Eat Blog Talk | Megan Porta

Understanding black hat SEO vs white hat SEO is an important part of food blogging. - Defining black hat SEO, white hat SEO and grey hat SEO - Avoid falling into the trap - Stick to reliable sources and services - Important SEO strategies to focus on - Transform the bad, old tactics into something valuable and good

We all know that we eat first with our eyes, but what we don't realize is that having a specific style can actually help us cultivate our audience and attract clients. Laura shares her knowledge on the topic of HOW IMPORTANT visual branding is for food bloggers! - What is visual branding? - Why does it matter? - HOW to visually brand your blog. - How to use visual branding to attract clients. - Top tips to leave listeners with a stronger visual brand.

Megan imparts her tricks for reaching an optimal level of productivity as a food blogger: - Be laser focused. - Implement the "little" things that will make a big impact! - Consider your environment. - Work CONCENTRATED. - Do not infringe on work times. - Learn to say NO. - Eliminate distractions. - Fill your mind with quality information. - Plan and schedule as much as you possibly can. - Make the most of every minute of your work day. - Schedule aggressively. - Have backup and mindless tasks ready for down times. - Push yourself to accomplish more because it is POSSIBLE. - Commit to finishing everything you start. - Reward yourself for reaching daily and weekly goals. - Focus on self-care daily, weekly and monthly.

Sophia talks about how to authentically engage on Instagram and how that can help you grow your food blog. - Learn what Instagram wants from its users and also what it has to offer! - Look beyond driving traffic! Instagram has a simple social media personality, so get to know how to effectively interact with other users while understanding what its strengths are. - Learn how to create authentic engagement. - Understand how Instagram can grow your business in a huge and unique way!

Taryn from Hot Pan Kitchen has been a food blogger for a handful of years and shares things she WISHES she would not have focused on when she started out: - Logo/Colors/Website: Define your brand, but don't spend a bunch of money or time on it initially. - Diary-style writing: Include your personality in your writing, but don't make it all about you. Focus on your audience and SEO strategies when writing. - Spending a lot of money on equipment: Use what you have and build from there! Don't let limited equipment keep you from starting. - Backdrops: Go cheap to start until you figure out what you really like. There are a ton of affordable DIY backdrop options! - Choose your courses wisely: Do some research, find out which ones are the most talked about/trusted/recommended. Then pick ONE. To start, focus on photography, Pinterest and SEO.

Alida is one of two creative and brilliant forces behind the popular food blog Simply Delicious. She has figured out a way to plan content six months in advance. This have given her freedom in her personal life and it is has helped her put a system in place that allows her to get content up on the blog 7 days/week (yes, you read that right!). Listen to this incredible chat where we talk about all of the planning and scheduling secrets that will open up a TON of time for food bloggers. Here are few teasers: - Start out small, if needed, but work toward saving up a "bank" of content. - Use scheduling tools and online calendars to plan ahead and stay on track. - Push yourself to create more, but allow space for grace when you don't quite live up to what your calendar asks of you. - Set goals and work backwards, figuring out the smaller steps you'll need to accomplish to get to those goals.

Lauren is both a food blogger AND an attorney and she shares valuable legal advice with food bloggers! - Consult an attorney BEFORE you have legal problems. - It is okay to purchase inexpensive contract templates , but have an attorney review those documents. - Keep immaculate records of every single issue. - Develop a long-term relationship with an attorney you trust. - Work with a great accountant!

Cookbook author and food blogger Jamielyn Nye takes us through the process of going from food blogging to being a published cookbook author: Brainstorm a topic and chapters for the book. Write a proposal. Hire an agent (or directly pitching to the publisher). Select the publisher that is the best fit. Thinking about the process and what you want to hire out. Hiring a recipe tester, ghost writer, photographer, etc are important to consider. Look for an attorney to help go over the contract details. Create a plan of action for how many recipes you will test/make each week. Select a range of recipe testers (based on location, skill level, age, etc.) Have head recipe tester (or someone) edit the recipes based on feedback from recipe testers and adjust recipes as needed. Once the recipe has been fully tested, photograph and edit for final product. Work on manuscript - send first round to editor. Finalize manuscript. Plan the PR and marketing efforts. Book Launch plan. Book launch long term plan.

Elena is a food blogger who has hosted local food photography and styling workshops. To be able to share her passion with a larger audience, she created an online course. The course is meant for both beginner and advanced photographers who struggle to find their style. Elena shares some teasers from her course with us, like: how to find your own personal style, how to dress up ugly food and how to apply color theory to your food photos. Her course covers the following topics: camera gear, settings, natural light, props, composition and styling. There are demos that show exactly how to use the settings on your camera, how to manipulate natural light, how to select and place props in order to get the look and feel you are aiming for. Launching a digital product is a good way to diversify blogging income. If you see a need for a specific resource food bloggers are wanting, fill the gap! Elena is offering a KILLER discount to Eat Blog Talk listeners. Don't miss out on a 70% discount, as well as an affiliate progr

Nurture and build on your creativity to grow personally, to build a thriving food blog and to connect with others in your community. Get out of the way of yourself so you’ll be ready to explore what your creativity can grow into. Channel your creativity so you don’t become the reason you can’t be your best self. Also, avoid withdrawal, jealousy, anxiety, bitterness and depression because it will limit you. Learn to cultivate your creativity personally and professionally.

