.
Recognise what your shortcomings are and get help in those areas.
Life-long learning through free information on the internet.
Direct interaction with your audience can have a big impact.
Approach your business and those involved with kindness.

Connect with Sue Ringsdorf

Website | Instagram

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In episode 336, Megan chats with Johanna Voss, about the benefits of hiring a talent manager, especially how and why this can land you groundbreaking deals for your business.

Johanna is a talent manager for social media influencers who want clarity for their brands, their businesses and plan strategically for the future. She has closed up to $3.5 million in brand deals and speaking engagements on behalf of her clients. In this episode, she delves into the process of when and why you would need a talent manager for brand deal negotiations. Find out how you can make more money by getting the best partnerships and save time by having a talent manager take care of communication and project management involved in partnerships.

First decide: Why do you want a talent manager?
Talent managers only get paid through commission so if they land a deal for you.
The brand agrees to work with the talent because of their portfolio of work; the manager negotiates the best deals.
It is not a manager’s responsibility to build your business.
Managers focus on what you do well and find the right partnerships for your brand.
They have strategic discussions with brands to make sure it is beneficial for you, their client.

Connect with Johanna Voss

Website | Instagram

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In episode 335, Michelle Boulé teaches us how to bring universal laws into our businesses and apply them to our processes so that we can boost our confidence in the decisions we want to make and reach our goals more easily.

Michelle is a transformational life and business coach who helps compassionate business owners and creative entrepreneurs all over the world clarify their goals and make their visions a reality with confidence. She has a multi six-figure coaching business that offers different coaching programmes, speaking engagements, in-person retreats and teaching. Drawing from 20 years of practice in somatic therapy, energy medicine, mindset psychology, spirituality and her award-winning career in dance, she explains how to identify our innate wisdom and authentic self. In this episode, find out why this will help you clarify next steps in your business and optimize your processes to fulfill your vision.

You have an innate wisdom guiding you towards your most ideal life.
Learn to be present with your body and listen to your innate wisdom.
Analyze your self-consciousness - What are you thinking?
If you recognise the patterns, you can change them to experience more energy, freedom and joy.
This energy can transfer to your business and boost your confidence.
Law of polarity: if there is a problem, there is a solution.
Law of perpetual transmutation: think in terms of solutions, not problems.
Law of sacrifice: if you want to go to a higher level, you need to release (i.e. sacrifice) something of a lower nature.
Law of vibration: Consciously decide what kind of vibration do you want to hold?

Connect with Michelle Boulé

Website | Instagram

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In episode 334, Megan chats to Katie Jasiewicz, author and owner of Katie’s Cucina, about mistakes made by veteran bloggers and how to avoid them in order to let your business flourish with the times.

Katie has been blogging for 12 years. For the first couple of years she shared her recipes with family and friends as a way to fill up her time. She never imagined that she would be able to make this her full-time job. In 2014, she quit her marketing job to become a full-time blogger. It became an increasingly flourishing business the more she learned about the industry. In this episode, she shares what she has learned and compiles a list of recommendations for us based on her experience.

Don’t underestimate the importance of SEO.
An SEO audit can point out technical mistakes and help you write optimal blog posts.
Expect slow and steady growth.
Regularly update your About and Home page with relevant information (i.e. seasonal recipes and credentials).
Maximize video content and related social platforms (i.e. YouTube, Instagram, TikTok).
What are useful tools that lessen the workload?
Good areas to hire out and optimize your time.
Consider using interns if you enjoy teaching.
Email is your direct channel of communication with your audience.
Create easy to follow checklists and processes for people who help you with your business.

Connect with Katie Jasiewicz

Website | Instagram

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In episode 333, Sarah Barnes teaches us how to grow our Instagram and TikTok to more than 70K in an organic and enjoyable way. She explains how she has done this for her own brand, Taming Twins, in 90 days by focusing on what her audience really needed and not trying to win the algorithm.

As a food blogger and a twin mom, Sarah is driven by the question, “What’s for dinner?”. She is inspired to help other busy parents with the answer by providing quick, affordable recipes. Her blog has 8 million views a year and she has been featured in publications such as The Times, The BBC and The Daily Mail. Her success on Instagram and TikTok came after the traffic she got on Pinterest slowed down. She decided to reinvest her time in something that would make a difference in her business again. In this episode, she explains the strategy she used to succeed on these platforms in a short amount of time and without having to ‘play the algorithm’, which made it an enjoyable, meaningful experience for her and her followers.

Shift what you can do to win the algorithm to how you can truly help your audience.
Engage your audience directly to find out what they’re struggling with.
Create accessible reels that provide a solution.
Consider the pace of the video - what keeps people’s attention?
Think of short videos as something between inspiration and entertainment.
Follow up on the expectations of your followers and ask yourself if it aligns with business growth.

Connect with Sarah Barnes

Website | Instagram

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Peter Taunton founded one of the largest wellness brands in the world with over 6,000 franchises or licenses across 3 brands in 28 countries- LIFT Brands.

He’s also the 2010 Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year. Peter is currently a Forbes Master Class instructor at the Forbes School of Business.

Peter’s business accomplishments have been well-recognized by the business community. He and his companies have been featured in many business and industry publications such as Forbes, Entrepreneur 500, Inc 5000, Top Global and Franchise 500.

Peter also wrote a #1 best selling book sold on Amazon called “Impossible Hill”... which shares 30 years of real life stories laying out the mindset that helped Peter build his business empire.

Peter is ever-committed to coaching and inspiring people in both their business and personal lives as they navigate through life striving to light the fire with-in and make their impossible dreams… possible!

Go into being an entrepreneur with your eyes open - it costs more than you thought and takes more time than you thought.
Going into business is one thing, winning in business is another.
You need discipline, accountability and perspective to be an entrepreneur.
Always be willing to learn from your mistakes.
Have a strategic plan for your business.
Create a lofty goal and then benchmarks along the way.

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In episode 332, Barbara Curry teaches us about why it’s essential to collaborate and build community as food bloggers and why this will help build and sustain our blogs.

Barbara is an attorney who started a food blog, Butter & Baggage, as a hobby when her children moved out of the house. In 2018, she turned it into a business sharing her special recipes for comfort food with a Southern flair and obsession with butter. As someone who came to food blogging at a later age and having to manage an intense full-time job, Barbara soon found that seeking out help from her blogging community would propel her business in the right direction quicker. Tune in to find out about the different ways she met and collaborated with other bloggers and how this has lessened frustration and uncertainty.

Mastermind groups provide a great support structure.
Everyone has something valuable to add to these groups.
Having a coach gives you more concentrated personal attention.
Receive objective perspectives on different aspects of your business.
Find a judgment-free zone to get your questions answered quickly.
Quick answers to your questions can help increase your page views.
Experience less frustration and uncertainty, have more confidence.

Connect with Barbara Curry

Website | Instagram

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In episode 331, Megan chats to Jen Wooster, founder of Peal with Zeal, about how to set up your business so that you can take extended periods of time off worry-free and how to future-proof your business.

Previously a COO, managing organisations of 2000 people or more, Jen retired at a young age and started her gluten-free food blog, Peal with Zeal. At first a hobby, she has built it into a full-time business sharing her easy, gluten-free recipes. In this episode, she explains how she is able to take 2 to 6 months off a year by using pre-planning, batching and other productivity techniques. Tune in to find out more about how to maximise the flexibility you have as a content creator so that you too can live the life you want.

Work out how much content you need to release.
Plan how you can produce it effectively in the months you’re working.
Think through everything you need for social media, email etc.
Can you innovate your productivity techniques?
Maintain traffic by combining seasonal and evergreen content.
Maximize content through small tweaks to recipes.
Hire out tasks to free-up your time and schedule ahead.

Connect with Jen Wooster

Website | Instagram

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In episode 330, Jessica Holmes teaches us how to use words to connect with our readers more deeply. This encourages them to consume our content eagerly, which leads to them staying longer on our food blogs.

Jessica has worked as UX copywriter and digital strategist for more than 10 years while also creating her own food blog: Sweetest Menu. When her blog took off, she turned her side-hustle into her full-time job, growing a large following of bakers across the world. With expertise in using words as efficiently and effectively as possible, she explains how this can help you increase pages views and pages per session by making it an enjoyable experience for your readers. In this episode, find out how to avoid common writing mistakes and tips to help you stand out from other food bloggers.

-Word choice can determine how long people stay on websites.

-Great writing can help bloggers connect with their readers.

-Create a writing brand style and stick to it.

-Break out of using common words, find inspiration in other people’s writing.

-Bring recipes alive through a personal touch and descriptive words.

-Apply the same principles to your social media copywriting.

-Your readers’ needs are an important consideration.

Connect with Jessica Holmes

Website | Instagram

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In episode 329, Megan chats with Sally Ekus, lead agent and co-owner of the Ekus group, about different routes in cookbook publishing and her new course that covers the topic in detail. As an author representative, Sally delves into different publishing routes, including self-publishing, the role of the agent, obstacles authors currently face and tips to overcome them.

The Ekus Group is a full-service culinary agency that represents a large group of diverse authors in cuisine, skin colour, topics, and techniques. An agent who is passionate about cooking, Sally helps food writers, bloggers and chef with the development of their book idea and the comprehensiveness of the proposal. Her other responsibilities include matching the book with the best editor and negotiating the contract with the publisher. She therefore has in-depth knowledge of industry trends. Tune into this episode to find out everything you need to know about book proposals, publishing routes and whether a cookbook is a profitable option for food bloggers.

An agent can help you with the publishing process.
What are the main differences between self-publishing and traditional publishing?
What are your financial considerations and how much control do you want?
Start with a book proposal, based on thorough market research.
Be certain that you have enough content and that a book is the right format for it.
Do you have an engaged audience who can be potential buyers?
A book is a big, beautiful business card that helps you land other profitable deals within your business.
And increase your credibility.

Connect with Sally Ekus

Website | Instagram

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In episode 328, Megan chats to Lani Jackson about how to create a flexible business strategy that allows female entrepreneurs to get out of survival mode and create a clear action plan to grow their business, have a steady income while enjoying the freedom to work when and where they want.

Lani is a clarity and strategy business coach and hosts the podcast, Brilliant Mompreneurs. Her passion is to help mom entrepreneurs double their income without doubling their workload and help them release mom guilt. Find out how you can create a clear plan of action that will allow you to prioritize your family while still hitting great income goals.

Have a flexible business strategy.
Be purposeful with the time you spent on your blog.
You don’t have to overwork yourself to be successful (25 hour weeks are possible!)
Entrepreneurs get frustrated when they are not clear on what they want.
Assess how much energy and concentration tasks require. Plan your week accordingly.
Mindset can be the difference between growth or stagnation.
Lean into what excites you most.

Connect with Lani Jackson

Website | Instagram

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In episode 327, Megan chats to Addison LaBonte about pursuing a passion project while still maintaining another job. They discuss how to handle various responsibilities, time management hacks and keeping motivated while your food blog grows.

Addison is the recipe developer and content creator at Organically Addison. She specialises in gluten-free recipes that are easy to make, delicious and family-friendly. Conscious of different dietary requirements, she also includes diary-free, nut-free and vegan recipes to her site to make sure there is something for everyone. With such a passion for food blogging, she explains how she grew her blog, increasing her page views significantly, while maintaining a full-time job in finance. In this episode, you’ll learn how to endure and work towards making your passion project your career.

