Eat Blog Talk | Megan Porta

In episode 356, Megan chats to Bita and Beata about leveraging your blog for new opportunities using podcasts. Bita Arabian and Beata Nazem Kelley are two food bloggers who co-host the podcast, Modern Persian Food. Bita / Beata means ‘unique’ and in the podcast the duo share their unique approach to cooking and eating Persian food and how to incorporate the rich flavors and fresh ingredients into today’s modern lifestyle. Both started out working on their individual blogs and then teamed up to launch their podcast with which they’ve been nominated for awards and reached amazing milestones. In this episode, they discuss how they’ve used their blog niche to create a unique podcast with great potential to grow their business and to stay connected to their audience. - Podcasts is an extension of your blog.  - It offers a different way to stay connected. - What kind of opportunities can you expect by starting a podcast? - Audio is about inspiring others and being inspired. - Using audio, you can share a combinatio

In episode 355, Megan chats to Jodi Danen about pivoting away from focusing on clients to working for yourself. She delves into the advantages of dedicating all your time to your own blog and some of the drawbacks of making that shift. Jodi is a registered dietician and founder of Create Kids Club, a food blog for easy gluten-free kids meals and family meals. She is also the author of Super Simple Cooking for Kids. In this episode, Jodi talks about knowing when to pivot away from focusing on client work to focusing on reaching your own goals. While clients are a good way to start earning an income, eventually if you want to grow your blog, you need to decide which way you want to go. Find out when is the right time and what are the main considerations when you make this shift. - It is important to decide: What is your goal? - Financially, is it viable to shift away from client work? - Burn out is possible when balancing client work and your own blog. - You can always keep some clients for additional income. -

In episode 354, Megan chats to Kay Ratford about the benefits of SEO tools and how to use them to build organic traffic quickly. Kay runs the UK-based food blog Flawless Food with her partner Luke. They started over 2 years ago and, using SEO strategically, they’ve grown their blog to over 600k page views a month, of which 365k is organic traffic. Kay and Luke started off with doing brand work but soon discovered that it was possible to make money by posting your own recipes. The key was: Understand SEO and do keyword research. Kay unravels her SEO journey, explaining which tools she uses, which keyword statistics she pays attention to and other SEO tips to grow your traffic within a short timespan. - If you want to make a recipe, is it being searched for? - In which region should you try to rank for? - Could you rank for something that you shouldn’t be ranking for? - If you add additional key words, your chances of ranking increase. - Batch cook recipes according to keywords for a food category. - You don’t

In episode 353, Megan chats to Melinda Keckler about how to establish a strong brand identity and why building brand affinity with our audience is so important in order to have a successful blog.  Melinda is the founder and photographer behind the blog Crinkled Cookbook and has been blogging since 2019 while juggling a full-time marketing job. She is applying her vast experience working in marketing and brand strategy to help grow her food blog. Eager to share her expertise, she explains what is meant by brand identity and marketing, busting common false beliefs around both topics. She then lays out easy steps to build a strong brand identity using marketing effectively so we become a recognised, trusted and loved authority in the food blogging space. - Be ready to play the long game to build brand identity and affinity (your Google analytics won’t change overnight). - How much do logos and fonts define your brand identity? - Brand lives in the experience our readers have - why will they remember your blog? -

In episode 352, Lauren LeBlanc teaches us how to make money doing SEO-focused ghostwriting for other food bloggers. Lauren is the creator of the blog, Lauren from Scratch, where she focuses on how to make savory recipes from scratch using high-quality ingredients and teaches readers how to make restaurant-worthy dishes in their kitchens. Working as a physician assistant by day and food blogger by night, Lauren realized that initially while she was growing her blog, she could make money by doing SEO-focused ghostwriting for other food bloggers. In this episode, she walks us through the process in five steps to get started and flourish, earning additional income. - Understand what are reasonable blogging rates. - Increase your level of professionalism using templates and checklists. - What is the key to retain clients and grow your client base? - Tips to organize information for your clients for seamless interaction. - Balance your client’s voice and keywords for SEO . - What are SOPs and why can this make all

