Afleveringen
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In episode 527, Megan chats to Candice Ward about the importance of having multiple income streams and how to pitch brands in an effective and time efficient way.
Candice is the Founder of Eat More Cake Dessert Blog, Food Photographer, Educator, and Sales Expert. Candice spent over a decade in corporate sales and translated that experience to help other food content creators monetize and scale their businesses. She has coached hundreds of food content creators in her business course, The Confident Pitch Program. She is passionate about helping other food bloggers reach their full potential!
In this episode, youâll learn about different ways to diversify your revenue streams, including freelancing, affiliate work and coaching, but most importantly how to tap into sponsored work by pitching brands using Candiceâs time efficient, strategic pitching method (i.e. the Strategic Pitching Approach).
Key points discussed:
- Diversify Your Revenue Streams to Reduce Business Risk: Diversifying income sources helps mitigate risk and prevents burnout by ensuring you're not solely reliant on one stream of revenue.
- Is Direct Pitching to Brands Effective? Sending targeted pitch emails and following up persistently can yield better results than relying solely on social media for brand collaborations.
- Practical Ways to Add Additional Revenue Streams: Explore various avenues such as freelance work, sponsored content, coaching, and digital product creation to diversify your income streams and maximize earning potential.
- The SPA (Strategic Pitching Approach) method for targeted and effective brand pitching: Use the Strategic Pitching Approach, focusing on personalized pitch emails and consistent follow-up, to increase the success rate of brand collaborations and revenue generation.
- Tailor Pitch Emails to Emphasize the Value Proposition to the Brand: Customize pitch emails to highlight how your content creation can directly benefit the brand's goals, this will increase the likelihood of engagement and collaboration.
- Focus on Quality Over Quantity to Maximize Conversion Rates: Prioritizing targeted and personalized pitches to a select number of brands increases the chances of successful collaborations and optimizes time and effort spent on pitching.
- The Confident Pitch Program: Candiceâs comprehensive marketing plan designed to simplify the brand pitching process for influencers and content creators, offering modules on business planning, pitching formulas, negotiation strategies, and post-sales processes.
Connect with Candice Ward
Website | Instagram
Resources
Coaching Services
Pitch to Profit Workshop
Freebie: List of 10 brands with contacts to pitch
Freebie: 6 Strategies to Stand out to Brands
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Megan dives into the final part of her series on how to bring more money into your business, focusing on improving your financial mindset through positive language and preparing the way for financial abundance.
What is the source of your income? Can the way you perceive this change your financial situation? And do you generally speak positively or negatively about money? Addressing these questions, Megan suggest various ways in which we can further shift our mindset when it comes to money in order to increase our revenue.
Including, these key points:
- Shift Your Perception of Income Sources: The true source of income lies beyond people and businesses, emphasizing a universal force as the primary source of abundance.
- Release Mental Pressure on Income Channels: By reframing the source of income from external entities to a limitless universal force, you open yourself to alternative channels for financial flow, reducing pressure on specific revenue streams.
- Align Actions with Serving and Value Creation: Remember to deliver value from a place of love - genuine service and value provision are foundational to sustainable financial success.
- Conscious Money Talk: Conduct regular audits of your thoughts and words surrounding money. Replace limiting beliefs and negative phrases like "I can't afford it" with empowering statements that align with abundance and prosperity.
-Prepare for Abundance: Create space for financial abundance like clearing mental and physical clutter to welcome new opportunities. Ensure your financial infrastructure and personal readiness align with your goals for increased prosperity.
Promote your food blogging services
Megan's recommended books
Get in touch with Megan if there is a specific mindset and self-care topic you'd like her to cover.
Website | Instagram
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Zijn er afleveringen die ontbreken?
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In episode 525, Nicole Winegardner teaches us the importance of staying true to who we are in a world full of distractions and focus on what lights us up.
Nicole blogs with her bestie Andrea, who lives in Washington and youâll find Nicole in Virginia. Together they have a food blog where they specialize in simple delicious recipes for busy families. Nicole is the one to do the recipe development and food photography and keyword research. Andrea takes care of the writing and Pinterest, web stories, social media and is currently learning video editing. Their blog was founded in 2021.