Decide on how much time you want to dedicate to your blog.
Keyword research can be a turning point in your blogging career (e.g. Keysearch and Google).
Great photography can make a difference too.
Understand what is expected of you as an aspiring food blogger (the creative side and critical side).
Tips to start and keep motivated: don’t expect everything to be perfect and connect with your followers to remind yourself of why you do it.
Work smarter and not harder (i.e. be intentional and batch work).

Connect with Addison LaBonte

Website | Instagram

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In episode 326, Monica Davis, creator of The Hidden Veggies, teaches us how to use our niche to rapidly grow our email list, keep them engaged and make them feel valued. This will improve our email subscriber open rate and link click-through rate by making them excited about new recipes on our site.

With over 22 years experience being vegan, Monica specializes in vegan comfort food and basics sharing her recipes for vegan cheese, butter and popular dishes on her blog, The Hidden Veggies. Applying in-depth knowledge of her niche, she has used an exciting method to gain new subscribers to her email list and keep them engaged with her content. In this episode she shares tips on how to apply the same method to your own business.

To grow your email subscribers, decide what kind of people visit your site.
Encourage visitors to your blog to subscribe to your mailing list by offering a resource that solves a problem they have.
Offer opt-ins that are specific to the main pillars of your content.
If your free content is really good, people will be more likely to pay for other resources.
Delay your subscriber pop-up to give visitors time to explore your site first.
Create your email list around what you want to sell in the future.
An engaged mailing list will direct traffic to your site.
It will increase viewing time and pages per session.

Connect with Monica Davis

Website | Instagram

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In episode 325, Megan chats to Cari Garcia about why TikTok is the best platform for growing your online following right now. The video platform can more than double your social media reach within a year, which will generate more page views for your blog.

Cari is a healthcare worker turned content creator who currently makes a living through food blogging, sharing latin-inspired recipes on Fat Girl Hedonist. With currently more than 156k followers on TikTok, she explains why it is an effective and fun way to promote your blog and funnel viewers to your page. Find out more about how to start, what content to post and what filming equipment to use as well as other useful tips to grow in 2022.

-Maximise your potential, stick to your niche.

-Audio is just as important as visuals.

-Does your music choice affect the number of views you get?

-Simpler videos will help you go viral quicker on TikTok.

-Post more frequently than is normal for Instagram.

-Behind the scenes shots and food hacks work well.

-Reach a new, younger audience.

Connect with Cari Garcia

Website | Instagram

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In episode 324, Megan chats to Chandice Probst, founder of This Vivacious Life, about knowing when to hire out in blogging and how this can rapidly increase your blog growth.

Chandice is the co-author of Gluten-Free on a Budget and with a degree in health science she is passionate about raising awareness for coeliac disease across the nation. She delves into a few crucial questions for bloggers when it comes to outsourcing. For example, why will it increase your business growth and when is the best time to invest in your blog? Learn more about this topic, including the best tools you can use to lessen your workload and how to go about finding the right person for the job.

-Hire out from the get-go.

-You could hire out any tasks that will free up your time, including household tasks.

-More than double your growth by investing in SEO and blogging tools like RankIQ.

-Investing includes training or mastermind groups.

-You can’t be an expert in every category.

-Podcasting opens up a new avenue to gain new knowledge.

-Hiring out will help you do what you love and what you’re good at.

-Hiring the right people will help you grow quicker.

-Find more time for self-care and show up better for the people you love.

Connect with Chandice Probst

Website | Instagram

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In episode 323, Megan chats to Anika Gandhi, founder of Anika’s DIY Life, about how to use videos and reels to generate engagement on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.

Anika specializes in woodwork and DIY, helping beginners make pro-level projects. She has a strong presence online across multiple platforms and shares her experience in reaching even more people through short-form video. Find out what types of reels perform the best, what is the ideal length and how to use video to drive traffic to your blog posts.

-Save time and repurpose your videos on Facebook, TikTok and Instagram.

-Using Facebook reels is a viable way to reach more people.

-Instagram favors reels and these types of posts get more engagement.

-Short and sweet is most effective.

-Spend more time on the first few seconds as this draws viewers in.

-This is one of the best ways to gain followers and drive traffic to your website.

-Be consistent.

Connect with Anika Gandhi

Website | Instagram

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In episode 322, Aubree Malick, host of the Freelancer to CEO podcast, teaches us how to monetize the blogging skills we’ve mastered by turning them into invaluable services we can offer other bloggers and businesses.

Aubree helps people in conventional careers become freelancers, growing their own online businesses. She shares the tactics bloggers can use to identify their strengths and outsource this to other bloggers who might find the same tasks tedious or who’ve got too much on their plate. In this episode, she unpacks the most important steps to start a successful freelance career.

-Find your ideal clients in online communities and in your local network.

-Niche down with the type of service you offer or the type of client you serve.

-Research other freelancers’ pricing to find a good balance between NOT undervaluing or overpricing yourself.

-Ask yourself: What price point is going to make me feel resentful? What is going to make me feel good?

-Best way to build relationships with your audience is through authentic video.

-Have a system in place to make the process smooth and keep your clients satisfied.

Connect with Aubree Malick

Website | Instagram

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In episode 321, Megan chats with Molly Madigan Pisula, founder of Vanilla Bean Cuisine, about how food blogging gives you the opportunity to live a mobile life. Have a successful career anywhere in the world, while being in control of your time, so that you can spend more of it with the people you love.

Molly and her husband moved to France where she went from being a personal chef to food blogger, specializing in healthy recipes using seasonal ingredients. With in-depth knowledge of overcoming the obstacles of moving to a new country, she discusses lifestyle differences between France and America, why enjoying food allows us to slow down and how you can choose the lifestyle you want, anywhere in the world. Find out more about her experience in this episode.

-Live in a foreign country like France to enhance your senses and food knowledge.

-Experience a different lifestyle that gives you more opportunities to be creative and appreciate life to the full.

-Have the freedom to spend time with friends and family when and how you want.

-Make a conscious decision to prioritize your responsibilities in a different way to everyone else.

-Small moments in life can be a great way to strengthen connections.

Prioritizing relationships and people will make everything else in life easier.

What can you expect when you move to a new place and how will it change you for the better?

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Connect with Molly Madigan Pisula

Website | Instagram

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In episode 320, Megan chats with Izzah Cheema, founder of Tea for Turmeric, the largest Pakistani food blog, about why creating more content for your blog does not necessarily lead to growth.

Izzah specializes in Pakistani recipes and with less than a 100 recipes on her site, she has over 350 thousand page views a month or about 2 million views a year. In this episode, she explains why posting lots of recipes regularly is not necessarily a wise growth strategy and why curating content specifically for your audience, helping them solve their problems, will get you much further.

Are you producing content that you will NOT be ranked for?
Build unshakable EAT (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trust).
Treat each blog post with extra care to improve EAT.
Provide a solution to a specific problem in your market to rank more easily.
Do the work nobody else wants to do (which food solutions or information have not been written about yet?)
Roundups is a smart way to market what you already have instead of writing new content.

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In episode 319, Megan chats with Eloïse Jennes of Cooking with Elo, about 10 things she wishes she knew when she started her food blog in college. These are essential tips that will help you grow your blog quicker from the start by applying the right skills and avoiding common pitfalls.

Inspired to explore cooking after being diagnosed with food intolerances, Elo started a secret food blog in high-school to cope with a complete diet change. This first attempt motivated her to set up a new food blog to share her gluten-free and vegan recipes with friends and family while in college. In this episode, she shares 10 tips she wishes someone had told her as her food blogging career took off in college. Tune in to find out answers to these questions:

-When is the best time to start a food blog?

-What kind of photography equipment do you need?

-How do you make sure you stay consistent with your blog?

-How do you apply batching to increase your efficiency?

-How important is learning new skills in food blogging?

-What should you focus on first?

-Do you really need to start a social media channel for your blog?

Connect with Eloïse Jennes

Website | Instagram

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In episode 318, Megan chats with Laura Sirkovsky about becoming a food blogger after hitting 30 and how to earn recognition and be noticed in your niche.

After being diagnosed with coeliac disease, Laura started her food blog to recreate gluten-free versions of the recipes she grew up with in Canada. After leaving her teaching job, she decided to grow her food blog to have an additional income. She did not expect it to become her full-time job. In this episode, she shares her journey, discussing why you can become a successful food blogger despite your age or niche.

Food blogging is a viable career choice for people over 30.
Choose the right social media platforms to connect with your audience and help grow your blog.
Gluten-free diets are here to stay as more and more people find out they are coeliac or gluten-intolerant.
Gluten-free recipe blogs are a great avenue for food bloggers to explore.
Deal with the mental health challenges of trying to grow your blog and stay on top of life by connecting with the food blogging community.

Connect with Laura Sirkovsky

Website | Instagram

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In episode 317, Megan chats with Kim Cauti and Chelsea Vetre about why being an influencer is a good thing and how you can make a change for the better in your niche while at the same time earn extra money by working with brands that you love.

Kim and Chelsea offer unique coaching courses for bloggers, photographers and nano-influencers in the food space, educating them about how to successfully land sponsorship deals even if their social media accounts are under 10k. In this episode, they discuss the empowering nature of being an influencer.

-What does it mean to be an influencer?

-Why do some people think of it negatively?

-What should you do to avoid negative perceptions of sponsorship deals?

-What are the common mistakes new influencers make?

-How to build and keep the trust of both your followers and the brands you work with.

Connect with Kim Cauti and Chelsea Vetre

Website | Instagram

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In episode 316, Megan chats with Carolyn about how ghost-writing can lighten food bloggers’ loads, helping them gain more time to focus on other aspects of their business.

Ghost-writing – writing posts for other bloggers as if they were writing it themselves – provides Carolyn with an additional source of income while she is growing her own gluten-free recipe site, Caramel and Cashews.

Whether you are passionate about writing and looking for a new source of income or want to hire a ghost-writer to free-up your time, find out everything you need to know in this episode.

-What is ghost-writing?

-How can it benefit you as a food blogger?

-What is the easiest way to find reliable ghost-writers?

-What should you look for in pricing OR how should you price your services (if you're a ghost-writer).

-Once you found a ghost-writer, how does the process work?

-Why choose ghost-writing as an additional source of income and how can you find your first client?

Connect with Carolyn Truett

Website | Instagram

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In episode 315, Megan chats with Ann and Madeleine about their new app Spillt, a social media app that helps food bloggers gain exposure and increase their traffic and revenue by allowing them to save, share and review recipes online while gaining new followers. We cover information about the app’s exciting features, including:

How it helps you increase site viewing time.
Click through rates in search results.
Add an additional revenue stream through ads.

The social nature of the app incentivizes users to leave reviews and ratings. It syncs automatically with your site through a WordPress plugin, so you don’t have to create any new content to grow on the app. Find out more about how it works in this episode!

Connect with Ann and Madeleine Baum of Spillt.

Website | Instagram

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After being laid off in March 2020 due to the coronavirus, Ashley Schuering started her blog Confessions of a Grocery Addict at the behest of her friends. While she has been steadily growing her blog traffic, Ashley has created a thriving ghostwriting business for other food bloggers that has allowed her to become a full-time freelancer. By focusing specifically on her "zone of genius" — writing with an emphasis on SEO — she has created a monetization strategy that has become full-time work that pays her better than she has ever been paid before!