In episode 351, Megan chats to Jessica Burgess about how to focus more on doing what is working and select blogging strategies that help us grow. Jessica is a lifestyle blogger whose mission is to add simplicity to our busy lives. She focuses on easy recipes for people on the go and, having started in 2011, she shares her passion for blogging and knowledge of the field by helping other bloggers grow too. In this episode, Jessica explains how to avoid getting caught in trying too many blogging strategies and how to focus on the ones that work, using analytics and other indicators as guide posts. - Be selective about trends. - Use real-time traffic to find out what works. - Which statistics should you pay attention to? - Be flexible to change when necessary. - Invest time in the social media platforms that work for you. - How to interpret blogging RPM (revenue per mile) - The impact of tracking your income - what’s coming in and out? Connect with Jessica Burgess Website | Instagram

In episode 350, Megan chats to Alyssa Brantley about the process of writing a cookbook and how it can reenergize your creativity for blogging. Alyssa is the author of I Don’t Want to Cook Book and her cooking philosophy is whole foods that take half the time, meaning just because you’re busy doesn’t mean you shouldn’t eat great. She applies this philosophy to her popular food blog, Everyday Maven, where she shares seasonal whole food recipes that are packed with flavour made in minutes with easy shortcuts. Her work has been featured widely in magazines such as Gourmet and Real Simple. In this episode, Alyssa shares tips for making the process of writing a cookbook manageable and enjoyable. - Can you remove your biggest hurdle to writing a cookbook? - What elements can you change to make your cookbook unique? - If you do everything, you can’t do anything to the best of your ability. - Which tasks can you hand over to someone else? - Think strategically about the ingredients and instructions for your recipes. -

In episode 349, Megan chats to Sam Adler about how she built a 6-figure food photography business in 4 years, touching on everything from finding clients to pricing and offering unforgettable value. Sam is a professionally trained pastry chef and creator of the baking blog, Frosting & Fettuccine. She is also a professional food photographer who, within a year of starting, got her first client. In addition to regular clients, she has a range of food photography courses to help photographers find their unique style. In this episode, discover how to find your first client, put yourself out there, negotiate valuable partnerships and develop a remarkable style to set you apart from other photographers. - Deal with the fear of a new venture. - Client-getting strategies - how to get the right clients. - Should you be persistent while reaching out? - What to do when brands approach you as potential clients. - Get paid what you’re worth. - Tips for pitching and how to retain clients. Connect with Sam Adler Website

If you are a food blogger who can relate to any of the following challenges, this episode is for you! You feel like you are spinning your wheels constantly. You're working harder than ever, but never seem to get anywhere. You feel isolated and alone and unsupported in the work you do as a blogger. That "next level" feels so hard to reach and you're not even remotely sure about how to get there. Either you don't have clearly defined goals or your current goals seem unattainable. You don't have a clue what projects are relevant and where your focus should be. The 2023 Eat Blog Talk Mastermind program is opening enrollment and could be the solution to your challenges! Inside this episode you will hear from current members who have seen transformations happen in their business after being in this impactful group. To achieve your goals faster than you ever thought possible, apply for the 2023 Eat Blog Talk mastermind program at: https://eatblogtalk.com/2021masterminds/

In episode 347, Megan chats to Aimee Pruett about time management tactics to help you grow your blog when you have limited time. Creator of Food Banjo, Aimee is a food blogger by night, marketing manager by day and a mother of 2 small kids. Regardless of her busy schedule, she has been able to scale her blog’s sessions monthly, going from 10K to over 80K over the past year by using her time wisely. In this episode, she shares her top time management tips that have helped her grow her blog exponentially while still fulfilling her other commitments. - If you don’t have a lot of time, what should you lean into? - Tips for optimizing old content. - Priotizing your responsibilities - Recipe testing tactics to save time. - Time efficient ways to do food photography. - How to find free hours to accomplish your goals. - Timely ways to learn new skills. Connect with Aimee Pruett Website | Instagram

