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#313: What’s Next for Food Bloggers: Changes in 2024

ByJillian Leslie

Hello, creators and food enthusiasts! Today, I’m thrilled to share with you my recent interview with my friend, Megan Porta, the creative force behind Pip and Ebby and the Eat Blog Talk podcast. We dove into the evolving world of food blogging and the exciting opportunities that lie ahead in 2024.

Embracing Change and Innovation

As we step into the new year, the landscape of food blogging is shifting. With the rise of AI content and the impending phase-out of third-party cookies, it’s clear that we need to adapt our strategies. My advice? Pivot towards selling your own digital products and services. This is where MiloTreeCart comes into play, offering a simple solution to set up memberships, digital downloads, workshops, coaching, and mini-courses in a snap.

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What's Next for Food Bloggers: Changes in 2024 | The Blogger Genius Podcast with Jillian Leslie

Show Notes:

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The Power of Creativity in Food Blogging

Megan and I discussed the importance of creativity in the food blogging space. With challenges like AI and changes in search algorithms, food bloggers must think outside the box to monetize and drive traffic. From ebooks to cooking classes, the possibilities are endless. Megan’s mastermind group is already buzzing with innovative ideas, proving that creativity is key to staying ahead.

Leveraging Platforms Like Pinterest

Despite the frustrations many have with Pinterest, it remains a valuable platform for food bloggers. The visual nature of food content makes Pinterest a potential goldmine for traffic. Consistency and a long-term strategy are crucial, and if you notice a particular type of content performing well, such as videos, it’s time to double down on that approach.

The Third-Party Cookie Conundrum

The removal of third-party cookies by Chrome in 2024 is a hot topic. While it may change how advertisers interact with ad networks, it’s important not to approach this shift with fear. Instead, be curious and informed. Ad networks like Raptive are exploring new technologies to maintain ad relevance and value, ensuring that the right ads reach the right audience while respecting privacy.

Mindset Matters

One of the most powerful takeaways from our conversation is the significance of mindset. Rather than succumbing to fear about the future, embrace curiosity and excitement for the opportunities that change brings. AI, for instance, isn’t something to be feared but a tool to be harnessed for idea generation, writing enhancement, and keyword research.

The Summit for Advanced Food Bloggers

Megan and her colleague Melissa are organizing a summit specifically for advanced food bloggers, creating a space for collaboration and support. Using MiloTree Cart, they’ve set up an effortless payment and sales page system for the event, showcasing the ease with which digital products and services can be offered.

Selective Learning and Growth

As we navigate the food blogging community, it’s essential to be selective about where we get our information and support. Surround yourself with positivity and a growth-oriented mindset. If you’re interested in learning more about the summit, our podcasts, or how to leverage MiloTreeCart for your business, be sure to check out the links provided.

The future of food blogging is bright for those willing to innovate and adapt. By embracing new tools, platforms, and strategies, we can continue to thrive in this dynamic industry. Stay curious, stay creative, and let’s make 2024 a year of incredible growth and success!

Other Related Blogger Genius Podcast episodes You’ll Enjoy:

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What's Next for Food Bloggers: Changes in 2024 | The Blogger Genius Podcast with Jillian Leslie

Transcript: #313: What’s Next for Food Bloggers: Changes in 2024

Jillian Leslie (00:00:00) – Hi, I’m Jillian, welcome to a brand new episode of the Blogger Genius Podcast. But before I launch in, I have a question for you. How are you planning to grow your income in 2024? With competition from AI content and ad revenue potentially declining due to the phase out of third party cookies? My advice it’s time to pivot by selling your own digital products and services to your audience. And this is where my literary cart comes in. Imagine setting up unlimited memberships, digital downloads, workshops, coaching, and mini courses in less than ten minutes. Milo Tree Cart isn’t just another tech tool, it’s the easiest you’ve ever used with real people behind it ready to help. And here’s the best part. For our first thousand, VIP customers were offering mileage regard for a one time lifetime deal of just 349. No recurring fees, and our customers often find it pays for itself after their first product launch. Then we’re going to a traditional subscription model. So get it now. Plus, we’re all about trust.

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Announcer (00:01:52) – Welcome to the Blogger Genius podcast, brought to you by Milo Tree. Here’s your host, Jillian Leslie.

Jillian Leslie (00:01:59) – Hello, friends. Welcome back to the show. It is Jillian. I am excited to introduce my guest. Today. I am bringing back my friend Megan Porter. She is the creator of Pip and Ebby which is a food blog. Plus she is the host of the Eat Blog Talk podcast.

