Want to turn your food blog into a money-making machine? You’ve come to the right place. If you’ve been investing time and energy into your culinary content without seeing the financial returns you deserve, it’s time for a change. Get ready to turn your culinary creativity into cold, hard cash.
The key to making money from your own food blog is finding the right monetization strategy for you. In this post, we’ll explore ten of the most popular methods and provide an overview of the potential salary you can expect to generate from your food blog. Additionally, we’ll recommend some of the best digital tools to maximize your chances of success.
Ready? Let’s dive in!
How much money can food bloggers make?
At the top of the chain, food bloggers can earn tens of thousands of dollars each month, while beginner bloggers at the bottom may earn nothing.
For example, Get On My Plate reported earning over $20,000 in Q2 of 2022.A blog that is in the middle tier, Bites by Bianca, reported earning a total income of $77,702 in 2023. At the far end of the spectrum, Tiffy Cooks reports earning 45-55K per month.
While these top earners set inspiring goals, it’s important to set realistic expectations and not expect thousands in your first month of blogging. Remember, these bloggers didn’t start out earning this much. Take TiffyCooks, for example. She reported five figures a year and a half after she started blogging.
If you are at the beginning of your food blogging journey, we recommend not fixating on strict income goals. Instead, experiment with monetization techniques to figure out which works best for your audience. We also recommend prioritizing growing the reach of your blog since most monetization techniques yield better results with a bigger audience.
10 ways to monetize your food blog
There’s more than one way to monetize a food blog. The most successful food bloggers use a mixture of the methods we’ve outlined below, and in some cases, use all of them. Not all of these strategies may be suitable for your recipe website, but by including the ones that align with your goals, you can maximize your website’s earning potential.
1. Display ads on your site
You’ll be familiar with display advertising even if you don’t know the technical term for it — these are the graphic adverts that are displayed in different positions on a website. Display advertising helps to generate passive income since it doesn’t require any management; you just add it to your website and (hopefully) wait for the money to roll in.
There are various ad networks that make adding adverts to your website as easy as can be. Some of the most popular include MediaVine, Google AdSense, and AdThrive, all of which will automatically display advertisements on your website.
The key to maximizing the effectiveness of your display advertising is to optimize ad placement and performance without compromising the quality of the user experience. Basically, the advertisements should be clearly visible without impacting the visitor’s ability to consume your website’s content.
2. Use affiliate links
Affiliate marketing is a relatively low-effort, low-risk way to increase your website’s earning power. The premise is pretty simple: you just place affiliate links within your blog content which link to product pages of other websites. If the visitor makes a purchase, you’ll earn a commission. For example, if you’ve used a specific cookware product when preparing a recipe, then it would make sense to include a link to that product within the content.
Some of the most popular affiliate programs for food bloggers include ShareASale, Commission Junction, and Amazon Associates. Given that there are no startup fees, it’s generally recommended to give affiliate marketing a try.
You should never use affiliate links in a way that loses the trust of your readership. Some best practices for promoting affiliate products correctly include:
- Promote brands and products that you genuinely like and use.
- Be honest in your reviews.
- Ensure the brands you promote align with your (and your readers) values.
- Keep products in line with your readers’ budgets.
- Always mention if a post includes affiliate links.
- Prioritize your readers’ privacy and maintain a great user experience.
- Follow legal and platform-specific rules.
You can also use tools like WP Recipe Maker. This plugin allows you to create custom recipe cards that you can add to recipe pages, and it can be used to embed affiliate links within recipes and accompanying blog posts to ensure that the products you are linking to are relevant to your readers.
3. Set up brand deals
Setting up a brand deal can be a significant source of income for food bloggers. This is where you work directly with a food brand that will provide ongoing payments in exchange for the promotion of their products and services on your website.
Getting these brand deals can be challenging but not impossible. It’s all about building relationships with brands, pitching collaborations to relevant companies, and learning how to negotiate contracts. For top-level food bloggers and influencers such as Kevin Curry from Fit Men Cook and Yolanda Gampp from How to Cake It, brand deals often represent the bulk of their income.
