Balancing lifestyle and SEO-friendly posts, outsourcing tasks that don't bring you joy, and diversifying income streams with Anne Mauney from fANNEtastic Food. ----- Welcome to episode 419 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Anne Mauney from fANNEtastic Food. Balancing Life, SEO, and Income Streams Over 14 Years of Food Blogging Anne Mauney has been running her blog for over 14 years now and, as you might imagine, her life has changed considerably during that time. Since starting her blog, Anne has become a Registered Dietitian with a Masters in Public Health, has gotten married, and had two children. In addition to all of those big life changes, she has witnessed the rise of social media and SEO, and weathered the huge changes in the food blogging landscape. In this candid conversation, Bjork and Anne chat about navigating life and blog changes and balancing parenthood with running a business. Anne shares more about her changing income streams over the years, and why outsourcing certain tasks that don’t bring her joy has allowed her to continue blogging after all these years. It’s a super valuable episode no matter where you are in your blogging journey! In this episode, you’ll learn: About how food blogging has changed since Anne started her blog in 2009. How she has had to reinvent herself and her blog over the years to stay current. How she balances lifestyle posts and SEO-friendly posts in her blogging schedule. Why she prioritizes outsourcing the tasks that don’t bring her joy, and how she has built her team. What her approach to keyword research is. How she has juggled childcare and blogging responsibilities over the years. What she would change, and what she would keep the same, from the last 14 years of blogging. How she incorporates her nutrition private practice into her business. More about the breakdown of her income sources at various points in her blogging journey, and how she diversifies her income streams. Resources: fANNEtastic Food Kath Eats Real Food Designing Your Life: How to Build a Well-Lived, Joyful Life The E Myth Revisited Follow Anne on Instagram and Facebook Join the Food Blogger Pro Podcast Facebook Group ----- This episode is sponsored by Clariti. Learn how you can organize your blog content for maximum growth by going to clariti.com/food. 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

Understanding plugins, the future of custom themes, and WordPress Site Editor with Lauren Gray from Once Coupled. ----- Welcome to episode 418 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Lauren Gray from Once Coupled. Navigating the Changing Landscape of Technology in Food Blogging Lauren is the Founder and Director of Development at Once Coupled, a small development agency that works with food bloggers and other online publishers. She also happens to be the Web Development Expert here at Food Blogger Pro and is truly an expert on all things themes, plugins, and WordPress. And that’s exactly what Bjork and Lauren are chatting about in today’s podcast episode! They cover a lot of ground, from Site Editor and Block Editor to custom themes and technical debt. If you’re curious about making changes to your website, updating your theme, or looking to add specific functionalities to your site, this is an interview you won’t want to miss! In this episode, you’ll learn: What Lauren does at Once Coupled and how they support food bloggers. How Once Coupled’s services and offerings have changed over the years to reflect the changing landscape of food blogging. What Site Editor in WordPress is, how it works, and how it changes things for publishers and developers. What WordPress Blocks (and the Block Editor) are. The pros and cons of using Site Editor vs. a custom theme right now. Lauren’s recommendations for how beginner food bloggers should progress through their website journey. What technical debt is, and why you need to keep it in mind when building your website. The purpose of, and future plans for, Once Coupled’s plugins company, Small Plugins. The functionality of the Dynamic Connector plugin from Small Plugins. Resources: Once Coupled The Food Blogger Pro Podcast Episode 122: Site Speed in a Mobile-First World with Lauren Gray Nerdpress Bill Erickson The Food Blogger Pro Podcast Episode 236: Themes – Performance-Focused Designs with Bill Erickson Squarespace Webflow Wix Genesis Theme iMark Interactive Upwork Media Wyse Feast Small Plugins Get 70% off of Small Plugins plugins! Join the Food Blogger Pro Podcast Facebook Group ----- This episode is sponsored by Clariti. Learn how you can organize your blog content for maximum growth by going to clariti.com/food. 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

