Podcast
Eat Blog Talk
Hosted by Megan Porta · EN
Eat Blog Talk is the one-stop podcast for food bloggers, delivering value and instilling confidence so you can level up in your business. The podcast features interviews with food bloggers and other experts who deliver valuable and relevant information and insights to the blogging space.
We cover all the hot food blogging topics such as SEO, social media strategies, keyword research, how to pitch yourself to brands and which keyword research tools to use. We also focus on improving your mindset, as this will help improve your job performance, creativity, productivity and add value to your business.
Eat Blog Talk publishes new episodes every Monday and Thursday.
31episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
811: The Secret to Making Money Beyond Pageviews With Jillian Leslie
3d ago00:42:56Tap to summarizeMegan chats with Jillian Leslie about building digital products that solve real problems, diversify income, and create a more sustainable blogging business. Bio: Jillian Leslie is the founder of MiloTree, a software platform that helps online entrepreneurs sell digital products and services and grow their email lists. On her YouTube channel, she shares cutting-edge strategies for building and selling digital products with AI. Jillian is passionate about helping creators and entrepreneurs build thriving businesses that give them real freedom and flexibility. She lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband and co-founder, David, and their daughter, Lainey. She holds a BA and an MBA from Stanford University. Summary & Takeaways The food blogging landscape is changing quickly, making it more important than ever to build income beyond display ads. Jillian shares practical strategies for identifying what your audience truly needs, creating simple digital products that sell, and using AI to move faster without losing the personal connection that makes your brand valuable. Key Topics Discussed: - Package recipes as solutions instead of collections. - Start with one simple digital product. - Use AI to uncover profitable product ideas. - Build products based on audience feedback. - Show up as a real person to build trust. - Treat your blog like a marketing business. Guest Details Connect with Jillian Leslie Website | Instagram | YouTube
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810: Imposter Syndrome - Why do We Suffer From it and Tips to Overcome Feeling Like a Fraud with Amy Reid
1w ago00:33:47Tap to summarizeMegan chats to Amy Reid about imposter syndrome, what causes it, how it affects our businesses and how to overcome it. Amy started her blog, Baking with Granny in 2015, as a way to document her mother's (her kids Granny) recipes. Within a couple of years, Amy gave up full-time employment to make money blogging. She then became a single mum and the pressure was on to make it work. 8 years later and Baking with Granny has excelled past any expectations she could have ever had for it. In this episode, Amy shares her journey of dealing with imposter syndrome while trying to make a success out of her blog, including why we may feel like we don't deserve success and tips to overcome imposter syndrome and embrace our full potential. -What is imposter syndrome? -Why do we feel like we don't deserve success? -It may feel like our achievements mean nothing. -How do we overcome feeling like a fraud? -Community is essential in overcoming imposter syndrome. -Recognize the work that goes into blogging. -Fake it until you make it. -Explore deeper than just your work - what other reasons contribute to imposter syndrome? Connect with Amy Reid Website | Instagram
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809: Why Your Recipes Aren't Showing Up on Google (Even When You're Doing SEO Right)
2w ago00:52:53Tap to summarizeMegan chats with Sandie Markle about why recipes are not showing up on Google, how search behavior is changing, and why structured content matters for the future of food blogging. Sandie Markle is a food tech consultant and content strategist who helps food creators turn their recipes into long-term, reusable assets. With over a decade of experience working with recipe platforms and content teams, she specializes in structured content, discoverability, and content systems. Through her company Blueberri, she supports creators in building content that can be reused, shared, and monetized across platforms. She's currently writing Create Once, Share Everywhere™, a book focused on helping creators build more sustainable content systems. Experienced food bloggers cannot rely on Google traffic alone anymore. In this episode, Sandie explains why recipe content has more value when it is properly structured, organized, and ready for platforms beyond search, including AI tools, meal planning apps, voice assistants, and brand partnerships. Key Topics Discussed: • Structured recipe content creates opportunities beyond Google. • Fill in every useful metadata field in your recipe card. • Your content library should not live only inside WordPress. • Recipe plugins can make your content more valuable to tech partners. • Experiment with new discovery tools before dismissing them. • Learn enough about your tech stack to protect your content value. Resources Create Once, Share Everywhere Early reader contact: hello@blueberri.co Guest Details Connect with Sandie Markle Website | Instagram | Facebook
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808: My Traffic Is Down 40% - Here's What I'm Doing About It With Megan & Taryn
