Editing more efficiently in Lightroom, using AI thoughtfully in your food photography, and developing a visual aesthetic that's uniquely yours with Roberta Dall'Alba.

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Welcome to episode 529 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Roberta Dall’Alba.

In this podcast interview, Bjork and Roberta discuss the importance of having your own distinct style or photography aesthetic to build your brand and why editing is such an essential part of this process. Roberta is an incredible food and travel photographer (trust me, you need to check out her food photographs!) and was a 2023 Lightroom Ambassador. Needless to say, she has spent a lot of time experimenting with Lightroom.

Roberta dives into how she approaches editing food photos with integrity, efficiency, and her own unique style. From navigating AI tools responsibly to building a signature look in Lightroom, she offers practical tips to help creators stay authentic while working smarter. This is an excellent interview to help you take your photography and editing to the next level.

• How to use AI thoughtfully in food photography and editing — Roberta shares her approach to using generative AI tools in editing. While she’s open to retouching photos, she avoids adding anything artificial, always considering if edits will help readers successfully replicate the recipe and/or align with her values.
• Efficient editing leads to better results — Roberta walks through her streamlined Lightroom workflow, from importing and filtering/organizing, to color grading, taking a step back, and final reviews on mobile, to ensure efficient, high-quality results (and to avoid over-editing).
• Build a visual style that’s truly yours — She emphasizes the importance of creating your own presets over buying someone else’s, why you should deepen your understanding of color theory, and how to develop editing efficiencies that reflect your brand’s unique style.

Resources:

• Roberta Dall’Alba Photography
• Roberta’s Lightroom Transforms Course — use code FBP10 for 10% off!
• Pinch of Yum
• Lightroom
• Photoshop
• Follow Roberta on Instagram and Other platform - facebook, youtube, tiktok, whatever seems most important for them
• Join the Food Blogger Pro Podcast Facebook Group

This episode is sponsored by Clariti 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.

Committing to consistency, running strategic year-long marketing campaigns, and leaning into a niche with Kate Shungu from Gift of Hospitality.

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Welcome to episode 528 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Kate Shungu from Gift of Hospitality.

Kate first started food blogging in 2017 with no real focus or niche. In 2018, she rebranded to entertaining and hospitality but, understandably, had to pivot again during the summer of 2020. Since then, she settled into her niche of vintage recipes for modern cooks and quickly grew to 50k sessions by the spring of 2021.

In this interview, Bjork and Kate discuss approaching your brand promotion via platform-specific, year-long marketing campaigns and how to think about marketing as investing your time versus spending your ad dollars. Kate’s success stories on both Pinterest and Facebook will be really inspiring to anyone looking to diversify their traffic sources away from Google!

• How Kate doubled her Pinterest traffic in one year — Kate spent a year devoted to growing her Pinterest account, and it (majorly) paid off. Pinterest is now Kate’s biggest traffic driver and has kept her afloat through many Google algorithm updates. Kate shares her keyword research strategy on Pinterest, her pinning schedule, and more in this interview.
• How to develop “marketing campaigns” to promote your brand — Kate uses her background in marketing to develop year-long “marketing campaigns” for her brand and has seen huge success when committing her time to different social media platforms (so far, Pinterest and Facebook) for an entire year. She shares why you don’t need to worry about over-promoting your content, and how you can get started with your own marketing campaigns.
• The importance of clarifying who you’re marketing to — Bjork and Kate discuss the benefits of constraints for creators, and how committing to a niche and defining the person you’re marketing to can transform your marketing strategy. By focusing on your reader — how they use the internet and what platforms they’re on, you can simplify your brand and clarify your business.

Resources:

• Gift of Hospitality
• Food with Feeling
• Loom
• Follow Kate on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest
• Join the Food Blogger Pro Podcast Facebook Group

This episode is sponsored by Yoast 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

The power of storytelling, experimenting across platforms, and connecting with your audience with Brita Britnell. 

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Welcome to episode 527 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Brita Britnell from Food with Feeling (who also happens to be our Social Media Video Expert!). 

