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The Food Blogger Pro Podcast

Welcome to The Food Blogger Pro Podcast, hosted by Bjork Ostrom from Pinch of Yum! Our goal is to help you create a beautiful, functional, and profitable blog. We interview successful food bloggers and industry experts in an effort to surface strategies that can help you more efficiently grow and monetize your site. You'll learn about recipe SEO, food photography, plugins, monetization, traffic, and more. New episodes every Tuesday! Learn more at foodbloggerpro.com/podcast
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Nov 14, 2023

Running a mission-driven food blog, balancing business with purpose, and creating a recipe-testing process with Michelle Cehn from World of Vegan.

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Welcome to episode 435 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Michelle Cehn from World of Vegan.

Prioritizing Recipe Testing and Purpose in Food Blogging

Michelle has been blogging for a long time (she even has the @vegan handle on Instagram!) and has been passionate about animal rights and vegan cooking from the get-go. But her approach to sharing that mission with her readers has evolved over the years, and she explains more about why in this interview.

Michelle also shares more about how she balances the aspects of her job that bring her joy and a sense of purpose with the business and financial side of running a food blog.

Last but certainly not least, Michelle and Bjork chat about the recipe testing process that Michelle has used for her cookbook and for her blog, and how she recruits volunteers to help test each of her recipes.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • How and why Michelle started a vegan blog and how her approach to sharing vegan recipes has changed over the years.
  • How Michelle and Toni Okamato monetized their sites with meal plans.
  • How she balances a mission-driven and profit-driven approach to her business.
  • What the recipe testing process at World of Vegan looks like.
  • About the recipe testing process (with over 75 volunteers!) for Michelle’s cookbook.
  • The exact questions Michelle asks her recipe testers for each recipe.

Resources:

This episode is sponsored by Cultivate WP and 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

Nov 9, 2023

Welcome to Tiny Bites from the Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Ewen Finser from Venture 4th Media about the recent Google algorithm updates.

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Google has been… very busy in Q3 and Q4 of 2023. If the updates feel nonstop, it’s because they have been:

Some of these updates may impact your site traffic positively, some may impact your site traffic negatively, and some may have no real impact. But every update tends to cause some unease for online creators. So what can you do about them?

What exactly is the Google algorithm and why is it updated?

The Google algorithm is essentially how Google indexes and categorizes all of the content that is published online. You can also think of it as Google’s ever-changing thesis on what constitutes ‘good’ or ‘valuable’ content.

Updates occur in response to new information Google has, tweaks to what they think is valuable, and/or how they measure or evaluate content. The algorithm is constantly changing and evolving.

As Ewen mentions in the interview, Google released their most recent Helpful Content Update and used AI to determine if entire sites were helpful or not helpful (while previous updates tended to be on a post-by-post basis). If a certain percentage of your content is deemed unhelpful, your content will be deprioritized in the algorithm. This update did not include rewarding helpful sites, but rather penalizing unhelpful sites.

How should you approach the Google algorithm updates?

The #1 thing you can do to anticipate and respond to Google algorithm updates is to focus on creating high-quality, user-first content. There will be ebbs and flows with every Google update — know that if your traffic goes down with one update, it might go up with the next update. Because of this, it’s important to avoid huge course corrections after updates.

But what if your site was negatively impacted and you can’t figure out why? Ewen has noticed a few takeaways from the recent Google algorithm updates that might explain why:

  • Older sites tend to perform better.
  • Market leaders tend to perform better.
  • User experience with display ads may play a role.
  • Topical relevance matters (i.e. does your content cover too broad of a subject matter? Do you have gaps in your content?)

How should you respond to Google algorithm updates?

The first thing to do after any update is to let the dust settle. It usually takes two weeks to roll out an update. Wait to change anything on your site so that you can determine that any traffic changes were, in fact, due to the update (and not just a natural ebb or flow).

Ewen shared lots of great tips for reacting to Google updates and creating content that is more resilient when these algorithm updates do come. Here are a few of our favorites:

  • Use data (like from Google Analytics) to inform decisions.
  • Experiment and test hypotheses.
  • Understand what your audience wants.
  • Avoid chasing trends that are only working right now.
  • Solve a problem for your audience.
  • Follow SEO best-practices.