In this episode, youâll learn how to overcome blogging challenges like spreading yourself too thin, struggling to achieve your goals and feeling bogged down by your responsibilities.
Key points discussed:
- Focus: Evaluate where your focus lies regularly. Redirecting your focus can guide you towards positive outcomes and away from distractions.
- Stay True to Yourself: Authenticity fuels success. It's crucial to reassess your goals and ensure they align with your true desires.
- Effective Goal-Setting: Set achievable goals without overwhelming yourself. Habit stack and regularly evaluate your to do list to maintain balance and prevent burnout.
- Regularly Revisit Goals: Rather than setting and forgetting goals, consistently evaluate them to ensure they are still relevant to your priorities.
- Focus on One Thing at a Time: If you spread yourself too thin, you risk not achieving anything. Delegate tasks and focus on mastering selected skills.
- Prioritize Fun: There is a correlation between enjoyment and productivity. Incorporate moments of joy and relaxation into your daily routines to enhance overall well-being and effectiveness.
- Rest is Important: Donât be scared to take a break when needed as your blog will always be there when you return and youâll be more productive.
Connect with Nicole Winegardner
Website | Instagram
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In episode 524, Megan talks to Lauren Woodger about why mindset is such an important element of building a successful business and 8 mindset hacks we can implement today.
Lauren began "The Scatty Mum" in 2019 as a hobby blog to share allergy-friendly recipes when her daughter was diagnosed with multiple food allergies. In 2022, she took a leap and left her day job to focus on her blog full-time. Even though her daughter has outgrown her allergies, Lauren still understands the struggle of preparing meals for everyone. She's passionate about creating easy, allergy-friendly recipes that the entire family can enjoy. Lauren lives in Surrey in the UK, with her husband and two children.
In this episode, youâll learn about how to cultivate a positive mindset as a blogger and entrepreneur, including prioritizing networking, becoming a more productive entrepreneur and celebrating your progress every day.
Key points discussed:
- Connecting with other bloggers: Build connections within the blogging community through social media, Facebook groups, and networking events to combat feelings of isolation and provide valuable insights and encouragement.
- Celebrating progress: Track and celebrate your achievements, no matter how small. It is crucial for maintaining motivation and perspective on your blogging journey.
- Invest in productivity courses: Transform your approach to work and time management by learning strategies such as backward planning and focus work sessions.
- Limit comparison: Avoid the trap of comparing your progress to othersâ. It is essential for maintaining a positive mindset.
- Concentrate on one main goal at a time: By focusing on a single primary goal, you can channel your energy and resources effectively.
- Implement a timed daily schedule: Planning your day ahead can help you maintain focus and structure throughout the day.
- Combat shiny object syndrome: Prioritize âfocus workâ in the morning and allocating time for administrative tasks later in the day.
- Take breaks when you need to: Donât forget to do things that promote well-being, such as going for walks and listening to podcasts.
Connect with Lauren Woodger
Website | Instagram
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Are your thoughts about money generally positive or negative? Megan discusses the topic of money as energy as well as wealthy habits that will help increase our revenue. This is Part 2 of 3 about 5 ways to help us bring more money into our business.
Our thoughts and beliefs influence our financial situation. Megan emphasizes this by exploring the importance of tracking and appreciating every penny earned and encouraging us to adopt wealthy habits and qualities, suggesting that creating a welcoming environment for money can lead to increased financial prosperity.
She covers the following key points:
- Money as Energy: Thoughts, beliefs, and actions influence the flow of wealth in your life.
- Track and Appreciate Every Penny: Track every penny earned or found, and express gratitude for all forms of income, no matter how small.
- Adopt Wealthy Habits and Qualities: What are the habits and qualities of wealthy individuals? Emulate these traits to attract abundance into your life.
- Create a Welcoming Environment for Money: Assess whether you are fostering an environment conducive to attracting wealth, or inadvertently repelling it.
Get in touch with Megan if there is a specific mindset and self-care topic you'd like her to cover.
Website | Instagram
Resources
Money as Energy: The Dynamic Flow of Wealth in the Cosmos by Kulwant Saluja (article referenced in episode)
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In episode 522, Elizabeth Emery teaches us how to create a sustainable income from blogging, finding joy and balance in our work without risking burnout.
Elizabeth is a plant-based food blogger and recipe developer based in Vancouver BC. Her passion is showing people how fun and accessible vegan and plant-based eating can be. Elizabeth created and has run Vancouver with Love for 5 years and have turned it into a full-time income during that time.
In this episode, youâll learn about why you should find income streams that you are passionate about, why you should pick freelance work carefully, as well tips to work less hours for more money.
Key points discussed:
- Find Joy in Work: Find joy and passion in your blogging work to sustain long-term success. What aspect of blogging brings you most fulfilment?
- Set Boundaries: Set clear boundaries to avoid burnout and work intentionally to condense work into four days a week, allowing for adequate rest and personal time.
- Diversify Revenue: Diversifying revenue streams in blogging helps you tap into the potential of ad revenue and incorporate it alongside freelance work and sponsored content.
- Consistency and Intentionality: You have to be not only consistent but also intentional with you blogging efforts - where do you want to be in the long run?
- Invest in a Business Coach: If you feel stuck or burnt out, reach out to a business coach to seek support and guidance from someone with experience.
- Youâre not Alone: Having a business coach or other support will help you navigate the challenges of entrepreneurship and decision-making.
- Recognize When You Need to Change: Acknowledge when adjustments in your work are necessary for personal and professional growth.
- Balance Work and Personal Life: To sustain long-term success, use strategies for setting a healthy work-life balance including prioritizing self-care, and finding joy outside of work.
Connect with Elizabeth Emery
Website | Instagram
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In episode 521, Megan chats to Jessica Mode about the impact of going to culinary school on her food blogging career, including learning new culinary skills, kitchen organization and choosing ingredients.
Jessica Mode created Homebody Eats in 2019 as a way to teach home chefs how to master new culinary skills and create high-quality dishes in their home kitchens. With every recipe, she hopes to teach her readers one new kitchen skill that they can master and use in a future recipe. While you'll find a variety of recipes on her site, Jessica really enjoys baking and shaking up a good cocktail. Jessica has recently released her first online course, The Macaron Baking Experience, which teaches her readers how to successfully bake perfect macarons. In the coming year, Jessica hopes to release more online courses to share the skills she learned by attending culinary school in Italy.
In this episode, youâll learn about what to expect from culinary school, different courses available and how that translate your new skills to food blogging.
Key points:
- Choose the Right Culinary Institute: Depending on your budget and how much time you want to dedicate to culinary school, there are different courses available.
- Learn about High-Quality Ingredients: Understand how to select the best ingredients for your recipes to develop amazing flavor while keeping it simple.
- Improve Organisation and Composure in the Kitchen: Being organised with measurements before you start testing your recipe can streamline the testing process and improve your overall result.
- Network with Professionals in the Culinary Industry: Get the chance to network with professional outside of the blogging space.
- Access to Diverse Ingredients and Food Experiences: Culinary school offers new food experiences, like learning how to make pasta, charcuterie and wine pairing.
- New Recipe Inspiration: Attending culinary school can expose you to new and unexpected flavor combinations and cuisines.
- Invest and Do Hard Things in Your Business: Investing in your business and pushing yourself beyond your comfort zone is a way to prove to yourself that you are committed and want to make your business as successful as possible.
Connect with Jessica Mode
Website | Instagram
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Do you want to earn more money? Most of us would answer âyesâ to that question, yet we don't feel like we can talk about money openly. Megan unpicks this topic from a mindset perspective. This is Part 1 of 3 about 5 ways to help us bring more money into our business.
As food bloggers, we normally have the potential to earn a lot. Weâre skilled and passionate about what we do, generous and willing to seek financial freedom for our families. Yet, if we are looking to achieve our financial goals, itâs important to embrace a positive attitude towards money, debunking limiting beliefs, including those inherited from childhood.
Megan talks through her own example of having gone from unnecessary debt to financial empowerment and encourages us to rewrite our own money stories like she did.
She covers the following key points:
1. Money Matters: Donât be afraid to discuss money openly.
2. Budgeting is Important: Keep track of your income and expenses to avoid debt and make more money.
3. Money Beliefs: Recognize and challenge ingrained money beliefs (e.g. you have to work hard to earn more money)
4. Overcome Limiting Beliefs: Strategies for rewriting the stories you tell yourself about money and foster abundance.
Get in touch with Megan if there is a specific mindset and self-care topic you'd like her to cover.
Website | Instagram
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In episode 519, Madison Wetherill teaches us why itâs important to embrace the CEO mindset and implement regular CEO time in our businesses for risk management and goal-setting.
Madison Wetherill is the founder of Grace + Vine Studios, as well as a food blogger and homeschooling mama to 3 boys. She is passionate about supporting bloggers and helping them to scale their blogs to increase their impact. She is the host of The Vine Podcast, sharing strategies for content creators to grow their food blog and connect with their audience.
In this episode, you'll learn why scheduling regular CEO time can help your business grow, the importance of distinguishing between working on your business versus in it, and strategies for standing out in a crowded market. Key points include:
- Is Your Blog a Business? If your blog is generating an income, you should start thinking of it as a business.
- Regular CEO Time: Add regular CEO time to your calendar and involve your support system, like your spouse, to help you stick to it.
- Have a Plan: It's crucial to have a clear plan of action for each CEO session to avoid getting sidetracked by other tasks.
- CEO Checklist: Create a checklist for CEO time, including tasks like reviewing income/expenses, analyzing post performance, and planning upcoming tasks.
- Assess Risks in Your Business: During your dedicated CEO time, risk management is one of the most important tasks to future-proof your business.
- Create Additional Income Streams: Risk management involves coming up with backup systems and additional stream of income for when things go wrong.
- Invest in Yourself: Taking on the CEO role means investing in yourself, whether through joining masterminds, attending conferences, or other professional development opportunities.
- Stand Out: Don't be afraid to differentiate yourself from others in the industry, as blending in can hinder growth and opportunities.
Connect with Madison Wetherill
Website | Instagram
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In episode 518, Megan chats to Nadia Tariq about the transition from a food blogging hobbyist to business owner, highlighting key shifts in mindset, organization, and discipline.
Nadia is a computer science graduate, x- project manager turned into pastry chef. She has been creating customized themed cakes for over a decade as a home business creating beautiful cakes for friends and family. Originally from Pakistan, she is based in Riyadh, KSA. Nadia started blogging in 2009 and only recently she decided to turn it into a business.
Nadia is now working on her blog strategically in the quest to share her family recipes, Pakistani bakery and street foods to get recognized on the face of the culinary world She is also working as a food photographer, which was her long lost passion to generate some extra income which was not possible earlier due to raising a young family.
In this episode, youâll learn about why a food blogger would decide to turn their blog into a business, how to recognize that pivotal moment and what changes you should make to prioritize your blogâs growth. Here are the key takeaways:
- Recognize the Shift: You have to make the decision to turn your blog into a business, and start either part-time or full-time.
- Invest in Learning: A crucial element is continuous learning and investing in resources like podcasts and courses to enhance your skills in food photography, SEO, and content creation.
- Listen to Audience Needs: By paying attention to audience feedback and trends, you can adapt your content strategy to meet the demands of your audience.
- Effective Time Management: Use batching techniques to streamline your workflow and balance blogging with other responsibilities and sources of income (e.g. food photography for clients).
- Discipline and Productivity: Motivation is unreliable, you need to be disciplined and work according to a plan.
- Setting Up for Success: Set yourself up for success as a food blogger by being consistent, niching down, and taking a long-term approach.
- Embrace Change and Exploration: Donât be afraid of changing your path if you are no longer passionate about what you are doing.
Connect with Nadia Tariq
Website | Instagram
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In this episode, Megan teaches us five practical ideas to alleviate the stress and overwhelm often associated with Mondays, offering insights and strategies to make the start of our week more manageable and fulfilling.
Planning can make a notable difference to the start of your week. The better you prepare for what you have to do on a Monday, the better you will feel. In this episode, Megan explains how she prepares for Mondays in order to set a positive tone for the week ahead.
Megan covers the following key points:
1. The 15 Minute Friday Plan: Plan ahead by dedicating just 15 minutes on Friday to map out your upcoming week. By scheduling downtime and aligning tasks with your goals, you can reduce mental clutter and increase productivity.
2. The One Hour Friday To-Do List Tackle: Allocate one hour on Friday or Saturday to tackle small tasks from your to-do list for the following week to minimize Monday morning stress and set yourself up for a smoother week.
3. Inbox Zero: Dedicate time on the weekend to clear out your inbox. By organizing emails into folders and archiving non-essential items, you can start Monday with a clean slate and reduce mental clutter.
4. Tidy Up: Declutter and tidy up your physical environment. By maintaining order in your surroundings you can positively impact your mindset and productivity on Monday mornings.
5. Plan and Protect the Monday Morning Routine: Establishing and sticking to a morning routine sets the tone for a successful week. Remember to prioritize sleep, visualize your morning routine, and set intentions before bed to ensure a smooth start to Monday.
Get in touch with Megan if there is a specific mindset and self-care topic you'd like her to cover.
Website | Instagram
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In episode 516, Jo Keohane teaches us how to style food to make it look as delicious as possible in order to drive more traffic to our blogs.
Since graduating from Culinary School in NYC in 2010 Jo Keohane freelanced as a Recipe Developer and Food Stylist in test kitchens of many Americaâs best known publications, like Bon Appetit Magazine, Epicurious and Saveur. She has also worked with a variety of household brands like William Sonoma, Weightwatchers, Staub Cookware, Danone, Kraft and more.
She started off life as a BBC journalist and then worked in PR in London. But a love of cooking and a desire to find a fulfilling career which would allow her to spend more time with her 3 kids took her back to school to study cooking. After moving to the USA in she was lucky enough to attend the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City.
Now she runs her own food blog - The Family Food Kitchen - helping other busy families to eat well even when time is short! her blog focusses on easy, delicious and do-able recipes - and contains lots of one pot, sheet pan and easy meal ideas.
In this episode, youâll learn about what to consider before you start shooting your recipe, including how to layer and pick ingredients, backdrops, props and garnishes.
- Food Styling is a Problem Solving Exercise: During recipe development, plan ahead to make sure your ingredients will help you make your dish look appealing.
- Donât Hold Back on Good-Quality Ingredients: Better quality ingredients will have more vibrancy and make your photos pop more.
- Create Depth and Movement in Food Photography: Use layering to create depth in your photos and take photos of movement (e.g. pouring a sauce).
- Balance Perfection and Authenticity: While itâs important to make your photos look appealing and create intrigue avoid overly perfect photos - crumbs and spills in small quantities add character.
- Proper Ingredient Storage: Store ingredients to maintain freshness and quality. For example improper storage of herbs can lead to wilting and might detract from your photos.
- Adjust Cooking Times for Food Photography: Thereâs a difference between cooking to eat food and cooking for photography. Adjust cooking times to ensure that the food looks its best on camera.
- Use Props and Tools for Food Styling: Jo discusses the importance of having a set tray with essential tools and props for food styling, such as sharp knives, tweezers, Q-tips, paper towels, toothpicks, spritz bottles, squeeze bottles, spatulas, and brushes to aid in food styling.
- Layering Garnishes to Enhance the Dish: Use different garnishing techniques to elevate the appearance of dishes for photography. By layering garnishes strategically, you can add depth and visual interest to the dish.
Connect with Jo Keohane
Website | Instagram
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In episode 515, Jenn Trepeck teaches us why comparison is natural and how to deal with it in a healthy way that leads us closer to our goals by building our confidence instead of creating self-doubt.
Jenn Trepeck has been described as a "force of nature" in the wellness space, recognized as one of Podcast Magazineâs 40 under 40, and nominated for the 2022 International Womenâs Podcast Award for Visionary Leadership. She is an Optimal Health Coach, Podcaster, and Business Consultant. After graduating from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business, Jenn founded Better Life Now LLC while working full time in hedge funds. After over a decade of building her practice as a side-hustle, Jenn took the leap to full-time self-employment. Thatâs when she launched Salad with a Side of Fries Podcast, empowering larger audiences to achieve optimal health. She helps aspiring wellness warriors break into the health world, and mentors entrepreneurs to get started or level-up.
In this episode, youâll learn why our brains are hard-wired for comparison and practical strategies to handle the frustration of feeling that we are not doing as well as others in our space and how to reframe the situation in order to unlock more opportunities. Key points include:
- Understand the Psychological Basis of Comparison: The innate tendency of human brains to compare is a natural response rather than a flaw. By acknowledging this tendency, individuals can adopt a more compassionate approach towards themselves and others.
- Reframe Your Perspective: Instead of viewing others' success as a threat, recognize the abundance of opportunities within your niche by embracing a mindset of collaboration over competition.
- Cultivate Grounded Confidence: Grounded confidence means that you stay true to your vision amidst external comparisons. By cultivating confidence in your expertise and audience, you can can navigate challenges with resilience and creativity.
- Journal and Seek Support: By articulating your thoughts and seeking alternative perspectives, you can gain clarity and resilience in the face of comparison.
- Creating New Neuropathways: Create new neuropathways by interrupting negative thought patterns with a simple "Cancel, cancel" technique. By replacing unproductive thoughts with positive affirmations, you can shift their mindset towards growth and possibility.
- Observing the Mind: Meditation is highlighted as a powerful tool for observing the mind rather than trying to control it.
- Strategic Competition Analysis: While it's essential to stay informed about competitors' strategies, itâs important to do strategic analysis at specific intervals rather than constant comparison.
- Make Changes in a Constructive Way: If you do decide to change your strategy in line with competitors, make sure that itâs still in line with your values and not shiny object syndrome.
Connect with Jenn Trepeck
Website | Instagram
Book a 30-min complimentary consultation with Jenn Trepeck.
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Megan shares five powerful questions to help shift our perspective during challenging times and help us find clarity.
What do you do when you are experiencing a tough time in your life? It is when we face challenges that mindset shifts can really make a difference. Megan talks through the diverse range of challenges faced by entrepreneurs and emphasizes the importance of embracing difficulties as opportunities for growth. She shares her recent experience with a significant challenge and reveals how she navigated through it using mindset strategies.
She covers the following questions points:
1. Who would I be without this thought? Challenge your thoughts during a rough time and envision a perspective free from negativity and embrace acceptance and peace instead.
2. What if it's a gift? Challenges can be potentially life-changing in a positive way. Recognize the unexpected gifts that emerge from these times in your life.
3. Who would I be without this challenge? Consider the personal growth and resilience cultivated through confronting challenges. Envision yourself without the current challenge, can you recognize your strength and adaptability?
4. How can I take care of myself? Self-care is a foundation for resilience and emotional well-being during challenging times. Which self-care practices can help you pull through adversity?
5. Who can I lean on for support? Seek support from trusted individuals during difficult times or engage with supportive communities and reach out for assistance when needed.
Get in touch with Megan if there is a specific mindset and self-care topic you'd like her to cover.
Website | Instagram
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In episode 513, Megan chats to Samantha Blake about the lessons she learned from her experience as a food blogger, including the importance of niching down, SEO strategy, web design and building a blogging network.
Sam began a web design & SEO business after food blogging didnât go as planned. While she still enjoys cooking and baking as a hobby, she learned she truly had a love for web design & SEO pieces when it comes to business. Sam particularly loves designing and developing websites & coming up with SEO strategies for food bloggers - it's the best of both worlds! She is so excited about the opportunity to share her experience and knowledge about SEO to help more food bloggers grow their blog.
In this episode, youâll learn about the common mistakes made by food bloggers, such as neglecting niche selection and keyword strategy, underestimating the value of backlinks, and prioritizing design over functionality. Key points include:
- Niche and Keyword Strategy: It's crucial to pick a clear niche and develop a proper keyword strategy to enhance topical relevance and attract organic traffic.
- Start Broad, Then Narrow: Begin with a broader topic or competitor analysis, then drill down to find high-volume, low-competition keywords to target.
- Avoid Primarily Seasonal Content: Prioritize evergreen content to maintain consistent traffic rather than relying solely on seasonal spikes.
- Comprehensive SEO Strategy: Piecemealing SEO strategies from various sources may not yield desired results; focus on one comprehensive approach tailored to your goals.
- Prioritize Functionality Over Design: In the early stages, prioritize a simple, professional, user-friendly, and searchable blog design over intricate aesthetics.
- Build a Blogging Network: Connect with fellow bloggers through Facebook groups, social media, or accountability groups to learn, grow, and collaborate.
- Value of Backlinks: Recognize the importance of backlinks for SEO and credibility; engage in outreach and collaborations to acquire them.
- Participate in Roundups and Guest Posts: Explore opportunities to contribute to roundups or guest posts on other blogs to gain backlinks and exposure.
Connect with Samantha Blake
Website | Instagram
Interested in taking your food blog to the next level? Here are ways to work with Sam:
- Need a new website fast? Check out Sam's One-Day Website service.
- Ready to take action on an extensive SEO audit & strategy? Check out Sam's SEO Audit service.
- Looking for comprehensive SEO services and coaching? Check out Sam's Food Blogger SEO services.
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In episode 512, Janelle Hama teaches us how to build a supportive community, especially around your blogâs niche, highlighting the benefits of collaboration, networking, and accountability within such communities.
Janelle is a keen plant based recipe blogger specialising in vegan Lebanese food. Due to having to change her diet a few years ago for health reasons, this, coupled with her love of cooking, started Janelle on a blogger journey 3 years ago.
In this episode, youâll learn about whether you should create your own group or join an existing one as well as these topics:
- Benefits of Community: Networking, collaboration, and seeking advice from others are key benefits of being part of a community.
- Experience Sharing: Engaging with bloggers from diverse backgrounds brings different perspectives and learning opportunities.
- Friendships and Support: Community offers emotional support, understanding, and celebration of achievements among bloggers.
- Accountability: Being part of a community helps in setting and achieving goals through mutual accountability.
- Start a Community: Initiate a group or join existing ones on platforms like Facebook and Instagram.
- Set Clear Parameters: If you start your own group, set clear guidelines for who it caters for and what the community rules are.
Connect with Janelle Hama
Website | Instagram
Apply to Janelle' Community for Vegan / Plant-Based Recipe Bloggers here.
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Have you ever felt worried about your screen time? Megan shares her personal struggles with tech addiction and offers five actionable strategies to limit tech usage for improved well-being.
In this episode, youâll learn practical methods to reduce tech dependency and reclaim control over your time and mental space. While technology makes our lives more comfortable, Megan emphasizes the importance of setting boundaries and creating healthy habits to foster a balanced relationship with tech.
She covers the following key points:
- Set Times for Email Dipping: Establish specific times during the day for checking and responding to emails to prevent constant distraction and maintain focus on important tasks.
- Establish Downtime Before the Week Begins: Plan and schedule dedicated downtime periods in your calendar to disconnect from technology and prioritize self-care and family time.
- Set Timers for Social Media: Use timers to limit the duration of social media usage, gradually reducing dependency and reclaiming valuable time and energy.
- Remove Apps and Email from Your Phone: Experiment with removing addictive apps and email from your phone to minimize temptation and break unhealthy habits.
- Create a Boring Phone: Make your phone less appealing by turning on grayscale mode or choosing neutral wallpapers, reducing the allure of constant screen engagement.
Get in touch with Megan if there is a specific mindset and self-care topic you'd like her to cover.
Website | Instagram
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In episode 510, Megan chats to Lily Payen about how to transition from a full-time job to full-time blogging without getting overwhelmed and while managing responsibilities as a parent.
Lily, a mom of three and former math teacher turned food blogger, never envisioned ever leaving the world of teaching, but the opportunity to blog somewhat fell into her lap and sheâs now enveloped into that world. When Lily had her second son, she started sharing baby-led weaning recipes online and discovered a community of parents who were also looking for similar recipes. Things took off from there and she found herself in this new profession of blogging. Now Lily can't imagine doing anything else.
In this episode, you'll learn about the importance of starting with a specific niche to make it easier to rank, maintaining consistency in content creation without burning out, having backup content prepared and not being too hard on yourself when you need to rest.
- Start Specific: Learn the importance of starting with a specific niche, which allows for easier ranking and targeting a more defined audience.
- Consistency Matters: Maintaining consistency in content creation is vital for success, even if the frequency varies over time. The importance is in delivering quality over quantity.
