The Food Blogger Pro Podcast

Bjork Ostrom
  • 4.9 (387)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Updated Weekly

Welcome to The Food Blogger Pro Podcast, hosted by Bjork Ostrom from Pinch of Yum! Our goal is to help you create a beautiful, functional, and profitable blog. We interview successful food bloggers and industry experts in an effort to surface strategies that can help you more efficiently grow and monetize your site. You'll learn about recipe SEO, food photography, plugins, monetization, traffic, and more. New episodes every Tuesday! Learn more at foodbloggerpro.com/podcast

  1. How Mika Kinney Turned Her 480,000 Instagram Followers into Site Traffic and Revenue

    1d ago

    How Mika Kinney Turned Her 480,000 Instagram Followers into Site Traffic and Revenue

    Increasing revenue without increasing your workload and mastering Instagram strategy with Mika Kinney from Joy to the Food. ----- Welcome to episode 574 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week, Bjork is back with part two of our GRO mini-series — this time chatting with Mika Kinney from Joy to the Food. How Mika Kinney Turned Her 480,000 Instagram Followers into Site Traffic and Revenue Two years ago, Mika Kinney had 1,000 Instagram followers. Today she has 480,000 — and both she and her husband work full-time on Joy to the Food. That kind of growth doesn't happen by accident, and in this episode Mika breaks down exactly how she did it. Mika started her site in 2021, left her job in September 2023, and went all in on Instagram in January 2024. What followed was a masterclass in understanding what social media can do for a food business — not just as a vanity metric, but as a genuine traffic and revenue source. In this episode, Bjork and Mika dig into the super intentional content strategy behind her growth, how she uses GRO to capture the value of her Instagram audience and drive traffic back to her site, how she (easily!) increased her affiliate income, and why she and her husband recently launched a membership program — all without dramatically increasing their workload. Three episode takeaways: What's actually driving Mika's Instagram growth — Mika breaks down the difference between videos that get reach and videos that get followers and the role of calls to action in Reels. She also shares why showing your face and bringing your personality to your content is one of the most important things you can do and how she structures her content schedule in a way that keeps her consistent without burning out. How Mika uses GRO to turn Instagram attention into real business results —Mika walks through how DM automation and story replies work to reduce friction for her audience, why carousels are her go-to format for reaching a large portion of her existing followers, and how conversational hooks have changed the way she thinks about content. Most importantly, she shares how direct traffic to her site has increased continuously because of GRO — including during a stretch of six to eight months without a single viral video. How Mika is diversifying her revenue without adding to her workload — From sharing two to three affiliate deep links per day (generating an extra $2,000–$3,000 per month) to launching a weekly exclusive recipe membership program with GRO, Mika has built multiple revenue streams on top of her existing content workflow rather than in addition to it. She and Bjork talk through how each revenue stream works, how the membership is structured, and why diversifying away from a single traffic or income source has become essential for food bloggers navigating the current landscape. Resources: Joy to the Food From 1K to 250K: The Instagram Growth Strategy That Transformed Joy to the Food GRO LTK Butcher Box Creator Coach Shop My Maximizing Affiliate Revenue with Deep Linking Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook Feast Mika Creative Follow Mika on Instagram Register for the Q&A: Google Updates, AI Search, and What Actually Matters for Your Blog in 2026 Thank you to our sponsors! This episode is sponsored by GRO. 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 podcast@foodbloggerpro.com. Learn more about joining the Food Blogger Pro community at foodbloggerpro.com/membership.

    54 min
  2. What's Actually Working for Food Creators Right Now with Ben Jabbawy from GRO

