Unlearn Everything You Think You Know About Working With Brands with Justin Moore
The Vine Podcast
In this episode: If you've felt burned by brand partnerships in the past or believe your blog isn't "big enough" for sponsorships, this episode will challenge everything you think you know about working with brands. Justin Moore has facilitated over $5 million in brand partnerships and he shares why direct brand relationships can be more profitable than working through networks alone. He also reveals his framework for turning one-off deals into recurring partnerships and shares why your audience size matters less than you think when positioning yourself to work with brands. About...
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Getting Back In The CEO Mindset
The Vine Podcast
In this episode: If you've ever struggled with working ON your business instead of in it, you may need to get back into a CEO mindset. Sometimes we can look back on the last month, quarter, or even the year to date and wonder why we haven't achieved as much as we set out to. It's so easy to slip into an employee mindset without even noticing. So if that's you, today I'm sharing some super practical ways that you can shift back into a CEO mindset especially heading into the busiest time of the year. Key points from this episode: The Quote That Changes Everything...
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Why Your Welcome Email Sequence Is Your Secret Weapon Against AI (And How to Build One That Actually Works) with Allea Grummert
The Vine Podcast
In this episode: If you've been treating your welcome email sequence like an afterthought—something you'll "get to eventually"—I have news for you: you're missing out on the single best opportunity to build real connection with your subscribers. In a world where AI-generated content is everywhere and food bloggers are competing for attention like never before, your welcome sequence isn't just nice to have. It's your brand hub, your first impression, and quite possibly the most important automated piece of your email marketing strategy. Email marketing strategist Allea Grummert recently...
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Streamline Everything from Keyword Research to Content Repurposing Using AI with Aleka Shunk
The Vine Podcast
In this episode: AI tools have revolutionized content creation workflows, but many bloggers still struggle with how to implement them effectively without losing their authentic voice. Aleka, creator of Learn with Aleka, shares her five-stage framework for using AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude to streamline everything from keyword research to content repurposing. She explains how AI has helped her break free from the monotonous blog post structures that were making all food content sound the same, while cutting her writing time in half. You'll discover specific prompts for generating...
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Help Your Personal Brand Shine During Q4
The Vine Podcast
In this episode: Q4 is about to bring you the biggest influx of new visitors all year. These aren't your regular readers - they're people discovering you for the first time through holiday recipe searches. This is your chance to turn one-time visitors into loyal followers, but only if your personal brand is ready to shine. Today we're talking about how to make sure your personality comes through when it matters most. Key points I'll cover in this episode: The Q4 Traffic Surge: Your Biggest Opportunity of the Year The Personality Gap That's Killing Your Conversions Your Brand Voice:...
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Streamlining Your Photoshoots with Melodee Fiske
The Vine Podcast
In this episode: Ever feel like you're spending way too much time styling and editing your food photos, only to end up with images you aren't thrilled with? Today I'm talking with Melodee Fiske from , and she's completely changing the game when it comes to food photography for bloggers. You'll learn if you're spending too much time editing photos, overthinking your styling and she'll teach you how to shift your mindset from stressful photoshoots to streamlined. If you've been overthinking your food photography or feeling stuck in a rut, this conversation is going to be so helpful...
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3 Branding Mistakes That Are Holding You Back
The Vine Podcast
In this episode: If you feel like you're doing everything right, you're posting consistently, you're optimizing your blog posts for SEO, you're engaging on social media and building your email list, but you're not seeing your brand grow, this episode is for you. The real difference between staying stuck and growth is actually more about your personal brand than it is about your fonts or your colors that you choose. Today we're tackling 3 branding mistakes that are blocking the connections you need to grow. The 3 Mistakes we'll cover in this episode are: Thinking Your Logo IS Your...
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3 Web Design Mistakes That Are Costing You Traffic
The Vine Podcast
In this episode: Here’s the truth nobody talks about: a beautiful website doesn’t automatically equal a successful food blog. In fact, some of the best looking websites I see are making critical mistakes that could be hurting their traffic. Today we’re diving into 3 design mistakes that look harmless but are actually costing you readers and traffic over time. The 3 Mistakes we'll cover in this episode are: Your Homepage Fails the 3-Second Test Your Categories Are Confusing Google (And Your Readers) Your Homepage Is Just a Blog Feed ...
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3 Things To Do With Your Recipe Index
The Vine Podcast
In this episode: When was the last time you actually looked at your recipe index page? If you're like most food bloggers, it's probably been a while – and there's a good chance it's not doing what you think it should be doing. Your recipe index might be one of the most misunderstood pages on your entire website. Many food bloggers treat it like a traditional recipe box, trying to catalog every single recipe they've ever created. But here's the thing: that approach is actually working against you, both for your readers and for Google. If your recipe index feels overwhelming,...
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From Food Blogger to CEO: How to Scale Your Blog Without Losing Yourself with Bjork Ostrom
The Vine Podcast
In this episode: If you have ever felt stuck on the hamster wheel of content creation and struggled to grow your business, you're definitely not alone! Today Bjork Ostrom from and joins me to talk about the transition we all face of going from maker to manager. He shares a delegation framework, how to identify which tasks to never outsource and his approach to getting 1% better every day. Bjork is the chief tech consultant / business advisor / taste tester at Pinch of Yum, the food blog created by his wife, Lindsay. Day-to-day, you’ll mostly see him around Food Blogger Pro, the...
info_outlineIn this episode:
Let’s talk about categories! One of the conversations I always seem to have with my clients is around how to properly use categories to organize their blog. Listen along as we discuss the importance of categories, how many you should have, and what to do if you’ve never considered your categories before.
In this episode:
Categories VS Tags
- I'll hash out the difference between a category and a tag, and how to properly utilize both of them
How to organize your categories
- Start with thinking about your niche, make sure you have this nailed down and stick with it! With your niche in mind, you can start to choose which categories make the most sense for your blog. The next step is to look at how your website is organized. Thinking about your user experience can really help you to start to wrap your head around what categories you might need.
How many categories do you need?
- First look at how many blog posts you have in the first place. Feast Design Co has a guideline of a 1:10 ratio of categories to posts as a guideline. So that means if you have 200 posts, it would be okay to have upwards of 20 categories. Ultimately, it's about drilling down specifics as many levels down as possible, so that it is easier for visitors to find what they are looking for.
Fully fill out your category pages
- It’s a good idea to have an outlook on the number and types of categories you think you will want to fill out eventually. You want your categories to be as filled out as possible and you don't want to have categories with one or two posts unless you plan to be building those posts out in the next few months.
How to fix old categories
- By taking a step back to analyze and categorize content on your site, you will be able to laser focus on the direction of your blog, and therefore the type of content you need to start creating, to further fill out those categories.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
EP 18: Figuring Out Your Niche as a Food Blogger
EP 27: What Should Be On the Homepage of Your Food Blog
EP 30: How to Customize Your Recipe Index
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