Eat Blog Talk

In episode 401, Marta Rivera Diaz teaches us how to be an authentic ally as a content creator, helping under-served individuals in thoughtful and genuine ways. Marta Rivera Diaz is a formally trained chef with more than 25 years of cooking and baking experience and is the chef and author behind Sense & Edibility®, her "online culinary school." Marta created Sense & Edibility® to encourage advanced and novice cooks alike, to explore- and succeed at executing culinary fundamentals, techniques, and cuisines never before explained or introduced to them. As a bi-racial woman, who grew up and married into the military, and one who lives with a disability, Marta is a staunch advocate for under-served communities, especially in the food space. In this episode, you'll learn more about how to stand up for equality, diversity and inclusion in your field of expertise. - When you want to be inclusive and consider diversity, look beyond yourself. - How can you be a better, considered person online? - Don't limit creators' abilities based on their racial and gender characteristics. - How to respond to someone's suggestion for your own content? - Find someone to openly ask about what is potentially offensive to them. - Be careful when you are writing about a certain culture in your content. - Provide recipe hacks in a sensitive way to people with disabilities etc. - Write exciting Alt Text for your images. Connect with Marta Rivera Diaz Website | Instagram

Megan gets interviewed in episode 400! Eat Blog Talk's community manager, Taryn, asks Megan a list of personal, mindset, entrepreneurial and food blogging questions sent in by her listeners in this AMA episode. Megan started her food blog Pip and Ebby in 2010 and food blogging has been her full-time career since 2012. Her passion for blogging has grown into an intense desire to support fellow food bloggers so they have access to the information, insight and community that accelerates their paths to achieving desired freedoms. In this episode, you'll learn more about Megan's experience as a seasoned food blogger. She'll share what is she most excited about for the future, what hasn't changed in blogging throughout the years, the impact of AI, life-changing resources for entrepreneurs, scary long-term goals and keeping a healthy balance between working hard and taking time off. - Why is getting into podcasting a huge opportunity for bloggers? - What is unique about Pinterest in the blogging space? - The benefits of AI for food bloggers. - What is the best way to find a business mentor? - Tips to get started with freelance work. - It's important to set clear boundaries for yourself to keep a balanced life. - Tips for starting a food blogging podcast. Connect with Megan Porta Website | Instagram

In episode 399, Megan chats to June Albertson-Dick about the blogging lessons she learned the hard way and how new bloggers can avoid her mistakes. June started Practically Homemade in late 2017 as a way to share her love of making simple recipes spectacular. For years June had owned and operated a cake decorating business and deli in her hometown before becoming a high school culinary teacher. It wasn't until June of 2021 that she stepped away from 8 years of teaching young adults to cook to make Practically Homemade a full time job. June truly believes that we don't have to spend hours in the kitchen to make amazing food that everyone will go crazy for. In this episode, you will find out how to create a great brand from the start, the importance of consistency and SEO and social media strategies for Pinterest. - Pick the right name for your blog. - Consistency sets you apart from other bloggers. - Make your pins for Pinterest distinctive. - SEO is essential if you want to make enough money to go full-time. - Is it hard work to be a successful blogger? - Think about how to write for your reader. - How many pop ups are too many? - Don't compare yourself to others, keep focused on your own journey. Connect with June Albertson-Dick Website | Instagram

In episode 398, Megan chats to Lee McGuire about how she grew her Instagram account to over a 100k followers in one year using mostly reels. Lee is the creator, photographer, recipe developer and writer of the gluten free food blog, Lane & Grey Fare. There, you will find gluten free and allergy-friendly food that is as decadent, savory and as rich as other food, while still being simple enough to make in your own home. As a mother of two children with celiac disease and multiple food in a way that's entertaining and helpful. One of the ways she does this is by making beautiful and tantalizing reels on Instagram. In this episode, you'll find out how she grew her account from 19k followers to 144k in one year. She also shares how her strategy has impacted traffic going to her blog. - Should I post every single day? (including weekends) - Spend time to engage with people who engage with your content. - Engage with our followers' accounts. - Is there a correlation between the amount of IG followers and my website traffic? - Shorter videos perform better (a few seconds). - Is it worth posting longer videos? - Post at your key times (preferably twice a day). - Advice on using hashtags for reels. - Does quality matter? Connect with Lee McGuire Website | Instagram

In episode 397, Megan Gonzalez teaches us how to use PDFs and video to quickly grow our email list. Megan Gonzalez is the knitter behind Nurture Knitwear, and she strives to create a chic casual style for modern women. At Nurture Knitwear, they are focused on empowering women to carve out a little creative space for themselves to learn, to find peace and satisfaction, and to refill so that they can keep pouring out into the lives of those we love. In this episode, Megan shares her journey in becoming a knitting blogger and how she used PDFs to double her email list by offering knitting patterns. She also explains how she uses video tutorials to get more email subscribers and boost her page views. - Use PDF printouts of recipes as an opt-in for new email subscribers. - PDFs can generate interest on other platforms too, like social media. - How to use video tutorials as an opt-in to build your email list. - Videos give a more personal touch point and therefore a deeper connection. - Where do you embed the videos so that only subscribers can view them? - Videos can boost your page views. - Offer something of real value to your audience. - Share your content in a natural way, especially in social media groups. Connect with Megan Gonzalez Website | Instagram

Food blogger and SEO expert Marley Braunlich discusses different ways to leverage AI writing tools like ChatGPT for food blogs, including speeding up writing processes, using AI for social media captions and email marketing, and editing AI-generated content to give it a human touch. They also explore the impact of AI content on Google ranking, and the future of AI writing tools for content writers and bloggers.

