Running the #1 Food & Drink Newsletter on Substack, pivoting from freelance recipe development to creating your own content, and writing two cookbooks with Caroline Chambers from What To Cook When You Don't Feel Like Cooking. ----- Welcome to episode 474 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Caroline Chambers. How Caroline Chambers Grew Her Substack Newsletter Into a 7-Figure Business Caroline Chambers is not (and does not identify as) a food blogger. But she does happen to write the #1 Food & Drink newsletter on Substack with one of the most loyal communities around (myself included!). In this interview, Bjork and Caroline chat more about Caroline’s early days running her own catering business, how she transitioned into freelance recipe development, and then eventually took the leap into starting her Substack newsletter. She shares her strategies for growing her following, converting subscribers to paid subscribers, providing value to her readers, and why she shares more than just food on her platforms. Oh, AND, she shares the details about her brand-new cookbook (What To Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking). In this episode, you’ll learn about: From Catering to Cookbooks: Caroline shares her journey from running a catering business to becoming a bestselling cookbook author (with another cookbook coming out called What To Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking coming out on August 13th!). You'll hear about how she built a massive following and turned her passion for food into a thriving business. Building a Newsletter Empire: Discover how Caroline turned her Substack newsletter into a 7-figure business, the strategies she used to grow her subscriber base, and her mindset on converting subscribers to paid members. Balancing Growth and Well-being: Caroline opens up about the challenges of managing a large following and the importance of building a strong team. She'll talk about how she maintains her passion for cooking amidst the pressures of running a successful business. Resources: What To Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking Caroline Chambers thai-ish steak & noodle salad Pinch of Yum smitten kitchen Barefoot Contessa Woodbridge wines Melissa Clark’s column on The New York Times Chronicle Books Just Married: A Cookbook for Newlyweds Tillamook Substack The Personal MBA Patreon What’s Gaby Cooking 443: Why David Lebovitz Switched from Blogging to Substack Gary Vaynerchuk Union Square & Co Dan Pelosi What to Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking Cookbook Follow Caroline on Instagram Join the Food Blogger Pro Podcast Facebook Group ----- This episode is sponsored by Clariti and Raptive. Learn more about our sponsors at foodbloggerpro.com/sponsors. Interested in working with us too? Learn more about our sponsorship opportunities and how to get started here. If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to podcast@foodbloggerpro.com. Learn more about joining the Food Blogger Pro community at foodbloggerpro.com/membership.

Diversifying your traffic sources, building your email list, and the tools to help you build your audience with Andrew Wilder and Colin Devroe ----- Welcome to episode 473 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Andrew Wilder and Colin Devroe from NerdPress.  Future-Proofing Your Content with Andrew Wilder and Colin Devroe We were so thrilled to have Bjork sit down with Andrew Wilder and Colin Devroe for this episode! Andrew is the CEO of NerdPress and one of our Food Blogger Pro experts, so you may have seen him around the forum breaking down all things WordPress for our members! Colin Devroe is also on the NerdPress team—he's a Senior Product Manager currently working on SaveThis and Hubbub, NerdPress's very own social sharing plugin (previously Grow Social Pro and Social Pug before that). This episode has been an affirmation for us all that to keep your content flourishing, you'll want to dig deep to build a community and form lasting relationships with your readers. We hope you enjoy the episode as much as we did! In this episode, you’ll learn about: Diversifying Your Traffic Sources: The landscape of social media is constantly evolving — while giants like Meta (Facebook, Instagram) hold significant power, it's crucial to look beyond them. You'll learn about the rise of the "fediverse," an open-source network allowing users to move between social platforms and take their content and followers with them, as well as the importance of diversifying your traffic sources and exploring emerging platforms to future-proof your content strategy. Build Lasting Connections with Your Audience: Growing a loyal email list is critical to building strong reader relationships. This episode emphasizes the importance of consistent communication and providing valuable content to your subscribers. The power of community is much stronger than you think and can help you and your content remain stable in the long run! Maximize Traffic and Community Through Strategic Tools: You'll hear about how various tools like Hubbub (their very own social sharing plugin), SaveThis (a tool within Hubbub Pro), and Flipboard can help you grow your audience — and your email list — while still providing value to your readers! Resources: NerdPress Hubbub Pro Hubbub Lite (free to use) SaveThis by Hubbub Flipboard Recap of Fediverse Webinar for Creators and Curators by Flipboard 1,000 True Fans by Kevin Kelly Nathan Barry’s Newsletter Join the Food Blogger Pro Podcast Facebook Group ----- This episode is sponsored by Yoast and Clariti. Learn more about our sponsors at foodbloggerpro.com/sponsors. Interested in working with us too? Learn more about our sponsorship opportunities and how to get started here. If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to podcast@foodbloggerpro.com. Learn more about joining the Food Blogger Pro community at foodbloggerpro.com/membership

