The Food Blogger Pro Podcast

How to create unique recipe content, balance a blog and a full-time job, and produce content your readers will love with Erika Kwee. ----- Welcome to episode 294 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Alexa interviews Erika Kwee from The Pancake Princess about the Bake Off series on her blog. Bake Offs  Erika has a food blog, The Pancake Princess, but her most popular posts aren’t about recipes that she has developed herself. Instead, her most popular posts are from her Bake Off series where she tries multiple recipes for the same food from around the internet and breaks them down by what makes them similar, what makes them different, and which are her and her taste testers’ favorites. In today’s episode, we’re diving deep into Erika’s Bake Off posts and taking about how she produces this comprehensive and unique content for her blog. In this episode, you’ll learn: When and why Erika started her blog How her Bake Offs works Her “formula” for putting these Bake Off posts together How she h

Keyword research and content types and the decisions that helped increase Food Truck Empire's income with Brett Lindenberg. ----- Welcome to episode 293 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Brett Lindenberg about growing his site, Food Truck Empire, alongside working a full-time job. A $100k Side Hustle It can be tough building and growing a side hustle like a blog alongside working a 9–5 full-time job. So when we heard that Food Blogger Pro Member, Brett from the site Food Truck Empire, was making $100k a year with his blog while continuing to work at his full-time job, we knew we needed to invite him on the podcast to talk about how he did it. This interview is jam-packed with keyword research guidance, tips about working with contractors, stories about buying other sites, and advice surrounding content creation. Enjoy! In this episode, you’ll learn: When he realized a website could make money How he decided to build a site around the topic of food trucks Why he works

How to measure Life Profitability, practicing mindfulness, and how your personal values can connect to your brand's values with Adii Pienaar. ----- Welcome to episode 292 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Adii Pienaar about his new book, “Life Profitability.” Life Profitability  When starting and building your own business, it’s easy to get “tunnel vision” and put all of your time, effort, and thoughts into making it succeed. But will all of that brain-space spent on your business make your life more fulfilling? Adii is here today to talk about why that’s not necessarily the case, and instead, argue for the need of a healthy balance between life, business, and productivity. This interview will have you challenging your definition of success and inspire you to work towards creating a more mindful, value-driven life and brand. In this episode, you’ll learn: How to stay in the moment How Adii practices mindfulness How to have a healthy work/life balance Why it’s okay to

Inspiring your audience, how to confidently host a live event, and communication before and after an event with Angel Marie. ----- Welcome to episode 291 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Angel Marie about planning and hosting webinars. Going Live  Webinars or live events can be a great way to communicate with your audience, sell a product or service, or switch up the way you produce content online. That said, presenting information to your audience in a live event may seem a bit overwhelming. There’s the marketing piece, the “getting ready to go live” piece, the actual presentation piece, and the post-event follow-up piece, and they all have to work together to effectively communicate your ideas and advice. It can feel like… a lot. But there are ways you can streamline the process to help you teach and inspire your audience through these live events. Angel, the Content Educator over at ConvertKit, is a pro at hosting and facilitating live events, and she’s here on th

How to track user-controlled analytics, what a mental activity monitor is, and how to align with your journey with Bjork Ostrom. ----- Welcome to episode 290 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork talks about blogger burnout and how you can improve the relationship you have with your work. Blogger Burnout  When you’re living that solopreneur life, the process of starting and growing your blog can get overwhelming. The countless tasks, to-dos, and responsibilities can really add up over time, leading to a sense of fatigue and burnout. In this episode, Bjork shares seven different concepts that can help you combat those feelings of blogger burnout and fall back in love with your work. And we’d love to hear about your experiences in the comments here –– how do you overcome those feelings of burnout? In this episode, you’ll learn: The idea of a mental activity monitor What user-controlled analytics are and how to track your progress How to “add frosting to a cracker” What it means to al

