Food Blogging 101: The 13 Dos & Don'ts You Need To Know

With Hunger & Haw Hai's third birthday is coming up next month, it’s been a few years into blogging now, and after poring over stacks of books, researching endlessly for advice, following a legion of food blogs, freelancing for a couple of publications, and keeping Hunger & Haw Hai afloat, I’m still nowhere near tech-ninja status, but I’ve definitely learned a thing or two along the way.

It hasn’t all been useful or practical or easy to decipher — damn you, Javascript. And plenty of it has just been plain redundant and vague — “write great content” — why thank you, Captain Obvious. But there are a couple of pointers that I’ve found indispensable as I fumbled my way through. 

I love these tips for a couple of reasons.

For one, they apply whether you’re a rookie or a food blogging savant. Plus, these guidelines  as just as effective at getting you started as they are at keeping you going. And, finally, because  I find myself referring to them over and over again when I need direction.

I’m not going to bore you with the basics. 

If you’re reading this, you probably already understand the importance of your blog’s visual appeal, and you get that posting regularly keeps readers engaged, and you know the struggle of precisely angling that fork to get the perfect photo. 

Instead, I’m going chalk out what’s worked for me.

Check out the slick infographics below (cobbled together with my fantastical Photoshopping skills, thankyouverymuch) for a quick rundown of the 13 food blogging dos and don’ts you absolutely need to know.

Personally, writing is where I struggle most. It can be a tedious and mind-numbing task, especially when I’m attempting to work my way through a particularly stubborn block. And with more and more bloggers favoring photos over the written word, it seems like Instagrammer’s rule the online world, but don’t underestimate the impact of well-crafted editorial content just yet. 

I have no technical training, so my photography skills constantly need to be brushed up. I say that because polishing your technique can be tricky — ISO, white balance, rule of thirds, aperture, wait, what? There is some good news, though. Most of what I’ve learned has come from limitless trial and error, and despite the anger and frustrated tears, if I compare the quality of the photos I take now to those I took back when I first started out, the difference is definitely noticeable.  

There’s a saying in marketing circles “You can’t buy it if you don’t know it exists”. In other words, don’t waste time waiting to be discovered. Truth is, no matter how fabulous your stories are or how splashy those photos look, no one’s going to come knocking at your blog if they don’t know who you are, what you do, and where to find you. And remember, the internet has reduced the human attention span down to mere milliseconds, so prep yourself to post plenty of periodic reminders. 

Just remember that blogging elements are interwoven. They play off of one another, build on each other, and depend on the others to create a consistent and cohesive blog.

Until next time, happy blogging, babies!

Got questions about food blogging? Having a hard time finding answers? Shoot me a comment below and I’ll try my best to dig up some solid info for you.