The Food Blogger Pro Podcast

Welcome to episode 28 of the Food Blogger Pro podcast! We are starting the new year off strong with a podcast all about optimizing your blog so that you can show up higher in search results. Last week on the podcast, Bjork interviewed Ali Maffucci from Inspiralized. They talked about how she built a really strong brand in a really specific niche, and how it worked out really well for her. She now even sells her own physical product! To go back and listen to that episode, click here. How to Boost Your Blog’s SEO SEO can sound like a really scary acronym - what does it even mean, and how can I make it work for me?! But fear not, because even though it can be pretty complex to master, it can also be pretty easy to get started with. Casey Markee from Media Wyse specializes in boosting SEO for food blogs. He kind of fell into this niche by accident, and by now has worked with 50+ bloggers to help them rank higher in search. In this interview, he and Bjork talk about some of the really quick and easy things you can do to improve your blog’s SEO, as well as some of the higher-level stuff that can give you an extra SEO boost. In this super informative interview, Casey shares: What SEO is and why it is so important for your food blog What the biggest component of ranking online is How backlinks affect your search rankings How you can go about link-building in an ethical, Google-approved way The one thing you should make sure you have set up for your blog in 2016 What structured data is and how it can indirectly help your organic traffic How Google uses authorship to gauge EAT - expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness Why you should be updating your popular posts yearly How site speed will affect your rankings now and in the future A few small, easy things you can do to boost your blog’s SEO Resources: Media Wyse Moz Search Ranking Factors Searchmetrics Ranking Factors Casey’s Slideshare Channel Google’s Structured Data Testing Tool Google Search Rater Quality Guidelines Redirection WordPress Plugin AMP Wordpress Plugin Tiny JPG EWWW Image Optimizer WordPress Plugin Yoast SEO for WordPress Course on Food blogger Pro EasyRecipe Course on Food blogger Pro 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!

Committing to a Niche and Building a Brand Welcome to episode 27 of the Food Blogger Pro podcast! This is the last episode of 2015 - crazy! This week on the podcast, Bjork is talking with Ali Maffucci from Inspiralized! When most bloggers start out, committing to a specific niche can seem scary - we don't want to turn anyone away from our new blog! However, finding a small niche that you are really passionate about can help propel your blog into success. Ali Maffucci has certainly found a small niche with Inspiralized. She posts recipes that all use a spiralizer, and she loves it! She's been featured in many magazines, has her own product to sell, and has really captured the love and attention of fellow spiralizers. In this inspiring interview, Ali shares: Why she decided to start a blog all about spiralizing How she got the Inspiralized name out there with "self PR" How she approached her brand even when it was just getting started Her advice for creating and selling a physical product How she stays organized and gets the most important things done Resources: Inspiralized 025: How to Connect with Influencers with John Corcoran from Smart Business Revolution Evernote 004: How Understanding Your Visitors Can Help You Create an Income with Dr. David Darmanin from Hotjar Hotjar course on FBP Canon 5D Mark III Adobe Creative Cloud Premiere Pro Inspiralized on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter

How Pinterest Analytics can Boost your Blog Welcome to episode 26 of the Food Blogger Pro podcast! This week marks the 6th month anniversary of the FBP podcast - so exciting! We’ve learned so much in the last 6 months, and we’ve really loved sharing it with all of you. Thank you thank you for being our loyal subscriber! This week on the podcast, Bjork is talking with Kate Ahl from Simple Pin Media about Pinterest! For most bloggers (myself included), Pinterest Analytics are really just used as a comparison tool - how the blog did this week versus last week. However, Kate from Simple Pin Media specializes in digging deep into Pinterest Analytics to really see what works - and then she coaches her clients on how to use that information to grow their blogs. In this insightful interview, Kate shares: What Pinterest is and how it is used How Pinterest out-performs other social media channels like Facebook and Twitter How to get your pins to show up higher in search What the difference is between a user account and a business account on Pinterest How you should be using Pinterest analytics How to use “content upgrades” to increase opt-ins on your site using information from Pinterest The first thing Kate and her team do for a new client’s Pinterest profile How to keep tabs on what’s trending on Pinterest How to find the boards that perform well for you Resources: Simple Pin Media Episode 19 - Susan Wenner Jackson YesWare TextExpander business.pinterest.com Pinterest course on FBP LeadPages GetResponse Active Campaign Mailchimp Aweber Mad Mimi Pinterest Email Settings (log in to Pinterest first) 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!