Inside episode 314, Ashley encourages food bloggers to lean into their zones of genius in order to take the pressure off getting accepted into an ad network. There is so much inspiration in this episode. Join us inside!

Clear out the clutter (both literally and figuratively) in order to let new opportunities enter your life and business.
Be a voracious learner in order to accelerate your growth.
Establish days and times for working, resting, as well as professional development.
Bravely accept that making a fool of yourself will be part of the success equation.
Lean into what is working for you.

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Twenty years ago he started building recipe websites as a ‘side hustle.’ At one point he had over 50 sites online, each generating rnice revenue.Then the Google Panda update tanked every single one of the sites, which was the right thing for it to do because they were very low quality, massively over-optimized sites that had been churned out en masse. They deserved to get buried deep, deep in the search results!

Today only a couple remain online and he uses them for SEO testing purposes. Fast forward to 2019 and Carl has started offering SEO services and the food blogging niche was an obvious fit. While he works with bloggers in many different niches, food bloggers are his bread and butter.

Inside episode 313, Carl delivers relevant information about a few timely SEO-related topics.

What to do and what to expected with the change from Google Analytics 3 to Google Analytics 4.
Blog images can cause a lot of problems if not handled properly. Follow Carl’s guidelines to ensure they are sized properly and aren’t affecting your site’s page speed.
Where your focus should be placed in this ever-changing world of SEO.
Keyword research tips included.
Update about the recent Google core update in May 2022.

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Partners Corinne Schmitt and Christina Hitchcock are both six-figure influencers with multiple websites. Over the years, they’ve become organizational ninjas and workflow fanatics with a knack for providing actionable strategies to help influencers work smarter and scale faster.

These two women have been in this space for over 10 years and learned a lot along the way (often the hard way!). They share their insights on working smarter on The Smart Influencer, a podcast and a private mentoring group where they help other influencers work smart and grow stronger.

Inside Eat Blog Talk episode 312, Corrine and Christina talk about the gap in the conversation with influencers about being prepared in the case of an unfortunate event.

So many influencers don’t have a plan in place if something should happen to them and they can no longer run their business. Thinking about this topic is stressful enough but trying to figure it all out and make a plan on your own can be overwhelming.

Importance of contingency planning.
What to include in your plan.
Who to hand it off to in the first place.
How to put it all together.
How often to update the plan.

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Mika and her husband, Dan, have been running Joy to the Food for nearly a year now! Both work full time jobs and do everything together for Joy to the Food in their off hours. Throughout the process of building this brand, together they have learned a lot about each other and the best way to work with your partner and to grow a blog. Dan does the numbers and styling and Mika creates the content and handles communication.

Inside episode 311, Mika explains why every food blogger should create a blogging outline and how to get started.

Content optimizers and SEO best practice encourages having many keywords within your post naturally (2-3%).
Your post should be a one stop shop.
Have sections for equipment, methods, FAQ and instructions to maximize opportunities to include relevant keywords in a natural way.
Use descriptors, process terms and recipe name variations to cover all your bases.
Follow Mika’s checklist found in the show notes or create your own checklist with or without the help of the Feast plugin.

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Christine is the founder of COOKtheSTORY where her passion is to create recipes that take less time in the kitchen, giving you more time at the table. She founded COOKtheSTORY in 2010 and her other contributor-based site, TheCookful, in 2015. Christine has used her SEO strategies and cooking knowledge to get these sites in front of over 2 million readers per month. More recently, she has embraced her love of audio and is the host of two podcasts, one of which, Recipe of the Day, has been named one of the top ten cooking podcasts out there by Popsugar!

Inside Eat Blog Talk episode 310, Christine gives tangible strategies for foodies to create a successful audio podcast.

Why a food blogger might want to consider podcasting.
The cost of producing a podcast and whether you should outsource or DIY.
How to choose the topic for your podcast and determining your audience.
If you love audio, then get started pronto! The time is now to explore this medium.

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Eliza is a plant-based food blogger, photographer, and full-time Product Manager working in the travel technology space. She loves seeing how little tweaks can make a huge difference, and geeks out over Google Analytics, Search Console and any data she can get her hands on. With limited time, she uses data to focus on what's important to grow her blog and business.

In episode 309, Eliza offer data-driven strategies food bloggers can employ in order to amplify growth in a powerful and effective way.

Give the 80/20 rule some thought and adjust your business accordingly. Create goals and continuously adjust focus to align with them.
Dive deep into the metrics on a specific post or web story.
Analyze and tweak before you begin work each week.
Readers and Google (and all the platforms) can feel our energy, so give proper attention to each bit of content you produce.
Consider what is working and DO MORE OF THAT.

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Lauren Grow is the owner and founder of Talk About Town—a marketing agency focusing on clients in the blogging space. She has been hard at work connecting readers with recipes for over 5 years. Beginning as a social media writer for Fresh April Flours, Lauren has scaled her business and currently has 20 clients in the blogging world on any given day.

An expert in email marketing, Lauren specializes in creating a consistent, approachable and profitable email plan for clients ranging from big to small. Lauren prides herself on owning the voice of her client and adapting to the needs of the reader. In her world, it's all about opens and clicks.

Inside episode 308, Lauren provides tangible tactics for food bloggers to take away and begin implementing in their email marketing strategy immediately.

Choose the right email provider.
Get started in bite-sized ways.
Importance of subject line and preheader text.
How to structure your email.
How to get those click conversions!

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Melissa Erdelac is the recipe developer, photographer and cookbook author behind the popular food blog MamaGourmand. Besides authoring her first cookbook, Frugal Gluten-Free Cooking, her work has been published in Better Homes and Gardens, MSN, Taste of Home, Parade, and Prevention.

Inside this episode, Melissa shares about the value of attending and hosting an in-person blogging retreat. Join us inside and be inspired!

Conferences vs retreats.
Do not get hung up on experience levels of other attendees. Everyone has value to offer!
Logistics for the retreat.
The only thing you really need to prepare for beforehand is your mindset. Open yourself up to learning, growing and investing in yourself and others.
The opportunities, boost in confidence, blog growth and friendships/connections that follow the retreat are the best part!

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In 2022, the podcast industry is expected to grow at an exponential rate. The use of audio in the food blogging space to speak your message and connect with your audience is underrated, underutilized and overlooked. Now is the time to get on board with audio!

Listen in on this Clubhouse recording where a handful of food bloggers discuss using audio to speak their messages in a profound way.

Brand recognition - Reach people “beyond the blog” to expand brand awareness.
People - The people you will meet in your journey with audio will allow for so much opportunity.
The unexpected - People connect with the human voice more than with written voice. When you put your actual voice out into the world, you never know who is connecting with you. Unexpected favor and opportunities will come your way.
There is currently very little competition in the food and recipe niche for podcasts. This is such a great way to separate yourself from your competition!

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Yvette Marquez is the Latina and founder behind the Mexican food site, MuyBuenoCookbook.com. She is an Emmy-winning producer and writer, food blogger, and author of Muy Bueno, Latin Twist, and a third cookbook due out in 2023.

Yvette grew up in the kitchen with her mother and grandmother and has treasured family recipes that were never written down. She had no formal background in cooking before deciding to start a food blog and document her family’s recipes, develop new recipes and partner with brands.

Food has been the core of her family and business and in this episode she shares about how she has transformed passion into purpose. Over the last 10+ years, her site has grown from a small source of additional income to a full-time, thriving six-figure business.

Whether you are launched into being a full-time blogger or decide to take the leap on your own, Yvette has encouragement about how to treat your blog like a business.
Tips about how to monetize your blogging business while you wait to get into an ad network.
How and why you should chase your dreams both personally and professionally.
How to know if a cookbook is a good next move for your business.

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Mary Barnett, also known as “Mobile Mary” in the industry, is a text marketing and social media expert. Her company Another Brilliant Idea, Inc. helps business owners and restaurants use social media to grow a database that they actually own. This allows them to reach their best customers offline, giving them what they want instantly and on-demand to increase sales and brand loyalty!

Inside this episode, Mary shares her best secrets about how to increase engagement and connection with your audience by using social media and text marketing.

Start seeing social media platforms as “borrowed territory” and proceed with this concept in mind. You don’t own your social media accounts.
Start building your own list, including phone numbers and email addresses THAT YOU OWN.
Strategize and nurture your list.
Learn how to build a trusted list organically.
Include audio messages as a way to build trust even more quickly.
We all want those clamoring fans, so tune in and learn how to accelerate the path to getting there!

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David has been blogging at Cooking Chat for over 10 years alongside a full-time job running a local nonprofit organization he founded. Cooking Chat focuses primarily on healthy, seasonal recipes, along with wine pairing recommendations.

After reaching a point several years ago where things seemed to be going in the wrong direction with blogging, in 2019 David recommitted to it with a number of new investments in strategies. Since then, year over year traffic has been up well over 50%, and ad revenue is now generating a solid additional income stream for his family.

In this episode, David delivers seven effective strategies for seasoned food bloggers to achieve growth.

Update old content.
Internal linking.
Plan new content strategically.
Build a strong infrastructure.
Set some good boundaries for your business.
Join us inside the episode for more great strategies!

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Chris is a product photographer at Pieta Productions and teaches creative business on YouTube. He helps other creative get clients, start their businesses and scale down the road. While he’s not a food blogger, Chris has helped other food bloggers seek out clients and has an understanding of the business of food blogging.

Join us in the episode to learn how to get clients for a stream of revenue while you wait for other opportunities to pop up.

This is a great strategy to implement if you’re currently in the “ad network wait.”
The road to monetization can seem arduous and long, so use client work as a way to earn fast money but also build on and accelerate blogging skills.
Clients aren’t going to come to you in droves. You need to go find them!
How to find the right clients in the first place.

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Chelsea has been blogging at Mae’s Menu for 3 years. After a year of posting aimlessly and with no regards to SEO, Chelsea took an SEO course and grew her blog traffic over 2000% in the following year and qualified for the Mediavine ad network within 6 months. Chelsea publishes 4-8 recipes per month and believes in working smarter, not harder.

In this episode, Chelsea makes a great case for prioritizing SEO over photography, as improving photos is something you can easily learn as you go. Join us in the episode to hear her best tips for learning SEO and accelerating the growth of your blog.

Take a course, absorb webinars and do whatever you can to learn about effective keyword research strategies and tools. Investing in good SEO information is worthwhile.
Find the content that has SEO potential and put your focus there in order to work smarter.
Add or improve ingredient shots and process shots to give your content an immediate boost in traction.
It is ALL about the user, so always aim to make your content the best resource it can be for your audience.
Get way ahead of seasons and holidays to leverage seasonal and holiday-specific traffic.

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Brandon Gaille is an entrepreneur who founded multiple 7 figure businesses in his 20s before becoming disabled by a rare disorder for nearly a decade. He eventually regained his health and started a blog. He grew his blog to over 1 million visitors in just 18 months after his first blog post. Today, he gets 5 million monthly visitors from over 100,000 first-page Google rankings. Brandon has taught his SEO growth hacks to over 20,000 bloggers through his podcast, The Blogging Millionaire. This past year he launched RankIQ, an AI-powered SEO toolset tailored for bloggers and small businesses that have a blog. This year RankIQ was ranked #1 out of all 333 SEO tools by G2 for customer satisfaction and ease of use.

