The Food Blogger Pro Podcast

Treating your blog like a business, choosing a business structure, and growing your income with Ansley Beutler ----- Welcome to episode 503 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Ansley Beutler from Peach Perfect Financials — this is the fourth and final episode of our finance mini-series! Finance Mini-Series: Smart Money Habits for Bloggers with Ansley Beutler In this episode, Ansley spills the tea on all things finances – from the nitty-gritty of bookkeeping and taxes to smart ways to grow your income. She'll talk about why it's crucial to treat your blog like a real business, how to keep track of all your expenses, and some common money mistakes bloggers make. She'll also chat through some awesome tax deductions you might not know about (ahem, business meals), the pros and cons of different business structures, and how to invest your hard-earned cash. This episode is packed with financial wisdom that every blogger needs to hear, so you won't want to miss this one! Three episode takeaways: Smart Financial Management is Key for Bloggers: From understanding expenses (like groceries for recipe testing) to separating personal and business finances, keeping your books in check is crucial. Regular bookkeeping helps prevent tax time stress and makes things easier down the road. Don't Get Discouraged: Building a successful blog takes time. Don't get discouraged if you're not raking in the cash immediately. Focus on creating great content and building your audience and things will start to pick up! Diversify Your Income Streams: Affiliate marketing is booming! Consider exploring different ways to make money, like selling your own products or offering online courses. Diversifying your income streams will make your business more stable and less reliant on any one source. Resources: Peach Perfect Financials Follow Peach Perfect Financials on Instagram QuickBooks FreshBooks Amazon Associates Program American Deposit Management Join the Food Blogger Pro Podcast Facebook Group Thank you to our sponsors! This episode is sponsored by Siftr 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.

Navigating brand partnerships, tips and tricks for negotiating collaborations, and understanding your worth with Justin Moore. ----- Welcome to episode 502 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Justin Moore from Creator Wizard. How to Become a Sponsor Magnet with Justin Moore In this episode, Justin dives deep into the world of brand partnerships and shares his proven approach to securing long-term sponsorships. He walks us through his Sponsorship Wheel framework, which helps creators craft customized proposals that align with brand goals and foster genuine, lasting relationships. It's not just about pitching for a quick deal — the name of the game here is creating a foundation for ongoing collaboration that benefits both parties. Justin also stresses that negotiation should feel like a conversation, not a one-sided transaction. Understanding what both you and the brand are looking for and being flexible with pricing can pave the way for new opportunities! He highlights the importance of knowing your worth, crafting a standout media kit, and getting creative with your pitch to secure better deals. By mastering these skills, creators can turn sponsorships into a steady revenue stream while building strong, meaningful brand connections. Three episode takeaways: Optimizing Brand Partnerships: Justin's journey into sponsorships shows the importance of building genuine relationships with brands. His 'Sponsorship Wheel' framework helps creators customize proposals, align with brand goals, and ultimately drive long-term collaborations. Negotiation is a Conversation, Not a Transaction: Effective negotiations go beyond price — it's about understanding each other's goals. Tailoring your pitch based on a brand's needs and being flexible with pricing can unlock new opportunities. Know Your Worth and Be Creative: Creators often undervalue themselves, but a strong media kit, clear communication, and creative packaging can help you stand out. With the right approach, you can secure better deals and leverage sponsorships for ongoing revenue. Resources: Creator Wizard Justin's new book, The Sponsor Magnet The Green Industry podcast hosted by Paul Jamison Follow Creator Wizard on Instagram Join the Food Blogger Pro Podcast Facebook Group Thank you to our sponsor! This episode is sponsored by Cookie Finance. 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.