How to Connect with Influencers Welcome to episode 25 of the Food Blogger Pro podcast! This week, Bjork talks with John Cocoran from Smart Business Revolution about connecting with influencers. Growing your blog can be tough - aside from all the cooking, photographing, and writing, you also have to figure out how to get your name out there. John Cocoran argues that connecting with influencers and growing your relationships with them can be one of the best ways to get your name out there. So how do you do it? Listen in as John shares his personal experiences with networking, his best tips to meet influencers, and why you should rank peoples' importance from a business standpoint. In this grounding interview, John shares: What an influencer is and why they are important to your business How providing content for others helped him grow his business Why you should give more than you get to grow relationships How to identify the people you should be getting in contact with Why you should be using lists in Twitter to keep track of your How you can use interviews to get to know people How to connect with people at conferences Resources: Smart Business Revolution How to create a list in Twitter smartbusinessrevolution.com/quick-introductions Contactually foodbloggerpro.com/one 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!

How to Find Balance in Blogging I am SO excited about this week's episode because it goes over some really important things that I think all bloggers need to hear. This week, Bjork talked with Ali Ebright from Gimme Some Oven about finding balance in the busy world of blogging. We all know what it feels like to feel totally overwhelmed about all the things we "need" to do - and excel at - as bloggers. First it's cooking, then web administration, and photography, then social media, Twitter parties, monetization, writing... and the list goes on! But in today's episode, Ali shares her best advice for bloggers - and it includes slowing down and taking some time for yourself. In this grounding interview, Ali shares: How she stumbled upon the idea for a blog & got started What motivated her to keep blogging when she didn't even know she could make money with a blog Her tips for white photography When she quit her job to be a blogger full-time, and how long she thinks she'll be doing it What she does to continue to grow her blog every day How she uses the Google Keyword Planner to get post ideas Why she surveys her readers every year Her best advice for new and experienced bloggers Listen to the Food Blogger Pro Podcast below or check it out on iTunes: [[podcast episode embedded here]] Resources: Gimme Some Oven Episode 016: How Elise Bauer Built Simply Recipes and Recovered from a 70% Drop in Traffic White Balance Eyedropper Tutorial Google Keyword Tool (note - this link will only work if you have an AdWords account set up) Gimme Some Oven on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram Ira Glass quote on creative work foodbloggerpro.com/one 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!

Building a Team for Your Online Business Welcome to the 23rd episode of the Food Blogger Pro podcast! These numbers are getting pretty big... in just 3 more episodes that means we'll have been making podcast episodes for half a year! So crazy. On to the episode! This week, Bjork had a conversation with Melissa Lanz, the CEO and founder of The Fresh 20, a meal planning service. They talk a little bit about what her business does, and a LOT about how her business does it. Melissa Lanz wasn't always an entrepreneur. In fact, she started out as a "miserable, but comfortable" corporate worker making well over $100k per year. So she started her own business - and it grew to the point that she simply couldn't do it all on her own. So, she hired some help. And in the years since, she's become a master at hiring, firing, running her online business, and helping others do the same. In this awesome interview, Melissa shares: What her husband said that helped her change her direction in life to pursue her own business How she afforded to quit her job and pursue her own business full time Where she found the time to start her new venture How she perfected her product using friends' feedback When she realized she needed to hire someone, and where she found help How systematizing the team's work allowed the Lanz family to take a 5 week vacation last year How giving team members authority made sure all bases were covered How to determine whether your hires should be employees or contract labor Resources: The Fresh 20 Zendesk Jing Screen Capture Tool BaseCamp Infusionsoft Melissa Lanz & Co service@melissalanz.com foodbloggerpro.com/one 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!

