Eat Blog Talk

In episode 566, Carrie Tyler teaches us how to establish a strong brand position and why this is essential to understand and meet our target audience’s needs. Carrie Tyler is a brand positioning and brand marketing expert with over 20 years experience in Consumer Brand Management for large consumer goods companies. In 2018, Carrie launched her food blog, Talking Meals focusing on easy dinner recipes for busy families. In 2022, Carrie launched a second niche food blog and continues to run both blogs successfully today. Carrie has applied her brand positioning expertise to her own two food blogs and now helps other food bloggers to do the same. Through in-depth customer targeting and using a Food Blogger Brand House Model that she developed, Carrie helps food bloggers narrow in on their customers needs and how they uniquely solve those needs. In this episode, you’ll learn the benefits of brand positioning, such as increased email list growth, return traffic, and product sales and practical ways to create a memorable brand for food bloggers. Key points discussed: - Brand positioning is crucial for food bloggers to stand out in a crowded market: Establishing a clear brand positioning can help food bloggers differentiate themselves, connect with their target audience, and grow their business. - Understanding the emotional needs of the target audience is key: Connecting with the audience on an emotional level, beyond just meeting their rational needs, is essential for building a loyal following. - Brand positioning can improve focus and motivation: Having a clear brand positioning can help food bloggers prioritize their tasks and stay motivated, even during challenging times. - Brand positioning can enhance website, email, and product/service offerings: Implementing brand positioning across various touch points can improve the user experience and help diversify income streams. - It's never too late to establish brand positioning: Food bloggers at any stage of their business can benefit from defining their brand positioning, even if they've been blogging for years. - Small changes can make a big impact: Implementing small, incremental changes to align with the brand positioning can have a significant positive impact on a food blogger's business. - The "brand house" model provides a visual framework: Carrie "brand house" model helps food bloggers understand the different elements of their brand and how they work together. Connect with Carrie Tyler Website | Facebook

In this episode, we're going to talk about five ways to reduce blogging anxiety by setting boundaries online and finding a supportive blogging peer group. Even after 14 years of blogging, I still experience blogging anxiety. It's part of the job, isn't it? There's so much pressure inside and outside of the blogging industry. Every year there are new strategies to increase our traffic and grow our audience. Every year, we scramble to keep up with changes in our industry. While outside of the industry there's pressure to make our businesses successful, and sometimes loved ones with the best of intentions add the pressure of doing so. Above all, we probably want to prove to ourselves and others that we’ve got this. We can be successful entrepreneurs. And so the anxiety sets in... But there are ways in which we can minimize blogging anxiety! Action Plan: 1 - Hire someone to respond to your comments to shield you from negative feedback and criticism. 2 - Join a quality mastermind group to surround yourself with a supportive, understanding peer group that can provide the encouragement you need to manage the ups and downs of being a blogger. 3 - Minimize time spent in Facebook groups to avoid any unnecessary drama and toxicity. 4 - Be selective about who you allow into your business circle whether it's on social media or in other online spaces, as negative influences can increase your anxiety. 5 - Set a timer for your social media usage so that you don’t get caught in the endless scroll which can fuel feelings of inadequacy and anxiety. Get in touch with Megan if there is a specific mindset and self-care topics you'd like her to cover. Go down the outcome rabbit holes. Explore the worst-case and best-case scenarios of failure to put it in perspective. Website | Instagram Resources Promote your food blogging services Megan’s recommended books and resources