In this episode, Brita shares how leaning into storytelling became the heart of her content strategy, and the secret behind quadrupling (!!!) her Instagram following in just one year. From freelancing to full-time content creation, she walks us through the lessons she’s learned about building meaningful connections, staying consistent, and creating content that resonates. Whether it’s reposting viral hits or crafting seasonal recipes, Brita’s approach is rooted in authenticity and real-life experiences.

We also dive into why follower count isn’t everything (especially on Facebook), how Brita built a thriving email list, and what she’s learned from years of experimenting across platforms. If you’ve ever wondered how to turn your personal story into a creative brand that lasts, this episode is packed with inspiration, insight, and plenty of real talk.

• The power of real connection: Whether it’s at a conference, through email lists, or in the comments section, Brita shows how building real relationships (online and off) can lead to big opportunities. She emphasizes that collaboration and community often open more doors than follower counts ever could.
• How to create content that clicks: From storytelling and seasonal posts to reposting viral hits, Brita breaks down how she keeps her audience engaged and why follower count isn’t the whole story, especially on platforms like Facebook. Her success proves that staying authentic and experimenting with your content strategy pays off.
• Experiment, evolve, and stay consistent: Brita shares how she’s mixed freelancing, focused learning, and a whole lot of trial-and-error to grow a fulfilling and financially stable career as a creator. Her journey is a great reminder that you don’t need to have it all figured out — you just need to keep moving forward!

Resources:

• Food with Feeling
• Fit Foodie Finds
• Crowded Kitchen
• Meta Business Suite
• Grocers List
• What Molly Made
• Episode 518 of The Food Blogger Pro podcast: How Molly Thompson Grew Her Email List from 15K to 100K
• Charles and Allie: Charles Trippy’s YouTube channel
• Copycat Chipotle Sofritas Recipe from Food with Feeling
• Follow Brita on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok
• Join the Food Blogger Pro Podcast Facebook Group

This episode is sponsored by Member Kitchens 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.

Managing a rapidly growing business, growing an Instagram account to 520K followers, and scaling to 11 million pageviews in the first half of 2025 with Amy Coyne from Amy Bakes Bread.

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Welcome to episode 526 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Amy Coyne from Amy Bakes Bread.

Amy Coyne first started her blog in 2020 as a hobby. She’s always had a passion for sourdough and, combined with her background as teacher, felt like a food blog teaching others to bake sourdough and solve their baking problems was a perfect fit.

In this episode, Amy discusses the evolution of her blog from hobby to full-blown business (with over 11 million pageviews in the first half of 2025!), the inflection points that led to significant growth, and the importance of community building on platforms like Instagram. She also shares insights on her business revenue streams, the challenges of work-life balance as a creator, and her strategies for continued growth and engagement with her audience.

• How Amy grew her Instagram account to over 520K followers — In January 2023, Amy challenged herself to post on Instagram daily for 90 days, growing her account from 1,000 to 16,000 followers. This experiment became her proof of concept. Since then, she’s consistently shown up with content like Q&As, bake-alongs, and carpool chats. Now with over 520,000 followers, Amy shares the strategies that have fueled her growth, including how she uses analytics to refine her approach.
• How Amy is managing her rapidly growing business — Amy opens up about her current income breakdown, her goals to diversify revenue streams, and how she balances motherhood with business growth. She also talks about why she recently brought on part-time help. Describing her success as “life-changing,” Amy reflects on how her growing business has impacted her family life.
• How Amy scaled her blog to over 11 million pageviews in the first half of 2025 — Amy shares the SEO and keyword strategies that helped her grow from 500,000 pageviews in 2023 to over 11 million in the first half of 2025. She explains how viral recipes have boosted her blog’s visibility in search results, how her traffic sources have evolved, and how she balances creating content for her blog versus social media.

Resources:

• Amy Bakes Bread
• A Couple Cooks
• Grocers List
• Manychat
• Slickstream
• Raptive
• Amy’s cookbooks
• Amy’s courses
• Follow Amy on Instagram and Facebook
• Join the Food Blogger Pro Podcast Facebook Group

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.

Turning older content into revenue and structuring your content for discoverability with Sandie Markle of Blueberri.

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Welcome to episode 525 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Sandie Markle from Blueberri. 

