Why you should consider your audience's needs above your wants, how to write a strong social media bio, and questions you can ask yourself about your brand with Phil Pallen. ----- Welcome to episode 123 of the Food Blogger Pro podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork talks with Phil Pallen about refining your brand, strengthening your social media presence, and considering your audience’s needs. Why Every Blogger Needs to Own Their Brand While his title is Celebrity Brand Expert, Phil says that he’s in the business of crafting first impressions. And that’s exactly what your brand is: a reader’s first impression of you and your business. Phil knows exactly how important a solid understanding of your brand is for your blog, and he has helped dozens of people and businesses refine their brand, create goals, and spruce up their social profiles. He’ll give you ideas about how you can fine-tune your brand so that you’re noticed and remembered. In this episode, Phil shares: What it’s like behind-the-scenes of TV interviews How to write a solid social media bio Why others’ needs are more important than what you want Why photography is key His tips for Bjork’s personal brand Resources: Skype Zoom 118: How Discovering Your Brand Can Help You Grow with Gaby Dalkin Work with Phil: Phil Pallen Collective Learn more about Phil Pallen Academy Follow Phil on Twitter and Instagram If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to podcast@foodbloggerpro.com.

What "mobile-first" means, tips for making your website fly, and why you might choose to use a framework with Lauren Gray. ----- Welcome to episode 122 of the Food Blogger Pro podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork talks with Lauren Gray from Once Coupled about mobile-first considerations, site speed recommendations, and theme frameworks. Site Speed in a Mobile-First World Mobile-first, frameworks, photo size, https…you’ve probably heard these terms in the blogging space before. And the words alone are enough to make your head spin. Developer and Food Blogger Pro Expert Lauren Gray is a pro at helping you make these tech decisions for your blog. And while they might seem like small decisions, they really will have a big impact on your site’s usability, search engine ranking, and workflow. This episode focuses on why you should start thinking about making these decisions for your business. In this episode, Lauren shares: How she started her company The difference between developers and designers Why she likes using a framework What “mobile-first” means and why it’s different than “mobile friendliness” How site speed is measured How you should size your blog photos How to think about automating certain tasks Why it’s important to start thinking about switching to https Resources: Meet the Food Blogger Pro Experts Once Coupled Genesis Framework 119: How an Accidental Entrepreneur went from $0 to $80,000 in Five Months with Brian Gardner Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test WPtouch Padsquad Brunch Pro Theme GTmetrix Google PageSpeed Insights Hotjar 004: How Understanding Your Visitors Can Help You Create an Income with Dr. David Darmanin from Hotjar 020: How to Secure Your Food Blog with Andrew Wilder from Blog Tutor Pinch of Yum’s source code Related Posts for WordPress If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to podcast@foodbloggerpro.com.

Finding your path, starting new ventures, and solidifying your brand with Emma Chapman. ----- Welcome to episode 121 of the Food Blogger Pro podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork talks with Emma Chapman from A Beautiful Mess about starting new ventures, solidifying your brand, and finding your path. How to Overcome Your Failures and Find Success Blogging and business ownership wasn’t always one of Emma’s goals. In fact, right after college, she decided to move to Hollywood to start an acting career. When that career path didn’t work out, she didn’t give up; instead she changed her focus and worked to build a job she loves. Now as Founder & CEO of A Beautiful Mess, Emma focuses on building brands, creating apps, writing books, and producing content. Learn how she shaped her career after starting in a place of uncertainty. In this episode, Emma shares: How she decided to move to Hollywood How she learned about herself and grew after college How to change your focus What her role is at A Beautiful Mess How they decided to make their first hire How they decided to focus solely on their blog Why they’re so personal on their blog How they developed different brands How they test new product ideas Why they run two different companies Resources: A Beautiful Mess Oui Fresh Weekday Weekend Cookbook A Beautiful Mess Courses A Color Story WooCommerce Pinch of Yum’s Traffic and Income Reports Follow Emma, Elsie, and A Beautiful Mess on Instagram Get 30% off your first order at Oui Fresh using coupon code fbp30! Let us know who you want to hear on The Food Blogger Pro Podcast: podcast@foodbloggerpro.com If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to podcast@foodbloggerpro.com.

