What fresh content is and why it's important for Pinterest, how to use Pinterest Trends, and how often you should be pinning with Kate Ahl. ----- Welcome to episode 242 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Kate Ahl talks about using Pinterest in 2020. Social Trends: Pinterest in 2020  Today marks Part 2 of our two-part series on social media in 2020. Last week we focused on Facebook and Instagram, and this week is all about Pinterest. Pinterest can be a huge traffic-driver for food bloggers. In fact, it’s consistently in one of the top three spots of traffic drivers for food bloggers. That said, Pinterest is constantly in pursuit of making the platform better for its users, so it changes quite a bit. That’s why we’re excited to focus on the best practices for Pinterest in 2020 in today’s episode. Kate Ahl is here to give you her recommendations for finding what’s trending on Pinterest, pinning fresh content, writing awesome Pin descriptions, using promoted Pins, and more. In this episode, you’ll learn: What Pinterest is focusing on in 2020 How going public changed how Pinterest works What type of Promoted Pins work best How to use Pinterest Trends How often you should be pinning Traits of successful pinners What fresh content is and why it’s important for Pinterest in 2020 What you should include in your Pin descriptions Whether or not you should be using Rich Pins Resources: Simple Pin Media WP Tasty Pinterest Trends Google Trends Tasty Pins Follow Simple Pin Media on Pinterest 166: Answering Your Questions about Pinterest with Kate Ahl 157: More Clicks, Subscribers, and Sales with Pinterest with Kate Ahl 026: How Pinterest Analytics can Boost your Blog with Kate Ahl from Simple Pin Media If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to podcast@foodbloggerpro.com.

Facebook groups as part of a social strategy, building engagement on Instagram, and how to streamline writing your Instagram captions with Abby Bayatpour. ----- Welcome to episode 241 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Alexa interviews Social Media Manager, Abby Bayatpour, about how food bloggers can be promoting their content on Facebook and Instagram this year. Social Trends: Facebook and Instagram in 2020  Today’s new episode marks the start of a two-part series here on the podcast, and in this series, we’re focusing on social media in 2020 – i.e. what you, as a blogger, should be focusing on when it comes to promoting your content and your brand on social media this year. We’re going to focus on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest during this series, and in today’s episode, our incredibly talented Social Media Manager, Abby, will be speaking about Facebook and Instagram trends for food bloggers. If you’ve ever stared at a social media platform and thought, “What do I post today?”, we think this series will help you form your social strategy for the new year. In this episode, you’ll learn: What kinds of posts perform best on Facebook How Facebook groups might fit into your social strategy How videos are performing on Facebook in 2020 How to build consistent engagement on Instagram How often you should post on Instagram How to streamline your Instagram caption writing What kinds of photos perform best on Instagram Resources: 237: The One Thing – What We’re Excited to Focus On in 2020 232: Repurposing Video – Maximizing the Impact of Recipe Videos with Brita Britnell 210: Pinch of Yum’s Instagram Playbook with Lindsay Ostrom Using Hashtags on Instagram to Grow Your Food Blog’s Followers and Reach How to Promote Your Food Blog on Instagram Facebook course - for members only Instagram for Food Bloggers course - for members only Social Media Strategy course - for members only Social Media Analytics course - for members only Social Strategy Live Q&A - for members only Follow Abby on Instagram If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to podcast@foodbloggerpro.com.

How home office deductions work, why you should consider hiring a CPA, and how to track your mileage with Bjork Ostrom. ----- Welcome to episode 240 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork talks through the ways you can create income without doing more work. Income  Making more money without doing more work…that’s the dream, right? Well, now it’s a reality! Bjork is here today to chat through some of the ways you can work smarter and make more money without doing more work. It’s a really helpful reminder that we don’t necessarily need to be hustling all the time to get our businesses to a new level; some small tweaks in your day-to-day can help get you there as well. In this episode, you’ll learn: How business programs work How to track your mileage What purchases you can expense for your blog Why you should consider hiring a CPA When you should do an S-Corp election How you can hire help Why it’s helpful to review your expenses every quarter How home office deductions work How to be proactive and ask for a raise Resources: Apple Business Automatic Bill Shark If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to podcast@foodbloggerpro.com.

