Eat Blog Talk

In this episode, we're going to talk about 5 strategies to be more consistent in your business in order to achieve more faster. One of the things that have really served me well in my business is consistency. Consistent effort, even in small steps, leads to significant achievements over time. I help many food bloggers during planning calls on a monthly basis. What I find is that the ones who are consistent see results quicker than the ones who are not. If you are struggling with consistency and feel frustrated, the good news is you can teach yourself to be more consistent. Here are my top 5 strategies to improve consistency. Action Plan: 1 - Identify your "why": Knowing your deeper motivation and emotional drivers can fuel your consistency in business. 2 - Track your time: Analyzing how you spend your time can reveal opportunities to improve efficiency and create more space for consistency. 3 - Implement systems: Developing predictable workflows and automating tasks can help you stay on track and free up mental energy. 4 - Seek accountability: Having someone or a group hold you responsible for your goals can push you to maintain consistency. 5 - Celebrate your wins: Acknowledging your progress, both big and small, can reinforce positive behaviors and keep you motivated. Get in touch with Megan if there is a specific mindset and self-care topic you'd like her to cover. Website | Instagram Food Photography by Kristina Cadelina Promote your food blogging services Megan's recommended books and resources

Food photographer, Dyutima Jha, interviews Megan Porta about how to grow your business, becoming more successful, without working more hours. Originally published on Dyutima's podcast, My Food Lens. Dyutima is an architect-turned commercial and editorial food photographer and podcaster based in Singapore. She is the first South Asian woman to host a food photography podcast, My Food Lens. After 15 years as an architect, designing healthcare facilities around the world, she found her passion in food styling & photography. Today, she has a successful business working with clients around the world and teaching other photographers how to do so as well. In this episode, you'll learn about powerful strategies to improve your mindset, increase productivity, and achieve better results in your food blogging businesses without burning out. Key points discussed: - Acknowledge the power of your mindset: Your mindset is a crucial factor in achieving success, and it's often underrated - recognizing the impact of your thoughts and beliefs can be a game-changer. - Uncover and rewrite limiting beliefs: Many of the beliefs that hold you back are unconscious - identifying and rewriting these limiting beliefs can open up new possibilities for success. - Focus on the positive: Where you focus your energy and attention will determine the outcomes you experience - shifting your focus to the positive can attract more positive results. - Embrace change: Change is inevitable in business, and having a mindset that accepts and adapts to change can help you thrive during challenging times. - Avoid comparison and persistence: Comparing yourself to others can lead to discouragement and quitting too soon - focusing on your own journey and persisting through setbacks is key. - Start small and build confidence: Stepping out of your comfort zone can be daunting, but starting with small, manageable steps and gradually building up can help you become more confident and brave. - Prioritize self-care and productivity: Taking care of your physical and mental well-being, as well as implementing effective time management strategies, can significantly boost your productivity and success. - Create a nurturing work environment: Designing a comfortable and inspiring workspace can positively impact your mindset and productivity. If You Loved This Episode... Listen to Megan's interview with Dyutima Jha - Episode 540: How to Keep Readers on Your Page By Bringing Powerful Storytelling to Food Photos Connect with Dyutima Jha Website | Instagram

In episode 606, Megan chats to Kris and Katie Kimball about their journey with The Blog Fixer, a service that helps WordPress bloggers automate technical tasks. Kris Kimball is a software developer who left the corporate world of banking in 2015 to start the Blog Fixer. His company helps thousands of WordPress bloggers like his wife Katie automate the boring technical stuff so they can focus on what they love. Kris and Katie are full-time online entrepreneurs raising 4 kids, and they love hiking in the mountains and hate home improvement projects. In this episode, you'll learn about the common fixes for bloggers' sites and how Kris and Katie stay on top of relevant information to serve food bloggers' businesses. Key points discussed: - Automate tedious technical tasks: Chris Kimball developed The Blog Fixer plugin to help his wife Katie automate the process of adding no-follow attributes to hundreds of links on her blog, Kitchen Stewardship. - The plugin makes permanent changes to blog content: Unlike other plugins that only make changes on load, The Blog Fixer makes permanent changes to the blog's content, ensuring the fixes remain even if the plugin is deactivated. - Stay up-to-date with SEO changes: The Blog Fixer team continuously monitors SEO best practices and updates their fixes to ensure your blog remains compliant with the latest recommendations. - A wide range of fixes: In addition to the no-follow link fix, the blog fixer provides solutions for internal redirects, link targeting, and other common technical issues faced by bloggers. - Primarily suitable for experienced food bloggers: The Blog Fixer's services are particularly valuable for food bloggers with extensive content archives, as it can efficiently address technical problems across a large number of posts. - The Blog Fixer offers a white-glove service: The blog fixer team handles all the installation, configuration, and optimization of their plugin, so you don't have to worry about the technical details. - Connected to the blogging community: The team actively listens to their clients' needs and develops new fixes to address the evolving challenges faced by food bloggers. - Deals with custom fixes: In addition to their standard fixes, The Blog Fixer is also capable of providing custom solutions to address unique technical problems on your blog. Connect with Kris and Katie Kimball Website

