The Food Blogger Pro Podcast

Welcome to episode 42 of the Food Blogger Pro podcast! Today, Bjork interviews Clotilde Dusouiler from the popular food blog Chocolate & Zucchini about running a bilingual blog. Many of our Food Blogger Pro members reign from places all over the world where English might not be the primary language. This presents a bit of a difficult decision for these bloggers - what language should they use to blog? Clotilde from Chocolate & Zucchini decided to not even make that decision a while back. Instead, she chose to blog in both languages, and today you’ll find both an English and a French version on her long-standing website. In this episode, she talks about why she blogs in both languages and what that looks like from a process standpoint, as well as how she manages to stay relevant after being in the blogging game for over a decade. In this episode, Clotilde shares: What she does as a food trend consultant Why she decided to write her blog in multiple languages How she prepares posts for both English and

Welcome to episode 41 of the Food Blogger Pro podcast! In this episode, talks with Barry Moore, an expert in email marketing. Have you ever received an email and thought, “Wow! That was just what I needed to hear right now. How did they know?” To put it simply, whoever sent that email to you at the exact time you needed to hear it is practicing something called Ninja Email Marketing, and it’s definitely something you want to get familiar with real quick. In this episode, Barry Moore from TheActiveMarketer.com talks about some ninja techniques for email marketing and how they can change the way you see your website visitors and customers - and how they see you. In this episode, Barry talks about: What it means to be an “active marketer” Why it’s a good idea to be sending emails out regularly What the different types of emails are How advanced email marketing services track your subscribers How you can use tags to send emails to the right people Where new bloggers should start with email marketing How you can

Welcome to episode 40 of the Food Blogger Pro podcast! In this episode, Bjork interviews a couple podcasters about… podcasting!   Most of the time when we talk about food media, we immediately think of food blogging. We are Food Blogger Pro, after all! However, there definitely are other mediums out there that are just as effective at reaching your potential audience, and one of these is podcasting. Allison & Suzy started their Food Heals podcast less than a year ago and are already helping people, reaching their ideal audience, and finding huge success in the podcasting arena. They’re also making money at it. In fact, Allison & Suzy started to monetize their podcast from day one. Listen in on this episode to learn how they’ve created such great success and made podcasting a part of their business. In this episode, Allison and Suzy talk about: Their top tips for getting healthier today How they made their passion into a podcast What tools and software they use How many episodes you should have ready

Welcome to episode 39 of the Food Blogger Pro podcast! In this episode, Bjork talks with Lindsay (yes, that Lindsay) about online jealousy.   There’s a big green monster in the room and no one really wants to talk about it. That monster is Jealousy, and it’s something every one of us experiences from time to time. Jealousy can be difficult to overcome, and it can even ruin you day if not controlled. Lindsay recently experienced this when she saw someone had made a video similar to one she was in the process of making. Once she realized what was going on, she took a step back and decided to think about some techniques she could use to overcome this jealousy. She took those thoughts and put them into words in a blog post on Pinch of Yum. Because this is such an important topic, Bjork asked if Lindsay could come on the podcast to talk a little more in-depth about the 12 different techniques you can use to overcome online (or offline) jealousy. In this episode, Lindsay talks about: Why unfollowing people isn’t b

Welcome to episode 38 of the Food Blogger Pro podcast! In this episode, Bjork talks about 7 strategies to build traffic for your for blog. When it comes to making a business out of your blog, there is one thing that can have a really big impact: traffic. We get asked all the time about things that you can do to help grow your traffic. There are the easy, well-known tips, like putting each post on social media and submitting your recipes to FoodGawker. But there are also some things you can do that aren’t as simple or intuitive that can make a really big difference, and that’s what Bjork is talking about today. In this episode, Bjork talks about: How offering your content to influencers can increase sharing Why you should become an influencer yourself How to use Google Analytics to guide your content How linkable content can build your internet clout How to create content for specific platforms How to learn more about different platforms without becoming an expert on them Why you need to create a lot of conte