Auditing their website, strategizing to increase search traffic, and diversifying revenue sources with Cameron Crawley and Sarah Cobacho from plantbaes. ----- Welcome to episode 472 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Cameron Crawley and Sarah Cobacho from plantbaes. Coaching Call: Increasing Search Traffic, Determining What to Prioritize, and Strategizing for Business Growth with Cameron Crawley and Sarah Cobacho from plantbaes This is a super special episode of the podcast, as it is part 2 (of 3) of our Summer Membership Spotlight. As part of this special podcast series, we are sharing a piece of content that is normally exclusive to Food Blogger Pro members here on the podcast on the last Tuesday of the month. This month we are excited to share an audio version of a Coaching Call! Every month, Bjork does a Coaching Call with a Food Blogger Pro member to go over three (or more!) questions that they have about their blog, social media, or business. This Coaching Call is with the delightful Cameron Crawley and Sarah Cobacho from plantbaes! We’re so excited to share this Coaching Call with you and hope you’ll tune in next month for our last membership spotlight episode of the summer! In this episode, you’ll learn about: Building a Massive Following Fast: Cam and Sarah share their secrets to skyrocketing their Instagram following to over 1.1 million in just a few years (!!). You'll hear about how their backgrounds in video and nutrition fueled their success.  Monetizing Your Platform: Discover how Cam and Sarah generate income from their platform and their plans for future revenue streams. Get ready to learn how they've created a successful website that launched in August and qualified for Raptive by September!  Growing Your Online Business: Learn valuable tips on building a strong community, crafting engaging content for both social media and your blog, and boosting your search engine visibility. Bjork will also answer the questions Cam and Sarah submitted beforehand about increasing traffic and what to prioritize in their business for maximum revenue growth.  Resources: plantbaes The Ultimate Plant-Based Cookbook Food Rules by Michael Pollan Wix Pinch of Yum Income Reports Raptive NerdPress Ahrefs Clariti Budget Bytes 430: Grow Your Email List with ConvertKit’s Creator Network with Nathan Barry ConvertKit Primal Kitchen 452: YouTube, Meal Plans, and Business Growth with Nisha Vora The Lean Startup Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear Circle Pillars of Productivity Memberful Follow plantbaes on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube Join the Food Blogger Pro Podcast Facebook Group ----- This episode is sponsored by Clariti and Raptive. Interested in working with us too? Learn more about our sponsorship opportunities and how to get started here. If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to podcast@foodbloggerpro.com. Learn more about joining the Food Blogger Pro community at foodbloggerpro.com/membership