If you’re looking for more concrete suggestions for responding to an algorithm update traffic dip, consider:

  • Turning down the ads on your site for a bit, or removing intrusive video ads for a time.
  • See if that change has any effect on user experience and/or site traffic.
  • Filter through your content and consider the posts that aren’t getting any traffic at all.
  • Update those posts if they are relevant to your overall content strategy and have the potential for traffic.
  • Otherwise, delete/redirect.
  • Look at your inventory to assess where you have big gaps in content.
  • Consider diversifying your traffic sources (email, social, etc.).

Last, but not least, check out this guide from Google with questions to ask yourself to help you uncover potential opportunities for improving your content.

Thanks, again, to Ewen for joining us on the podcast. We hope this episode provided some additional context, guidance, and encouragement when it comes to Google algorithm updates.

Learn more:

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.

Nov 7, 2023

Growing three food blogs as a family, organizing retreats for food bloggers, and leveling up your email marketing strategy with Taryn Scarfone from Joy Filled Eats.

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Welcome to episode 434 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Taryn Scarfone from Joy Filled Eats.

Navigating Google Algorithm Updates, Leaning into Email Marketing, and Running Three Food Blogs

Taryn started Joy Filled Eats eight years ago and has recently started two additional food blogs, one with her 14-year-old daughter and one with her husband. With each new blog, her approach has become more intentional and strategic — and has seen more rapid success as a result.

In this interview, Taryn shares more about how she manages the responsibilities of three food blogs. She also speaks to the effects of recent Google Algorithm updates and why she has prioritized email marketing for Joy Filled Eats.

Taryn has also hosted a mastermind group for food bloggers, as well as an in-person retreat with fellow food creators. She explains the process of organizing both, in case you feel inspired to do the same!

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • How she came to have three food blogs and why she enjoys running these sites with her family.
  • What it’s like to juggle the responsibilities for all three sites.
  • How they grew A Grill for All Season to 150,000 monthly pageviews.
  • How her sites have been affected by Google Algorithm updates and how they recover from updates in which the sites are negatively impacted.
  • More about Google Discover and how it can affect site traffic.
  • How she organized a retreat and a mastermind group for food bloggers.
  • How she leveled up her email marketing strategy and grew her email list to 40,000+ subscribers.

Resources:

This episode is sponsored by Clariti and Raptive. 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.

Oct 31, 2023

Solving a problem for your readers, monetizing and scaling a food blog, and creating a community of creators with Zhen Zhou from Greedy Girl Gourmet.

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Welcome to episode 433 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Zhen Zhou from Greedy Girl Gourmet.

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:

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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

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.

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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:

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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

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.

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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:

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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

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.

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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:

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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.

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.

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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:

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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

Sep 28, 2023

Welcome to Tiny Bites from the Food Blogger Pro Podcast! In this episode of Tiny Bites, Bjork interviews Alison Bechdol from Digital-ade about GA4 data models and how to change yours if your data isn’t looking quite right.

As of July 1, 2023 Google Analytics 4, or GA4, is the default property within Google Analytics. There is a steep (and, it seems, long) learning curve to using GA4, especially because GA4 uses and collects data completely differently than Universal Analytics (or UA) did. New metrics, new language, new data… it’s a lot to familiarize yourself with!

In this podcast interview (our first episode of Tiny Bites!), Bjork chats with Alison Bechdol (who is also the Google Analytics Expert here at Food Blogger Pro) about some tips and trips that will make this transition from UA to GA4 a little easier.

Resources:

Head over to foodbloggerpro.com/podcast to find the full episode shownotes!

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

Sep 26, 2023

Surveying your audience, Identifying pain points in your community, and starting a meal planning membership app as a food creator with Liam Smith from MealPro App.

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Welcome to episode 428 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Liam Smith from the MealPro App.

How to Diversify Your Income with a Meal Planning Membership App

If you’ve been listening to The Food Blogger Pro Podcast for any length of time, you know how important it is to diversify your income as a food blogger. And one of the ways that you might consider doing that is by starting a meal planning membership app!

