The Food Blogger Pro Podcast

• Authenticity, AI, and Audience Connection with Stephanie Woodin from Raptive

  Building relationships with your audience, thriving as a content creator in a crowded market, and adapting to AI with Stephanie Woodin from Raptive. Welcome to episode 540 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This is the first episode of Can’t Be Automated: A Raptive Series on Scaling, Standing Out, and Staying Human. To kick-off the series, Bjork interviews Stephanie Woodin from Raptive. Authenticity, AI, and Audience Connection This week, we’re joined by Stephanie Woodin to pull back the curtain on her brand-new podcast with Raptive, Ctrl+Alt+Ask, and dive into the fast-changing world of the creator economy. Stephanie has spent years working with top creators at Raptive, and now, as the host of Ctrl+Alt+Ask, she’s taking calls from creators to talk about everything from burnout and branding to revenue strategies, AI, SEO, and more. She’s the perfect person to chat with Bjork about the unique challenges creators face today. In this episode, Bjork and Stephanie unpack what it takes to thrive as a content creator in a crowded space, how AI is reshaping the industry, and practical ways to grow and connect with your audience. Three episode takeaways: Authenticity is key to standing out —Stephanie shares how standing out today means showing up as your real, relatable self. Authenticity is key to building trust, positioning yourself as an expert, and staying ahead of AI-generated content. Building relationships with your audience is crucial — Success isn’t just about great content, it’s about connection. Stephanie explains how treating your audience like real people (because they are!) can transform your brand and build long-term loyalty. How AI is transforming content creation and brand deals — Stephanie breaks down how AI is shifting the way brands work with creators — and why being the “face” behind your blog or business matters more than ever. Resources: Raptive Ctrl+Alt+Ask Search Quality Rater Guidelines: An Overview 424: The Future of Content Creation (and Protection) in a World of AI with Paul Bannister from Raptive 410: AI, Third-Party Cookies, and Changes in Video Advertising Standards with Paul Bannister from Raptive 352: How to Optimize Your Ad Revenue with Paul Bannister and Courtney Kahn from AdThrive Inspired Taste Email Stephanie at Ctrl+Alt+Ask Join the Food Blogger Pro Podcast Facebook Group Thank you to our sponsors! This episode is sponsored by Raptive. Interested in working with us too? Learn more about our sponsorship opportunities and how to get started here. If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to [email protected]. Learn more about joining the Food Blogger Pro community at foodbloggerpro.com/membership.

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• The Journey to $100k as a Content Creator with Johnny Brunet

  Niching down, the power of a simple sales funnel, and preventing burnout with Johnny Brunet.  ----- Welcome to episode 539 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Johnny Brunet.  The Journey to $100k as a Content Creator with Johnny Brunet Johnny Brunet’s story is proof that a pandemic pivot can lead to major success! He went from stand-up comedy to mastering the Blackstone griddle, finding his sweet spot by creating content specifically for beginner cooks. He shares the secret sauce of his content empire: how he strategically focused on one niche tool to stand out and why targeting the starting-out crowd was the perfect gap in the market for massive growth. Beyond the cooking, Johnny gets real about the business, breaking down his successful revenue mix of YouTube AdSense, eBooks, and affiliate marketing. You’ll get his best advice on keeping your sales funnel incredibly simple and the importance of smart content marketing to drive product sales. This episode will give you the blueprint for turning a niche idea into a full-time income without spreading yourself thin. Three episode takeaways: The power of niching down: Johnny’s big pivot from comedy during COVID shows that sometimes you have to roll with life’s changes! He found massive success by niching down to a specific tool (hello, Blackstone griddle!) and focusing on beginner cooks, proving there’s gold in filling those market gaps. The simple sales funnel is your friend: Believe it or not, you don’t need a crazy-complicated setup to make money! Johnny broke down his successful monetization mix of YouTube AdSense, eBooks, and affiliate marketing, emphasizing how a simple sales funnel and smart content marketing are key to actually moving those products. Don’t spread yourself too thin: If you’re creating content, take a note from Johnny: don’t try to be everywhere at once. He recommends focusing on one type of content and, even better, just documenting your own learning process. It keeps you from spreading yourself too thin and is a great way to keep your audience engaged! Resources: Johnny’s food blog: Johnny Brunet Be sure to check out Johnny’s e-book, Griddle 101! Visit the members-only Food Blogger Pro forum here! Canva Stan Gumroad Kit ThriveCart FourthWall MKBHD — FourthWall Follow Johnny on YouTube and Facebook Join the Food Blogger Pro Podcast Facebook Group Thank you to our sponsors! This episode is sponsored by Yoast and Raptive. Learn more about our sponsors at foodbloggerpro.com/sponsors. Interested in working with us too? Learn more about our sponsorship opportunities and how to get started here. If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to [email protected]. Learn more about joining the Food Blogger Pro community at foodbloggerpro.com/membership.