In this episode, Brandon shares his incredible story that laid the foundation for his wild success as an entrepreneur. He tackles two SEO-themed topics within the episode, covering the importance of keyword research as well as backlinks.

Why all food bloggers should be doing keyword research.
The biggest mistakes people make when doing keyword research.
Reasons your blog needs backlinks and best tactics for getting high quality backlinks.
An effective 4-stage approach for updating old content.

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Kristi is the blogger behind Carrots and Cookies, as well as a Registered Dietitian and busy working mom of three kids, ages seven to fourteen. Her passion for helping parents understand what it means to feed their kids well has grown as she raises her own. Without going crazy, Kristi found a way of developing easy and practical nutrient-dense recipes that she was proud of and kids love but so do parents too!

In this episode, Kristi talks through her experience with receiving an SEO audit with under 100 published recipes. Learn from her experience to determine if an early audit is a good fit for your blogging business.

Learn why she decided to receive an audit so early and how this has positively impacted her business.
Kristi shares 5 main takeaways that she carried away from her audit: accessibility, mobile friendliness, general SEO tactics, backlinks and keyword research.
What to expect post-audit.

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Dan has been running Joy to the Food for nearly a year now along with his wife Mika. Both have full time jobs and do everything together for the blog in their off hours. Throughout the process of building this brand, together they have learned a lot about each other and the best way to work together. Dan does the numbers, research and styling and Mika creates the content and handles communication.

In this episode, Dan shares his strategy for doing keyword research, involving the use of two powerhouse tools: RankIQ and Keysearch. Using the two in tandem has produced positive results for Joy to the Food. Join us inside the episode to learn the ins and outs of each tool, as well as his overall strategy.

Game-changing parts of Keysearch to pay attention to (that will save you a ton of time).
A thorough deep dive into each tool and when to use which.
Deep dive into the robust RankIQ optimizer and how to best utilize it.
Differences between the tools.

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Lauren has been a food blogger at Maritime Glutton for a year and a half and a photographer for about 6 months. When she began her food blogging journey, she was partially through earning a business degree. Lauren landed a marketing job for the government because of her "unofficial" skillset built while food blogging (photography, SEO, marketing, content planning). Building a skillset to support her blog allowed her to monetize from multiple income streams, while becoming an "expert" in these fields.

In this episode, Lauren sheds a ton of light on this long game known as food blogging and how to take advantage of the “marathon” by building on unique skills along the ride.

Mindset matters. Work on this first and foremost.
Place a focus on learning the right things (for you).
Do a lot of trial and error! Researching and experimenting is good.
Tap into the massive amount of free resources available to you.
Create boundaries. Schedule time for yourself to do nothing. (Don’t discount this!)
Find specific skills to build on and offer to other bloggers.

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Danielle is host of the Entrepreneur Money Stories podcast, a reformed corporate CFO, and co-owner of Kickstart Accounting, Inc. She helps female entrepreneurs increase their profitability and take-home pay. She’s passionate about helping business owners to not think about accounting as the evil tool needed to file taxes but the best tool in your tool belt to help you build the business of your dreams.

In this episode, Danielle teaches food bloggers how to build a profitable business. Come learn her secrets!

Dig into your expenses, first and foremost. Your expenses will tell you what your revenue needs to be.
Focus on staying profitable. Know your numbers! Don’t allow them to intimidate you.
Consider outsourcing certain services and tasks vs. wasting your time and money learning about them.
Rate your feelings and emotions as you move through your work week.
What gets measured gets managed.

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Eden Westbrook is a wife, mom, and entrepreneur. Creator of the food blog Sweet Tea + Thyme in 2016, she has built it from an idea to a six-figure business. Eden’s blog focuses on multicultural family-friendly dishes and date night ideas for the millennial family. You’ll also find her teaching other food bloggers how to build profitable and successful food blogs through her mastermind course The Food Blogging Mastermind.

In this episode, Eden shares how important it is to create that perfect one person who all of your content gets created for. You absolutely must know who you are talking to in order grow your blogging business in the way you desire.

Start with what you love. What do you love to create? What are you passionate about? What does the world need? What makes you money?
Think of your blog like it is a store in a mall. What causes people to come into your store? What would make them stay there and buy your products?
Do not be afraid to be exclusive! This is uncomfortable, but so important.
Create your person, then deliver to him/her!
See imposter syndrome as a blessing!

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Gregory is the recipe creator, cook, photographer and writer behind the food blog Craving The Yum. In 2016, Gregory was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, achieved 4 years of remission, and today he is working on healing a recent cancer development called Nodular Lymphocyte-Predominant Hodgkin Lymphoma.

Inside this episode, Gregory shares how he was able to take his experience with cancer combined with a global pandemic to dive into blogging and explore new creativity, skills and tastes.

Learn how to take life’s lemons and turn them into productive, creative and fulfilling ventures.
Sometimes it is better to be authentic than to stick with the path you initially set out on.
Keep chiseling away. This is a long game.
Come ready to be inspired!

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Jenna is the content creator behind The Urben Life, a food and lifestyle blog where she shares allergy-friendly recipes and travel guides. She is an early adopter within the blogging space, staying on top of tools, platforms and trends that are unique to food content creators. Inside the episode, she shares about trends food bloggers should pay attention to in Q2 of 2022 and provides updates on Q1 trends discussed in Eat Blog Talk episode 266.
- Where web stories are at, along with a few little new details.
- New updates and features are being added to Facebook reels, which is a sure sign that they aren’t going anywhere.
- The opportunity and potential that lies within the marriage of TikTok and Whisk.
- Don’t toss Pinterest out the window!
- Fill in those question gaps by using Google Question Hub.
- What’s in store for audio.
- Different ways to use Airtable, outside of content management.

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Chef Dennis is the food blogger behind Ask Chef Dennis, as well as a chef, social media enthusiast and travel blogger. He has a passion for sharing restaurant-style recipes and he enjoys figuring out how to get the most out of his new and existing blog content. Inside this episode, Dennis shares his favorite secrets and tips that shed light on SEO, help you prioritize your time and ultimately accelerate your growth.
- Get on podcasts. The world needs your voice and this is also a great way to get backlinks.
- Learn the ins and outs of optimizing your recipe posts and create a template that you can use on repeat.
- Dennis’ most coveted secret weapon is Reconalist, a course that will help you automate your traffic strategy in an individualized fashion.
- Remember that you have to invest money in order to make money.
- Comb through your email list and don’t worry about vanity metrics. You don’t want people on the list who aren’t list-worthy.

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Renee is the blogger and podcaster behind Awesome on 20. She blogs about comforting recipes for witches who love junk food and she hosts a podcast about everyday spirituality and wellbeing. A strength that she carries into all aspects of her business and that has helped her to continue creating and delivering great content, is to never give up. Join us in the episode to hear Renee’s encouragement so that you continue moving forward on the path you’ve started on.
- It’s ok to put on your blinders and block out the competition when needed.
- Find those people who trigger you in a good way! Scroll back through their feed to discover the elements you’re most connecting with.
- Follow your creative ideas to keep from getting bored.
- Find supportive peers and make intentional time to discuss goals with them regularly.
- Everything becomes possible and magical when you believe in yourself.
- Remember that you have desires for a reason!

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Stephanie is the food blogger behind StephaniesSweets.com. She went from hobby blogger to business woman after being furloughed from her job. After spending a year focusing on improving her photography skills, it only took 4 months to go from 5k to 50k page sessions and to be accepted into a major ad network. Join us in the episode to learn Stephanie’s growth secrets!

People eat with their eyes, so prioritize constantly improving your photography skills.
Show up consistently where it matters most.
Pinterest is not dead! Figure out how to gain traction on the platform for an extra traffic boost.
Optimize your site and your content.
Learn SEO strategies and dig into keyword research. RankIQ and Keysearch are Stephanie’s secret weapons.
Web stories are a great option to explore for extra traction.
Don’t forget that your mindset matters!

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Gina is the recipe developer and party planner behind the food blog Intentional Hospitality. Inside this episode, she talks through her 5-year journey with cancer and how this coincided with being an empty nester and discovering her place in the world both inside and outside of being a blogger. Her creative journey has blossomed into a beautiful blog that has grown very quickly in a year’s time. Come learn from Gina and be inspired!

Connecting with your “why” will nudge you to keep going.
Eventually we need to put our learning into action and start doing.
The success trio that moved Gina from 18k to 112k page views in one year: Eat Blog Talk, RankIQ and web stories.
Community plays such a huge role in getting traction, so find your people!

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In this episode, Megan talks through her top 10 takeaways after attending her first in-person blogging conference since the pandemic (over 2 years ago!). In-person gatherings are super valuable for entrepreneurs who “go it alone” most of the time. They are imperative for growth, connection and so much more. - Connecting with people in person is EVERYTHING. - Investing in yourself and your business needs to be a priority. - The amount of self-educating we’ve done collectively since the pandemic started is incredible and that was evident at the conference. - Collaboration is way cooler than competition. There’s room for every single person to shine in their unique way. - Doing scary things is scary, yes, but the rewards far outweigh the fears. - Join us in the episode for the remaining 5 takeaways!

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Amy Katz is the creator of Veggies Save The Day where she shares easy vegan recipes inspired by a Mediterranean diet. She feels that so many bloggers discount the power of something that is sitting right in the hands of all of us: EMAIL. She has tapped into strategies to use her email subscriber list to grow her blogging business and in this episode, she shares 5 common mistakes food bloggers make with email marketing and how to fix them.

Stop making it hard for people to sign up! - Send those emails!
Find your voice and be consistent with showing up.
Repurpose your content. You have so much of it!
Use that list to generate revenue.

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Amanda is the chef, writer and photographer behind Saporito Kitchen. As a mom of 4 kids, she runs her blogging business efficiently and stays organized by batching her content and her work schedule. In this episode, she gives tangible tips so you can accomplish your goals!

Batching is a power and underutilized resource for bloggers.
It may seem daunting, but with just a bit of planning you can tap into the magic of FLOW that comes from batching both your content and your schedule.
This is a process! Strive for progress, not perfection.
Providing consistent, quality content to your audience is the most important thing.

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Shinta is the food blogger behind Caramel Tinted Life. In the last 2 years she has managed to make the blog a steady source of income while having a busy personal life. She has applied what she learned in her previous career as a marketing strategy consultant to her blogging business, and has a streamlined approach to getting results with an SEO focus.

There is a lot going on in the world of SEO, but if growing traffic is a goal for you it is worth learning on- and off-page SEO and implementing it on your blog.
It’s all about your user, all the time.
A focus on social media may lead to constant disappointment.
Invest your time and money in learning SEO in order to future-proof your business.
Create a 2x2 matrix for your business for clarity.

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Mika and Dan have been running Joy to the Food since early 2020, while also working full-time jobs. In the process of building their brand, they have learned a ton about criticism, awareness and efficiency. In this episode they share what has worked for them to grow their business quickly!

If schedule freedom is an ultimate goal for you, working with a partner is a great way to accelerate your growth.
Content management tips.
Ways to accept criticism and how to critique gently.
Comedic relief should play a role in the process!
Play on one another’s strengths.
Establish processes, systems and always strive to be more efficient.

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Casey Markee is the founder of digital consultancy company MediaWyse. He is a well-known SEO professional who helps bloggers take their businesses to the next level through his expertise and website audits. Listen to this episode to hear about the state of SEO in 2022 in the realm of food blogging.

