Why metrics are so important to brands, how to increase the probability of working with your favorite brand, and how content ownership works with Bruno Bornsztein. ----- Welcome to episode 261 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Bruno Bornsztein from InfluenceKit on how to understand the value of your sponsored content work. How to Work With Brands  It's Part 2 of our Managing Sponsored Content series here on the Food Blogger Pro Podcast! Bruno from InfluenceKit is rounding out this mini series in a conversation with Bjork about how to create awesome sponsored content. Creating sponsored content is like creating your regular content. You already publish an awesome recipe with great pictures on your blog or on social media. Sponsored content just allows you to continue to make the content that you love to make…and then get paid for it. There are parts of the sponsored content process, however, that are different. You need to build relationships, negotiate for your rate, sign contracts, understand the brand’s goals, and report back on the performance on your post’s performance. And it’s there where you can hunker down and optimize your work to create more value for brands, more value for your audience, and more revenue for you. If you want to learn even more about maximizing your sponsored content revenue, be sure to get registered for our free workshop with Bruno this Thursday, July 16 at 1pm ET / 12pm CT! In this episode, you’ll learn: How Bruno got his start creating content How he moved into sponsored content as a source of revenue How his following correlated to sponsored content revenue How to increase the probability of working with a brand What it looks like to work with a brand How content ownership works What “work for hire” means How to negotiate with brands Why you should report your post’s performance What metrics are most important to brands Resources: InfluenceKit 168: How to Add More Value to Your Sponsored Content with Mandi Gubler Curbly ManMade Making the Moolah: Kickstart Your Sponsored Revenue in 2020

How to communicate with brands, work with brands goals in mind, and manage sponsored content work with Pinch of Yum's Jenna Arend. ----- Welcome to episode 260 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Jenna Arend from the Pinch of Yum team about some of the systems they use to manage their sponsored content work. Managing Sponsored Content  Sponsored content is a great way to diversify your income as a blogger, and for the next two weeks on the podcast, we’re going to be talking about how you can manage your sponsored content work. Today, we’re starting the sponsored content conversation with an interview with the Communications Manager of Pinch of Yum, Jenna. She’ll give you a behind-the-scenes tour of how the Pinch of Yum team uses processes to handle their sponsored content work. Between establishing a system for initial conversations with brands to contract review, we’re hoping that you’re able to take some of the systems that the Pinch of Yum team relies on and use them to streamline your own sponsored content efforts. In this episode, you’ll learn: What Jenna does for Team Pinch of Yum What it was like when Pinch of Yum worked with an agency on sponsored content How they decided to bring the management of sponsored content in-house The kinds of systems the Pinch of Yum uses to manage sponsored content How to communicate with brands Tips for negotiating What’s included in Pinch of Yum’s media kit and rate sheet How contract review works How the Pinch of Yum team works with a lawyer How you can report on sponsored content campaigns What it means to offer a la carte items to brands Resources: Pinch of Yum Sway Questions on the Pinch of Yum Intake Form

Why watch time is important on YouTube, how to produce video content without a crew, and the types of videos that perform best on YouTube with Beth Le Manach. ----- Welcome to episode 259 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Beth Le Manach about effectively creating and sharing content on YouTube. Keep Showing Up  Do you know how to create engaging content on YouTube? Or how to make money from YouTube videos? If not, you’re in luck! This week on the podcast, we’re talking to the talented Beth Le Manach from Entertaining with Beth about creating YouTube content and getting more views. If you want to start creating YouTube videos, or maybe you already post on YouTube and want to level-up your channel, we think you’ll learn a lot from this episode. But even if you’re not interested in YouTube, her advice about remembering the purpose of your content is a great reminder for everyone. Enjoy! In this episode, you’ll learn: How podcasts were influential to Beth Where Beth creates content How Beth decided to create YouTube videos Where she earns her money How she produces content now that she’s not working with a video crew How to overcome the fear of negative comments What kinds of videos perform best on YouTube Why watch time is important on YouTube How to create content for your super fans How to get YouTube to suggest specific videos How to generate revenue on YouTube Resources: Entertaining with Beth 010: Working with Brands on YouTube with Beth Le Manach from Entertaining with Beth Kin Community The War of Art Amazon Influencer Program Saxsquatch Follow Beth on YouTube and Instagram If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to podcast@foodbloggerpro.com.