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• How Jessica Robinson Built a Profitable Food Brand Without SEO

  Leveraging Facebook for monetization and audience growth, leaning into short-form video, and creating relatable content with Jessica Robinson from A Farm Girl's Kitchen. ----- Welcome to episode 538 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Jessica Robinson from A Farmgirl’s Kitchen. How Jessica Robinson Built a Profitable Food Brand Without SEO From publishing her first two cookbooks to launching her site, Jessica walks us through the early days of her journey as a food creator and the strategies she used to help her gain momentum — fast! She talks about why she chose to focus on Pinterest and Facebook instead of traditional SEO and how those choices paid off, allowing her to monetize her business within just a few months. Jessica shares her tips for growing her audience on social media, monetizing through the Facebook Content Monetization program and Amazon affiliate links, and how her short-form videos not only drive traffic but also boost her SEO. With over 430k followers on Facebook and a rapidly expanding presence across platforms, Jessica emphasizes the importance of diversifying income streams and traffic sources and connecting with her audience through relatable, authentic content and storytelling. Three episode takeaways: Lean into the concept of being ‘expert enough’ — Jessica monetized her site within three months by focusing on Pinterest and later Facebook and skipping SEO-heavy strategies in favor of visual platforms with viral potential. She really focuses on analytics and is constantly evolving and pivoting based on what is working (and what isn’t working anymore). Facebook can be a powerful traffic and revenue source — With over 430k followers, Facebook is Jessica’s #2 traffic driver and brings in $1,500–$3,000 monthly from the Facebook monetization program — excluding the additional income Jessica receives from affiliate income and search traffic. Jessica shares more about her posting strategy and how viral videos on Facebook contribute to her SEO strategy. The importance of short-form video — Consistently posting relatable, engaging recipe videos with a focus on storytelling helps Jessica grow her audience — all while connecting deeply with her community. Resources: A Farmgirl’s Kitchen New England Farmgirl A Farmgirl’s Table Everything Food Conference Delicious Table Intercom Social Fabric Cinnamon Rolls Recipe PicMonkey Canva Splice App Maximizing Affiliate Revenue with Deep Linking URLgenius Grocers List Geniuslink Manychat Follow Jessica on Instagram and Facebook Join the Food Blogger Pro Podcast Facebook Group Email Bjork Email Jessica Join Food Blogger Pro during our Q4 Sale! Become a member for just $65 for 3 months! Sale ends Friday, October 3rd at 11:59pm EST. Thank you to our sponsors! This episode is sponsored by Raptive and Yoast. Interested in working with us too? Learn more about our sponsorship opportunities and how to get started here. If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to [email protected]. Learn more about joining the Food Blogger Pro community at foodbloggerpro.com/membership.

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• Food Blogging News Roundtable: AI-Generated Food Content, Optimizing Opt-ins, and Building A Personal Brand