In episode 346, Eric Samuelson teaches us how to rank for non-recipe posts and why this content is often easy to create and valuable as it  attracts new readers to our blogs.  Eric has been blogging since 2009 and, as the creator behind Eat Like No One Else, he teaches his readers how they can enhance the way they eat through specialty food and ingredients and how to use it to make the most amazing food at home. As someone who is passionate about finding the right ingredients, he talks about ways to write about your passion on your blog and why an experimental mindset is beneficial in the long-run. Find out how you can share your knowledge and expertise alongside recipes to help you rank on Google. - What expertise do you have that might generate interest? - Non-recipe posts take less time. - ‘How to…’ posts are a great way to share your knowledge.  - Check which posts you rank for and create roundups for them. - Think of the problems people might encounter with popular recipes. - Keep a balance between writi

In episode 345, Megan talks to Jenna about which trends to look out for in Q4, 2022. They explore topics like maximizing Web Stories for explosive traffic, gaining extra revenue from Pinterest and buidling rewarding communities with Facebook Groups. Jenna is the creator behind The Urben Life, a food and lifestyle blog where she shares allergy-friendly recipes and travel guides. She started blogging in 2016 and, as someone who is eager to help others, she was drawn to the community aspect of it. She realized there’s a need for more transparency in the creator space and went on to provide bloggers and influencers with resources and tools they can use to thrive. Use this episode to decide which trends to spend time on and how you can accelerate your blog growth and earn more in Q4. - Be strategic (i.e. seasonally relevant) about what you are posting in Web Stories. - Explosive traffic comes from what is most likely to be viral. - PinTV creates a space to share your recipes directly with your audience. - Repurpos

In episode 344, Megan chats to Cheryl Norris, creator of Bakes by Brown Sugar, about why we should treat our blog as a business from the beginning, the importance of SEO and investing in yourself. Engineer by day, baker by night, Cheryl has been a food blogger since 2018. Passionate about the science of baking and eager to share delicious recipes of our favorite desserts, she launched her blog not realizing how much work it takes. What started as a hobby, she quickly decided to treat it as a business and invest in herself, always learning something to improve her content for her readers. In this episode, you’ll hear Cheryl's key tips on where to focus and what to do to grow your blog quickly from the start. - Ask yourself: What is your audience looking for? - Prioritize SEO and keywords - it’s a crucial element of success. - Once you start creating for the user, you start caring for the user. - If it’s a really popular recipe, post it anyway. - Invest in courses, conferences and other additional learning. - P

In episode 343, Tyanne Johnson teaches us how to self-publish a cookbook in 45 days. She walks us through every step she took from what’s essential during market research to how a book launch team can help you and tips for book promotion. Tyanne is food blogger and recipe developer at Cooking with Tyanne, specializing in easy, flavourful recipes using basic ingredients anyone can find no matter where they live. She started food blogging in 2019 and after switching from Wix to Wordpress, she decided she needed a product to go with her new website. In this episode, she shares how she published a cookbook, Deliciously Fresh Freezer Meals, in under 45 days right after graduating from college in 2021.  - Use a database of recipes that work. - Survey your audience to check if your product resonates. - Have an ebook and hardcopy version. - Create a publishing schedule. - Find the right publisher from the start. - Gather a launch team to help with feedback and promotion before your book launch. - Don’t aim for perfec

In episode 342, Megan chats to Madison Wetherill about how to get the most out of Gutenberg blocks in order to streamline our blogs and make them fast and easy to navigate. Madison is a food blogger turned web designer at Grace & Vine Studios. She helps clients’ make their website and brand stand out from the crowded food blogging space. She also hosts the Vine podcast for food bloggers looking to increase their impact and connect with their dream audience. In this episode she demystifies Gutenberg blocks and explains why it allows you to customize different pieces and sections of your content. In turn this simplifies how you build your website to streamline updates and make it noticeable and easy to navigate. - Use the Gutenberg editor to have certain sections of your blog pop out. - Create a template or blogging outline to give you a head start. - Reusable blocks are templates that contain information that you want to reuse. - When used well, reusable blocks can educate your reader and provide helpful c

