Top 10 Strategies for a Successful Food Vlog

Do you love food, people, and working with a camera? Then you might want to consider starting a food vlog.

In recent years, food vlogging has emerged as an engaging way to share foodie experiences, so if you find the idea enticing, this guide is just for you.

In this article, we’ll provide you with the essentials of starting a food vlog, such as the importance of high-quality content, choosing the best equipment, and content marketing strategies to help you grow.  

Alongside vlogging tips, we’ll also discuss the benefits of complementing your video content with a blog.

1. Pick the perfect gear for your culinary vlog success

The equipment you need depends on your budget and initial goals. Most people start on a budget and then upscale as necessary. 

However, regardless of your financial plan, there are three critical categories to consider: cameras, microphones, and lighting. 

Cameras

You have two options: staying with your phone or investing in a professional camera. If you want to buy a camera, look at our useful guide on professional DSLRs and mirrorless cameras. 

It all depends on the skill level you have and the amount of money you’re willing to invest from the very beginning. Most vloggers start with their phones and then gradually upgrade as they grow. 

Modern phones are built with great cameras and easy-to-navigate interfaces, which makes them perfect for novices. To elevate your smartphone photography skills, consider adding external lenses specifically designed for smartphones. Not only do they enhance image quality, but they also offer various effects akin to professional cameras. 

When it comes to editing, mobile apps might not offer an overwhelming range of controls as desktop software, but they promise faster, more user-friendly editing at a fraction of the cost. As a matter of fact, the mobile version of Lightroom – which is among the most popular photo editing software – offers many of the features you can find in the desktop app. 

Microphones

Complementing your smartphone or camera with a specialized microphone can add another layer of quality to your vlogs. Users can get over mediocre video quality, but bad audio quality will make them click right off the video. 

🎤Pro tip: Consider clip-on lavalier microphones or shotgun microphones for their directional audio capture, ideal for food vlogs.

Lighting

Great lighting is one of the most essential elements in food photography and videography. Striking the right balance with lighting can transform your food visuals from good to appealing. 

There are two ways you can go about it: 

• Natural lighting, sourced from the sun, offers a soft, flattering glow that enhances authenticity in videos, making them feel more relatable and genuine. It’s also free and can produce a variety of moods depending on the time of day.
• Artificial lighting, created with tools like LED panels and softboxes, provides consistent and controllable light, ensuring your video quality remains steady, regardless of the time of day or weather conditions. It allows for creative flexibility in setting the tone and atmosphere of your videos, making it ideal for specific stylistic needs.

If you want to learn more, check out our article on the best lighting setup for cooking videos! 

2. Work those angles

Videos should be taken from different angles depending on what you’re trying to show to the audience. 

The most favored camera angles in food vlogging are the bird’s-eye view and the straight-on shot. 

• The bird’s-eye view lets you capture the organization of your ingredients and the beauty of your preparation technique, offering a comprehensive look at the dish’s assembly. 
• A straight-on shot highlights the vibrant colors and textures of your dish.

Regardless of the angle, stability is crucial in achieving clear, professional shots, which is why you need a good tripod. It ensures your footage remains shake-free and your content retains a high level of professionalism.

📷Pro tip: Use two cameras or smartphones to capture bird’s-eye and front-on shots simultaneously. It will eliminate time spent re-filming the entire preparation process to get the various shots, and it makes your vlog more dynamic and engaging. Ensure your cameras are of similar quality to maintain consistency in your shots, and consider color grading in post-production to ensure a perfect visual match.

Lastly, complement your dishes with clean, uncluttered backgrounds. They serve as a blank canvas, highlighting your food without causing distractions. 

For instance, consider rustic wooden tables when showing off your homemade bread or sleek marble countertops for your elegant desserts.

3. Quality over quantity

The best vloggers consistently offer high-resolution videos with outstanding audio clarity, creative storytelling that captivates the audience, and meticulous editing to ensure every detail is perfect. If you don’t give 100%, it will be challenging to stand out. 