- Balance Work and Parenting: Managing blogging while caring for children can be difficult, so why not plan your work around nap times and find a routine that works for the family?
- Invest in Learning: Investing time and money in learning about blogging, SEO, and other relevant topics is crucial for long-term success.
- Adopt a Business Mindset: Transitioning from a full-time job to full-time blogging requires adopting a business mindset, being one's own boss, and holding oneself accountable.
- Flexibility in Scheduling: Being flexible in scheduling and adapting to unexpected situations, such as sick days, is essential for maintaining productivity and consistency.
- Use Backup Content: Having backup content ready for unforeseen circumstances to ensures consistent publishing.
- Encouragement for Mom Bloggers: Despite the challenges, moms should be encouraged to pursue blogging, knowing that it gets easier with time and dedication.
For example when Lily was pregnant with her 3rd child, during her first trimester she was so sick and nauseous and couldnât find the energy to pre-plan and post content and she just had to take time off from posting content. She thought that she would come back to a âdead blogâ, but she was surprised to know that her traffic had actually increased during that time. The work Lily had put into previous posts was picking up traction and she was still able to maintain her traffic.
Connect with Lily Payen
Website | Instagram
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In episode 509, Amy Whiteford teaches us what to do when our niche no longer aligns with our personal or professional circumstances and the importance of mindset shifts in sustaining a successful food blog.
Amy Whiteford is a food enthusiast originally from Scotland, now residing in Sydney, Australia, and has been the driving force behind the blog Healthy Little Foodies since 2012. Amy is a mum of two "Little Foodies", Finlay (12) and Rory (9), and has a background in Food Science, Education, and Childhood Nutrition. Amy is on a mission to simplify mealtime for parents of babies / young children by providing healthy and delicious recipes and feeding tips.
In this episode, youâll learn about the challenges and rewards of maintaining a niche food blog as well as insights about rebranding, staying inspired, and focusing on the expertise you've gained even if you've outgrown your niche.
- Niche Evolution: Sometimes you have to adapt your blogâs niche to changing circumstances.
- Rebranding Strategy: Rebranding can help you expand your blog's audience and content focus.
- Target Audience: Identifying and catering to a specific audience, such as parents seeking baby and toddler recipes, can drive blog growth.
- Niche Challenges: Can you explore other types of recipes or should you adhere to your nicheâs recipe standards?
- Mindset Shift: Changing your mindset to appreciate the depth of knowledge and skills gained within a niche is crucial for long-term sustainability.
- Recipe Diversity: Ask yourself how you can broaden your niche to include different recipes while still catering for your audience.
- Secondary Blog Ventures: Starting a secondary blog can be a creative outlet while maintaining financial stability from an established blog.
- Niche Flexibility and Growth: Bloggers should assess their passions, expertise, and niche viability, recognizing the need for specialization in a saturated blogging landscape.
Connect with Amy Whiteford
Website | Instagram
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What are 5 things we do that hinder our success and happiness?
Megan talks through these self-sabotaging behaviors and how to cultivate a mindset conducive to greater happiness instead.
Youâll learn valuable strategies to stop sabotaging yourself and your business success, including being aware when you are making excuses or resorting to inaction as a way to avoid scary tasks.
She covers the following key points:
1. Making Excuses: Recognize and challenge excuses that hinder progress. By fostering awareness, individuals can break free from self-imposed limitations and pursue their goals with determination.
2. Letting Fear Run Your Life: By confronting fear head-on, you can experience growth and fulfillment. Taking bold actions can yield significant rewards and propel you towards your aspirations.
3. Caring What Others Think: Itâs important to overcome the need for external validation and embrace who you are.
4. Not Taking Action: Inaction is detrimental to progress; embrace the power of small steps towards your objectives. By harnessing the momentum of even the smallest actions, individuals can make meaningful progress and realize their aspirations.
5. Overthinking Everything: Discover practical techniques to combat overthinking and cultivate mindfulness. By redirecting focus and practicing gratitude, individuals can alleviate mental clutter and experience greater peace and contentment.
Get in touch with Megan if there is a specific mindset and self-care topic you'd like her to cover.
Website | Instagram
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