Eat Blog Talk | Megan Porta

Staying on top of food trends is an important part of being a food blogger. Billy Parisi is immersed in the foodie world on many different levels. His wisdom on this topic is helpful and inspiring! - Health foods and diets are trending in 2020 and that will not be going away. - Those handy little appliances (think Instant Pot) won't be going away, either. - Consider starting your own trend. You never know, it might just take off! - Leave space for emerging trends on your editorial calendar. - Billy talks us through how to scope out trends on our own and he also shares valuable videography tips and tricks with us!

Madison talks to us about why brand messaging is so important when aiming to maintain your unique voice on your blog: - This is YOUR niche, voice and story! - It's so much more than your recipes. Your photography, writing and website colors play into it, too. - Figure out what your core message is! - Be strategic about how you present your content. - Review analytics to plan future content. Join us inside the episode for SO much more!

Josi dives into reasons why bloggers should all be tapping into their inner artist. When we take the time for this, our creativity will IGNITE! - Consider using art to inspire creativity and/or incorporate art right into your blog! - There are SO many options to explore. Hand lettering, knitting, marker art, painting, handmade gifts and poetry are just a few options to get your wheels turning. - Find that thing that sparks creativity and let things evolve. - Plan out time for creative outlets.

The most powerful secret weapon for finding success in your business is TIME! Stop working against time and learn how to work WITH it in order to open up valuable space in your life. - Stop those negative scripts about time that you recite to yourself daily. - If something is a priority for you, you can make time for it. - Time management combined with efficient systems and productivity strategies is a SUPER powerful recipe for success. - Fiercely protecting your time is one of the most important pieces of the puzzle and is sadly often dismissed. Let's find the time together in this new year so we can find success and space for all of those good things!

Creating systems in your business and life is a GAME CHANGER. It opens up space and time for so many other things. Kate Erickson of Entrepreneurs on Fire shares her systems secrets: - Plan each day the night before. - Understand the concept of decision fatigue and consider batching work to avoid reaching this point. - Take inventory, write out the steps, determine efficiencies and document--CREATE SYSTEMS that'll completely change your life.

If you are a first- or second-time food blogging conference attendee, you won't want to miss out on the valuable tips packed into this episode: - Deciding which conference is a good fit - Logistics - What to bring - What to wear - What to expect during and after the conference There's so much more waiting inside! Join us!

Do you take the time to really get to know Facebook as a business owner? Lorena shares tips for finding success inside the popular social media platform: - Real engagement is key. - Get to know your niche really well and deliver accordingly. - Analytics are your friend! - Getting to know this platform requires time and patience. - FB favors video! There is so much more waiting inside. This episode is packed with value!

Pinterest is HUGE for food bloggers! Kate takes us through some key points to keep in mind when we prepare to send our content through the world of Pinterest: - Know your audience! This holds true on Pinterest, as well! - Pin guidelines are important to keep in mind: image size, what text to include and which photos to use. - It is worthwhile to do testing to find out which styles your audience likes most from you. - Create the perfect description and now we can include post titles! - Video tips included!

If you have a huge bank of blog content, updating SEO might seem like a daunting task. Liz walks us through smart strategies that will help us wrap our heads around getting started: - Know your content and find a way to keep track of it. - Target posts that fall between positions 11 and 20 on Google. - Liz provides a helpful checklist to use a guide as you comb through old posts (think: adding alt tags, interlinking and keywords). - Remember not to compare your journey to anyone else's!

As someone who has had an inside view of the entrepreneurial world her entire life, Susie imparts her empowering and encouraging insights! - One tiny part of your job can become an important building block when you step back and view the big picture. - Susie talks us through her husband's move into her business. - There isn't always 100% bliss. Don't make big decisions in dark moments. - Diversify your income streams for long-term success!

Rachel dives into the topic of having an abundance mindset vs. having a scarcity mindset. She gives us some good tips about how to see the world (and our jobs!) through a more abundant lens: - Being aware is a good first step. - There are little things we can do in the blogging world to focus less on negativity and lack (e.g., unfollow people on social media). - Create space in your life and business for new good things. - Respond to everything with love.

Amy was able to fund her entire maternity leave as a blogger and she shares some of her strategies and tricks with us! - Make a plan and have a budget. - Outsource what you can. - Schedule ahead. - See a leave of absence as an opportunity to cut out unnecessary tasks. - Transitioning back into work can be tricky, but Amy has some pointers. - Tips for balancing work-life after taking a leave.

Get ALL the details about the four biggest and best food blogging conferences in 2020! Learn when each of the following conferences are taking place, what they cost, how they stand apart from the rest and WHY you should attend! Representatives from each conference joins us inside the episode. - Inspired Home Influencer Conference - Everything Food Conference - International Food Bloggers Conference - Tastemaker Conference

There have been SO MANY changes recently that have sent food bloggers into near panic. Traffic loss, snippet loss, revenue loss.. it's no fun to experience, especially in Q4! Try not to panic, though, food bloggers. Cycles are a part of life and despite the devastating losses we can sometimes experience as bloggers, there is always hope. There are always lessons to learn and action steps to take away from each struggle. Meet me inside for more encouragement!

Learn food blogging lessons the EASY way from a long-hauler who has learned them the hard way: - Take your business seriously: mindset is everything. - Breaks are ok (the blogging won't explode while you're away). - Learn from the experts, but be selective. - Ingrain this into your brain: this is a MARATHON, not a sprint. - Trends are important, but so are the things that make your heart sing. - Avoid being too micro-minded. SO much more is waiting inside the recipe!

Stay current with food videography as a food blogger! - Basic equipment needed to get started. - Create viral videos (and understanding that not all videos are meant to go viral). - There are different types of food videos. Learn what your focus should be! - Recommendations for length of video on different platforms. - Experimentation is key! - Repurposing footage is a great way to get the most out of the time and energy we spend on creating videos. There is so much more packed inside, so meet us inside the episode!

Imposter Syndrome is a prevalent part of our lives as food bloggers. Learn how to recognize it and work toward overcoming it! - Imposter Syndrome can become more intense the more successful you become, which seems counter-intuitive. - Allow it to help you, as strange as that may seem. Reflect on what you have to offer and use it to help shape your business plan. - There are strategies to employ that can help combat IS: community, seek help and outsource! Don gives great advice about first steps to take to get past IS. Join us in the episode to hear more!

Hiring a thriving team is an essential part of every food blogger's business. Emily shares a bit of her magic with us when it comes to knowing how and when and who to hire. - Develop a strategy. Decide which roles are needed. This involves process mapping. - Write an attractive and specific job posting. - Rate EVERYTHING. - Conduct effective interviews. Ask evidence-based questions. - Create a positive on-boarding experience. Hire slow and fire fast. Emily has a ton of helpful tips to share on the topic, so join us inside!

Launch a physical product for your business with the help of Kickstarter. - Ask yourself, "Is there something I would like to make if I had the money?" - Kate gives some ideas about which kinds of products to create to diversify your blogging income. - Kickstarter is a rewards based platform, which is part of its allure. - Those who help fund your project do not get charged until the project is complete. - Bring your audience with you AND take advantage of the Kickstarter community.

This episode is for loved ones who may need insight about how to support you as a food blogger. Dan Porta has been a husband of a food blogger for a decade and has insight to share: - Understanding that this is a JOB and respecting the time needed to get work done is key! - Be cautious about what you grab out of the fridge! - Become a time protector and help to control the chaos in order to open up space for food bloggers to get work done and be creative. - Be encouraging, share ideas, be an honest test-taster and read/comment on posts. And you HAVE to hear Dan's parting words of advice, so join us inside the episode!