Welcome to episode 37 of the Food Blogger Pro podcast! In this episode, Bjork is talking with renowned food stylist Delores Custer about how food styling has changed through the years,   Delores Custer has been in the food styling game for a long time - she even worked with Julia Child in her day! So, she’s seen a lot come and go in the world of food styling, and she’s here to tell us all about it. In this episode, Delores talks about: How she made the jump from elementary education to food styling How to write a good recipe How food styling has changed over the years What she thinks made Julia Child really special How artificial light can sometimes be better than natural light Some tips for styling specific foods, like a cheeseburger Her essential tools for styling Her advice for getting started in the field of food styling. See the show notes and enter to win the book at foodbloggerpro.com/37.  If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to podcast@foodblogger

Welcome to episode 36 of the Food Blogger Pro podcast! Today, Bjork is talking with Becky Brown, a lawyer by day and food blogger by night, about copyrights, trademarks, and other legal stuff that surrounds blogging.   Becky Brown is an attorney for the Department of Homeland Security, and she has been for a rather long time. She started her food blog as a way to document what she did in her free time - namely, cooking! However, as she got more and more involved with her blog she realized that there were legal implications for some of the things she did online. She also realized that there wasn't a good resource for bloggers that explained these legalities and and helped people navigate through them. So, she and Liz Vaysman got together and put together an ebook specifically for bloggers that describes everything you need to know about the legalese of blogging in plain, easy-to-understand English. The ebook is called Think Like a Lawyer, Blog Like a Pro and helps bloggers avoid legal pitfalls that can otherwi

Welcome to episode 35 of the Food Blogger Pro podcast! Today, Bjork is talking about Facebook with Stephanie Keeping from Spaceships and Laser Beams (i.e. the coolest blog name ever). I know that title seems really outrageous and like a big, fat lie. But Stephanie actually did that in 2015. At the beginning of the year, she had a Facebook following of ~50,000 people, and by December she was up to 500k - a 10x increase. This exponential gain in followers didn't just happen. Instead, Stephanie made the conscious decision to focus on Facebook and use it to leverage her blog. Her dedication to this one goal has massively grown her blog traffic, her income, and her ability to do what she loves full time. In this inspiring episode, Stephanie shares: What her blog Spaceships & Laserbeams is all about Why she decided to focus on Facebook even after failing at it for a while Where she learned about tactics to grow her Facebook audience How she uses the "Watch Page" feature to keep tabs on similar pages Why she fo

Welcome to episode 34 of the Food Blogger Pro podcast! Today, Bjork is talking with Richard Westley Wong and Sara Bartus - a food photography and styling team based out of Minneapolis, MN. If you've ever dreamed of leaving it all behind and starting a brand new career in food photography or food styling, then this episode is for you! Both Sara and Richard started their professional careers in totally different fields - but they both landed in the creative space of food photography. Now, they work together as a team, shooting both editorial content and banner shots for large companies. So, how did they get to where they are today? Listen in to find out! In this inspiring episode, Richard and Sara reveal: - How they left their corporate jobs and started new careers in food photography and styling- The equipment Sara just couldn't do without- Why they're getting into video- How they feel abut used camera equipment- What their respective jobs actually do to get the perfect shot- Whether the food in their shots ar

Welcome to episode 33 of the Food Blogger Pro podcast! This week, Bjork goes solo as he talks about the Pinch of Yum redesign. If you frequent the Pinch of Yum website at all, you may have noticed some big (and small!) changes lately. While the general feel of the website is the same, things are certainly different. The change is the result of a complete theme switch on Pinch of Yum, and today Bjork takes this podcast hour to talk about it. He starts off with some background info and metaphors of The Matrix (whaaaaat?), and then gets into some new things you'll be seeing around POY. Sit down, grab a coffee and a pen, and get ready to hear some great stuff! In this solo journey, Bjork talks about: What Bjork & Lindsay are hoping to do with the POY redesign (hint: you might be able to buy this!) Why the internet is actually a real-life version of the matrix How links form the backbone of the internet Why "committing to the long term" isn't just a buzzphrase What design has looked like for Pinch of Yum over

