Fame and fortune, here I come!
March 3, 2010 9:14 AM Subscribe
How to promote and increase traffic to a food blog? Thanks to the ananymous porn guy I know about Foodgawker and Tastespotting, but what are some other avenues of promoting a food blog? Are there any other similar websites to Foodgawker? Are there any other ways (conventional or not) for promoting a food blog?
Best answer: There are a ton of cooking/baking groups out there - Baking with Dorie, Daring Bakers, Daring Cooks. Joining one will connect you with a lot of other food bloggers, and a lot of the bloggers visit all the sites and comment.
The biggest way is to comment on other food blogs and leave your address there. It takes a lot of effort - but you almost always get a click from the person (unless it's someone insanely popular) because they're curious who you are.
posted by kerning at 9:33 AM on March 3, 2010
The biggest way is to comment on other food blogs and leave your address there. It takes a lot of effort - but you almost always get a click from the person (unless it's someone insanely popular) because they're curious who you are.
posted by kerning at 9:33 AM on March 3, 2010
Best answer: Post it to projects. I agree with the consistently awesome content. I have a friend who reads a ton of these - have you found a niche yet? Because if you can find that niche within the food blog world, I think that will take you a long way. I'll tell my friend to look at your blog, but why should I? What's special about it? Not that I'm telling you anything new here, but knowing how to frame your blog properly will get it looked at, as opposed to just getting it lumped in with the rest of the (already established and much more popular) "food blogs".
posted by cashman at 10:16 AM on March 3, 2010
posted by cashman at 10:16 AM on March 3, 2010
Best answer: Food blogger here. (Link is in my profile.)
I agree with what's been said here so far. The same advice applies to food blogs as to any other blog. Comment on other blogs. Make your blog worth reading by offering something that you can't find on every blog.
Yes, Tastespotting and Foodgawker can provide traffic spikes. If you're lucky, people will click on something else while they're there and if you're really lucky they'll become regular readers.
I've found Twitter useful, too — specifically when you have a particular post that's especially amusing or amazing.
Finally, cashman is onto something with the niche concept. Food blogging is a very crowded field and it's really tough to break away from the pack. The modest success I've found for my blog has come in part because I got linked from blogs that weren't food-centric (Lifehacker, Unclutterer). Now, I can't claim there was any strategy behind that. It was largely dumb luck. But it might pay to think beyond food blogs in terms of commenting, linking and promoting yourself (while still making sure it's relevant, of course).
It's not like I have it all figured out, but you're welcome to email me if you want to talk more.
posted by veggieboy at 11:34 AM on March 3, 2010
I agree with what's been said here so far. The same advice applies to food blogs as to any other blog. Comment on other blogs. Make your blog worth reading by offering something that you can't find on every blog.
Yes, Tastespotting and Foodgawker can provide traffic spikes. If you're lucky, people will click on something else while they're there and if you're really lucky they'll become regular readers.
I've found Twitter useful, too — specifically when you have a particular post that's especially amusing or amazing.
Finally, cashman is onto something with the niche concept. Food blogging is a very crowded field and it's really tough to break away from the pack. The modest success I've found for my blog has come in part because I got linked from blogs that weren't food-centric (Lifehacker, Unclutterer). Now, I can't claim there was any strategy behind that. It was largely dumb luck. But it might pay to think beyond food blogs in terms of commenting, linking and promoting yourself (while still making sure it's relevant, of course).
It's not like I have it all figured out, but you're welcome to email me if you want to talk more.
posted by veggieboy at 11:34 AM on March 3, 2010
Best answer: I can tell you from the stats on my food blog that StumbleUpon is usually responsible for more of the hits on my site than Tastespotting and FoodGawker combined. If you can get someone to "stumble" your posts it it might help.
And I second Twitter, both for announcing new posts and for connecting with other food bloggers.
posted by geeky at 12:32 PM on March 3, 2010
And I second Twitter, both for announcing new posts and for connecting with other food bloggers.
posted by geeky at 12:32 PM on March 3, 2010
Best answer: I love a good food blog. Here's what I think could be helpful to you which may overlap with some of the things already stated:
1) Come up with your spin of what you add to the community that others don't have. If you're in another country or part of a particular food culture - highlight that in your blog.
