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.

 

 

 

 

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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:

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

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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:

Are you tired of chasing SEO trends and algorithm updates without seeing sustainable growth? As food bloggers, we often get caught up in technical SEO tweaks and site speed optimizations, but what if there's a more holistic approach that could lead to long-term success?

In this insightful conversation with SEO expert Jeff Hawley, we explore why the most successful food bloggers are shifting from purely technical SEO tactics to a more comprehensive content strategy focused on building topical authority and creating a memorable brand. Let's dive into how this approach can transform your blog from just another recipe site to a trusted authority in your niche!

 

 

Key Points:

• Why traditional SEO advice falls short for food bloggers
• Building a long-term brand strategy (not just content)
• The 75/25 Rule for Content Planning
• Building topical authority through strategic content
• Balancing new content vs. updating existing posts
• Practical tools for implementing this approach
• Moving Forward: A Balanced Approach to SEO

 

 

Related Episodes:

EP 154: 5 Ways to Boost Your SEO This Year

EP 207: SEO Still Matters in 2025 with Carl Ross

 

Related content:

The Crafted Website Experience

Sign up to get podcast updates sent directly to you!

 

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 made an emotional decision that impacted your food blog? It can be so easy to chase the next big thing for your business, but you could find yourself frustrated with the lack of results. In today's episode I'll share how you can shift away from emotion based decision making and focus on making data based decisions that will serve your business and help it grow! If you're tired of feeling like you are spinning your wheels, this episode will help you determine and focus on the things that move the needle forward for your food blog.

 

 

Key Points:

• The Emotional Decision Trap
• Data points you should be tracking
• Creating a framework for data-based decisions
• Combining emotion and data for smart decisions
• When to hire help

 

 

Related content:

The Crafted Website Experience

Sign up to get podcast updates sent directly to you!

 

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.