Eat Blog Talk

In episode 431, Megan chats to Shanika Graham-White about how to incorporate videography into our businesses and why it is essential in today's video-focused social media world. Content creator and recipe developer, Shanika, is part kitchen 'ninja' and connoisseur of interior decorating (hence her passion for beautifully staged food photos and videos). She is a self-taught cook and baker, who has partnered with top brands like Ripple Foods, So Delicious Dairy-Free, Vitamix and California Olive Ranch, to be the source for comfort food and sweets, with a healthy twist. She desires to help others turn the 'little' that they have into something magical - great food. On her blog, Orchids + Sweet Tea, you will find traditional dishes using organic ingredients as well as dairy-free, gluten-free, and vegan versions of your old and new favorites. In this episode, Shanika talks through her videography workflow, equipment and tips for creating captivating videos. - How to best transition to videography in a video focused social media world. - Translate food styling/photography into the space of videography. - The new age of food blogging and the need for social media AND SEO. - The best equipment to get started in food videography (for the novice and expert). - How to manage content creation, using techniques like batching. - Avoid trends and "burnout" in the new video age. Connect with Shanika Graham-White Website | Instagram

In episode 430, Jaimee Campanella teaches us how to take back control of our time to meet our goals and lead balanced lives. Jaimee Campanella is a time strategist and productivity consultant who mentors and guides parents, professionals, and entrepreneurs to take control of their time. She is the creator and principal facilitator of the Time Power program which gives people the essential tools and strategies to avoid overwhelm and tame chaos to regain control of their time for good. In this episode, you'll learn more about how our mindset about time is crucial to make sure we set the right priorities, focus on what we love and block time off. - How do you overcome limiting beliefs around time? - Free yourself of the time scarcity mindset by changing the way you speak about it. - How can you feel in control of your time? - Why do bloggers struggle with time management? - What are common time management mistakes and how can we solve them? Connect with Jaimee Campanella Website | Instagram

In episode 429, Megan chats to Samantha Erb about how she grew her Instagram account to more than 82K followers mainly using reels. Samantha is the busy woman behind Everyday Family Cooking for the last 4 years. She began the blog in the summer of 2019 and worked her way through COVID growing the blog while being mom to two small kids at home. Since then, Sam has grown the site tremendously along with her Instagram account to 82.5K mainly using reels. In this episode, Sam shares her Instagram growth strategy in detail, including how she edits her videos, if and how she chooses trending sounds and how she uses captions to her advantage. - What do you gain from building a community on Instagram? - What kind of videos do well? - Repurpose your existing videos to create a bank of reels. - How to pick sounds that will give you more views. - How to select hashtags (including volume). - What determines if a reel will do well once it's posted. - What videos/recipes will work best (niched, curiosity, ooey gooey, over the top etc). Connect with Samantha Erb Website | Instagram

In episode 428, Ty Kilgore teaches us the 5 biggest mistakes food bloggers make in their SEO journey. Ty Kilgore has been geeking out on SEO and Digital Marketing for over 14 years. He loves getting results and has successfully increased rankings for over 150 major sites in over 40 industries. He founded Everything Digital Marketing in order to share his passion and to clearly instruct, guide, and help influencers overcome the frustrations related to SEO and Digital Marketing. In this episode, you'll explore SEO tips for food bloggers, especially how to avoid the biggest SEO mistakes food bloggers make and how to optimize your page for the right keywords. - Bloggers tend to copy and model the wrong examples for their blog. - Why is domain authority crucial for your SEO strategy? - Write for your end user in mind. - What is your unique point of view? - How do you avoid optimizing your page in the wrong way (putting the wrong keyword everywhere)? - How to leverage internal and external links. - What is the number 1 tip for SEO success? Connect with Ty Kilgore Website | Instagram

In episode 427, Megan chats to Joanne Stekler about lessons she learned as an academic and how she has applied those to grow her blog. Joanne is a lifelong baker, but it wasn't until 2020 when she was stuck at home with her elementary school child, that she started baking and cooking with a purpose. You'll find recipes on the Ugly Duckling Bakery blog that she makes for her family, ranging from 30-minute weeknight meals to more complicated weekend cooking, baking projects made from scratch, and classic cocktail variations. Joanne hopes to share some of the science and history, tips and tricks to understand how and why recipes work, and enough foundation so that readers can start to create their own recipes. In this episode, Joanne explains how she balances life as a doctor with food blogging, the lessons she learned from academic medicine and why they are relevant to food bloggers. - Your path is your path - avoid comparing yourself to others - Accept that nothing is ever going to be perfect. - Persistence pays off, but you can't just rely on hard work. - Why is self-promotion critical to success? - Be open to learn, even from someone who has less experience than you. - How do you deal with having too much to do? - Understand the importance of saying 'no'. Connect with Joanne Stekler Website | Instagram