In episode 564, Megan chats to Anjali Shah about a unique affiliate marketing strategy bloggers can use to earn additional revenue by negotiating directly with brands they truly believe in. Anjali Shah is a food writer, best-selling author, board certified health coach, nutritionist, mom of two, and an advocate for healthy, clean eating for individuals and families. Her work has garnered nationwide attention as she has been featured on Oprah.com, Women’s Health, Cooking Light, Reader’s Digest, CNN, Food Network, and more. Anjali grew up a “whole wheat” girl, but married a “white bread” kind of guy. Hoping to prove that nutritious food could in fact be delicious and desirable, she taught herself how to cook and successfully transformed her husband’s eating habits from a diet of frozen pizzas and Taco Bell to her healthy, yet flavorful recipes made with simple, wholesome ingredients. After becoming a mom, Anjali expanded her work to include strategies and techniques to combat picky eating in kids of all ages. Anjali started The Picky Eater in 2011 to make healthy food accessible, tasty, easy to make at home, and picky-eater proof. You can follow her on Facebook, Pinterest, or Instagram. In this episode, you’ll learn what commission to expect from brands, how to pitch brands without coming across as salesy and how to approach SEO in sponsored posts. Key points discussed: - Affiliate marketing can be a significant revenue stream for food bloggers: It could make up as much as 70% of your income over time. - Reaching out to brands directly can be an effective affiliate marketing strategy: Contact brands on Instagram to pitch collaboration opportunities rather than using email templates to make it more personal. - Negotiating fair compensation is important: Ask for sufficient commission - around 20% - from affiliate programs, and be willing to negotiate for higher rates. - Authenticity is key when pitching to brands: Focus on products she already uses or believes in, making the pitch feel more like a conversation than a sales pitch. - Building long-term partnerships with brands can be beneficial: If you start now, you can establish potentially beneficial long-term affiliate partnerships. - Keyword research for affiliate marketing content should target high-intent keywords: Look for keywords that indicate a user's intent to purchase, rather than just general category searches. - The changing Google landscape may require adjusting affiliate marketing strategies: You might need to adapt your SEO-focused affiliate marketing approach due to recent changes in Google's search results. - Asking to be paid for your work is important: Bloggers should ask for fair compensation, rather than accepting product as payment. Connect with Anjali Shah Website | Instagram

In episode 563, June Dick teaches us how to make the process of self-publishing a cookbook easy and efficient and how to avoid the mistakes she made. June is the recipe developer and photographer for her food blog, Practically Homemade. Here you will find simple recipes for everyday families inspired by years of being a restaurant owner, high school culinary teacher and mom of 4. Now as an empty nester, June is still looking for shortcut ingredients and kitchen hacks to save time in the kitchen. Her life mission is to share them with you so that you can have time back in your life to enjoy the little things. In this episode, you’ll learn about what June thinks went really well during her self-publishing process, what she would do differently and how to get help from your audience to put a cookbook together. Key points discussed: - Plan ahead for a cookbook project: Think about the end product and work backwards to plan the steps, rather than jumping right into creating recipes. - Establish a consistent recipe format: Create a template for recipes to ensure consistency throughout the book. - Involve your audience: Reach out to your audience for recipe testing. This can provide valuable feedback and help build excitement for the book. - Consider outsourcing tasks: Outsource tasks that you don’t enjoy doing (e.g. layout, photography, editing), to free up your time for the parts you enjoy. - Expect the unexpected: Be flexible as there might be unexpected changes you need to make. - Prioritize your blog: Plan ahead and schedule out your blog content so you can focus on your cookbook project without going into burnout. - Choose a topic you're passionate about: Select a topic you truly enjoy, as you'll be working on it for an extended period. - Be patient with the process: Self-publishing a cookbook takes longer than expected, so be be patient and persistent. Connect with June Dick Website | Instagram If You Loved This Episode… You’ll love Episode 146 with Jason Logsdon - Self Publish Cookbooks To Launch Into A New Level Of Success