Brainstorming, building, and marketing an app and WordPress plugin for saving online recipes and sharing them with friends. ----- Welcome to episode 417 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Ann Baum from Spillt. Building a Recipe-Sharing App to Drive Traffic to Food Blogs Food creators are no strangers to recipe-sharing sites and social media apps; many of us have love-hate relationships with some of them! Sisters Ann and Maddie Baum knew that there was a better way to save and share online recipes — so they built it! Over the past several years, Ann and Maddie created Spillt, an app and WordPress plugin that allows users to save online recipes and share them with friends on the app, all while driving traffic and star ratings back to the food bloggers themselves! Bjork and Ann talk about Ann’s career journey from working at Facebook to building the app, and take a peak behind-the-scenes at the creation of Spillt. Ann shares more about working with food bloggers to create the app, and why they wanted to prioritize food bloggers in the functionality of the app. It’s a really informative episode and one you won’t want to miss! In this episode, you’ll learn: What Spillt is, and how food creators can use it to drive traffic and star ratings to their recipes. More about Ann’s career path from working at Facebook to developing the Spillt app. Why Ann and her sister, Maddie, decided to build Spillt, and what market gap they hope to fill. What product development for Spillt looked like. Why they built Spillt in a way that prioritizes the needs of food bloggers. The difference between a content algorithm and a social algorithm, and why that difference mattered in the creation of Spillt. The plans for monetization on Spillt in the future. What user growth has looked like on Spillt so far. Resources: Spillt Tastemaker Conference Pinch of Yum Goodreads Slack Booked Up: Ben Smith on Traffic Clariti Follow Spillt on Instagram Join the Food Blogger Pro Podcast Facebook Group ----- This episode is sponsored by Once Coupled, the development agency behind the brand ​Small Plugins​. To get a 70% discount on ALL (current and future) Small Plugins plugins, get early access to test new plugins, and vote on ideas for the next plugin, go to foodbloggerpro.com/small.  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

Documenting family recipes, managing a food blog as a family of four, and writing a James Beard-nominated cookbook with Sarah and Kaitlin Leung from The Woks of Life. ----- Welcome to episode 416 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Sarah and Kaitlin Leung from The Woks of Life. Preserving Family Recipes with a Food Blog For Sarah and Kaitlin Leung, their food blog, The Woks of Life, is a family affair. They have run the blog with their parents, Judy and Bill, for over ten years, and now they all work together full-time! Bjork chats with Sarah and Kaitlin about the early days of The Woks of Life, including why they started documenting their family’s Chinese recipes, and how they grew their site while working full-time. Sarah and Kaitlin share more about the division of labor when running a food blog as a family, and what they’ve learned over the last ten years of blogging. They have a really unique perspective on food blogging, and it’s a can’t-miss episode. In this episode, you’ll learn: More about being nominated for a James Beard Award for their cookbook. The origin story of The Woks of Life back in 2013. Why they wanted to preserve and document their family’s Chinese recipes on the blog. What the division of labor looks like amongst the four family members behind The Woks of Life. How they transitioned to running their blog full-time, and the changes they made during that time that were most beneficial for the growth of the blog. How the skills from their previous jobs translate to running the blog. What international site traffic looks like for Woks of Life, and how it affects RPMs. What advice they would give to beginner bloggers. Resources: The Woks of Life The Woks of Life Cookbook Clarkson Potter Pinch of Yum Chinese Ingredients Glossary Google AdSense Raptive The Go-Giver Optin Monster WeChat Designing Your Life Designing Your New Work Life Follow The Woks of Life on Instagram and Facebook Join the Food Blogger Pro Podcast Facebook Group ----- This episode is sponsored by Once Coupled, the development agency behind the brand ​Small Plugins​. To get a 70% discount on ALL (current and future) Small Plugins plugins, get early access to test new plugins, and vote on ideas for the next plugin, go to foodbloggerpro.com/small.  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

Insights on the differences between traditional publishing and self-publishing, details on the financial and non-financial benefits of publishing a cookbook, and what it takes to be successful when self-publishing a cookbook with Matt Briel from Lulu. ----- Welcome to episode 415 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Matt Briel from Lulu Press. How and Why To Self-Publish a Cookbook Have you ever dreamed of writing a cookbook? Are you intimidated by the process of finding a publisher? Or are you just curious why a food blogger might want to write a cookbook? If you answered yes to any of those questions, this podcast episode is for you! Matt Briel is an entrepreneur and the Vice President of Marketing & Communications at Lulu.com, a print-on-demand, self-publishing, and distribution platform. Bjork and Matt chat about the differences between traditional publishing and self-publishing, why you might want to consider self-publishing a cookbook, and how to be successful when self-publishing content. It’s a super informative episode that will give you a lot to think about when it comes to cookbooks! In this episode, you’ll learn: More about Matt’s background and how he came to be interested in publishing. What marketing looks like for Lulu and why they prioritize helping creators sell more books. The differences between print-on-demand and offset printing in the publishing world. Why print-on-demand is a more ecologically friendly option. What the print-on-demand process looks like from start to finish for a cookbook. What it takes to successfully self-publishing a cookbook, and who you need on your team. What a success story looks like for creators who self-published their cookbooks. How self-publishing a cookbook can help you diversify your income streams. The non-financial benefits of publishing a cookbook. What to do if you’re curious to learn more about self-publishing a cookbook. Resources: Lulu Disney World is Awesome Podcast Simon & Schuster Shopify Fiverr 99designs Upwork The Peachie Spoon Lauren Fit Foodie Tiny Home, Big Flava Lulu’s Resources Lulu’s YouTube Page Connect with Matt via email Join the Food Blogger Pro Podcast Facebook Group ----- This episode is sponsored by Clariti. Learn how you can organize your blog content for maximum growth by going to clariti.com/food. 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