In episode 395, Megan chats to Cynthia Christensen about ways to deal with and overcome our limitations while growing our food blogs. Cynthia is a professional baker and cook who has transitioned to running a breakfast and brunch focused blog. She also does freelance recipe development for larger online magazines, runs private chef events, and does occasional food photography. In this episode, Cynthia motivates us to find ways around our limitations which can be anything from work or family responsibilities to health or mental challenges. She shares examples from her own life, how she achieves her blogging goals despite physical limitations and being comfortable with taking days off when she needs it. - Limitations stand in your way or slow you down when blogging. - Create an appropriate goal sheet that will help you manage life obstacles. - Be kind to yourself when you can't get everything done. - Give yourself a day off when you need it. Zero guilt for self-care. - Be careful not to compare yourself to others on social media. - Talk about what you're going through to help manage your emotions. - Assume the answer is yes and embrace new opportunities. Connect with Cynthia Christensen Website | Instagram

In episode 394, Jules Grasekamp teaches us how to create a roadmap for success, based on lessons she learned during 10 years of building her own baking business. Jules, a dessert blogger from Scotland, started her own bakery at age 16 and she ran that for 10 years before selling up and moving to Canada. After a few years of working as a business coach, Jules realized she missed working with food, so she purchased a camera to share her recipes on her blog - Bonni Bakery. Now, Jules shares accessible recipes using real and simple ingredients to help people create professional quality desserts in their own kitchens. In this episode, you'll learn how to set an end-goal for your roadmap to success, how to create a realistic action plan that will help you get there and tips for tracking your progress. - Start by thinking what do you want your business to look like in 3, 5 or 10 years? - What your business looks like will determine what your life will look like. - It's possible to dream big and achieve your goal. - What are the achievable, daily tasks that will help you reach your end-goal? - Make an action plan according to those tasks. - Implement SMART goals to help you accomplish all your tasks? - What do you do when you have to skip daily tasks (i.e. illness, emergency)? - Be realistic when you set goals, take into consideration your weak spots. - Find the best tool for project management and goal-tracking. Connect with Jules Grasekamp Website | Instagram

In episode 393, Megan chats to Chrissy Carroll about nutrition considerations for bloggers, especially within the wellness niche, and how to provide the best healthy recipes. Chrissy Carroll is a Registered Dietitian and the creator behind Snacking in Sneakers, where she shares food and fitness tips for active women – especially runners and triathletes. After growing her main site to more than 100,000 page views a month, Chrissy has gone on to launch several other successful websites like Build a Wellness Blog. She is passionate about helping other dietitians grow profitable websites, sharing helpful blogging and social media tips. She also runs an online course teaching bloggers how to create content that ranks higher and drives more traffic. In this episode, you'll learn which sources to trust when it comes to nutrition advice, how to check the accuracy of nutrition information you provide and understanding key dietary terms before you use them. - Be careful with giving advice when it comes to nutrition. - Collaborate with a registered dietitian. - Always include a disclaimer when you provide wellness information. - When recipes are vegetarian / vegan? - What to consider if you're developing gluten-free or dairy-free recipes? - Know the difference between the terms sugar-free and no-added sugar. - Ketogenic diet is sometimes used to manage epilepsy. - Should you mix different types of dietary recipes on your blog? - Can you trust nutrition card calculators? - Food safety tips. Connect with Chrissy Carroll Website | Instagram

In episode 392, Jen Talley teaches us how to use checklists effectively to optimize our workflows for blogging. Jen grew up eating dinner with her whole family every night. In 2006, Jen moved across the country for college and she found a love for cooking and experimenting with new recipes. When Jen graduated, she had 3 kids and became a stay at home mom. Many years later, Jen finally got the courage to start a food blog and she now loves following her passion for food. Jen is really enthusiastic about this job and wants to share her love of blogging and productivity tips with others. In this episode, you'll find out how to simplify your blogging workflow, using checklists for before you write a blog post, while publishing a post and the after publishing your recipe. - Checklists are useful for beginner and seasoned bloggers. - Divide your checklists into pre-publishing, during publishing and post-publishing. - What are the most essential tasks you should do before you post? - Checklists help you remember all the most important steps on a recipe day. - Have a checklist for your photos, including file names and alternative text. - What do you need to include in your recipe card to rank on Google? - Post-publishing, create a checklist for social media and email marketing. Connect with Jen Talley Website | Instagram