A conversation about running a restaurant during a pandemic, writing a book about Black food in America, and how to understand Black culture through food with Chef Marcus Samuelsson. ----- Welcome to episode 289 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Chef Marcus Samuelsson about his experience in the restaurant industry during the COVID–19 pandemic and how he is celebrating Black culture through food. How the COVID–19 Pandemic Has Affected the Restaurant Industry and Celebrating Black Excellence in American Food  Marcus Samuelsson is a chef, an immigrant, a restaurateur, and an author, and he’s here to talk about the restaurant and food industry and Black food culture in America. You’ll first hear about his experiences as a restauranteur and how he has essentially had to start from scratch and reinvent himself during the COVID–19 pandemic. Food is a way that we communicate with and relate to one another, so the pandemic is creating some unique challenges in the restaurant

Setting up a welcome sequence, how to segment your email subscribers, and gaining new subscribers with Allea Grummert. ----- Welcome to episode 288 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Allea Grummert about marketing your blog to your email list. Last week on the podcast, Bjork chatted with Russ and Natalie Monson about building online businesses. To go back and listen to that episode, click here. Email for Bloggers  How would you describe your email marketing strategy? Solid? Not quite? Not even close? Regardless of how much time and effort you’ve spent building and maintaining your email list, this interview with Allea Grummert from Duett will help you grow, refine, and nurture the email subscribers you have for your blog. She talks about welcome sequences, segmentation, opt-ins, and more –– enjoy! In this episode, you’ll learn: How Allea helps creators with their email marketing Why your email list is so valuable What a welcome sequence is How to segment your email li

How outside funding affects a business, running a business with your significant other, and maintaining a healthy work-life balance with Russ and Natalie Monson. ----- Welcome to episode 287 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Russ and Natalie Monson about building online businesses. Entrepreneurial Balance  As entrepreneurs, business owners, and bloggers, we know that it’s sometimes tough to find balance between life and work. That’s what we’re focusing on in this interview with Russ and Natalie Monson from Super Healthy Kids and Prepear. Throughout their time as entrepreneurs, they’ve grown a food blog, built an app, received funding for their business, and more. In this episode, you’ll learn how they do it all while maintaining a healthy balance with their other responsibilities. In this episode, you’ll learn: How Russ and Natalie started working together How they started working on Super Healthy Kids full-time How they came up with the idea for Prepear How they fou

Screening applicants, knowing you're ready to hire, and the best questions to ask in an interview with Emily Perron. ----- Welcome to episode 286 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Emily Perron about hiring freelance help. Build Your Team  One of the inevitable truths of running and growing your own business is that you’ll need to hire some help at some point. But how do you make sure that your job listing is as eye-catching and descriptive as it can be? How do you ask the right questions in an interview? How do you make sure you’re hiring the right person for the job? That’s what Emily is here to talk about today! In this episode, we dive deep into the world of hiring freelancers, from figuring out when it’s time to hire to all of the boxes you should check throughout the hiring process. In this episode, you’ll learn: The toughest parts of the hiring process The kinds of job listings that aren’t appealing to freelancers Why a hiring process is necessary What to inclu

How to pay attention to when you feel tension, focusing on your craft, and serving your audience as a blogger with Bjork Ostrom. ----- Welcome to episode 285 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, we’re rewinding back to an episode we shared earlier this year about what to do when you feel like you’ve done everything. What To Do When You Feel Like You’ve Done Everything  I’m sure there has been a time in all of our blogging journeys where we feel like we’re doing everything we can, yet the traffic, income, subscriber, and/or follower numbers just aren’t moving. So what do you do then? What do you do when you feel like you’ve done everything you can? That’s what this episode is all about. Bjork will offer some high-level advice and specific strategies that you can implement when you’re feeling stuck. In this episode, you’ll learn: The importance of limiting comparison How to be flexible and understand what you’re trying to achieve What it means to focus on your craft Why posting frequency