In this episode, we're going to talk about five steps for dealing with failure when you start something new. I love this topic because failure is a given for entrepreneurs, and starting new things is essential for our success. If we cannot handle failure properly and if we don't start new things, entrepreneurship will be unsuccessful. I've been an entrepreneur for 14 years, and I can say that most of the reason I've found success is because I've picked myself up again and again after many failures over the years. I'll share two of my biggest failures with you, so you never feel bad or stupid or worthless after failing. Failure is proof that you're trying, doing your best, and taking action. We don't learn anything when we succeed; we learn and grow when we fail. Action Plan: 1 - Face the fear of failing: Sit with your fears and understand that failure is a growth tool. 2 - Go down the outcome rabbit hole: Explore the worst-case and best-case scenarios of failure to put it in perspective. 3 - Evaluate past failures: Reflect on previous failures and identify the valuable lessons and skills you gained. 4 - Make a plan: Set a goal and create guideposts to stay accountable and overcome your fears. 5 - Take action: Don't let fear paralyze you - take the first small step to move forward. Get in touch with Megan if there is a specific mindset and self-care topics you'd like her to cover. Go down the outcome rabbit holes. Explore the worst-case and best-case scenarios of failure to put it in perspective. Website | Instagram Resources Ghostwriter – Terrence Roche (terrence@plantpowercouple.com) Promote your food blogging services Megan’s recommended books and resources

In episode 561, Megan chats to Sophie Sadler about the strategy she implemented to rapidly grow her IG followers based on what she learned from Meta (Facebook) during multiple calls. Sophie has been baking and cooking from as early as she can remember. From helping as a child in her Oma's kitchen in Germany to starting her own cupcake catering business and working in a handful of restaurants and bakeries while attending college in the USA. 8 years ago she found her calling with her authentic German food blog dirndl kitchen. Sophie has launched two online courses this year on German baking and will publish her first German cookbook in 2025. In this episode, you’ll learn about Sophie ‘reel’ strategy including how to keep up with posting daily, overcoming creative blocks and focusing on serving your audience by being real and raw instead of wasting time perfecting content. Key points discussed: - Consistent daily posting on Instagram is key to rapid growth: You can rapidly increase your following if you post content daily that resonate with your audience. - Authenticity and imperfection resonate with followers: Followers connect more with "real" and raw content rather than overly polished posts. - Diversifying content beyond your niche can be beneficial: Viral reels don’t necessarily need to be about recipes and you can post about various topics related to your niche. - Building an email list is crucial for long-term success: Grow your email list and redirect Instagram followers to a platform that you have more control over. - Overcome creative blocks through a content idea bank: Keep a running list of reel ideas to reference when your struggling for inspiration. - Focusing on a specific ideal follower can guide content creation: When planning Instagram posts, it can be helpful to think of your ideal audience and what they would enjoy and find helpful. - Experimenting and not overthinking content is important: Try different types of posts without worrying too much about performance. - Leverage Instagram growth to support other business goals: Instagram growth can help you land other business deals like brand sponsorship and book deals. Connect with Sophie Sadler Website | Instagram

In episode 560, Melissa Mitri teaches us how to improve our productivity and become more successful bloggers by paying attention to our diet, exercise, sleep and stress management. Melissa Mitri is a Registered Dietitian-Nutritionist, Weight Loss Specialist, and Expert Health Writer with over 15 years of experience in the health and wellness industry. Melissa Mitri, MS, RD, is a weight loss expert, blogger, and freelance writer for health professionals and brands. Melissa blogs regularly at melissamitri.com where she shares helpful content, tips, and recipes for those looking to lose weight in a sustainable way. In this episode, you’ll learn about specific foods, beverages and habits that can improve your cognitive function and mental focus, including how to incorporate physical activity and self-care practices seamlessly into your daily life. Key points discussed: - Build healthy habits consistently: Incorporating healthy habits like diet, exercise, and self-care into your daily routine is more effective than sporadic efforts. - Begin with small, sustainable changes: By making small changes at the start like 10-15 minutes of exercise or a 3-minute gratitude practice, you’re more likely to build a sustainable habit. - Plan ahead: Meal planning and scheduling movement breaks can help you stay focused and productive throughout the day. - Hydration is important: Drinking water regularly can improve mental focus and energy levels. - Limit alcohol: Alcohol can negatively impact sleep quality and next-day productivity. - Experiment with different self-care practices: Find what works best for you, whether it's meditation, journaling, or talking to a friend. Remember self-care is investing in your well-being. - Prioritize sleep: Establishing a consistent sleep schedule and nighttime routine can boost energy and focus. - Movement breaks boost productivity: Short bursts of physical activity can re-energize the mind and body. - Certain foods can enhance focus: Blueberries, broccoli, fatty fish, and nuts are examples of brain-boosting foods. Connect with Melissa Mitri Website | Instagram

