The onset of the pandemic, combined with the ongoing protests, has created a demand to do business with Black content creators. As my following continues to grow and my business expands, I thought this would be a great time to dispel some myths about food bloggers. I think there is a big misconception that food bloggers constantly get free food, and for those that create recipes, the perception is that the blogger is just taking photos of their nightly dinner. To communicate all the work that goes into blogging and answer the question ‘what do food bloggers do?’ I have compiled the list below.
7 Myths About Food Bloggers
| 1. | Food Bloggers always eat for free. | False. While meals can be complimentary, many food bloggers who review restaurants pay for their own meals. Also, tipping service staff is an additional expense, as well as travel, and time. Additionally, those who choose to share recipes from home often have to pay the cost out of pocket to test a recipe multiple times before sharing it with their audience. Food blogging can be an expensive passion and food bloggers don’t always receive equitable consideration. |
| 2. | Food Bloggers just post their everyday meals. | False. Yes, it is true that we love food. However, many food bloggers have well thought out social media feeds and plan their content according to the wants and needs of their audience. Home cooks who blog often plan months ahead so they have time to test recipes, because they don’t always come out perfect the first time around. |
| 3. | Food Bloggers are just like every other influencer. | False. Many bloggers aren’t paid like celebrity influencers, or are paid very little for their services. Also, many bloggers have full time jobs so we are essentially working two full time jobs in some instances. |
| 4. | Food Bloggers can’t be trusted because their food is free. | False. At least my foodie friends, and myself, do not post about food or products we don’t eat, use, or support ourselves. If I don’t like the food, product, or service I just don’t share the content with my audience, and provide my feedback to the vendor. |
| 5. | My favorite Food Blogger knows I love their content. | False. You must engage with a food blogger’s content (like, comment, share, save) so we know what you like and what we should create more of for you. If you want more, like, comment, share, and save. These are key indicators for bloggers and it lets us know you enjoy and appreciate our work. Also, reply to our stories and answer our polls to help us build our community together. |
| 6. | Besides food, food bloggers don’t have other costs. | False. Food bloggers have additional expenses beyond just food. Web hosting, photography equipment, educational conferences and seminars, transportation, props, software, subscriptions, and more all create additional hidden costs for food bloggers that you may not see. To consistently share quality content, my expenses are in the tens of thousands of dollars annually. |
| 7. | Food bloggers eat out all the time. | False. For food bloggers who provide restaurant reviews content is often planned in advance. Posting for optimal visibility or to align with an opening or release of a new menu may come into play. Many times due to time needed to edit photos, draft captions, and create stories, posts aren’t usually published on the same day of a restaurant visit. |
I hope you now have a better idea about the life of a food blogger. Food bloggers I know spend countless hours planning, organizing, and producing content, for free. When you’re doing something you enjoy it doesn’t often feel like work.
Comment below if you have questions about blogging, bloggers, or what goes on behind the scenes.
