The Food Blogger Pro Podcast

Being intentional with your social media use, navigating vulnerability in the online space, and launching a newsletter on Substack with Leslie Stephens from morning person newsletter.  ----- Welcome to episode 394 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Leslie Stephens from the morning person newsletter about social media addiction and launching her Substack newsletter. Substack Newsletters and Social Media Use As content creators, many of us have a love/hate relationship with social media, and know just how addicting it can be. And that’s what we’re chatting about today with Leslie Stephens! Leslie is the writer behind morning person newsletter, and she joined Bjork on the podcast to talk about her decision to study social media addiction, and how her studies have influenced the choices she has made with her popular Substack newsletter. In this episoide, you’ll learn about how to be more intentional with your social media use, how to navigate vulnerability in the online sp

How passion and growth are connected, how to reinvest in a website, and growing a loyal audience with Maurizio Leo. ----- Welcome to episode 393 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Maurizio Leo from The Perfect Loaf about business growth through passion. How Passion and Sourdough Feed a 9 Million Pageview Food Blog From co-founding and running a popular phone app to starting a sourdough blog that now gets 9 million pageviews a year, Maurizio Leo is a busy guy. But everything he does is deeply rooted in passion, and you’ll hear why forming businesses around that passion has been crucial for his business growth and consistency in this conversation today. If you’re looking for ways to diversify your income, growth strategies, or simply some inspiration to help you work towards your goals, you’ll get it all in this episode! In this episode, you’ll learn: About his background in computer science How he transitioned to working in the food space How the passion and growth are

Dealing with hacked Instagram and Facebook accounts and tips for securing your own social media accounts with Bjork Ostrom. ----- Welcome to episode 392 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork explains how the Pinch of Yum Instagram account got hacked and eventually recovered. Pinch of Yum’s Hacked Instagram Account Last month, Bjork and Lindsay went through something we all fear as content creators: they completely lost access to the Pinch of Yum Instagram account after Lindsay’s Facebook account got hacked. Talk about a scary situation! They were eventually able to get the accounts recovered, but they went through a few very stressful days trying to get everything sorted out. In this episode, Bjork shares the entire story of how this happened, how they were able to recover the accounts, and what measures they’re taking to prevent this from happening in the future. Last but not least, Bjork also provides some tips for how you can secure your own social media accounts to hopefully avo

Working with a literary agent, writing a cookbook proposal, and going through the cookbook publishing process from start to finish with Sally Ekus from The Ekus Group. ----- Welcome to episode 391 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Sally Ekus from The Ekus Group about what the cookbook publishing process looks like. Behind the Scenes of the Cookbook Publishing Process As food bloggers and food creators, many of us dream about writing our own cookbooks one day. But what does it take to get a cookbook deal, and what does the cookbook publishing process actually look like? That’s what we’re chatting about in this interview with Sally Ekus! She’s a literary agent at The Ekus Group and has brokered over 300 book deals with top publishers across the country. In this episode, you’ll learn what she does as a literary agent, what steps are involved in the cookbook publishing process, how to set yourself up for success to potentially write a cookbook in the future, and more. In

Overcoming feelings of burnout, becoming a full-time content creator, and creating multiple revenue streams with Karishma Pradhan from Home Cooking Collective. ----- Welcome to episode 390 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Karishma Pradhan from Home Cooking Collective about how she overcame burnout and built a successful career as a food creator. Overcoming Burnout and Building a Successful Career as a Food Creator Today, we’re really excited to share this conversation with Karishma Pradhan! She runs the site Home Cooking Collective, and she has a really unique story to share about how she became a full-time food creator. In this episode, you’ll hear what her career used to look like as a data analyst, why she transitioned to working for herself, how she overcame feelings of burnout, and how she earns an income now by sharing food content online. It’s a really inspiring interview that emphasizes the importance of finding work that serves you and empowers your physical