Jillian Leslie (00:02:19) – So many of you are food bloggers. What Megan and I are talking about today are trends happening right now in food blogging, and what we can expect in the year ahead. There’s a lot of change happening in our space of bloggers online creators. Therefore, what we spend a lot of time talking about is the things that are in our control and the things that aren’t how you think about change really matters. Mindset matters. Plus, we talk about AI and how we’re using it in our businesses. There are so many gems in this episode. So without further delay, here is my interview with Megan Porter. Megan, welcome back to the Blogger Genius podcast.

Megan Porta (00:03:10) – So happy to be back. Thanks, Jillian.

Jillian Leslie (00:03:12) – It was so nice to just even seeing your face and catching up. And it’s like, oh, I get to hang out with my friend. And then other people get to kind of hear what we’re talking about.

Megan Porta (00:03:22) – Yeah, exciting.

Jillian Leslie (00:03:24) – So let’s okay, let’s talk about 2024. And as we are starting this new year.

Jillian Leslie (00:03:34) – And putting on your food blogger hat. But like really you’re you have this history of seeing food blogging change and evolve. What are you excited about for 2024, and what do you think is changing and that food bloggers need to be aware of for 2024?

Megan Porta (00:03:56) – I’m. I’m really excited about seeing how creative food bloggers can get with their businesses in 2024, because I think this is going to be a necessity. As we all know, there are, um, many things popping up that are worries in our space. So the AI, the search worries, um, the third party cookies are going away. There’s a lot to potentially freak us out. So I anticipate food bloggers getting really creative and finding new ways to monetize and get traffic. And I’m really excited to see that. I think in a year when we talk again, because I’m sure we will, we’re going to have all of these new things to talk about that food bloggers came up with because, yeah, it’s just it it needs to happen and it’s going to be really cool to watch this year.

Jillian Leslie (00:04:48) – Are you starting to see people come up with creative ideas?

Megan Porta (00:04:53) – Yes, definitely. So as you know, I run a mastermind group and there are so many brilliant, um, seasoned and new. I’m like every experience level you can imagine inside the group. And they are coming up with ideas already and just as they anticipate the new year. Um, yeah. Things that I hadn’t thought of, like series of ebooks that are all tied together and, um, cooking classes and just all kinds of, yeah, really cool ideas.

Jillian Leslie (00:05:28) – Because that that would be I was just sharing this story with you about another food blogger who heard me on your podcast. And when I said, hey, if you don’t, if you’re a food blogger and you don’t have a book that you’re selling, then like, I highly recommend you build you creative because you already have the content. People always say, but do I need to make new recipes for a for my e-book? And I go, no, nobody’s gonna be like, wait a second, this already exists on her blog.

Jillian Leslie (00:06:00) – And so somebody heard me on your podcast, created an e-book, and boom, it started selling and then has leaned into paid workshops and, uh, just teaching basic skills and never thought that that was possible and all of a sudden was turning on these brand new income streams. Right. And by the way, Natasha, I’m talking about you. I’ll link to a LinkedIn because she’s been on my podcast. I’ll link to the episode. But it was so like, whoa, um, and she hadn’t even thought of this. But I do think that we are all going to need to be more creative, because what has worked for us consistently might be shifting.

Megan Porta (00:06:41) – Yeah, it could be. And also to think about not just other projects but other traffic sources. So Pinterest often gets dismissed and hated on and it always makes me cringe because Pinterest has such potential, especially for food bloggers, because food is so visual. Um, so I know it’s harder to get traffic there these days, but it is still a valid platform.

Megan Porta (00:07:06) – And I’m that’s one thing that I tell a lot of people is don’t give up on Pinterest. In fact, go in and figure out what is working and give it some love.

Jillian Leslie (00:07:15) – And in fact, recently I had Casey Markey on the show who, you know, and her friends with. And he said, Pinterest kind of went down some weird directions over the last couple of years, but it has become a consistent traffic driver. I mean, it has always been, but like, they’re kind of leaning back into that. Have you found that in your with your community and your mastermind and people using Pinterest?

Megan Porta (00:07:41) – I found that a lot of people have given up on Pinterest honestly out of frustration, but the ones who have either gotten back into it or never gave up on it, they are seeing consistent traction. But you do have to be really consistent on the platform. You have to do it over time and expect it to be a long game. You can’t just expect to see traction within a couple of months.

