Eat Blog Talk | Megan Porta

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 didn’t 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, you’ll 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

In episode 512, Janelle Hama teaches us how to build a supportive community, especially around your blog’s 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, you’ll 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 settin

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, you’ll 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 v

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 she’s 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 specifi

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, you’ll 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 blog’s niche to changing circumstances. - Rebranding Strategy: Rebranding ca

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. You’ll 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: It’s 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 yo

In this bonus episode, Megan Porta and Melissa Erdelac discuss strategies for pulling yourself out of a business rut and the importance of investing in your business to accelerate your success. They cover information about identifying when your business growth is stagnant and one of the best ways to find new inspiration and valuable knowledge through in-person or virtual blogging retreats and conferences like Flavor Media Summit. This is an exclusive event run by Megan and Melissa for experienced food bloggers who have successful and income-generating businesses. Their goal is to unite accomplished food bloggers for strategic networking, empowering them to thrive, collaborate and ignite long-term growth in an exclusive and transformative gathering. Flavor Media Summit is a two-day workshop-style event taking place on May, 2nd and 3rd in Denver, Colorado. Their goal is to ensure that attendees walk away with a TON of valuable information that they started applying during the event so that they are not stuck wi

In episode 507, Megan chats to Sally Cameron about the process of recipe development, including thorough testing, catering for your readers’ needs, food safety and building trust through recipes that succeed time and time again. Sally is a professionally trained chef, recipe developer, online content creator, speaker, and certified health and nutrition coach. She created all of the recipes for Dr. Mark Hyman’s NYT best seller Eat Fat Get Thin, the NYT million copy bestseller “The Daniel Plan: 40 Days to a Healthier Life” companion cookbook, and Sony Five Essentials video series. She’s been blogging at A Foodcentric Life longer than she’d like to admit. Changing her diet by going gluten-free and focusing on whole fresh foods, lots of plants, nuts, seeds, healthy fats and quality proteins helped her lose weight, get healthy, detox from heavy metals, and recover from Lyme, mold, and gut issues. With all of that, it’s no surprise that special diets are her forte, because healthy is a lifestyle. Fun Fact: Sally's

In episode 506, Jillian Leslie teaches us strategies for how to get our mindset in the right place for 2024 and stay positive, while navigating the ever-changing landscape of online business.  Jillian Leslie loves building businesses on the internet with her husband, David. In 2009, they started Catch My Party, one of the largest party ideas sites on the web. In 2016, Jillian and David built MiloTree, a smart pop-up app to help bloggers and creators grow their social media followers and email lists. And in 2021, they built MiloTreeCart, the easiest tool for bloggers and creators to sell digital products. It's built for non-techies. For the past 4 years, Jillian has been hosting her weekly podcast called The Blogger Genius Podcast. She interviews successful bloggers, entrepreneurs, and industry experts to break down what's working now in online business. In this episode, you’ll learn about the power of staying open-minded and flexible in the face of changing circumstances, the significance of surrounding yours

Megan explores 5 ways to celebrate wins in our business and life so that we can cultivate happiness every day. We tend to overlook our wins while constantly striving for the next best thing or goal. This way we never truly feel happy in the present moment. Megan therefore highlights the significance of pausing to appreciate our journey and accomplishments because by reflecting on our progress and successes, we can boost our happiness and mindset. She covers the following key points: 1. Acknowledge Your Present Wins: Consider how often you appreciate your current circumstances and reflect on your journey over the past months or years. 2. Celebrate Your Achievements: Celebrating wins sends a powerful message of gratitude. Whether through quiet moments of acknowledgment or indulgent treats, celebrating reinforces the value of our accomplishments. 3. Five Wins to Celebrate Now: Track Blog Statistics, Completed Projects, Physical and Mindset Progress, Goals and Dreams realised and Financial Gains. 4. Cultivate a H

