Through the years, I’ve interviewed dozens of food bloggers, professional chefs, and home cooks. I enjoy doing it. It’s fun. I get to learn a lot about the person I’m interviewing and I think it’s a win-win activity for the person being interviewed and myself. I’ll let you in on a little secret though – there’s definitely a strategy for going about this written interview business and I hope to cover all the nooks and crannies of the entire process below.
In this post, I’m going to discuss how best to interview a food blogger. I’ll break the process down into easy to digest sections. First, I’ll tell you why you might want to engage in such a thing and how it can benefit everyone involved. Second, I’ll teach you how to search for and settle upon the candidates that’ll most likely yield the best results. Third, I’ll cover how to properly reach out to a food blogger in such a way as to entice a return email, and finally, I’ll dive into which questions you might want to ask the blogger during their interview; what people who’ll read the interview want to know and how best to post those questions and answers to your website.
Interviewing food bloggers is a lot of fun and I’ve found that those I’ve interviewed have enjoyed the experience. The interviews have also proven to be incredible content for my own food blog as my readers have loved learning about others who are involved in this little slice of the internet. With that in mind, let’s get into it!
Why Interview Food Bloggers?
The answer is this: in order to become a successful food blogger yourself, you’ll need to immerse yourself into the food blogging community. You’ll need to make friends. You’ll need to get to know people. This is an exceedingly challenging task to accomplish. Typically, the more popular a food blogger becomes, the less likely he or she will be willing to spend their time answering questions from a beginner. That’s unfortunate because one never knows where that beginner will end up or how high that beginner will climb.
Allow me to offer two scenarios. I hope these will effectively illustrate some of the benefits involved with interviewing and being interviewed by someone in this space.
Benefits of Interviewing a Food Blogger
Let’s say you’ve got a website to which you’re trying to build traffic. You have a decent audience already, but as always, you’d like a larger one. You think of ideas to become more involved in the food world and decide that interviewing someone in that world might benefit you. Why? Because once you interview a person in writing, you’ll have made a friendly contact. As anyone in the business world knows, contacts are highly valuable and can lead to unknown future yields. Hopefully positive yields. Also, once you interview that person and post the interview to your website, they’ll likely link to it from their social media feeds, bringing you an immediate influx of traffic. On top of that, they may add a link to your post on their “Press” or similar page. This would add another link pointing to your website, which might help with search engine rankings. Above all though, great content on your website, such as a well executed interview, will attract and retain followers. That’s really what you’re after.
Here’s the big question: Does it matter if you interview a food blogger who currently isn’t getting much traffic to his or her website? Is it a waste of time to interview someone who’s just starting out? Well, let’s think about it for a second. What if the person you interview is on the small side right now, but grows exponentially through the years? It’s like owning an old baseball card. Sometimes, things become more valuable as time passes. What if you interviewed Sally McKenney from Sally’s Baking Addiction when she first launched her food blog back in 2011? She may have added a link on her site to yours. It may not have been worth much back then, but now that she’s one of the world’s most popular food bloggers, yeah, I’d say the link is worth something.
Benefits of a Food Blogger Being Interviewed
Now let’s turn things around. You’re a food blogger and you’ve been approached for an interview. Someone out there would like to pick your brain and when your interview is completed, they’d like to post it to their website. Would you agree to the interview? Would you spend your valuable time answering questions asked by a random stranger? Before doing anything, you’d make sure the person who approached you has a legitimate interest in following through with what he or she has requested. The world is full of unscrupulous SEO types who would love nothing more than to waste your time. For this example, we’ll say the person who contacted you has a legitimate website and everything seems okay. My recommendation would be to go ahead with the interview. Why? Because even if the interviewer is just starting out, again, you have no idea how large and popular his or her website will grow. In the interview post, a link will likely be added that points to your website. That’s a good thing. If the person has a small website, fine. It’ll likely grow. If the website is already popular, even better. Beyond this, the interviewer will likely add the interview post to their social media feeds, leading more traffic to your website. The internet is a huge network. You’ve got to get in there and start making contacts and earning links, no matter which side of the typing you’re on.
Any way you look at it, interviewing and being interviewed is a good thing. Both parties have an opportunity to show off how skilled they are and to earn an audience. Just be sure that the questions, answers, and photography are of the highest quality and worthy of any future reader who may browse your pages. You know what they say about first impressions; there’s never a second chance to make one.
How to Find Food Bloggers to Interview
I’ll be upfront with you when I tell you that this isn’t an easy task. There are millions of food blogs out there, yes, but just because there is a lot of something doesn’t mean it’s easy to find what you seek. In this section, I’ll clue you in to a few tricks I’ve learned through the years. Tricks that should help tremendously when it comes to landing an interview.
