Eat Blog Talk | Megan Porta

Consider creating a membership site to diversify your audience and revenue streams. Your people want YOU, they want exclusive value and they are willing to invest in those things. In this episode Megan and Bethany talk through their experience developing a membership site and what they have learned. - Why you should do it and ideas for getting started. - Things to think through before starting. - Where to put your focus when you’re just starting out. - HOW to make it happen: tech, marketing and more!

This EBT replay is with Alida from Simply Delicious. She talks about how planning and scheduling has allowed her to get content up on the blog 7 days/week (yep!). Her secrets will help YOU open up space for so many things! - Start out small, if needed, but work toward saving up a "bank" of content. - Push yourself to create more, but have grace when you don't quite live up to what your calendar asks of you. - Set goals and work backwards, figuring out smaller steps that will get you to those goals.

Working with brands does not look the same in 2020 as it has in previous years, so tune into this episode to hear expert advice from a food blogger who works with many brands. Maria’s words will encourage and motivate you to get the most out of Q4 and beyond. - “Think quarterly” is one of Maria’s mottos. - Listen in for ideas about types of brands and products that will likely rise in popularity in Q4. - Deliver the content your audience loves, while keeping the current situation in mind.

Alexandria is the content creator at ForeignFork.com and her journey is an adventurous one! She is cooking and eating her way through every country in the world, from A to Z. - Enjoy flavors from all over the world while avoiding cultural appropriation as a food blogger. - How to recreate recipes from other cultures as authentically as possible. - Other cultures honor their food differently than in America, so remember this as you reply to people. Alexandria’s passion project will inspire you!

Join us in this compilation of audio clips from previous EBT episodes where a handful of guests (Abbey Rodriguez, Jessica Gavin and more!) talk about the importance of community, accountability and masterminds. - It is IMPERATIVE to network in order to find food blogging success. - Being in mastermind groups and getting advice from other entrepreneurs is vital. - Inside this compilation you’ll hear a handful of food bloggers talk about how being connected helped launch them into success.

If you are tired of the stress revolving around finding predictable revenue, this episode is for you! Here are a few ideas for diversifying your revenue streams: - Ad revenue is a no-brainer once you have enough page views to work with a reputable ad network. - Ebooks, courses and affiliate marketing are great ways to earn passive income. - Use email marketing to deliver your products to your audience! - Sponsored work with brands, contributorships and more ideas are waiting for you inside the episode!

Russ and Natalie Monson, the founders of the Prepear platform, have a great alternate solution for creating digital ebooks, which can be a lucrative additional stream of revenue. There are benefits for both food bloggers and users: - Simple, quick ebook creation! - Marketing included, so not as much legwork for food bloggers. - Better experience for the end user. - All the different parts of creating a digital book in one convenient place.

Being able to define your brand and tell your story in an authentic way is extremely important for food bloggers. But how easy is it to do?! Beth Taubner from Mercurylab talks us through points that make it much less daunting. Inside the episode you’ll hear about: - The importance of defining your brand in a really authentic way. - Exercises you can dig into TODAY that will help you dig deep and understand your brand in a new way. - How to tell your story through photography and motion.

Kristie Hill is a Pinterest expert and she joins us in this episode to share all her insightful knowledge about the powerhouse platform. Food bloggers will find massive amounts of value inside! Kristie answers the following questions plus so many more! - How many pins should I post daily? - How can I refresh old pins to make them more appealing? - Is Tailwind worthwhile? - Are video and story pins worth my time? - How do I know which boards to pin to? - How much of my own content vs. others’ content should I pin? This episode is PACKED with value! See you inside!

Food blogging is an intense job that never sleeps, which is why it is so important to step away for extended breaks. In this episode Megan shares about her own experience taking time off, how it has positively impacted her business (as well as happiness and productivity!) and also how YOU can do it, too! - Be prepared for work/tech detox! - Doing this will help you give up control and let creativity flow. - See time away from work as an opportunity to form new habits. - Learn the steps you need to take to make this happen for your own business! It’s worth it!