How to reinvent yourself, become an authority figure, and invest in your business with Dorie Clark. ----- Welcome to episode 120 of the Food Blogger Pro podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork talks with Dorie Clark about her new book, Entrepreneurial You. How to Shape Your Own Career Destiny Becoming an entrepreneur and working on your side gig can be tough, but by understanding and applying a few different strategies, you can build the business you dream of. Dorie’s new book Entrepreneurial You is a “blueprint for professional independence.” In it, she talks about just how important it is to have a strong brand when you’re building a business, how to become an expert and be trusted, and how that can help you sell your products and services. This podcast episode dives deep into the principles Dorie teaches in her book and shows you how you can take action on developing your business today. In this episode, Dorie shares: How to monetize because of something How her entrepreneurial story ties into her books How to reinvent yourself How to become an authority in a certain area The priorities of industry experts Why an email list is so important The tools she uses to grow her email list The best investment you can make in your business Resources: Entrepreneurial You Reinventing You Stand Out 119: How an Accidental Entrepreneur went from $0 to $80,000 in Five Months with Brian Gardner Dorie’s courses 097: How to Create a Full-Time Income from Blogging Using The Egg Carton Method with Bjork Ostrom Real Men, Real Style Seth Godin I Will Teach You To Be Rich ConvertKit Constant Contact AWeber Leadpages Sumo 88 Question Self-Assessment Follow Dorie on her website If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to podcast@foodbloggerpro.com.

How to deal with competition, the benefits of using a framework, and how to practice minimalism with Brian Gardner. ----- Welcome to episode 119 of the Food Blogger Pro podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork talks with Brian Gardner from StudioPress about building his business, dealing with competition, and practicing minimalism. How an Accidental Entrepreneur went from $0 to $80,000 in Five Months Brian was the pioneer of premium WordPress themes, and it happened a bit by accident. He was balancing a full-time job and his WordPress theme business at the same time. But once he realized that it would be “financially irresponsible” to work both jobs, he decided to jump head-first into his WordPress business. From there Brian built StudioPress, which powers over 500,000 WordPress sites with its Genesis Framework. Learn how he dealt with competition, how he built his business, and why it’s helpful to use a framework and child theme for your blog. In this episode, Brian shares: How he went from working at an architecture firm to becoming an online entrepreneur How he got started working with WordPress The mistakes he made when he built his business How he dealt with competition Why it’s helpful to use a framework and child theme How he practices minimalism in his business Resources: StudioPress StudioPress FM The Business of Food Blogging: Is it Lucrative? Press75 iThemes Thesis Copyblogger Genesis StudioPress themes Yoast SEO 091: Optimizing Recipes for SEO with Joost De Valk from Yoast SEO Tasty Recipes No Sidebar Designing Your Life Follow Brian at StudioPress, No Sidebar, and Authentik If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to podcast@foodbloggerpro.com.

How to understand your brand, adapt for your different audiences, and develop a product line with Gaby Dalkin. ----- Welcome to episode 118 of the Food Blogger Pro podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork talks with Gaby Dalkin from What’s Gaby Cooking about understanding your brand, developing a product line, and working with a team. How to Discovering Your Brand Can Help you Grow Gaby’s blogging story isn’t the typical blogging story. She started as a private chef for Jessica Simpson, built a team, and even worked with Williams Sonoma on a product line. Oh, and she also managed to build a hugely successful food blog, What’s Gaby Cooking. But all of her success is rooted in a strong understanding of her personal and blog brand. She has an acute understanding of her audiences across all of her platforms, and that understanding influences how she interacts with those audiences. In this episode, Gaby shares: How she got interested in food How she got hired as a private chef for Jessica Simpson What it was like working with a brand consultant Her advice for doing live content How she keeps organized What it’s like working with a team How she decides how personal to get on her blog and social channels How she launched a salsa line with Williams Sonoma Her advice for working with a brand manager Resources: What’s Gaby Cooking TeuxDeux Gaby’s salsa line with Williams Sonoma Follow Gaby on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to podcast@foodbloggerpro.com.

Launching a meal planning site, learning how to adapt with a changing industry, and working with brands with Maria Lichty. ----- Welcome to episode 117 of the Food Blogger Pro podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork talks with Maria Lichty from Two Peas and Their Pod about how blogging has changed in the past 10 years. How to Sustain a Successful Blog for 10+ Years When Maria started blogging at Two Peas and Their Pod, the food blogging industry looked quite different. Instagram, Snapchat, and Pinterest weren’t around, videos weren’t as popular, and the industry as a whole was much smaller. But Maria has learned to adapt to this quick-changing world and to work to her strengths while growing her blog. She has hired a team to help her manage her social media and video work while she focuses on the work she loves like recipe testing, photography, and more. In this episode, Maria shares: How blogging has changed since she first started her blog How to work as a husband-wife team How she chooses the sponsored posts she does How she prioritizes her work What her typical day looks like How she likes to engage with her followers How she grew her Facebook following How she built a meal planning site Her advice for negotiations with brands Resources: Two Peas and Their Pod Kalyn’s Kitchen Simple Pin Media 026: How Pinterest Analytics can Boost your Blog with Kate Ahl from Simple Pin Media Sweet Peas Meals How Sweet It Is Check out Maria’s home posts - don’t miss her beautiful pantry! Follow Maria on Instagram or Facebook If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to podcast@foodbloggerpro.com.