In this episode, Sandie Markle shares her journey from working at SideChef to launching her own venture, Blueberri. She and Bjork dive into the evolving world of food content creation, especially how creators can structure their content to boost visibility, make it more discoverable on different platforms, and turn old recipes into new revenue. Sandie also sheds light on the unique value that nano and micro influencers bring to brand partnerships.

They also unpack how creators can tap into licensing opportunities, work with tech companies, and even use overlooked platforms like LinkedIn to find new gigs. Whether it’s understanding the worth of a single recipe or building smart, non-traditional income streams, this episode is full of practical advice for creators who want to make more from the content they already have.

• Your Old Content is Still Gold: Sandie shares how creators can repurpose and license existing recipes — even if they aren’t getting tons of traffic. Think: $100–$250 per recipe just sitting in your archive!
• Structure = Discoverability (and Dollars!): Making your content easy to find, share, and reuse is a game-changer. Sandie breaks down how simple formatting tweaks can boost your reach and unlock new revenue streams.
• Partnerships, Platforms, and Knowing Your Worth: From nano-influencer perks to why LinkedIn is a hidden gem, Sandie dives into how creators can build smart brand partnerships and confidently navigate the tech world.

Resources:

• Blueberri
• Sandie’s Substack, Blueberri Pi
• Blueberri — Tech Partnerships Playbook
• LinkedIn
• Follow Blueberri on LinkedIn and Instagram
• Shoot Sandie an email!
• Join the Food Blogger Pro Podcast Facebook Group

This episode is sponsored by Member Kitchens 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.

Creating multiple revenue streams, making $100 a day from affiliate revenue, and committing to consistent content creation with Mary Smith from Mary's Whole Life.

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Welcome to episode 524 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Mary Smith from Mary’s Whole Life.

This week is our third (and final!) episode in our mini-series with Grocers List. In this episode, we chat with a gluten-free food creator who’s built an incredible business by staying consistent, continually learning, and always looking for new ways to serve her audience.

Today, Mary gets over 600,000 monthly blog page views and brings in revenue through ads, affiliate links, and brand partnerships. She shares more about her Instagram strategy (with over 500k followers), including her tips for viral Reels, how she uses Grocers List to capture emails, make deep links, and customize meal plans, and how working with a management company has transformed her brand partnerships.

• How to be intentional with your affiliate strategy and deep linking — By using deep linking on the Amazon affiliate links she shares, Mary has boosted her conversion rate from 5% to 21%, a massive jump that now brings in around $100/day in revenue. She recommends using tools strategically to lower costs, like applying deep links only on Instagram, and doubling down on what converts.
• How to use tools to bring social followers into your email ecosystem — Switching from ManyChat to Grocers List helped Mary streamline subscriber growth and increase engagement (the “save to email” feature led to 3,000 new subscribers in just a few months)! Mary also explains her process for creating and promoting an ebook opt-in on Instagram.
• How to make weekly meal plans for your email list — One of the ways Mary has added value for her email subscribers is by sending out a weekly Friday morning email with a meal plan for her subscribers with a curated grocery list. She explains how she formats and customizes these resources with very little effort in this episode!

Resources:

• Mary’s Whole Life
• Mediavine
• Raptive
• Reels for Food Creators Course
• Bailey Campbell on Instagram
• What Molly Made
• Tastemaker Conference
• Canva
• Etsy
• How Recipe Creators Can Increase Affiliate Sales With Amazon Deep Links
• The Food Blogger Pro Podcast: Maximizing Affiliate Revenue with Deep Linking
• Ecko Digital Media
• Applegate
• Jovial Foods
• Follow Mary on Instagram
• Join the Food Blogger Pro Podcast Facebook Group

This episode is sponsored by Grocers List.

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.

Leveraging social media and your email list to make your content work smarter with Ben Jabbawy from Grocers List.

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Welcome to episode 523 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Ben Jabbawy from Grocers List. 

In this week’s episode, we’re continuing with our Grocers List mini-series with Ben Jabbawy, the founder of Grocers List! He’ll dive deep into how creators can truly leverage social media — not just for likes, but for real, tangible growth. The key is to shift your mindset from surface-level content to strategic storytelling that drives your business forward.

