In this captivating introduction, we are introduced to Sarah Bond, the successful creator behind the food blog Live Eat Learn. With over 1 million monthly visitors to her site and earning $30-40k per month, Bond shares her journey and insights on content strategy and growth tactics. Initially starting the blog in 2015 as a way to document her process of learning how to cook, Bond has not only mastered the art of cooking but has also inspired millions of others along the way. She emphasizes the importance of creating content clusters around specific ingredients or topics to establish herself as an authority in those areas and highlights the significance of SEO in driving traffic to her blog. From recipe development to photography and even email marketing strategies, Bond offers a wealth of knowledge on how to turn a food blog into a thriving, profitable business.
Starting her blog as a business from the start
Sarah Bond started her blog, Live Eat Learn, in 2015 with the intention of turning it into a business. Inspired by the income reports of other food bloggers, Sarah knew that the food niche aligned with her background in nutrition. She initially used the blog to document her journey of learning how to cook, focusing on a featured ingredient each week. Over time, Sarah not only learned how to cook but also inspired millions of others through her blog.
Using the blog to document learning how to cook
Sarah’s blog, Live Eat Learn, served as a platform for her to document her process of learning how to cook. Each week, she would select a featured ingredient and create recipes using that ingredient. This approach allowed her to track her progress while providing valuable content for her readers. It also helped her establish herself as an authority figure in the food blogging space.
Her nutritional background
Prior to starting her blog, Sarah studied nutrition for her bachelor’s degree at Penn State. Her background in nutrition gave her a solid foundation of knowledge and understanding in the field of food. This expertise allowed her to create high-quality content that emphasized the nutritional value of her recipes. By incorporating her knowledge into her blog, Sarah was able to provide reliable and informative content for her readers.
Why she went full-time on her blog
In 2018, Sarah made the decision to leave her plans of pursuing a traditional job in the food industry behind and instead go full-time with her blog. She recognized the potential for growth and success in the blogging world and decided to invest her time and effort into building her online presence. This decision proved to be a turning point for Sarah, as it allowed her to dedicate more time to her blog and see significant growth in both traffic and revenue.
Site traffic and revenue breakdown
Live Eat Learn has experienced tremendous growth in terms of site traffic and revenue. Currently, the blog receives over 1 million monthly visitors, making it a highly successful food blog. In terms of revenue, Live Eat Learn generates approximately $30,000 to $40,000 per month. The majority of this revenue comes from ads, as Sarah is a member of the advertising network Mediavine. She also earns additional income through digital products and affiliate marketing.
How she chooses topics
Sarah chooses topics for her blog based on a content cluster approach. She creates content clusters that revolve around specific ingredients or topics to establish herself as an authority in those areas. By focusing on specific topics, Sarah is able to provide in-depth and valuable content to her readers. This approach not only appeals to her target audience but also helps to attract organic traffic through search engine optimization (SEO).
Content calendar
To stay organized and consistently produce content for her blog, Sarah follows a content calendar. This calendar allows her to plan out her content in advance, ensuring that she always has fresh and engaging content for her audience. By planning ahead, Sarah can also take advantage of seasonal trends and holidays to create timely and relevant content.
Content repurposing strategies
In addition to creating new content, Sarah also utilizes content repurposing strategies to maximize the reach and impact of her blog. She repurposes her existing content in various formats, such as videos, social media posts, and newsletters. This allows her to reach a wider audience and engage with her readers across different platforms.
How she creates her content
Sarah creates her content by combining her expertise in nutrition with her passion for cooking. She ensures that her recipes are reliable and visually appealing by using her background in nutrition and photography. Sarah emphasizes the importance of recipe development and photography in building trust with her audience. By creating high-quality and visually appealing content, she is able to captivate her readers and keep them engaged.
Improving E-A-T
E-A-T stands for Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness, and it is an important aspect of ranking high in search engine results. Sarah focuses on improving her blog’s E-A-T by providing reliable and accurate information in her content. By leveraging her nutritional background and expertise, she establishes herself as an authoritative source in the food blogging industry. This, in turn, builds trust with her audience and helps her blog gain visibility and credibility.
How she hires ghostwriters
To maintain a consistent flow of content on her blog, Sarah occasionally hires ghostwriters. She carefully selects ghostwriters who have expertise in specific areas or topics related to food and nutrition. These ghostwriters help her create content that aligns with her blog’s style and standards. By outsourcing some of the content creation, Sarah is able to focus on other aspects of her blog while still providing valuable content for her readers.
Tips for updating titles
With over 1300 posts on her blog, Sarah understands the importance of updating titles to make older content more appealing and optimized for search engines. She prioritizes retitling posts to make them stand out in search results and attract organic traffic. By incorporating relevant keywords and making titles more engaging, Sarah improves the visibility and click-through rate of her older posts.
Adding social proof and multimedia with updates
When updating her content, Sarah adds social proof and multimedia elements to enhance the user experience and build credibility. She includes positive reviews or testimonials at the top of her posts to provide social proof of the quality of her recipes. Additionally, she incorporates step-by-step photos and videos to provide visual guidance to her readers and keep them engaged with her content.
How she attracts so many links
Sarah’s blog, Live Eat Learn, has been successful in attracting a significant number of backlinks. Backlinks are an important factor in building domain authority and improving search engine rankings. Sarah attributes the high number of backlinks to her focus on creating valuable and shareable content. By consistently providing helpful and informative content, she naturally attracts links from other websites and bloggers in the food and nutrition industry.
Her email marketing strategies
Email marketing plays a crucial role in Sarah’s overall business strategy. She utilizes her email list to build relationships with her audience and promote her digital products. Sarah sends regular emails to her subscribers, including both seasonal and evergreen content. By keeping her subscribers informed and engaged, she is able to drive traffic to her blog and increase conversions.
Digital products
In addition to her blog’s revenue from ads and affiliate marketing, Sarah also generates income through digital products. These products include recipe ebooks, cooking guides, and meal plans. By leveraging her expertise and credibility as a food blogger, she is able to create and sell digital products that provide value to her audience. This allows her to diversify her income streams and further monetize her blog.
In conclusion, Sarah Bond has successfully built her food blog, Live Eat Learn, into a thriving business. Through strategic content planning, utilizing her nutritional background, and adapting to changing trends and platforms, she has attracted a large audience and achieved significant monthly revenue. Sarah’s success serves as an inspiration and valuable resource for aspiring food bloggers and entrepreneurs in the industry.
Source: https://www.nichepursuits.com/sarah-bond-growth-tips/
