The Food Blogger Pro Podcast

Solopreneur Food Blogging Hello, and welcome back to the Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week, Bjork is talking with veteran blogger, cookbook author, and YouTuber Kelly Senyei from Just a Taste. When I think of Kelly Senyei, I wonder how in the world one person has done everything she's accomplished. From her degrees in Journalism and culinary school, to working at Food Network, to writing the book on food blogging (literally), Kelly seems to have done it all. Amazingly, she's done all of this on her own, including the monetization, social media, and content management. In this inspiring episode, Kelly reveals: Why she thinks consistency is so important The steps she went through to make sure she could be an authority in her market How she applied her various degrees to food blogging Why she went to culinary school and how it has helped her career How she found jobs in the food industry and how those experiences helped her build a successful blog Her favorite restaurants in CA and NY What the most difficult things were for her when deciding to pursue Just a Taste full-time Where her revenue comes from Why she takes the time and effort to make cooking videos The advice she would have given herself when she was just starting out Resources: Just a Taste Food Blogging for Dummies Playground, Santa Ana, CA Tamarind, New York General Assembly Accounting for Dummies Mailchimp Facebook Pinterest Instagram foodbloggerpro.com/episode12 foodbloggerpro.com/kelly

Making the Leap to Full-Time Blogging Another week, another episode! We hope you've been enjoying the FBP podcast so far. We've sure had fun making it! Today's episode features Beth Moncel from the awesome food blog Budget Bytes. So many of us hope and dream that one day we could make blogging our full-time job. Well, Beth was once one of us, but now she's actually living the dream! However, this didn't just magically happen. Instead, Beth did a slow transition from corporate to self-employed, and it made the switch a little less stressful. In this inspiring episode, Beth reveals: What it was like transitioning from her day job to working for herself How she got started on her blog Why she switched from Blogger to Wordpress and how it affected her blog How she managed her time while working full time and running her blog simultaneously How social media has contributed to her success Her top 5 tools she couldn't live without The one thing she wishes she did sooner How she is planning on getting into video Resources: Budget Bytes Blogger platform Wordpress.org Yoast SEO plugin Adobe Creative Cloud Google Analytics PicMonkey Budget Bytes Twitter Budget Bytes Pinterest Budget Bytes Facebook Budget Bytes Instagram foodbloggerpro.com/beth

Working with Brands on YouTube Welcome back to the Food Blogger Pro podcast! Today's episode features Beth Le Manach from the YouTube cooking channel Entertaining with Beth. We had our first YouTube-centric interview a few weeks ago with Chris and Hilah of Hilah Cooking. While that interview covered more of the actual video topics, today's talk with Beth Le Manach gets into the other stuff - how to work with brands, what multi-channel networks are, and finding your "value" on YouTube. This episode is sucha a great listen for those interested in YouTube, but might be a little bogged down in the details. Beth helps clear the murky water that is YouTube and gives some great advice for those looking to jump in. In this info-packed episode, Beth reveals: How to choose a multi-channel network How multi-channel networks are turning into multi-platform networks What metrics are important to pay attention to on YouTube How long your videos should be Where to find your "value" Why YouTube is such a personal platform How she deals with negative comments What it takes to shoot her videos Her advice for those who want to jump into video Resources: Entertaining with Beth In Beth's Garden Kin Community Channel The Oatmeal comic on content creation Final Cut Pro X Byron Talbott YouTube Channel Rachel Talbott YouTube Channel Hot for Food YouTube Channel Domestic Geek YouTube Channel VidCon

For today's episode of the Food Blogger Pro podcast, Bjork interviews Jaden and Scott Hair from the inspiring food blog Steamy Kitchen. Food blogging starts out as a hobby for most, but after all the learning, hard work, and pride in what they've built, many people decide they want to turn their hobby into their business. But, that road can seem like a rough ride if you don't know what to expect. Fortunately, Jaden and Scott Hair, the makers of Steamy Kitchen, Food Blog Forum, and Kitchen Table Mastery, are here to tell us a little bit more about it. In this fun episode, Jaden & Scott reveal: The two traits they see in all successful bloggers The secret to doing the difficult things Their biggest secret to creating an income from a food blog (it has to do with Robots) How to find out what people need Why they think building an email list is the most important thing you can do Why diversification was the key to Steamy Kitchen's success Who is on their imaginary board of directors - and why they're there How to determine your "worth" Listen to the Food Blogger Pro Podcast below or check it out on iTunes: Resources: Steamy Kitchen Kitchen Table Mastery Food Blog Forum Fit Radio App Focus at Will App Mad Mimi Infusion Soft If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to podcast@foodbloggerpro.com.