We all know the feeling of waking up and dreading the day. When you feel negativity early in the morning it can ruin your productivity and sometimes human interactions. That’s why I want to share a simple morning ritual I started using by saying 5 powerful words - gratitude, wisdom, abundance, inspiration, and love. After recently feeling low and depleted, I started intentionally changing the language I use immediately after I wake up. Focusing on concepts like gratitude, love and inspiration before even getting out of bed, has helped me reframe negative thoughts and rekindle my motivation for work. If nothing else it has helped me be in a better mood the rest of the day. Try this and let me know how it turns your day around! Action Plan: When you wake up… 1 - Say the word "Gratitude" and think about the first handful of things you are immensely grateful for. 2 - Say the word "Wisdom" and envision yourself making wise decisions throughout your day. 3 - Say the word "Abundance" and think of the abundant blessings in your life. 4 - Say the word "Inspiration" and reflect on what inspires you. 5 - Say the word "Love" and think about the things that make you feel love. Get in touch with Megan if there is a specific mindset and self-care topics you'd like her to cover. Website | Instagram Resources Coaching and Mentorship for Food Bloggers by Brittany Roche Promote your food blogging services Megan’s recommended books and resources

In episode 558, Megan chats to Carrie Barnard about strategies to create a community on Facebook and how to generate genuine engagement from your followers by asking them what they want and giving it to them. Carrie is a mother to 8 amazing children. She has some biological children and has adopted through foster care. She is a huge advocate for helping others which is how Eating on a Dime was born. With over 3 Million Fans on Facebook and recipe videos with over 100 million views, Eating on a Dime has become a trusted source for easy recipes for the entire family. In this episode, you’ll learn why being flexible in your approach is essential to succeed on Facebook, what type of content is currently doing well on the platform and how to make the most of it to help drive traffic to your blog. Key points discussed: - Build community, not just traffic: Focus on serving your followers and asking what they want rather than solely growing numbers. This builds loyalty. - Ask for content ideas: Regularly ask your Facebook followers what types of posts and recipes they want to see. Deliver this content to maximize engagement. - Experiment with formats: Try different types of posts like photos, videos, questions and collages rather than sticking to one format like curated photos. - Do live videos: Short, casual live videos help build authentic connections and a sense of community through welcoming viewers into your home. - Focus on your page: Put primary efforts into optimizing your business page over managing multiple groups and your page. - Repurpose content: Live videos, hands and pans videos, and other content can be adapted into short Facebook reels and videos for multiple platforms. - Be authentic: Showing your real, imperfect self through videos and posts builds trust and makes content more relatable and human compared to highly polished photos or videos. - Ask for engagement: Prompting comments and questions increases interaction. Auto-responders can help redirect followers to your website. - Adapt to changes: Willingness to change strategies and formats based on trends and feedback keeps content fresh and optimized over time. Connect with Carrie Barnard Website | Facebook