How to understand small business taxes, what S-Corp elections are, and how to review your blogging expenses every quarter with Bjork Ostrom. ----- Welcome to episode 284 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, we’re rewinding back to an episode that will help you optimize your income and make more money from blogging. Making More Money Without Doing More Work  Welcome to our first FBP Rewind episode in this two-part series! Today, we’re rewinding back to a solo episode with Bjork where he talks about the ways you can maximize your blogging income. Between implementing smarter ways you can track your income to understanding different tax laws, this episode will help you implement some helpful money-making strategies in the new year. This episode is a great reminder that small tweaks in your day-to-day can help your business get to the next level. In this episode, you’ll learn: How business programs work How to track your mileage What purchases you can expense for your blog Why you should co

The value of offering help, utilizing processes to make decisions, and reserving some unstructured time for yourself with Bjork Ostrom. ----- Welcome to episode 283 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork talks about five different ways that you can try to make 2021 better than this year. Last week on the podcast, Bjork chatted about some of the positive takeaways he has from 2020. To go back and listen to that episode, click here. Looking Forward  We’re all probably hoping that 2021 is a lot better than 2020 has been, and in today’s episode, Bjork is covering five different ways that you can try and make that happen. From partnering with others to leaning into processes to help guide decisions, we’re hoping that you can tuck some of these ideas into your back pocket and pull them out as you strive towards personal and business growth in the new year. In this episode, you’ll learn: How to focus on stability How to partner with others Why you should offer help when you can Why process

How to use a framework to accomplish a goal, asking for help, evaluating your needs, and thinking about your legacy with Bjork Ostrom. ----- Welcome to episode 282 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork talks about some of the positive takeaways he has from 2020. Helpful, Impactful Takeaways from This Year  This year has been a bit of a doozy, hasn’t it? Even with it being an eventful year, we still have some positive takeaways that we’re planning on bringing into 2021 (and beyond). And that’s what this episode is all about! In this solo-episode, Bjork shares nine of the most helpful and impactful takeaways from the year, ranging from personal development to business growth to mental health and beyond. We’d love to hear your most impactful takeaways from this year in the comments section on the show notes for this episode: foodbloggerpro.com/282 In this episode, you’ll learn: Why it’s important to ask for help The impact that a framework can have on your goals How to evaluate your n

How to build a high-quality food photography business, finding clients, and organizing shoot days with Christina Peters. ----- Welcome to episode 281 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Christina Peters from Food Photography Blog about how she has built a career out of photographing food. The Business of Food Photography  When you’re building your food photography career, you can face a lot of questions. Questions like: What should my rate be? How do I find clients? What should a shoot look like? How do I deliver top-notch service? That’s what Christina is here to talk all about today! She has coordinated and prepped over 1000 food photography jobs over her career, and she’s here on the podcast to talk all about her strategies and tips that will help you build and grow your own food photography business. In this episode, you’ll learn: How Christina got started with photography Why business is sometimes more difficult than photography Qualities of incredible food phot

How SideChef works with partners, creating clear step-by-step recipes, and how to use SideChef with Sandie Markle. ----- Welcome to episode 280 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Sandie Markle from SideChef about how their platform helps foodies and creators. Getting Started with SideChef Today on the podcast, you’ll hear about SideChef, which is a platform that’s aimed at making the cooking experience easier. With a custom app, tailored cooking experiences, and dynamic recipe guidance, SideChef wants to make the whole cooking journey easier for its users. Sandie Markle, SideChef’s Director of Content Partnerships, will share how SideChef helps their users with meal planning, grocery delivery, and smart kitchen connectivity, as well as how bloggers, content creators, and influencers can get involved with their Micro-Influencer Program. It’s a really cool platform, and we’re excited to help you learn more about it in today’s episode! In this episode, you’ll learn: What