How to start having conversations about race, how wine and race intersect, and how to support black and people of color in the wine industry. ----- Welcome to episode 258 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Julia Coney about wine, race, and Netflix’s “Uncorked." Uncorked  If you’ve listened to The Food Blogger Pro Podcast for a while, you’ll know that we love talking with creators and people who want to make an impact. We’re having another one of those conversations today with wine writer, Julia Coney. When it comes to understanding racial injustice, it’s important to invest the time in educating yourself and forever be in pursuit of making a difference. Julia’s insights and experiences are one way we can educate ourselves and lean into having these tough but valuable conversations. Today, you’ll hear Julia’s stories about race issues in the wine industry, advice for having important conversations about racial injustice, and thoughts about why the movie, “Uncorked,” is so impactful. In this episode, you’ll learn: How Julia started writing about wine How wine and race intersect How the Netflix movie, “Uncorked,” covers racism in the wine industry Why Julia is starting Black Wine Professionals How to start having conversations about race Resources: The Julia and the Sequin Technicolor Dream Coat video Myleik Teele CURLBOX Julia’s blog Dorothy Gaiter’s writings The story of the bookclub that was kicked off of the Napa Valley Train Your Wine Glass Ceiling is My Wine Glass Box. An Open Letter to Karen MacNeil and the Wine Industry. @blackwineprofessionals “Being Black in the White World of Wine” “Too White Wine” Gary Farrell Winery and their article, “We Stand with the Black Community and People of Color” E. & J. Gallo Winery and their initiatives “Uncorked” on Netflix The Uncorked Soundtrack on Spotify Somm DLynn Proctor on Twitter MKBHD Black Food Bloggers Julia’s Your Silence is Betrayal Instagram Live Help a Reporter What White Children Need to Know About Race If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to podcast@foodbloggerpro.com.

Our favorite resources to help support black-owned businesses and learn more about being actively anti-racist with Bjork and Lindsay Ostrom. ----- Welcome to episode 257 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork and Lindsay talk about the resources they’re using to learn about racism and some ways that we can support black-owned businesses. Where Do We Go From Here  After a two-week hiatus from the podcast, we’re back with an incredibly important episode from our fearless leaders, Bjork and Lindsay Ostrom. These past few weeks have been complicated, sad, frustrating, difficult, and unjust. Also in these past few weeks, we’ve listened to powerful conversations, participated in important discussions with our team, and are holding ourselves accountable to being actively anti-racist, challenging injustice, and using our platform to amplify messages of hope and change. In this episode, Bjork and Lindsay share some resources for supporting black-owned businesses and learning more about anti-racism. In this episode, you’ll learn: How we’re learning about racial injustice How we can challenge ourselves to help Resources: The Where Do We Go From Here post on Pinch of Yum @theconsciouskid @oshetamoore @austinchanning Brené with Austin Channing Brown on I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness, Unlocking Us Podcast Policing and Racial Trauma with Angela Davis, Terrible, Thanks for Asking Podcast 74 Seconds Brené with Ibram X. Kendi on How to Be an Antiracist, Unlocking Us Podcast NAACP We Love Lake Street Black Visions Collective North Minneapolis Business Community Relief How to be an Anti-Racist by Dr. Ibram X Kendi I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness The Conscious Kid on Patreon Handsom Hog Trio Plant-Based Pimento Jamaican Kitchen Du Nord Craft Spirits Afro Deli Mama Sheila’s List of black food bloggers on Pinch of Yum’s Instagram @sweetpotatosoul @confessionsofacleanfoodie @whetstonemagazine If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to podcast@foodbloggerpro.com.

We're taking a break from our normal podcast schedule this week to reflect and offer help and support to those who need it. Here are the links to the resources and organizations Bjork mentioned in this episode: The Where Do We Go From Here post on Pinch of Yum Lake Street Council NAACP The beauty of anti-racism is that you don’t have to pretend to be free of racism to be an anti-racist. Anti-racism is the commitment to fight racism wherever you find it, including in yourself. And it’s the only way forward. - Ijeoma Oluo

Why connection is important, how to make the most out of growth opportunities, and how to build a career that you love with Wendy Braitman. ----- Welcome to episode 256 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews career coach, Wendy Braitman about the importance of breaking big goals into small, actionable steps. Career Transitioning Do you have a specific career goal in mind? Maybe it’s a certain number of pageviews or working with a specific brand or making a full-time income from blogging. They’re all huge goals, and when goals are this big, it’s sometimes tough to figure out how you can get there. A lot needs to happen between now and the point where we achieve those goals, and that’s what Wendy is here to discuss today. This episode is all about the importance of accountability, setting up systems, and breaking those big goals into small, actionable, achievable steps. In this episode, you’ll learn: How Wendy changed careers How coaching works Why accountability is important Why you should break goals into achievable steps How to establish a mastermind and why connection is important How to make the most out of growth opportunities Resources: International Coaching Federation The 20-Minute Networking Meeting Notion Check out Wendy’s website If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to podcast@foodbloggerpro.com.

