How to Monetize a Food Blog and Serve Up a Profit

So, you’ve nailed down the basics of food blogging. Now, it’s time to make some money from it.

Trust me, monetizing your food blog can be really enjoyable.

Whether you’re just starting out or you’ve been at it for a while, these methods will help you turn your blog into a moneymaker. Let’s dive into each one.

1. Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is the best monetization method for food bloggers because it hits the sweet spot between time investment and earning potential.

Affiliate marketing is a form of advertising where a publisher (the site owner) links to a product in their content and earns a commission from the advertiser (the affiliate program) if readers click on that link and make a purchase.

Also, since you can add links to your existing content, it’s the perfect method for beginners. You’ve already written content, so you’ve already done the hard part.

How to Start Affiliate Marketing for Food Bloggers

Some different kinds of affiliate products to recommend in the food blogging niche include:

• Cookware and kitchen gadgets: You can recommend high-quality pots, pans, knives, blenders, and other kitchen tools that you use and love.
• Cookbooks and recipe e-books: Share your favorite cookbooks and digital recipe collections with your audience.
• Specialty ingredients: Recommend unique spices, sauces, and other specialty ingredients that are essential in certain recipes.
• Meal delivery services: Partner with meal kit companies to offer your readers a convenient way to prepare delicious meals at home.
• Food subscription boxes: Recommend subscription services that deliver gourmet snacks, artisanal treats, or international foods to your audience's door.

Once you’ve identified which products will solve problems for your readers, you need to sign up for their affiliate programs.

You should start by joining the Amazon Associates affiliate program.

Most physical products in the food niche will be available on Amazon, and the conversion rate on Amazon is insane.

Yes, Amazon’s commission rates are rough, and they only offer a 24-hour cookie duration, but the conversion rate makes up for it. Plus, you’re nearly guaranteed to get accepted into their program.

For products that aren’t available on Amazon, just Google “[Product] affiliate program,” and you’ll find their program’s signup page.

To save you some time, here are a few of the best affiliate networks for food bloggers:

1. Instacart

   

   Commission Rate: $2 - $10 Per Lead

   Cookie Duration: 30 days

   Same-day grocery delivery and pickup service bringing you fresh groceries and everyday essentials. With the Instacart shopper program, customers shop online with their favorite local grocery store.

2. Drizly

   

   Commission Rate: 3% - 15% Per Sale

   Cookie Duration: 10 Days

   Drizly works with local stores so you can shop their shelves using your smartphone or computer to order beer, wine, and liquor at the touch of a button.

3. Grubhub

   

   Commission Rate: 5% Per New Customer Sale

   Cookie Duration: 30 Days

   Grubhub helps you find and order food from wherever you are. Find restaurants in your area that can deliver or offer pickup.

Once you’ve been approved for the product’s affiliate program, the program will give you your affiliate link, and you can start inserting it into your content.

How To Monetize A Food Blog With Affiliate Marketing

To add your link to your content, go to your post editor, highlight the relevant text, and insert the link.

Here are a few best practices for adding affiliate links to your WordPress blog:

• Add links where it’s helpful. Adding too many links to your blog posts is just like adding too many ads; it’s annoying. Add links to product titles, images, CTA buttons, and the first time you mention a product. That’s plenty.
• Disclose your links. Every blog post with affiliate links should have a disclaimer at the beginning, and every CTA or product image should also.
• Use direct sales language. When you are writing your call to action, be direct. It’s not rude to say, “Check the price” or “Buy this product today.” Being too passive makes you look unconfident.

Or, take it a step further by creating product displays.

You Can Double Your Affiliate Sales With Lasso Displays

You can create displays manually using the post editor to add links to images and buttons.

However, it can be time-consuming to create these displays and keep them updated if you’re doing it all by hand.

Luckily, monetizing your blog with affiliate links is simplified when you’re using a tool like Lasso.

Lasso makes it super easy to add links and product displays to your posts. You can add product displays to posts right from the post editor; no coding is required. It’s as simple as clicking your mouse three times.

You can also automatically import product info from retailers like Amazon. Just paste the link into the Lasso dashboard, and Lasso will populate the display with the product title, image, and price.

With all of this, remember to follow the guidelines in the affiliate program’s terms and conditions. Amazon, in particular, is pretty stringent.

But everything Lasso does is compliant with Amazon Associates’ TOS, so you never have to worry about being booted from the program.

That’s just scratching the surface of what Lasso can do to help you monetize your food blog. If you’re ready to start making a serious affiliate income from your food site, sign up for Lasso today.

Affiliate Marketing Pros and Cons for Food Bloggers

One of the major pros of affiliate marketing for food bloggers is the potential for passive income. By promoting relevant products and services, bloggers can earn a commission on sales without directly exchanging their time for money.

On the flip side, a major con of affiliate marketing is the risk of appearing insincere or losing the trust of your audience. If readers feel like you're only promoting products for the sake of making money, it can damage your credibility as a blogger.