    Jun 2

    What's Actually Working for Food Creators Right Now with Ben Jabbawy from GRO

    Increasing your traffic, growing your email list, and diversifying your revenue with Ben Jabbawy from GRO. ----- Welcome to episode 573 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, to kick-off a new mini-series, Bjork is interviewing Ben Jabbawy from GRO (formerly known as Grocers List). What's Actually Working for Food Creators Right Now If you've been looking for a smarter way to turn your social media followers into website visitors, email subscribers, and paying members — this episode is for you. Ben Jabbawy and his team at GRO have sent over 100 million DMs across Instagram and Facebook on behalf of their food creator customers. That kind of scale gives Ben a uniquely data-driven lens into what's actually working for food creators right now — and in this episode, he shares it with us! Bjork and Ben chat about recent changes in the social media landscape, dig into the strategies of successful food creators, and discuss why Facebook is suddenly driving a major surge in traffic for food bloggers. They also get into the email side of things and how GRO's new membership program lets food bloggers offer an ad-free experience or exclusive recipes directly on their site — no coding required. Three episode takeaways: What's actually working on Instagram and Facebook right now — Ben and Bjork dive into why carousel posts are performing so well for creators right now, including how to capture an audience with carousel posts and how to reuse your evergreen content for carousel posts. They also chat about Facebook strategy and explain where to include recipe links in your posts to get the biggest reach and the most click-throughs. How to grow your email list using the content you're already creating — Ben walks through two high-converting email list growth strategies that food bloggers can implement right now: a simple "email to save recipe" prompt and a comment-for-DM lead magnet approach that delivers real value to your audience while building your list. He and Bjork talk about why building your email list through social media is one of the most important things you can do to protect your business from algorithm changes, and how GRO's improved functionality makes this easier than ever. How to launch a membership program directly on your food blog — GRO's new membership feature lets food bloggers offer an ad-free experience or exclusive recipes to paying members — integrated directly into their site. Ben shares the key ingredients for building a meaningful revenue stream out of memberships, including the price points he recommends, what actually drives sign-ups, and how to think about what recipes to put behind a paywall. Resources: GRO.co Pinch of Yum Pinch of Yum Trader Joe's Meal Plans Inside Crowded Kitchen's Strategy for Growing to 2.4 Million Followers on Facebook How Food Dolls Turned Facebook Into Their Top Traffic Source Sally's Baking Joy to the Food Stay Snatched Mediavine Raptive Kit — affiliate link! How Pinch of Yum Uses Instagram to Grow Their Email List Substack Food Empires Follow GRO on Instagram Join the Food Blogger Pro Podcast Facebook Group Thank you to our sponsors! This episode is sponsored by GRO. 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 podcast@foodbloggerpro.com. Learn more about joining the Food Blogger Pro community at foodbloggerpro.com/membership.

    58 min
  3. How to Sustain Long-Term Creativity Without Burning Out with Josh Zimmerman

    May 26

    How to Sustain Long-Term Creativity Without Burning Out with Josh Zimmerman

    Avoiding creator burnout and reconnecting with your "why" with Josh Zimmerman of Creator Coach.  ----- Welcome to episode 572 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Josh Zimmerman.  How to Sustain Long-Term Creativity Without Burning Out with Josh Zimmerman What happens when your personal brand is you and the work starts to feel like too much? Josh Zimmerman knows this territory well. After a career in journalism, he made the pivot to life coaching specifically for creators, drawn to the unique pressures that come with building a business around your identity and your output. In this episode, Josh and Bjork dig into the mental side of creative work; specifically, why burnout hits creators differently, how to reconnect with the "why" behind what you do, and what it actually looks like to build a sustainable creative business for the long haul. They also talk about the role of fractional C-suite executives and how bringing in the right support can help you manage the business side of things without losing your creative spark. If you've ever felt the weight of your work pressing in on your sense of self, this episode is a great reminder that you're not alone. and that there's a way forward. Three episode takeaways: Your identity and your work are not the same thing: When your personal brand is built around who you are, it's easy for criticism or creative slumps to feel deeply personal. Recognizing that separation — and actively protecting it — is key to long-term sustainability as a creator.  How to reconnect with your "why": When motivation starts to fade, the answer isn't always to push harder. Getting clear on your core motivations and the reasons you started creating in the first place can be one of the most practical things you do for your business. You don't have to run every part of your business alone: Bringing in outside support can free you up to focus on the creative work you actually love, without letting the operational side of your business drain your energy and spark. Resources: Creator Coach YouTube Nation jzmanagement Episode 563 of The Food Blogger Pro podcast: Using AI to Eliminate Busywork and Unlock Creative Time with Jason Glaspey Follow Creator Coach on Instagram Join the Food Blogger Pro Podcast Facebook Group Thank you to our sponsors! This episode is sponsored by Member Kitchens. 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 podcast@foodbloggerpro.com. Learn more about joining the Food Blogger Pro community at foodbloggerpro.com/membership.