How the Jumprope app works, why how-to videos are great for recipe creators, and the importance of stories with Jake Poses. ----- Welcome to episode 255 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Jake Poses from Jumprope about this new video-sharing app. How-To Videos  Creating recipe videos can seem like a big undertaking. Between the set-up, the lighting, the gear, and the editing, it can seem like a lot for people just getting started with video. Jumprope is a new app that’s designed to make the process of producing video for your audience easier. Not only can you edit and share how-to videos within the Jumprope app, you can then export your videos from there in the sizes and formats you need for YouTube, Instagram, and blog posts. Create once and share everywhere. It’s a really slick app, and we think you’ll get a lot out of this conversation with Jake. Between his understanding what of it takes to build a business to his insights into what it means to drill for and find “oil,” this conversation will inspire you to do, share, and create. In this episode, you’ll learn: What he learned working in the early days at a startup What it means to “drill for oil” Why he wanted to start his own company How Jake got the idea for Jumprope How Jumprope works The importance of stories What amp is How people use Jumprope Resources: Thumbtack Jumprope Google Web Stories Download Jumprope on the Apple App Store or on the Google Play Store Connect with Jake on Instagram, Twitter, or via email If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to podcast@foodbloggerpro.com.

Using Google Analytics to form content decisions, why email list signups are important for food bloggers, and the impact more traffic has on ad revenue. ----- Welcome to episode 254 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork talks about the results that come from getting more traffic to your blog. Leveraging Traffic  As bloggers, we all want more traffic, right? It’s one of the main goals we hear from bloggers who are looking to level-up their blog and their business, and it’s an important step if you want to build your blog into a profitable business. But the benefits of more traffic far outweigh a higher number of pageviews; more traffic can impact your revenue, your email list, your content decisions, and more. In today’s episode, Bjork will talk about five opportunities that you may see as you build your site traffic. Enjoy! In this episode, you’ll learn: How ads can be impacted by more traffic How to create affiliate income from more traffic Why email list signups are important for food bloggers How to use Google Analytics to form decisions How to surface popular content Resources: Pinch of Yum WP Tasty AdThrive Mediavine Sortable Amazon Affiliate Program 243: Best-in-Class Content – Keyword Research, Creating Value, and Authority with Ewen Finser Tasty Links Google Analytics Jumprope Slickstream 231: A Better Experience – Building Engagement, Not Just Traffic with Kingston Duffie If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to podcast@foodbloggerpro.com.

How to grow an audience on social media, why connection is important, and how to post unique content to TikTok with Yumna Jawad. ----- Welcome to episode 253 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Yumna Jawad from Feel Good Foodie about how she grew her social following. Growth Hacking  In today’s episode, you’ll hear from Yumna from Feel Good Foodie. You may recognize the name because you may be one of her 2.2 million followers on Instagram or one of her 200,000 followers on TikTok. As you can probably imagine, we’re talking all about growing your social media audience with Yumna today. She, more or less, has figured out the secret sauce to growing an audience on Instagram and on TikTok, and she’s sharing her strategies and tips for “growth hacking” during this episode. It’s a really fun episode, and Yumna is just such a knowledgeable, hard-working blogger. We know you’ll have a ton of takeaways from this episode! In this episode, you’ll learn: How she learned more about social media marketing How she grew her Instagram following to 2.2 million Her advice for growing an audience on any platform How to supplement your content on Instagram How she grows the right audience How she grew her blog Why connection is important How she got started with TikTok How to post unique content to TikTok How quickly her TikTok account is growing How TikTok posts can have a longer lifespan than posts on Instagram How TikTok works Resources: Feel Good Foodie Sign up for Food Blogger Pro Search News You Can Use Podcast Video Creators Podcast A Drink with James Fohr.co Blogilates on TikTok and Instagram Manfrotto tripods Follow Feel Good Foodie on Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to podcast@foodbloggerpro.com.