Liam Smith founded the MealPro App as a white-label meal planning app to allow food creators to easily (and affordably) personalize an app for their community.

Bjork and Liam chat about the process of developing the app, how food bloggers can monetize through the app, and the importance of surveying your community to better meet their needs.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • About Liam’s background in tech.
  • What inspired him to develop his own meal planning app (the MealPro App).
  • What no-code tools are and how we use them.
  • All about his low-risk process for developing, testing, and marketing the app.
  • How food creators might use the MealPro App to create a membership community.
  • How to identify the problems or pain points your community needs help solving.
  • The importance of surveying your audience to help refine your content strategy.
  • What it looks like to start a membership through the MealPro App.
  • How to monetize within the MealPro App (and how much money you might expect to make).

Resources:

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This episode is sponsored by Clariti. Learn how you can organize your blog content for maximum growth by going to clariti.com/food.

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

Sep 19, 2023

Blogging with a global audience, diversifying website traffic sources, and tailoring content depending on the platform with Arman Liew from The Big Man's World.

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Welcome to episode 427 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Arman Liew from The Big Man’s World.

Why Diversifying Your Website Traffic Matters

Arman has been blogging for almost ten years now and has a really fresh perspective on everything from sponsored content to social media.

He is really honest about some of the struggles he’s faced with blogging over the years (fickle algorithms, anyone?) and how those have led to a very strategic and intentional approach to his site nowadays.

Arman also shares more about what it’s like to be a food blogger in Australia, and why he’s chosen to prioritize an American audience with his content. It’s a really entertaining and thought-provoking interview — don’t miss it!

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • About the early days of The Big Man’s World.
  • How Arman was able to leave his full-time job to work on his blog.
  • What strategies Arman found to be the most effective in growing his site.
  • How he reached out to brands for sponsored content and decided what to charge.
  • About how he put all his eggs in the Pinterest basket — and how he has recovered from that.
  • How he transitioned from prioritizing Pinterest traffic to SEO.
  • The importance of diversifying your traffic sources.
  • How he tailors his content and voice depending on the platform.
  • How he grew his team.
  • Why he prioritizes an American audience despite blogging from Australia.
  • What he’s most excited about with his business right now.

Resources:

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This episode is sponsored by Clariti. Learn how you can organize your blog content for maximum growth by going to clariti.com/food.

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

Sep 12, 2023

Developing a social media strategy, avoiding overwhelm, and navigating new tools and trends in the social media space with Andrea Balogun.

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Welcome to episode 426 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Andrea Balogun from Balogun Strategy & Design.

Social Media Deep Dive: Threads, X, and AI

Social media is constantly changing — new algorithms, new platforms, new trends. It’s hard to keep up and it’s easy to get overwhelmed. But luckily we have Andrea Balogun to help walk us through it all!

Andrea’s back on the podcast to talk about the hot topics in social media right now. She explains more about the Threads app and why food creators might consider adding it to their social media strategy. Andrea also imparts her wisdom around crafting a social media strategy and being intentional about how you create content for social media to avoid burnout.

Andrea and Bjork also chat about new tools and AI in the social media space and how to incorporate them into your workflow. If you’re on social media as a content creator, this is a must-listen!

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • About the work Andrea does at Balogun Strategy & Design.
  • What Threads is and how food creators can use it.
  • Why you might want to activate your Threads account sooner rather than later.
  • The kinds of topics that perform well on Threads and/or Twitter/X.
  • How to develop a social media strategy to avoid getting overwhelmed.
  • How to approach creating content for social media.
  • About new tools in the social media space that can make your life easier.
  • How to use AI tools in your social media content creation.

Resources:

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This episode is sponsored by Clariti. Learn how you can organize your blog content for maximum growth by going to clariti.com/food.

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

Sep 5, 2023

Blogging within a narrow niche, diversifying your income streams, and growing your team with Amy Palanjian from Yummy Toddler Food.

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Welcome to episode 425 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Amy Palanjian.