Monetizing a food blog, building a brand, and implementing systems and strategies with Amina Al-Saigh from Hungry Paprikas. ----- Welcome to episode 501 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week, Bjork interviews Amina Al-Saigh from Hungry Paprikas, where she shares recipes from across the Middle East with an authentic Arab voice. From Side Hustle to Full-Time Food Blogger In this interview, Amina shares her journey from starting out as a food content creator on Instagram while working full-time as an engineer to today as a full-time food creator with a brand new cookbook (Souk To Table). Amina explains how she balanced her food blog with her full-time job in the early days, the importance of her niche in attracting brand partnerships, and the qualities that made her a desirable partner for brands, even when she had a small following. Bjork and Amina also chat about the strategy of incremental stacking when adding tasks and processes to your workload and how workflow changes when you take your food blog from side hustle to full-time. This is a really inspiring interview for anyone, but especially those currently balancing a food blog with a full-time job. Three episode takeaways: Growing and monetizing on Instagram versus a blog — Amina shares when and why she decided to start her website in addition to her Instagram (which now has almost 200,000 followers) and how she qualified for Mediavine within a year. She also explains what it was like to start monetizing her site with ads, and how it compared to when she first started making money from brand partenrships with her Instagram account. Incorporating systems and processes into your business — Before becoming a full-time food blogger, Amina worked as an engineer. And her background as an engineer is ever-present in the systems and processes she has incorporated into her business to make her life easier and work more efficient. Amina shares her processes and tips for organizing your workflow, from content scheduling to photography and editing to collaboration with her team. Making progress while letting go of perfection — Success looks different for every creator, but Amina believes that if you continue to show up every day, prioritize learning, trust your gut, and let go of perfection, every food blogger will be able to reach their goals. Resources: Hungry Paprikas Mediavine Asana Airtable Lightroom Foodie Digital Food Network CBC Creator Community SOUK TO TABLE: Vibrant Middle Eastern Dishes for Everyday Meals Email Amina Follow Amina on Instagram Join the Food Blogger Pro Podcast Facebook Group Thank you to our sponsors! This episode is sponsored by Siftr and Memberful. 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.

Setting up an LLC, claiming unique deductions, and deciding on when to hire a tax professional with Nate Coughran from Cookie Finance. ----- Welcome to episode 500 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This is the second episode of our finance mini-series, and we're excited for Bjork to sit down with Nate Coughran from Cookie Finance. Finance Mini-Series: The Smart Creator's Guide to Taxes with Nate Coughran In our latest episode, Nate Coughran from Cookie Finance shares key tips for getting your finances on track as a creator. First off, setting up an LLC can protect your personal assets and reduce audit risk. Nate also recommends keeping separate bank accounts for your business—this makes tracking your money way easier and less stressful. When it comes to taxes, creators can claim unique deductions, but it's important to find the right balance. Nate emphasizes staying on top of your bookkeeping throughout the year to avoid end-of-year stress. And if you're making over $75K, it's worth hiring a pro to ensure your tax strategy is solid and you're setting aside enough for taxes. It's all about staying ahead and keeping things simple! Three episode takeaways: Financial Setup for Creators: Creators should consider forming an LLC to protect personal assets and reduce audit risk. Keeping separate bank accounts for business transactions and tracking finances regularly helps you stay on top of your money Tax Strategy & Deductions: Creators can often claim unique deductions that traditional businesses can't. However, to avoid end-of-year stress, it's important to balance aggressive and conservative deductions and be proactive with bookkeeping throughout the year. Know When to Get Professional Help: DIY bookkeeping works for smaller incomes, but if you're making over $75K, it's worth hiring a professional. Also, setting aside money for taxes is key to avoiding surprises and ensuring accurate tax reporting. Resources: Cookie Finance Wells Fargo Chase Capital One Mercury Gusto QuickBooks Xero Follow Cookie Finance on Instagram Join the Food Blogger Pro Podcast Facebook Group Thank you to our sponsors! This episode is sponsored by Cookie Finance. 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.

Launching a cookie starter kit product, growing a TikTok following to 3 million followers, and networking with Dana Hasson. ----- Welcome to episode 499 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Dana Hasson, an entrepreneur, content creator, self-taught baker, and founder of Homemade Ish. Leveraging 3 Million TikTok Followers to Launch a Product Dana Hasson has spent the last decade building her business — reaching over 3 million followers on TikTok and launching her first physical product, Homemade Ish Cookie Starter Kits. In this interview, Dana explains how (and why) she transitioned from beauty and fashion content to food content and how she balanced networking and creating in the early days of building her brand. Bjork and Dana also discuss the process of launching a physical product, including how she is pairing the brand with her existing content and leveraging her huge social media following. Three episode takeaways: Why consistency is the secret to success on social media — Dana shares more about how she grew her TikTok following to over 3 million followers and explains why she thinks posting consistently (5x/day, every single day, for over a year!) was the key to her success. How to launch a physical product — Dana recently launched Homemade Ish, her line of Starter Cookie Kits. Learn how she built her team behind the product, developed a scalable recipe for her cookies (hint: it requires a food scientist!), and everything else you need to consider when developing a product. The importance of a season of quiet hustle — Dana shares more about the early days of building her brand, when she focused on learning, networking, and understanding the industry — as she first started posting on social media. Resources: Dana's website Homemade Ish Chiara Ferragni Addison Rae How Faith Christensen Grew Her TikTok and Instagram Platforms to 2.5 Million Followers Good Girl Snacks Kit Maximizing the Impact of Your Email List with Nathan Barry from Kit Follow Dana on Instagram and TikTok Join the Food Blogger Pro Podcast Facebook Group Thank you to our sponsors! This episode is sponsored by Siftr and Memberful. 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