2) Join Twitter and become friends with other bloggers. Make it a point to add to the community and get to know others. You can host meet ups and get linked up.
3) Contact different companies and ask for samples to review on your blog. Host giveaways - its a great way to get readers if you host regular giveaways. People love free shit.
4) Comment on other blogs which goes along with #2 - be a part of the community
5) Join Foodbuzz. I don' know all the details but a lot of popular food blogs are on Food buzz. If you have good content, you could eventually win awards for your work!
6) Attend Food blog events like BlogHer or the Foodbuzz Festival. There are a ton of other events that are hosted by various food companies where they have bloggers come for an all expenses paid visit to review their products.
7) Include a link to your RSS feed prominently on your blog. Don't have previewed RSS content - its annoying.
For additional tips, check out Health Blog Helper
***Above all else, content is SO key - beautiful pictures (I'm talking major Food Pornie pics with a DSLR), entries that are personalized and meaningful, catchy titles -- all these little things add up and can transform your blog from obscurity to award winning.
posted by icy at 2:28 PM on March 3, 2010
1) Come up with your spin of what you add to the community that others don't have. If you're in another country or part of a particular food culture - highlight that in your blog.
2) Join Twitter and become friends with other bloggers. Make it a point to add to the community and get to know others. You can host meet ups and get linked up.
3) Contact different companies and ask for samples to review on your blog. Host giveaways - its a great way to get readers if you host regular giveaways. People love free shit.
4) Comment on other blogs which goes along with #2 - be a part of the community
5) Join Foodbuzz. I don' know all the details but a lot of popular food blogs are on Food buzz. If you have good content, you could eventually win awards for your work!
6) Attend Food blog events like BlogHer or the Foodbuzz Festival. There are a ton of other events that are hosted by various food companies where they have bloggers come for an all expenses paid visit to review their products.
7) Include a link to your RSS feed prominently on your blog. Don't have previewed RSS content - its annoying.
For additional tips, check out Health Blog Helper
***Above all else, content is SO key - beautiful pictures (I'm talking major Food Pornie pics with a DSLR), entries that are personalized and meaningful, catchy titles -- all these little things add up and can transform your blog from obscurity to award winning.
posted by icy at 2:28 PM on March 3, 2010
Best answer: Hey! I was just on your blog because of a link on Foodgawker! Neat-o!
Here are a few more similar websites:
Tastestopping- Great if Tastespotting or Foodgawker don't like one of your submissions
Dessert Stalking- Like Foodgawker, but just for sweets
Photo Grazing- A sub-section of Serious Eats
Refrigerator Soup- Another general foodblog linking site.
And, like some others have said- interacting with other blogs is a nice way to break in to the community.
posted by Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld at 5:37 PM on March 3, 2010
Here are a few more similar websites:
Tastestopping- Great if Tastespotting or Foodgawker don't like one of your submissions
Dessert Stalking- Like Foodgawker, but just for sweets
Photo Grazing- A sub-section of Serious Eats
Refrigerator Soup- Another general foodblog linking site.
And, like some others have said- interacting with other blogs is a nice way to break in to the community.
posted by Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld at 5:37 PM on March 3, 2010
Best answer: Get to know the other food bloggers in your community. Go out together, or plan events. Comment on other blogs about food. Keep writing good stuff. The good stuff is the stuff that stands out, not something you scroll by when flipping through your Google Reader. Try getting into some magazines, or at least pick up their guidelines for reference.
Above all, make sure what you do / write about is unique. Nothing is less appealing than reading about a place that's already been talked to death by dozens of other people :)
posted by chrisinseoul at 8:04 PM on March 3, 2010
Above all, make sure what you do / write about is unique. Nothing is less appealing than reading about a place that's already been talked to death by dozens of other people :)
posted by chrisinseoul at 8:04 PM on March 3, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by BobbyDigital at 9:29 AM on March 3, 2010 [1 favorite]