It might be tempting to increase the frequency of uploads to grow your content library quickly, but this could compromise the quality of your work. Prioritize elements that contribute to a top-tier vlog: intricate editing, flawless audio and video quality, impeccable lighting, engaging scriptwriting, and compelling video storytelling. It’s better to produce fewer videos of superior quality than rush many subpar ones.

Make sure to be consistent – your subscribers anticipate your uploads, so maintaining a steady schedule is key to retaining your viewership. Do this by: 

• Determining an upload routine that suits your workflow and sticking to it. 
• Using analytics to discern what times your audience is most active and scheduling your uploads accordingly. 
• Planning your videos with social media scheduling tools and sticking to your content creation calendar will help manage these challenges effectively.

4. Creating a unique brand identity for your food channel

A distinctive brand identity can be the defining element that helps an ordinary food vlog rise above the crowd, but it’s not an easy thing to do, so let’s break it down. 

Steps to create a unique brand identity

Creating a compelling brand identity is more than having a catchy name or a trendy logo; it requires strategic thought and planning: 

• Define your goals and mission: Look for a unique aspect that is interesting to you and the audience, whether it’s making five-ingredient recipes or exploring the street food culture of different countries.
• Identify your target audience: Understanding your audience enables you to design content that resonates with them. Are they home cooks exploring new recipes, food enthusiasts eager to discover new eating spots, or health-conscious viewers needing wholesome meal ideas? 
• Determine your Unique Selling Proposition (USP): This sets your food vlog apart from others. It could be the unique twist you bring to traditional recipes, your off-the-beaten-path restaurant choices, or your knack for explaining complex cooking procedures in simple, easy-to-follow steps.
• Develop a distinct visual style: A uniform visual style encompassing your logo, color scheme, and fonts makes your brand easily recognizable. 

How to communicate your brand identity to your target audience

Successful communication of your brand identity leans heavily on storytelling, honesty, and clear interaction. 

• Share your journey and culinary experiences, and remain truthful with your audience. 
• Shape a relatable personality for your brand, forming an emotional connection with the viewers. 
• Diversifying across platforms, like hosting a written blog along with a YouTube food channel and using social media, can fortify your brand image and widen your audience reach.

🌟Real-life inspiration from a WP Recipe Maker user: My Korean Kitchen

Their YouTube channel

Their Blog

Their Instagram profile

By being consistent and available on different platforms, Sue from My Korean Kitchen has created a faithful audience that constantly engages with their content. Even though they post regularly on social media and YouTube, the central hub of knowledge is the written blog, and every piece of content points back to it. 

Spotting collaboration and sponsorship opportunities

Teaming up with fellow food vloggers can provide a powerful boost to your viewer base. To do this:

• Find collaborations with creators who have a similar style and are likely to appeal to your own audience. 
• Reach out to emerging creators rather than those with hundreds of thousands of followers, as they are more likely to work with you on projects.

Sponsorship opportunities present another avenue for audience expansion, as sponsors often share and promote your content, helping you gain exposure. To do this: 

• Monitor brands that are engaging with channels similar to yours. 
• Approach these brands with an introduction and ideas for collaboration that illustrate the mutual benefits. 
• Polish your approach to advertising potential sponsors – it could range from offering banner ads and product reviews to creating sponsored content. 

5. Planning your shoot

Meticulous planning is the key to a smooth and engaging food vlog shoot. Focus on the details, and your videos are sure to captivate viewers. Aspects like lighting, focus points, and even food presentation can significantly impact the final outcome of your vlog. 

