Eat Blog Talk

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 program!

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, keep hold of them! Most VAs are really flexible with their hours. If you have a small budget, communicate that and make sure they work within that.

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!