Investing in Yourself and your Business, managing seasons of burnout, and the importance of time tracking with Megan Porta. ----- Welcome to episode 498 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Megan Porta from Eat Blog Talk and Pip and Ebby. Investing in Your Business You might recognize Megan Porta from her podcast, Eat Blog Talk (chances are, if you listen to this podcast, you also listen to hers)! Megan has also been a food blogger herself for over 14 years at Pip and Ebby and knows a lot about balancing her time between her many areas of focus. In this podcast interview, Bjork and Megan chat about all things investing as an entrepreneur. Megan shares her strategies for making decisions about investments, how to invest in yourself, how to invest in your business in the early stages, and how investing in yourself and your business can help you overcome plateaus and avoid burnout. Three episode takeaways: How to invest in your business (when you don't have any money to do so) —Bjork and Megan chat about how to approach investing in your business when you're in the early stages and hesitant to spend the money and how to make decisions about investments. How to get started investing in your business — Megan suggests starting by time tracking and reflecting on the current pain points in your business. You can then begin your investment journey by investing in solutions to remove those pain points. How to get through seasons of burnout — Investing in your business (and yourself) is a critical component of avoiding and overcoming plateaus, burnout, or even quitting. Megan shares more about her personal journey with this and her strategies for managing seasons of burnout as an entrepreneur. Resources: Pip and Ebby Eat Blog Talk Easy Breakfast Ideas 101 Buy Back Your Time: Get Unstuck, Reclaim Your Freedom, and Build Your Empire Big Band Software Riverside Intentional Spark 045: How to Use Facebook Ads to Reach the Right People with Tony Rulli from IntentionalSpark.com Clariti Nathan Barry Kit Toggl Hard Seasons and Wild Hearts Eat Blog Talk Investment Download Follow Eat Blog Talk on Instagram and Pip and Ebby on Instagram Join the Food Blogger Pro Podcast Facebook Group Thank you to our sponsor! This episode is sponsored by Cookie Finance. 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.

Mastering time management, outsourcing, and creating a vision for your life with Jaimee Campanella. ----- Welcome to episode 497 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Jaimee Campanella. How to Reclaim Your Time and Find Your Focus In this episode, Jaimee Campanella gets real about the time management struggles bloggers and entrepreneurs face. She shares her journey of finding the balance between work and family and how being intentional with your time is a game-changer. From doing a time audit to figuring out how to prioritize tasks, Jaimee explains how you can stay on track without burning out and make time for what really matters. Jaimee also talks about creating a joyful structure for your business, knowing when to outsource, and why documenting processes is key for sustainability. It's all about blending creativity with structure so that you can stay productive without losing your passion. If you're ready to break free from the time scarcity trap and create a work-life balance that actually works, this episode will be right up your alley! Three episode takeaways: Time Management Starts with Intentionality: A clear vision for your life can help you you structure your time around what truly matters. Jaimee's advice: setting realistic expectations and prioritizing tasks based on interest and importance can help you prevent burnout and make your time feel more rewarding! Outsource Wisely, but Don't Rush: Outsourcing tasks can free up valuable time, but timing is everything. Make sure it aligns with your goals and comes after you've figured out where your time is really going. A time audit is a great first step! Creativity and Structure Can Coexist: Building a structured approach to managing your time doesn't come at the expense of your creative flow. With the right processes in place and a good team, you can have both productivity and passion without feeling overwhelmed. Resources: The Jaimee Campanella Company Things Asana Episode 165 of The Food Blogger Pro podcast: Getting Things Done with David Allen Kit Follow Jaimee on Instagram and Other platform - facebook, youtube, tiktok, whatever seems most important for them Join the Food Blogger Pro Podcast Facebook Group Thank you to our sponsors! 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.