In episode 557, Emily Baksa teaches us how to build an engaged email list and why this is essential for our businesses, especially during volatile times. Emily is a food copywriter and content strategist who uses mealtime to make a positive impact on people and the planet. She writes crave-worthy, conversion-generating copy for food bloggers, CPG brands, chefs, farmers, and other culinary change makers to help grow their businesses. In this episode, you’ll learn practical tips for creating enticing opt-ins, email series showcasing your expertise, providing valuable, personalized content and leveraging testimonials and reader favorites. Key points discussed: - Build email series: Create ongoing email conversations around seasonal topics or your areas of expertise to keep subscribers engaged. - Highlight reader favorites: Share the most popular recipes or content from your site each month to focus on what readers enjoy rather than self-promotion. - Optimize opt-ins: Craft enticing sign-up offers that showcase value to visitors through solutions to common problems or personalized experiences. - Leverage expertise: Lean into your unique knowledge or skills when developing opt-ins and content to form a strong connection with potential subscribers. - Consider quizzes: Interactive opt-in formats like quizzes provide a customized experience that can appeal to subscribers' interests. - Focus on readers: Reframe emails, content and offers from the subscriber's perspective by emphasizing value and benefits rather than self-promotion. - Build relationships: Develop trust and loyalty by communicating regularly with subscribers through a variety of personalized, non-promotional messages. - Own your business: Invest in email marketing to gain more control over monetization and revenue through direct paid offers to your engaged audience. - Think creatively: Don't limit yourself to traditional strategies; explore new marketing channels and formats to take your business in an empowering direction. - Engage subscribers: Keep content fresh through light refreshes while leveraging subscriber data to continuously provide relevant value and keep them involved. Connect with Emily Baksa Website | Instagram

Many of us struggle with anxiety, overthinking and stress. In this episode, I discuss 5 ways for cultivating more mindfulness and reducing stress by being in the present moment. Being happy doesn’t need to be complicated. And we actually don’t need a ton of money, beauty or possessions to feel happy. Happiness can actually be found in simply letting go of our anxiety, overthinking and distractions and really taking in our surroundings - appreciating life and people who support us. But, you’ll need to be intentional about it. Here are 5 ways in which I live in the moment, letting go of distractions and overwhelming thoughts. Action Plan: 1 - Meditate - Sit quietly for 15 minutes a day to get the mind to stop thinking (make it less or more time depending on your situation). This can change your life if you do it consistently. 2 - Get caught up in the fun parts of life - Do enjoyable activities like skydiving, hiking with friends, amusement parks that fully engage you in the moment and prevent worrying. 3- Call out anxious habits - Through self-awareness, identify habits like shoulder tensing or repetitive thoughts caused by anxiety, and gently remind yourself to "change" the habit in the moment. 4 - Spend time in nature - Sitting outside and observing nature can help us feel the present more intensely. 5 - Mindfulness exercises - Simple practices like noticing 5 things you see, hear, feel can help center your mind on the present. Breathing exercises can help as well. Get in touch with Megan if there is a specific mindset and self-care topics you'd like her to cover. Website | Instagram Resources Brand Positioning Coach (Carrie Tyler) Promote your food blogging services

In episode 555, Megan chats to Katie Jasiewicz about the ins and outs of hiring interns to help us with our blogs, covering everything from job descriptions, the hiring process and quality of work delivered. Katie Jasiewicz (jazz uh wits) is a seasoned blogger with almost 15 years of experience. She's known for her popular websites; Katie’s Cucina (a recipe blog) and Sew Woodsy (a craft/DIY blog). In 2014, she transitioned from a corporate marketing job, and turned her passion for food and crafting into a full-time career. She recently launched Easy Seafood Recipes, a niche seafood recipe website. Katie continues to share her expertise and insights from her journey spanning over a decade in the blogging world. In this episode, you’ll learn how to hire an intern either for college credits (i.e. free) or a salary, what tasks to give them, how to train them and whether it’s a viable way to outsource blogging tasks. Key points discussed: - Motivated interns can help lessen your workload: Use a diligent hiring process to find motivated interns that can be an asset to your business. - Start with one intern per semester: Taking on multiple interns initially can be overwhelming, it's best to start small and gain experience. - Research college timelines: Understanding semester schedules at target schools helps post internships at optimal times for recruitment and onboarding. - Students need own equipment for virtual internships: If you’re offering a virtual internship, think through the requirements for students like access to internet and a computer. - Use a detailed contract: Outlining expectations, responsibilities, confidentiality and more through a contract establishes structure and accountability. - Assign tasks on project boards: Use organizational tools like Trello to help assign and track tasks to keep internships on schedule.Provide training and support: Take time to onboard interns through tutorials and regular check-ins. It will help them succeed in their roles. - Leverage an intern's strengths: Tailoring tasks to skills and interests fosters engagement and quality work from motivated interns. - Communicate schedules and allow for flexibility: Allow for life events on both sides to maintain understanding during a long-term collaborative relationship. Connect with Katie Jasiewicz Website | Instagram