Another advantage of affiliate marketing for food bloggers is the opportunity to discover and promote new and exciting products that align with their brand and audience. This can lead to valuable partnerships and collaborations with brands in the food industry.

However, a potential downside is the time and effort it takes to research, test, and promote products effectively. It can be a significant investment of resources with no guarantee of a return if the products don't resonate with your audience.

2. Display Ads

The second best way to monetize your food blog is with display ads. Ads are the internet's favorite monetization method, but they have severe drawbacks.

How to Monetize a Food Blog With Display Ads

Monetizing a food blog with display ads couldn’t be easier.

First, choose an ad network to join. Networks have traffic requirements, so here are the best ad networks to join based on your site’s page views:

• 100,000+ Visitors per month - Raptive
• 50,000+ Sessions per month - Mediavine
• < 50,000+ Visitors per month - Ezoic

Once you’re accepted to an ad network, follow their instructions to integrate their ads into your site. They will have documentation for every type of content management service (WordPress, Joomla, Ghost, etc.).

If your chosen ad network has a dedicated accounts manager, they will guide you through getting their ads on your site.

And… that’s it. Let the ads run and wait for your deposits to hit your account.

Display Ad Pros And Cons For Food Bloggers

Display ads can be a great way for food bloggers to monetize their content. They are relatively easy to set up and can generate passive income once they are running. However, they can also be visually distracting and may take away from the overall aesthetic of your blog.

On the pro side, display ads can provide a steady stream of income, especially if your blog has a large audience. They can also be customized to fit the look and feel of your blog, making them more visually appealing. However, some readers may find them intrusive and may be turned off by the presence of ads on your site.

Ultimately, the decision to use display ads on your food blog will depend on your specific goals and audience. It's important to weigh the potential financial benefits against the potential drawbacks in terms of user experience and overall aesthetic appeal.

3. Digital Products

Selling your own digital products is a great way to increase your earnings per visitor in the food niche.

A digital product is anything you can sell on your food blog that the customer will receive via download.

Here are some digital products you can sell on a food blog:

• Recipe E-Books: Create and sell e-books with your best recipes, complete with mouth-watering photos and step-by-step instructions.
• Meal Plans: Offer weekly or monthly meal plans with shopping lists and nutritional information to help your audience plan their meals.
• Cooking Classes: Host virtual cooking classes or webinars covering different cuisines, techniques, or specific dishes.
• Printable Recipe Cards: Design and sell printable recipe cards featuring your original recipes for your audience to use in their own kitchens.

A lot of people search for simple checklists and guides related to different topics. They’d happily pay you for them.

Pros and Cons of Selling Digital Products for Food Bloggers

One major advantage of selling digital products for food bloggers is the potential for passive income. Once the product is created, it can be sold multiple times without the need for physical inventory or shipping, allowing bloggers to earn money even when they're not actively working on their blog.

Another pro is the ability to reach a wider audience. With digital products, bloggers can sell to people all over the world, expanding their customer base beyond their local area. This can lead to increased exposure and revenue opportunities.

On the downside, creating and marketing digital products can be time-consuming and require a learning curve. Bloggers may need to invest time and effort into product development, as well as learning about e-commerce and digital marketing strategies to effectively sell their products.

Additionally, digital products may not appeal to all blog audiences. Some followers may prefer physical cookbooks or other tangible items, which could limit the potential customer base for digital products.

How To Monetize a Food Blog By Selling Digital Products

The first thing to do is create your digital product.

Look at which content your audience interacts with the most, and brainstorm digital products to help serve their search intent.

That’s what I did when I created our Ultimate Blogging Guide:

Then, create the product using whatever tools are at your disposal. For example, use Microsoft Word to create an ebook PDF, or Google Sheets to create interactive spreadsheets and checklists.

Next, you have to figure out how to distribute your product. The easiest way to distribute PDFs is by uploading them to your WordPress media library. Then you can give customers the link, and they can download the PDF from there.

Lastly, you’ll have to set up payment processing and order fulfillment. A plugin like Woocommerce can automate most of this, but you’ll have to tie it to a processor like Stripe or PayPal.

Woocommerce can even connect to an email tool like ConvertKit, so as soon as your customer finishes their checkout, they’ll get an email with a link to their download.

Barring any issues, you won’t have to do anything but watch your bank account grow.

4. Email Newsletter

One effective way to monetize a food blog is by creating an email newsletter. This method allows you to build a loyal audience and engage with your readers on a more personal level. Let's explore how to monetize a food blog with an email newsletter and the pros and cons of email marketing for food bloggers.

How to Monetize a Food Blog with an Email Newsletter

An email newsletter can be a great way for food bloggers to monetize their blogs. By offering exclusive recipes, cooking tips, and product recommendations to subscribers, you can create a loyal following and drive traffic to your blog.

To monetize your food blog with an email newsletter, consider offering premium content to subscribers, such as meal plans, cooking tutorials, or access to a members-only community. You can also partner with food-related brands to promote their products to your subscribers in exchange for a commission or sponsorship.