Offering services, building partnerships, and goal-planning with Matthew Gartland from SPI Media ----- Unlocking Success through Strategic Goal-Planning, Partnerships, and Providing Services with Matthew Gartland Welcome to episode 471 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Matthew Gartland from SPI Media.  Last week on the podcast, Bjork chatted with Lidey Heuck. To go back and listen to that episode, click here. Matthew Gartland started his creative agency Winning Edits in 2011 to support author entrepreneurs. He eventually merged companies with Pat Flynn to found what is now known as SPI Media. Today, SPI Media is a thriving community of online entrepreneurs who have come together to build their online businesses through a treasure trove of educational content, an engaging community, and training experiences. In this episode, Matthew talks about how strategic goal-planning, community, and providing services can help budding entrepreneurs unlock success and grow their audience. You won’t want to miss this episode! In this episode, you’ll learn about: Turning Your Skills into Side Hustle Superpowers: You already have superpowers (aka awesome skills)! Matthew talks about how to lean into skills you already have to create solutions to real-life problems for clients and build a fulfilling career on your own terms! Quality is King (or Queen): Solving problems is great, but doing it with amazing service sets you apart. Matthew shares how prioritizing top-notch quality can help you set your business apart from the competition. Community & Goals: Your Recipe for Success: Building a business isn’t just about showing up and hoping for the best. Matthew reveals the importance of strategic goal-setting and creating a roadmap for success. He’ll also discuss the power of community – how fostering connections with other entrepreneurs and building strategic partnerships can accelerate your growth. Resources: SPI Media Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9–5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich Episode 53 of The Food Blogger Pro podcast: Pat Flynn’s Tips for Building Online Businesses That Fly Shopify Basecamp Facebook Groups Teachable Snackdive Connect with Matthew via email Follow Smart Passive Income on X and check out their podcast Join the Food Blogger Pro Podcast Facebook Group ----- This episode is sponsored by Clariti. Learn more about our sponsors at foodbloggerpro.com/sponsors. Interested in working with us too? Learn more about our sponsorship opportunities and how to get started here. If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to podcast@foodbloggerpro.com. Learn more about joining the Food Blogger Pro community at foodbloggerpro.com/membership

Contributing recipes to NYT Cooking, avoiding the comparison trap, and working with the Barefoot Contessa with Lidey Heuck. ----- Welcome to episode 470 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Lidey Heuck. How Working as Ina Garten’s Assistant Kicked Off Lidey Heuck’s Career as a Food Creator and Cookbook Author Lidey’s first job out of college was as Ina Garten’s assistant — yes, you read that right! After 7 years working as part of the Barefoot Contessa team, Lidey has gone on to grow her own business as a food creator. She is a recipe contributor to New York Times Cooking, runs her own food blog, and recently published her first cookbook, Cooking in Real Life. In this interview, she shares more about her experience working at Barefoot Contessa, how she balances creating content for different platforms, what it’s like to contribute to NYT Cooking, why she might want to open a brick-and-mortar shop, and so much more. This is an enjoyable listen that will get you thinking about the many different routes a career path as a food creator can take. Hope you enjoy this fun episode as much as we did! In this episode, you’ll learn about: Building a Food Career Through Unconventional Paths: Lidey's story proves you don't need a perfect path to land your dream food gig. Working for Ina Garten (the Barefoot Contessa!) launched her career, showing there's magic in unexpected opportunities! Growth Through Diverse Food Experiences: You'll hear about how her time at Barefoot Contessa was just the beginning. She went on to conquer TV shows, big publications, and everything in between. Get ready for some serious food world inspiration! Lidey's Recipe for Success (and How She Balances Her Projects): Lidey's a total rockstar, churning out recipes for her blog, cookbooks, and even the New York Times! We'll uncover her secrets for creating killer content across different platforms and keeping her sanity while doing it. Plus, a peek into what a typical day looks like for this busy bee (and maybe some recipe development tips!). Resources: Lidey Likes Cooking in Real Life: Delicious & Doable Recipes for Every Day (a Cookbook) Barefoot Contessa Snackdive The Lost Kitchen NYTimes Cooking Substack Follow Lidey on Instagram and Facebook Join the Food Blogger Pro Podcast Facebook Group ----- This episode is sponsored by Clariti and Raptive. Learn more about our sponsors at foodbloggerpro.com/sponsors. Interested in working with us too? Learn more about our sponsorship opportunities and how to get started here. If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to podcast@foodbloggerpro.com. Learn more about joining the Food Blogger Pro community at foodbloggerpro.com/membership.

