In this episode:

AI tools have revolutionized content creation workflows, but many bloggers still struggle with how to implement them effectively without losing their authentic voice. Aleka, creator of Learn with Aleka, shares her five-stage framework for using AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude to streamline everything from keyword research to content repurposing. She explains how AI has helped her break free from the monotonous blog post structures that were making all food content sound the same, while cutting her writing time in half. You'll discover specific prompts for generating SEO-optimized outlines, uncovering content gaps your competitors are missing, and turning one blog post into multiple pieces of content across different channels.   About Aleka:  Aleka Shunk is an educator, course creator, and former middle school teacher who specializes in helping bloggers master keyword research to increase traffic and revenue. She is the founder of 'Learn With Aleka', Formally 'Keywords With Aleka', which is a suite of SEO-focused courses that provide clear, actionable strategies for ranking higher on Google, tracking keywords and using AI to blog smarter.   Drawing on over a decade of experience in education and content creation, Aleka has taught thousands of bloggers how to identify high-value keywords, optimize existing content, and create posts that consistently attract the right audience.   When she’s not teaching or creating content, Aleka enjoys cooking, entertaining, and spending time with her husband and two sons in Florida.

 

Key points we discuss in this episode:

• The Pre-AI Content Creation Struggle
• A 5-Stage Framework for AI-Powered Content Creation
• The Real-World Impact: From 3 Hours to 90 Minutes
• Smart Prompting Strategies That Actually Work
• Starting Small: Where to Begin
• Beyond Content Creation: Other AI Applications
• The Voice Mode Game-Changer
• Maintaining Your Authentic Voice
• The Future of Content Creation
• Getting Started Today

 

 

 

 

 

 

Related content:

The Crafted Website Experience

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Connect With Madison

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1. Design Services for Food Bloggers

2. Our newest way to redesign your website! Learn more here.

In this episode:

Q4 is about to bring you the biggest influx of new visitors all year. These aren't your regular readers - they're people discovering you for the first time through holiday recipe searches. This is your chance to turn one-time visitors into loyal followers, but only if your personal brand is ready to shine. Today we're talking about how to make sure your personality comes through when it matters most.

 

Key points I'll cover in this episode:

• The Q4 Traffic Surge: Your Biggest Opportunity of the Year
• The Personality Gap That's Killing Your Conversions
• Your Brand Voice: The Bridge Between Platforms
• Strategic Ways to Infuse Your Brand Into Q4 Content
• The Q4 Content Audit: Your Action Plan
• Small Changes, Big Impact
• Making This Quarter Count

 

 

 

 

 

 

Related content:

The Crafted Website Experience

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Connect With Madison

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Work with Grace + Vine in 2025:

1. Design Services for Food Bloggers

2. Our newest way to redesign your website! Learn more here.

In this episode:

Ever feel like you're spending way too much time styling and editing your food photos, only to end up with images you aren't thrilled with? Today I'm talking with Melodee Fiske from Pretty Focused, and she's completely changing the game when it comes to food photography for bloggers.   You'll learn if you're spending too much time editing photos, overthinking your styling and she'll teach you how to shift your mindset from stressful photoshoots to streamlined. If you've been overthinking your food photography or feeling stuck in a rut, this conversation is going to be so helpful for you.

 

Key points I'll cover in this episode:

• The Recipe is Always the Hero
• Simplify Your Styling Approach
• Master the "Oven to Served" Method
• Lighting and Composition Trump Styling
• The Tutorial-Based Photography Mindset
• Streamline Your Photo Shoot Process
• Common Angles and When to Use Them
• The Value is in the Variety

 

 

Melodee Fiske is a food photography educator and founder of Pretty Focused, where she has helped thousands turn their passion into profitable, work-from-home businesses. As a former teacher and full-time photographer, she built her own dream career and now teaches others how to do the same. They have recently launched a brand-new edition of Pretty Focused and this time, its built specifically for food bloggers. It’s designed to help bloggers take better photos of their own recipes using the camera they already have. Whether they just getting started or have been blogging for years, they are going to love hearing how this new program can help them save time, build confidence, and elevate their content.

 

 

 

 

Related content:

The Crafted Website Experience

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Connect With Madison

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Work with Grace + Vine in 2025:

1. Design Services for Food Bloggers

2. Our newest way to redesign your website! Learn more here.

In this episode:

If you feel like you're doing everything right, you're posting consistently, you're optimizing your blog posts for SEO, you're engaging on social media and building your email list, but you're not seeing your brand grow, this episode is for you.

The real difference between staying stuck and growth is actually more about your personal brand than it is about your fonts or your colors that you choose.

Today we're tackling 3 branding mistakes that are blocking the connections you need to grow.

 

The 3 Mistakes we'll cover in this episode are:

• Thinking Your Logo IS Your Brand
• Showing Up Differently on Social Media VS Your Website
• Hiding Behind Your Blog Instead of Building a Personal Brand

 

 

 

 

 

 

Related content:

The Crafted Website Experience

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Connect With Madison

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Work with Grace + Vine in 2025:

1. Design Services for Food Bloggers

2. Our newest way to redesign your website! Learn more here.

In this episode:

Here’s the truth nobody talks about: a beautiful website doesn’t automatically equal a successful food blog. In fact, some of the best looking websites I see are making critical mistakes that could be hurting their traffic. Today we’re diving into 3 design mistakes that look harmless but are actually costing you readers and traffic over time.

