How to Start a Food Blog
Do you dream of starting a food blog but are unsure how to get started? Let’s walk through the steps to start a food blog the right way from the very beginning. You’ll be set up for success with room to grow and plenty of options to generate income from your site!
What is a food blog?
A food blog is a site dedicated to sharing content related to home cooking, menu planning, diet-specific guides, restaurant reviews, and more. The boundaries for food blogging are very broad, and you can even dedicate your content to a specific type of food, ingredients, or lifestyle!
Here are some frequently asked questions to help aspiring food bloggers:
Do I need to be a trained chef to run a food blog?
You do NOT have to be a trained chef or a culinary professional to run a food blog. Anyone can share their favorite recipes or experiences with anything and everything there is to learn about food.
What content can I share besides recipes?
Most popular food blogs are generally recipe resources, but a food blog is not limited to just recipe-sharing. On a food blog, you might learn about cooking techniques, find recipe round-ups, or discover stories behind meals and menus. Food blogs can serve specific dietary niches or serve as a place to document snippets of recipe history.
Do I need to create all the recipes myself?
Many food bloggers create their own recipes and share them through their blogs, but bloggers can also document recipe-testing or reviews from other sources. For example, a blogger might collaborate with a cookbook author to feature specific meals or recreate a recipe inspired by a popular restaurant.
Can I share just a recipe or do I need to include written content as well?
This answer has varied some over the years, but it is typically best to include written content with your recipes. Not only does this provide valuable information to your readers, but it will also improve your visibility in web search results. With keyword research, identify keywords that work for the recipe and your niche, and optimize your post to be the best resource you can on the topic or menu!
Benefits of being a food blogger
We’ve mentioned a time or two how much we love our blogging jobs. The flexibility of managing your own schedule, having a creative outlet and career combined, and control over your earning potential are just a few reasons why! We go deeper into these benefits and even more here.
There are also specific benefits unique to food blogging.
If you’re testing out the recipes yourself, you’ll have lots of opportunities to improve your cooking skills! Learn new techniques and experiment with new ingredients as you create content that documents your process and inspires others. Your family and friends are sure to appreciate the rewards of your efforts!
Through your blog, you can connect with others who also enjoy cooking (and eating). Share your newfound recipes or connect with other recipe creators or industry professionals. Build a readership that you can serve through your posted content, through comments on your posts, and in email inboxes.
Lastly, food blogging offers the opportunity to make an income doing something you love. You get to maintain the creative direction of your content, and ultimately, your blog should reflect your passion.
How to make money being a food blogger
Food blogging is one of the most competitive blogging niches in both the amount of web traffic they receive and the amount of earning potential. In fact, food blogs are among the top 3 “types of blogs that people start a blog in,” and “42.8% of high traffic blogs are in the food niche,” according to Rank IQ’s Most Profitable Blog Niches Study.
Even though the food blogging “market” is loaded with content, it is entirely possible to carve out your own unique approach and run a successful, income-generating business.
It’s important that you take the time to get very clear on your niche and what you will offer your audience. (To jump-start this process for aspiring bloggers, we have a Lunch & Learn on just that topic! Register for a focused session that will help you determine your content pillars and categories with confidence.)
Now, let’s take a further look at the specifics of income potential.
How do Food Bloggers Make Money?
Food bloggers, like any niche, can generate income in a variety of ways. We expound on several different categories in podcast episode 4: How to Make Money Blogging. Most avenues are included here:
- Ad networks – This might be one of the simplest methods to earn money because once it is set up, it doesn’t require many steps on the blogger’s side. An ad network will display ads on your page and you can earn just by bringing readers to your site.
- Affiliate sales – This option is a great way to partner with other brands and share products or services that align with your niche! Be sure to choose affiliates wisely so you don’t oversaturate your readers with promotions. With the right choices, integrating affiliate links can be a very successful method of generating money through your content.
- Sponsored posts – You don’t have to have a huge following to partner with a brand in a sponsored post! This can be a fun opportunity to test out a product that you truly love and bring value to your audience.
- Online courses or memberships – Many bloggers are discovering ways to package their expertise on a deeper level through digital courses or memberships. These offerings provide value through specific content that coordinates with your blog’s niche. Many options for one-time sales and recurring income are available within these avenues.
