549: How to Grow A Huge Instagram Audience Through Experimentation and Consistency with Jess Saunders

Do you ever wonder where your time goes? Do you ever feel completely drained but don’t understand why? It’s probably time to do an audit. I realised the importance of doing regular audits on my life and business a few years back. Like tracking time, energy drains and to do lists. It has made a huge difference. However, in order to make the most of your audit, you need to be prepared to make some life changes. Here are 5 audits that can change your life and practical strategies for how to implement changes to improve your health, income and relationships. Action Plan: 1 - Time audit: Complete at least a week-long time audit and note any discrepancies between perceived vs actual time spent working. 2 - Energy audit: Fill out "gives me energy" and "drains my energy" lists, then take steps to minimize your biggest drains. 3 - People audit: Evaluate your closest relationships by making a list of the 10 people you spend the most time with. Identify anyone on the list that seems to drain your energy. 4 - Calendar audit: Audit your calendar for the next 3 months and remove any items that feel unnecessary or don't align with your goals. Make room for important tasks. 5 - To do list audit: Sweep through your existing to-do list, removing any items that can be deleted, delegated, or postponed. Tackle remaining high-priority tasks. Get in touch with Megan if there is a specific mindset and self-care topics you'd like her to cover. Website | Instagram

In episode 552, Megan chats to Parker Thornburg about his recent experience of buying an existing blog, how it is different to starting a new one and practical advice for succeeding as a blogger regardless of which path you choose. Parker Thornburg worked at Yahoo for 8 years in Omaha, NE. After Parker left Yahoo to enter the startup world, he told his manager of 8 years that he wanted to stay connected and possibly even own a business together someday. That day came in April 2023 when they purchased a food blog, Foodness Gracious, that had been established since 2012. They continue to work full-time jobs while spending all of their spare time trying to grow Foodness Gracious. Parker has an amazing wife of 23 years and three great children aged 18, 16 and 11. In this episode, you’ll learn about which factors you should evaluate before buying or selling an existing blog (or starting a new one), including time, energy, goals, and budget, and making sure your passion aligns with the blog’s niche and target audience. Key points discussed: - Time and energy considerations are important when deciding to buy or sell a blog: How much time and effort is required to keep the blog going and is it worth it? - Passion for the topic is important: Don’t pursue a niche that you do not really feel passionate about. - Know your strengths and weaknesses: Outsource tasks that you feel less confident in and focus on tasks that you are skilled at. - Change the blog design only if it really makes an improvement: Analyze your analytics to know what impact your design had. - Audience engagement must be maintained during transitions: Try to smoothly transition ownership by respecting the previous owner’s vision and followers. - Social media isn't always traffic-driving: You can focus on posting regularly for followers but don’t have to obsess over engagement metrics. - Intentionality helps prevent burnout: To maintain a healthy work-life balance set clear boundaries. Connect with Parker Thornburg Website | Instagram

In episode 551, Lilian Boukheir teaches us how to cultivate a growth mindset in food blogging, by understanding the ups and downs of running a business and the need to focus on progress rather than perfection. The Matbakh is a Mediterranean food blog blending culture and good food. I’m a mom, engineer, psychology grad student, and food blogger. The Matbakh started as a passion project and has since grown into a monetized food blog. In this episode, you’ll learn about developing a flexible mindset instead of a rigid approach to blogging, having compassion for yourself in the face of life’s challenges and why you should keep your wins top of mind. Key points discussed: - Focus on progress, not perfection: Focus on gradual improvements rather than getting stuck in perfectionism. - Build habits for success: Create consistent habits like publishing frequently to grow your blog steadily over time.    - Celebrate small wins: Appreciate comments or minor improvements to keep yourself motivated through challenges. - Manage overwhelm with gratitude: Get through busy periods by focusing on what your thankful for in your business. - Overcome self-doubt with action: Start publishing to move past your initial fears instead of waiting for perfection. - Prioritize self-care: Making time for yourself through exercise or meditation to help you show up better for your blog work.  - Keep perspective on setbacks: Fluctuations are normal parts of the nonlinear entrepreneurial journey rather than failures. Connect with Lilian Boukheir Website | Instagram

Food blogging is an intense job. This year in particular feels extra turbulent for us food bloggers. On top of Google’s HCU, I’ve taken on some new projects (who remembers that food blogging conference in Denver?) and had to part ways with my VA who’s worked for the business for many years. So I’d like to share 5 steps I’ve been taking to get through this turbulent time. In this episode, you’ll learn about the importance of slowing down and focusing on things you can control when you feel overwhelmed by changes in your space. And remember, self-care and keeping a positive mindset are more important than ever during turbulent times! Action Plan: 1 - Awareness: Ask yourself, what is  the source of turbulence and what is in your control? 2 - Plan: Pull out the top 5-10 things you can do this week to minimize your distress. 3 - Delegate: Assign realistic due dates or people to each point on your list to manage the workload. 4 - Action: Do the things on your list and get accountability from others. 5 - Evaluation: Keep an eye on your list and prioritize self-care - remember even if you regain some control, turbulence can resurface, so it’s a continual process. Get in touch with Megan if there is a specific mindset and self-care topics you'd like her to cover. Website | Instagram Resources Content Creation for Food Bloggers (Ella Gilbert) Promote your food blogging services: www.eatblogtalk.com/audioclip Megan’s recommended books and resources at eatblogtalk.com/books.