Thriving within a Niche and Creating Your Dream Job

Amy Palanjian first started her blog, Yummy Toddler Food, in 2014. Since then, she has been incredibly intentional about every aspect of her business, from her content strategy and becoming an authority in her niche, to diversifying income streams and email marketing.

In this interview, Bjork and Amy chat about all of these aspects of her business, and how she has worked to create a role for herself at Yummy Toddler Food that looks as close as possible to her dream job.

It’s a must-listen episode for anyone thinking about picking a niche, and how to grow your business within that niche.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • About Amy’s career journey, from working in magazines to starting Yummy Toddler Food in 2014.
  • What skills and knowledge Amy uses towards food blogging from her decade in the magazine industry.
  • How she has built her affiliate marketing strategy.
  • What it’s like to blog within a narrow niche.
  • How she strategized to diversify her income streams.
  • Why she decided to transition from selling ebooks to selling a printed cookbook.
  • How and why she outsourced certain tasks in her business.
  • The process that she used to organize all of her business-related files.
  • How she built her job description to reflect what she actually enjoys doing.
  • Her approach to email marketing, and why she uses both Substack and ConvertKit.
  • Her strategy for growing her email list.
  • Why she chose to work with a manager for her sponsored content.

Resources:

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This episode is sponsored by Clariti. Learn how you can organize your blog content for maximum growth by going to clariti.com/food.

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

Aug 29, 2023

Analyzing how AI could disrupt the world of digital content creation, strategizing for the future of food blogging, and understanding Raptive's initiatives to protect online content.

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Welcome to episode 424 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Paul Bannister from Raptive.

The Future of Content Creation (and Protection) in a World of AI

It’s hard to keep up with AI, as the technology, legislation, and our understanding of it, are rapidly evolving. As content creators, it’s imperative that we stay as informed as possible to understand how AI will alter the future of food blogging, and what we need to do now to stay ahead of these changes.

And that’s why Paul Bannister is back on the podcast this week! Bjork and Paul discuss how AI tools are currently using existing content, like recipes from food blogs, and how online search might change in the coming years.

They share actionable steps you can take to protect your content, and how you might want to change your content and business strategy in a world of AI. This episode is a must-listen for anyone in the content creation space.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • How AI has the power to disrupt the world of content creation and SEO.
  • What Generative AI is.
  • How AI tools use existing online content (like recipes).
  • How AI might change online search and search traffic patterns.
  • What the path forward for content creators looks like.
  • How to prevent the GPTBot from crawling your site.
  • What you can do to protect your content moving forward.
  • How to approach balancing SEO vs. creating content in your own unique voice that connects with your audience.
  • The importance of diversifying traffic sources.

Resources:

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This episode is sponsored by Clariti. Learn how you can organize your blog content for maximum growth by going to clariti.com/food.

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

Aug 22, 2023

Educating their audience about data privacy, prioritizing annual goal setting, and building a team with Liz and Lauren Allen from Tastes Better from Scratch.

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Welcome to episode 423 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Lauren and Liz Allen from Tastes Better from Scratch.

Building a Food Blog with 11 Million Monthly Pageviews

Twin sisters Liz and Lauren Allen started Tastes Better from Scratch in 2009 and have been working together on the blog ever since. They are incredibly strategic about every aspect of their business, from hiring and content creation to data privacy and goal setting.

In this interview, Bjork chats with Liz and Lauren about how they’ve expanded their business over the years and worked to maintain the huge growth they saw in 2020 that skyrocketed their pageviews from 5 to 11 million per month.

They are also open and honest about their plans for the future of Tastes Better from Scratch in a world with AI and changing data privacy laws. If you’re looking for new ways to think about growing your business while leaning into your strengths, you won’t want to miss this episode!

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • About the origin story of Tastes Better from Scratch.
  • How they went from 5 million monthly pageviews to 11 million monthly pageviews in 2020, and how they’ve maintained that growth since then.
  • Their approach to updating and republishing content.
  • What tools they use to analyze how their content is performing.
  • How they plan their content calendars.
  • What the Tastes Better from Scratch team looks like, and how they decide to outsource a task.
  • How they create processes for their business.
  • How they develop their annual plans and goals for the business.
  • What they think the future of food blogging looks like (AI, data privacy, digital advertising, etc.).
  • Why they’re prioritizing email marketing right now.
  • What they think the most important skills are in their current roles.