How to be light on your feet, the most impactful work for Pinch of Yum, and the sacrifices of building a business with Lindsay Ostrom. ----- Welcome to episode 239 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Lindsay Ostrom about navigating the different seasons in her blogging journey. Ten Years  Pinch of Yum is turning 10 this year, and as I’m sure you can imagine, it has changed quite a bit in that time. In today’s episode of the podcast, you’ll hear about the different seasons of Pinch of Yum and how Lindsay navigated them while building her blog into a business. And she covers it all – from running her blog as a side hustle to transitioning to it being her full-time gig to hiring team members to current day. Regardless of what season of your blogging journey you’re currently in, you’ll find a lot of advice in this episode that can help you navigate the good, the tough, and everything in-between. In this episode, you’ll learn: How Lindsay views the “seasons” of Pinch of Yum When Pinch of Yum became a “side hustle” What a “trickster” is Why sacrifices are a part of the side hustle How Lindsay prioritized work when she started working for herself The work that was most impactful when Lindsay was building Pinch of Yum What the current “season” of Pinch of Yum looks like What it means to be light on your feet Resources: 153: Playing the Game of Business with Kevin Waldron Big Magic Tasty Food Photography The Nora Roberts quote Follow Pinch of Yum and Lindsay on Instagram If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to podcast@foodbloggerpro.com.

Ad-supported video players, why user experience is important, and understanding ad impressions with Bjork Ostrom. ----- Welcome to episode 238 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork talks about how you can optimize and increase the earnings you receive from the ads on your site. Understanding Ads  Ads can be an effective way to earn money from blogging, but how do you know you’re making the most out of your ad placements? That’s what Bjork is here to talk about today! He’s sharing seven tips to help you increase the earnings you’re receiving from the ads you’re running on your site without having to increase your pageviews. From understanding viewability and impressions to encouraging your readers to stick around on your site, this episode of the podcast will help you make sense of the wonderful world of ad revenue! In this episode, you’ll learn: What viewability is What impressions are Why it’s important to keep user experience in mind when it comes to placing ads on your site How you can encourage people to stick around on your site What overlay ads are What ad-supported video players are What sticky ads are Why you might want to delay using ads Resources: 231: A Better Experience – Building Engagement, Not Just Traffic with Kingston Duffie Slickstream AdSense Mediavine AdThrive Sortable If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to podcast@foodbloggerpro.com.

How Pinch of Yum is repurposing recipe videos, how to manage a remote team, and what to expect with the Food Blogger Pro redesign. ----- Welcome to episode 237 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, the team talks about the “one thing” they’re excited to accomplish in 2020. The One Thing  This is a different kind of podcast episode, but we think you’re really going to like it. Heading into a new year can feel a bit overwhelming, but it sometimes helps to narrow-down your focus and think through that “one thing” you’re excited to accomplish this year. And that’s exactly what we’re doing in this interview! Alexa, Bjork, and Emily each share the one thing they’re excited to tackle in 2020, and we hope that it encourages you to figure out your “one thing” as well. In this episode, you’ll learn: How Bjork manages a remote team Why we created a parent company Where the name “Tiny Bit” comes from How Pinch of Yum is repurposing video this year How Emily is creating step-by-step videos for Pinch of Yum blog posts How compilation videos work Resources: 204: Company Structure – LLCs, S-Corps, and Accounting, oh my! Blogging as a Business course - for members only QuickBooks Example of step-by-step videos on Pinch of Yum 232: Repurposing Video – Maximizing the Impact of Recipe Videos with Brita Britnell If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to podcast@foodbloggerpro.com.