In episode 549, Megan chats to Jess Saunders about strategies for growing a big Instagram account, emphasizing the importance of consistency, experimentation, and connection with followers.  Jess Saunders co-founded Vegan Punks in 2017 in order to show that vegan food is delicious, easy to make and accessible. Prior to this, Jess was the social media lead at the world's first green energy company, is accredited by the Charted Institute of Marketing and social media agency founder. In recent times, Jess has over tripled her Instagram following to over 110,000 using a unique strategy and reel formula that she developed over a number of months. In this episode, you’ll learn how to use Instagram analytics to find content that works, effective hooks that grab attention and whether the timing of your post matters. Key points discussed: - Consistency is key to Instagram success: Post in line with your strategy every day (or on a consistent basis) even when it feels like it's not working to see big results eventually. - Compound small actions over time: Consistency compounds to significant results when maintaining effort on a long-term growth strategy. - Find your niche: The narrower your niche, the easier it will be to find what engages your audience best. - Experimentation is crucial for growth: What is working for other content creators? Trying new content types, hooks and styles is needed to find what resonates with your audience and increase reach. - Analyze engagement metrics: Watch time, saves and comments can reveal what content performs best and where users lose interest to improve future posts. - Consider audience activity times: Posting when followers are online can boost initial engagement and trigger wider distribution from Instagram. - Use hooks to grab attention: Visual and spoken hooks at the start can intrigue viewers and increase time watched, a strong signal to Instagram. - Engage your community: Asking viewers to comment or DM in captions builds relationships and indicates when a recipe is really popular. Connect with Jess Saunders Website | Instagram

In episode 548, Luay Ghafari teaches us strategies for growing a food blog through SEO and social media and why your audience should be your main focus. Luay is a published author, social media content creator, blogger, photographer and gardening educator. Like many other bloggers, he wears multiple hats. Luay is based in Toronto Canada and his gardening/cookbook, Seed to Table, was released July 2023. He also teaches a garden-to-table Master Class. In this episode, you’ll learn about how Luay grew his blog sessions quickly over the last 2 years, including his unique approach to SEO, building a strong social media presence and his emphasis on E-A-T.  Key points discussed - Create for your reader while following Google’s guidelines: Focus on building a loyal following through consistent content creation aimed to serve your audience instead of creating for Google. - Streamline recipes for readability and internal linking: Write recipes concisely without unnecessary photos or fluff and link related recipes to boost older posts and improve user experience. - Consider seasonality and content clusters when planning topics: Focus content by season or topic area to provide more value to readers.  - Invest in tools and services to help your blog business grow: If you treat your blog as a business, you would  invest in audits, keyword research and other paid services to help it grow. - Diversify revenue streams and platforms to weather industry changes: Do not rely solely on one platform or monetization method. - Create unique, shareable content for social media growth: Novel, interesting content is more likely to drive engagement and new followers on social media - what unique twist can you put on your content? - Leverage redirect tools like ManyChat for social traffic: Use automation tools to easily share blog content in response to social media comments. - Continually increase your E-A-T: Promote your qualifications and achievements on your About Page and keep it up to date. Connect with Luay Ghafari Website | Instagram

Burnout. Every time it hits, I act like I’m all surprised. Like, what? How can this happen? Have you ever felt the same? As I’m currently going through a bout of burnout, I want to share 5 ways in which you can recover from it. If there is one lesson I have learned about burnout, it is: Once it happens you can’t undo what has been done. And you can’t rush your recovery. You’ll need to let it run its course. There are ways in which you can help yourself recover quicker. And this is what I’d like to share with you: practical ways to get back on track with your work and prevent burnout from happening again. Action Plan: 1 - Acknowledge when you feel burnt out and surrender yourself to recovery. 2 - Pump the brakes, slow down work, and have grace for the healing process. 3 - Prioritize daily acts of self-care to help with recovery and continue making this part of your routine. 4 - Seek support from loved ones (or professional if needed) by openly discussing feelings of burnout. 5 - Reevaluate your goals and plans to figure out how to prevent future burnout - journal about your main goals for next year and what you need to prioritize now to achieve them. Get in touch with Megan if there is a specific mindset and self-care topics you'd like her to cover. Website | Instagram Resources Ghostwriter – Terrence Roche ([email protected]) Promote your food blogging services: www.eatblogtalk.com/audioclip Megan’s recommended books and resources at eatblogtalk.com/books.

