The Food Blogger Pro Podcast

Transitioning from the Corporate World to Full-time Creator

We first got to know Zhen when she joined Bjork for a Coaching Call on Food Blogger Pro back in July, and we loved that conversation so much we wanted to bring her on the podcast!

In this interview, Zhen shares more about her journey from working in the corporate world to working full-time as a content creator. She shares her strategy for monetizing from the early days of blogging up until now, and how she has diversified her income.

Zhen is also working to create a community of food bloggers through her Facebook group (Connecting Bloggers) and is very transparent with the steps she’s taken to find success as a creator.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

More about Zhen’s Coaching Call with Bjork (lessons learned, takeaways, etc.).
Why she started a Facebook group to connect food bloggers.
The differences between her corporate job and her current role as a creator, and how she made the leap out of the corporate world.
What the monetization of her site has looked like over recent years.
The things that were most helpful for her to implement when trying to replace her corporate income with blogging.
How she diversified her income.
What her plans for scaling and diversifying her business look like (keeping in mind changes to third-party cookies and AI).
Her best advice for beginning food bloggers.

Resources:

-----

This episode is sponsored by Clariti. Learn more about our sponsors at foodbloggerpro.com/sponsors.

Interested in working with us too? Learn more about our sponsorship opportunities and how to get started here.

If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to podcast@foodbloggerpro.com.

Learn more about joining the Food Blogger Pro community at foodbloggerpro.com/membership

Download this Episode

432: Creating a Community of Food Bloggers with Morgan Peaceman from Nomaste Hungry 0

Oct 24, 2023

Evolving your content strategy as a creator, building a village of food creators, and managing outreach to brands with Morgan Peaceman from Nomaste Hungry.

-----

Welcome to episode 432 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Morgan Peaceman from Nomaste Hungry.

Creating a Community of Food Bloggers

Food blogging (or any career as an online creator or entrepreneur) can sometimes feel like a lonely space. But Morgan Peaceman is working to change that!

Morgan started her blog back in 2018 and has been cultivating a food blogging village ever since. She is extremely intentional about reaching out to fellow food bloggers and like-minded brands to build her community.

She has seen increased success since growing her community, which she attributes to sharing resources, experiences, and contacts with other food creators. In this episode, Morgan talks more about how she has the confidence to reach out to other creators and brands, and why she thinks it’s so important to do so.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

How to create a community of like-minded food bloggers.
About the early days of Nomaste Hungry and how her content stategy has changed over the years.
Her advice for reaching out to connect with other food creators.
How to be more confident when reaching out to brands for partnerships.
How she tracks and manages her communications and follow-ups with brands.

Resources:

Nomaste Hungry
A Couple Cooks
Folk App
Salesforce
Superhuman
Boomerang
Follow Morgan on Instagram and Facebook
Join the Food Blogger Pro Podcast Facebook Group

-----

This episode is sponsored by Businessese and Clariti. Learn more about our sponsors by going to foodbloggerpro.com/sponsors.

If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to podcast@foodbloggerpro.com.

Learn more about joining the Food Blogger Pro community at foodbloggerpro.com/membership

Download this Episode

431: The Highs and Lows of Being a Food Creator for Over a Decade with Lauren Toyota from Hot for Food 0

Oct 17, 2023

Starting a membership site, managing slow periods as an entrepreneur, and shifting your mindset around success with Lauren Toyota from hot for food.

-----

Welcome to episode 431 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Lauren Toyota from Hot for Food.

The Highs and Lows of Being a Food Creator for Over a Decade

Lauren Toyota has been blogging for almost ten years and has had tremendous success during the past decade — two cookbooks, 450,000 subscribers on YouTube, and qualifying for Raptive. But all of these high points have been balanced by some professional lows, especially since the pandemic and becoming a mother.

Lauren is incredibly honest in this interview about the current “slow” period of her business, and how her mindset has changed around her business goals recently. She openly shares her struggles, and how she views the future of hot for food.

As part of the future of hot for food is Lauren’s membership (EAT IT). Lauren walks listeners through the process of starting a membership and why she enjoys creating that type of content so much. This is a raw, transparent, brutally honest interview that we know will resonate with many of you!