There have never been more food bloggers than there are now and what this means for you.
Upcoming GDPR issues to have on your radar.
Deferred ad loading defaults and how to navigate what is right for your blog.
Casey addresses some recent inaccurate SEO advice given to food bloggers.
So much more gold inside the episode. See you there!

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Alison delivers whole-food plant-based recipes on her blog Keeping the Peas. She has streamlined her business and figured out a way to work much more efficiently by using a handful of tools. Inside the episode she shares what has helped her work smarter, so come learn from her so you can work smarter, too! - Keysearch: A robust and affordable comprehensive keyword research tool. - RankIQ: A super powerful keyword research tool, helping you to save time and get a page 1 ranking on Google quickly. - Canva: Optimize your images and graphics most effectively by upgrading to the Pro package. - Convertkit/Convertpro: A powerful email marketing and pop-up creation tool combo.

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Cate is the founder International Desserts Blog, a side hustle she turned into a full-time income in late 2020. She enjoys challenging herself, sharing joy, and being a lifelong learner and has figured out a fun way to grow email subscribers quickly and drastically. She shares all her secrets inside the episode. - Learn the logistics of hosting a free content bundle. - Use the summer slump as a time to host a bundle and grow your email subscribers. - Don’t overcomplicate things. A few simple tools are all you need to get started. - Streamlining tips included, such as making sure you test every contributor’s sales page before releasing it to the public.

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Lauren started her food blog Pinch of Parsley in March 2021 as a side hobby. She took the leap to pursue blogging as her full-time job in September 2021. Since then, she has mastered mindset, money management, pitching and landing clients. Inside the episode she shares her secrets! - Invest in yourself and learn as much as humanly possible. - Mindset mindset MINDSET. - Get comfortable with pitching yourself. - Learn how to manage your money. - Diversify revenue streams. - Making connections with peers is a necessity.

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Julie Tran Deily is the blogger behind The Little Kitchen and has recently begun working part-time as a Community Growth Manager at Whisk. Inside the episode, she talks about the TikTok-Whisk integration and how food bloggers can benefit from using these tools. - Links can now be shared through TikTok via the Whisk integration and it is easier than you might think. - The power of Whisk communities and how to get started with your own. - What’s on deck for these tools in 2022 and what should be on your radar as a content creator.

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Chellie has been food blogging for 12 years at Art From My Table. She learned to supplement her blog income by launching a photography business and believes in working smarter, not harder. Inside this episode, Chellie encourages bloggers to offer up photography services as a way to accelerate blog growth. - Invest time in learning about photography. - Utilize the Facebook groups dedicated to selling food photography. - Raise your prices to match your value when you begin feeling stretched. - Many tips included so you can work smarter instead of harder!

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Lyn is the food blogger behind Cook Eat Live Love. She uses lifelong learning as a way to accelerate her business growth and to make a bigger impact. Inside this episode Lyn shares about ways you can make a greater impact through learning, whether you consider yourself to be a lifelong learner or not! - There are many different ways to learn, so explore the different avenues available to you. - You don’t need to learn it all at once. Start somewhere and allow yourself to learn as you go. - Learning doesn’t have to mean taking courses or classes. It can entail connecting with peers and learning from one another. - Hire out the things you have no desire to learn about.

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Andrew Wilder is the founder and CEO of NerdPress, a digital agency that provides WordPress maintenance and support for hundreds of food blogs, placing an emphasis on site speed, stability, and security. Inside this episode he provides food bloggers with five things to focus on as we head into a fresh new year.
- Site speed/core web vitals.
- Invest in good web hosting.
- Look at your site from your user’s perspective.
- Diversify revenue beyond display ads and diversify traffic beyond Google.
- Start building your team today!

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Casey grew her food blog Get On My Plate from 0 to 55k monthly sessions by following a few simple strategies. She shares her secrets inside this episode, not only for quick growth but also for setting yourself up for a long game by shifting your mindset.
- Lean into SEO and keyword research.
- Don’t discount social media (but don’t obsess about it, either).
- Publish non-recipe content with a focus on modifiers and low competition keywords.
- You MUST be willing to adapt and stick with blogging, no matter what comes your way if you want to find success.

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Megan is a freelance food photographer and the blogger behind The Oregon Dietician. She decided that instead of waiting around to qualify for an ad network, she'd take things into her own hands by starting a freelance photography business. Learn more about how to freelance during that dreaded “ad network wait.”
- Focusing on other projects and revenue streams is a great distraction while waiting to get enough page views to join an ad network.
- Find what you love doing and pursue it in a freelance role. Separate yourself from being a “blogger” if needed.
- Use the wait time to improve skills that need sharpening.
- Focus on building traffic and before you know it, you will have the page views you’ve been yearning for!

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Emily is the author of the book titled Growth Junkies Unite. She helps other business leaders find success by helping them implement Entrepreneurial Operating System® businesses so they can find life balance. In this episode she provides actionable tips bloggers can take to stop the “busy-ness” and find the balance they deserve.
- You can achieve MORE by doing LESS.
- Proactive work allows you to minimize chaos.
- Self-awareness is key!
- Tips about how to outsource as well as how to be a great leader, minimizing stress and urgency throughout your entire business.

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2021 was an epic year for both the food blogging community and for the Eat Blog Talk podcast. Join us in this episode to hear what the stats say about the most popular content on this podcast, as well as what the fan favorites and Megan’s personal picks were. We also dig into what is in store for 2022!
- Common themes for favorite podcast episodes: SEO, quick growth stories, sponsored work.
- We want to know what YOU want more of in 2022!

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After hitting rock bottom with her own health, Cristina from The Castaway Kitchen studied food to get her life back. Inside this episode, she talks about how bloggers can get more traction by creating recipes for people who struggle with chronic illnesses or have food allergies.
- The wide array of diets provide opportunity for niching down in powerful ways.
- There are people out there who need your resourcefulness with the various diets.
- Educate yourself before digging into a specific diet (resources included in show notes).
- This mindset offers opportunity for bloggers looking for more traction and traffic!

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Full-time travel blogger and SEO coach roaming the world at whim, Isabel from Bel Around the World helps aspiring bloggers and brands get the most out of their online presence and financial freedom by ranking on Google faster by utilizing smart SEO strategies. Inside this episode she gives quick tips on how to get the greatest return for the least amount of effort.
- If you create the right content with the right keywords, backlinks can be built naturally.
- Sprinkle a mixture of keywords (including LSI indexing) into your recipe posts for more relevancy.
- All kinds of details included, such as site speed, information about images, links, descriptions and how to get your content to show up in featured snippets.

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Kristin is the blogger behind Baking Bettie and she teaches her audience through tutorials on her blog, YouTube channel, Instagram, TikTok and through in-person workshops. Her on-camera confidence did not come easily and she shares about how she overcame her fears to find comfort in front of the camera. This episode is packed with actionable tips so you can do this, too!
- It might take a while, but keep pushing through those on-camera fears. The end result will be worth the struggle.
- Start with what you have! Don’t let the overwhelm of needing the perfect equipment or setup keep you from getting started.
- Creating consistent videos for your audience is the best way to connect with them on a deep level.
- Give yourself permission to create bad content. Embrace imperfection.

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Natalya is the founder and head home cook for Momsdish, a food blog focused on bringing crazy easy recipes to the masses. She moved from part-time blogger to full-time business woman alongside her husband and shares about their 2-year journey filled with ups and downs inside this value-packed episode.
- Learning how to avoid burnout and maintain some degree of balance is a huge part of the success equation.
- Strategizing through the tough times (think: traffic loss due to a Google update) is important.
- Hosting blogger retreats is a really great way to build your inner circle and make income outside ad revenue.

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As the self-proclaimed “poster child” for making the most mistakes in a blogging journey, Megan from the food blog Pip and Ebby shares about the mistakes she has made within this series. This is the fifth episode in a series that covers multiple mistakes, takeaways and action steps for other food bloggers to learn from. Mistake #5: Starting well and ending poorly (or not at all).
- Think through every project from start to finish before you dive in.
- Finished is not “done.” In our ever-evolving space, projects are never complete.
- Declutter your current projects to open up space for new things to enter.

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Media producer, multilingual educator, podcaster and YouTuber, Catharina runs the Creators Abroad podcast, YouTube channel and production studio. She produces media focusing on max impact (podcasts, videos, social media and blogs), helping creatives spark their imagination, find opportunities, navigate culture, form new connections and build rewarding careers. In this episode she explains why food bloggers should place a focus on creating max impact content.

Using your voice to tell stories about your recipes and food is extremely powerful.
Utilize the many platforms and media available to deliver content in a unique and captivating way.
In such a saturated market, you must find a way to pull away from the pack and make your content stand out.

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Comfort zones are comfortable! But are they productive? Growth occurs within the zone of DIScomfort, so let’s dissect this and learn ways we can grow more quickly. Megan of Eat Blog Talk and Loren of the Align and Expand podcast dive into this topic in this podcast series. This is the fourth episode of four, focusing on the topic of PEOPLE.
- People and relationships are everything! Choose your people wisely.
- Assess the people around you and make some potentially uncomfortable decisions about who you are giving your energy to.
- Put yourself in the paths of people whose energy you admire.

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Justin Moore is founder of Creator Wizard and has made over $3M working with brands. He has a unique perspective as both a creator in the trenches as well as helping countless brands decide how to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on influencer campaigns. Inside this episode, he breaks down common mistakes food bloggers make when pitching and pricing themselves for sponsored work.
- Be a detective! Get a full picture of the campaign before saying a word.
- Use words that illustrate you know your worth. Language matters!
- Don’t be a creator, be a consultant.
- Know when to walk away. Pay attention to your intuition.

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As the self-proclaimed “poster child” for making the most mistakes in a blogging journey, Megan from the food blog Pip and Ebby shares about the mistakes she has made within this series. This is the fourth episode in a series that covers multiple mistakes, takeaways and action steps for other food bloggers to learn from. Mistake #4: Investing in the wrong things and in some cases avoiding making investments.
- Setting clear goals will ensure you are focusing on the right investments.
- Invest in the PEOPLE behind the products and services you purchase.
- One of the best investments you can make in your business is hiring a quality coach.

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Chandice is the bubbly personality behind the blog This Vivacious Life. She is a food and entertaining blogger and the co-author of Gluten-Free on a Budget. One piece of the blogging puzzle that lights her up is connecting with brands and other partners and delivering pitches that focus on the value they will get from her expertise and quality work. Listen to the episode to learn her secrets about sending well-received pitches!
- Think beyond brands! Food bloggers have so many options for people and companies to pitch their services to.
- Learn how to find the people to pitch and what to say!
- Create a vision they can’t refuse. Always provide value.
- Remove yourself from the pitch.
- Action steps included, so you can confidently send a pitch today!

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Comfort zones are comfortable! But are they productive? Growth occurs within zone of DIScomfort, so let’s dissect this and learn ways we can grow more quickly. Megan of Eat Blog Talk and Loren of the Align and Expand podcast dive into this topic in this podcast series. This is the third episode of four, focusing on the topic of BLOG TRACTION.
- Rewrite your scripts about how you show up for your blog. “I do uncomfortable things,” and “I show even when it’s scary” are good affirmations to repeat.
- Push yourself to create differently or learn a new skill.
- Removing things from your life (such as starting at analytics) can be very uncomfortable yet rewarding.