Investing money into your business, deleting posts to encourage growth, and the importance of having accountability partners with Sarah Cook from Sustainable Cooks. ----- Welcome to episode 389 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, we’re rewinding back to our episode with Sarah Cook from Sustainable Cooks where she talks about what specific strategies she implemented to grow her blog’s traffic and increase her revenue. Going From 17k to 600k Monthly Pageviews For today’s FBP Rewind episode, we’re rewinding back to our September 2021 interview with Sarah Cook from Sustainable Cooks! Sarah’s story is so inspiring, and in this episode, she shares everything she did to go from 17k to 600k monthly pageviews with her blog. She explains some of the unique ways she has invested in her blog, why she decided to delete hundreds of posts, why she loves having a blogging accountability partner, and more. It’s a great interview, and we hope you can apply some of these tips and skills to grow your own t

Improving your food photography skills, getting a cookbook deal, and focusing on SEO with Emma Duckworth from Emma Duckworth Bakes. ----- Welcome to episode 388 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, we’re rewinding back to our episode with Emma Duckworth from Emma Duckworth Bakes where she talks about how she’s grown her blog by focusing on SEO. Doubling Pageviews by Focusing on SEO It’s another FBP Rewind episode today, and we’re so excited to revisit our November 2021 interview with Emma Duckworth from Emma Duckworth Bakes! After growing her business for a few years, Emma decided to double down on her blog and hired a mentor to help her out with SEO. You’ll hear how she used the avatar exercise to understand her audience, how she optimized her homepage and recipe categories, and what she’s doing to focus on SEO moving forward. If SEO is a focus for you at the moment, you won’t want to miss this episode! In this episode, you’ll learn: How Emma got into food photography and food blogging

Running a web design studio, conveying your brand's voice and messaging, and optimizing the user experience on your blog with Madison Wetherill from Grace + Vine Studios. ----- Welcome to episode 387 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Madison Wetherill from Grace + Vine Studios about optimizing your website design as a food blogger. Optimizing Your Website Design as a Food Blogger When it comes down to it, website design is so much more than just your website layout and logo; a large component of it is how you convey your brand’s messaging and voice throughout all the pages on your site. Madison Wetherill is the web designer behind Grace + Vine Studios, and she’s here on the podcast today to share all her best tips for optimizing your website design as a food blogger! In this episode, you’ll hear how she works with food bloggers, how she helps her clients develop and showcase their brand’s voice, and her best tips for enhancing the user experience on your site. We hope

Getting started with email marketing, encouraging people to sign up for your list, and creating a strong email marketing strategy with Matt Ragland. ----- Welcome to episode 386 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Matt Ragland about getting the most out of your email marketing strategy. Getting the Most Out of Your Email Marketing Strategy If you’re already creating content for your blog or social media, another great place to share that content is via email. And that’s what we’re chatting about today with Matt Ragland! Matt has years of experience in the world of email marketing, and in this interview, you’ll hear what he learned working at ConvertKit, why email marketing is so powerful, his best tips for getting more people to sign up for your email list, and how he helps creators develop high-converting weekly email newsletters. Whether you’re looking to get started with email marketing or take your current email marketing strategy to the next level, we know you’ll h

Getting comfortable on camera, running online cooking classes, and maximizing your productivity with Ashley Covelli from Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen. ----- Welcome to episode 385 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Ashley Covelli from Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen about teaching cooking classes as a food creator. Teaching Cooking Classes Have you ever wanted to teach your own cooking classes but are not sure how to get started? Then you won’t want to miss this episode with Ashley! In addition to sharing recipes on her blog, Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen, Ashley also runs online cooking classes in partnership with local libraries. You’ll hear how she started doing these classes, how she got comfortable being on camera, what equipment she uses to run the classes, and more. If you’re looking to add a new revenue stream to your business, cooking classes might be a fun option to look into! In this episode, you’ll learn: How Ashley started sharing food content online

