Your Guide on How To Become a Food Influencer

Learning how to become a food influencer might seem like a pie-in-the-sky dream. But, with the right ingredients, it doesn't have to be.

In this guide, I'll explain what you need to do to become a food influencer. From finding your food niche to creating content, collaborating, and more.

So, grab your apron, smartphone, and computer. It's time to create your own recipe for food influencer success!

1. Find your flavor (aka — your niche)

The first step in learning how to become a food influencer is finding your niche.

Your niche is that special flavor that makes you different from all the other food influencers out there. It's where your love of recipe content creation meets your audience's cravings.

But how to you find the right niche for you?

Start by asking yourself these questions:

1. What's your specialty? Are you all about baking or running a health blog? Whatever it is, choose something you're confident talking endlessly about!
2. Who are you cooking content for? Busy parents looking for quick and easy meals? Adventurous eaters eager to explore new flavors? Connecting with your audience is key to creating content they'll eat up.
3. Who are you up against? Who are the biggest food influencers in your niche? What are they doing well? Are there gaps for you to fill? Take this inspo, and create content that makes you stand out.

In the crowded world of food influencing, being specific helps you stand out.

So, don't just call yourself a “food blogger.” Try specializing in vegan desserts, summer barbecue recipes, or budget-friendly family meals.

Take the time to niche down. That way, you understand your audience and the competition.

Do that, and you'll be well on your way to becoming a food influencer and building a brand that's all your own.

2. Build your brand as a food influencer

Before you start sharing your food journey with the world, you need some info on building your brand.

Your brand is what sets you apart from the other food influencers out there. Whether you're an international pasty chef or a parent who loves healthy food, it's what makes you unique!

So spice it up with your personality, and people will keep coming back for more.

Choose a name and logo

Your name and logo are the first things people connect with your brand.

That's why you need to pick a catchy, memorable name and logo. Look at the example below of WP Tasty's name and logo.

Go with a name and logo that's:

• Easy to say, spell, and remember
• Related to your foodie influencer niche
• Simple, but impactful
• Flexible to use across your site and different social media platforms

Need a few examples? How about The Vegan Baker or The Backyard BBQ Guru?

Now it's your turn!

Pick your platforms

Have your name and logo? Next, you need to pick which platforms you want to create food influencer content for.

There are lots of platforms to choose from, and you can choose as many as you want. But, I recommend starting with a few that you can put time into to create quality content around.

Here are a few options platforms I'd go with to become a food influencer:

• Food blogs: A blog is a great home base. Share blog posts, recipes, stories, and other long-form content! Then, repurpose it into shorter snippets for social media.
• Instagram: The perfect place for food photography and short-form videos.
• TikTok: Have short, fun videos? That type of content is perfect for TikTok.
• YouTube: Creating longer videos? YouTube is a great place to share step-by-step cooking videos and behind-the-scenes peeks into your kitchen.
• Pinterest: Have an eye for imagery? Pins are an ideal way to share your recipes and food inspo!

Now, these aren't your only options. There's also Facebook, LinkedIn, and more. And if you have a product to sell, platforms like Etsy and Woocommerce are great too.

If you want to start a food blog, I have all the resources you need! Just start with the YouTube video below. ⬇️

Tell your story

Want to become a successful food influencer?

People connect with stories, not just recipes and products. So, share your whole journey to becoming an influencer. Let your audience in on your inspirations, your struggles, and your triumphs.

After all, they want to know the person behind the high-quality food content.

3. Cook up a content strategy

Choosing your niche and forming a brand is your starting point for becoming a food influencer.

But a great brand alone won't attract a hungry audience. You need high-quality content that keeps them coming back. That's where a solid content strategy comes in.

It outlines what you'll create, when you'll share it, and how you'll get your audience excited about it.

Define your content pillars

What are the main topics or themes you want to focus on?

These are your “content pillars.” They're the areas that you know the most about and are excited to create content.