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Kathy is the blogger behind Beyond the Chicken Coop. After retiring from her elementary school principal job in 2021, she has delved into, and seen the power of, updating older content. This is a great way to be a more efficient food blogger, ensuring all published content is providing value to the end user.
- Start by creating a spreadsheet containing the information about all of your content.
- Comb through every single blog post systematically.
- Kathy talks through her strategy for optimizing each blog post.
- Consider batching to further streamline your updating process.

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Sandra is the blogger behind She’s Not Cookin’. She was able to get her blog onto an ad network in just over one year by using a specialized approach. First and foremost, she worked on her mindset, which became a solid base to build a successful business on. This episode explores the possibilities available to entrepreneurs who are willing to dig into mindset work first.
- Get crystal clear on what you are trying to accomplish and why.
- Sandra provides strategies for working through limiting beliefs, achieving balance and tapping into creativity: journal it out, quiet your mind, put inspiration in front of you, celebrate every win (even the small ones) and have fun.
- Your vibe attracts your tribe, so put a good one out there.

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Terri is a part-time food blogger at Food Meanderings. She began entering recipe competitions in 2010 and after winning contests, decided to start a blog in 2016. Entering recipe competitions has improved her skills and has had a huge positive impact on her side hustle. Join us in the episode to learn more about this unique strategy!
- Where to find these competitions.
- What judges are looking for.
- Terri talks through logistics and provides a few insider secrets that will give you a leg up before even getting to the recipe development.
- This avenue establishes credibility and it is a great first step to working with brands.

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Comfort zones are comfortable! But are they productive? Growth occurs within zone of DIScomfort, so let’s dissect this and learn ways we can grow more quickly. Megan of Eat Blog Talk and Loren of the Align and Expand podcast dive into this topic in this podcast series. This is the second episode of four, focusing on the topic of MONEY.
- It is very common to fall into comfort zones with money. Your unique zone is important to identify and be aware of.
- Money mindset: Learn how to identify limiting beliefs that are blocking you from abundance and work through them.
- Your subconscious mind will allow you to make the amount of money you BELIEVE you should make.
- Ways to extend past your comfort zone in regards to money: Become aware of (and change) self talk, invest in yourself/your business, work through the limiting beliefs and so much more!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Out of sheer necessity, Debbie Gartner figured out a way to overcome a massive debt. She learned affiliate marketing strategies and developed a fresh perspective on blogging. In 3.5 years, she erased a $238K debt! Listen to the episode to find out how!
- There is a lot of money to be made through affiliates, but it’s about so much more than that. It’s just one piece of a much larger puzzle.
- DIVERSIFY! Don’t just rely on ads or affiliates. Allow some breathing room for your business.

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Wrenn and Arturo work as a team in every area of their lives, from ranching and parenting to blogging. They have learned valuable lessons that have kept all areas of their lives afloat and healthy, so learn from them!
- Stop over-analyzing the work you do. Better yet, over-analyze the right things.
- A little distraction is healthy and can keep you focused on what really matters.
- Communication is key when working together with a spouse or team member, but also find ways to be as efficient as possible.

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Sometimes the most difficult stretches teach us the greatest lessons. 2020 was a year to learn from! Join us in the episode to hear the good parts (from the eyes of a food blogger) that emerged from a challenging year.
- Technology can be our friend.
- Food bloggers are needed!
- It’s not all about you.
- White space creates safety margins which protect us.
- Diversifying streams of revenue is a good stress reliever!
- Being adaptable is vital.
- Listen to the episode for the remaining takeaways!

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Casey Markee is the founder of digital consultancy company MediaWyse. He is an SEO professional who helps bloggers take their businesses to the next level through his expertise and website audits. Here are a few SEO priorities that should be on your radar in 2021:
- Web stories: what and why
- Passage Indexing: How it is different from featured snippets
- Best (affordable) options for doing keyword research
- Best practices for blog post optimization
- May 2021 Page Experience Algorithm: What to expect

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Lucy’s passion for Japanese food launched her into becoming a foodie creator. She has explored the different avenues available to food bloggers and wants others to be aware of them, as well!
- Find out what your true passion is in the world of food blogging and immerse yourself in it. Are you passionate about photography? A certain type of food?
- From there, other opportunities will begin appearing before your eyes. Be ready to see them!
- There is so much opportunity out there!

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Food blogging is no joke. There is never a shortage of things to accomplish, so utilize your time as best you can! Megan imparts her tricks for reaching an optimal level of productivity as a food blogger.
- Learn to be laser focused.
- Work concentrated.
- Learn to say no.
- Plan and schedule as much as you possibly can.
- Make the most of every minute of your work day. Every minute counts.
- Push yourself to accomplish more because it is POSSIBLE.
- Commit to finishing everything you start.

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Laura and her husband grew their Six Hungry Feet food blog quickly by utilizing a few underrated (and very smart) strategies. Inside the episode, Laura shares how they started and how they grew so quickly.
- Focus on creating quality content and learn the many ways you can offer up content that is packed with quality.
- Promotional strategies for getting your content SEEN. Don’t underestimate Facebook, Pinterest and the power of your friends!
- So many more gems are packed inside!

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Nicole Johnson works for Mediavine, an ad management company that works closely with food bloggers. She gives her best tips about why having display ads on your blog is a great idea and how you can make that happen.
- Why Mediavine ads are different from the rest.
- What you should expect from a quality ad manager.
- Tips to getting to 50k sessions/month (the threshold for applying to have Mediavine ads on your site).
- Just keep moving forward and try not to get hung up on the numbers!

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Shooting photos for a blog is different than shooting for a cookbook. Lori Rice is a photographer who teaches food creators how to shoot their own food photos through her online courses. She shares valuable advice inside this episode so you can feel more confident launching into taking photos for a cookbook.
- Why blog photos are different from cookbook photos.
- Why you should never use the camera on your phone to photograph a cookbook.
- How to create ideal cookbook photos.
- How to organize it all!

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Jumprope is a new innovative platform that makes the process of producing video easier! Edit and share how-to content within the Jumprope app. Then export your videos in the formats you need for YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest, blog posts and more.
- Learn the ins and outs of Jumprope so you know where to get started (and what to focus on).
- Foodie creators are seeing success with Jumprope, so download the FREE app and get started!
- Save hours on each video you create, opening up time for other projects.

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Don’t underestimate the power of mental blocks. They are sneaky and often we don’t even know they exist, but they can be the reason we are unable to find success, money, opportunities and quality people. Listen in to figure out how to uncover your own blocks and how to rewrite your stories in order to invite success to flow freely into your business!
- Acknowledging blocks exist is the first step!
- Rewrite the stories (aka the lies)!
- Know that YOU ARE WORTHY.
- Invite success in!

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As a weekly guest on her local ABC affiliate, Marie knows what it takes to be a stellar guest. She helps food bloggers connect with their local TV stations and learn how to cook on TV.
- Finding the right people is key, so figure out who those people are and reach out to them.
- Cooking on TV can give you visibility, credibility and social proof for your food blog.
- Shake the nerves and be a stellar guest.
- How to choose the right recipe to showcase.

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After taking a long break from blogging and enduring personal challenges, Siri used blogging as a way to combat depression. This episode provides inspiration for anyone who has taken a break or is struggling to stay in the game and it is jam-packed full of self care and blogging tips.
- If blogging is a passion of yours, allow it to bring clarity and happiness into your business and life.
- Niching down and refocusing is a great way to re-enter blogging after a break.
- Combat the comparison trap!

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Tech addiction can be a very real problem for entrepreneurs! We rely on tech to get our jobs done, allowing addiction to creep in. Amy is a psychotherapist and has insights about the effects of tech addiction and advice about how to combat it.
- To gauge where you stand with it, evaluate your relationships.
- Use tech to your advantage! There are many apps that can help you replace damaging tech time with relaxation.
- Start a small habit to gain momentum with increasing mental strength.

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Implementing one tiny idea repeatedly and consistently over time can lead to massive results. Taking small steps that require just a few minutes of your day can add up over time. Success doesn’t require constant sprinting!

Determine a goal you are going to take really seriously (something you are passionate about and that also has payout potential).
Simplify an idea for achieving your goal.
Set a period of time when you will follow through with the idea CONSISTENTLY.
Reap the reward!

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Hashtag Jeff joins us in this episode to impart knowledge on the topic of SEO. He covers a broad range of topics that fall under the umbrella of SEO.
- When to update content and when not to update content. And why you should stop fearing the Google recrawls (and Google in general)!
- How and where to do keyword research and how to manage your titles and headings.
- Best practices for using Yoast.
- An overview of using Categories in Wordpress.
See? Tons of great topics covered! See you inside!

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This popular EBT replay dives into how to work with, approach, pitch and negotiate with brands you know and love.

Employ Alyssa Brantley's tactic known as the Pantry Pitch to figure out which brands to reach out to!
Learn how to find a brand's contact info and know you are talking to the right person.
Stay on top of your deliverables and contract terms in order to develop long-term partnerships.
Do the work for the brand! Make their job easier to make yourself more appealing.

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Join us in this compilation of audio clips from previous EBT episodes where a handful of guests (Jena Carlin, Alyssa Brantley, Kelly McNelis and more!) take a deep dive into the many ways food bloggers can monetize their businesses.
- Working with brands is a great way to connect with your audience!
- Contributing content to other bloggers’ sites is a way to earn money.
- Learn the SECRET about how to make money through ebook sales.
- Start hosting virtual cooking classes today!
- And more!

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Pinterest is a super important platform for food bloggers to be on. It provides so much opportunity for traffic and therefore revenue. Melissa works for Tailwind and has insider information about how food bloggers can make the most of Pinterest.
- What the new Pinterest algorithm changes are all about.
- How to adapt to the seemingly constant changes as a blogger.
- Tools, tips and advice about how to grow while also preserving precious time and energy.
- So much more inside, so be sure to listen in!

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This episode is PACKED with inspiring nuggets, including stories about Candice’s incredible adventure around the world and how it impacted her life and inspired her to become a food blogger.
- Start planning your next big adventure NOW (it’s the perfect time!).
- Food blogging, travel and enjoying food all fit together perfectly. so get out there and explore. No more excuses!
- Candice’s stories & words of encouragement will get you excited about delivering new adventures and foods to your audience.

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One of the biggest road blocks that can hinder us from success and happiness is tossing all of that mental garbage around in our minds. There are actionable steps you can take to STOP the garbage and get on with creating the life and business of your dreams. Jenny Melrose gives us her very best advice on this topic:
- Guess what! You actually DO have the time.
- You are not an imposter.
- Negative self talk will only hold you back.
- Fail forward!
- And so many more great nuggets of wisdom!

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Earning revenue through display advertising can be a lucrative monetization option for food bloggers. Megan Tenney from AdThrive talks directly to food bloggers who aim to earn money in this way. Listen in for some great tips!
- WHY you should consider running ads, even if you’re earning revenue through other means
- Benefits of partnering with an ad management company
- Minimum requirements for application approval
- Tips for getting your page views up so this can be a revenue option for you

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Self care plays a vital role in your food blogging journey because the better you are taking care of yourself, THE MORE SUCCESSFUL YOUR BUSINESS WILL BE! The more creativity will flow through your content. The more money you will make. The clearer your visions will be and the more productive you will be.