Megan Porta (00:08:04) – You’ve got to commit and you have to stick with the strategy. And then if you see something working, do more of that. I know a few people have accounts that their videos do really well recently, so they’ve been doubling down on video and just anything that produces motion within their pins. Um, so yeah, if you see something that’s working in the platform, do more and don’t give up. Just keep at it.

Jillian Leslie (00:08:31) – We talk about what, like the third party cookie thing. Um, and what your feelings are about it. Kind of what you know about it, what people are saying about it. And let me just explain a little bit about third party cookies. You go to Sephora, you’re shopping around Sephora, puts a cookie or a unique identifier on your browser. Then when you go on to other sites, they are able to to know who you are. So when there is a spot for an ad, Sephora bids on that spot and then whatever product, that mascara, that eyeshadow that you are browsing will show up there.

Jillian Leslie (00:09:18) – So it is a way for brands to track you on the internet, no matter how creepy that sounds. Because of privacy issues, Chrome, which is owned by Google, is removing the ability for brands to do this in 2024. But therefore, because brands don’t necessarily know who you are, you become less valuable to them because they’re Sephora showing ads to 18 year old boys. Therefore, if you’re a blogger and you run ads on your site, the value of those ads might drop.

Megan Porta (00:09:57) – I think just for privacy issues, this is something that’s been kind of coming for a while. Um, I yeah, I mean, I don’t I will say this, I don’t like to see things or anticipate things like this and get scared or produce fear. Um, so I, I don’t know, I think it’s really hard to, to anticipate what’s going to happen with it, but it is going to change the way that advertisers, you know, put ads on people’s sites. Right? And the way they probably interact with ad networks as well.

Megan Porta (00:10:35) – So it’s going to change some thing in our realm. Um, but I would just say don’t, don’t approach it with fear and instead approach it with curiosity and be informed by people who know what they’re talking about. Um, I don’t know how it’s going to play out. I don’t think anybody does. But you know.

Speaker 4 (00:10:58) – Just. Well, I was.

Jillian Leslie (00:10:58) – Just on a call with Ramdev, which is was ad thrive, which is our ad network for Catch My Party, which is our other site, and they seemed positive. They of course don’t know. So they don’t know because nobody knows. Like, the thing is, if anybody sounds really sure about the future, take everything with a grain of salt, because truly.

Megan Porta (00:11:20) – That’s good advice.

Jillian Leslie (00:11:20) – Like, we don’t know. But they were saying that they are finding ways to lean into your email list, like when people opt in to, um, to your list. And in fact, with our pop up app military, which many of you use, we are working with Ramdev to make sure that if you’re using the email captcha pop up, that ad captive can then use that information to help inform who your visitor is.

Jillian Leslie (00:11:55) – So they’re going to be looking for different signals to try to figure out who somebody is, or predictive technology so that they can serve the right ad to the right person at the right time. They think there could be a like maybe a dip for a little bit while everybody kind of reorients. But but again, Google is rolling this out slowly. So it’s not like one day they’re going to flip a switch. And that technology that captive is actively figuring out technologies that can work around this. So in terms of everybody saying RPMs are going to, you know, go through like are going to drop like, uh, kind of like a lead balloon. And it’s like, no, not necessarily because it’s in everybody’s best interest to serve the right ad to the right person at the right time and keep people’s privacy private.

Megan Porta (00:12:53) – Yeah. That’s encouraging. I like that they said that if you’re in a good ad network, which if you are in an ad work and you’re listening, you’re probably in Mediavine or if they’re both reputable, um, then I just tend to lean on their knowledge and trust that they are going to take care of us as their publishers.

Megan Porta (00:13:12) – And there’s really nothing I, as a food blogger, can do about it. There’s absolutely nothing. So let them figure it out, and I’m sure they’ll do an amazing job to kind of fill in the gaps.

Jillian Leslie (00:13:24) – One thing that I think you’ve been alluding to this and I want to I want to reiterate it. I love where you say instead of approaching this with fear, approach everything with curiosity. Now, if you’re my husband, who is a big time technologist who builds all of our products and stuff, he’s super excited about what the future is going to bring. He does not feel like AI is going to take over the world. Yeah, he is excited to see what opportunities it brings. And so when I start getting scared, he’s such a good sell because he brings this level of excitement and optimism. Curiosity, um, eagerness like, whoa. And he will continually like, send me links to new AI tools and be like, check this out. And I really try to absorb that.

Jillian Leslie (00:14:26) – And if you’re listening to this, um, I hope that we can give you because I feel like Megan, you’re feeling that same way. It is all about mindset. It is all about openness to change and discovering things in your business that you might not have ever thought about previously.