How to start sponsored content, how to price your work, and how to reach out to brands with Danielle Liss and the Pinch of Yum team. ----- Welcome to episode 116 of the Food Blogger Pro podcast! This week on the podcast, we’re sharing the Q&A from the Sponsored Content Bootcamp. You’ll hear Danielle Liss and the Pinch of Yum team talk about starting sponsored content, pricing your work, and reaching out to brands. Answering Questions about Sponsored Content Sponsored content is a great way to generate income for your blog and make connections with brands you really love. At the Sponsored Content Bootcamp on September 12, 2017, we showed attendees how to price their work, the tools you need to create sponsored content, and how the Pinch of Yum team handles their sponsored content work. We also held a Q&A at the end of the day where we answered questions from our attendees about sponsored content. We’re sharing that Q&A with our podcast family today, and we couldn’t be more excited. Danielle Liss from Hashtag Legal and Businessese and Lindsay and Jenna from Pinch of Yum answer some of your questions about creating awesome sponsored content. In this episode, Danielle, Lindsay, and Jenna share: How to approach brands Why you should be sharing campaign reports How to charge different rates for different work How to license your images How to deal with long-term relationships with brands How to track campaign results Resources: Get Your PRICE course CoSchedule Follow Danielle at Businessese and Hashtag Legal Follow Lindsay at Pinch of Yum or on Instagram If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to podcast@foodbloggerpro.com.

Advice for future cookbook authors, how to decide when it's the right time to make your first hire, and choosing a focus for your blog with Kathryne Taylor. ----- Welcome to episode 115 of the Food Blogger Pro podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork talks with Kathryne Taylor from Cookie & Kate about how she decided her blog would have a food focus, when she chose to make her first hire, and her advice for future cookbook authors. How to Write a 5-Star Cookbook While Kathryne’s blog Cookie & Kate didn’t start out as a food blog, she transitioned to sharing healthy, whole food recipes. From there, Cookie & Kate became her full-time job, and she quickly learned the ins and outs of blogging, web development, and design. Just a few months ago, Kathryne released her first cookbook, Love Real Food, which has gained a ton of praise (including nearly 200 5-star reviews on Amazon). She learned a lot from the cookbook publishing process, and she has a few tips that will help aspiring cookbook authors turn their ideas to realities. In this episode, Kathryne shares: What she did before blogging Why she started her blog and transitioned to sharing recipes How she transitioned to working on her blog full-time How she learned how to handle the design and development side of blogging How she decided to hire help What her typical week looks like How she chose a publisher for her cookbook How she got paid for writing her cookbook What she learned from editing her cookbook Resources: Cookie & Kate The Faux Martha Show Me How To Do It Cupcakes & Cashmere Goop What to Eat The Omnivore’s Dilemma Saveur Blog Awards Mr. Money Mustache Treehouse Lynda Codecademy Evernote Check out Kate’s cookbook, the Love Real Food Cookbook Follow Kate on Instagram and Facebook If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to podcast@foodbloggerpro.com.

How to work with different personalities, divide responsibilities, and split your income with Polly Conner and Rachel Tiemeyer. ----- Welcome to episode 114 of the Food Blogger Pro podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork talks with Polly Conner and Rachel Tiemeyer from Thriving Home about working as a partnership on their blog. How to Run a Successful Blog as a Partnership A blog is typically started as a sole venture, but Polly and Rachel decided to start their blog, Thriving Home, as a team. While they both have different personalities, they use those differences to their advantage to divide tasks and grow their business. But even though they’re running their blog as a team, anyone can take lessons away from the way they treat their blog as a business. You’ll learn how they made their first $1, the most important thing that makes their partnership work, and the intentional way they invest back into their business, and more. In this episode, Polly and Rachel share: How Polly and Rachel met Why they decided to start a blog together How they work with their different personalities What they focused on when they first started blogging together How they compliment each other How they navigate difficulties in a partnership What their State of the Unions look like How they divide responsibilities How they handle constructive criticism How they decided to start working on their blog full-time How they divide their income and how they decide what to invest in Why they set up their business as an S-Corp What their typical days look like Resources: Thriving Home Dave Ramsey From Freezer to Table Cookbook - releasing September 12! Profit First ConvertKit Leadpages Shopify If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to podcast@foodbloggerpro.com.