Simplifying Ad Optimization with Andy Marzka from AdThrive For today's episode of the Food Blogger Pro podcast, Bjork talks with Andy Marzka, founder and CEO of ad optimization service AdThrive. Ad optimization is one of those things that totally clicks for some people and totally doesn't click for others. And even for the people it "clicks" for, it can be a confusing, befuddling, and frustrating process to get it all figured out. Fortunately, Andy Marzka agreed to help us understand it all a little better. Andy is the founder and CEO of AdThrive, an ad optimization service that helps you make the most money possible with your ads. In this eye-opening episode, Andy reveals: What DFP is and why AdThrive uses it How passbacks work and why they are important The number of ads you should have and how to place them How the ad industry is changing - and what it means for you Why ad impressions don't always add up to equal the number of pageviews What cookies are and how they work When you should start using ads as a new blogger When you should think about getting an ad manager His advice for making money in blogging The importance of mobile and what it means for your ads Resources: AdThrive.com Doubleclick for Publishers (DFP) Google Adsense

For this episode of the Food Blogger Pro podcast, Bjork and Lindsay team up to talk with Ashley and Gabe Rodriguez from the blog Not Without Salt. On the last episode of the FBP podcast, Bjork interviewed Hilah Johnson and Chris Sharpe from the YouTube cooking channel Hilah Cooking. We got a real-life look into what it takes to run a successful cooking channel and the work it took to get there. If you didn't get a chance to listen to that episode (or if you want to hear it again!), click here. The Art of Photography with Ashley and Gabe from Not Without Salt Not Without Salt was the winner of the 2013 Saveur Best Cooking Blog award. That's a big deal. But this award wasn't just handed over to Ashley and Gabe - no, it was won after years and years of dedication and hard work. Photography and art are two really important things to both Ashley and Gabe - Ashley went to school to be a high school art teacher, and Gabe shoots weddings for a living. However, it's at the intersection of photography and art where the blog Not Without Salt really shines. {image2} In this 64-minute episode, Ashley and Gabe reveal: How they work together as a team to get work done and still enjoy their lives How Not Without Salt got started Where Ashley finds motivation to keep it up after all these years Why Gabe started taking the photos - and how Ashley took over and learned the trade Their individual pieces of advice for how to get better at photography Why experiencing The Resistance means you're doing something right The tools they use during and after shooting The advice they would give themselves back when they got started Resources: Not Without Salt 2013 Saveur Cooking Blog of the Year foodbloggerpro.com/episode7 Date Night In Cookie Mix The War of Art Bird By Bird by Ann LaMott Canon 5D Mark II Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM Lens VSCO Filters Lens Extension tubes foodbloggerpro.com/notwithoutsalt If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to podcast@foodbloggerpro.com.

For this episode of the Food Blogger Pro podcast, we're taking with Hilah Johnson and Chris Sharpe from the YouTube channel and food blog Hilah Cooking. On the last episode of the FBP podcast, Bjork talked with Jason Leake from 100 Days of Real Food. Jason gave us a really great look into what it takes to run a food blog behind the scenes. If you missed that episode, check it out here. Hilah Johnson & Chris Sharpe: Broke filmmakers turned YouTube cooking channel stars Hilah and Chris did not get started in video with their cooking channel. It all started, in fact, with a "post-apocalyptic horror comedy" film they did together - which ultimately took a dive and failed. But just a few years later, Chris and Hilah are a very successful and popular team in the Youtube video industry. They joined Bjork on the Food Blogger Pro podcast to talk all about their journey to YouTube success. In this 66-minute episode, Hilah and Chris reveal: How they got started in video Why you should read the comments on your videos and blog posts Which followers are your most important, and how to foster your relationship with them The equipment they used to take their video game up a notch How to get used to being "on camera" The nitty gritty of shooting a recipe video Their advice for those getting started with online video content This interview gives some great insight into what it takes to run a YouTube cooking channel, and is a great resource for those thinking of starting to incorporate videos into their food blogs. Resources: Hilah Cooking Night of the Comet film Jerry! web show Information on Google Panda YouTube Multi-Channel Networks ScreenFlow FinalCut Pro Adobe Premiere Canon T5i, Canon T3i, Canon C100 Evolution G3 Microphone The YouTube Black Book, by Chris Sharpe foodbloggerpro.com/hilah If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to podcast@foodbloggerpro.com.