The key to success is to find the right partners that make sense for your website and brand. Remember, successful brand deals are mutually beneficial. Aim to create content that serves the brand, your audience, and your own goals simultaneously. With the right partnerships, you can significantly boost your income while enhancing your blog’s value to your readers.
4. Start email marketing
Email marketing is an often overlooked goldmine for food bloggers, but it can be a true game-changer in your monetization strategy. The foundation of successful email marketing lies in building your list. Offer a compelling lead magnet, such as a free e-cookbook or meal plan, to entice visitors to sign up. Once you’ve captured their interest, segment your audience based on their preferences – vegetarian recipes, baking tips, or quick meals – to deliver more targeted content.
Value is the currency of email marketing. Share exclusive recipes, cooking tips, or behind-the-scenes content to keep your subscribers engaged and looking forward to your emails. This engagement opens doors to various monetization avenues. Your email list can also drive traffic back to your blog, boosting your website visits and, consequently, your ad revenue.
You can also use your email list to promote your own products or place affilate marketing links. You can also offer premium subscriptions with exclusive content for your most dedicated fans, or use your list to promote and sell tickets to virtual events like online cooking classes or workshops.
5. Create sponsored posts
Another effective income source for your website is publishing sponsored posts. Sponsored posts are distinct from your regular content as they promote a brand, and you receive payment for featuring them on your website.
While sponsored posts involve collaborating with brands, they differ from brand deals, which typically entail long-term partnerships.
Generating revenue through sponsored posts can be a fruitful endeavour, but it can also be challenging due to the competitive landscape. To secure sponsored posts for your site, it’s crucial to develop an engaging media kit, pitch collaboration ideas to relevant brands, and comply with campaign requirements.Many successful food bloggers create sponsored posts. Joy the Baker, for example, created a post for a Brown Butter Chess Pie recipe that was sponsored by Land O’ Lakes Butter.
6. Sell your own merchandise
You can also use your food blog as a hub to sell your own products. Some common branded products to sell on your website include aprons, branded totes for shopping, and kitchenware. You can also sell your own cookbook, spice blends, online courses, or printable cooking planners.
The products you sell will depend on the type of food blog you run. If you are interested in creating your own merchandise, here are the steps you need to keep in mind:
- Choose the right products: Align with your brand and audience interests.
- Focus on quality: Partner with reliable suppliers to ensure high standards.
- Start small: Begin with one or two items and expand based on response.
- Price strategically: Balance production costs, profit margins, and audience expectations.
- Market effectively: Showcase products in your content, use social media, create seasonal promotions, etc.
- Handle logistics: Establish clear shipping and return policies.
Some of the most successful food bloggers sell their own merchandise via their websites. For example:
- Love and Lemons sells meal-planning books and cookbooks.
- Minimalist Baker sells branded baking mixes.
- Love & Oil sells branded notepads and dishcloths.
7. Become a brand ambassador
Becoming a brand ambassador is a powerful way to monetize your food blog while aligning yourself with products you love. As an ambassador, you’re more than just an occasional promoter – you become a long-term advocate for the brand.
This role involves prominently displaying brand banners on your blog, writing about new product launches, posting honest reviews, and showcasing the products in your recipes and food photography.
For instance, Sally McKenney of Sally’s Baking Addiction partners with Wilton, using their baking tools in her tutorials and recipes.
Similarly, Monique Volz of Ambitious Kitchen serves as an ambassador for Bob’s Red Mill, naturally incorporating their healthy grains and flours into her recipes.
The benefits of brand ambassadorship are significant, including steady income, free products, exclusive access to new releases, and potential long-term partnerships. However, it’s important to consider that these arrangements are more binding than one-off sponsored posts and may limit your ability to work with competing brands.
Keep in mind that authenticity is key. Choose brands you genuinely love and can wholeheartedly recommend to your audience. This approach ensures your content remains genuine and valuable to your readers while providing a reliable income stream for your blog.
