One of the most rewarding things I have ever done was start this blog. It seems a bit silly to write that, but it’s the truth. I love cooking, creating, and (hopefully) inspiring folks to eat a little better and live a little healthier. I’ve said it before, but this blog community is pretty awesome and you (yes, YOU!) always make my day.
I don’t usually talk about blogging much because I know there are a lot of readers who aren’t bloggers or interested in starting a blog, but recently I’ve been getting a lot of emails and questions from folks asking for advice about starting a blog: Should I start a blog? How do I start a food blog? What do I need to know before I start a blog? How do I grow my blog?
Since a lot of you have been asking for help, I wanted to share a really cool resource with you that I think would be super helpful for a lot of folks.
Here’s the truth: I learned everything about blogging by trial and error. And although it was a rich learning opportunity, it was a long journey and a bit (ok, really!) painful at times. I know that we learn the most from our mistakes, but now that I’m three and a half years into this, I look back and really wish there were some things that I had done differently from the beginning.
Last November I made the decision to take a break from seeing any health coaching clients and focus on growing my blog. I was burnt out from working my full-time non-profit job, running my health coaching business, AND running my blog, so I decided it was time to just pick one project and focus on it. So that’s what I did. I spent weeks researching how to grow my blog audience, create better content, and improve my food photography. And along the way, I found Lindsay and Bjork of Pinch of Yum.
I mentioned Lindsay’s e-book Tasty Food Photography about a month ago because it is the best resource I have ever found for food bloggers and anyone looking to take better food photos. Lindsay and her husband Bjork also created a website earlier this year called Food Blogger Pro and I’m excited to share it with you because if you have a blog or are considering starting a blog (even if it’s not food related), you need to know about Food Blogger Pro. I just wish it had been around years ago when I was first getting started!
Food Blogger Pro is a membership website for food bloggers that shows you how to set up and grow your food blog step-by-step. It’s filled with over 250 video tutorials to teach you everything from:
Getting your blog started (all the technical stuff that feels really complicated and stressful!)
Growing your blog and building traffic
Taking photos, improving your food photography, and editing your photos
Social media and setting up a Facebook page for your blog
Using all the “essential tools” for your blog (e.g. Google webmaster, Google analytics, and how to run giveaways)
How to start generating an income through your blog
Writing and creating an e-book
In all my years of blogging, I have never seen any resource like this. When Lindsay and Bjork announced last December that they were launching Food Blogger Pro in February, I signed up immediately.
I’ll admit that I was a little hesitant at first because I wasn’t sure if there was a lot that I could learn. I mean, I had already been blogging for three years. I knew I needed a little help with the technical stuff, but would the rest of it be worth it?
Now that I’ve been a part of Food Blogger Pro for six months, here’s my answer: Yes! Yes, it is worth every penny. And more. I’m not kidding when I say that if Bjork and Lindsay doubled the price of membership tomorrow I would still be a member. And here’s why:
In the past six months, I have increased my blog traffic by 250%. Yes, a lot of that was my hard work. I put in the hours. I slaved away for days at my computer. But, could I have done that without switching blog hosts, learning SEO, and being intentional about my blog? No, absolutely not. And I couldn’t have done that without Food Blogger Pro.
I’m now able to generate a small income from my blog. Let me be clear here: I don’t do this for the money – I never have, and I never will. I am here every day because I love it. But, running your own website can be really expensive and immensely time-consuming. And, most weeks, I spend more than 20 hours working on my blog. Generating a small income through your blog can help to offset those costs and I would never have known how to set up my ads and get started without Food Blogger Pro’s help.
Everything you need to know is all in one place. Instead of Googling random things about blogging, I can log into Food Blogger Pro and watch Bjork’s videos where he walks you step-by-step through the entire technical process of your blog. Even someone who’s super website-phobic (aka, me!) can handle this.
When I have a question or a blog-related issue, I now have a community that I can turn to for support. Instead of sitting at my computer wanting to bang my head into the wall, I can log into the Food Blogger Pro community forum and connect with other bloggers. It’s been so wonderful to know that I’m not alone in my website frustrations and to get answers from other folks who have experienced similar issues. This benefit alone is priceless.
I’ve learned more from Bjork and Lindsay over the past six months than I did in all my previous years of blogging. Food Blogger Pro helped me take my blog to the next level and that’s why I’m so excited to share it with you. If you are curious about starting and/or growing your blog, I think Food Blogger Pro is the best investment that any new or intermediate food blogger could make.
Food Blogger Pro is a membership-based website so you have the option of a monthly membership ($25) or yearly membership ($250). I signed up for the yearly membership because I knew it would take me several months to work through the videos and apply the material to my blog. And, I’ll be honest with you. I was initially hesitant about investing the money into this because I wasn’t sure what I would get out of it. So, let me tell you that now six months later, the revenue I have generated as a result of Food Blogger Pro has made it pay for itself. (How awesome is that?!)
For all of you who have been considering starting a blog, frustrated with growing your blog, or struggling with monetizing your blog, you need to check out Food Blogger Pro. Aside from being the most adorable couple ever, Bjork and Lindsay are amazingly talented people and I’m so grateful to them for creating this valuable resource.
Hope this helps & inspires you along your blogging journey!
Take care,
P.S. If you have any awesome blogging resources that we should all know about, please share them in the comments below!
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