The Recipe for Blogging Success with Sweet Savory and Steph

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On this episode of The Ultimate Blog Podcast, we’re bringing things full circle with someone they helped with their blog years ago – and who continues to inspire them today.Stephanie Bruno, owner of Sweet Savory and Steph, is here to share how she grew a thriving blog from scratch, while juggling work, family, and life. Read on to be inspired on your blogging journey!

And if you liked this episode, make sure you listen to Jennifer’s episode on how she scaled her food blog!

Meet Steph from Sweet Savory and Steph 

Steph is a healthy food blogger and mom of three from Long Island, NY. She started her health and wellness Instagram community in 2019, and then launched her website in 2020.  Her website currently has over 400+ lightened up recipes with macros and WW points.

From Instagram to Full-Fledged Blog

Back in 2019, Steph was like many others– on her own health and wellness journey, sharing pictures of her meals on Instagram. What made her stand out, though, was that she added full recipes in the captions, breaking down ingredients and steps so her followers could recreate the dishes at home.

Before she knew it, she had over 10,000 followers. Steph found herself scrolling her own feed to find and resend recipes as people requested, and she realized – it was time for a website.

The idea of launching a blog was totally new territory for Steph. She’s an accountant and a mom to three young kids, and she had zero background in web development. But she didn’t let that stop her. She reached out to her Instagram community, asking if anyone knew how to help her build a site.

Her first attempt was a learning experience. She hired a developer, compiled all her recipes and photos, and launched her site – but later discovered that the platform wasn’t ideal for a food blog. It didn’t have a recipe card that Google could easily read, meaning her recipes weren’t searchable. That’s when Steph reached out to us.

Taking the Leap

We’ll never forget that first phone call with Steph. She was clear, focused, and ready to make things happen. Moving her site from Squarespace to a self-hosted WordPress platform (with an SEO-friendly recipe card) was a pivotal decision. It wasn’t the easiest choice – there were costs, time, and effort involved – but Steph trusted the process, and it paid off.

Balancing Blogging with a Full-Time Job and Family

What’s especially inspiring about Steph’s journey is how she balanced it all. She didn’t quit her full-time job when she started the blog. In fact, she believes having that job took some pressure off. She was able to view blogging as a passion project rather than something that immediately had to replace her income.

Steph kept it simple. We gave her a checklist of tasks – everything from setting up her blog correctly to optimizing photos – and she chipped away at it. Sometimes during the day, but often after her kids went to bed, she’d sit at her laptop and get it done. Whether it was copy-pasting recipes, uploading photos, or learning her way around WordPress, Steph stayed consistent.

Asking for Help to Grow Faster

For a long time, Steph tried to manage everything on her own, but she realized that growing her business meant leaning on experts in different areas. She hired a digital marketing assistant, who helped with email strategy, recipe roundups, and other backend tasks that freed up her time.

“I think that’s hard for people to admit – that they need help,” Stephanie said. “But if I didn’t take the help, I wouldn’t have grown to where I am.”

Taking the Leap Into Product Creation

One of the most exciting steps in Steph’s journey was launching her own greens powder. She wanted a clean product that aligned with her food philosophy – without artificial sweeteners – and when she couldn’t find one on the market, she decided to make it herself.

Advice for Aspiring Bloggers and Business Owners

Looking back at where she started in 2019, Steph has one piece of advice: Just do it. It’s all going to work out. Trust the process.

Her journey is a perfect example of how taking small steps, asking for help, and embracing new opportunities can lead to incredible growth. Whether you’re just starting out or thinking about your next big move, Stephanie’s story is a reminder that sometimes the best thing you can do is take the leap.

In this episode, we covered: 

• How Steph grew her first following on Instagram
• What Steph’s first experience with a web developer looked like
• Why she moved from Squarespace to WordPress and how we helped her
• How she balances blogging with a full-time job and family
• What tasks has Steph been able to get help with in her blogging business 
• Why Steph made the leap into product creation
• Steph’s advice for new bloggers and business owners

Links and resources mentioned in this episode:

• Try Kit for email marketing
• Connect with Steph at Sweet Savory and Steph  and Instagram
• Get our 8 Step Guide to Image Optimization
•  Try Steph’s Green Powder- green3 
• If you are ready to start blogging, Join The Ultimate Blog Roadmap
• Check out last week’s episode

We hope you loved this episode with Stephanie on how she grew a thriving blog from scratch! Please leave us a comment and let us know your biggest takeaway from this episode!