In this episode we cover 20 ways you can start practicing self love:

Schedule self care into your weekly calendar
Time management
Declutter
Remove unnecessary resistance
And more!

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If you find yourself overwhelmed by the process of creating a blog on Wordpress, this episode is for you! This is part 2 of 2 on the topic. Inside part 2 you will learn:
- How to optimize blog posts for search engines
- How to incorporate your primary keyphrase into your post
- How to submit each post to Google
- Best practices for tracking the performance of each post
And more!

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Self-publishing a cookbook is not as daunting a task as you might think! Jason talks us through the easy steps involved so you can get started TODAY. He has self-published 14 books of his own and has generated a healthy income from doing so. He shares so much value in this episode:
- Determine goals, consider audience and also your niche.
- How many recipes, page size, how to create the book and where to send it for print-on-demand services.
- Pricing, launching successfully and more!

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If you find yourself overwhelmed by the process of creating a blog on Wordpress, this episode is for you! This is part 1 of 2 on the topic. Inside part 1 you will learn:
- Where and how to purchase a domain and find reputable hosting
- Which theme to use
- The difference between pages and posts
- How to set up categories
- Which plugins are most important
And more!

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Interactive virtual events are HUGE right now and we’ve been pulled into this new format because of everything that has transpired in 2020. There is so much opportunity for food bloggers to tap into this new format of connecting with their audiences.
- Virtual interactive events have evolved quickly, so dive in while this is a relatively new(ish) concept.
- Test out the waters on a small scale and grow if it is a good fit for your brand.
- Opportunity for adding a revenue stream to your business!

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Search Engine Optimization is a biggie for food bloggers! Whether you are just starting to educate yourself about SEO or you’ve been in the game a while, this episode will shed light on the hot topic!
- How to strategize through keyword research.
- Optimization through headers and titles.
- Keep your user on your site as long as possible!
- External linking, featured snippets and so much more!

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Don’t get caught up in the month to month changes within Pinterest. Employ the tips inside this episode to help your Pinterest account gain momentum that will never go away:
- Mouth-watering food photography is a Pinterest necessity (THE most important tip of all!)
- Utilize the new features (even when you don’t want to).
- Be consistent, be consistent, be consistent.
- There’s so much to experiment with inside the platform, so EXPERIMENT!
- And more!

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Creating recipe videos does not have to be a daunting task! Lindsay brings to this episode reasons WHY food bloggers should be creating videos. She also talks through HOW to make it happen easily and with little to no stress.
- Don’t disrupt your routine! Incorporate video creation into your recipe creation and photography workflow.
- First determine which style of video suits you best.
- Find out the equipment you need to accomplish your video goals.
- Learn your keyboard shortcuts in order to cut down on editing time.

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The online world is FILLED with noise and it can come in the form of social media, competition, constant changes and even help for your business. Join us in this episode to get Madison’s best advice about how to filter out the noise.
- What do you truly enjoy and what you are good at?
- Discover what the number one best monetization model is for your blog.
- Attend Madison’s FREE summit for food bloggers that will help you find clarity and sort through all of the noise.

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This episode is jam-packed with encouraging nuggets about how to find what YOUR things are and how to stay focused on them in order to run a super streamlined business. Dawn brings such an inspiring story to the table!
- Imposter syndrome is normal, but don’t give into it!
- Figure out who your people are, what they want from you and most importantly figure out who YOU are as a brand and a content creator and stay true to that.
- Manage your time and be as efficient as possible in order to get everything done that needs to get done.
Especially if you are over 40, you are going to love this episode!

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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!

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As Executive Director of Freelancers Union, Rafael Espinal is a huge supporter and advocate of freelancers. Listen to this episode to hear:
- Information about just how important freelancers are to the U.S.
- Potential threats that could impact freelancers negatively.
- What we can do to make a difference!

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Cleaning up your website will increase organic traffic and it will make your content more user-friendly. Join us in this episode to get your wheels turning. We talk about six ways you can get started with blog tidying today!
- Take inventory: Recycle and delete.
- Update your About and Home pages.
- Clean up your top content.
- Perform plugin cleanup.
- And more!

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In this episode Karista talks us through her journey of leaning into her intuition and experience to know what next step she needs to take. One project led to the next and this has continued until she found her true passion, which is writing cookbooks. Learn how you can do this, too! Find that next big thing that is going to fill you up.
- Learn how to navigate those tasks you don’t love.
- Find out how to get started on those big passion projects (because getting started is the toughest part!).

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Episode content warning: talk of abuse and divorce.

Marye overcame an unexpected life event with a pivot that set the last half of her life up for success and fulfillment. This episode is filled with inspiration and encouragement so you can do the same.
- Your mindset and thoughts determine so much of your success.
- When we stop growing, we start dying. Get out there and live because there is ALWAYS a way to find happiness and success.
- Instead of investing in courses, invest in community and mastermind groups. Nothing can benefit you more than this!

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Gift guides are a great way to connect with your audience. Listen to this episode for tips about how to tap into gift guides as an additional stream of revenue.
- Think about items you love, that fit your brand and that your audience will devour.
- Consider product photo permissions before getting started.
- Amazon Influencers is a program that eliminates the hassle involved with photo permissions.
- Publish them well in advance of the holiday in order to give people ample time to shop!

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Jen Lefforge grew her two YouTube channels to over 20K subscribers in just two years. She embraces being over 40 and forging ahead into her passions with energy and positivity. This episode will bring inspiration your way!
- There’s room for everyone so start your YouTube channel today!
- No matter your age, people are seeking safety, comfort and a sense of HOME right now.
- Use decent thumbnails, work on your presentation style, be patient and most importantly.. GET STARTED!

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Consider creating a membership site to diversify your audience and revenue streams. Your people want YOU, they want exclusive value and they are willing to invest in those things. In this episode Megan and Bethany talk through their experience developing a membership site and what they have learned.
- Why you should do it and ideas for getting started.
- Things to think through before starting.
- Where to put your focus when you’re just starting out.
- HOW to make it happen: tech, marketing and more!

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This EBT replay is with Alida from Simply Delicious. She talks about how planning and scheduling has allowed her to get content up on the blog 7 days/week (yep!). Her secrets will help YOU open up space for so many things!
- Start out small, if needed, but work toward saving up a "bank" of content.
- Push yourself to create more, but have grace when you don't quite live up to what your calendar asks of you.
- Set goals and work backwards, figuring out smaller steps that will get you to those goals.

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Working with brands does not look the same in 2020 as it has in previous years, so tune into this episode to hear expert advice from a food blogger who works with many brands. Maria’s words will encourage and motivate you to get the most out of Q4 and beyond.
- “Think quarterly” is one of Maria’s mottos.
- Listen in for ideas about types of brands and products that will likely rise in popularity in Q4.
- Deliver the content your audience loves, while keeping the current situation in mind.

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Alexandria is the content creator at ForeignFork.com and her journey is an adventurous one! She is cooking and eating her way through every country in the world, from A to Z.
- Enjoy flavors from all over the world while avoiding cultural appropriation as a food blogger.
- How to recreate recipes from other cultures as authentically as possible.
- Other cultures honor their food differently than in America, so remember this as you reply to people.
Alexandria’s passion project will inspire you!

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Join us in this compilation of audio clips from previous EBT episodes where a handful of guests (Abbey Rodriguez, Jessica Gavin and more!) talk about the importance of community, accountability and masterminds.
- It is IMPERATIVE to network in order to find food blogging success.
- Being in mastermind groups and getting advice from other entrepreneurs is vital.
- Inside this compilation you’ll hear a handful of food bloggers talk about how being connected helped launch them into success.

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If you are tired of the stress revolving around finding predictable revenue, this episode is for you! Here are a few ideas for diversifying your revenue streams:
- Ad revenue is a no-brainer once you have enough page views to work with a reputable ad network.
- Ebooks, courses and affiliate marketing are great ways to earn passive income.
- Use email marketing to deliver your products to your audience!
- Sponsored work with brands, contributorships and more ideas are waiting for you inside the episode!

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Russ and Natalie Monson, the founders of the Prepear platform, have a great alternate solution for creating digital ebooks, which can be a lucrative additional stream of revenue. There are benefits for both food bloggers and users:
- Simple, quick ebook creation!
- Marketing included, so not as much legwork for food bloggers.
- Better experience for the end user.
- All the different parts of creating a digital book in one convenient place.

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Being able to define your brand and tell your story in an authentic way is extremely important for food bloggers. But how easy is it to do?! Beth Taubner from Mercurylab talks us through points that make it much less daunting. Inside the episode you’ll hear about:
- The importance of defining your brand in a really authentic way.
- Exercises you can dig into TODAY that will help you dig deep and understand your brand in a new way.
- How to tell your story through photography and motion.

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Kristie Hill is a Pinterest expert and she joins us in this episode to share all her insightful knowledge about the powerhouse platform. Food bloggers will find massive amounts of value inside! Kristie answers the following questions plus so many more!
- How many pins should I post daily?
- How can I refresh old pins to make them more appealing?
- Is Tailwind worthwhile?
- Are video and story pins worth my time?
- How do I know which boards to pin to?
- How much of my own content vs. others’ content should I pin?
This episode is PACKED with value! See you inside!

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Food blogging is an intense job that never sleeps, which is why it is so important to step away for extended breaks. In this episode Megan shares about her own experience taking time off, how it has positively impacted her business (as well as happiness and productivity!) and also how YOU can do it, too!
- Be prepared for work/tech detox!
- Doing this will help you give up control and let creativity flow.
- See time away from work as an opportunity to form new habits.
- Learn the steps you need to take to make this happen for your own business! It’s worth it!

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Finding quality, reliable freelancers can be a struggle for food bloggers, but it doesn’t have to be! Listen to this episode to get Emily’s incredible tips.
- Think of hiring freelancers like it is a marketing campaign!
- Remember that the best freelancers are very selective about what they are looking for.
- Very clearly define the person you are looking for to fulfill the role.
- Emily has FIVE secret and incredible questions to keep in mind as you develop your next job posting!

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Food bloggers NEED community and connections in order to find success in their businesses! We are launching the Eat Blog Talk community platform on 8/11/20 to help you get past the loneliness, isolation and overwhelmedness.
- Join us in the community for access to mastermind groups, challenges, resources/service provider directory, exclusive podcast episodes, AMAs and more!
- Join during our launch period in order to take advantage of special bonuses and discounts.
There is such a huge need for food bloggers to feel connected within a community because without connections, it is really hard to make progress. This platform is going to fill that connection piece of the puzzle and it is packed with value and other awesomeness.
OUR MAIN FOCUS: Helping YOU go from feeling lonely and overwhelmed to connected and confident.

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Tajda gives food bloggers so many great ideas for ways to turn food photography into a profitable business, in addition to capturing food blogging photos.
-When exploring new avenues for revenue with photography, create a separate website.
-Reviews and testimonials are important when branching out.
-Take advantage of all of the free information available to grow and learn.
-Other options for photography: restaurants, stock imagery, mentoring, create courses, product photography.

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Kristen grew her blog very quickly and with very basic, affordable (or free!) methods and resources. Let's learn from her!

There are so many free options available for creating and supporting content creation. Kristen has a long, helpful list for you!
Tips on how to grow Pinterest and your blog traffic organically.
Always keep your user in mind. This is the basis for everything and magic comes from this simple principle!
Gratitude and audience are everything.