3w ago01:02:57Tap to summarizeMegan chats with Taryn Solie about navigating traffic declines, revenue loss, video, AI and business simplification as an experienced food blogger. Taryn has been blogging at Hot Pan Kitchen since 2018 and began the Grill Like A Mother podcast in 2022. She participated in several of Megan's masterminds and worked behind the scenes at EBT before stepping into the role of community manager. Taryn loves bringing her knowledge and connections to the EBT community to help other food bloggers reach their goals! In her downtime, she enjoys hiking, reading, and spending time with her husband, twin boys, and their labradoodle, Pretzel. Things are shifting quickly for food bloggers, and pretending everything is business as usual is not helpful. In this episode, Megan shares what it has looked like to navigate a 40 percent ad revenue drop, simplify her business, lean into video, use AI more intentionally and make decisions that feel both strategic and aligned. Key Topics Discussed: • Stop relying on Google traffic as your only growth engine. • Let the data guide your next move, but do not ignore your gut. • Use video to strengthen your brand beyond the blog. • Cut tools, tasks and expenses that no longer serve the business. • Use AI to reduce workload, protect profit and make faster decisions. • Build a simpler business that gives you room to adapt. Connect with Taryn Solie Website | Instagram | Facebook
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807: Why AI Gets Worse Over Time (And How to Fix It) with Shruthi Baskaran-Makanju
Jun 2200:34:58Tap to summarizeMegan chats with Shruthi about using AI beyond basic prompting, building smarter workflows, and protecting your unique voice as a food creator. Founder of Urban Farmie (vegetarian-global niche, 2M visits a year, AP syndicated). I spent 12 years at the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and left as a Partner in February to run the food business full-time. Stanford MS-MBA, former engineer, TED speaker on food systems. I also just launched Mise en Claude, a Substack on how working food bloggers can use Claude as part of their operating system. Summary & Takeaways Most food bloggers use AI as a simple writing tool. Shruthi explains why the biggest gains come from treating AI as a strategic business partner instead. This episode explores project-based AI systems, prompt maintenance, voice development, and practical ways to use AI without sacrificing originality or expertise. Key Topics Discussed: - Organize AI projects by purpose to prevent instruction overload. - Review and clean AI project instructions every month. - Use AI for repeatable tasks, not strategic business decisions. - Define your voice before teaching AI to replicate it. - Build systems that protect lived experience and expertise. - Focus on one major business initiative each quarter. Mise en Claude Substack Connect with Shruthi Baskaran-Makanju Website | Instagram | Facebook
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806: AI Search Is Here: How Food Bloggers Can Stay Visible with Julia Bocchese
Jun 1500:34:16Tap to summarizeJulia Bocchese teaches us how to optimize food blog content for AI driven search and stay visible as the search landscape evolves. Julia is an SEO, Pinterest, and AI Search Consultant for creative small businesses at Julia Renee Consulting. Her goal is to make SEO, Pinterest, and AIO strategies approachable and easy to implement for all small businesses so they can reach their ideal clients organically. AI is changing the way people discover recipes and content online. In this episode, Julia breaks down what food bloggers need to know about AI search, how it differs from traditional SEO, and the practical steps you can take now to strengthen your visibility across platforms like ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews. If you want to future proof your business without chasing every trend, this conversation will help you focus on what matters most. Key Topics Discussed: - Build strong SEO foundations before focusing on AI search. - Use audience specific language consistently throughout your content. - Strengthen brand authority through mentions, interviews, and collaborations. - Make important recipe information easy to find near the top of each post. - Improve user experience by removing barriers that interrupt recipe access. - Demonstrate expertise clearly through credentials, experience, and social proof. Connect with Julia Renee Consulting Website | Instagram | Pinterest
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805: High Followers, Low Views? Here's What Might Be Happening on Instagram With Mika Kinney
Jun 800:49:08Tap to summarizeMegan chats with Mika Kinney about the Instagram strategies food creators can use to grow reach, attract followers, and turn attention into revenue. Mika is the creator behind Joy to the Food, a whole-food recipe brand with 470K followers on Instagram. She and her husband built the business over the last 5 years and now earns through ads, brand partnerships, affiliates, and a membership community enough to support them both full time. She's going to talk about why she stopped chasing followers and started chasing revenue instead, and what that looks like in practice. Instagram is evolving quickly, and many food bloggers are seeing lower engagement despite consistent posting or high follower counts. In this episode, Mika breaks down the difference between content that drives growth and content that drives monetization, along with practical ways to improve reach, build a loyal audience, and create new revenue opportunities without relying solely on website traffic. Key Topics Discussed: - Focus on reach before trying to monetize. - Optimize the first three seconds of every reel. - Give followers a clear reason to follow you. - Use stories to build trust before selling. - Charge brands based on reach and engagement, not follower count. - Analyze performance data and repeat what works. Resources Mika Creative - Mastermind, Instagram audits and more Guest Details Connect with Joy to the Food Website | Instagram
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804: The New Rules of SEO in 2026 with Casey Markee