Interview Organization
The very first task you’ll need to complete is to devise an organizational structure. Create a folder on your computer and name it “Interviews.” Inside the folder, you’ll be adding another folder (or rename a folder) each time you: reach out to someone, send interview questions to someone, post an interview to your website. At each step of the process, you’ll name the folder something like:
- JimsTastyTreats – SOLICITATION SENT
- JimsTastyTreats – QUESTIONS SENT
- JimsTastyTreats – INTERVIEW POSTED
You’ll keep just one folder per person you contact and you’ll rename the folder each time something in the process changes. By organizing yourself this way, you’ll avoid the inevitable confusion that creeps in during endeavors like this.
Inside the folder, you’ll keep two Notepad files. One file will be named “Email” and the other will be named “Questions.” In the Email file, you’ll record the verbiage you used when you sent your solicitation to the blogger you were interested in. You’ll also record their name, email address, website, social media channels, and anything else you deem important. In the Questions file, you’ll record the questions you sent to the person that you’d like them to answer. With these files, you’ll accomplish two things; first, you’ll be keeping records on everything that transpires between you and each person you contact, and second, you’ll be creating a system as well as a pool of questions from which to pull for future interviews. The more people you contact and the more posts you add to your website, the easier the process becomes. There’s absolutely no reason to reinvent the wheel with any of this. If you settle on 20 great questions to ask food bloggers, pull ten per blogger and stick with those questions for the duration of your interviewing.
Locating Food Bloggers to Interview
There’s no way around the work you’ll have to put into finding worthy bloggers to reach out to. Luckily, I’ve already tried everything and have determined that three venues are absolute goldmines when it comes to this. The first is Google, the second is Instagram, and the third is Twitter (X). Of course, there’s also the person’s website itself.
If you’ve ever worked in sales, you’ve surely heard of, and have most likely engaged in the concept of, the sales funnel. What I’ll share with you below is akin to that. In the most basic sense, it means that, at first, you’ll need to cast your net over a wide area and then, as you progress, you’ll tighten up that net so it catches only a few fish – or food bloggers. What you’re really looking for here are the bloggers who are truly worthy of adding quality content to your website. You don’t want to waste time with those who won’t offer compelling and complete responses to your questions. You’re after quality.
There’s a trick to finding folks to interview. First, you’ll need to search Google using broad terms like, “food blog,” “dinner blog,” or “dessert blog.” Then, once you select and visit a few of the results, which will likely be very popular websites, you’ll visit their associated Instagram and Twitter pages. The thing is, if you choose to solicit these initial very popular food bloggers for an interview, you most likely won’t receive a response. They’re too popular and, most likely, too busy to deal with interviews like yours or mine. The true goodness of their social media pages lies with their followers. You’ll need to mine those long lists to see who fits the bill.
An Example: Finding a Worthy Blogger
As an example, let’s say I search Google using the term “food blog.” The first result is Pinch of Yum. I’ll click that result, knowing there’s no way Lindsay would ever reply to my email if I asked her for an interview. She’s one of the most popular food bloggers on earth. Knowing this, I’ll scroll to the bottom of her homepage. I’ll see some social media links and I’ll click the link that leads to Instagram. While on her Instagram page, I’ll notice that Pinch of Yum currently has 1.3 million followers. Gee, I wonder if there are any up-and-coming food bloggers on that followers list who might appreciate being interviewed by a fellow like me. I’ll click the link to her followers list and scroll down to see which followers look like they might be bloggers as well. As I do this in real time (right now – as I’m writing this post), I’m noticing names like: allspiceandeverythingnice, my_foodpage, industryeats, saltandlavendar, natashaskitchen, and others. I’ll click on these results to see if they’ve got at least 1k followers themselves. I’ll do this all day to compile a list of “potentials.” These are potential food bloggers I may send emails to in an effort to solicit them for interviews. I’ll need the food bloggers to have at least one thousand followers themselves because that means they’ve been around a while and have put a lot of effort into their social media endeavors. They can’t be too popular though, because then they’d never reply to me. Just popular enough.
Since I can’t see the quality of their writing on Instagram, I’ll continue on to visit both the Twitter pages and Facebook pages of these potential interviewees. I’ll even visit their websites. I’ll look for anything that leads me to believe they’re well-versed in the English language and enjoy telling their stories. I’ll search “About” pages as well as posts themselves. It won’t be easy to deem someone competent on social media, but usually I can see who’s skilled enough from looking at their websites. There’s usually a wide variety of very evident skills readily available.
