If you were lucky enough to attend the 2018 International Food Bloggers Conference, then you were lucky enough to get a 5-minute whirlwind of humor and good advice from food blogger The Food Hussy (aka Heather Johnson) during the Lightning Talks session.
Heather started food blogging in 2008. She also has 20+ of marketing agency experience. During the past ten years, she has worked as a marketing pro by day … and as a food blogger by night/weekends. Because she understands both worlds (brand and blogger), she eventually started doing more work managing influencers as part of her day job, and now she works with influencers full-time by day … and as a food influencer by night.
The Food Hussy’s insights and perspectives are priceless. The way she delivers them in a presentation? She could wake up the sleepiest of after-lunch-coma crowds!
Needless to say, five minutes left me (and everyone else there) wanting more, so I interviewed my Food Hussy friend …
Q: First things first, what’s a Food Hussy?
A: Besides the obvious answer of “ME!” I think of a “hussy” as a good thing. I call all my friends that (it’s how you know I like you). It’s someone who is honest and open and tells it like it is, and that’s what I do. If that’s you too, then you just might be a fellow hussy. But … there’s only ONE Food Hussy!
Q: How and why did you get started as a food and travel blogger?
A: I started my blog because, of course, I love food. I’m also opinionated and happy to share my opinions (LOL!), so I started out with restaurant reviews in Cincinnati (I’m currently #1 on Zomato!) but soon after expanded to recipes, travel/road trips, DIY projects and product reviews. I also appear regularly on local TV news segments.
Q: After 10 years, what’s next for The Food Hussy?
A: I am so ready for my future on The Food Network (someday)! In the meantime, I’m continuing to expand my recipes, reviews and road trips plus speaking more and more at industry conferences.
Q: Your “lightning round” presentation at IFBC was a fast and furious dose of advice for food bloggers when working with brands. Can I ask you more about what you shared?
A: Of course!
Q: You had some specific tips for blogging professionals about their websites, based on what drives you crazy when you’re trying to find, research and work with them for your day job. What are those?
A: On your websites, make sure 1) you have your email listed (not a form) so people like me can easily reach you; to avoid spam, you can type it out like I do (foodhussy at gmail dot com), but don’t make it hard for brands and agencies to reach out to you directly and 2) set your social channel links up to open in a new tab. Please! We need to get at your social channels quickly and that just helps speed up the process — plus you don’t want to lose people off your blog when they go to your Facebook page!
Q: What other tips for success do you have, with your agency hat on?
A: Take deadlines and details seriously. Please. Because brands and agencies working with them do. Also, if you aren’t the right fit for something, speak up … and feel free to suggest fellow bloggers who may be a better fit. I just had a gluten free brand approach me – and that’s just not me – but I have friends that are, so I shared it with them!
Q: If you can switch hats now, what are a few tips for success, based on your experience as a food blogger?
A: I have a lot, but a few I shared include:
- Know your rates. This way when someone comes asking, you’re not asking friends what you should charge and hemming around. Instead, you can quickly say, “This is my rate.” If they want you, they’ll negotiate if it’s too high
- No is NOT a four letter word. I’m a very established blogger, and I’m frequently asked to create recipes in exchange for a loaf of bread. I’m completely comfortable telling them no.
- Options equal more money. When someone asks for my rates, I give them options: I could make one of their recipes, create one of my own, add a video, etc. Give them options at different budget levels!
- If you hate it, then farm it out. For example, if there’s a social media task you hate doing (i.e. pinterest pins) look into hiring a VA (virtual assistant). They’re affordable and leave your time open for getting new business.
Q: Can you tell us more about options equal more money?
A: Not all of us have the same skill set, passions or niches. Look at yours and even look outside the box. For example, in addition to recipe creation and social sharing, I make good money doing sponsored TV appearances. Not everyone wants to do that or lives in a market where that would be lucrative. For someone else, additional money-earning options might be book writing, professional food photography or planning local blogger events.
Q: What do you think is one mistake bloggers make?
A: I think a lot of bloggers think that they need to hoard contacts or things that work so nobody else finds out. I am the OPPOSITE! I consider us the Sisterhood of the Traveling Spatulas! Share those spatulas – share what works – share good contacts! If you work with a brand and know they want more people and you have a friend that would be a great fit, introduce them. What goes around comes around, so help each other out and don’t be afraid to ask for help. I know that doing both has helped me plenty over the years
Q: Where is The Food Hussy speaking next?
A: I’m speaking at TBEX next week on a panel about blogging income – and hopefully I’ll be speaking at IFBC in Juneau, Alaska next year!!!
Q: Where can we find The Food Hussy online?
A:
Blog: www.thefoodhussy.com
Facebook: facebook.com/thefoodhussy
Twitter: twitter.com/foodhussy
Pinterest: pinterest.com/foodhussy
Instagram: instagram.com/foodhussy
Or if you’d like to get in touch with me directly, you can email me at foodhussy@gmail.com!
Thanks for the love hussy! I hope our blogger friends get a lot of out of it!
The Food Hussy did an amazing job at IFBC! Thanks for the follow-up interview with her. You both rock!
She did! And thank you!!!