Jun 100:59:08Tap to summarizeMegan chats with Casey Markee about the massive shifts happening in SEO, AI search, semantic content, and what food bloggers must do now to stay visible and profitable. Casey Markee is the owner of internet consultancy Media Wyse. An SEO for over 25 years, he has been working exclusively with food and lifestyle bloggers since 2015. During that time, he's worked with thousands of bloggers across every recipe niche imaginable. He likes long walks to the refrigerator and back and believes bacon and candy corn are gourmet foods. SEO is changing faster than most food bloggers realize. In this episode, Casey breaks down why Google has shifted from keywords to intent, how AI is changing search behavior, and which outdated SEO practices are quietly hurting rankings. He also shares practical strategies for improving recipe content, increasing visibility in AI search, and building a site that can compete long-term in a rapidly evolving landscape. Key Topics Discussed: - Google now prioritizes intent and semantic relevance over exact match keywords. - AI summaries and AI buttons can increase visibility and referral traffic. - Thin and outdated content weakens the overall strength of your site. - Readability matters more than optimization scores from SEO tools. - Internal linking strategy directly impacts rankings and topical authority. - Popups consistently hurt crawl quality and search performance. Resources Google "What is Semantic Search" AI buttons: Smart UX play, risky GEO tactic, or both? Blogging, AI, and the SEO road ahead: Why clarity now decides who survives Google's Guidance on Performing Well in AI Search Google's NEW Guide on AI Search (including Myths) Most recent "Search Quality Rater Guidelines" Ryan Jones SerpRecon Tool (offers a 7-day trial) Feast AI Buttons Hubbub Action Buttons How to Audit your Robots.txt File to NOT block AI Book an Audit with Casey Guest Details Connect with Media Wyse Website | Instagram
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803: Published a Cookbook (or Want To)? Listen to This First with Stephanie Moon
May 2500:34:37Tap to summarizeStephanie Moon teaches us how to build an author platform that creates visibility, strengthens audience trust, and supports long-term cookbook sales without burnout. Stephanie has spent over 15 years in book marketing and publicity, leading campaigns for New York Times bestsellers and working with publishers including Chronicle Books, HarperCollins, Scholastic, and Hardie Grant. She teaches authors how to sell more books by building real relationships and communities. Most food bloggers underestimate how much marketing matters after a cookbook is published. Stephanie breaks down what builds a strong author platform, how to create meaningful audience relationships, and why visibility is a long game. This episode gives experienced food bloggers a smarter, more sustainable approach to cookbook promotion and personal branding. Key Topics Discussed: - Community matters more than follower count. - Owned platforms create stability outside social algorithms. - Podcast interviews build deeper audience trust than short-form content. - Visibility grows faster when personality leads the strategy. - Book marketing requires long-term energy planning. - Engaged audiences outperform inflated follower numbers. EBT Listeners use code EBT2026 for a FREE Mini Momentum Call The FAQs: Ask Stephanie ?s | Substack Connect with Stephanie Moon Website | Instagram
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802: Beyond Ads - How to Build a Multi-Revenue Food Blogging Business with Yumna Jawad
May 1800:48:16Tap to summarizeMegan chats with Yumna Jawad about building a multi-revenue food blogging business through cookbooks, partnerships, affiliate marketing, speaking opportunities, and physical products. Yumna Jawad, who was born in Africa to Lebanese parents and moved to the US at 11 years old, is beloved by millions of fans globally on Instagram, TikTok, and her website, Feel Good Foodie for her unique, delicious, creative and easy recipes that often go viral on social media. She has grown her massive following from scratch the past decade and has recently founded a new culinary venture, Oath Oats, launched in November 2022. Yumna's viral food trends have been featured by Live with Kelly & Ryan, The Today Show, Good Morning America, PEOPLE, Vogue, and the New York Times. A graduate from the University of Michigan Business School, she now lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with her husband and two kids. Yumna's parents are both Lebanese so she proudly features Lebanese, middle eastern and Ramadan recipes as part of her heritage. Her first cookbook, The Feel Good Foodie Cookbook, launched in May 2024 (Penguin) and is filled with over 100 approachable, unique and delicious "Middle Eastern meets Midwestern" recipes for the entire family. The cookbook hit the bestseller lists on Amazon, USA Today and Publisher's Weekly. Ad revenue is no longer enough to support a long-term food blogging business. In this episode, Yumna shares the exact ways she diversified Feel Good Foodie into a recognizable brand with multiple income streams. This conversation is packed with practical ideas for experienced food bloggers who want more stability, visibility, and long-term growth. Key Topics Discussed: - Build revenue streams before traffic declines force you to. - Long term brand partnerships outperform one off sponsorships. - A cookbook strengthens authority far beyond direct sales. - Affiliate income grows faster when personality leads the content. - Email works best when it builds relationships instead of pushing recipes. - Video creates stronger audience connection than static content alone. Connect with Yumna Jawad Website | Instagram
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