Let's say you're an outdoor adventure food blogger. Your content pillars might be:

• Campfire cooking recipes
• Backpacking meal ideas
• Food preservation and dehydration tips
• Gear reviews for outdoor cooking

Do your research

Are you an eager content creator?

That's awesome! But it's still important to take some time to research your target audience.

What kind of content are they interested in? What questions do they have? What problems are they trying to solve?

Use tools like Google Trends and social media analytics. Or, talk to your followers directly! That way, you get a real answer on what they love and want to know more about.

I'm focused on becoming a food influencer on Instagram. So, I like to message the five most recent Instagram accounts that have followed me. I ask them what they like about my page and what they want to see more of.

At the end of the day, you need to think of how you can build a valuable relationship with your audience.

Use a content calendar

A content calendar is your plan for your blog or social media channels.

It helps you stay organized and plan ahead. It also helps you make sure you're posting fresh, engaging content on the reg.

Here are a few ways for you to use a content calendar as a food influencer:

• Topics: What specific topics will you cover? This could be things like 10 Easy Campfire Desserts or a Review of the Best Portable Camping Stoves.
• Formats: Will you create blog posts, videos, or something else? Whatever it is, use a content calendar to keep it all straight.
• Posting schedule: How often will you post? Try to stick to a regular schedule. That might be once a week, twice a week, or even daily.
• Promo plan: How will you share your content? Will you promote it on social media, send out email newsletters, or collaborate with other bloggers? (More on that + making money as a food influencer later!)

I like to use Tailwind to plan and schedule out social media content. There's an example of what scheduling looks like in Tailwind.

For blog content, I use ClickUp or Asana. They're both pretty easy task managers to use.

They let you keep everything in one place, whether you're planning blog content, linking content to keywords, or doing other tasks.

4. Create high-quality content as a food influencer

Your content is the heart and soul of your reputation as a food influencer.

It's what draws people in, keeps them engaged, and makes them hungry for more. Whether it's a secret family recipe, a favorite food photo, or an entertaining video, high-quality content is what sets you apart.

So let's get into the different platforms you can create content for as a food influencer.

Start a food blog

Starting a food blog is a popular way to connect with and build an audience.

And who knows, it might even become your brand's hub!

Here's how to get your food blog cooking:

1. Choose your blogging platform: WordPress is our go-to platform for food bloggers. It's easy to use, flexible, and has tons of options to make your blog unique.
2. Pick a theme: Your WordPress food blog theme makes your blog look delicious! I recommend Feast by Foodie Pro because easy to navigate and made specifically for food blogs.
3. Add recipe cards: Tasty Recipes is the best WordPress recipe plugin for creating beautiful, organized recipe cards that are easy to follow.
4. Create content! Focus on high-quality recipes that are easy to follow, visually appealing, accurate, flavorful, and creative.

Instagram

Instagram (IG)…where it seems like the term “influencer” was coined.

It is the perfect place to share eye-catching photos and short, engaging videos that influence people.

To become a food influencer on Instagram, focus on creating captivating content. It's also important to post Reels and Stories.

Need more food influencer content ideas for Instagram? Try these:

• Drool-worthy carousels of your weekly recipes
• Quick recipe videos that show the process
• Behind-the-scenes snippets
• Funny, relatable trends in your food niche

Want to really thrive on Instagram? You need to engage with your followers. After all, it is social media. So, answer comments and questions and spark conversations.

Try spending 10-15 minutes before and after you post to engage with your feed!

Don't just post emojis or “Love this!” on people's reels and posts. Let them know why you appreciate their post or how it relates to you! See a new cooking technique? Thank them for the inspiration and mention a recipe you'll try it out on.

By building relationships with your audience, you'll create a loyal following who can't wait for your next post.

Want to connect Instagram to your WordPress food blog?

Try one of the best WordPress Instagram plugins or other WordPress social media plugins to get your delicious feed on your site too. My top suggestion is Instagram Feed Pro by Smashballoon.

YouTube

If you want to become a food influencer, you need to get comfortable being on camera.