    57 min
  4. Leaving Your Day Job and Scaling a Food Blog with Pinterest with Sharlene Murrell

    May 19

    Leaving Your Day Job and Scaling a Food Blog with Pinterest with Sharlene Murrell

    Leveraging Pinterest for growth and the "ready, fire, aim" mindset with Sharlene Murrell of Good Enough Moming.  ----- Welcome to episode 571 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Sharlene Murrell.  Leaving Your Day Job and Scaling a Food Blog with Pinterest with Sharlene Murrell In this episode, Bjork Ostrom sits down with Sharlene to explore her journey of building a thriving food blog by mastering Pinterest. Sharlene shares how adopting a "ready, fire, aim" mindset and overcoming early struggles with keyword research helped her rapidly scale her traffic and income after leaving her day job. The conversation also dives into actionable Pinterest strategies, including targeting broad keywords, creating multiple pins per post, and leveraging tools like Canva. They round out the conversation with practical advice on capitalizing on seasonal trends, maintaining consistency, and overcoming imposter syndrome. No matter where you are in your food blogging journey, this episode is packed with inspiration and tactics for creators ready to take action! Three episode takeaways:  The "ready, fire, aim" mindset: Sharlene's success highlights the importance of the "ready, fire, aim" approach. Launching quickly and iterating based on feedback can accelerate your growth and help you identify what resonates with your audience.  Leveraging Pinterest for growth: By mastering keyword research and targeting broad keywords, Sharlene effectively used Pinterest to drive significant traffic to her blog. Consistency and understanding the platform's seasonal nature are crucial for success. How to repurpose content creatively: Sharlene emphasizes the value of repurposing content across different platforms and formats. This strategy not only saves time but also maximizes exposure and engagement with diverse audiences! Resources: Good Enough Moming Farmhouse on Boone Raptive Mediavine The Simple Pin Podcast PinClicks PinnerAnalytics EasyPinScheduler PinnerPress Canva Chuy's Follow Sharlene on Instagram and Pinterest Join the Food Blogger Pro Podcast Facebook Group Thank you to our sponsors! This episode is sponsored by Yoast. 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 podcast@foodbloggerpro.com. Learn more about joining the Food Blogger Pro community at foodbloggerpro.com/membership.

    55 min
  5. How Jenn Lueke Grew to 1.7 Million Followers with Budget Meal Planning Content

    May 12

    How Jenn Lueke Grew to 1.7 Million Followers with Budget Meal Planning Content

    Strategies for growing on Instagram and Substack, the importance of staying consistent, and leaning into data with Jenn Lueke from Jenn Eats Goood. ----- Welcome to episode 570 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Jenn Lueke. How Jenn Lueke Grew to 1.7 Million Followers with Budget Meal Planning Content Jenn Lueke started Jenn Eats Goood in 2018 as a college student — no strategy, no monetization plan, just a hobby Instagram account she loved running. For five years, growth was slow, but she remained consistent. Then in 2023, something clicked. She leaned into meal planning and budget grocery content, and everything changed. Within a year, she went from stalling in the thousands to crossing one million followers. In this episode, Jenn and Bjork chat about all of it — what finally worked, how she prioritizes data in her content strategy, which platforms she's focusing on right now, and why she now considers her Substack newsletter her number one priority. Three episode takeaways: The importance of leaning into what is working — It took five years of trial and error, learning, experimenting, and testing before Jenn's following on social media started to grow. Her meal planning content really resonated with her audience, so she capitalized on the momentum of the series to grow her community (rather than reinventing the wheel)! How Jenn built her team — Growth brings new challenges, and Jenn is candid about how hard it was to build a team in the beginning and what the division of labor looks like now that she's figured it out. Why Jenn made Substack her number one priority — After just a couple of years, Substack is now the biggest revenue driver in Jenn's business. She and Bjork talk about how she balances free and paid content, what drives growth on Substack, and why it is the most important part of her business right now. Resources: Jenn Eats Goood Liz Moody Buy Back Your Time by Dan Martell Q&A: Using Substack as a Food Creator — for Food Blogger Pro members Don't Think About Dinner Follow Jenn on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Substack, and YouTube Join the Food Blogger Pro Podcast Facebook Group Thank you to our sponsors! This episode is sponsored by Clariti. 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 podcast@foodbloggerpro.com. Learn more about joining the Food Blogger Pro community at foodbloggerpro.com/membership.