Resources:

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This episode is sponsored by Clariti. Learn how you can organize your blog content for maximum growth by going to clariti.com/food.

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

Aug 15, 2023

Reinvesting in your business, working together as a couple, and prioritizing video with Liz and Paul Madsen from Zardyplants.

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Welcome to episode 422 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Liz and Paul Madsen from Zardyplants.

Why Success as a Food Blogger Isn’t Linear

Liz and Paul Madsen started Zardyplants in 2018 as a way to share their favorite plant-based comfort food recipes with readers. Over the last five years, they’ve worked together to grow the site (and Paul now works full-time for their business)!

Liz and Paul share about the early days of Zardyplants, and how their processes and business have changed over the years. They have really practical advice about the importance of reinvesting in your business, being strategic around the types of recipes you create, and what to prioritize as a beginner blogger.

This is a particularly valuable episode for beginner bloggers but is also a great listen for any content creator trying to define what success looks like for you and your brand.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • About the early stages of Zardyplants, and what it was like starting a blog as a couple.
  • How they’ve balanced working full-time with the blog over the years.
  • What the division of labor is like between Liz and Paul.
  • The benefits of having a side hustle.
  • How and why Liz and Paul have transitioned the type of recipes they’re creating over the years.
  • How they approach keyword research.
  • What growth on Instagram has looked like for Zardyplants.
  • About their photography and videography equipment set-up.
  • Why they chose to prioritize video as part of their growth strategy.
  • Their history with, and strategy around, sponsored content.
  • The importance of reinvesting in your business, and what they would recommend paying a premium for as a beginner.
  • What advice they’d give to beginner bloggers.

Resources:

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This episode is sponsored by Clariti. Learn how you can organize your blog content for maximum growth by going to clariti.com/food.

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

Aug 8, 2023

Growing and diversifying your business, managing your time efficiently, and hiring team members.

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Welcome to episode 421 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Cheryl Malik from 40Aprons.

Scaling Three Food Blogs and Tips for Hiring a Virtual Assistant

Cheryl first started food blogging in 2009, and now runs three different food blogs, in addition to an agency that matches food bloggers with virtual assistants.

In this interview, Bjork and Cheryl chat about growing and diversifying her business over the years and how she manages her time efficiently while running all of her different businesses.

She also shares recommendations for hiring team members, and how to effectively onboard new team members. It’s a really practical episode that will give you lots of advice for thinking strategically about growing your team and your business.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • More about Cheryl’s food blogging journey from 2009 to the present.
  • Why she decided to start three different food blogs.
  • How she has grown her team, and why she started a business to help match food bloggers with virtual assistants.
  • What the revenue streams look like amongst her different businesses.
  • Her recommendations for successfully adding someone to your team and the onboarding process.
  • What it’s like to work with Cheryl’s 40A agency to hire a virtual assistant.
  • The difference between hiring a team member or contractor and working with an agency to find a virtual assistant.
  • How she manages her time (and is more efficient) by batching her days.

Resources:

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This episode is sponsored by Clariti. Learn how you can organize your blog content for maximum growth by going to clariti.com/food.

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

Aug 1, 2023

Testing ChatGPT's recipe writing skills, transitioning from a blog to a Substack newsletter, and discussing the future of food writing with Dianne Jacob from Will Write for Food.

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Welcome to episode 420 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Dianne Jacob.

ChatGPT, Substack, and the Changing Landscape of Food Writing

Dianne Jacob has been an expert in the food writing space for twenty years (she literally wrote the book on it!). We were happy to welcome her back to the podcast to chat about the changing landscape of food writing.

In this interview, Bjork and Dianne discuss how AI might alter the food blogging space, and how food bloggers can best position themselves to adapt to these changes. Dianne also shares more about her Substack newsletter, and why she prefers writing for her Substack newsletter to blogging.

Both Bjork and Dianne have been in the food writing space for decades now, and it’s fascinating to hear them discuss what they think the future of food blogging might look like. Don’t miss this episode!

