From 1K to 250K: The Instagram Growth Strategy That Transformed Joy to the Food

Using data to navigate helpful content updates and drive social media success and taking your blog full-time with Mika Kinney from Joy to the Food.

-----

Welcome to episode 504 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Mika Kinney from Joy to the Food.

From 1K to 250K: The Instagram Growth Strategy That Transformed Joy to the Food

Mika and her husband Dan launched their food blog, Joy to the Food, in 2021 with the goal of building a successful brand and business. Just a few years later, Mika has left her full-time job as a civil engineer, they’ve qualified for Raptive, and their Instagram following has soared to over 250,000.

In this interview, Mika reveals the exact strategies that fueled her rapid growth—from 1,000 to 250,000 followers on Instagram in just one year. She also shares how they’ve weathered the recent Helpful Content Updates and come out stronger, plus how she leverages analytics to drive key decisions.

This conversation is a must-listen for anyone eager to supercharge their social media strategy in 2025 or seeking affirmation that they, too, can transform their food blog into a full-time career with the right approach.

Three episode takeaways:

• The importance of diving into analytics — Mika’s engineering background is evident in her Instagram and SEO strategies. She explains her process for navigating Instagram analytics and how she uses the data to drive content decisions (including niching down to protein recipes with protein powder) and to predict which types of content will achieve certain business goals.
• How to go from 1,000 to 250,000 Instagram followers in one year — Mika walks listeners through her Instagram strategy, including the importance of consistent daily posts and her strategy for posting Reels that fall into four “buckets” — for reach, for growing an audience, for existing followers, and for outbound clicks/sales. Mika highlights key elements like trending audio, video duration, text overlays, and optimized captions with keywords.
• How to recover from Helpful Content Updates – After the September 2023 HCU caused a steep drop in page views for Joy to the Food (from 80,000 to 3,000!), Mika and Dan turned things around by doubling down on high-quality, niched-down content. They focused on site improvements, refined keyword research, and stayed adaptable, ultimately recovering and growing beyond their previous traffic levels.

Resources:

• Joy to the Food
• RankIQ
• ManyChat
• Grocers List
• Joy to the Food High Protein Meal Plans
• Substack
• Follow Mika on Instagram
• Join the Food Blogger Pro Podcast Facebook Group

Thank you to our sponsors!

This episode is sponsored by Member Kitchens.

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.