- Products – Bloggers can also offer further resources through ebooks, digital downloads, or other tangible products. With a good blogging platform, quality plugins, and even a robust email marketing tool, you can make sales directly through your site!
How much money can food bloggers make?
A food blogger’s earning potential can vary greatly, but the sky is the limit! Many factors contribute to your final paycheck. These can include the volume of content on the site, visibility in search engine results, partnership with ad networks and brands, expenses to produce content, and more.
Many bloggers are generous enough to detail their earnings and sources of income for their blogs. Browse through income reports of 10 popular food blogs here to find monthly and annual income along with a breakdown of sources. In these blog income reports by niche, you’ll see that bloggers range from a few dollars in the beginning stages to 5-figure months as established sites.
To determine what could be possible for your site, consider the investment you have available (both time and money), and diversify your efforts to bring in multiple streams of revenue.
How to start a food blog
OK, so let’s walk through the steps to start a food blog and turn your dream into reality!
1. Buy a domain name.
This is the name or web address (URL) where your readers will find you as they type it into the search bar. Check multiple address variations to find the domain you want.
2. Purchase a hosting plan.
We always recommend self-hosting your blog – which means you choose your host and pay for the online storage space. (Think of this similarly to paying the rent for your home.) From here, you will integrate your blogging platform.
It’s no secret that WordPress is our #1 recommended platform! Find out more about why WordPress is best for bloggers.
3. Decide on a theme.
Now you’re starting to get to the fun! Pick designs that reflect your brand and niche. You can customize even further with a parent theme and a child theme in WordPress.
4. Add plugins.
Plugins can enhance the visual appeal and the efficiency of your site. There are thousands to choose from!
Start simply by making sure that you at least have plugins to capture email addresses and offer a lead magnet. As a food blogger, you will definitely want recipe-specific plugins to help the user experience and search results across your site.
5. Set up email marketing.
Email marketing is a vital component of a flourishing blog. It is another avenue to develop connections with your readers, maintain contact for recurring visits, and incorporate monetization opportunities as you grow. Start this from day 1 (and check out our guide to email marketing)!
6. Create optimized content.
Now you’re ready for those blog posts! Use keyword research along with market research to determine what content your audience needs. Create content you want to share, but also use proven strategies to optimize for search engine results – allowing even more readers to find it!
7. Promote.
You don’t have to be “salesy” to share your content. But, you do need a strategy to get your content visible in order to serve your readers and generate traffic to your blog. Focus on continually building your email list, networking with others in your industry, and utilizing social media in a way that fits with your goals.
How much does it cost to start a food blog?
Blogs can be a wonderful venture for writers and entrepreneurs because they are relatively simple and low-cost to set up. However, it’s important to structure your business with the foundation and tools that will ultimately help you grow.
Here are some things to consider in your financial investment up front:
- Domain name – Go ahead and invest in the name you anticipate for the long haul so it’s less of a process to change it later.
- Web hosting – We recommend self-hosting your blog, but you’ll need to do your research when choosing a hosting company. (Tip: Cheaper is not always better!) We’ve done some of the legwork for you here with our personal recommendations.
- Design, graphics, and branding – You certainly don’t have to hire a designer just to get started. However, if visuals aren’t your forte, you may want to budget for freelance services to help you create a polished, cohesive look that improves the user experience.
- Plugins – Food blogs that perform well utilize industry-specific plugins. You’ll want to include those that are relevant to your niche as you set up your site.
- Supplies – Depending on your culinary niche, groceries might be a significant ongoing investment! Be sure to track your necessary expenses to create content, including your pantry staples and photo props.
Final thoughts for food bloggers
Food blogging is an incredible job with an awesome community. It’s a rewarding place that can truly serve and inspire others in the details of their daily lives.
If you want to explore more about how to start a food blog – with help along the way – we have a program just for you! The Ultimate Blog Bootcamp can walk you through step-by-step each task from choosing your domain name to sharing your first post.
Find community, resources, and encouragement for your blogging journey by connecting with us here or find us on Instagram at @sparkmediaconcepts