In episode 554, Sonia Khosla teaches us several mindset hacks for a happier, more successful life, including how to make small changes over time to create momentum in your business and what to do when things don’t go as planned. Sonia Khosla founded Love Incredible Recipes as a way to share her favorite vegetarian and refined sugar-free recipes. She has a passion for food and making recipes using fresh and healthier ingredients. Love Incredible Recipes aims to inspire people to make fresh vegetarian meals using wholesome ingredients as well as refined sugar-free desserts and snacks. In this episode, you’ll learn why adopting a positive outlook and focusing on serving others can help keep you motivated when things go wrong, especially as you’re starting out in blogging. Key points discussed: - Small, consistent changes can have a big impact over time: Small, consistent changes to habits and routines can lead to significant improvements in mindset and success when done regularly. - Shifting perspective helps maintain a positive mindset: Focus on gratitude, small wins, and how you are inspiring others to help shift perspective away from challenges and towards a more positive outlook. - Community support strengthens food bloggers: Food blogging community is a good example of how to give by helping one another and sharing valuable resources, which benefits all. - Self-defined success leads to happiness: Success can come from inner fulfillment - it’s more important to be happy in the present moment rather than waiting to achieve milestones. - Serving and giving to others is fulfilling: Focus on how you can help and inspire people through blogging to keep yourself motivated like Tony Robbins says, "the secret to living is giving." - Gratitude cultivates abundance: Practice daily gratitude to help shift your mindset towards abundance. - Self-care prevents burnout: Prioritize activities that you enjoy like cooking without limitations, exercise, meditation and unplugging to recharge and maintain well-being. Connect with Sonia Khosla Website | Instagram

Do you ever wonder where your time goes? Do you ever feel completely drained but don’t understand why? It’s probably time to do an audit. I realised the importance of doing regular audits on my life and business a few years back. Like tracking time, energy drains and to do lists. It has made a huge difference. However, in order to make the most of your audit, you need to be prepared to make some life changes. Here are 5 audits that can change your life and practical strategies for how to implement changes to improve your health, income and relationships. Action Plan: 1 - Time audit: Complete at least a week-long time audit and note any discrepancies between perceived vs actual time spent working. 2 - Energy audit: Fill out "gives me energy" and "drains my energy" lists, then take steps to minimize your biggest drains. 3 - People audit: Evaluate your closest relationships by making a list of the 10 people you spend the most time with. Identify anyone on the list that seems to drain your energy. 4 - Calendar audit: Audit your calendar for the next 3 months and remove any items that feel unnecessary or don't align with your goals. Make room for important tasks. 5 - To do list audit: Sweep through your existing to-do list, removing any items that can be deleted, delegated, or postponed. Tackle remaining high-priority tasks. Get in touch with Megan if there is a specific mindset and self-care topics you'd like her to cover. Website | Instagram