Finding quality, reliable freelancers can be a struggle for food bloggers, but it doesn’t have to be! Listen to this episode to get Emily’s incredible tips. - Think of hiring freelancers like it is a marketing campaign! - Remember that the best freelancers are very selective about what they are looking for. - Very clearly define the person you are looking for to fulfill the role. - Emily has FIVE secret and incredible questions to keep in mind as you develop your next job posting!

Food bloggers NEED community and connections in order to find success in their businesses! We are launching the Eat Blog Talk community platform on 8/11/20 to help you get past the loneliness, isolation and overwhelmedness. - Join us in the community for access to mastermind groups, challenges, resources/service provider directory, exclusive podcast episodes, AMAs and more! - Join during our launch period in order to take advantage of special bonuses and discounts. There is such a huge need for food bloggers to feel connected within a community because without connections, it is really hard to make progress. This platform is going to fill that connection piece of the puzzle and it is packed with value and other awesomeness. OUR MAIN FOCUS: Helping YOU go from feeling lonely and overwhelmed to connected and confident.

Tajda gives food bloggers so many great ideas for ways to turn food photography into a profitable business, in addition to capturing food blogging photos. -When exploring new avenues for revenue with photography, create a separate website. -Reviews and testimonials are important when branching out. -Take advantage of all of the free information available to grow and learn. -Other options for photography: restaurants, stock imagery, mentoring, create courses, product photography.

Kristen grew her blog very quickly and with very basic, affordable (or free!) methods and resources. Let's learn from her! - There are so many free options available for creating and supporting content creation. Kristen has a long, helpful list for you! - Tips on how to grow Pinterest and your blog traffic organically. - Always keep your user in mind. This is the basis for everything and magic comes from this simple principle! - Gratitude and audience are everything.

Yumna has a MAGIC when it comes to growing an audience quickly on any platform. Within the episode, she gives us her secrets and also talks about why food bloggers should be on TikTok. -Getting people to truly CONSUME our content is key for massive growth on all platforms. -Think through to completion and be YOU as much as possible. -Do the work + have a positive mindset = success -Listen in to hear why Yumna believes content creators should be on TikTok specifically!

Timothy Ferriss packs value in his book The 4-Hour Work Week. Megan talks through her favorite 7 lessons gleaned from this classic business book that can help you to achieve greater success in your business: - Work less, earn more! - It's not about the money. It's about fulfilled desires. - Stop being a slave to email. - Try going on a low-information diet. - Outsourcing is life-changing. - Focus on the 20%. - You fill the amount of time designated for any given task.

Challenges are such a great way to build connection and trust with your audience. Denise tells us why and also how to do this. - Consider running a short, free challenge to start. - This is a great way to give your audience a built-in community. - One to two weeks is a good challenge length. - Test different topics with different times of the year to see what works best with your people. - Keep it simple and don’t focus too much on the numbers. - This is a great way to establish yourself as an expert and build trust with your audience.

Your email list needs your attention! There is so much value in nurturing your email subscribers and Matt Molen tells us both WHY and HOW to do it. - Your email list is an insurance policy against algorithm changes. - A thriving email list gives you a valuable way to engage with readers and also build your brand. - Matt talks through the EASY process of creating a quick start guide so you can deliver value to your readers TODAY.-Having a thriving email list gives you a valuable way to engage with readers and also build your brand. - Deliver value to your people by offering an opt-in they actually want. Quick start guides are a great way to do this. - Matt talks through the EASY process of creating a quick start guide so you can get started with this today. - You do not want to ignore this part of your business!

Micro-influencer programs provide a great way for bloggers to network and also to nurture their businesses. Alexis Watts from SideChef talks about why this is something that should be on your radar as a food blogger. -Micro-influencer programs allow us to lean on others’ partnerships, resources and knowledge. -This is also a great way to network with like-minded entrepreneurs. -These programs can help bloggers grow more quickly, find partnerships and have access to educational resources. Tune in to hear all the information Alexis has to offer!

Food photography is an ART! There are many ways to hone your skills in order to tell a more complete story about the food you're capturing. Jena talks us through a few GREAT tips and tricks: - Consider photographing a few weddings! This will immediately make you a better photographer and business owner. - Practice practice practice (then practice some more)! - Surround yourself with people who can teach you and encourage you. Networking is such a huge part of the equation. - Jena also gives advice for monetizing food photography!