Megan Porta (00:14:47) – Yeah, I mean, it is completely out of our control. Some of these issues were talking about. I wouldn’t even call them issues. Some of these circumstances we’re talking about, there’s nothing we can do. So the fear is unnecessary. There’s absolutely no reason to be afraid, and there’s no purpose that that fear is going to serve in your business or your life. Um, and yeah, like the opportunity, we don’t even know some of the opportunities that might pop up because of everything that’s changing, right? Like things happen all the time or we’re like, oh, I didn’t see that coming. So why not say that about something positive? Maybe something that we’ve not even thought of is going to come into our niche and be an opportunity for us.

Megan Porta (00:15:30) – We just don’t know. So if you’re going to think on the extreme side of being afraid, why not think on the extreme side of being optimistic? That’s kind of where I land with all of this.

Jillian Leslie (00:15:43) – I feel like in 2024, I can already feel this, that I am going to do a variety of episodes about mindset and about change because I feel like not just for the audience, for me, because when I do something like that, it makes me go, oh yeah, I need to be working at this. I need to be putting on my, you know, I will naturally, personally go to fear. That’s just my nature. I’m an Enneagram six for any of you who know the Enneagram, and it keeps me safe. But when I can turn my fear into curiosity, into excitement, it’s amazing what I can do. And so that’s a continual thing that I need to remind myself of. And so anybody else who goes to fear first because it’s, you know, keeps us safe.

Jillian Leslie (00:16:34) – And if we’re mothers, you know, we’re always terrified of what could happen. But I think that I, I try not to give into that, especially when it comes to my business. Now, I do think things like having multiple ways to get traffic and having multiple ways to monetize our things, to be thinking about.

Megan Porta (00:16:58) – Yeah, that’s smart. I mean, it is smart to approach the year with kind of some things to have in your back pocket 100%, but not to do that out of fear, to do it more like we were saying, just out of curiosity. And what could come of this? This might round out my business in a really cool new way.

Jillian Leslie (00:17:15) – So when you look out into the world and you talk to a bunch of food bloggers who is doing super well right now, what niche is what are their strategies? How are they making money? What would you say?

Megan Porta (00:17:30) – I would say the people who are very niche down. So I don’t think there are any really specific types of niches, food niches, but it’s the really niche down specific blogs that are doing the best.

Megan Porta (00:17:46) – And those people are doing a really good job of rounding out their content. So they’re not necessarily focusing on the best keyword research strategy, but they’re filling in those gaps that make their niche super thorough and valuable to their user. And they’re also in, oh, go ahead.

Jillian Leslie (00:18:04) – Could you give me an like example of somebody who is super niche that you go, whoa, that is cool like that? I get why you’re successful. And then what you mean by rounding out their content that doesn’t just rely on keyword research.

Megan Porta (00:18:20) – Okay, so I can’t think of anyone specific specifically, but like an example, if you are, um, like a vegan baker or something, or a gluten free baker, um, you have an advantage because that’s gluten free is very specific in baking a specific. But put those together and it’s really specific. So for someone like that, if you’re a gluten free baker, you would need to fill in all those gaps that a gluten free baker who’s coming to your site is wondering about.

Megan Porta (00:18:49) – So you’re going to need to talk about what kind of flour is your favorite. Maybe you do articles on what works for bread, what flour works for pizza crust, and just getting all of those, um, really minute details put together as a good resource. So when they come to your site, you are the one stop resource for gluten free baking. You fill in all the gaps and you you can do this. You can figure this out by kind of looking at your blog with a different set of eyes. So go on there on your phone, um, on your desktop and just kind of browse around. If you were coming for your first time to your own blog, what gaps do you see that need to be filled in? Maybe it’s a resource, an article, maybe it’s a recipe? Um, yeah. So I think the the more niche down you can get and the more rounded out you can get within the niche is going to serve you.

Jillian Leslie (00:19:49) – I want to take a short break to mention our military pop up app.

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Speaker UU (00:20:54) – Back to the show.

Jillian Leslie (00:20:59) – So what you’re saying, at least what I’m hearing. Tell me if this is right. I’m a gluten free baker, and I just did a recipe on creating, like, baking a bread, a quick bread.