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Yumna has a MAGIC when it comes to growing an audience quickly on any platform. Within the episode, she gives us her secrets and also talks about why food bloggers should be on TikTok.
-Getting people to truly CONSUME our content is key for massive growth on all platforms.
-Think through to completion and be YOU as much as possible.
-Do the work + have a positive mindset = success
-Listen in to hear why Yumna believes content creators should be on TikTok specifically!

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Timothy Ferriss packs value in his book The 4-Hour Work Week. Megan talks through her favorite 7 lessons gleaned from this classic business book that can help you to achieve greater success in your business:
- Work less, earn more!
- It's not about the money. It's about fulfilled desires.
- Stop being a slave to email.
- Try going on a low-information diet.
- Outsourcing is life-changing.
- Focus on the 20%.
- You fill the amount of time designated for any given task.

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Challenges are such a great way to build connection and trust with your audience. Denise tells us why and also how to do this.
- Consider running a short, free challenge to start.
- This is a great way to give your audience a built-in community.
- One to two weeks is a good challenge length.
- Test different topics with different times of the year to see what works best with your people.
- Keep it simple and don’t focus too much on the numbers.
- This is a great way to establish yourself as an expert and build trust with your audience.

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Your email list needs your attention! There is so much value in nurturing your email subscribers and Matt Molen tells us both WHY and HOW to do it.
- Your email list is an insurance policy against algorithm changes.
- A thriving email list gives you a valuable way to engage with readers and also build your brand.
- Matt talks through the EASY process of creating a quick start guide so you can deliver value to your readers TODAY.-Having a thriving email list gives you a valuable way to engage with readers and also build your brand.
- Deliver value to your people by offering an opt-in they actually want. Quick start guides are a great way to do this.
- Matt talks through the EASY process of creating a quick start guide so you can get started with this today.
- You do not want to ignore this part of your business!

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Micro-influencer programs provide a great way for bloggers to network and also to nurture their businesses. Alexis Watts from SideChef talks about why this is something that should be on your radar as a food blogger.
-Micro-influencer programs allow us to lean on others’ partnerships, resources and knowledge.
-This is also a great way to network with like-minded entrepreneurs.
-These programs can help bloggers grow more quickly, find partnerships and have access to educational resources.
Tune in to hear all the information Alexis has to offer!

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Food photography is an ART! There are many ways to hone your skills in order to tell a more complete story about the food you're capturing. Jena talks us through a few GREAT tips and tricks:
- Consider photographing a few weddings! This will immediately make you a better photographer and business owner.
- Practice practice practice (then practice some more)!
- Surround yourself with people who can teach you and encourage you. Networking is such a huge part of the equation.
- Jena also gives advice for monetizing food photography!

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Tasty style videos (aka "hands in pans" style) are still important for your food blogging business! Join us in this episode to get the HOWs and WHYs.

Tips about how to start making Tasty style videos.
How to monetize.
Be entertaining in order to stand out!
Use the "see and smell" concept to make your videos more appealing.

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There are many business books available that contain a ton of helpful information and insights. There is no reason not to dig into a few new books that will help you grow your business. Here is a small sampling of our favorites:
- Building a Story Brand by Donald Miller
- Launch by Jeff Walker
- The 4 Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferriss
- The 12 Week Year by Brian P. Moran
- Atomic Habits by James Clear
- The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron
We have 40 total recommendations for you so listen in!

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Making our blogs, social channels and videos more accessible is a hot topic and for good reason. Join us inside the episode to hear a user experience design expert talk about how to make your content more accessible.
- Bethany talks about the background of web accessibility and why it is important and relevant.
- Add alt text to all blog images.
- Jump to recipe buttons are a must!
- Videos should be captioned.
- Consider adding alt text to photos on social media, as well.
There’s so much more information waiting for you in the episode!

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Having a sustainable blog and business is so important right now! Laurie from Cook It Media joins us in the episode to help us figure out ways to stay relevant and sustainable.
- Laurie defines what is required to be a successful blogger now and what the future holds.
- Strategy is so important and understanding your brand story is crucial.
- How influencers can better understand and grow their target audience.
- Advice for influencers on how to build a solid content strategy.

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If you have ever considered creating an ebook, this episode is a must-listen! Kelly's story with creating successful ebooks as a way to create a lucrative passive income stream is inspiring. Her goal: work less and make more $.
- Do not wait until you are an expert. Get started NOW!
- Find a topic by asking your audience what they want. Kelly has a specific strategy for this part of the process!
- Kelly provides all the details, from pricing to length to marketing tactics and more!

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Data is our world! As content creators we need to protect our data by storing and backing it up efficiently and regularly. Here are a few pointers from the episode, but be sure to listen for more!
- Get AppleCare+ or other warranty for every laptop you purchase.
- Business insurance policies can save you if equipment is lost, damaged or stolen.
- Utilize the cloud as much as possible.
- Use a combination of external hard drives and cloud backup services for properly backing up your data.

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Food science and holistic nutrition are important pieces of our businesses as food bloggers, with all of the food we make, eat and write about. Giuliana has a passion for food and her perspective is inspiring!

Mind, body and soul should all be involved when we consider what foods we eat and share.
Everything that involves preparing and consuming food is a science!
Consider experimenting with ingredients and taking your audience with you on your journey.
See your kitchen as a science lab!

Join us in the episode to hear how the recent quarantine turned up something GOOD and inspiring for Giuliana!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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In this episode we cover 20 ways you can start practicing self love:

Schedule self care into your weekly calendar
Time management
Declutter your life
Make sleep a priority
Remove unnecessary resistance
Exercise and diet
Be a time protector
Carve out time for creativity
Create a joy list

Join us inside the episode to hear the rest of the tips and to be inspired to kick your self care up a notch!

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

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

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Todd Bulloch of the Hey Grill Hey empire talks us through his experience as he joined his spouse in her blogging business.

Todd's story is super inspiring and he is overflowing with encouragement, supportive words and tangible tips for others considering taking this leap.

He talks us through ways a spouse can find his/her "space" in a world that might seem so foreign at first.

We also get to hear about the more challenging parts and Todd provides takeaways for getting through similar scenarios.

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Achieving BIG dreams in your business is 100% possible. If you can dream it? It can happen.

Think of your business one year from today.. Figure out which dreams light you up and make them happen!

Working toward a dream you have for your business will:
- Ensure you are spending your time on the RIGHT things.
- Necessitate putting a solid plan into action.
- Require you to tap into productivity, habits and focus.
- Strengthen your discipline muscle and set the stage for future successes.
- Build confidence.
- Eliminate nonsense from your life and business.

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

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

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

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The Food Blogger Summit is being put together by the talented Madison Wetherill from Grace and Vine Studios and The Vine Podcast.

On February 24-27, twenty different industry experts will deliver information that'll help you think smarter about the way you operate your blogging business.. all FOR FREE!

Here’s just a sampling of the people you will hear from in the summit..

Eric Hochberger, CEO of Mediavine
Kami Kilgore, founder of Everything Food Conference
Matt Molen, CEO of Personalized Paths
Danielle Liss, founder of Businessese

And so much more! You do not want to miss out on this incredible event!

Get more info and stay in the loop by clicking here!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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You deserve ALL of the success and joy and goodness and richness that is waiting for you on the other side of your fears!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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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!

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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!

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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!

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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.

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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.

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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

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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!

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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!

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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!

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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!

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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!

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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.

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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!

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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!

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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!

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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!

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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.

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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.

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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!

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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!

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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!

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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.

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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.

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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!

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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. :)

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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!

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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!

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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!

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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!

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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

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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

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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.

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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.

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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!

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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.

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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.

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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!

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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.

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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!

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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.

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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.

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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.

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In this episode we discuss food blogging and mental health, specifically depression, and ways to keep a grip on your job while enduring tough times.

Determine what your triggers are so you can address them before they overtake you.

Make time for yourself for 20-30 min a day - exercise, read, any self-love, etc.

Let organization become your norm and say goodbye to “living by the seat of your pants."

Let technology work FOR you and still have easy access to all your work.

Learn to use and live by a flexible calendar - built-in with to-do’s and required down time to deal with mental health.

Learn to batch work each week making and photographing anywhere from 2-4 new recipes. This allows for you to be productive even when a bout of depression hits.

Make connecting with others a priority so you’re not alone - through groups, conferences, and using social media to highlight real life struggles so you don’t feel so alone.

Ask for help and don’t try to do it all!

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Working with, Approaching, Pitching and Negotiating with Brands with Alyssa Brantley--

Working with, approaching, pitching and negotiating with brands you know and want to align with.

Learn how to know which brands are a good fit for you.

Learn how to find their contact info and know that you are talking to the right person.

Remember - don't take it personally. There’s a lot of people that want the brand companies attention.

You must know your value and be realistic.

Stay on top of your deliverables and contract terms if you want to develop long-term partnerships.

Do the work for the brand (or agency). Make their job easier and you will be more appealing.

Don't work for free.

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How to Rebrand Your Food Blog with Cassie Heilbron from Cook It Real Good--

Learn how to know when rebranding is a good idea and when it's not.

Know how to open up your niche and give yourself room to grow and explore.

Channel your energy to accomplish a lot for yourself and readers on your blog - your blog title reflects who you are so you should like it.

Utilize available tools and other professionals to help you grow personally and professionally.

Work with other technical experts in the fields to accomplish necessary technical work.

Know it’s possible to rebrand. You can turn the train around with some hard work and results will come!

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Raising a Blog and a Family with Melissa Erdelac from Mama Gourmand --

Be comfortable with your own growth rate - you set the standard for yourself and it’s different for everyone.

Create a set "work week" for yourself with blocks of time in the day where it is possible to work and other blocks for personal time. Then stick to that schedule. Establish a routine and work that needs to be accomplished on specific timelines.

Educate your family that this is your job and then own it. Actions are better than words and you need to remain consistent.

Make continuing education a priority in your field - webinars/podcasts are great for home based learning

Include family in the business - they are your built in support

Acknowledge you need help and be open to hiring a VAs for facebook scheduling, Pinterest, sharing with groups, promoting a post, web designer to add graphics or make edits to blog

It’s important to invest in yourself - equipment that saves time helps.

Sponsored work - seek Influencer websites rather than "going after" companies. Pay may not be as much as direct partnerships, but pay keeps consistently growing with each campaign.

“The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack in will.” - Vince Lombardi, Jr.

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Building Community Within the Food Blogging Industry for Optimal Success with Abbey Rodriguez from A Butter Half--

Learn how to build community within the food blogging industry for optimal success (and the importance of self-care and wellness).

Learn to use what is called the 5 Pillars of Health framework.

Learn how Connection is one of those 5 pillars, and how it is imperative that you network and collaborate for your emotional well-being, as well as for your business.

Learn the stages of moving from independence to interdependence, which is an endlessly fascinating topic, and falls in line with success in this field.

Learn to self-care and know how wellness play a role in success.

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About Eat Blog Talk with Megan Porta from Pip and Ebby--

The debut Eat Blog Talk episode details WHY this podcast and what value food bloggers will gain from listening.

We’ll cover all the hot topics that will add value to your food blog and we will also dive deep in ourselves to repair issues that are keeping us from being the best food bloggers we can be.

Eat Blog Talk: check out our website to get all of the latest information on upcoming guests, past guests and so much more!

Eat Blog Talk | Megan Porta: Recent Episodes

Megan Porta