  How to identify AI-generated food content, optimize email opt-ins, and build a personal brand with Emily Walker and Bjork Ostrom. ----- Welcome to episode 537 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, we’re bringing our very own Emily Walker (Associate General Manager, Food Blogger Pro) back to chat with Bjork about the articles we shared in our latest blogging newsletter! Food Blogging News Roundtable: AI-Generated Food Content, Optimizing Opt-ins, and Building A Personal Brand In our latest episode, we sat down with Bjork Ostrom and Emily Walker to talk about the future of food blogging. The main takeaway? Don’t let AI steal your thunder! We dive into why your personal stories and unique perspective are more crucial than ever to standing out. We also cover why building an email list is your most valuable asset (stop us if you’ve heard this before!) — it’s the one place you can directly connect with your audience. So if you’re looking to create content that feels genuine and builds a real community, this episode is a must-listen. Bjork and Emily share tips for creating high-quality content that not only ranks with search engines but also earns the trust of your readers. Three episode takeaways: Think of AI as a tool, not a replacement: In a world where AI can write a recipe in seconds, the episode stresses that your unique voice and personal stories are what truly set you apart. Don’t just create content; share your perspective and connect with your audience on a personal level! Email is your secret weapon: Social media algorithms can change at any time, but your email list is something you own. The conversation highlights why building a strong email list is a crucial and reliable way to communicate directly with your community and build long-term trust. SEO and authenticity can go hand in hand: From your photos to your SEO strategy, the show explains that authenticity is key. Instead of just chasing trends, focus on creating high-quality content that solves real problems for your readers. This approach builds trust with your audience and helps you stand out with search engines. Resources: Visit the Food Blogger Pro site to subscribe to our email list! The Truth Behind AI-Generated Food Content — From a Chef’s Kitchen 9 opt-in form best practices + examples from top creators — Kit Episode 518 of The Food Blogger Pro podcast: How Molly Thompson Grew Her Email List from 15K to 100K SEO in the age of AI: Becoming the trusted answer — Search Engine Land The two parts of E-E-A-T Google hasn’t told you about — Search Engine Land Why Keywords Alone Won’t Build a High-Performing Blog — Clariti Google: We’re Testing Changes To AI Mode To Encourage Clicks — Search Engine Roundtable Easy French Toast Recipe — Tastes Better from Scratch How to Build a Personal Brand as a Food Blogger — Food Blogger Pro Single Serve Cottage Cheese Pancake — Pinch of Yum Have you come across any interesting articles you’d like to share with the FBP team? Shoot Emily an email! Follow Food Blogger Pro on Instagram Join the Food Blogger Pro Podcast Facebook Group Thank you to our sponsors! This episode is sponsored by Yoast and Raptive. Learn more about our sponsors at foodbloggerpro.com/sponsors. Interested in working with us too? Learn more about our sponsorship opportunities and how to get started here. If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to [email protected]. Learn more about joining the Food Blogger Pro community at foodbloggerpro.com/membership.

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• The Journey to Reaching 30 Million Views a Month with Jeanine Donofrio of Love & Lemons

  Navigating burnout, creating unique content, and running a blog with 30 million monthly pageviews with Jeanine Donofrio from Love & Lemons. ----- Welcome to episode 536 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Jeanine Donofrio from Love & Lemons. The Journey to Reaching 30 Million Views a Month In this episode, Bjork chats with Jeanine Donofrio, the creator of the massively popular vegetarian food blog Love & Lemons, which now receives over 30 million monthly pageviews (!!!). Jeanine shares the story behind her blog’s evolution — from a personal creative outlet that she started in 2011 to a thriving business with multiple employees. Bjork and Jeanine also talk about how Jeanine balances creativity with content strategy, manages the pressure of staying consistent, and how she navigates seasons of burnout. Three episode takeaways: How and why Jeanine started focusing on SEO — Love & Lemons was monetized solely with sponsored posts for the first 8 years, before fellow food blogggers and friends convinced Jeanine to focus on SEO and monetize with ads in 2019. Jeanine explains more about why she resisted ads and SEO for so many years, and how she navigated the transition to creating content with SEO in mind. How to anticipate and navigate burnout — Jeanine has experienced four intense periods of burnout in her time as a food creator, often related to the creation and promotion of her cookbooks. She shares how she plans for these seasons, why she views burnout as a necessary step to making creative space, and how she avoids rushing herself through burnout. How Jeanine has grown her team and batches content — Jeanine explains how she has hired teammates over the years and why she decided to prioritize outsourcing certain tasks, like photography, to free up her time for recipe development, writing, and spending time with her family. She also shares a peak behind-the-scenes into her content batching process (and why she batches 30 recipes at a time). Resources: Love & Lemons Love & Lemons Cookbooks Smitten Kitchen 101 Cookbooks A Couple Cooks Semrush Lemon Water on Substack Register for our webinar with Grocers List Follow Jeanine on Instagram and Facebook Join the Food Blogger Pro Podcast Facebook Group Thank you to our sponsors! This episode is sponsored by Member Kitchens and Raptive. Interested in working with us too? Learn more about our sponsorship opportunities and how to get started here. If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to [email protected]. Learn more about joining the Food Blogger Pro community at foodbloggerpro.com/membership.

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