In episode 605, Nikki Rausch teaches us how to close more paid partnerships by having a strategic follow-up plan and focusing on relationships. CEO of Sales Maven, Nikki Rausch has the unique ability to transform the misunderstood process of "selling". With 25+ years of selling experience, entrepreneurs and small business owners now hire Nikki to show them how to sell successfully and authentically. Nikki has written 3 books, all available on Amazon. And she has a podcast called Sales Maven which you can find on your favorite podcast platform. In this episode, you'll learn about effective strategies for landing and securing brand deals, including how to leverage existing networks, create curiosity, and recognize buying signals from potential sponsors. Key points discussed: - Identify your target sponsors: Make a list of the people/brands you want to work with as sponsors. - Leverage your network: Identify who in your network knows someone at the companies you want to work with, and ask them to make introductions. - Use your advocates: Make a list of your biggest advocates and ambassadors who could potentially make introductions on your behalf. - Create curiosity: When speaking with potential sponsors, ask strategic questions to pique their interest and get them engaged in the conversation. - Invite next steps: Before ending a call with a potential sponsor, schedule a "circle back" call to review any proposal or answer additional questions. - Focus on the relationship: Treat sales as a conversation and focus on building relationships, rather than just trying to make a sale. - Recognize buying signals: Learn how to identify buying signals, such as questions from the potential sponsor, that indicate their interest. - Follow up strategically: Don't chase clients excessively, but leave the door open and schedule follow-up calls when appropriate. Connect with Nikki Rausch Website | Instagram

In this episode, we're going to talk about 5 steps to overcome the fear of investing in our business to avoid stagnation and foster growth. Have you ever come across a business investment that you really needed? It could've been a mastermind group, a business coach or maybe a new camera for better photography. But when you considered the financial cost, you were hesitant. Maybe you thought it could wait or you need to be making more money before you can spend anything on your business. However, if all you do is wait for the perfect moment to invest, you might be missing out on significant revenue growth and something that could take your business to the next level. I've been there! Here is how I mastered the mindset for making the right business investments. Action Plan: 1 - Pinpoint the investment and related concerns: Pinpoint the specific investment you want to make and the associated concerns, such as getting a return on investment or hiring a reliable coach. 2 - Gather information from trusted sources: Educate yourself and sleuth by reaching out to your trusted network of peers, such as a mastermind group or online communities, to learn about their experiences with various programs and individuals. 3 - Trust your intuition: Even after gathering data, you should lean into your intuition to guide your decision-making process, as your gut feeling can be a reliable indicator of whether an investment is right for you. 4 - Assess your budget: You should carefully evaluate your budget to ensure the investment is financially feasible, even if it means getting creative and making adjustments to accommodate the investment. 5 - Be willing to take the leap: Once you've checked all the boxes, you should confidently take the leap and make the investment, knowing that the right investments can ignite explosive growth in your business. Get in touch with Megan if there is a specific mindset and self-care topic you'd like her to cover. Website | Instagram