In this episode, you’ll learn:

What’s changed (and what’s stayed the same) since Bjork and Lauren last chatted on the podcast in 2016.
The different experiences Lauren had writing and marketing her two cookbooks.
How her business and mindset have changed over the last decade (especially due to the pandemic and becoming a mother).
What the future of hot for food might look like.
Why she decided to start a membership (EAT IT) on her website and what the process has looked like.
How she’s approaching creating content and growing her audience on YouTube.

Resources:

-----

This episode is sponsored by Once Coupled and Clariti. Learn more about our sponsors by going to foodbloggerpro.com/sponsors.

If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to podcast@foodbloggerpro.com.

Learn more about joining the Food Blogger Pro community at foodbloggerpro.com/membership

Download this Episode

430: Grow Your Email List with ConvertKit’s Creator Network with Nathan Barry 0

Oct 10, 2023

Getting started with ConvertKit's Creator Network, collaborating with other creators to accelerate growth, and monetizing your email list with Nathan Barry.

-----

Welcome to episode 430 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Nathan Barry from ConvertKit.

Grow Your Email List with ConvertKit’s Creator Network

Nathan Barry is back on the podcast this week to chat about all things email marketing and strategic business growth. ConvertKit recently started the Creator Network and Nathan is here to explain what it is, as well as how food creators can use it to grow their email lists.

Nathan walks listeners through how to get started with the Creator Network and shares compelling case studies about how creators have strategically utilized the Creator Network as part of their business models.

This is a great episode for anyone looking to diversify their income streams in a new way. We think you’ll leave this episode feeling inspired to try something new and with a fresh perspective on sharing your content.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

How ConvertKit has changed over the years and what it offers to creators.
How email should fit into your marketing model.
Why ConvertKit started the Creator Network (and more about how it works).
How to get started with the Creator Network.
Tips for optimizing your profile on the Creator Network.
How to use the Creator Network strategically to optimize growth for your email list.
How to collaborate with other creators within the Creator Network.
More about ConvertKit’s acquisition of SparkLoop and how to monetize through SparkLoop.
About flywheels and how the concept applies to business.

Resources:

-----

This episode is sponsored by Businessese and Clariti. Learn more about our sponsors by going to foodbloggerpro.com/sponsors.

If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to podcast@foodbloggerpro.com.

Learn more about joining the Food Blogger Pro community at foodbloggerpro.com/membership.

Download this Episode

429: Tips for Styling, Editing, and Monetizing Food Photography with Rachel Korinek 0

Oct 3, 2023

Shooting multiple recipes in one day, styling ‘hard to style’ foods, and reaching out to brands for partnerships with Rachel Korinek from Two Loves Studio.

-----

Welcome to episode 429 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Rachel Korinek from Two Loves Studio.

Tips for Styling, Editing, and Monetizing Food Photography

Food photography can be overwhelming, no matter if you’re a beginner or if you’ve been blogging for a decade! Luckily we have Rachel Korinek to help walk us through the tips and tricks that make food photography and editing just a little bit easier.

In this podcast episode, Bjork and Rachel chat about Rachel’s journey as an entrepreneur, and how her definition of success has changed over the years. She also shares her strategies for shooting multiple recipes in one day, and how she prepares in advance for her food photography days.

She also has lots of valuable advice about styling foods that aren’t photogenic (meatloaf, anyone?). The episode ends with a series of listener questions about phone photography, editing, and background props — it’s a good one!

In this episode, you’ll learn:

How Rachel got into a career in food photography and the different stages of her business.
What the seasons of success and the seasons of reinvention have looked like for her business.
How she tackles shooting multiple recipes in one day.
How she sets herself up for success before big photography days.
Her recommendations for growing your team to help with efficiency with photography.
Some of the common mistakes she sees food photographers make with food styling.
Her tips for styling ‘hard to style’ foods.
Why she primarily shoots with artificial lighting these days and the tools she recommends.
How she approaches reaching out to brands for partnerships.
The three core edits she recommends for editing photographs.
Her recommendations for background props.
Tips for using your phone for food photography.

Resources:

-----

This episode is sponsored by Businessese and Clariti. Learn more about our sponsors by going to foodbloggerpro.com/sponsors.

If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to podcast@foodbloggerpro.com.

Learn more about joining the Food Blogger Pro community at foodbloggerpro.com/membership

Download this Episode