In episode 504, Megan chats to Erin and Ben Clarke about running a business as a couple, including the importance of setting boundaries and dividing responsibilities. Erin Clarke is the creator of the tremendously popular recipe blog Well Plated and the author of the best selling Well Plated Cookbook and forthcoming book, Well Plated Every Day. She's fearlessly dedicated to making healthy cooking easy, affordable, and of course: delicious! She specializes in lightened-up comfort foods, easy weeknight meal ideas, and wholesome versions of your favorite treats. Erin lives in Milwaukee with her husband Ben and their lazy, loveable beagle mix Teddy. In this episode, you'll learn about the challenges and rewards of running a business as a couple and the importance of over-communication, mutual understanding, and adapting responsibilities to suit each partner's interests and strengths. - Over-communication is Key: Clear and frequent communication helps navigate challenges and expectations effectively. - Recognize I

In episode 503, Jenny Meier teaches us 3 ways to build a community on Substack and how to use the platform to network and increase our blog's reach. Jenny founded Kitchen Skip in 2019 as a place to share easy dinner recipes with busy parents like herself. Almost 20 years earlier, Jenny had attended culinary school and spent years working in restaurants, cheese shops and wine stores before she started developing recipes for food and wellness websites in 2009. Finally, in 2019 Jenny started her own food blog. She monetized with MediaVine at the end of 2021 and started her Substack newsletter in June of 2022. In this episode, you'll learn about how to get started on Substack and why it's a great platform to build community and expand your reach and knowledge, and how embracing new writing platforms can enhance your skills and open doors to collaboration opportunities. - Alternative to Email Newsletters: Substack makes it easy to send out newsletters to subscribers, helping you build a community around exclusive

Megan discusses the importance of decluttering our life, its impact on mental health and productivity and 5 ways in which we can get started. Decluttering your life is an easy, practical way to open up space for good things to come into your life. Megan shares strategies for decluttering physical spaces, electronics, calendars, relationships, and your mind. She also provides actionable insights to help you enhance your well-being and productivity by creating space for positive change through decluttering. She covers the following key points: 1. Declutter a Physical Space: Decluttering spaces like closets, cars, desks, and pantries, can be broken up in bite-sized tasks and will affect the way you feel. 2. Declutter Electronics: Tips include organizing phone apps, deleting unnecessary files, and managing email subscriptions. 3. Declutter Your Calendar: Evaluate commitments and redistribute tasks to prevent burnout. 4. Declutter Relationships: Assess and adjust relationships for mental well-being. 5. Declutter Y

In episode 501, Amanda Polick teaches us how to embrace rejection so that it becomes a catalyst for personal growth and resilience. Amanda Polick is a cookbook and food memoir coach. Her work has been featured by Cooking Light, Time, Southern Living, and Food & Wine. She’s a proud member of Cherry Bombe, Les Dames d'Escoffier International, and the International Association of Culinary Professionals. Amanda lives in Nashville, Tennessee now, but a piece of her will be in California forever. In this episode, you'll learn about handling rejection gracefully by staying true to your purpose and the value of embracing feedback, and supporting fellow creators amidst challenges and uncertainties. - Remember Your Identity: When you get rejected, remember your identity and purpose to help you maintain self-assurance and direction. - Embrace Rejection as Growth: Rejection is a catalyst for learning and personal development, essential for building resilience and determination. - Boldness and Authenticity: Uniqueness

In episode 500, Megan chats to 3 SEO experts: Ty Kilgore, Samantha Blake and Steve Wiideman, about what SEO strategies will help food bloggers grow most in 2024. Ty Kilgore has been geeking out on SEO and Digital Marketing for over 14 years. He founded Everything Digital Marketing in order to share his passion and to clearly instruct, guide, and help influencers overcome the frustrations related to SEO and Digital Marketing. Samantha Blake began a web design and SEO business after food blogging didn’t go as planned. While she still enjoys cooking and baking as a hobby, she learned she truly had a love for web design and SEO pieces when it comes to business. Sam particularly loves designing and developing websites and coming up with SEO strategies for food bloggers - it's the best of both worlds!  Steve Wiideman is the Orange County, California based strategic planning specialist, founder of The Wiideman Consulting Group, and renowned as “SEO Steve” for the extraordinary breakthroughs he helped achieve for For