In episode 603, Megan chats to Amy Angelli leveraging E-E-A-T and creating a robust About Page to significantly boost blog traffic. Amy founded The Copper Table in 2019 to share recipes that minimize processed ingredients with a focus on cooking in season and cooking from scratch using fresh produce. She wanted these recipes to be for people who are busy and often don't have a lot of time to spend in the kitchen, but want great meals that make them feel good after a busy day. She lives on a small island in Washington state between Seattle and the Canadian border in a richly agricultural area that provides a lot of inspiration and recipe ingredients! In this episode, you'll learn about how Amy tripled her traffic during Google's HCU as well as strategies for effective interlinking, crafting compelling opening paragraphs, and shifting mindset around recipe creation and keyword research. Key points discussed: - Update your About Page regularly: Continuously revise and expand your about page to showcase your expertise, authority, and trustworthiness as your knowledge and experience grow. - Link to your About Page conversationally: Incorporate links to your about page in a natural, conversational way within your recipe posts to guide readers and signal your authority. - Establish expertise in the opening: Dedicate the first 1-2 paragraphs of your recipe posts to clearly establishing your expertise and authority on the topic. - Address specific pain points: Focus on addressing specific pain points or needs that your recipe solves for the reader in the opening paragraphs. - Leverage your personal experiences: Incorporate relevant personal experiences, family history, or educational background that demonstrate your expertise in the niche. - Interlink strategically: Develop an interlinking strategy that connects your recipe posts to other relevant content, categories, and your about page to showcase the depth of your knowledge. - Prioritize helpfulness over metrics: Shift your mindset to focus on being a helpful, one-stop resource for your readers, rather than solely chasing traffic volume or low competition. - Continuously expand your expertise: Consider taking additional classes, courses, or pursuing other opportunities to deepen your knowledge and skills in your niche. - Maintain a positive mindset: Adopt a mindset of focusing on the present and not worrying excessively about future changes, as each day brings its own challenges. If You Loved this Episode… You'll love Episode 428: 5 Biggest Mistakes Food Bloggers Make In Their SEO with Ty Kilgore - this episode is referenced in Megan's conversation with Amy. Connect with Amy Angelli Website | Instagram

In episode 602, Petranka Atanasova teaches us how to grow rapidly on Instagram, sharing the strategy that she used to gain over 100,000 followers in just four months. Petranka is an ex-professional chef turned food blogger and content creator! She shares easy vegan and vegetarian recipes for busy people who are beginners at plant-based cooking. In this episode, you'll learn Petranka's strategies for creating engaging reels and developing a successful content series that resonates with her audience. The episode also covers the mindset shift Petranka underwent to achieve this rapid growth and provides practical tips for food bloggers looking to expand their Instagram presence. Key points discussed: - Establish authority: Use a strong hook at the beginning of your videos to immediately establish your expertise and credibility with your audience. - Prioritize visual appeal: Start your videos with movement or an eye-catching visual to capture viewers' attention in the first few seconds. - Provide digestible value: Deliver information and tips in a simple, easy-to-understand way, avoiding overwhelming your audience with too many details. - Experiment with content: Try different video styles and formats to see what resonates best with your audience, then duplicate the successful ones. - Maintain consistency: Develop a posting schedule that works for you, even if it means reducing the frequency, to ensure you can sustain your content creation. - Leverage analytics: Use Instagram's analytics to determine the best times to post for your specific niche and target audience. - Build a supportive network: Surround yourself with a network of peers and mentors who can provide feedback and encouragement to help you grow. - Shift your mindset: Focus on providing value and engaging with your audience, rather than solely chasing views and follower counts. - Keep clips concise: Aim for short, fast-paced video clips to maintain viewer attention and keep your content dynamic. - Embrace the journey: Trust that the path will become clear as you take action, rather than trying to have everything figured out from the start. Connect with Petranka Atanasova Website | Instagram

