Resources for Food Bloggers

on June 20, 2013 in RESOURCES FOR BLOGGERS

This post is all about the tools and resources I use on Simply yum. I know how hard it is for you as a food blogger, especially if you are at the beginning, to find information about what to write or how to photograph food or how to promote your posts, so I’ve put together this list of tools and resources to help answer some of your questions. Let’s call it Food Blogger 101.

1. Starting a Food Blog
2. Great plugins
3. Driving Traffic
4. Food Photography
5. Your thoughts

Disclaimer: Some of the following links I provide are affiliate links and I will earn a commission if you purchase through these links. I’ve listed the following products because I use them and I strongly recommend them.

1. Starting a Food Blog

Bluehost is the hosting company I use to store my WordPress blog. They are simply amazing for beginners, having low rates and a very helpful customer service. They also offer a free domain, which is very sweet. Check out this easy tutorial on How to start a food blog with Bluehost.

WordPress Free Themes – This is a great starting point if you’re on a low budget. There are over a thousand themes available for download and with a little luck you will find the right one for you. To save time try filtering the results to your preferences.

2. Great plugins

Easy Recipe Plugin – I don’t know what I would do without this plugin. It is pure awesomeness! With it you will have no trouble adding new recipes, editing old ones and showcasing them in a beautiful layout that you can customize however you desire.

Pinterest for Images – This plugin adds a Pinterest button to your images. The great thing about it is that it shows the button only when you move the mouse over the image. Check this tutorial on How to add it to your blog

3. Driving Traffic

Facebook – I know this one is so obvious that it shouldn’t even be here, but it is! A Facebook page is like a business card. If it’s attractive it will certainly land you visitors!

Pinterest – This social platform simply exploded! It’s the place to be right now, so get a “Pin it” button on your pages so your readers can share the delicious recipes they find on your blog and be sure to pin the recipes that you discover on other blogs.

FoodGawker and TasteSpotting – These two websites are the so called food porn sites. They have millions of visitors each month that search for recipes and food related stories. To be featured you have to creat an account (it’s free), upload a photo, give it a description and wait for approval. If your image gets approved chances are you’ll receive a great amount of traffic to your blog.

4. Food Photography

Think of your food photography this way. When you go to a restaurant and your dish arrives at the table, you can see it, you can smell it, you can taste it and with these in mind you grade it, right? Visitors browsing recipes on your blog can’t smell the food or taste the food, they can only see a picture of the food. Make sure it is beautiful, because they can only grade a dish based on its appearance. So, what you need:

A digital camera – I currently own a Nikon D7000 and I strongly recommend DSLR cameras even if you’re a beginner, but if you have a point and shoot it will do the trick.

Adobe Photoshop – No matter how beautiful an image comes out of the camera a little retouching won’t hurt. I know this product is a bit expensive, but it is worth the money. You can try it out for free to see how it works and if you like it I say you should go for it.

Natural light – It is your best friend! I always shoot food near a big window. It is the best approach if you would ask me. The images come out bright and full of life, so whenever you can, shoot with natural light.