You’ll also hear about why email lists are a creator’s secret weapon. While algorithms change, your direct connection with your audience shouldn’t. Building a list gives you control over your communication and creates consistent revenue opportunities. Plus, he’ll unpack how to make your content work smarter by using automation, repurposing assets, and minimizing the busywork that slows creators down. You won’t want to miss this episode!

• Social media can be used to build a business: The episode emphasized how important it is for creators to use social media platforms to capture real value and drive their entrepreneurial goals, not just for surface-level engagement. 
• Email lists are a creator’s best friend: You’ll hear about how crucial email lists are for maintaining a strong connection with your audience and building reliable revenue streams. It’s all about owning your audience and having direct communication, rather than relying solely on ever-changing social media algorithms.
• Make your content work smarter, not harder. Creators, especially food creators, can benefit from tools and strategies that reduce friction in sharing content, automate workflows, and repurpose what they’ve already created. This frees up time and expands reach without sacrificing user experience — it’s a win-win situation!

Resources:

• Grocers List
• Privy
• Lexi’s Clean Kitchen
• Episode 518 of The Food Blogger Pro podcast: How Molly Thompson Grew Her Email List from 15K to 100K
• Episode 516 of The Food Blogger Pro podcast: Diversifying Income Series: Monetizing Your Email List with Matt Molen
• Episode 201 of The Food Blogger Pro podcast
• Episode 229 of The Food Blogger Pro podcast: Email Marketing – Strategies for Bloggers with Allea Grummert
• Episode 288 of The Food Blogger Pro podcast: Email for Bloggers – Maximizing the Value of Your Email List with Allea Grummert
• Episode 398 of The Food Blogger Pro podcast: The Importance of Surveying Your Audience with Email with Allea Grummert
• Episode 475 of The Food Blogger Pro podcast: Grow Your Email List and Connect with Your Audience with Allea Grummert
• Episode 505 of The Food Blogger Pro podcast: Maximizing Affiliate Revenue with Deep Linking
• Ecommerce Marketing School podcast
• Follow Grocers List on Instagram and check out Ben’s Instagram here.
• Join the Food Blogger Pro Podcast Facebook Group

This episode is sponsored by Grocers List. 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.

Making Instagram work smarter for your business, repurposing old content, and making the most out of DM automation tools with Lindsay Ostrom from Pinch of Yum.

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Welcome to episode 522 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week, Bjork interviews Lindsay Ostrom from Pinch of Yum.

Welcome to the kickoff episode of our new mini-series, sponsored by Grocers List! In this conversation, Bjork and Lindsay are diving into how Pinch of Yum is rethinking its Instagram strategy, especially when it comes to using Reels, DM automation tools, and driving email list growth. They chat about how to balance creativity with conversion, and Lindsay shares why her opinion of DM automation tools has completely changed over time.

Lindsay also gets into the nitty-gritty of repurposing blog content and using Grocers List as a strategic bridge to get Instagram followers into the email ecosystem. If you’re looking to work smarter with your content and make Instagram actually work for your business, this episode is for you!

• How to repurpose old content — Lindsay discusses how she has been breathing new life into older recipes by organizing and packaging her existing content into resources and opt-ins that can a) provide value to readers and b) drive followers to sign up for the Pinch of Yum email list.
• Pinch of Yums’ current Instagram process and strategy — Lindsay shares her current content strategy for Instagram and how she’s been rethinking the value of Instagram in her business. Historically, she viewed Instagram primarily as a means to build awareness around the brand and new recipes, but she is now being more strategic about the Instagram to email pipeline. She explains her practical tips for getting started with this mindset shift in this discussion!
• How to make the most out of DM for automation tools — Lindsay first tried out a DM for automation tool to drive site traffic a few years ago, but didn’t like how it cluttered her Instagram inbox and made engaging with readers more difficult. So she abandoned it! Recently, however, she tried again (this time with Grocers List) and has had great success building her email list. In this interview, she explains what changed her opinion on these tools (and shares the Instagram inbox organization tip you need)!