In this episode, we're going to talk about why entrepreneurs experience fear of success and 5 steps to overcome this type of fear. It's crazy to think that as business owners we can be afraid of our own success. There are a number of reasons why this happens. You may be questioning wether you're worthy of success, wether you'd be able to keep up with success or how people may perceive you. Sometimes there are legitimate reasons to hold off on a project that could lead to greater success. Other times, it's you making excuses. Here are 5 steps to work through your fear of success. Action Plan: 1 - Identify your excuses: Recognize the excuses you've been making for not achieving your goals, as these may be masking deeper fears of success. 2 - Examine your excuses: Critically analyze your excuses to determine if they are valid or simply cover-ups for underlying issues. 3 - Uncover the real issue: Dig deeper to identify the true reason behind your reluctance to pursue your goals, which may be rooted in a fear of success. 4 - Rewrite your narrative: Reframe your story by replacing negative, self-limiting beliefs with a positive, empowering perspective on the potential outcomes of your success. 5 - Take action: Once you've addressed your fears, take concrete steps to move forward and achieve your goals, as inaction will only perpetuate the cycle of fear. Get in touch with Megan if there is a specific mindset and self-care topic you'd like her to cover. Website | Instagram Madison Wetherill's Web Design Services Promote your food blogging services Megan's recommended books and resources

In episode 600, Dan Porta - Megan's husband - interviews his wife about her food blogging journey, what it takes to succeed and why she started her podcast, Eat Blog Talk. Dan and Megan have been married 18 years and have two boys. Dan works in the travel industry and enjoys driving the family in their RV, going sky diving and being a hand model for his wife. He fully supports having a fabulous food blogger in the family and does so very well. In this episode, you'll learn about Megan's journey from starting her food blog, Pip and Ebby to creating the Eat Blog Talk podcast and community. Dan interviews his wife about the challenges and triumphs of food blogging and running a business in general, as well as valuable lessons for aspiring and established bloggers alike. Key points discussed: - Longevity is key in food blogging: You need to see food blogging as a long-term game, requiring patience and consistency, even when faced with industry changes. - Develop essential qualities for success: The top three qualities Megan recommends for aspiring food bloggers are patience, flexibility/resilience, and a willingness to learn and adapt. - Leverage your unique personality to build your brand: According to Dan, what makes Megan's blog and podcast stand out is her personality. - Prioritize time with family: Megan and her husband value the schedule freedom they've achieved, allowing them to prioritize quality time with their children. - Recognize and address burnout: Dealing with burnout in a timely manner (and ideally preventing it) is essential to maintain a sustainable business and personal life. - Embrace the power of community: Megan was able to build a supportive community, both through the Eat Blog Talk podcast and the various mastermind groups she has created. - Leverage your partner's support: Megan credits her husband's unwavering support as a key factor in her ability to pursue food blogging and launch the Eat Blog Talk podcast. If You Loved this Episode… You'll love Episode 400: Why Did I Start Eat Blog Talk, Exciting Blogging Developments & How to Set Healthy Boundaries with Megan Porta - where Megan gets interviewed by Taryn Solie, her community manager. Connect with Pip and Ebby Website | Instagram | Facebook

In episode 599, Tammy Overhoff teaches us how to create a stable income stream by selling digital products instead of relying exclusively on SEO and ad-revenue. Tammy Overhoff is a seasoned food blogger and digital product expert who began her journey in 2011 with the Organize Yourself Skinny blog. She empowers busy women to lead healthier lives through eBooks, digital guides, and courses. In 2023, Tammy expanded her business with Reset & Flourish, offering digital products and a meal prep membership site. Despite numerous Google algorithm updates, her focus on digital products has kept her blog successful. Tammy also launched Tasty Digital Eats to support food bloggers transform their recipes into digital products and build stable businesses. In this episode, you'll learn more about how Tammy overcame a devastating traffic loss due to a Google algorithm update and transformed her business by focusing on digital products. Discover strategies for creating, marketing, and selling digital products that resonate with your audience and provide a stable income stream. Key points discussed: - Diversify your income: Create digital products to reduce reliance on volatile traffic and ad revenue that's subject to Google updates. - Solve problems for your audience: Focus on creating products that address specific needs or help achieve goals - ask your audience, don't guess! - Repurpose your content: Transform existing blog posts and recipes into valuable digital products. - Nurture your email list: Build a strong community to effectively market and sell your digital products. - Start with small wins: Begin with simple products like meal plans or ebooks to gain confidence and momentum. - Learn from your audience: Use email statistics and social media feedback to identify popular topics for products. - Create a system: Develop a consistent process for creating, launching, and selling digital products. - Bundle your offerings: Combine related products to increase value and boost sales. Connect with Tammy Overhoff Website | Instagram