Outsourcing tasks, growing a social media following, and self-publishing a cookbook with Erin Collins from Meaningful Eats. ----- Welcome to episode 469 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Erin Collins from Meaningful Eats.  How Erin Collins Went from 25,000 to 250,000 Instagram Followers While Self-Publishing a Cookbook Erin started her blog, Meaningful Eats, in 2012. Since then, she has self-published a cookbook (another one is coming out soon!), grown her site to 1 million monthly page views, and gained over 275,000 Instagram followers. In this interview, Erin talks about how she achieves a work-life balance by delegating tasks and how being aware of her “zone of genius” allows her to focus on what she’s most passionate about. She also discusses how she committed to growing her Instagram following by honing in on her audience’s needs. She self-published her cookbook “Gluten-Free Cookies, Brownies, and Bars” last fall and generated over $100,000 in revenue in the first nine months! It was great to hear about her process of self-publishing a cookbook. We can’t wait for you to dive in to hear more about her story! In this episode, you’ll learn: How she balances parenthood and blogging (hint: weekly family meetings are key!) How she uses timed constrictions to be more intentional with her time How she prioritizes her work during seasons of limited time How outsourcing tasks allows her to achieve a work-life balance How to leverage your zone of genius (and being aware of your zones of competence and incompetence) for your blog How she grew her Instagram following from 25,000 to 250,000 How she decided to make the shift to quality over quantity How incorporating various series (12 GF cookies for Christmas) into her Instagram strategy drove engagement How she uses chat marketing tools like ManyChat to deliver content Why she decided to self-publish her cookbook (which saw almost $100,000 in revenue in the first 9 months!) and how she went about it. The cost breakdown of self-publishing a cookbook: working with a printing company, shipping, etc. How she’s looking to make the shift to connect with her audience and include more income streams Her number one tip for food bloggers who are just starting out (spoiler: it’s to focus on one thing at a time) Resources: Meaningful Eats Erin’s cookbook “Gluten-Free Cookies, Brownies, and Bars” Episode 365 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast: How to Find Your Zone of Genius and Hire the Right People with Emily Perron Designing Your Life by Bill Burnett Designing Your Work Life The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel ManyChat Mixam Sticker Mule Ecwid 1,000 True Fans by Kevin Kelly Follow Erin on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok Join the Food Blogger Pro Podcast Facebook Group ----- This episode is sponsored by Clariti. Learn more about our sponsors at foodbloggerpro.com/sponsors. Interested in working with us too? Learn more about our sponsorship opportunities and how to get started at foodbloggerpro.com/work-with-us. If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to podcast@foodbloggerpro.com. Learn more about joining the Food Blogger Pro community at foodbloggerpro.com/membership

Becoming a private chef, prioritizing projects, and sharing your aspirations with others with Kenneth Temple. ----- Welcome to episode 468 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews celebrity chef and food blogger Kenneth Temple.  Breaking into the Private Chef Industry and Sharing What You’re in Pursuit of with Celebrity Chef Kenneth Temple Kenneth Temple started his food blog in 2017 and has been a private chef since 2009 so he’s got a lot of great insights to share with us in this interview. He now finds himself cooking for NFL, MLB, NBA players, and Grammy artists. On the blog side, he qualified for Mediavine in November of 2023—a huge milestone! In this interview, Kenneth and Bjork discuss how he broke into the private chef industry, landed his first celebrity client, and why he chose to go down this route over working in a restaurant. They also talk about the importance of putting yourself out there and sharing your aspirations with others and the power of word-of-mouth marketing. They also chat about what blogging as a chef looks like and how he had to adjust his strategy after learning about SEO and searchability. Even if your goal isn’t to pursue a career as a private chef, we find Kenneth’s advice on managing your time and promoting yourself extremely valuable and think you will too. We hope you enjoy the episode! In this episode, you’ll learn: Kenneth’s background as a private chef and why he chose this path over working in a restaurant. How he was able to land a private chef gig with an NBA player from the New Orleans Hornets. How he went about pricing his work. How he prioritizes his time due to the seasonality of his work and what his day-to-day looks like now. How he maintains a professional relationship with his clients. Tips for those looking to break into the private chef industry. How he grew his network by sharing what he was in pursuit of (and why you should do the same!). How he used his knowledge as a private chef to create a 21-day meal prep challenge to help his clients with weight loss. How he got into food blogging in 2017 and blogged as a chef (and what that means exactly!). How he learned about searchability and adjusted his blogging strategy. What his experience was like as he grew his site and got accepted to Mediavine. The pros and cons of working in realms that were 1:1 and 1:infinite. How he saves time and stays productive by batching recipes. How he chose to de-prioritize certain projects because he realized they weren’t solving problems for his audience. How he’s now looking for pursuits that will allow him to solve problems. Resources: Kenneth Temple Meiko and the Dish Mediavine Grandbaby Cakes Follow Kenneth on Instagram and Other platform - facebook, youtube, tiktok, whatever seems most important for them Join the Food Blogger Pro Podcast Facebook Group ----- This episode is sponsored by Clariti and Raptive. Learn more about our sponsors at foodbloggerpro.com/sponsors. Interested in working with us too? Learn more about our sponsorship opportunities and how to get started here. If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to podcast@foodbloggerpro.com. Learn more about joining the Food Blogger Pro community at foodbloggerpro.com/membership.