In episode 546, Megan chats to Carl Ross about the current state of SEO and why our traffic is either dropping or increasing following changes in Google’s algorithm. Carl is an engineer who spent many years in corporate technology consulting roles which gave him a unique perspective on the application of technology, processes, and getting a return on your investments. It means he’s spent literally decades helping customers make sense of technology products. In 2019, he started offering SEO services and the food blogging niche was an obvious fit. While Carl works with bloggers in many different niches, food bloggers are his bread and butter. In this episode, you’ll learn about current effective strategies to rank on Google, including what is implied by ‘helpful content’ and why you should focus on user experience and backlinks. Key points discussed: - SEO is not dead: While some sites have seen traffic declines, Google is still sending traffic to food blogs and recipe sites through search results. - Focus on content, technical SEO, and backlinks: These three pillars are important for SEO success according to the three-legged stool analogy. - Optimize ad density: Reducing intrusive ads can improve the user experience and SEO performance of a site. - Build your brand: Establishing a presence on platforms beyond your website signals to Google that you are a genuine content creator rather than AI. - Be careful with AI-generated content: You can use AI to generate ideas, but do not copy and paste AI-generated text for your blog post. - Evaluate affiliate links: Excessive low-revenue affiliate links may affect your site’s Google ranking. - Experiment with changes: Disable or turn down ads to evaluate how they affect traffic and revenue. - How to deal with algorithm updates: During an algorithm update, some blogs rise while others fall, so monitoring changes and being flexible is important. - Focus on what you can control: Prioritize your efforts on things you can control on your blog, social media profiles, email list and other revenue streams. Connect with Carl Ross Website | Facebook

In episode 545, Desiree Nielsen teaches us how to find our unique voice and cooking style in food blogging through self-reflection, embracing creativity and sharing vulnerability to meaningfully connect with readers. Desiree Nielsen is a registered dietitian in Vancouver Canada with over a decade of experience in plant-based nutrition and chronic digestive and inflammatory disease. She is the author of two Canadian bestselling and award-winning cookbooks, Eat More Plants and Good For Your Gut. Her latest book, Plant Magic, arrives April 2024. Her work has been featured in People, Washington Post, The Globe and Mail, KTLA, WGN Chicago, The Social, Food Network Canada and Elle Gourmet Canada in addition to hundreds of media features across North America. Desiree is also a food blogger and the host of the evidence-informed wellness podcast, The Allsorts Podcast, where she hosts a diverse roster of guests from NYT bestselling authors to leading health professionals and researchers. In this episode, you’ll learn about the importance of standing out as a food blogger, how to find your unique voice and style (while still following SEO guidelines) and how to build a community that is not reliant on social media platforms or Google. Key points discussed: - Reflect on your personal food interests and cooking style: Take time to understand your preferences, tastes, and approach to cooking to develop a unique voice. - Look at what others are doing differently: Analyze popular blogs and recipes to find gaps that allow you to approach topics in a distinctive way.  - “Write drunk, edit sober”: Write without inhibition first and then structure anecdotes and humor within a format to meet SEO guidelines. - Prioritize search volume: Focus recipes on your blog on trending topics and keywords people are actively searching to maximize visibility. - Develop recipes with unique ingredients: Add a flavor profile or component that is unique to you to make recipes stand out and memorable.  - Build community consistently: Nurture readers through high-value, free content to develop loyal readership and build a newsletter to connect directly with your community. - Embrace the unexpected: Leave space for unforeseen opportunities that could further your growth in surprising new directions.  - Share vulnerability: Connect with readers through candid self-disclosure in small doses to form deeper relationships. - Your Path is Your Path: Pursue your interests wholeheartedly and say "yes" to chances that excite you creatively. Guest Details Connect with Desiree Nielsen Website | Instagram

Moving your body and staying physically fit has a significant impact on your mindset. Yet, many of us depioritize fitness in favor of work. In this episode, I explain why we should avoid falling into this habit and my top 5 ways to stay active. I found that the peak of my mental performance has always aligned with times when I was prioritizing my physical health. Moving my body consistently gave me confidence and I experienced so many other physical and mental benefits, including just being in a better mood. Action Plan: 1 - Track your steps using your watch, Fitbit or phone and find an accountability buddy. 2 - Commit to a workout program whether at home or at the gym, or choose a sport like running, cycling, CrossFit etc. 3 - Do daily bursts of physical activity like pushups, burpees or running on the spot. 4 - Double duty: Move while doing other tasks, for example you can walk while on a call. 5 - Choose the harder option such as taking the stairs instead of the escalator or parking far away from a venue. Resources Beach Body On Demand Coaching and Mentorship for Food Bloggers by Brittany Roche Promote your food blogging services: www.eatblogtalk.com/audioclip Megan’s recommended books and resources at eatblogtalk.com/books. Get in touch with Megan if there is a specific mindset and self-care topics you'd like her to cover. Website | Instagram