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • About Dianne’s professional background in food writing.
  • How the food writing space has changed over the last 20 years.
  • How AI (or machine learning) is changing the food writing space.
  • What she learned from testing ChatGPT’s recipe writing skills.
  • What recipe attribution currently looks like for ChatGPT and Bard.
  • Why your voice matters more than ever in the food blogging space.
  • Why she transitioned from writing a blog to having a Substack newsletter.
  • What she likes about being a content creator on Substack (spoiler alert: no need for SEO!).
  • How Bjork and Dianne think the food blogging space will change in the coming years.

Resources:

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This episode is sponsored by Clariti. Learn how you can organize your blog content for maximum growth by going to clariti.com/food.

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

Jul 25, 2023

Balancing lifestyle and SEO-friendly posts, outsourcing tasks that don't bring you joy, and diversifying income streams with Anne Mauney from fANNEtastic Food.

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Welcome to episode 419 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Anne Mauney from fANNEtastic Food.

Balancing Life, SEO, and Income Streams Over 14 Years of Food Blogging

Anne Mauney has been running her blog for over 14 years now and, as you might imagine, her life has changed considerably during that time. Since starting her blog, Anne has become a Registered Dietitian with a Masters in Public Health, has gotten married, and had two children.

In addition to all of those big life changes, she has witnessed the rise of social media and SEO, and weathered the huge changes in the food blogging landscape. In this candid conversation, Bjork and Anne chat about navigating life and blog changes and balancing parenthood with running a business.

Anne shares more about her changing income streams over the years, and why outsourcing certain tasks that don’t bring her joy has allowed her to continue blogging after all these years. It’s a super valuable episode no matter where you are in your blogging journey!

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • About how food blogging has changed since Anne started her blog in 2009.
  • How she has had to reinvent herself and her blog over the years to stay current.
  • How she balances lifestyle posts and SEO-friendly posts in her blogging schedule.
  • Why she prioritizes outsourcing the tasks that don’t bring her joy, and how she has built her team.
  • What her approach to keyword research is.
  • How she has juggled childcare and blogging responsibilities over the years.
  • What she would change, and what she would keep the same, from the last 14 years of blogging.
  • How she incorporates her nutrition private practice into her business.
  • More about the breakdown of her income sources at various points in her blogging journey, and how she diversifies her income streams.

Resources:

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This episode is sponsored by Clariti. Learn how you can organize your blog content for maximum growth by going to clariti.com/food.

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

Jul 18, 2023

Understanding plugins, the future of custom themes, and WordPress Site Editor with Lauren Gray from Once Coupled.

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Welcome to episode 418 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Lauren Gray from Once Coupled.

Navigating the Changing Landscape of Technology in Food Blogging

Lauren is the Founder and Director of Development at Once Coupled, a small development agency that works with food bloggers and other online publishers. She also happens to be the Web Development Expert here at Food Blogger Pro and is truly an expert on all things themes, plugins, and WordPress.

And that’s exactly what Bjork and Lauren are chatting about in today’s podcast episode! They cover a lot of ground, from Site Editor and Block Editor to custom themes and technical debt.

If you’re curious about making changes to your website, updating your theme, or looking to add specific functionalities to your site, this is an interview you won’t want to miss!

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • What Lauren does at Once Coupled and how they support food bloggers.
  • How Once Coupled’s services and offerings have changed over the years to reflect the changing landscape of food blogging.
  • What Site Editor in WordPress is, how it works, and how it changes things for publishers and developers.
  • What WordPress Blocks (and the Block Editor) are.
  • The pros and cons of using Site Editor vs. a custom theme right now.
  • Lauren’s recommendations for how beginner food bloggers should progress through their website journey.
  • What technical debt is, and why you need to keep it in mind when building your website.
  • The purpose of, and future plans for, Once Coupled’s plugins company, Small Plugins.
  • The functionality of the Dynamic Connector plugin from Small Plugins.

Resources:

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This episode is sponsored by Clariti. Learn how you can organize your blog content for maximum growth by going to clariti.com/food.