Strategizing for growth, pivoting to Pinterest as an alternative to SEO, and branding on Pinterest with Kate Ahl from Simple Pin Media. ----- Welcome to episode 467 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Kate Ahl from Simple Pin Media. Pinterest Strategy in 2024 This is a super special episode of the podcast, as it kicks off what we are calling our Summer Membership Spotlight. Over the next three months (June, July, and August) we will be sharing a piece of content that is normally exclusive to Food Blogger Pro members here on the podcast. We are starting with a replay of our Pinterest Live Q&A with Kate Ahl! This Q&A originally aired in April. Food Blogger Pro members submitted lots of great questions all about Pinterest strategy — branding, pinning strategy, types of pins, you name it. We’re so excited to share this Q&A with you (it’s a really informative one!) and hope you’ll tune in for our other membership spotlight episodes throughout the summer. In this episode, you’ll learn: What constitutes a “fresh pin.” Whether hashtags still relevant on Pinterest. The differences in performance between video and static pins. How many pins you should create for each blog post. Kate’s favorite scheduling tools and how to approach hidden pins. What outsourcing the management of your Pinterest account looks like. When you might start to see growth on Pinterest. The importance of branding when creating Pins. How to audit your Pinterest boards. Resources: Simple Pin Media Pinterest Predicts Tailwind Follow Kate on Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube Join the Food Blogger Pro Podcast Facebook Group ----- This episode is sponsored by Clariti and Memberful. Learn more about our sponsors at foodbloggerpro.com/sponsors. Interested in working with us too? Learn more about our sponsorship opportunities and how to get started here. If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to podcast@foodbloggerpro.com. Learn more about joining the Food Blogger Pro community at foodbloggerpro.com/membership.

Why SEO is about more than building traffic, how to think more holistically about your SEO strategy, and the importance of community with Ann Smarty. ----- Welcome to episode 466 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Ann Smarty from Smarty Marketing. How to Respond to the Recent Google Updates Ann Smarty has been working in the SEO industry for over 20 years, and she has lots of expertise to share with us in this interview! Bjork and Ann chat about the current state of SEO, including a deep dive into the impact of the recent Google Helpful Content Updates. They also discuss the history of backlinks with SEO and how to approach link-building as a content creator (and why it’s more about community than you might think). Ann has a really great perspective on the importance of developing a holistic SEO strategy and why diversifying your income and traffic sources matters now, more than ever. Don’t miss this episode! In this episode, you’ll learn: About the current state of SEO (is it as bad as it feels?!). Who was most impacted by the recent Helpful Content Updates. Why backlinks seem to have protected sites during these Google updates. More about the ‘backlink controversy’ in the SEO industry. How to approach link-building as a content creator. Why building a community and saying “yes” is so important in this SEO environment. What you should do to strategically take advantage of traffic when you have it (to prepare for when you lose it). The importance of diversifying your traffic and income sources. Resources: Smarty Marketing Moz SparkToro Google SearchLiaison Pinch of Yum Search Engine Journal Tax Smart Real Estate Investors Podcast Memberful Skool Follow Ann on Facebook, Linkedin, and Twitter Join the Food Blogger Pro Podcast Facebook Group Thank you to our sponsors! This episode is sponsored by Clariti and Raptive. Learn more about our sponsors at foodbloggerpro.com/sponsors. Interested in working with us too? Learn more about our sponsorship opportunities and how to get started here. If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to podcast@foodbloggerpro.com. Learn more about joining the Food Blogger Pro community at foodbloggerpro.com/membership.

Welcome to Tiny Bites from the Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Ben Holland from Clariti about the upcoming deletion of Universal Analytics data — and what you need to do about it.  Get the resources for this episode a foodbloggerpro.com/podcast/tiny-bites-universal-analytics-data.