    50 min
  6. How to Write Emails Your Readers Actually Want to Open with Liz Wilcox

    May 5

    How to Write Emails Your Readers Actually Want to Open with Liz Wilcox

    Building a thriving email list, setting boundaries for your business, and leaning into your voice with Liz Wilcox. ----- Welcome to episode 569 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Liz Wilcox. How to Write Emails Your Readers Actually Want to Open Early on in Liz's career as a content creator, she noticed a pattern: the most successful creators all had one thing in common — a thriving email list. So she started hers from day one, and she never looked back. In the following years, Liz sold her travel blog, went all in on teaching email marketing, built a membership with 4,000 members, and — plot twist — competed on Survivor while her business kept running, generating $1,000 a day in revenue while she was literally on an island with no phone. In this episode, Liz and Bjork talk about what it actually takes to build an email list that drives real business results, how she transitioned from one-on-one client work to a scalable membership model, and why she believes the biggest thing holding most creators back from email success isn't strategy — it's that they've stopped sounding like themselves. She also shares the mindset shifts, boundary-setting practices, and growth tactics that have made her business not just profitable, but genuinely sustainable. Three episode takeaways: Why email is the most important investment you can make in your business — Liz shares the tactics that have worked for building her list and her membership to 4,000 members, including live events, collaborations, freebie swaps, and affiliate marketing. She also talks about why getting in front of people and showing your face matters more than ever and why giving people a real reason to trust you is the foundation everything else is built on. How Liz built a business with real boundaries — From knowing what "enough" looks like financially to the practice of saying no, Liz talks about the discipline and intentionality that have shaped her business. The biggest email mistakes food creators make (and how to fix them) — Liz has seen a lot of creator newsletters, and she knows exactly where things go wrong. She shares the most common mistakes she sees and why leaning into your humanity, writing like yourself, and showing that you're genuinely invested in your readers can make all the difference. Resources: LizWilcox.com Kirk DeWindt Morgan Housel Kit Craft + Commerce Liz's Email Marketing Membership Follow Liz on Instagram and Facebook Join the Food Blogger Pro Podcast Facebook Group Thank you to our sponsors! This episode is sponsored by Yoast and zZest. 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 podcast@foodbloggerpro.com. Learn more about joining the Food Blogger Pro community at foodbloggerpro.com/membership.

    54 min
  7. Food Blogging News Roundtable: AI Buttons, Instagram Links, and Google Rewriting Your Titles

    Apr 28

    Food Blogging News Roundtable: AI Buttons, Instagram Links, and Google Rewriting Your Titles

    Breaking down the pros and cons of AI Buttons, discussing clickable links in Instagram, and digging into Google's test replacing search titles with AI-generated titles with Bjork Ostrom and Emily Walker from Food Blogger Pro. ----- Welcome to episode 568 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork is sitting down to chat with Emily Walker from the Food Blogger Pro team! Food Blogging News Roundtable: AI Buttons, Instagram Links, and Google Rewriting Your Titles In this roundtable episode, Bjork and Emily break down the biggest stories impacting food creators so you can stay informed and make smart decisions for your business. From a new HubSpot marketing report that has some encouraging news for creators who lead with their personality, to a quiet Google experiment that could have big implications for every recipe title you've ever carefully crafted — there's a lot to cover! Bjork and Emily also dig into the AI button debate (should you install one on your site?), what Instagram's new caption link test means for food bloggers, and how Pinch of Yum approaches testing site changes before rolling them out broadly. Four episode takeaways: Good news for food creators who show up as real humans — 63% of marketers say that more unique, human-centered content is now required to stand out. Bjork and Emily break down what this means for food bloggers specifically, why short-form video has the highest ROI of any content format right now, and why thinking of yourself as a marketer — with a novel, standout, distinct brand — is more important than ever. Everything you need to know about AI buttons — Should you install an AI button on your site? Bjork and Emily explain what AI buttons are, how they work, and the pros and cons of adding one from both a user experience and SEO perspective. Instagram is testing clickable links in post captions — For the first time in Instagram's history, the platform is testing the ability to embed clickable links directly inside post captions. Right now the feature is limited to Meta Verified subscribers, but if it rolls out broadly it would be a meaningful shift for food creators. Bjork and Emily discuss what this could mean for your content strategy and what we know (and don't know) so far. Google is experimenting with replacing your titles with AI-generated ones — As part of a small experiment, Google is testing replacing original post titles with AI-generated titles in traditional search results, with the stated goal of rewriting "tone and intent to better match queries and boost engagement." Bjork and Emily break down why this is concerning for food bloggers — from negating careful keyword research and ruining brand voice to creating a mismatch with user intent — and how this differs from Google's long-standing practice of rewriting meta descriptions. Resources: The State of Marketing AI buttons: Smart UX play, risky GEO tactic, or both? Feast Hubbub Shareaholic Instagram tests clickable links in post captions for Meta Verified users Google confirms AI headline rewrites test in Search results SEO Testing What Food Bloggers Need to Know About AI Search and the Fight for Fair Traffic with Adam Gallagher from Inspired Taste Join the Food Blogger Pro Podcast Facebook Group Thank you to our sponsors! This episode is sponsored by Member Kitchens and zZest. 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 podcast@foodbloggerpro.com. Learn more about joining the Food Blogger Pro community at foodbloggerpro.com/membership.