Resources:

• Pinch of Yum
• Skinnytaste
• Grocers List
• Grace and Vine Studios
• 22 Healthy Freezer Meals (That You’ll Actually Love)
• Freezer Meals Instagram Post
• Follow Lindsay on Instagram and Pinterest
• Join the Food Blogger Pro Podcast Facebook Group

This episode is sponsored by Grocers List.

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.

Scaling a Brand, Navigating Burnout, and Finding Your Why with Joanie Simon of The Bite Shot.

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Welcome to episode 521 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Joanie Simon from The Bite Shot. 

In this week’s episode, Joanie gets real about the not-so-glamorous side of turning a creative passion into a full-on business. She shares how her love for food photography grew into something much bigger (and messier!) than she expected, from hiring a team to navigating the financial and emotional rollercoaster that comes with scaling. Spoiler: it wasn’t always smooth sailing, but it was 100% worth the ride!

We also explore the tricky balance between staying creative and keeping up with the structure a business demands. Joanie opens up about burnout, the pressure to please everyone, and how she lost touch with her audience along the way. Through mentoring, self-care, and redefining what success actually looks like, she’s found her way back to her “why” — and she’s sharing what that process really looked like.

• Growth can be messy, but so worth the effort!: Joanie shares how her food photography side hustle grew into a full-blown business, including the ups and downs of hiring a team, dealing with new responsibilities, and learning from the messy parts of scaling.
• The tug of war between creativity and structure: From chasing inspiration to juggling deadlines, Joanie talks about how building a business can sometimes smother the creative spark and how she’s working to find a balance that actually fuels both.
• How Joanie reconnected with her why: Joanie opens up about people-pleasing, burnout, and losing touch with her audience — and how mentoring, self-care, and redefining success helped her get back to what really matters.

Resources:

• The Bite Shot
• Joanie’s food blog, The Dinner Bell
• Company of One by Paul Jarvis
• The Art of Possibility by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander
• “The Story of the Chinese Farmer” by Alan Watts
• Follow The Bite Shot on Instagram and YouTube
• Join the Food Blogger Pro Podcast Facebook Group

This episode is sponsored by Member Kitchens 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.

Pitching, writing, publishing, and marketing a cookbook with Erin Clarke from Well Plated by Erin.

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Welcome to episode 520 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Erin Clarke from Well Plated by Erin.

In this episode, we are thrilled to welcome back Erin Clarke (after 9 years!!!) to dive into the behind-the-scenes journey of traditionally publishing a cookbook — from developing the recipes and managing timelines to copy-editing and more. Erin opens up about how she balanced her cookbook projects with her ongoing blog work, as well as the challenges and rewards of publishing a cookbook.

Bjork and Erin also chat about the marketing side of cookbook creation — how Erin mapped out the social media strategy for her cookbook promotion, why she crafted all of her captions in advance, and how she documented the entire cookbook process on social media to create excitement and drive sales. Erin emphasizes that cookbook writing shouldn’t be motivated by money but by a passion for cookbooks and the long-term brand legitimacy and awareness that these books help build.

• The cookbook proposal is your blueprint — Erin explains why a compelling cookbook proposal is essential — not only does it help you effectively pitch to publishers, but it also forces you to test your concept (and whether you’re up for the challenge!) and clarify your vision before writing begins.
• Cookbook writing is a long game — Success requires patience, consistency, and a commitment to detail. Erin shares about the challenges of adjusting to the timeline of print publishing and the shift in mindset required to develop a cookbook.
• How to develop recipes that work — Erin walks through her incredibly detailed approach to recipe development (have you ever counted the kale stalks in a bunch at the grocery store?) and how being methodical when developing and writing recipes from the get-go creates a strong foundation for your future self and sets your readers up for success.

Resources:

• Well Plated by Erin
• Rebranding Your Blog with Erin Clarke from Well Plated
• Avery
• Skinnytaste
• Ten Speed
• Rodale
• Well, Actually…from Erin Clarke of Well Plated
• The Well Plated Cookbook
• Well Plated Every Day
• Follow Erin on Instagram and Facebook
• Join the Food Blogger Pro Podcast Facebook Group

This episode is sponsored by 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.