Food bloggers write about recipes, food & travels, local cuisines, some prefer to talk about new trends, other about wellness and healthy eating.. (if you missed the first part here’s the link). In this article we’ll talk about blogging and earning.​
So, how much a food blogger can earn?​
Food blogging can be a very rewarding path and, with time, can become a source of income. Of course, not all cooking blogs turn into full-time, well-paid careers.
But how much can a food blogger earn? There are no precise references on earnings, and it’s that kind of question that, at least in Italy, bloggers are reluctant to answer; maybe because the figures are often very low.
“A blog allows you to write and publish anything, from anywhere, and have it be immediately available to billions of people all around the world.” (Andrew Sullivan)
Making money with the blog is complex, there is a high correlation between time, effort and earnings. More you publish, more readers you likely have; more visits your site receives, and more attractive you become to potential advertisers and sponsors.
The secret of success is having a solid commitment.
One way to start earning could be with Google Adsense (a very popular advertising service); to participate to contests, sponsorship collaborations, placing banner ads, receive donations, or crowdfunding. Also by writing recipes for the HO.RE.CA. division (acronym for Hospitality – Restaurant – CafĂ© / Catering); selling courses, workshops, products, coaching sessions, or consultancy.
Remember that building a large mailing list (as large as possible) is very important: it is one of your most precious assets. As a marketing adage goes: “Money is in the list!”
How to find the right Food Blogger​
A food blogger is a content creator that produces in a quite saturated market niche, where everyone has a cooking recipe or other specialty to sell, or few tricks to grow and cook vegetables, or whatever.
“As a blogger, everything you do flows from understanding your audience and seeking to help them.” (Brian Clark)
In this stream of bloggers, companies have the advantage of being able to choose who to work with. Why would they want you when they have literally hundreds of other bloggers knocking on their doors? This is the typical case of supply and demand.
You’d need to achieve some popularity for companies to start paying attention to you, and possibly offering you some form of collaborations, or vice versa. However, bloggers will need a large number of followers.
Find your point of view, conceive your style, they’re both unique. To grab attention, you have to find a way to stand out, because that’s what makes the difference: the key is to sell a dream.
“There are tons of different factors that go into ranking well, but the biggest is high-quality content.” (David Sinick)
It’s a bit like running a marathon. You start with thousands of people, knowing that not all of them will reach the finish line. Those who make it will arrive at different times, depending on lots of factors, including how much they’re trained.
Each path is different and, if you think how many folks are out there who could relate to you, the potential audience is huge, everyone needs to eat. It’s a big world and there is something for everyone.
Remember to be very attentive and make sure that the initial enthusiasm does not run out.​
The blog world timeline​
Do you want to know when the first time there was talk of blogging and food blogs?
- July 2, 1997 – The beginning of food blogging takes us back to the summer of 1997, when Jim Leff and Bob Okumura founded Chowhound, an online food forum in New York City.
- December 17, 1997 – Jorn Barger coined the term “weblog”. The word was created to describe what he was doing on his pioneering web page “Robot Wisdom”. Web logging = weblog = blog
- August 23, 1999 – Blogger, a specific software for blogging, created by Pyra Labs.
- October, 1999 – David Lebovitz, a well-known Californian pastry chef, starts publishing his blog from Paris (France). The site has since become a very influential one.
Many think that food blogging is an easy way to make money with little work and many advantages. Au contraire, it takes dedication, perseverance and constancy, it must be interesting and exciting both for you (the creator) and for those who follow you (your readers).
Obviously there are many other things to consider but, if you are thinking to starting your own food blog and becoming a food blogger, these are some basic considerations to keep in mind.
“If you want to continually grow your blog, you need to learn to blog on a consistent basis.” (Neil Patel)
If you are passionate about food and everything related to it, have some writing skills, blogging could definitely be a career path for you.
Welcome to the great family of food bloggers!
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