Jillian Leslie (00:21:11) – And what you’re saying is, okay, what would be the questions around that? By the way, this is a great opportunity to use ChatGPT or any AI tool to say, hey, give me a list of questions somebody might have if they come to get this recipe. So it would be things like, okay, what what are the different types of flour? Uh, does altitude impact my baking? You’re saying write those potentially as blog posts, maybe a kind of resource page on your website. And in that recipe, you’re going to be linking to all of that content in a way that makes sense. That isn’t just a pile of links, but where you might ask the where you’re going to make it so that somebody just wants the recipe. Great. You’ve got a like a jump two button. Great. But then for somebody who maybe is new to this and you might even say something like, hey, if you’re new to gluten free baking and you’re wondering about what the different flowers are, here’s my guide.

Jillian Leslie (00:22:13) – Or hey, how does altitude affect this? Or how does cook time affect this? Or what are some other like what kinds of toppings can I put on this bread that are also gluten free? And you’ve got all of this, let’s say in this blog post that that’s what you seem like. I think you’re saying about rounding out your content.

Megan Porta (00:22:36) – Yes. You’re exactly. Um, and you have to be careful with that. Not to like you alluded to a little bit ago, just creating articles to create articles and put content on your blog. You have to be careful to create things that are really relevant within your blog. I’ve heard of people bloggers recently who did kind of just create those articles that I don’t know weren’t super relevant. I can’t think of an example right now, but there they got dinged a little bit by the most recent helpful content update because of that. So just be very careful that you are creating content all the time that relates to your existing content and your niche.

Jillian Leslie (00:23:18) – So creating content for humans.

Megan Porta (00:23:21) – For humans, yes.

Jillian Leslie (00:23:23) – That’s useful. Yes.

Megan Porta (00:23:25) – Useful for humans. Yeah.

Jillian Leslie (00:23:26) – But I like your your idea of stepping back and continuing to see your blog with fresh eyes. And what would be the questions somebody would ask? I think this is super difficult in that I get on calls with people all the time to let’s say, you know, they want feedback. Let’s say they decide they want to start selling digital products, something like that. Like, I want to go deep with them. And I will tell you that so many times I say to them, like, I give the most obvious feedback and they go, oh my God, I’ve never thought of that. And I and they think that I’m, I know something beyond I don’t know. And the truth is, I’m just fresh eyes. Yeah. It’s hard for me to see my own business and for me to, because I come at my content, my podcast, all this stuff with like my knowledge and I assume because I know it, everybody knows it’s funny.

Jillian Leslie (00:24:32) – For all my podcast episodes, my mom listens to all my episodes.

Megan Porta (00:24:36) – Oh, it’s super sweet.

Jillian Leslie (00:24:38) – And she gives me feedback and I’ll be talking about something like, I don’t know, SEO or something like that. And she will say, you never defined what SEO is. And I go, oh my God.

Megan Porta (00:24:52) – Yeah, that is very true and a good point. It is so hard to critique, critique our own content and our own work because we’re in it all the time. Um, so one suggestion I would have for that, I have to actually, I have been telling everybody who will listen to this, this piece of advice, I think everyone listening now should go to their about page and update their about page pronto, like today or this week, because this is a really good way to deliver to Google and your user what you’re all about. And it’s so much opportunity just to establish like I’m a I have credentials in this. I am, um, accomplishing this. I have a lot of knowledge on this, that sort of thing, but that also helps you to think through your content in a new way.

Megan Porta (00:25:42) – I recently redid both of my about pages and it was so helpful. I was like, oh gosh, I haven’t talked about this and maybe I need to write an article about this. So it really helped me to fill in my own gaps just thinking through that. Um, and then my second piece of advice would be to. To have a colleague or a peer or a trusted friend just go onto your site and just ask them. Like pretend you’re a first time user. You are looking for baked goods for gluten free. You know, gluten free baking recipes. What am I missing? And certainly those set of eyes will pull out something for you.

Jillian Leslie (00:26:21) – Oh, I really like that. And one thing that I feel is going to be even more important for 2024 is leaning into our humanity. I don’t mean necessarily our kindness. I mean the fact that I’m Jillian and you’re Megan, and I’m specific to me and I have my own, I don’t know, things that, you know, in my background or what I think about or what’s important to me related, by the way, to what I’m doing.

Jillian Leslie (00:26:50) – So it’s not like I’m, I might mention if I have a dog, but it’s not like and then let’s go deep into my dog because that’s not of interest to why you’re you might like go. That’s interesting. Like, whoa. But it’s not relevant. But leaning into what is relevant that is specific to me is where you as a person might go, oh my God, I think the same way, or I never thought of that, or wow, I really want to be in relationship with you as a human. Human to human.