Developing a content strategy and writing blog posts that will get traffic to your blog with Ashley Segura from TopHatRank. ----- Welcome to episode 496 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, we're rewinding back to one of our favorite episodes with Ashley Segura from TopHatRank and TopHatContent! As bloggers, our goal is to create content that our readers find valuable. But even more, we want to create content that people are actually searching for. And that's what we're chatting about today with Ashley from TopHatRank and TopHatContent! She's an expert when it comes to content marketing, and she's sharing some of her best advice for creators in this episode — everything from how to come up with great content ideas to what an ideal blog post structure looks like. It was a really great interview, and we know you'll have so many takeaways to apply to your own content strategy after listening. We hope you enjoy it! Three episode takeaways: Content Strategy & Audits: Ashley talks about how she got into content marketing and why content audits are essential for improving website performance. She shares tips on when to republish, delete, or noindex old posts to keep your content fresh and effective! Creating & Structuring Content: From brainstorming blog post ideas with ranking potential to structuring posts for maximum impact, Ashley shares her process for crafting content that resonates with both users and search engines. Understanding the User Journey: You'll learn about the importance of backlinks and how understanding the user journey can help drive engagement and improve SEO performance. Resources: TopHatRank TopHatContent TopHatSocial Tastemaker Conference Semrush BuzzSumo Slickstream 231: A Better Experience – Building Engagement, Not Just Traffic with Kingston Duffie Built to Sell: Creating a Business That Can Thrive Without You SEO for Bloggers Webinars Semrush's Topic Research Tool AnswerThePublic Yoast SEO Follow Ashley on Twitter Follow TopHatRank on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter Join the Food Blogger Pro Podcast Facebook Group This episode is sponsored by Yoast. 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.

Getting started with keyword research, finding the right keyword research tool, and tracking your keywords with Aleka Shunk from Cooking With Keywords. ----- Welcome to episode 495 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, we're rewinding back to one of our favorite episodes with Aleka Shunk from Cooking With Keywords! How to Increase Your Organic Traffic with Keyword Research Since launching her course, Cooking With Keywords, Aleka has taught countless students about the ins and outs of keyword research, and in this week's podcast episode, she's sharing her best tips to develop a strong keyword research strategy. You'll learn what keywords and modifiers are, how to get started with keyword research, what tools you should use, and more. Whether you're just diving into keyword research for the first time or you're a seasoned pro, we know you'll have so many takeaways from this conversation. Enjoy! Three episode takeaways: How keyword research works: Aleka walks listeners through the keyword research process and explains what keywords and modifiers are, what the different phases of keyword research look like, how to get started with keyword research, and more. The keyword research tools Aleka recommends: There are so many different tools on the market for SEO and keyword research, it can feel impossible to choose. Aleka shares her go-to tools for keyword research and the pros/cons of various tools. Why it's important to analyze and track your keywords: The keyword research process doesn't end when you hit 'publish' — it's just beginning! Aleka explains why it is so important to continue analyzing, tracking, and optimizing your keywords in order to see the most benefits from keyword research. Resources: Cooking With Keywords Get 10% off any Cooking With Keywords course or coaching service (available for FBP members only) Aleka's Get-Together Keysearch Semrush Ahrefs Keywords Everywhere Keyword Surfer Substack Follow Aleka on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest 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.

Navigating business ownership with family members, establishing ownership of responsibilities, and creating genuine content with Echo and Erica Blickenstaff. ----- Welcome to episode 494 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Echo and Erica Blickenstaff from the food blog Favorite Family Recipes. The Secret to Building a Family Business and Reaching 2 Million Pageviews In this episode, Echo and Erica dive into the ups and downs of running a family business. The key to their success? Dividing responsibilities and playing to each other's strengths. After struggling with everyone doing everything (hello, burnout!), they sat down to figure out who would take on what. Once that was sorted, it was like a weight was lifted, and they were able to dive deeper into their areas of expertise. They also talk about the challenges of growing a business while staying true to your roots. After taking a hit from Google's algorithm updates, they realized the importance of diversifying their revenue streams and not relying too much on search traffic. With 2 million monthly page views (!!!) and a focus on authentic, family-driven content, they've learned to balance growth with staying genuine. Whether you're running a family business or just trying to keep things organized, this episode is full of actionable tips and inspiring insights! Three episode takeaways: Dividing Responsibilities for Success: Working with family can make decision-making tricky, but once the three sisters divided up their responsibilities based on each person's strengths and weaknesses, everything fell into place. It helped them work more efficiently and allowed everyone to dive deeper into their areas of expertise. Navigating the Business Roles: Inspired by the E Myth framework, they identified who best fit the roles of the entrepreneur, manager, and technician in their business. Understanding these roles helped them streamline operations and keep the business running smoothly. Adapting and Staying Authentic: After being impacted by Google's Helpful Content Update, they've been focusing on diversifying their revenue streams and staying true to their roots by creating authentic, family-focused content that AI can't replicate. Resources: Favorite Family Recipes The E Myth: Why Most Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It by Michael E. Gerber Slicing Pie by Mike Moyer The EOS business framework The Minne Stuga Snackdive Clariti Semrush Asana Most Requested Copycat Dishes — their third cookbook! Follow Favorite Family Recipes on Instagram Join the Food Blogger Pro Podcast Facebook Group Thank you to our sponsors! This episode is sponsored by Yoast 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.