Trimming unnecessary spending, how to start tracking your spending and budgeting, and working towards financial freedom with Anna Rider. ----- Welcome to episode 279 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Anna Rider from Garlic Delight about financial independence and retiring early. Financial Independence  This is a different kind of episode for us, but it’s about a topic that affects us all as creators, bloggers, and side hustlers: business and personal finances. How do you manage your spending? Do you understand the value of the business and personal purchases you’re making? Can you calculate the expected value of a blog post? Not only are you looking to maximize the return on the money you spend on your business, but you’re also probably working to save money for long-term goals. Understanding your finances is a crucial step as you’re working towards financial independence and retirement. If you’ve ever wanted to learn more about budgeting, tracking your spending, and

Deleting content on a blog, noindexing posts, and optimizing blog category pages with Carrie Forrest. ----- Welcome to episode 278 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Carrie Forrest about some of the SEO enhancement she has made to her blog this year. How to Overcome a 60% Dip in Traffic  Do you know which of your posts are performing the best? Do you know which ones aren’t getting any search traffic? That’s what Carrie is back on the podcast to talk about today! Carrie has been blogging for over 10 years, and in that time, she has published a lot of content. But not all content performs equally. As the result of an SEO audit after she experienced a large dip in traffic, Carrie decided to refresh and delete nearly 2/3 of the content on her site. Through that process of learning about the health of her site as a whole, Carrie now better understands how her content performs and how her content supports the mission of her blog. In this episode, you’ll learn: How one of he

Finding balance in entrepreneurship, engaging with your significant other about your business, and dealing with burnout with Sherry Walling. ----- Welcome to episode 277 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Sherry Walling from Zen Founder about how entrepreneurs can care for their mental wellbeing. Care For Yourself The focus of today’s episode is mental health for entrepreneurs – why it’s so important, practices that support positive mental health, and how to make lasting behavioral changes. Bjork interviews Zen Founder co-founder Sherry Walling in this episode, and she draws on her background as a clinical psychologist who has experience supporting high achieving people with high-intensity jobs to help entrepreneurs support their mental health and emotions. Your mental health is important, it matters, and it’s okay and necessary to take the time to care for yourself. This episode will give you some ideas and strategies to care for your mental health through your entrep

Transitioning to full-time blogging, running a blog as a business, and making every day enjoyable with Bjork Ostrom. ----- Welcome to episode 276 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week, we’re playing an episode from the Irie Lemon Podcast with Liz Della Croce and Vincent Mcintosh. Scaling Your Business & Providing Massive Value  Today’s episode is a bit different from normal, and that’s because we’re featuring an episode of the Irie Lemon Podcast. Liz and Vincent interviewed Bjork a few weeks ago about his unique journey from non-profit educator to food and tech CEO. You’ll hear stories of how Bjork and Lindsay formed their businesses, how Bjork stays inspired, and how he delegates and hires. We hope you enjoy this featured podcast episode! In this episode, you’ll learn: The quick story of Pinch of Yum, Food Blogger Pro, Nutrifox, and TinyBit What Bjork did before starting Food Blogger Pro How Bjork and Lindsay transitioned to blogging full-time How Bjork and Lindsay described running a blog as a bus

Ad revenue in Q4, common traits of top ad revenue-earning sites, and balancing ad revenue and user experience with AdThrive. ----- Welcome to episode 275 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Paul Bannister and Becca Clark from AdThrive about how ad revenue works and how food bloggers can increase the income they get from ads. Optimizing Ads  Let’s talk about ads. They’re a simple way to make some money from your site (essentially, the more traffic you have, the more ad revenue you can potentially make), and there are many different strategies to help you optimize your ad revenue out there. But ad placement and revenue is an art and a science. Paul and Becca from AdThrive are here on the podcast to talk about how ads work and how food bloggers can optimize the ads they run on their sites. It’s an interesting conversation in how ads operate behind-the-scenes, as well as how incredible content is essentially the ultimate driver of ad revenue. In this episode, you’ll learn: