Are you new to food blogging? Overwhelmed and trying to figure it all out? Keep reading to learn My Top 20 Food Blogging Tips For Beginners!
I’m often asked if I have any food blogging tips for beginners. I know it can be extremely overwhelming at first! So I’ve come up with a list of my top 20 tips.
I wish someone had told me these things when I was first starting out. I’m no expert, and there are many out there who have been doing this a lot longer than I have.
These are just tips from my experiences over the past decade, and you can take them for whatever they’re worth. What has worked for me might not work for you.
My Top 20 Food Blogging Tips For Beginners
1. Be Patient and Persistent
When I began this blog in 2009, Julie and Julia was out in theaters. I had read the book a year earlier. Food blogging was becoming more mainstream, but it was NOTHING like it is today. People were blogging primarily for fun, not money.
Last I checked, there was some ridiculous statistic like 160,000 new food blogs starting every day. If your goal is to turn a profit, you are entering a FLOODED market.
Buckle up and get ready to work harder than you think. It will be frustrating, and success will not happen overnight. Burnout happens to all of us. This requires patience and persistence.
2. Do Research
I strongly suggest researching the following before you start: blogging platforms (I recommend self-hosted WordPress), hosting companies, types of food blogs, food photography, editing software, how to shoot videos, best social media practices, SEO, and copyright infringement.
You don’t need to be an expert in these things, but you should have at least a novice understanding of them.
I’ve learned a lot about SEO from a monthly course with Hashtag Jeff. I highly recommend it; my traffic has improved dramatically since I began working with him. (Note: this is an affiliate link).
3. Have a Plan
Have a vision for your blog that feels representative of you. Come up with a name, design, and photography style that embodies what you love.
Make sure your site name isn’t under trademark, and that the domain and all relevant social media platforms are available (Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter).
If you really want to plan ahead, have numerous posts ready when your site goes live.
4. Know Your Elevator Pitch & Intended Audience
Listen, I hate the term elevator pitch. However, it serves a purpose here. You don’t need to robotically state the same thing every time someone asks what your blog is about, but you need to be able to express your vision clearly.
If you’re not clear, no one will care. Know exactly who you’re trying to reach in your posts. Write like you’re talking to that person. Hello, person!
5. Have a Clean, Easy-To-Navigate Website
Have an easy-to-navigate menu bar and recipe index. Make your recipes searchable and easy to find. Get rid of any unnecessary banners and junk in the sidebar.
Stop linking to places that aren’t on your blog unless you’re sharing relevant posts or research-related content. Why would you want people to visit your Foodgawker gallery? Keep readers on your site! Make sure to use clean, easy-to-read fonts.
6. You Need To Spend Money To Make Money
I understand how difficult it is to invest money in something that’s not yet turning a profit. However, there are many instances where cutting corners will harm your ability to earn revenue, so it’s worth investing up front.
Example: hosting companies. Do not use a $10 per month hosting company like BlueHost. Why? You get what you pay for, and they are going to kill your site load time. That, in turn, will kill your Google SEO ranking, which will negatively impact your traffic and ad revenue (once you have ads).
Invest in a solid hosting company that doesn’t throttle your bandwidth. (PS- Are you on a food blog that’s recommending BlueHost? Is it an affiliate link? Think about that for a moment before trusting their recommendation.)
I’m not saying you have to go nuts. But don’t be cheap, either. I’m using WordPress-VPS. The cheapest available option is $50 per month, but it’s worth it..
7. Build Your Fan Base
Once your blog is live, you need to work on building a foundation of solid content and an audience. This takes time. Post regularly to your social media platforms, even if it feels like you’re shouting into a black hole, and engage with whoever is listening.
Once you connect with an audience, be there for them. Answer questions, help with troubleshooting, and always be kind and patient (even if it feels difficult sometimes when people are rude).
8. Rewrite Adapted Recipes
If you’re going to adapt a recipe, you MUST take the time to rewrite the instructions. You should also reorganize the ingredient list a bit if possible. This is a common rookie mistake.
It doesn’t take long to do. Not only does it upset recipe developers who spend time coming up with their own wording, but it can potentially harm the page ranking of their website AND YOUR WEBSITE in Google’s search results. Everyone loses if you don’t rewrite, including you.
9. Credit And Link Your Sources
If you adapt a recipe, you need to credit and link to the original author. Adapting doesn’t make it yours. Your mother taught you not to steal. Don’t steal. Check out my tomato bisque for an example of how I link to the original source.
The same goes for photography; don’t post a photo from someone else without crediting and linking (bonus points if you ask, but most bloggers are pretty laid back about this. Other food websites might not be).
Don’t crop it or add an overlay without permission, either.
10. Post Quality Content
Be consistent with your recipe formatting. Write clear instructions and don’t abbreviate. Consistency will make people feel comfortable. Proofread! Mistakes happen to the best of us.
If a recipe is bad or just ok, don’t post it. Rework it. If someone tries one of your recipes and they don’t like it, chances are they’re not going to trust you again. They might spread the word.
Want to take these tips to the next level? I’m now offering monthly one-on-one food blogger mentorships! Learn more over on Patreon.
11. Make It Easy To Share
You want people to share your content, right? Make it easy. Offer ways for people to share within your posts, such as Pinterest buttons and various other social media icons.
Embed a hidden Pinterest collage in your post. Share new content across all of your social media platforms.
12. Link Within Your Own Site
This is another way to encourage people to stick around. Link to older posts! Did you know I have a delicious yellow cake recipe? See what I did there?
13. Network With Other Bloggers
Networking can be an extremely helpful part of growth. Reach out to other bloggers whose work you admire or who share your niche. Make friends. Comment on blogs.
Attend a conference if that sounds interesting to you. I highly recommend starting with a smaller conference that has less attendees so you have a chance of getting to know more people.
There are a ton of Facebook groups devoted to brainstorming ideas and sharing new content on social media. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. (On the flip side, don’t take advantage. Spread out those questions, be willing to learn on your own as well).
14. Food Photography (and Editing) Matters
You need to make your recipes look appetizing. Having mediocre food photography isn’t an option anymore, not when there’s so much competition. Learn to use your camera and ditch the “auto” setting. Learn to use Adobe CC or something similar.
There are tons of free tutorials online. For beginners, I’m a fan of the book Plate to Pixel by Helene Dujardin. If you are more of a visual learner, Lynda.com has fantastic video tutorials.
If you live in the MD/DC/VA area, I teach lessons! I’m planning on adding tutorials to the blog soon as well. Stay tuned.
15. Let People Get To Know You
People want to know you. I’m a bit shy and introverted in real life; it took me a long time to post a photo of myself on the blog. For years I was still hiding half of my face behind large sunglasses.
Readers want to know who you are. They also like responses to comments and questions. Make sure you have a plugin set up where they get an email response to their comment.
16. Don’t Be a Sell Out
It’s a rush when you first start hearing from PR companies and brands who want to work with you. Do not sell out yourself or your readers for a free pound of sugar. Don’t even do it for money.
You are worth so much more.
Figure out what type of brands align with your content, how much you want to charge and on what conditions. Always keep the copyright, never give away the RAW images.
If the brand is not authentic to who you are, you will lose your audience (or fail to build one). Do not blog about how you don’t eat carbs and then write a sponsored post for Hot Pockets. People will see through that.
17. Remember The Reader
I have ads. They’re a great way to earn passive income from traffic, and this is my primary source of income. However, I do my best not to go overboard, and I try to make sure that the ads aren’t invasive. I make sure there are no autoplay sounds on videos.
When I visit a website that floods me with ads, I usually leave. It negatively impacts the user experience. It also drastically slows down the load time. Always remember the reader.
18. Try New Things
I think that when you’re starting out, it’s a smart idea to check out what other bloggers are doing. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t try something completely new and unique! Be bold and daring.
Think you have a new idea? Be a trendsetter and let others follow you.
19. Comparison Is The Thief of Joy
Much easier said than done, right? Every creative person is guilty of comparing their work to others. I struggle with this constantly. That doesn’t mean it’s healthy. Go ahead, check in on what others are doing and try to feel inspired.
But you’re not them and they’re not you. No one will ever have your exact creative vision or be able to bring your personal life experiences into the puzzle.
You do you and try not to worry about what others are doing. Simply be inspired.
20. Love What You Do
When I’m excited about my recipes, my photos, and my work, it shines through everything I do. When I’m feeling burnt out, it shows.
Don’t be afraid to slow down when you need to, and be willing to reevaluate if your current strategy isn’t working (after you’ve tried that whole patience thing I discussed earlier).
Additional Resources
(Note: These are NOT affiliate links. I was not paid to promote these companies.)
Recommended Blogging Platform: WordPress.org
My Current Web Hosting: WordPress VPS
My Current Ad Network: Mediavine
My Current Technical Support: Grits Design
Carolyn Chan says
Great tips there Jen ! I think one of the biggest learnings for me is that you need to really want to this, as it requires commitment. If you love it, it’s not a big commitment, but it still takes time – to photograph, to write, to read others’ blogs, to comment etc.
Laura (Tutti Dolci) says
Great tips, Jen! I agree with Carolyn – there is a time commitment involved that is an important aspect to blogging. Another tip – post consistently and don’t post on the same days as everyone else. For instance, I had a post ready for Monday and then noticed my RSS feed was full from almost every other blogger I follow, so I waited until Tuesday to share.
Savory Simple says
That’s an interesting one! I’ve been testing traffic days for awhile now and Friday and Saturday are definitely the slowest, so I try to cram everything in the other days.
Cathy @ Savory Notes says
I think these are great tips, ESPECIALLY #1! I can’t tell you how many times I *didn’t* write something down, and got frustrated trying to remember it later. However I disagree with #15. I don’t think a person should rely on giving things away in order to gain readers. Readers should be coming for the content/stories/pictures/recipes etc. Also, I don’t think the ultimate goal of a blogger should be to get KitchenAid to send her/him free stand mixers. Not to say that I would never host a giveaway, (because I have,) it’s just not something that I feel is a necessity.
Savory Simple says
I don’t think giveaways are a necessity. I’ve just found personally that they’re fun, people like them and I like hosting them. I like to think that people aren’t just hanging around for my giveaways and that they like my content as well. But there’s nothing wrong with using them to gain followers. My ultimate goal isn’t to give away a KitchenAid but I would certainly love to do so.
ThisBakerGirlBlogs says
Ahhh these are great! Thank you so much for sharing – I’ve only had my food blog for a few months and I’m learning something new all the time. This post has been so useful :)
Savory Simple says
I’m glad I can help!
Kathryn says
I really need to get better at #4; there are too many times when I’ve had to remake a recipe because I can’t remember a crucial detail…great list!
Aggie says
Really great post!! I totally agree on taking notes in the kitchen, that is something that saves me everytime. Commitment, yes definitely. Also something very important is to make sure you don’t compare yourself to other bloggers, it’ll steal your joy of blogging from you – and it’s way too much work to get no joy from it :) Be unique & ok with it.
Savory Simple says
That’s something I still struggle with but yes I am in complete agreement. Comparisons get us nowhere.
Danijela says
Great tips! I have a blog about coffee but believe me it’s almost the same thing. Really useful, I am sure that all fresh bloggers will love this. I know how hard it was for me when I was learning.
michelle says
these are great tips.. as a ‘newbie’ I appreciate each and every one of them.. I am currently working on moving my wp blog to another host and am a little confused but learning along the way :) I really want to format my recipes ( when I have them.. my blog is growing into more of my life- stories, which is fine with me) so that they are easily saved and printable, and I’m not finding that with Wp… along with other things that I cannot do.
I appreciate this post :)
Carol | a cup of mascarpone says
Thank you, thank you, Jen – for taking the time to give these wonderful tips! You just answered so many of my questions! It was also reassuring to see that I am doing many things the correct way! So funny, I just emailed Laura @Tutti Dolci yesterday with a question on one of the tips you listed! (She’s always so helpful!) It was like you were reading my mind! Happy Thursday!
Savory Simple says
I’m so glad you liked it!
Sawsan (Chef in disguise) says
Great tips Jen!
some of these I have only come to realize recently. It is indeed helpful to beginners and old timers alike
Tracey says
Great tips! I’m so bad about #4 – I really need to start keeping a little notebook in the kitchen to jot things down so I’m not struggling to remember when I go to type up the recipe.
Becca from It's Yummilicious says
Great post and helpful tips, Jen!
I’m so glad you mentioned LinkWithin… I’ve been wondering how to include links to related posts. THANKS!
I think it’s important for beginners to realize that food blogging takes a LOT of work, and it’s often a thankless job. I wish we could wave a magic wand and have our readers leave comments (good OR bad) so we can gauge our performance, but it just doesn’t happen as often as we’d like. If we love what we’re doing and we’re doing it for US, the lack of comments and feedback is an easier pill to swallow.
Sandra says
I loved all these tips, Jen! Thanks so much for sharing. I especially find the tip you shared about keeping a notebook with you at all times useful. I have done that on and off again, and I can tell you when I don’t do it, I have a much harder time coming up with ideas to post about on a regular basis!
Tara says
Great tips! I’ve been doing this just about a year and these are still very helpful. I haven’t ventured into the giveaway realm yet, but I want to! I’ve also been trying to get into the BlogHer network with no success… I guess I’ll just have to keep at it!
Britt says
I love # 12! I am getting a new camera for Christmas and I’m itching to get my hot little hands on it. Thanks for sharing your tips. :)