Welcome to episode 32 of the Food Blogger Pro podcast! This week, Bjork talks with Mark Doust about buying and selling established websites. Most of you probably aren't thinking of selling your website right now. But even if you aren't, knowing what makes a website "sellable" can really help you in the future if that day ever does come. Mark Daoust has made his living by helping people buy and sell websites since 2007, and he's become a go-to expert in the field. Lucky for us, he decided to come on the podcast today and tell us everything he knows - well, as much as he can in an hour! In this really educational interview, Mark shares: The difference between selling profitable vs. non-profitable websites Why having a "personal" approach to your website can limit sellability How you can transition from a "personal" website to a more general one when it comes time to sell The 4 factors that contribute to a sellable business How diversifying income and traffic sources can lower your website's risk The simplest &

Welcome to episode 31 of the Food Blogger Pro podcast! This week, Bjork talks with Erin Clarke from Well Plated about rebranding her food blog. Back when Erin started her blog, it wasn't called Well Plated. Instead, it was called The Law Student's Wife - and that's because 1) she was a law student's wife, and 2) it wasn't necessarily about food. But after blogging under that name for a while, she decided that she loved posting recipes. And unfortunately, the name of her blog just didn't fit any more. So, she made the really tough decision to rebrand her blog, and she did it! But it wasn't all rainbows and unicorns, though. There wasn't much info about the process of rebranding out there, so she had to go at it all on her own. In this episode, Erin shares what she learned along the way, and her #1 resource for learning what it takes to rebrand your blog. In this amazing interview, Erin shares: Why she started a blog and what it was all about When she was able to go full-time with her blog What made her decide

Welcome to episode 30 of the Food Blogger Pro podcast! This week, Bjork interviews a member of the Food Blogger Pro community, Nick Evans from Macheesmo! Many of you listening to this podcast right now know Nick Evans from the Food Blogger Pro community forums. Nick is always a voice of inspiration, motivation, and encouragement to other members on the forum. What you might not know is that Nick has been doing this blogging thing for quite a long time - 8 years to be exact! And in this interview, he shares some really great realistic tips for maintaining a blog over the long term. In this great interview, Nick shares: What it was like to be on the Food Fighters cooking show What he thinks the "next big thing" is for food blogging How he got started with making videos for Macheesmo How he manages to keep on top of everything he does His secret to blogging for the long term (over 8 years!) How he turned his hobby blog into a business His experience using Blab to connect with his audience How he decides which p

Welcome to episode 29 of the Food Blogger Pro podcast! This is a special edition of the FBP podcast featuring... you guessed it! Bjork and Lindsay Ostrom. It's always so interesting to hear about the stories people have with their blogs - when they started, how they got going, what keeps them inspired. However, it's pretty rare to get a full breakdown of all the phases that the blog and the blogger(s) went through from day 1. Usually the stories talk about the beginning, and then the present. But today, Bjork and Lindsay sit down together (literally) and talk about the 4 distinct stages Pinch of Yum went through up until today. It's just so interesting. And if you listen alllll they way through to the end, they also have some cutesy married-couple moments that I distinctly decided not to edit out. It's adorbs. In this peek back in time, Bjork & Lindsay share: What the first year of blogging was all about for Lindsay What she would have done differently when they started Pinch of Yum Her advice for those

Welcome to episode 28 of the Food Blogger Pro podcast! We are starting the new year off strong with a podcast all about optimizing your blog so that you can show up higher in search results. Last week on the podcast, Bjork interviewed Ali Maffucci from Inspiralized. They talked about how she built a really strong brand in a really specific niche, and how it worked out really well for her. She now even sells her own physical product! To go back and listen to that episode, click here. How to Boost Your Blog’s SEO SEO can sound like a really scary acronym - what does it even mean, and how can I make it work for me?! But fear not, because even though it can be pretty complex to master, it can also be pretty easy to get started with. Casey Markee from Media Wyse specializes in boosting SEO for food blogs. He kind of fell into this niche by accident, and by now has worked with 50+ bloggers to help them rank higher in search. In this interview, he and Bjork talk about some of the really quick and easy things you can