In episode 552, Megan chats to Parker Thornburg about his recent experience of buying an existing blog, how it is different to starting a new one and practical advice for succeeding as a blogger regardless of which path you choose. Parker Thornburg worked at Yahoo for 8 years in Omaha, NE. After Parker left Yahoo to enter the startup world, he told his manager of 8 years that he wanted to stay connected and possibly even own a business together someday. That day came in April 2023 when they purchased a food blog, Foodness Gracious, that had been established since 2012. They continue to work full-time jobs while spending all of their spare time trying to grow Foodness Gracious. Parker has an amazing wife of 23 years and three great children aged 18, 16 and 11. In this episode, you’ll learn about which factors you should evaluate before buying or selling an existing blog (or starting a new one), including time, energy, goals, and budget, and making sure your passion aligns with the blog’s niche and target audience. Key points discussed: - Time and energy considerations are important when deciding to buy or sell a blog: How much time and effort is required to keep the blog going and is it worth it? - Passion for the topic is important: Don’t pursue a niche that you do not really feel passionate about. - Know your strengths and weaknesses: Outsource tasks that you feel less confident in and focus on tasks that you are skilled at. - Change the blog design only if it really makes an improvement: Analyze your analytics to know what impact your design had. - Audience engagement must be maintained during transitions: Try to smoothly transition ownership by respecting the previous owner’s vision and followers. - Social media isn't always traffic-driving: You can focus on posting regularly for followers but don’t have to obsess over engagement metrics. - Intentionality helps prevent burnout: To maintain a healthy work-life balance set clear boundaries. Connect with Parker Thornburg Website | Instagram

In episode 551, Lilian Boukheir teaches us how to cultivate a growth mindset in food blogging, by understanding the ups and downs of running a business and the need to focus on progress rather than perfection. The Matbakh is a Mediterranean food blog blending culture and good food. I’m a mom, engineer, psychology grad student, and food blogger. The Matbakh started as a passion project and has since grown into a monetized food blog. In this episode, you’ll learn about developing a flexible mindset instead of a rigid approach to blogging, having compassion for yourself in the face of life’s challenges and why you should keep your wins top of mind. Key points discussed: - Focus on progress, not perfection: Focus on gradual improvements rather than getting stuck in perfectionism. - Build habits for success: Create consistent habits like publishing frequently to grow your blog steadily over time. - Celebrate small wins: Appreciate comments or minor improvements to keep yourself motivated through challenges. - Manage overwhelm with gratitude: Get through busy periods by focusing on what your thankful for in your business. - Overcome self-doubt with action: Start publishing to move past your initial fears instead of waiting for perfection. - Prioritize self-care: Making time for yourself through exercise or meditation to help you show up better for your blog work. - Keep perspective on setbacks: Fluctuations are normal parts of the nonlinear entrepreneurial journey rather than failures. Connect with Lilian Boukheir Website | Instagram

Food blogging is an intense job. This year in particular feels extra turbulent for us food bloggers. On top of Google’s HCU, I’ve taken on some new projects (who remembers that food blogging conference in Denver?) and had to part ways with my VA who’s worked for the business for many years. So I’d like to share 5 steps I’ve been taking to get through this turbulent time. In this episode, you’ll learn about the importance of slowing down and focusing on things you can control when you feel overwhelmed by changes in your space. And remember, self-care and keeping a positive mindset are more important than ever during turbulent times! Action Plan: 1 - Awareness: Ask yourself, what is the source of turbulence and what is in your control? 2 - Plan: Pull out the top 5-10 things you can do this week to minimize your distress. 3 - Delegate: Assign realistic due dates or people to each point on your list to manage the workload. 4 - Action: Do the things on your list and get accountability from others. 5 - Evaluation: Keep an eye on your list and prioritize self-care - remember even if you regain some control, turbulence can resurface, so it’s a continual process. Get in touch with Megan if there is a specific mindset and self-care topics you'd like her to cover. Website | Instagram Resources Content Creation for Food Bloggers (Ella Gilbert) Promote your food blogging services: www.eatblogtalk.com/audioclip Megan’s recommended books and resources at eatblogtalk.com/books.