Megan Porta (00:27:24) – Yes, I totally agree with that. It’s like when you listen to podcasts and like, we can be here talking about trends for food bloggers in 2024, but we throw in these little tidbits about our lives, about you mentioned your mother and how she like that tells us a little bit about you as a human without making the whole episode about your mom listening to your podcast. So you can do that in your writing as well. Just throw in little bits without overindulging.

Jillian Leslie (00:27:51) – Mhm, mhm. Do you think that because I feel like back in the day when nobody knew anything and we were writing recipes and stuff and it would be like, oh my Aunt Susan, blah blah blah, this is where I got this recipe and let me tell you about her and on her farm every summer whatever. And then it was like, do not write about that. Nobody cares about your Aunt Susan. Like, cut that out. So how do you recommend somebody say, oh, this is meaningful to me? And therefore, because I’m human and it brings back memories of something without it being kind of, I don’t know, superfluous or self-indulgent? Um, what is your recommendation on that?

Megan Porta (00:28:33) – I think I think it comes down to like, I think of the people who do this really well, and it’s the the people who are really good at writing and expressing themselves in a really creative way. So maybe it’s. Maybe it’s just working on that skill. Maybe it’s writing a little bit more because you can throw in those little bits about your life that are really creative in a sentence without going into elaborate detail.

Megan Porta (00:29:00) – Um, so yeah, I guess I, I never thought about that before, but I think. Just working on your writing and how you communicate would be huge, I would think.

Jillian Leslie (00:29:11) – If we were to switch gears and start talking about where AI is so helpful for food bloggers, what would you say? Where are people using AI to? I don’t know, like just accelerate their blogs.

Megan Porta (00:29:30) – Gen, um, idea generation, I would say I’ve heard a lot of people, including myself, just kind of get stuck with writing. If it’s one of those informational articles we talked about that’s maybe not super exciting to write about, but it’s really helpful to your audience. I just get ideas from, I like, please help me. I’m trying to write about apricot jam and I’m out of ideas. What can I possibly put in here that has been huge? To just get over that hump of what do I write? Um. Also emails. I think it can really help with emails. I use it personally for Pinterest descriptions and um, any sort of caption that I’m putting together.

Megan Porta (00:30:12) – If I want to throw keywords in, I’ll just tell it, put these keywords in the character limit is this. Here’s what I kind of want to. Here’s what I’m envisioning. Help. I needed to be creative, and it’s been really good for that as well.

Jillian Leslie (00:30:26) – And are there specific tools that you are really liking?

Megan Porta (00:30:32) – For a generation. Yeah. I mean, just predominantly.

Jillian Leslie (00:30:35) – Just like you go to ChatGPT or Claude or Bard or wherever and just use it. Yeah, I.

Megan Porta (00:30:42) – I mostly use ChatGPT. That’s kind of my go to personally.

Jillian Leslie (00:30:46) – Okay. And I have started to explore GPT, which are these little snippets kind of programs like I use one just to help me with email. It’s like a it’s like a little, almost like a little bot that has been trained on email marketing. So I go to that and then I will say, hey, help me with this email. For me personally, what I find. Is that being a creator can be really lonely. And you’re kind of again, like we were talking about how you can get too close to your business and to your website, to your business, to your content, and not see it clearly.

Jillian Leslie (00:31:29) – I feel like what you were saying with jam like, oh my God, what else can I write about for jam? That it is like having an assistant here to bounce ideas off of.

Megan Porta (00:31:40) – Yeah it is. It’s kind of funny. Like if you use it a lot during the week, you kind of see eye as being your friend or like you start talking to it like a buddy and then you have to do a reality check, like, okay, this isn’t actually a human, but yeah, totally. It helps to get rid of a little bit of loneliness, I think.

Jillian Leslie (00:32:00) – And it’s nice. It’s like, yeah, I can help you with that. I know.

Speaker 5 (00:32:05) – You guys.

Jillian Leslie (00:32:06) – Like, thank you so much. I write like, please, can you do this or oh, that’s good. Or I really do feel like I’m in conversation with it and that for me. Okay. What I find most helpful is starting really broad. Like, I don’t really know what the answer is.

Jillian Leslie (00:32:29) – Let’s say I want to write a sales email or a piece of content. And, um, I kind of have an inkling, like I have an inkling. For example, for my next podcast episode, I know what I want, I kind of know what I want to say, but I don’t know exactly what I want to say. And so I’m going to be in conversation with ChatGPT, where I’m going to say, here’s what I’m thinking. Like, what? How can I make this make sense? Or what would be the top five recommendations you would have?

Megan Porta (00:33:06) – Totally. Yep. It helps me write a few sales pages as well and you can keep talking to it. So you’re like, okay, I would prefer more of a lighthearted tone or something, and you can provide examples and as you go on, it gets to know you a little bit better. So, um, I completely agree, it doesn’t do a good job of like just writing an entire script for me, for example.

Megan Porta (00:33:30) – But if you just want ideas or an outline or, um, if you want to kind of train it to learn your voice and take the time to do that, then it does a really good job. But you do have to kind of get to know it. That sounds weird, but you have to invest a little bit of time, I think.

Jillian Leslie (00:33:47) – Now let’s talk about keyword research and where are we in the world of keyword research? So it was like nobody thought about keyword research. Then all of a sudden keyword research, you know, like then keyword research became like, wait a second, this is how I rank on Google. And then it became almost gamifying it. I need to find the keywords that I need to stuff into this post that are, you know, low competition keywords and write that. And it almost became mechanical, like I’m gaming the system. And how do you think about keywords today?

Megan Porta (00:34:22) – I think that low competition keywords are still a really good strategy. But going back to what we were talking about, being really relevant, you have to make sure that it’s relevant to your niche.

Megan Porta (00:34:34) – And if you’re doing that, I say go crazy, use rank IQ, get those low competition. Um, keywords rank really high on Google, but I also feel like the higher competition keywords are also good to get if they align with your niche. I think that’s kind of the key, is finding things that align with your niche to fill the gaps for your users, and it doesn’t really matter where the competition is at, because the thing that matters the most is that you are filling those gaps and you’re making a whole experience for your users. So I think all across the board now, anything is fair game. I use rank IQ all the time still to get those low competition rankings, and it works because I only write for my people. Um, but I also shoot high and go for the higher competition keywords. I don’t always rank for them, but that’s okay because I’m serving up quality, valuable content to my user.

Jillian Leslie (00:35:32) – And you’re kind of investing in the future that if you continue to build your authority, that ultimately people will say, whoa, or Google will reward you like it is about.

Jillian Leslie (00:35:46) – It’s funny. I feel like it is about coming up with different strategies, and I think the person who is the most consistent wins. Um.

Megan Porta (00:36:00) – Oh, you’re just that. You just nailed it. Absolutely. I agree.

Jillian Leslie (00:36:04) – And do you feel like that is the case in food blogging?

Megan Porta (00:36:07) – I mean, it’s always been like that, but now more than ever, it’s consistency. The people who go into it knowing it’s going to be a long game, they don’t give up. They continue to be consistent month after month, year after year, without getting frustrated or sidelined or build with fear. Um, those are the people who win.

Jillian Leslie (00:36:32) – Um, I feel like, again, this is going to be a big theme for 2024, taking the uncertainty and filling it with strategies to help you overcome the fear and the voices in your head that are saying, give up, give up, give up. Who are you to think that you can be successful at this?

Megan Porta (00:36:51) – 100%. And I think it’s going to be really important to put your blinders on a little bit.

Megan Porta (00:36:56) – I’m not saying to completely disengage from facts and articles that are valuable. Um, but I don’t know. I think it’s okay to put your blinders on, put your head down, work, strategize, continue producing content for your user, and that’s going to really pay off if you can do that. Because there’s a lot as you know, Jillian, there’s a lot out there telling us this is never going to work. You guys are going to fail. Your business isn’t going to be viable in a year. And I think that’s garbage. Don’t listen to that. Just keep doing what you’re doing and we give you I give you permission to put your blinders on once in a while. It’s okay to do that. And I think it’s really healthy.

Jillian Leslie (00:37:37) – Where I would add to that is to get out of the Facebook groups where people are telling you that the sky is falling, but instead lean into your visitors, your customers, your users, and talk to those people.

Megan Porta (00:38:00) – I’d say going into 2024. That is a really great point, and I think it supports this belief that we should go into the year being very cautious about the groups that we go into and how much time we spend in them and how much weight they carry for us.

Megan Porta (00:38:19) – It can be such a huge energy and time suck. I mean, just in general, 2024 aside. But I think we need to be more careful than ever about just what you said. Who do we listen to? Who are we getting our information from? Whose strategies are we following? It’s so important to find a really solid group of people. So maybe join a master, a high quality mastermind group, or start your own with trusted peers. Um. Because those Facebook groups, although they provide value, they can also be really harmful, I think, and can really thank you mentally to not just with strategies that you learn from there, but I mean, you can walk away from there just feeling like, oh my gosh, like you said, the sky’s falling. This is terrible. We’re never going to survive this year. And that is not what you want. That is not the mindset you want going into the new year.