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

Jul 11, 2023

Brainstorming, building, and marketing an app and WordPress plugin for saving online recipes and sharing them with friends.

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Welcome to episode 417 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Ann Baum from Spillt.

Building a Recipe-Sharing App to Drive Traffic to Food Blogs

Food creators are no strangers to recipe-sharing sites and social media apps; many of us have love-hate relationships with some of them! Sisters Ann and Maddie Baum knew that there was a better way to save and share online recipes — so they built it!

Over the past several years, Ann and Maddie created Spillt, an app and WordPress plugin that allows users to save online recipes and share them with friends on the app, all while driving traffic and star ratings back to the food bloggers themselves!

Bjork and Ann talk about Ann’s career journey from working at Facebook to building the app, and take a peak behind-the-scenes at the creation of Spillt. Ann shares more about working with food bloggers to create the app, and why they wanted to prioritize food bloggers in the functionality of the app. It’s a really informative episode and one you won’t want to miss!

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • What Spillt is, and how food creators can use it to drive traffic and star ratings to their recipes.
  • More about Ann’s career path from working at Facebook to developing the Spillt app.
  • Why Ann and her sister, Maddie, decided to build Spillt, and what market gap they hope to fill.
  • What product development for Spillt looked like.
  • Why they built Spillt in a way that prioritizes the needs of food bloggers.
  • The difference between a content algorithm and a social algorithm, and why that difference mattered in the creation of Spillt.
  • The plans for monetization on Spillt in the future.
  • What user growth has looked like on Spillt so far.

Resources:

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This episode is sponsored by Once Coupled, the development agency behind the brand ​Small Plugins​. To get a 70% discount on ALL (current and future) Small Plugins plugins, get early access to test new plugins, and vote on ideas for the next plugin, go to foodbloggerpro.com/small

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

Jul 5, 2023

Documenting family recipes, managing a food blog as a family of four, and writing a James Beard-nominated cookbook with Sarah and Kaitlin Leung from The Woks of Life.

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Welcome to episode 416 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Sarah and Kaitlin Leung from The Woks of Life.

Preserving Family Recipes with a Food Blog

For Sarah and Kaitlin Leung, their food blog, The Woks of Life, is a family affair. They have run the blog with their parents, Judy and Bill, for over ten years, and now they all work together full-time!

Bjork chats with Sarah and Kaitlin about the early days of The Woks of Life, including why they started documenting their family’s Chinese recipes, and how they grew their site while working full-time.

Sarah and Kaitlin share more about the division of labor when running a food blog as a family, and what they’ve learned over the last ten years of blogging. They have a really unique perspective on food blogging, and it’s a can’t-miss episode.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • More about being nominated for a James Beard Award for their cookbook.
  • The origin story of The Woks of Life back in 2013.
  • Why they wanted to preserve and document their family’s Chinese recipes on the blog.
  • What the division of labor looks like amongst the four family members behind The Woks of Life.
  • How they transitioned to running their blog full-time, and the changes they made during that time that were most beneficial for the growth of the blog.
  • How the skills from their previous jobs translate to running the blog.
  • What international site traffic looks like for Woks of Life, and how it affects RPMs.
  • What advice they would give to beginner bloggers.

Resources:

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This episode is sponsored by Once Coupled, the development agency behind the brand ​Small Plugins​. To get a 70% discount on ALL (current and future) Small Plugins plugins, get early access to test new plugins, and vote on ideas for the next plugin, go to foodbloggerpro.com/small

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

Jun 27, 2023

Insights on the differences between traditional publishing and self-publishing, details on the financial and non-financial benefits of publishing a cookbook, and what it takes to be successful when self-publishing a cookbook with Matt Briel from Lulu.

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Welcome to episode 415 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Matt Briel from Lulu Press.

How and Why To Self-Publish a Cookbook

Have you ever dreamed of writing a cookbook? Are you intimidated by the process of finding a publisher? Or are you just curious why a food blogger might want to write a cookbook? If you answered yes to any of those questions, this podcast episode is for you!

Matt Briel is an entrepreneur and the Vice President of Marketing & Communications at Lulu.com, a print-on-demand, self-publishing, and distribution platform.