Committing to a Niche and Building a Brand Welcome to episode 27 of the Food Blogger Pro podcast! This is the last episode of 2015 - crazy! This week on the podcast, Bjork is talking with Ali Maffucci from Inspiralized! When most bloggers start out, committing to a specific niche can seem scary - we don't want to turn anyone away from our new blog! However, finding a small niche that you are really passionate about can help propel your blog into success. Ali Maffucci has certainly found a small niche with Inspiralized. She posts recipes that all use a spiralizer, and she loves it! She's been featured in many magazines, has her own product to sell, and has really captured the love and attention of fellow spiralizers. In this inspiring interview, Ali shares: Why she decided to start a blog all about spiralizing How she got the Inspiralized name out there with "self PR" How she approached her brand even when it was just getting started Her advice for creating and selling a physical product How she stays organiz

How Pinterest Analytics can Boost your Blog Welcome to episode 26 of the Food Blogger Pro podcast! This week marks the 6th month anniversary of the FBP podcast - so exciting! We’ve learned so much in the last 6 months, and we’ve really loved sharing it with all of you. Thank you thank you for being our loyal subscriber! This week on the podcast, Bjork is talking with Kate Ahl from Simple Pin Media about Pinterest! For most bloggers (myself included), Pinterest Analytics are really just used as a comparison tool - how the blog did this week versus last week. However, Kate from Simple Pin Media specializes in digging deep into Pinterest Analytics to really see what works - and then she coaches her clients on how to use that information to grow their blogs. In this insightful interview, Kate shares: What Pinterest is and how it is used How Pinterest out-performs other social media channels like Facebook and Twitter How to get your pins to show up higher in search What the difference is between a user account an

How to Connect with Influencers Welcome to episode 25 of the Food Blogger Pro podcast! This week, Bjork talks with John Cocoran from Smart Business Revolution about connecting with influencers. Growing your blog can be tough - aside from all the cooking, photographing, and writing, you also have to figure out how to get your name out there. John Cocoran argues that connecting with influencers and growing your relationships with them can be one of the best ways to get your name out there. So how do you do it? Listen in as John shares his personal experiences with networking, his best tips to meet influencers, and why you should rank peoples' importance from a business standpoint. In this grounding interview, John shares: What an influencer is and why they are important to your business How providing content for others helped him grow his business Why you should give more than you get to grow relationships How to identify the people you should be getting in contact with Why you should be using lists in Twitter

How to Find Balance in Blogging I am SO excited about this week's episode because it goes over some really important things that I think all bloggers need to hear. This week, Bjork talked with Ali Ebright from Gimme Some Oven about finding balance in the busy world of blogging. We all know what it feels like to feel totally overwhelmed about all the things we "need" to do - and excel at - as bloggers. First it's cooking, then web administration, and photography, then social media, Twitter parties, monetization, writing... and the list goes on! But in today's episode, Ali shares her best advice for bloggers - and it includes slowing down and taking some time for yourself. In this grounding interview, Ali shares: How she stumbled upon the idea for a blog & got started What motivated her to keep blogging when she didn't even know she could make money with a blog Her tips for white photography When she quit her job to be a blogger full-time, and how long she thinks she'll be doing it What she does to continu

Building a Team for Your Online Business Welcome to the 23rd episode of the Food Blogger Pro podcast! These numbers are getting pretty big... in just 3 more episodes that means we'll have been making podcast episodes for half a year! So crazy. On to the episode! This week, Bjork had a conversation with Melissa Lanz, the CEO and founder of The Fresh 20, a meal planning service. They talk a little bit about what her business does, and a LOT about how her business does it. Melissa Lanz wasn't always an entrepreneur. In fact, she started out as a "miserable, but comfortable" corporate worker making well over $100k per year. So she started her own business - and it grew to the point that she simply couldn't do it all on her own. So, she hired some help. And in the years since, she's become a master at hiring, firing, running her online business, and helping others do the same. In this awesome interview, Melissa shares: What her husband said that helped her change her direction in life to pursue her own business H