For this episode of the Food Blogger Pro podcast, we're taking with Jason Leake from 100 Days of Real Food. Jason Leake: The business of food blogging For those outside the food blog world, blogging seems pretty simple - just make some food, take a few pictures, and put it up on the internet. For those of us inside the food blog world, the last sentence really just made you laugh. Well, Jason Leake is right there with you. Jason went from supportive-but-not-interested husband to full-time behind the scenes blog manager in less than 2 years. He takes care of almost everything that goes on at 100 Days of Real Food that doesn't involve cooking, photographing or writing posts. What that means is that Jason knows a LOT about what it takes to make a food blog run beyond the cooking & photographing part - and this is where most of us get stuck. This interview is definitely not one to miss. {image2} In this 64-minute episode, Jason reveals: How 100 Days of Real Food got started, and how Jason felt about being involved The techniques Lisa used to bring attention to her blog What it means for your blog to publish a hard-copy book How Jason handles doing "the books" The resources Jason uses for managing 100 Days of Real Food on a day-to-day basis This interview gives a real-life look into what it takes to run a food blog behind the scenes. Jason has a lot of information to share that can help bloggers like you and me up our blogging game. Resources: 100daysofrealfood.com problogschool.com Smart Passive Income Blog & Podcast Amazon Affiliate Program Xero Accounting Software Trello.com The E Myth Jing Videos Food Blog University Conference ShiftCon Conference foodbloggerpro.com/jason If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to podcast@foodbloggerpro.com. Be sure to review us on iTunes!

Today on the Food Blogger Pro podcast, we're turning up the heat (pun intended) as we talk about some tech-geek stuff with Dr. David Darmanin from HotJar. For this episode, Bjork interviews the founder and CEO of HotJar, a revolutionary startup whose goal is to provide highly important website visitor information to web administrators (people like you and me). And the best part? It's free. Dr. David Darmanin: How Understanding Your Visitors Can Help You Build Traffic and Create an Income If you haven't implemented HotJar on your site yet, you most likely just haven't heard of it yet. What Google Analytics can't do for you (or does with way too many details), HotJar makes as simple and beautiful as you can imagine. Dr. David Darmanin, the founder and CEO of HotJar, worked for years as a professional conversion expert and as a user experience (UX) designer for websites. When you put those two skills together, you get a tool that is so easy to use your grandmother could do it, and that is so good at converting your visitors into customers or subscribers that you'll wonder how you ever survived without it. In this 57-minute episode, David reveals: The power of HotJar and what it can do for your website How understanding your visitors can get you more traffic and create more income from your blog What heat maps are and what you can learn from them (you'll be amazed!) How funneling information can tell you where your visitors are dropping off before they convert What a feedback loop is and how you can use it to increase your conversion What a net promoter score is and what it means for your blog This interview has so much important information that you'll probably want to listen to it twice. The knowledge that Dr. David shares will definitely impact how you look at your website's analytics. Resources: HotJar.com Hot Jar Action Plan foodbloggerpro.com/david If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to podcast@foodbloggerpro.com. Be sure to review us on iTunes!

Welcome back to the Food Blogger Pro Podcast! For this episode, Bjork had the pleasure of talking with Sally McKenney, founder and creator of Sally's Baking Addiction. Sally McKenney on creating success, ignoring the competition, and writing cookbooks. If you haven't been over to Sally's Baking Addiction yet, you are certainly missing out. Sally creates baked goods to swoon over - from cheesecake to brownies to pies, and everything you can imagine with funfetti. She's also a whiz when it comes to blog success. Sally took her blog from zero to hero (read: full time job) in just two years. She is now the author of two cookbooks, Sally's Baking Addiction and the soon-to-come Sally's Candy Addiction. In this 41-minute episode, Sally reveals: Why comparing your baby blog to the big guns is not a good strategy What she attributes to her rapid success (hint: it's not luck!) How she juggled her full-time job and growing her food blog How she got a cookbook deal - and kept up her blog while writing it Where her traffic comes from And the advice she would give herself back when she started her blog This interview was such a great peek into the behind-the-scenes work that went into - and still goes into - the Sally's Baking Addiction blog. We loved learning from Sally and know you're going to love what she had to say. Resources: Sally's Baking Addiction Sally's Baking Addiction Cookbook Sally's Candy Addiction Cookbook foodbloggerpro.com/sally If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to podcast@foodbloggerpro.com.