Jillian Leslie (00:39:17) – Absolutely. And I think it’s just like smart for life that we roll with stuff and that the only constant is change.

Jillian Leslie (00:39:25) – Yeah. So okay. In order like to close up, will you talk about two things. One, that you are doing a summit and what that’s about. And two, that you’ve used military cart to collect payments and set it all up and using our sales pages. So will you share all about that?

Megan Porta (00:39:44) – Yes. So my friend Melissa, she’s a blogger over at Mama Gourmand. Um, in fact, she does gluten free baking. I just realized as I was saying that I was like, oh, I could have talked about her site. But yeah, we decided that we wanted to create something for the more advanced food blogger, because there’s really nothing out there that’s in person for seasoned food bloggers. So we’re doing kind of an intimate workshop style summit for advanced food bloggers. We are doing application only, so you have to apply and get accepted. We currently have, I think, 31 spots filled of 50. So we do have. Um, 18 or 19 spots left if I’m doing my math right.

Jillian Leslie (00:40:25) – Wait, when is it? When is it in?

Megan Porta (00:40:27) – It’s in May 2nd and third, 2024, in Denver.

Jillian Leslie (00:40:31) – Okay. And what is your experience been like using military cart to collect payments and set it all up and everything?

Megan Porta (00:40:39) – It’s been so great. It’s seamless. I love the sales page and how easy it is to set up. Um, it’s not like super customizable, which I actually love because it takes the brain work out for me. It saves me energy. If I were able to customize more, I think I would probably sit there all day and just tweak it and tweak and tweak. So it’s been great. And you and David have been amazing with just making sure everything is lined up on the back end and you’re so responsive. And I I’ve loved it. It’s been great.

Jillian Leslie (00:41:11) – Great. Okay, so here’s one last question. People have to apply. What are you looking for?

Megan Porta (00:41:18) – We’re looking for not necessarily a certain, you know, number of years blogging or. Amount of revenue or anything like that.

Megan Porta (00:41:27) – We’re just looking for. You’ve been doing this for a while. You’re invested in your business. You are willing to invest in the information that you’re going to learn at the summit. Also, we’re looking for people who are coming, willing to share and not holding everything close and not, you know, like if they have a strategy that really works, please come and share that with everybody. And just coming and not being afraid to speak up and join in conversations and collaborate. Um, just looking for open minds and eager learners.

Jillian Leslie (00:42:02) – I and you get lifelong friends.

Megan Porta (00:42:05) – Lifelong friends, and Melissa and I are definitely focusing on fun too. We want it to be not just valuable and filled with learning and knowledge and growth and all of that, but we also want it to be a really fun experience. So we have a lot of special little treats that we’re going to throw in. We’re not going to tell anyone about little surprises. So it’s going to be it’s going to be incredible. I’m super excited.

Jillian Leslie (00:42:30) – Okay. So people want to reach out to you, see what you do, learn about your podcast. Learn about your, uh, summit. Where should they go?

Megan Porta (00:42:41) – If you want to learn about it, Blogtalk and the podcast Mastermind Groups. We do a lot of retreats, things like that. You can go to eat blogtalk.com. If you want information about the summit, you can go to Flavor Media Summit dot net and all the information will be there.

Jillian Leslie (00:42:56) – Wonderful. Well okay, we’re going to do this again and we’re going to like come back and talk about what we thought and where things are. And because I feel like things are just kind of speeding up. So I have to say, I’m so happy we’re friends. And I want to thank you again or thank you for coming back on the show.

Megan Porta (00:43:17) – Thank you for having me. It’s been so fun to chat with you.

Jillian Leslie (00:43:19) – I hope you guys like this episode. I love having Megan back on the show. What I took away is this idea that we do need to be very mindful of how we think about change, how we approach it so that we can stay in the game.

Jillian Leslie (00:43:36) – And I also love us sharing our AI strategies because it is still such a learning process. And for those of you like Megan, who want the easiest way to sell digital products, whether that be digital downloads, memberships, coaching courses or retreats, start by booking a free 20 minute call with me. Go to Military.com slash meet and I will share some of the best strategies I know to help you be successful. If you’re not following me on Instagram, please do. I’m doing some really fun stuff over there. I love the conversation. You can find me at Milo Tree and I will see you here again next week.

What's Next for Food Bloggers: Changes in 2024 | The Blogger Genius Podcast with Jillian Leslie