    32 min
  8. How to Write a Cookbook Proposal and Land a Book Deal with Sally Ekus

    Apr 21

    How to Write a Cookbook Proposal and Land a Book Deal with Sally Ekus

    Writing a compelling book proposal, demystifying the financial reality of cookbook publishing, and sharing what publishers are looking for in a cookbook author with Sally Ekus from The Ekus Group. ----- Welcome to episode 567 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Sally Ekus. How to Write a Cookbook Proposal and Land a Book Deal with Sally Ekus Have you ever wondered what it actually takes to get a cookbook deal — and whether your platform is big enough to make it happen? Sally Ekus, a literary agent specializing in the cookbook space, is here to pull back the curtain on the entire process. In this episode, Sally shares exactly what she looks for when evaluating potential cookbook authors, how to build a proposal that stands out, and what a realistic book deal might look like depending on the size of your audience. Whether you're dreaming of a cookbook or just starting to explore the idea, this episode will give you a clear and honest roadmap for what the path forward actually looks like. Three episode takeaways: What publishers are really looking for in a cookbook author — Sally breaks down the four pillars she evaluates in every potential author: platform, concept, voice, and personality. She explains why your social media following matters (and which platforms publishers care most about), why a consistent email newsletter can set you apart, and how to demonstrate that you can actually convert your audience into book buyers. How to write a compelling cookbook proposal — A great proposal goes far beyond a list of recipes. Sally walks through what to include, how to articulate your unique concept, and why aligning your book idea with the stories you already tell in your content is so important. She also shares how a standout proposal can help offset a smaller following — because showing how you reach your audience is just as important as how many people you reach. The financial reality of cookbook publishing — From the structure of a book advance to earning it out, royalties, and what a deal might realistically look like based on your platform size, Sally demystifies the money side of cookbook publishing. She also makes the case for why many creators write cookbooks even knowing most won't earn beyond the advance — brand extension, legacy, and sharing a meaningful message are all powerful reasons to pursue it. Resources: The Ekus Group Not So Secret Agent 391: Behind the Scenes of the Cookbook Publishing Process with Sally Ekus JVNLA Lat14 Karyn Tomlinson Theo of Golden Pinch of Yum Follow Sally on Instagram Join the Food Blogger Pro Podcast Facebook Group Thank you to our sponsors! 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 podcast@foodbloggerpro.com. Learn more about joining the Food Blogger Pro community at foodbloggerpro.com/membership

    50 min
See All (582)

Hosts & Guests

4.9
out of 5
387 Ratings

About

Welcome to The Food Blogger Pro Podcast, hosted by Bjork Ostrom from Pinch of Yum! Our goal is to help you create a beautiful, functional, and profitable blog. We interview successful food bloggers and industry experts in an effort to surface strategies that can help you more efficiently grow and monetize your site. You'll learn about recipe SEO, food photography, plugins, monetization, traffic, and more. New episodes every Tuesday! Learn more at foodbloggerpro.com/podcast

Information

You Might Also Like