With food blogs springing up like mushrooms after the rain (our’s included) and Instagram foodies living their best, most scrumptious lives, you might be tempted to jump on the bandwagon. Heck, if you’re a foodie with an adventurous spirit, there is no reason why you shouldn’t. And while starting a food blog is no easy feat, luckily for us there are plenty of mentors out there to get you inspired and teach you the know-how.
Lindsay Ostrom of Pinch of Yum is one of those food-blogger-turned-mentors. Based in Saint Paul, MN where she shares a home with her husband Bjork and their dog Sage, like most foodies, she took to blogging as a hobby (her main job being a fourth-grade teacher). But what started out as a casual hobby for nights and weekends, would blossom into a viral phenomenon.
Part of Pinch of Yum’s initial charm is it’s down-to-earth approach to cooking. The website offers a huge range of recipes that are specially designed for real, actual, every day life, with a focus on real foods and healthy recipes. And with some one million (!) followers on Instagram, the blog’s recipe for success seems to have worked.
These days, alongside their recipes, Pinch of Yum offers resources and sound advice to other aspiring food bloggers. “Over the last 10+ years of working on Pinch of Yum, we’ve learned a ton about growing and monetizing blogs,” the website reads. The site now includes resources, strategies, and advice around growing a blog and a presence online.
“For other bloggers, it’s not just a food blog, but it can be a teaching resource of how you can grow your blog,” Ostrom further explained in an interview with Hot Chocolate Hits.
Ostrom’s most important advice: don’t do it for the money. “Do it for the love of food and the love of blogging!” she told Rachel Cooks. “There is definitely money to be made, but it’s just so rare to get that right out of the gate. You need to be willing to work for free for a while, so do it for the love!”
Another good tip: invest in a good camera, or just learn the camera you have as best as you can and keep practicing. According to Ostrom, the initial hook for people is going to be the image so you might as well put some effort into it.