In episode 341, Allea Grummert teaches us how to segment our email list so that we can send tailored content to our subscribers and get higher conversion rates and earn more revenue. Allea is the founder of Duett where she works as an email marketing strategist and conversion copywriter. She helps online business owners make a killer first impression through automated welcome and nurture sequences that engage readers, build brand loyalty and optimize conversions for sales and site traffic. In this episode, find out which strategies to use to segment your email subscriber list and why this will help you sell your product or service more easily by identifying the different interests of your subscribers. She highlights clever ways of approaching our mailing list for maximum benefit to our online businesses. - With the right email subscriber strategy we can achieve our business goals. - Serve your readers better, send them more relevant content using segmentation. - Increase the chances of them engaging with your

In episode 340, Megan chats to Courtney Paige about how to turn your blog and the community you build into a full-time job. She explores different sources of revenue and shares her strategy for social media growth and negotiating brand sponsorships. Courtney is a freelance food photographer and founder of A Page of Positivity, a healthy delicious food blog. She used to work full-time as an interior designer while dedicating the rest of her time to blogging. She started on Instagram sharing beautiful pictures of food as part of a recovery process from an eating disorder. In 2020, she discovered food blogging as a way to create a space to call her own. Now she is able to make most of her income from Instagram in a positive way, leveraging her online audience as she collaborates with brands. In this episode, find out how she transitioned into blogging and built a large, engaged community on Instagram, enabling her to become a full-time food creator. - Be transparent about your pricing. - Explore different source

In episode 339, Dalya Rubin, creator of It’s Raining Flour, teaches us how we can attract potential clients from the blogging community, helping other bloggers grow. This can in turn provide us with a rewarding additional source of income from the start of our blogging journey. Dalya runs a gluten-free blog and works as a recipe developer, food photographer and trained chef in New York City. She creates food content for brands and bloggers while exploring everything the Big Apple has to offer for foodie creators. Dalya is especially passionate about recipe development for other food bloggers and in this episode she shares how she markets her passion to generate additional revenue for her business. Find out how to market yourself, attract clients and what to focus on first to stop yourself from feeling discouraged.  - What are you really confident in or do you have a niche speciality? - Make sure you know who you are reaching out to. - Narrow down the search (i.e. look up recipes that you’re interested in and

In episode 338, Megan chats to Kathleen Pope about starting a food blog late in life, a mindset for a new, exciting and successful career and how to keep motivated. Kathleen especially encourages us not to give up until we start reaping the fruit from our hard work. Kathleen transitioned into food blogging after running her own product marketing and development business for non-profit organizations. Since 2017, she shifted her focus to her passions of cooking and hospitality and runs the blog, The Fresh Cooky, which now has over 500 recipes. She encourages families to get together, make healthier food choices and invite others to the table. In this episode, she explains the advantage of becoming a food blogger later in life, including having less inhibitions to try something new and more resilience to keep going. - Find a career that allows you to schedule your life the way you want. - The older we are ,the less inhibited we are to try and fail until we succeed. - If you say you can’t, it really means you won

In episode 337, Megan talks to Sue Ringsdorf about starting a food blog as a second chapter in life and seeing blogging from a different perspective. It is not only about making money but also the legacy you leave behind. Sue started Sue Bee Homemaker on her 50th birthday after wondering for several months what her next phase in life would be. With a soon-to-be empty nest, she wanted to find a new passion to invest her time in and was encouraged by several friends’ to start a blog. Sue’s cooking is inspired by her mother and now she helps make other people feel comfortable in the kitchen, learning new recipes to nourish and treat their families without breaking the bank. In this episode, she unpacks common feelings that hold us back from starting something new, regardless of our age (e.g. imposter syndrome) and why despite those obstacles you can succeed. - We are often held back by comparing ourselves to others. - Can you succeed doing your blog your way? - Define your primary goal for your blog. - Recognise