8. Write a recipe book
Writing a digital recipe book could be the perfect way to increase your income, as well as enhance the credibility of your website and boost brand exposure.
There are many ways to get a recipe book out into the world. You can go down the traditional publishing route, or you can self-publish. An example of a food blogging team that turned to writing cookbooks after finding success is Hunter – Angler – Gardener – Cook.
While this method can provide an additional income stream, it does come with certain challenges. It can be time-consuming, with no guarantee of generating revenue. Book sales are typically one-time transactions, and your audience may have limited interest in purchasing a book if all your recipes are already accessible on your website.
But if you’re interested in giving it a try, keep the following tips in mind:
- Focus your food recipe book on a specific niche.
- Taste test each recipe you include.
- Include high-quality photos of each dish.
- Ensure your recipes are easy-to-follow.
- Include personal stories to break up the recipes.
To promote your book, try the following:
- Highlight sneak peeks or sample recipes on your site.
- Build buzz and excitement via your Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest channels.
- Promote your book to your email list.
- Partner with other food websites for reviews and/or giveaways.
- Make the book available for pre-order to build excitement.
9. Create a cooking course
Online cooking courses have increased in popularity in recent years and can provide a lucrative revenue stream for food bloggers, and it’s more straightforward than you might think. If you can choose a hot topic, create your course materials, and select the right course platform for your needs — such as Teachable or Udemy — and you’ll be on the right track. Many successful food bloggers have released their own courses, including Homesteading Family, who host courses on topics such as how to ferment products and make homemade bread.
Making a quality course that people want to purchase requires work. Some handy tips for getting started include:
- Brainstorming content ideas: Find a variety of engaging topics and concepts that align with your audience’s interests.
- Selecting a course builder tool: Choose a reliable course platform or tool that provides the features and functionalities you require to create.
- Storyboarding your videos: Plan the flow and structure of your cooking videos by creating a visual outline or storyboard.
- Filming your cooking videos: Set up a suitable filming environment, gather the necessary equipment, and capture high-quality videos of your cooking demonstrations, ensuring clear visuals and good lighting.
- Creating text, food photography, voiceovers, and other multimedia content: Enhance your course materials with complementary elements such as written text, enticing food photography, informative voiceovers, and any other relevant multimedia assets.
- Editing your videos: Utilize video editing software to refine and polish your footage to create a professional final product.
If you are using WordPress, you can use plugins like Sensei LMS to easily host courses on your blog.
10. Start a membership program
Another excellent income source for websites with a substantial readership is selling membership programs, which can provide a recurring revenue stream. If you have already ventured into selling courses on your website, you can leverage existing content for the members-only section of your site.
To implement this, you will need to develop and oversee your membership program, including determining the membership tiers (e.g., Silver, Gold, Platinum, or a single tier), defining the offerings within each tier, and establishing the corresponding pricing. An example of a food blogger who has crafted a successful and enticing membership program is Hey Grill Hey, who has a membership website called The Grill Squad.
Here are some practical tips to integrate this income source into your website:
- Create valuable content exclusively for members.
- Manage content distribution by regularly adding new content and employing a drip-feed approach.
- Promote the program consistently through your blog, social media accounts, and email lists.
Take action: Start generating income with WP Recipe Maker
Monetizing your food blog requires creativity, persistence, and the right tools. By implementing a mix of these strategies, you can transform your passion for food into a profitable venture. One essential tool that can help elevate your food blog and support your monetization efforts is WP Recipe Maker. This plugin allows you to create custom recipe cards that you can add to recipe pages, enhancing the user experience of your website.
With WP Recipe Maker, you can:
- Create taxonomy archive pages for easy recipe categorization
- Allow users to save favorite recipes and add private notes
- Offer printable recipes and social media sharing options
- Provide adjustable serving sizes for reader convenience
- Customize recipe cards to match your brand
Ready to take your food blog to the next level? Start by implementing these monetization strategies and equip yourself with the right tools. Try WP Recipe Maker today and see how it can transform your food blog into a more professional and profitable platform!