In this episode, Megan outlines 5 steps to help us craft a morning routine that fosters energy, productivity, and overall well-being. Whether you spend 10 minutes on a morning routine or 3 hours, these rituals can enhance our consistency in business endeavors and our personal lives. Megan explains the multitude of benefits of morning routines, including increased productivity, improved mood, mental and physical health, and the cultivation of gratitude and inspiration. She covers the following key points: - Design Your Dream Morning Routine: Envision an ideal morning routine without time constraints, considering activities that ignite energy and align with personal goals. - Develop a Baseline Morning Routine: Determine the time available for your morning routine and prioritize activities accordingly. Even short routines can yield significant benefits. - Prepare in Advance: Visualize the morning routine before bedtime to set intentions and align the mind with upcoming activities. Use strategies like going to be

In episode 498, Megan chats to Brittany Roche about mindset shifts and practical strategies for successful brand collaboration while staying true to ourselves. Brittany Roche founded Plant Power Couple with her partner Terrence in 2015, eager to share their innovative take on vegan cooking with other plant-curious people. Brittany started working with brands in 2020. She had just made it into MediaVine when the pandemic hit and she saw her RPMs drop drastically. She had been learning about working with brands for 3 years prior to this, but when she knew she had to diversify her income, she decided to really go for it! Now, she's formed genuine relationships with dozens of brands and has created a system that ensures a consistent stream of brand work that feels natural. In this episode, you'll learn about the importance of building genuine relationships with brands, strategies for resilience in the face of rejection, and effective follow-up techniques to maximize collaboration opportunities. - Build Genuine Re

In episode 497, Lexi Harrison teaches us the latest strategy to grow on Instagram and TikTok and how to generate a lot of audience engagement. Lexi and Beth are the mother-daughter duo behind Crowded Kitchen, a (mostly) vegetarian food blog. In addition to creating recipes, photography and videography for Crowded Kitchen's social media and website, Lexi and Beth also create freelance content for many food and beverage brands. In this episode, you’ll learn about how to increase your social media following and improve your engagement using hooks, voiceovers and captions. - Post a Series to Build an Audience: Posting a series of related content on Instagram Reels encourages people to follow your account for more. - Leverage Facebook for content distribution: Leverage your content via Facebook, especially now that there is the ability to post reels. - Casual Setup and Filming: Avoid overstylizing your shots and use an iPhone for filming. - Longer Form Content for TikTok: TikTok strategy includes using longer vide

In this episode, Megan explores the transformative power of visualization, focusing on five steps to help you manifest your dreams. Megan explains why visualization is essential in accelerating personal and professional goals. Visualizing your dreams involves more than just imagining; it entails embodying the emotions and sensations associated with achieving your desires and requires clarity, belief, and inspired action in the process. Megan covers the following key points: 1. Know What You Want: Clearly define your goals, whether they involve material possessions, experiences, or personal growth. Be open to flexibility in the details while maintaining clarity on your desires. 2. Understand Why You Want It: Dig deep into the reasons behind your aspirations. Your true motivations often extend beyond surface-level desires and connect to deeper values and emotions. 3. Believe It Is Yours: Embrace a mindset of unwavering belief that your dreams are within reach. Visualize them as if they are already manifesting i

In episode 495, Megan chats to Ashley Covelli about how to host successful virtual or in-person cooking classes, including technical setup, engagement strategies, and pricing considerations. Ashley Covelli is the food photographer, recipe developer, and culinary instructor behind Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen and the co-founder of Passing the Plate. She loves helping busy people find time to cook delicious meals while reducing the amount of stress, money, and waste involved in the process. She believes in the restorative and joyful practice of sharing meals in the community, preserving the recipes of our ancestors, and cooking as a way of creating memories with loved ones. Ashley’s legitimately tiny kitchen is located in Ossining, New York, where she lives with her husband, son, and a feisty rescue cat. Her professional background is in graphic design and fine art, and she brings that aesthetic to her culinary creations. In this episode, you’ll learn about how to generate additional income through cooking c