Sponsored Content from a Brand's Perspective Hello hello! We're back at it this week on the FBP Podcast and we're talking with Zach Tackett from DeLallo about sponsored content from the brand's perspective. It's the ultimate food blogger goal - to get paid to use a brand's product in a recipe you post on your website. What could be cooler?! The tough part can be actually finding the brands that you want to work with - and who want to work with you, too. Fortunately, Zach Tackett from DeLallo Foods met up with Bjork and Lindsay to talk about exactly what brands are looking for in bloggers, what the process looks like, and what to expect. In this really insightful interview, Zach shares: Where the DeLallo company got its roots What DeLallo advertising looked like back in the early days, and how they tackle it now What the DeLallo brand looks for in food bloggers for sponsored content Whether you have to work with an agency to get sponsored content What the actual process looks like for sponsored content Why DeLallo works with "brand ambassadors" instead of paying bloggers for one-off posts How to make your sponsored posts sound authentic How to get brands' attention Resources: DeLallo.com @DeLalloFoods on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook by Gary Vaynerchuk Poetry Magazine Poetry Foundation Poets.org Our Andromeda by Brenda Shaughnessy

How to Manage Your Schedule So You Can Live Free Welcome to another week of the Food Blogger Pro podcast! This episode, Bjork and Lindsay talk with Amy Lynn Andrews about time management. If I were to guess, I would say that the most common question we get from our members is, "How do I manage my time when there are so many things to do?!?" And yes, it usually comes with two question marks and at least one exclamation point - this question is usually posed by those feeling overwhelmed and at a point of desperation. Finding the time to do all of the things you want to do can be really tough, especially when everybody and their mother is telling you about the next coolest thing you just HAVE to do to make your blog readership grow. Fortunately, Amy Lynn Andrews has been doing this blogging stuff for quite a while now, and she has some great tips to share with all of us who are struggling to prioritize and fit it all in. In this really helpful interview, Amy Lynn shares: Her "getting started" tips for blogging as a business How she sets a purpose, plan, place, and plot for her business and her life How she uses her quadrant method to prioritize activities How to clarify what your most important goal is and use that to set priorities How to be flexible with your time management Resources: amylynnandrews.com The Useletter 11 Things to Do Before Making Money Online

How to Secure your Food Blog Welcome back to the Food Blogger Pro podcast! In this episode, Bjork talks with Andrew Wilder from Blog Tutor about blog security. When you're starting and maintaining your food blog, there are so many things to do. From getting your website designed just right to making that batch of double chocolate cookies 5 times to make it perfect, a food blogger pretty much always has a full plate (har har). So when someone tells you that you should take some of your precious, precious time and use it to create strong passwords and back up your blog, I'll admit that I'm not the first person to jump up and down in excitement. However, these things are so, so important. It only takes one small event - which are often caused by factors out of your control - to bring your blog down. And if you don't have it all backed up, you could lose all of your hard work just like that. Andrew Wilder specializes in blog security, and today he's here to tell us what we need to do to make sure our blogs are safe from both intentional and unintentional harm. In this really important interview, Andrew shares: How he transitioned from being a studio lighting designer to a food blog security master The two most important things you can do for your blog's security How databases work and why you need to back them up What tools he recommends for your website backups Whether or not you should use your hosting company's backups Why you should use a password manager Why you should update your WordPress software and plugins What two-factor authentication is and why you should be using it How he helps webmasters keep their websites live and secure all the time Resources: Eating Rules Blog Tutor VaultPress UpDraft Plus BackUp Buddy CodeGaurd 1Password KeePass LastPass WordFence iThemes Security Login Security Solution Google Authenticator for iPhone and Android Duo Security Deals & Discounts page on FBP Remember, we are closing the doors on FBP memberships on November 19! Sign up now to get access! 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!

How to Master Pinterest for your Food Blog Welcome back to the Food Blogger Pro podcast! This week, Bjork interviews Susan from Ahalogy, a Pinterest marketing Partner. As food bloggers, we've all heard it: Pinterest can, and should, be a major driving force for your blog. Get Pinterest figured out and you'll be set with all the traffic your little blogging heart desires. Unfortunately, mastering Pinterest isn't that easy. Deciding what size images to use, whether or not you should make a compilation of images, and if you should be adding text are all tough questions. Thankfully, Susan Wenner Jackson from Ahalogy, a Pinterest Marketing Partner, is here to help us out! In this insightful interview, Susan shares: How she would describe Pinterest from a user's perspective Why you should start with your existing personal account Why you should think of Pinterest as a search engine Whether or not you should be deleting old pins Why you should enable rich pins for your domain How you should be writing your pin descriptions If food bloggers should be using promoted pins How Ahalogy works with bloggers and brands Resources: foodbloggerpro.com/focus Ahalogy SusanWennerJackson.com @SusanWJackson Working Moms Against Guilt Trend Report for Ingredients