 

The 3 Mistakes we'll cover in this episode are:

• Your Homepage Fails the 3-Second Test
• Your Categories Are Confusing Google (And Your Readers)
• Your Homepage Is Just a Blog Feed

 

 

 

 

 

 

Related content:

The Crafted Website Experience

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Connect With Madison

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Work with Grace + Vine in 2025:

1. Design Services for Food Bloggers

2. Our newest way to redesign your website! Learn more here.

In this episode:

When was the last time you actually looked at your recipe index page? If you're like most food bloggers, it's probably been a while – and there's a good chance it's not doing what you think it should be doing.

Your recipe index might be one of the most misunderstood pages on your entire website. Many food bloggers treat it like a traditional recipe box, trying to catalog every single recipe they've ever created. But here's the thing: that approach is actually working against you, both for your readers and for Google.

If your recipe index feels overwhelming, confusing, or just plain ineffective, you're not alone. Today we're going to break down exactly what your recipe index should be doing and give you three simple changes that will make this page work harder for your blog.

 

Key Points in this episode:

• The truth about recipe indexes (it's not what you think!)
• Focus on categories, not individual recipes
• Make it easy for users to actually find what they want
• Putting it all together: Your Recipe Index Action Plan
• The Bottom Line: Simple wins

 

 

 

 

 

 

Related content:

The Crafted Website Experience

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Connect With Madison

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Work with Grace + Vine in 2025:

1. Design Services for Food Bloggers

2. Our newest way to redesign your website! Learn more here.

In this episode:

If you have ever felt stuck on the hamster wheel of content creation and struggled to grow your business, you're definitely not alone! Today Bjork Ostrom from Food Blogger Pro and Pinch of Yum joins me to talk about the transition we all face of going from maker to manager. He shares a delegation framework, how to identify which tasks to never outsource and his approach to getting 1% better every day.

Bjork is the chief tech consultant / business advisor / taste tester at Pinch of Yum, the food blog created by his wife, Lindsay. Day-to-day, you’ll mostly see him around Food Blogger Pro, the membership site and podcast they created to share what they've learned with other food bloggers. Bjork and Lindsay live in Minnesota with their daughters Solvi and Lena, and dog Sage. He can usually be found with a coffee in hand and is a terrible chef.

 

Key Points in this episode:

• The Great Transition: From Maker to Manager
• Starting your delegation journey
• Advanced Delegation: The Art of Intentional Ignorance
• The philosophy that changes everything
• Practical tips for daily improvement

 

 

 

 

 

 

Related content:

The Crafted Website Experience

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Connect With Madison

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Work with Grace + Vine in 2025:

1. Design Services for Food Bloggers

2. Our newest way to redesign your website! Learn more here.

In this episode:

Have you ever looked back at your blogging journey and thought, "If only I knew then what I know now"? If you've been blogging for more than a year, you've probably had that exact moment of reflection. The food blogging industry has transformed dramatically over the past decade, and what worked five years ago might not be the best strategy today.

Whether you're just starting out or you've been blogging for years, these nine strategies can help you build a more sustainable, profitable, and engaging food blog that truly connects with your audience.

Listen along as I share my honest take on what I'd do differently if I were starting a food blog from scratch today!

 

 

The 9 points I discuss:

• Start on self-hosted WordPress from day one
• Build your audience with strategic opt-ins
• Email your list consistently and more often
• Focus on video content
• Connect with your audience and understand their pain points
• Create a system for maintaining content updates
• Hire out writing sooner
• Build multiple revenue streams from the beginning
• Build authority through podcasting or YouTube

 

 

 

 

 

 

Related content:

The Crafted Website Experience

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Connect With Madison

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Work with Grace + Vine in 2025:

1. Design Services for Food Bloggers

2. Our newest way to redesign your website! Learn more here.

In this episode:

If you've thought about creating digital products to diversify your revenue streams, you're going to love this week's episode. I'm chatting with Emily Baksa, a food copywriter and content strategist, about creating digital products that diversify your revenue and reconnect you with the creative joy of food blogging.

She unpacks a three-part framework that can transform your digital product launches — from creating offers your audience actually wants and building engaged email audiences to implementing marketing that connects rather than sells.

Vine Podcast Exclusive! Get your FREE Digital Product Income Calculator from Emily today!

 

 

Key Points:

• Why digital products matter for food bloggers now
• What are we talking about when we say "digital products"?
• The 3 reasons your digital product launch didn't succeed
• Digital products as an evolution, not a one-time effort
• Be bold and try again

 

 

 

Related Episodes:

EP 175: Exact Steps to Create a Digital Product ASAP

EP 190: Monetizing Your Expertise Through Digital Products with Jillian Leslie

 

 

 

Related content:

The Crafted Website Experience

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Connect With Madison

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Work with Grace + Vine in 2025:

1. Design Services for Food Bloggers

2. Our newest way to redesign your website! Learn more here.

In this episode:

Your personal brand is the only thing truly setting you apart from countless others in your niche. Yet so many food bloggers hide behind their websites, creating a disconnect between who they really are and what their audience experiences online. Today, I'm sharing how to stop hiding and start authentically aligning your website with your personal brand.

Today we're talking about how your website should support your personal brand - the element that truly sets you apart in a crowded niche of food bloggers.

 

 

Key Points:

• What is your personal brand (and why does it matter)?
• The About Page: Your brand's foundation
• Bridging the Gap: Aligning your website with your social media persona
• Weaving your story throughout your content
• The power of consistency & regular audits
• Your Challenge: Conduct a personal brand audit

 

 

Related Episodes:

EP 199: Risk Proof Your Business Through Personal Branding

 

 

Related content:

See how we can help you refine your personal brand!

The Crafted Website Experience

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Connect With Madison

Instagram | Website | Show Notes

Work with Grace + Vine in 2025:

1. Design Services for Food Bloggers

2. Our newest way to redesign your website! Learn more here.