Building a thriving community centered on a food blog requires engaging and inspiring content. A consistent recipe style encourages readers to return, and effective search engine optimization (SEO) strategies helps boost a blog’s rankings in search results. And a food blog just wouldn’t be a food blog without beautiful photos, so know the basics of food styling tools and a standard food photo setup.
Although every post on a food blog should be aimed at engaging the audience, certain posts will elicit more of a response than others. Popular food bloggers can post a recipe and get more comments than a blooming onion has calories. Any of these five types of blog posts are guaranteed to engage readers and stir up a conversation:
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Link roundups: Link roundups highlight the blogs and sites you’re reading or simply want to share. They’re themed posts, such as seven recipes for fried chicken from across the web, or they’re generic shout-outs to an interesting post or a job well done.
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Behind-the-scenes: Everyone loves a glimpse of the reality behind your blog, whether that’s a view of your photography setup or a shot of your kitchen pre- and post-remodel.
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Guest posts: Inviting other bloggers to publish a post on your blog (and hopefully you vice versa on theirs) is an effective way of introducing a new voice and attracting a new audience.
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Polls: Polling your readers has two big benefits: It gives you valuable insight to their preferences and desires, and it encourages them to have a voice (and be heard) outside the comments field.