Pros and Cons of Email Marketing for Food Bloggers

• Pros: Email newsletters allow you to build a direct line of communication with your audience, drive traffic to your blog, and monetize your content through sponsored promotions and affiliate marketing.
• Cons: Building a strong email list takes time and effort, and there's always the risk of your emails ending up in spam folders or being ignored by subscribers.

5. Consulting and Coaching Services

Consulting or coaching is exchanging your expertise and time for a fee. Your customers need an expert, and you’ve proven yourself to be that expert.

As you become an authority in the industry, people will reach out to you with questions about topics they consider you an expert in.

Now, you don’t have to charge for being helpful, but you should place a dollar value on your time.

As a food blogger, you extensive knowledge of the industry. If a reader reaches out to you asking for help, you should get paid for that effort.

How To Monetize A Food Blog With Consulting Services

Monetizing a food blog with consulting services is similar to selling sponsored posts.

Put a “Coaching” option in your nav bar that goes to a landing page outlining your consulting services and your hourly rate. This will help head off some of the people looking for free advice.

Then, wait for requests to come in, evaluate them, and propose your offer. If the customer accepts, send them an invoice using PayPal or another payment processor, and schedule the call.

Pros and Cons of Selling Consulting Services for Food Bloggers

One of the pros of selling consulting services to food bloggers is the potential for a lucrative income. Food bloggers are often looking to improve their brand, increase their following, and monetize their content, making them willing to invest in consulting services.

Another advantage is the opportunity to work with a diverse range of clients. Food blogging covers various niches such as healthy eating, vegan cuisine, and gourmet cooking, providing consultants with a chance to work with a wide array of bloggers.

On the flip side, a potential con is the challenge of standing out in a competitive market. With the growing popularity of food blogging, there is no shortage of consulting services available to bloggers, making it essential for consultants to find a unique value proposition to attract clients.

Additionally, the nature of the food industry means that trends and preferences can change rapidly, requiring consultants to stay updated and adaptable to meet the evolving needs of their clients.

Food Blog Monetization FAQs

What Is The Best Way To Make Money From Food Blogging?

If you want to build a successful food blog, then affiliate marketing is the best way to monetize it. It’s the least intrusive way to make a lot of money from your site without much extra effort.

Can I Make A Full-Time Income From Food Blogging?

Absolutely! Some food blogs, like Delish and Epicurious get hundreds of thousands of monthly visitors. That’s enough for a full-time income for a small team of people.

How Do I Start a Food Blog?

Learning how to start a food blog is the first best way to use your expertise to start an online business.

You need to register a domain, install WordPress, and publish great content. It's a lot of work, but totally worth it!

How Do Food Bloggers Get Paid?

Most food bloggers make money through affiliate commissions and advertising fees. Both of these monetization methods pay out one or two months after the fees have been generated.

Some food bloggers also sell sponsored posts, consulting services, or their own products. In these cases, a payment processor like PayPal or Stripe is necessary.

Is Food Blogging Easy?

Nothing worth doing is truly easy, but that doesn’t mean food blogging isn’t fun.

As a food blogger, you’ll get to go places, try new things, and meet new people. And it will be part of your business! What could be cooler than that?

Is It Worth Starting A Food Blog?

It’s absolutely worth it to start a food blog. Not only can you make a living from it, but you can also build a community and control the conversation.

Once you’re an established authority, people in food-related industries will take you seriously.

Final Thoughts on Monetizing a Food Blog

So now you know all the different ways you can make money from your food blog, but here's one more tip for you:

Try using multiple ways to make money!

Having different sources of income is the best way to protect your business's future. If you promote affiliate offers, use display ads, and sell your own products, you won't be in trouble if one method doesn't work out.

With this approach, hard work, and careful planning, you'll be on your way to earning what your online business deserves. Good luck!

Why You Should Trust Our Food Blogging Content

You may be thinking, "that's all great, but what does Lasso know about food blogging?"

Quite a lot, actually.

Here's why you can trust our process for building a successful food blog:

We've Built Wildly Successful Blogs

Lasso is built for affiliate marketers, by affiliate marketers. We're not gurus; we've walked the walk.

Our team members have built multiple blogs from the ground up, some of them earning over seven figures in revenue.

We put that experience into every guide we write, so you can trust we're giving you a process that works.

We Talk To Food Bloggers Every Day

Lasso's WordPress plugin is installed on over 8,000 websites, including a lot of food blogs.

Our team supports those bloggers every day as they create awesome content and earn lots of money.

These communications give us a bird's-eye view of what's new in the food industry. We take that information and use it to keep these guides as up-to-date and accurate as possible.

We're Super Nerds

We've put a lot of company focus into learning everything we can about blogging, affiliate marketing, SEO, and anything to do with online entrepreneurship.

We attend conferences, collect high-level contacts, read tons of books, and distill all of that information into our content. We pass information onto you that was previously only available to industry insiders.