Bjork and Matt chat about the differences between traditional publishing and self-publishing, why you might want to consider self-publishing a cookbook, and how to be successful when self-publishing content. It’s a super informative episode that will give you a lot to think about when it comes to cookbooks!

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • More about Matt’s background and how he came to be interested in publishing.
  • What marketing looks like for Lulu and why they prioritize helping creators sell more books.
  • The differences between print-on-demand and offset printing in the publishing world.
  • Why print-on-demand is a more ecologically friendly option.
  • What the print-on-demand process looks like from start to finish for a cookbook.
  • What it takes to successfully self-publishing a cookbook, and who you need on your team.
  • What a success story looks like for creators who self-published their cookbooks.
  • How self-publishing a cookbook can help you diversify your income streams.
  • The non-financial benefits of publishing a cookbook.
  • What to do if you’re curious to learn more about self-publishing a cookbook.

Resources:

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This episode is sponsored by Clariti. Learn how you can organize your blog content for maximum growth by going to clariti.com/food.

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

Jun 20, 2023

Blogging While Working Full-Time, Pitching Brands, and Determining Your Rates with Kyleigh Sage from Barley & Sage

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Welcome to episode 414 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Kyleigh Sage from Barley & Sage.

Combining Brand Work and Ad Revenue to Make $10,000-$15,000 a Month

There are lots of different opportunities for food content creators to make money. And one of the most common ways is by partnering with brands!

In this interview, Bjork and Kyleigh chat about partnering with brands on sponsored content and freelance work (even when you don’t have a large social media following), including how to effectively pitch to brands and negotiate your contracts.

Kyleigh is honest and transparent about her strategies for working with brands and how she navigates pricing her work. It’s clear that she is passionate about helping other food bloggers find success, and you won’t want to miss this interview!

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • About Kyleigh’s professional background and journey to starting her food blog in 2019.
  • How she strategically approached her first year of blogging while still working full-time.
  • More about how she first started partnering with brands on sponsored content and freelance work.
  • How she combines brand work and ad revenue to make $10,000-$15,000 a month.
  • How an SEO audit transformed how she approached her blog and helped her qualify for Mediavine.
  • How she recommends calculating your rates when working with brands.
  • How to effectively pitch your work to brands and network with PR agencies.
  • What she recommends for maintaining good relationships with brands and PR agencies.
  • What she would repeat, and what she would change from her food blogging journey so far.

Resources:

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This episode is sponsored by Clariti. Learn how you can organize your blog content for maximum growth by going to clariti.com/food.

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

Jun 13, 2023

Growing a food blog while working full-time, outsourcing tasks for your business, and limiting burnout with Maggie Zhu from Omnivore's Cookbook.

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Welcome to episode 413 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Maggie Zhu from Omnivore’s Cookbook.

Lessons in Burnout, Persistence, and Creativity after Ten Years of Food Blogging

Maggie Zhu has been running Omnivore’s Cookbook, a food blog all about modern Chinese cooking, for over ten years. That’s a very long time in internet years! She’s had incredible success growing her site during this time and just recently wrote her first cookbook.

But this success didn’t come without some struggle. Maggie has navigated intense periods of burnout over the last ten years and has learned that outsourcing and prioritizing her creativity are key to helping her overcome these phases.

This interview is honest, raw, and thought-provoking, and we really hope it resonates with you as much as it did with us!

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • About how Maggie got started as a food blogger over 10 years ago.
  • What it was like for her to work a full-time job while growing her food blog.
  • What her goals are for her blog, and how she works through the comparison trap.
  • How she limits burnout after blogging for 10+ years.
  • Why she prioritizes outsourcing certain tasks for her business, and how she determines what to outsource.
  • Where she finds people to join her team.
  • How she approaches creating Chinese recipes for a Western audience.
  • Why it’s important for her to find a creative outlet outside of her blog.
  • What advice she has for someone in the early stages of food blogging.

Resources:

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This episode is sponsored by Clariti. Learn how you can organize your blog content for maximum growth by going to clariti.com/food.

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

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