Blogging While Working Full-Time, Pitching Brands, and Determining Your Rates with Kyleigh Sage from Barley & Sage ----- Welcome to episode 414 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Kyleigh Sage from Barley & Sage. Combining Brand Work and Ad Revenue to Make $10,000-$15,000 a Month There are lots of different opportunities for food content creators to make money. And one of the most common ways is by partnering with brands! In this interview, Bjork and Kyleigh chat about partnering with brands on sponsored content and freelance work (even when you don’t have a large social media following), including how to effectively pitch to brands and negotiate your contracts. Kyleigh is honest and transparent about her strategies for working with brands and how she navigates pricing her work. It’s clear that she is passionate about helping other food bloggers find success, and you won’t want to miss this interview! In this episode, you’ll learn: About Kyleigh’s professional background and journey to starting her food blog in 2019. How she strategically approached her first year of blogging while still working full-time. More about how she first started partnering with brands on sponsored content and freelance work. How she combines brand work and ad revenue to make $10,000-$15,000 a month. How an SEO audit transformed how she approached her blog and helped her qualify for Mediavine. How she recommends calculating your rates when working with brands. How to effectively pitch your work to brands and network with PR agencies. What she recommends for maintaining good relationships with brands and PR agencies. What she would repeat, and what she would change from her food blogging journey so far. Resources: Barley & Sage Mediavine Media Wyse Substack Pricing Guide for Food Photography Barley & Sage Resources Follow Kyleigh on Instagram Join the Food Blogger Pro Podcast Facebook Group ----- This episode is sponsored by Clariti. Learn how you can organize your blog content for maximum growth by going to clariti.com/food. 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

Growing a food blog while working full-time, outsourcing tasks for your business, and limiting burnout with Maggie Zhu from Omnivore's Cookbook. ----- Welcome to episode 413 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Maggie Zhu from Omnivore’s Cookbook. Lessons in Burnout, Persistence, and Creativity after Ten Years of Food Blogging Maggie Zhu has been running Omnivore’s Cookbook, a food blog all about modern Chinese cooking, for over ten years. That’s a very long time in internet years! She’s had incredible success growing her site during this time and just recently wrote her first cookbook. But this success didn’t come without some struggle. Maggie has navigated intense periods of burnout over the last ten years and has learned that outsourcing and prioritizing her creativity are key to helping her overcome these phases. This interview is honest, raw, and thought-provoking, and we really hope it resonates with you as much as it did with us! In this episode, you’ll learn: About how Maggie got started as a food blogger over 10 years ago. What it was like for her to work a full-time job while growing her food blog. What her goals are for her blog, and how she works through the comparison trap. How she limits burnout after blogging for 10+ years. Why she prioritizes outsourcing certain tasks for her business, and how she determines what to outsource. Where she finds people to join her team. How she approaches creating Chinese recipes for a Western audience. Why it’s important for her to find a creative outlet outside of her blog. What advice she has for someone in the early stages of food blogging. Resources: Omnivore’s Cookbook Pinch of Yum’s Income Reports WP Engine Big Scoots Chinese Homestyle Cookbook by Maggie Zhu Upwork We Study Billionaires: Wealth and Health with Jason Karp Follow Maggie on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube Join the Food Blogger Pro Podcast Facebook Group ----- This episode is sponsored by Clariti. Learn how you can organize your blog content for maximum growth by going to clariti.com/food. 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 grief, managing anxiety, and prioritizing your physical health with Sherry Walling from ZenFounder. ----- Welcome to episode 412 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Sherry Walling, a clinical psychologist and founder of ZenFounder. How to Support Your Mental Health as a Content Creator Sherry Walling is back on the podcast today to talk about something we should all be discussing more — the mental health of entrepreneurs. If you have a career as a content creator, it can be difficult to separate your personal life from your professional life. It can also be lonely to run your own business. Not to mention the challenges of sharing parts of your life on social media! All this to say that entrepreneurs face a unique set of challenges when it comes to mental health, and this powerful episode with Sherry is one you won’t want to miss. She shares more about the habits you can incorporate into your life to better manage anxiety, stress, and grief, and prioritize your emotional and physical well-being. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why Sherry started a public conversation around the mental health of entrepreneurs. The first steps to take when your mental health is suffering. Why it’s important to prioritize your well-being. The habits that entrepreneurs can incorporate into their lives to take care of their mental health. The practices Sherry incorporates into her life to support her physical and emotional health (including the trapeze!). The benefits and detriments of technology for our mental health. How to live your life in a way that honors your soul. How Sherry navigated seasons of grief, and the lessons she learned from those times. What content creators can do to support their mental health. How to separate your personal from your professional life, and why that matters. Why it’s important for creators to have a hobby. Resources: ZenFounder ZenFounder Podcast Sherry’s previous episode of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast Headspace Full Focus The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Keeping Your Sh*t Together: How to Run Your Business Without Letting it Run You Gear Junkie We Study Billionaires: Wealth & Healthy with Jason Karp Touching Two Worlds Untangle Grief Refuge in Grief Empowered through Grief The Grief Project Follow Sherry on Instagram Join the Food Blogger Pro Podcast Facebook Group ----- This episode is sponsored by Clariti. Learn how you can organize your blog content for maximum growth by going to clariti.com/food. 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