How your site design can impact site speed, optimizing your category pages, and how to build your own thing with Bill Erickson. ----- Welcome to episode 236 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Bill Erickson about the impact your design can have on your blog. Themes  Bill is a WordPress developer, and he’s here today to chat about the impact your site’s design can have on performance and user experience. Bill works with food blogs quite a bit (Pinch of Yum included), so you’ll really appreciate the advice he gives from a food blogging perspective. From figuring out what fonts to use to understanding how themes and design can impact site speed, this episode is packed with easy-to-understand tips and advice about design. It’s a really cool interview, kind of different from our norm, but we hope you enjoy it and learn something if you’re pursuing a site redesign this year. In this episode, you’ll learn: How design differs from development The differences between frontend and backend development How to find the best theme What system fonts are How themes and design can impact site speed How theme frameworks work How often you should redesign your site How category pages can be optimized How a redesign can negatively and positively impact your site Advice for building your own thing Resources: PageSpeed Insights Google Fonts WebPageTest Check out Bill’s website and contact him here If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to podcast@foodbloggerpro.com.

Setting SMART goals, understanding the why behind your goals, and the importance of gratitude with Bjork Ostrom. ----- Welcome to episode 235 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork talks about how you can set better goals in the new year. Three Ways to Set Smarter Goals in the New Year  Tomorrow we welcome a new year and a new decade (depending on who you ask). And that’s why we thought it was important to rewind back to our 131st episode, Three Ways to Set Smarter Goals in the New Year with Bjork Ostrom. We all know how new years resolutions or goals typically go: we’re ambitious and make a ton of changes, and we slowly but surely fall out of those habits we once wanted to strengthen. If you’ve experienced this with your new years goals, you’re not alone. And if you have some goals or resolutions you wish to keep this year, we think you’re really going to love this episode. Bjork’s tips will help you create goals that will last and help you accomplish those goals with the right mindset. In this episode, you’ll learn: What SMART goals are Why it’s important to understand why you’re setting a specific goal Why gratitude is so important Resources: Hygge If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to podcast@foodbloggerpro.com.

Why you should start gratitude journaling, the Five Minute Journal, the benefits of meditation, and how to cultivate awe with UJ Ramdas. ----- Welcome to episode 234 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews UJ Ramdas from Intelligent Change about gratitude, journaling, and meditation. How to Level Up Your Life  For today’s FBP Rewind episode, we’re rewinding back to episode 124 – How to Level Up Your Life with UJ Ramdas. UJ is the co-creator of The Five Minute Journal and the co-founder of a company called Intelligent Change, and I thought this was a particularly fitting episode to reshare at the end of the year because we all like to review each year and make goals or resolutions for the new year. And our hope is that some of the principles and tools that UJ and Bjork talk about in this episode can make a positive impact in your new year. So if you’re looking for a little accountability and actionable ways you can accomplish those goals next year, I think you’re really going to enjoy this episode. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why he started Intelligent Change What gratitude journaling is How to use the Five Minute Journal What his morning routine looks like The benefits of meditation How to cultivate awe Why we sometimes don’t reach our goals How to go through a process of self-discovery Resources: Intelligent Change Five Minute Journal Productivity Planner Headspace Cal Newport Myers-Briggs Type Indicator 16Personalities DISC Personality Test StrengthsFinder Kolbe If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to podcast@foodbloggerpro.com.

How to get things done and enjoy the work you're doing, why you should think about who you're serving, and how to improve over time with Bjork Ostrom. ----- Welcome to episode 233 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork talks through seven questions to ask yourself as you look to the new year. 7 Questions  At the end of each year, we all get a little retrospective. How did this year go? Was it a good year or a not-so-great year? What can I do differently next year? This episode will help you evaluate the current year in anticipation for the year ahead. Bjork outlines the seven questions you should ask yourself to help you assess, plan, and adjust the way you tackle your business each year. In this episode, you’ll learn: How to take a step back and figure out your goals How to get things done by finding the work you enjoy Why it’s important to think about your audience How to improve over time How to figure out what you need to stop or start doing Resources: Instacart If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to podcast@foodbloggerpro.com.