Running two food blogs, building a team, and rapidly growing an email list with Toni Okamoto from Plant-Based on a Budget. ----- Welcome to episode 384 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Toni Okamoto from Plant-Based on a Budget about how she runs her two food blogs and how she’s grown her email list to over 80,000 subscribers. Running Two Food Blogs and Growing an Email List Today, we’re really excited to share this conversation with Toni Okamoto! She’s the creator behind not one, but two, successful food blogs: Plant-Based on a Budget and Food Sharing Vegan. In this episode, you’ll hear what she’s done to get both blogs accepted into Mediavine, why she decided to expand her team, how she’s grown her email list to over 80,000 subscribers, and more. Toni’s passion for her work shines through in this interview, and we know you’ll have so many takeaways after learning her story and content creation strategy! In this episode, you’ll learn: How Toni started sharing food c

Creating viral food videos, sharing videos on TikTok, and editing your videos for different platforms with Julie Tran Deily. ----- Welcome to episode 383 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Julie Tran Deily about how food creators can use Whisk when sharing videos on TikTok. TikTok, Whisk, and the Importance of Leaning into Video Note: Since the recording of this interview, TikTok decided to sunset their Jump program, which Bjork and Julie mention during this interview. Therefore, Whisk Jump is no longer available as of December 1, 2022. As an alternative, creators can link directly to Whisk using their TikTok profile link. When sharing recipe videos on social media, it can be hard to direct your followers to the actual recipe on your blog. Social media platforms just really don’t make it easy for us, do they? Enter: Whisk! You can use this handy app to add a recipe link directly to your TikTok videos, and it’s what we’re chatting about today with Julie Tran Deily. Juli

Reaching out to brands, negotiating sponsored content contracts, and determining your rates with Jenny Meassick from Chocolate & Lace. ----- Welcome to episode 382 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Jenny Meassick from Chocolate & Lace about how she works with brands and negotiates sponsored content contracts. Tips for Negotiating Sponsored Content Contracts There are so many ways you can earn money as a food creator, one of which is by working with brands and creating sponsored content. And that’s what we’re talking about today with Jenny from Chocolate & Lace! Jenny’s been blogging for over ten years, and she currently earns the majority of her blogging income by working with brands. She has a very strategic approach when it comes to sponsored content, and we’re really excited to share her process with you in this episode. You’ll hear her best tips for negotiating sponsored content contracts, how she sets her rates, how she nurtures strong relationships w

Knowing a recipe is ready to publish, why recipe testing starts at the grocery store, and starting with a Hypothesis Draft with Katie Webster. ----- Welcome to episode 381 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Katie Webster from Healthy Seasonal Recipes about the process of developing rock-solid recipes for your readers. Developing Foolproof Recipes As food bloggers and business owners, the “product” we’re creating for our readers or “customers” are our recipes, so it’s important for them to be as comprehensive as possible. Katie Webster from Healthy Seasonal Recipes has a unique and reliable process for testing the recipes she publishes on her site, and she’s here today to talk you through the whole thing! You’ll hear about how she starts the process, why she develops a hypothesis draft, and how she ultimately decides that a recipe is at its final stage. This episode is a must-listen for any and all recipe developers! In this episode, you’ll learn: What she did as a per

How to understand high-ranking content on Google, how to tell when Google updates its algorithm, and the importance of user intent with Arsen Rabinovich. ----- Welcome to episode 380 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Arsen Rabinovich from TopHatRank about how content ranks with the Google Algorithm. What Google is Expecting from Food Creators Us, to Google Search: Why are you the way that you are? If you’ve ever had similar feelings towards the world’s most popular search engine, you’re not alone! And luckily, Arsen Rabinovich is here to talk all about content that performs well in Google search results. And while the way that the Google Algorithm works isn’t 100% understood, we can learn from other pieces of content within search engine results to understand what Google looks for in “good content.” Bjork and Arsen have a great, approachable conversation in this episode, and career bloggers and newbies alike will definitely learn a thing or two that they can apply to

