SUMMER FANCY FOOD SHOW—Chop, Chat, and Charm Panel

A friend of mine who’s interested in starting her own blog asked me if I could give her some advice about blogging. It made me think about a panel that I attended at the Summer Fancy Food Show.

Chop, Chat, and Charm: Connecting with Your Audience

Panelists:

Sara Moulton, host of PBS’s Sara’s Weeknight Meals

Kelsey Nixon, host of Cooking Channel’s Kelsey’s Essentials

Roger Mooking, host of Cooking Channel’s Man Fire Food

I attended this panel hoping to get some tips on how this food blog could reach a larger audience, and I thought the expert panelists provided some really helpful advice.

The most important way to connect with your audience is being honest and real with them. Bottom line, it is important to believe in whatever you’re “selling.” When establishing your blog, it’s also important to be consistent in how you wish to “brand yourself.” With each post, ask yourself, What is your perspective? And stay true to your brand!

Most important: Have fun! It shouldn’t be stressful.

Another way to connect with your audience is to know what form of social media would be right for you (i.e., Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, blogging).  Ask yourself:

Who is your audience? Who are you speaking to?

How much time do you have to spend on connecting with your audience?

What is your personality and voice?

If the choice is blogging, the panelists recommended posting at least three (3) times a week. (Yikes! I’m lucky if I’m able to post once a week. So I gotta work on that!!) Some suggested blog posts for a food blog would be links to favorite recipes or good tips, tools, and techniques used in cooking. Blogging definitely requires much more effort in regards to time and commitment.

Tweeting is simpler and easier. It also will connect you with a younger audience. Blogs tend to attract an older audience. The panelists actually thought that having a Twitter and Instagram account should be a MUST if outreach and connection to a larger audience is desired. They recommend that you tweet every day with unique postings. Asking questions would be a good way to engage your audience.

Was this post of help to you?