Running a business as a couple, working with brands, and creating content for your audience. ----- Welcome to episode 411 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Shanika Graham-White and Darnell White from Orchids + Sweet Tea about how they work together to run two businesses, partner with brands, and create content with their audience in mind. Working with Brands and Knowing What Your Work is Worth We’re really excited to share this week’s conversation with Shanika Graham-White and Darnell White. They’re the creators behind the food blog Orchids + Sweet Tea, and the production company, Brooklyn Sweet Tea Productions. In this episode, you’ll hear all about the evolution of their businesses, how they negotiate with brands, and more about their experience as black creators in the food blogging space. It’s a really inspiring episode with tons of actionable takeaways, and we can’t wait for you to give it a listen! In this episode, you’ll learn: How and why Shanika and Darnell started Orchids + Sweet Tea, and why they decided to start a production company, too. How they made the leap from food photography to videography. Shanika’s workflow and equipment set-up for photography and shooting video. What the division of labor looks like between Shanika and Darnell. How Darnell’s background in programming translated to videography, and how he got started filming recipe videos. How Shanika determines and structures pricing when working with brands for sponsored content and/or video production. How they divide their time between their different businesses and goals. What advice Shanika and Darnell have for food bloggers wanting to start working with brands. How they navigated and persevered through the early stages of blogging, and how they found a balance between personalization and optimization. More about the experience of being black creators in the food and wellness space. How Shanika creates content with her audience in mind. What advice Shanika and Darnell would give to their past selves when they were just starting Orchids + Sweet Tea. Resources: Orchids + Sweet Tea Brooklyn Sweet Tea Productions Orchids & Sweet Tea: Plant-Forward Recipes with Jamaican Flavor & Southern Charm The Guardian: Hungry Planet: What the World Eats - in pictures Parker Walbeck Productions Follow Shanika and Darnell on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook Join the Food Blogger Pro Podcast Facebook Group ----- This episode is sponsored by Clariti. Learn how you can organize your blog content for maximum growth by going to clariti.com/food. 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 the changing landscape of video advertising, adapting to a future with AI, and understanding the removal of third-party cookies with Paul Bannister ----- Welcome to episode 410 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Paul Bannister from Raptive. AI, Third-Party Cookies, and Changes in Video Advertising Standards If it feels like the last few years have come with a lot of changes in the online world, that’s because there have been tons of changes. We’re talking ChatGPT and AI, the removal of third-party cookies, the rapid growth of video, and more. Luckily, our guest on the podcast today is just the person to break down these big changes and explain how it all relates to content creators. Bjork is chatting with Paul Bannister, the CSO and co-founder of Raptive (formerly AdThrive and CafeMedia) about all of these buzzy topics. Whether you’re hoping to qualify for Raptive in the future, are already a Raptive creator, or are just curious about all of the tech news in the online space, this is a really informative listen! In this episode, you’ll learn: More about the beginning of Paul’s career founding Online Gaming Review in 1995. How he approaches big changes in the online space. What third-party cookies are, how they relate to digital advertising, and what you need to know about the removal of third-party cookies from Google. What’s next for advertisers after the removal of third-party cookies. How ChatGPT and AI are changing the world of content creation. How the transition from UA to GA4 will change Raptive’s eligibility criteria. About why he believes “video is the future” and how the advertising space is changing to reflect that. The difference between in-stream, out-stream, and accompanying content video ads. More about the new standards for video advertising. How Raptive is evolving to help content creators diversify their income streams. Resources: Paul’s previous episodes on The Food Blogger Pro Podcast here and here Raptive formerly known as AdThrive and CafeMedia Dotdash Meredith ChatGPT Pinch of Yum’s 20 Minute Healthy Chicken Parmesan Bard Nothing Gold Can Stay by Robert Frost Raptive’s Eligibility Criteria 363: What Bloggers Need to Know About Google Analytics 4 with Alison Bechdol Google Analytics Course on Food Blogger Pro IAB Tech Lab Raptive Blog Follow Paul on Twitter Join the Food Blogger Pro Podcast Facebook Group ----- This episode is sponsored by Duett. Learn how the Duet team can leverage your email list for ever more site traffic at duett.co/foodbloggerpro.  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