To plan a shoot:

1. Start by detailing a list of shots needed for your vlog. 
2. Break your shooting agenda into individual stages. You might need a bird’s-eye view shot of chopping onions or a close-up, in-focus shot of a sizzling pan. Don’t underestimate the worth of a well-planned shot list, serving as your roadmap during shooting. 
3. Plan the thumbnail shot. Thumbnails can significantly influence click-through rates, with compelling visuals driving viewer engagement on platforms like YouTube. 
4. Prepare a list of all essentials: cameras, tripods, lights, ingredients, cutting boards, and even any themed food props fitting for your dish.
5. Make room in your plan for the final meal shot. It’s often the climax of a food vlog – a moment of unveiling the brought-to-life recipe in all its culinary splendor. 

🥘Pro tip: Research food styling from top food stylists or culinary magazines and create a mood board of food images that inspire you. 

6. Follow trends

You need to keep your content fresh and relevant. Observing food vlogging influencers, such as Divas Can Cook, provides valuable pointers on prevailing and emerging trends. Following viral food trends, such as Dalgona coffee, sourdough bread, or cloud bread, has catapulted many food vloggers into instant internet stardom. 

Remember to adapt these trends to your unique style and content. 

7. Starting a blog to accompany your vlog

Expanding your content efforts to written forms via a blog is a sound strategy adopted by most successful food vloggers. 

A blog offers immense potential for enhancing your food vlogger’s reach and accessibility. 

“Having a blog as a food vlogger offers a complementary platform to dive deeper into content. While videos showcase the visual aspect, a blog allows for detailed recipes, additional tips, and personal anecdotes.”

Birthe Vandermeeren

Cofounder of Bootstrapped Ventures

• WordPress
• Instagram
• Mail

Additionally, a blog filled with relevant keywords enhances your search engine visibility. Further optimization is achievable as your blog draws traffic from both your vlog as well as affiliate marketing, hosted ads, or direct purchases.

Incorporating WP Recipe Maker into your blog

If you want to further increase the accessibility and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) of your food blog, use a WordPress plugin like WP Recipe Maker. 

This useful recipe card tool can help your food blog grow with its many valuable features: 

• User-friendly and interactive recipe cards so that your viewers can follow along with the recipes. 

• Easy recipe management process with tags, categories, and recipe grids.
• SEO features, such as structured recipe metadata, making your recipes appear in Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs) as useful rich results.

• Integration of video content into your blog and recipe cards so you can strike the perfect balance between engaging videos and informative text.

• Affiliate links for equipment and ingredients for extra revenue.

Food vloggers often grapple with showcasing their creations in a format that balances entertaining vlogs with the instructive detail of a traditional recipe. WP Recipe Maker provides an integrated platform that’s tailored specifically toward food blogs. 

With WP Recipe Maker, you’re in control of your content’s narrative. You can place the video at the beginning of the article or use it to guide users through the cooking process. Whatever you choose, WP Recipe Maker allows the flexibility for your videos to be displayed anywhere on the recipe page that suits your style and audience’s needs. 

Next steps to kickstart your food vlogging journey

In this article, we have looked at: 

• The necessity for well-defined, clear, and consistent branding.
• The importance of investing in quality equipment, especially when taking your vlog to a higher level. However, it’s perfectly fine to get started with a standard smartphone.
• The significance of meticulous preliminary planning, from script writing to visual setups, for creating a captivating food vlog.
• The need to diversify your digital presence by expanding onto multiple platforms like YouTube, blogs, and social media.

As you start your food vlogging adventure, here are practical steps to jumpstart your journey:

• Brainstorm branding ideas: Understand your unique selling proposition, goals, and target audience, and conceive a compelling brand identity.
• Research equipment: Familiarize yourself with filming tools that align with your vlogging style and budget.
• Follow other food vloggers: Absorb inspiration and insights from successful food vloggers to keep up with the latest trends.
• Set up a blog: Blogs supplement your vlog by housing more detailed, SEO-friendly written content.

One way to make your blog more accessible is by using the capabilities of the WP Recipe Maker. Not only does it help present and organize your recipes, but it also improves your SEO rankings. 

So, why wait? Start integrating WP Recipe Maker into your blog today.