Every food blogger has different needs. To be effective as a team, it's important to communicate and work through questions and needs so that the food blogger and VA know what to expect and what they are getting. Some bloggers find it really hard to trust someone with their blog and social media. But by hiring a VA to do a specific task, it allows you to do what you enjoy doing - creating! When hiring a VA - strive to hire someone you trust and that you have a good rapport with. Ask a lot of questions and don't be afraid to manage your VA - your blog is your business! It’s important to understand that VAs, while having a wide knowledge base may not be experts in certain areas. Identify the areas you are looking for help with. Do you need an extra pair of hands to complete recipe cards? Do you need to rewrite posts? Do you need reshoots? Do you want to grow a certain media channel? It may not be the same person who can handle all of these things - ask questions and ask for references. If you find a good VA, ke

Find extra time in your week! Meal prep is the secret to unlocking time to do what you love. - Meal prep can have a huge positive impact on your time, finances and personal goals. - If you want to have more time to create content, film and edit videos or not feel so rushed then meal prepping is for you. - To start, pick the one meal time you don't have time to cook or struggle with making healthy choices at. - Don't try to do too much in the beginning; start small and build on your skills. - Pick one day to get your prep done, then grocery shop and knock it out! But be smart, don't try and do too much on one day. Break it into multiple sessions if needed. - Get creative and plan ahead! Are you blogging about lasagna and a soup? Try meal prepping those recipes then enjoy the extra time you have to photograph it during the week. - Meal prep is meant to be a tool to help you not stress out. Find and define what works for you.

In this episode we discuss food blogging and mental health, specifically depression, and ways to keep a grip on your job while enduring tough times. Determine what your triggers are so you can address them before they overtake you. Make time for yourself for 20-30 min a day - exercise, read, any self-love, etc. Let organization become your norm and say goodbye to “living by the seat of your pants." Let technology work FOR you and still have easy access to all your work. Learn to use and live by a flexible calendar - built-in with to-do’s and required down time to deal with mental health. Learn to batch work each week making and photographing anywhere from 2-4 new recipes. This allows for you to be productive even when a bout of depression hits. Make connecting with others a priority so you’re not alone - through groups, conferences, and using social media to highlight real life struggles so you don’t feel so alone. Ask for help and don’t try to do it all!

Working with, Approaching, Pitching and Negotiating with Brands with Alyssa Brantley-- Working with, approaching, pitching and negotiating with brands you know and want to align with. Learn how to know which brands are a good fit for you. Learn how to find their contact info and know that you are talking to the right person. Remember - don't take it personally. There’s a lot of people that want the brand companies attention. You must know your value and be realistic. Stay on top of your deliverables and contract terms if you want to develop long-term partnerships. Do the work for the brand (or agency). Make their job easier and you will be more appealing. Don't work for free.

How to Rebrand Your Food Blog with Cassie Heilbron from Cook It Real Good-- Learn how to know when rebranding is a good idea and when it's not. Know how to open up your niche and give yourself room to grow and explore. Channel your energy to accomplish a lot for yourself and readers on your blog - your blog title reflects who you are so you should like it. Utilize available tools and other professionals to help you grow personally and professionally. Work with other technical experts in the fields to accomplish necessary technical work. Know it’s possible to rebrand. You can turn the train around with some hard work and results will come!

Raising a Blog and a Family with Melissa Erdelac from Mama Gourmand -- Be comfortable with your own growth rate - you set the standard for yourself and it’s different for everyone. Create a set "work week" for yourself with blocks of time in the day where it is possible to work and other blocks for personal time. Then stick to that schedule. Establish a routine and work that needs to be accomplished on specific timelines. Educate your family that this is your job and then own it. Actions are better than words and you need to remain consistent. Make continuing education a priority in your field - webinars/podcasts are great for home based learning Include family in the business - they are your built in support Acknowledge you need help and be open to hiring a VAs for facebook scheduling, Pinterest, sharing with groups, promoting a post, web designer to add graphics or make edits to blog It’s important to invest in yourself - equipment that saves time helps. Sponsored work - seek Influencer websites rather than

Building Community Within the Food Blogging Industry for Optimal Success with Abbey Rodriguez from A Butter Half-- Learn how to build community within the food blogging industry for optimal success (and the importance of self-care and wellness). Learn to use what is called the 5 Pillars of Health framework. Learn how Connection is one of those 5 pillars, and how it is imperative that you network and collaborate for your emotional well-being, as well as for your business. Learn the stages of moving from independence to interdependence, which is an endlessly fascinating topic, and falls in line with success in this field. Learn to self-care and know how wellness play a role in success.

About Eat Blog Talk with Megan Porta from Pip and Ebby-- The debut Eat Blog Talk episode details WHY this podcast and what value food bloggers will gain from listening. We’ll cover all the hot topics that will add value to your food blog and we will also dive deep in ourselves to repair issues that are keeping us from being the best food bloggers we can be. Eat Blog Talk: check out our website to get all of the latest information on upcoming guests, past guests and so much more!