In episode 426, Alexandria Drzazgowski teaches us how to keep track of our blog content and it repurpose easily using AirTable. Alexandria Drzazgowski is the food blogger behind The Foreign Fork, a project where she is cooking a meal from every country in the world. After backpacking to 15 countries in Europe and taking cooking classes in each one, Alexandria decided to take her project of cooking-around-the-world home with her. She started her blog in 2018, and to date has cooked over 400 recipes from over 85 countries. The Foreign Fork has been featured in Buzzfeed, The Detroit News, and Elite Daily and is the recipient of the Saveur Blog Award for Most Groundbreaking Voice. Most importantly, Alexandria is proud to have helped over 5 millions readers across the world Put Some Culture in their Kitchen. In this episode, you'll learn about repurposing content and efficient ways of organizing and keeping track of your blog content using AirTable. - Why should you repurpose content? - How to develop a system to repurpose content. - Why does AirTable make repurposing content easy? - Different ways to use AirTable to organize and repurpose blog content. - How to start getting your AirTable setup. - How long should you wait before you repurpose content on the same platform? - Tips for sharing content across social media platforms. Connect with Alexandria Drzazgowski Website | Instagram

In episode 425, Megan chats to Ally Kepley about how to maintain a healthy relationship with Instagram and our mobiles devices. Ally is a home baker who grew up baking with both of her grandmothers since she was little. Ally started creating her own recipes at age 11 or 12 and was on a roll through becoming a stay at home mom. She decided to create a recipe website a little over a year ago out of a desire to bake full time and have more freedom and time with her son. Ally's blog is catered towards those who want to make elevated recipes that are approachable to anyone. In this episode, Ally reveals how she improved her relationship with Instagram while growing her blog, including setting boundaries regarding how much time she spends on the app, when and how she posts and responds to comments. She also shares personal growth techniques to help keep you on track with your goals. - Why is Instagram like a "toxic boyfriend"? - It is hard to keep up with Instagram's algorithm changes in a sustainable way. - How to make a real plan to deal with the challenge of delayed gratification? - Personal growth tips to help set healthy boundaries. - Keep the big picture in mind while taking steps to reach your goals with your blog. - Why do we become addicted to our phones? - Use your time wisely and practice gratitude. Connect with Ally Kepley Website | Instagram

In episode 424, Matt Briel teaches us several ways to use a book as a growth tool for our business and how to go from idea to published author. Commonly described as equal parts loud music, Disney culture, tattoos, and book nerd, Matt Briel is an entrepreneur and the Vice President of Marketing & Communications at Lulu.com. After more than 15 years leading Sales and Marketing teams in the Media & Publishing spaces, he's developed a unique passion for helping creators become more successful by leveraging books as a catalyst for opportunities and sustainable revenue. In this episode, you'll learn more about the benefits of publishing a book or cookbook, including how it can help build your brand and provide you with more business opportunities. - Publishing a book is the best way to build credibility and increase visibility. - What are the advantages of being a published author? - A book is an alternative way of monetizing your content. - Create a physical touch point for your digital community. - Is self-publishing or traditional publishing better? - Having a published book helps you land speaking gigs. - What is Lulu and how can it benefit food bloggers who want to publish a book? Connect with Matt Briel Website | Instagram

In episode 423, Megan chats to Nicole Liloia about being burned out as an entrepreneur, how we can avoid it, including tips for building multiple income streams efficiently. New Jersey-based Nicole Liloia is a small business coach and strategist. Over the course of her 9 years in this business, she has helped over 500 service providers build their businesses and diversify their income streams through her signature Bigger Business Bootcamp and Grow Your Income Mastermind. Her Facebook group supports over 10,000 entrepreneurs by giving them real, unmatched support and resources to get to that next level in their business. In this episode, you'll find out what causes burn out, how to be more productive without exhaustion and why multiple income streams can help us avoid burnout. Nicole further shares tips for how to decide which income streams are right for you. - We thrive on being busy. - Even if you love your work, working all the time leads to burn out. - How can entrepreneurs alleviate burnout? - Why do entrepreneurs need multiple income streams? - How do you decide what income streams are suitable for you? - What does your audience struggle with that you can provide a solution for? - If you outsource tasks, you can get time back. - Are you scheduling your day effectively? - Spend time on what is going to bring in money in your business. Connect with Nicole Liloia Website | Instagram

In episode 422, Lauren Sawant teaches us how to think like an editor and incorporate editing techniques into our blog and cookbook writing. Lauren Sawant is a freelance editor specializing in cookbooks, recipes, and food writing. She has worked in and adjacent to the food and beverage industry for over 15 years, including three years as a pastry cook. She has been a freelance editor since 2021. In this episode, you'll learn more about different editing techniques, when you should hire an editor, in depth guidelines for editing content yourself and what writing mistakes to look out for. - What does a cookbook and recipe editor do? - Benefits of incorporating editing techniques into your brand. - Tips for editing social media and website copy. - Become familiar with common missteps in recipe writing. - How to "work like an editor". - What is a style sheet and what are the benefits of creating one? - What should you know about hiring an editor? - Red flags to look out for when you're looking for an editor to work with. Connect with Lauren Sawant Website | Instagram