To sum up, to locate worthy food bloggers to interview, you’ll first need to search for the very popular bloggers out there and then whittle your list down by browsing through their social media followers. After that, you’ll need to see if these followers are popular enough to interview. What does this popularity gauge measure? It measures work ethic and longevity. Food bloggers, and any bloggers for that matter, have demonstrated a propensity for quitting after a few months of lackluster blog performance. If a blogger shows a healthy following on social media, it means he or she knows how to put in the work and how to keep going under difficult circumstances. These are the perfect people to interview.
Finally, once you’ve created a list of potential bloggers, you’ll want to check them for quality. You’ll do this by visiting their other social media channels as well as their food blogs. Look for word count and good grammar. They needn’t be college English majors, but they must have a grasp of the language and a love of writing.
What to Do With a Lousy Interview
No matter how much you research, there’s always the chance you’ll receive the answers to your interview questions back that simply don’t meet your expectations. I’ve had this occur many times. I’ve received return interviews where the interviewee missed questions in their entirety. I’ve also received one-line answers for fairly in-depth questions. What do I do with these interviews?
I delete them.
There is absolutely no room on your or my website for poorly written content. If you browse the pages of the website you’re currently on (RecipeJay), you’ll find only well-researched and well-written content. There’s no way I’m going to allow an interview that hasn’t been well thought out to grace these pages. In general, after receiving something that doesn’t meet my quality standards, I’ll write to the person letting them know that. I’ll apologize and I’ll be friendly about it, but I’ll also let them know that what they’ve shared didn’t meet the mark.
Contacting a Food Blogger
If you’re a popular blogger, you surely know what nuisance emails look like. I’ve received thousands of them through the years and I don’t even need to open them anymore before I delete them. Due to these types of messages, it’s extremely difficult to have your solicitation read and responded to. That’s just the way it is.
There are, however, certain things you can do to increase the chances. I’ll discuss these things below.
The Importance of the Subject Line
Obviously, the subject of an email message is seen first. The recipient of your message will likely be reading it on his or her phone, so there’s not much else to see besides this. Make it count. I’ve had good success in the past with something like this:
Potential Interview with RecipeJay Food Blog
That’s it. Keep it short and simple. If the person to whom you’re sending your message doesn’t click on it to read it, so be it. At least you tried.
The Importance of the Message Body
Once you get the person to open your email message, you’ll need to captivate them by telling them a few things: First, you’re a real person. Second, you’ve actually done your research and have reviewed their website. Third, you think their website is excellent, and fourth, you’d like to interview them. I’ve sent many messages, but this is, in general, what one of mine would look like:
Hi [Recipient Name],
I was looking through a few posts on your website and I have to say, you are quite the interesting and talented home cook! I particularly enjoy how you integrate your writing with your food photography. You offer some great tips and photos. Few folks are able to put those two together so effectively. You probably don’t need me to say this, but what you’re doing is truly awesome. I honestly admire your work.
My name is Jay and I recently founded and regularly contribute to a web publication called RecipeJay (https://recipejay.com/). I primarily focus on those who are interested in the culinary world, learning how to cook, various recipes, and blogging. One area of the site I really enjoy is interviewing folks such as yourself about a variety of topics – those who have similar interests and who are putting it all together. I’m sure you’ve got some great stories to tell!
I was wondering if you’d be interested in allowing me to interview you. Nothing formal or anything like that – just some questions that I would email to you, for written response, to kind of get into your frame of mind when you go about working in your kitchen, how you come up with ideas, food blogging, and things like that. I would take the questions and your answers and include them as a post on my website.
Please let me know if you’re interested.
Thanks!
Jay
And there you go. I’ve received dozens of replies to the above message or a variation thereof. Of course, you’ll need to tweak it to fit your needs, but my point is that you’ll need to write something more than, “I want to interview you.” You’ll need to put in the same amount of effort that you’d like to get out of them. Lead by example.
As a side note, I’ll tell you that I’ve also followed up my email messages by immediately sending messages through Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. I let the person know that I just sent them an email and I request a response. Doing this reinforces the idea that I put work into contacting them and that I am, in fact, a human being.
Sample Interview Questions for Food Bloggers
Now that we’ve put the time into finding and contacting potential food blog interviewees, what kind of questions do we ask them? This is actually more tricky than it may seem. When devising questions, think about what your readers would like to know. How did the person start out? What are their daily challenges? What are their loves? Where do they want to go from here? When interviewing someone of this nature, remember that you’re not only helping your readers learn about whomever it is you’re interviewing, but you’re also letting them behind the scenes of food blogging. Many of your readers are, no doubt, food bloggers themselves. Wouldn’t it be nice to teach them about someone else who’s just like them?