In episode 549, Megan chats to Jess Saunders about strategies for growing a big Instagram account, emphasizing the importance of consistency, experimentation, and connection with followers. Jess Saunders co-founded Vegan Punks in 2017 in order to show that vegan food is delicious, easy to make and accessible. Prior to this, Jess was the social media lead at the world's first green energy company, is accredited by the Charted Institute of Marketing and social media agency founder. In recent times, Jess has over tripled her Instagram following to over 110,000 using a unique strategy and reel formula that she developed over a number of months. In this episode, you’ll learn how to use Instagram analytics to find content that works, effective hooks that grab attention and whether the timing of your post matters. Key points discussed: - Consistency is key to Instagram success: Post in line with your strategy every day (or on a consistent basis) even when it feels like it's not working to see big results eventually. - Compound small actions over time: Consistency compounds to significant results when maintaining effort on a long-term growth strategy. - Find your niche: The narrower your niche, the easier it will be to find what engages your audience best. - Experimentation is crucial for growth: What is working for other content creators? Trying new content types, hooks and styles is needed to find what resonates with your audience and increase reach. - Analyze engagement metrics: Watch time, saves and comments can reveal what content performs best and where users lose interest to improve future posts. - Consider audience activity times: Posting when followers are online can boost initial engagement and trigger wider distribution from Instagram. - Use hooks to grab attention: Visual and spoken hooks at the start can intrigue viewers and increase time watched, a strong signal to Instagram. - Engage your community: Asking viewers to comment or DM in captions builds relationships and indicates when a recipe is really popular. Connect with Jess Saunders Website | Instagram

In episode 548, Luay Ghafari teaches us strategies for growing a food blog through SEO and social media and why your audience should be your main focus. Luay is a published author, social media content creator, blogger, photographer and gardening educator. Like many other bloggers, he wears multiple hats. Luay is based in Toronto Canada and his gardening/cookbook, Seed to Table, was released July 2023. He also teaches a garden-to-table Master Class. In this episode, you’ll learn about how Luay grew his blog sessions quickly over the last 2 years, including his unique approach to SEO, building a strong social media presence and his emphasis on E-A-T. Key points discussed - Create for your reader while following Google’s guidelines: Focus on building a loyal following through consistent content creation aimed to serve your audience instead of creating for Google. - Streamline recipes for readability and internal linking: Write recipes concisely without unnecessary photos or fluff and link related recipes to boost older posts and improve user experience. - Consider seasonality and content clusters when planning topics: Focus content by season or topic area to provide more value to readers. - Invest in tools and services to help your blog business grow: If you treat your blog as a business, you would invest in audits, keyword research and other paid services to help it grow. - Diversify revenue streams and platforms to weather industry changes: Do not rely solely on one platform or monetization method. - Create unique, shareable content for social media growth: Novel, interesting content is more likely to drive engagement and new followers on social media - what unique twist can you put on your content? - Leverage redirect tools like ManyChat for social traffic: Use automation tools to easily share blog content in response to social media comments. - Continually increase your E-A-T: Promote your qualifications and achievements on your About Page and keep it up to date. Connect with Luay Ghafari Website | Instagram

Burnout. Every time it hits, I act like I’m all surprised. Like, what? How can this happen? Have you ever felt the same? As I’m currently going through a bout of burnout, I want to share 5 ways in which you can recover from it. If there is one lesson I have learned about burnout, it is: Once it happens you can’t undo what has been done. And you can’t rush your recovery. You’ll need to let it run its course. There are ways in which you can help yourself recover quicker. And this is what I’d like to share with you: practical ways to get back on track with your work and prevent burnout from happening again. Action Plan: 1 - Acknowledge when you feel burnt out and surrender yourself to recovery. 2 - Pump the brakes, slow down work, and have grace for the healing process. 3 - Prioritize daily acts of self-care to help with recovery and continue making this part of your routine. 4 - Seek support from loved ones (or professional if needed) by openly discussing feelings of burnout. 5 - Reevaluate your goals and plans to figure out how to prevent future burnout - journal about your main goals for next year and what you need to prioritize now to achieve them. Get in touch with Megan if there is a specific mindset and self-care topics you'd like her to cover. Website | Instagram Resources Ghostwriter – Terrence Roche (terrence@plantpowercouple.com) Promote your food blogging services: www.eatblogtalk.com/audioclip Megan’s recommended books and resources at eatblogtalk.com/books.