Managing your time as a blogger, investing in your business, and building connections with other food bloggers with Shweta Garg from Masala and Chai. ----- Welcome to episode 379 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Shweta Garg from Masala and Chai about how she’s grown her blog while working a full-time job. Growing Your Blog with a Full-Time Job Are you growing your blog while also working a full-time job? Do you struggle to find enough hours in the day to get everything done? If so, you’re not alone! Today, we’re chatting with Shweta, the blogger behind the site Masala and Chai. Since launching her blog, she has been growing it while also working a full-time job, and she’s been very strategic about maximizing her time and resources to grow and monetize her site. In this episode, you’ll hear her five best tips for growing your blog while also working a full-time job, as well as what she’s done to earn $9,000 in one month from her blog. We hope you enjoy hearing Shweta’

Diversifying your revenue streams, selling digital products, and finding your niche as a food creator with Tessa Arias from Handle the Heat. ----- Welcome to episode 378 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Tessa Arias from Handle the Heat about the unique ways she monetizes her business as a food creator. Monetizing as a Food Creator Today, we’re really excited to share this conversation with Tessa! She’s a professionally trained chef, cookbook author, and blogger behind the site Handle the Heat, and she is a big proponent of diversifying your income streams as a food creator. In this episode, you’ll hear how she sells both physical and digital products on her blog, her best tips for those who want to start selling digital products like courses, why she doesn’t want to rely entirely on ad revenue, and more. Tessa’s story is so inspiring, and she offers some really insightful advice for other food creators in this conversation. If you’ve been looking for some unique ways

Creating a content plan for Q4 and maximizing your revenue as a food creator with advice from the Food Blogger Pro Experts. ----- Welcome to episode 377 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, the Food Blogger Pro Experts share their best advice for getting the most out of Q4 as a food creator. Q4 Advice Let’s talk about Q4! The last three months of the year (also known as Q4) are a very important time for food creators for a few reasons. More people will be searching for recipes as the holidays roll around, and advertisers are spending more money, which can impact creators who are monetizing through display ads or sponsored content. So, what should we be doing as food creators to maximize our earning potential during Q4? That’s what we’re chatting about today! In this episode, a few of the Food Blogger Pro Experts share their best tips for approaching Q4. From adjusting your content strategy to pitching yourself to brands to sharing more on Pinterest, there are so many different ways you c

Running virtual events, getting brands involved, and promoting the events to creators with Stefani Pollack from The Bake Fest. ----- Welcome to episode 376 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Stefani Pollack from The Bake Fest about organizing and running virtual events. Organizing and Running Large-Scale Virtual Events As food bloggers, we spend a lot of our time working by ourselves, and it can often feel isolating. So how can we connect with other bloggers and build relationships with brands we love? Enter: The Bake Fest! This virtual event for bakers features online baking and business classes, product demos, and more, and it’s a great place to build those connections with other creators and companies. In today’s episode, we’re chatting with Stefani, the founder of The Bake Fest, all about why she decided to start running these virtual events, how they work, and more. Her next event, The Bake Fest Holiday Edition, will be on Saturday, October 8, 2022, so be sure to

Writing a cookbook proposal, finding a literary agent, and writing a cookbook with a co-author with Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack from Muy Bueno. ----- Welcome to episode 375 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack from Muy Bueno in Part Two of our From Blogger to Cookbook Author series. From Blogger to Cookbook Author Welcome back to our From Blogger to Cookbook Author series! In this two-part series, we’re interviewing a few bloggers who have landed cookbook deals to learn more about how the cookbook writing process works. And in this final installment of this series, we’re chatting with Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack! In addition to running her blog, Muy Bueno, she has also written two cookbooks, and she’s currently working on a third. Suffice it to say she knows a thing or two about the cookbook process! In this episode, you’ll hear how she wrote her cookbook proposals, what it was like writing a cookbook with a co-author, and her best tips for creators wh