I’ll list some sample questions below that I’ve asked in the past. I’ve asked a lot of questions and they vary for each interview, but in general, they all seem to relate to these. Also, please note that I added sections and grouped the questions to make it easier for both them and me. Organization is always better.
YOUR BACKGROUND
- Can you please tell my readers a bit about yourself?
- Where do you call home?
- Do you remember when you first discovered that cooking was a passion of yours? What sparked it and how did you respond to that discovery?
- How long have you been creating and sharing recipes on your website?
- What type of learning do you prefer – learn as you go or something more formal? Where do you find the information you use to progress? (online, in person, mentor, books, etc…)?
COOKING & BLOGGING
- What is your favorite part of cooking and blogging?
- What sparked the idea that you could create a following by writing about what you do in the kitchen?
- After browsing your website, I’d like to compliment you on your excellent photography. How did you learn to photograph so well?
- What are some of the most popular recipes on your website? Which ones do visitors (or you) simply love?
- What’s your favorite part of cooking? (locating or creating recipes, shopping for ingredients, prep, cooking, plating, desserts, etc…)
- What’s it been like interacting with those who visit your website? Is it rewarding?
- You’ve got tons of followers on social media. What’s your secret? How did you become so popular?
YOUR DAY TO DAY
- What do you think the most challenging aspect of what you do in the kitchen is?
- Have you had challenges and successes with regards to your website? If so, can you share some of them?
- Do you cook for friends and family? If so, which do you enjoy more, the actual food preparation or receiving their feedback on your creations?
MOTIVATION
- What is it about food and cooking that keeps you so motivated to continue on in this area?
- If you could offer advice to someone who may be interested in learning more about getting into the kitchen and cooking, what would it be?
- Do you have any favorite cooking related websites that you visit regularly? If so, which ones?
FUTURE PLANS
- Where do you hope to go from here? Is there anything in the food world that you’d still like to get involved with? Where do you see yourself in the future?
There’s a sweet spot with the intensity and volume of questions you ask. You wouldn’t want to ask if the person has ever cried while cooking or how much money they make. You also wouldn’t want to ask 45 questions. I remember sending out one of my first interviews and having the person write back, “Whoa, that’s a lot!” I toned things down after that. Remember, these people are busy and while you do want quality and depth, they don’t have all day to give it to you.
Posting the Interview to Your Website
In the same message I send the questions, I also lead off with a short paragraph that looks like this:
Hi [Recipient Name],
I came up with a few questions. Please answer them however you’d like. Since I’ll be posting this on my website, I’d like my readers to learn as much as possible about you, so if you feel like writing, please feel free to type away. I have no limit on how long your responses can be. Also, if at all possible, I’d like to post a leading photo (the big one that goes at the top of the page) for the interview, so if you wouldn’t mind, can you please send a few over? Perhaps some food shots and I’ll choose the one that fits the best (at least 1600px wide).
Lastly, I’d like to link to your site and Instagram page in the post. Are these okay with you?
Website URL
Instagram URL
Thanks!
Jay
When posting the interview, I’ll need a few things. First, I’ll need the answered questions. Posting just text would be boring, so I always ask for photos as well. I’ve never posted an interview without posting photos to accompany it. Text only is just about as dry as chalk. Images are what people look at, so it’s important to take advantage of them.
Also, the images you ask for need to be of high quality and of subject matter that fits into your WordPress or CMS theme. I happen to use header images that measure 1600×800 pixels, so I ask for at least those dimensions. And since that’s a wide image, whatever is in the photo should be similarly wide. If they’d like to send over additional photos that would appropriately accentuate the questions and answers, all the better.
Second, I ask where they’d like the link(s) to their website and/or social media to point to. I give suggestions and sometimes I get it right and sometimes I get it wrong. It’s good to ask.
When posting the interview, I remove the section headers and bold the questions. I leave the answers neither bold not italic.
After I post the interview and it goes live, I always follow up with the interviewee to let them know where they can find the interview. After all, this is the whole point, right? To have them see it, love it, add a link to it on their website, and promote it? Yes, it’s great content for your website, but you want that content to work for you.
Like I said above, interviewing food bloggers is fun and rewarding. It can take a lot of time and be a lot of work, but that actually works in your favor. It means that not many others are doing it.
If you have anything to add to this post or if you have any questions, please let me know in the comment section down below. Thanks!
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