Love being in front of the lens? YouTube just might be your jam! It's perfect for longer videos that explore recipes, techniques, and the stories behind them.

But what kind of content should you create for YouTube?

Step-by-step cooking tutorials, kitchen tips and hacks, and grocery hauls and reviews are just a few ideas.

Want a time-saving tip? When you become a food influencer, you wear a lot of different hats. Writing, photo editing, and shooting recipe videos, and more. So, repurpose your TikTok and Instagram Reels into YouTube Shorts!

And don't forget to check out the WP Tasty YouTube channel for inspiration and helpful tutorials on food blogging, recipe creation, and more!

Pinterest

Want to add another social media platform to your food influencer belt?

Pinterest is a great way to share recipes and foodie know-how. It's all about visuals, so clean, crisp photos are key. But Pinterest is also a search engine, so using the right keywords can help people find your content, too.

Use high-quality photos, relevant, catchy titles, text overlays, and descriptions that add value and make people want to click. Pair that with a WordPress Pinterest plugin like Tasty Pins to help you create and optimize your pins right from your blog.

Get Tasty Pins!

You can add hidden Pinterest descriptions, choose the best images for pinning, and even make sure your horizontal photos look great on Pinterest.

Remember, you need to Pin fresh content consistently to keep it relevant and engaging for your followers.

The platforms mentioned here aren't the only ones you can use, but they're examples of the ones I prioritize.

You can also create high-quality content that's specific to TikTok, FaceBook, your email list, and more! Prefer chatting? Start a podcast!

How to make money as a food influencer

You've built your brand and created content, but what about making money as a food influencer?

Thankfully, there are more ways than ever for food influencers to get paid. Let me go over some of the options.

Sponsored posts and brand partnerships

Brands are often eager to partner with food influencers to market their products, especially if you can help them boost their own brand awareness and grow.

This could mean creating sponsored content (like a recipe featuring their product), posting about the brand on social media, or even hosting a live event exploring their benefits. If you decide to pitch to a brand to partner with them, make sure you:

• Can explain how you can bring them value
• Understand the product or service you're promoting
• Know your worth when it comes to your partnership

The key is to team up with brands that match your values and have products you and your audience will genuinely love.

Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is a popular way to make money from your blog or social media channels.

In short, here's how affiliate marketing works:

1. Apply to affiliate programs or affiliate networks.
2. Promote products you love and trust.
3. When your followers buy something through your affiliate link (and within a certain amount of time), you earn a commission.

Here's how to get the most out of your affiliate links.

After you join some food affiliate programs, grab Tasty Links WordPress link plugin to easily manage those affiliate links!

Just watch how easy it is 🎥

Get Tasty Links!

Create and sell your own goodies and services

If you're a recipe creator, food photographer, or chef, why not share what you know with paid products?

You could create and sell:

• E-books: Put your favorite recipes, cooking tips, or meal plans into a beautiful ebook.
• Online courses: Teach people how to master a specific cuisine or cooking technique.
• Merch: Design branded t-shirts, aprons, or kitchen tools that your followers will love.

Are you a whiz in the kitchen? Add to your food influencer resume and become a culinary consultant or coach.

You could help restaurants develop new menus, teach private cooking classes, or create personalized meal plans. And don't forget about freelance opportunities! Get into recipe development, food styling, or food photography for brands and publications.

The key is to be creative, think outside the box, and find what works best for you and your audience.

Good luck becoming a food influencer!

So there you have it – my top advice on how to become a food influencer.

It's not always easy, but with passion, creativity, and a dash of hustle, you can absolutely make it happen. Remember, building a successful food influencer brand takes time and effort, but it's incredibly rewarding. Don't be afraid to experiment, try new things, and most importantly, have fun with it!

Share your unique voice and perspective with the world, and connect with other food lovers who share your passion.

And if you need a little help along the way, I've got you covered. WP Tasty's blog has a ton of resources to help you become the best food influence you can be.

P.S. We love hearing your stories, too! Success, failures, and more. Drop them below!