My First Year Blogiversary- Lessons from Top Food Bloggers

As I continue to celebrate my first year blogiversary this week, I thought I would share some first year lessons from some of the top food bloggers out there.  I am so grateful to call everyone here a blogger friend.  They definitely taught me a lot my first year, and for those who are just starting blogs of their own, they offer some incredible advice so without further adieu check out my lessons from top food bloggers below:

Averie, Averie Cooks

“Some of the most important things I learned the first year of food blogging are that a food blog is as much about photography, tech-knowledge, and writing skills as it is about being able to actually cook. Specifically, I learned that if I wanted to make it as a food blogger, I better figure out photography! Great recipes will never achieve their fullest potential if the photos don’t convey!”

Bill, Southern Boy Dishes
“I started Southern Boy Dishes about a year ago, and I would have to say the one lesson that I’ve learned and am still learning to this day is that the main goal of doing a food blog is to follow your passion for food and enjoy the process. We get so caught up in tracking how many hits our blogs get and how many photos get accepted on Foodgawker and Tastespotting that we sometimes forget why we started a blog in the first place. I have to remind myself of this lesson every day.”

Carol, A Cup of Mascarpone 
“For me, planning months in advance before plunging in was number one for me – I started building up Pinterest, since that venue still provides the most traffic to my blog. I set up a FB fan page, and set up accounts with food sites, like Foodgawker. I played around on blog set-ups and colors, until I decided I wanted to go simple. Viewing lots of blogs to see what relates most to your personality is very helpful. I started making recipes and photographing to improve my skills. My second most important tip once I went live was network, network and network. Comment and get to know other bloggers. Becoming friends with other bloggers has become my most cherished avenue of blogging. Set up schedules for each task (commenting and pinning) to be able to keep up. Thirdly, never let it become work. If you do, you will burn out. If you work another job, and can only post once a week, or once every other week…do it that way.”

Chrystal, The Duo Dishes

Georgia, The Comfort of Cooking
“As a blogger just starting out, pay attention to what keeps YOU coming back to your favorite blogs. Is it the simple, easy-to-navigate design? Is it the sharp, drool-worthy food photography? Is it the casual, captivating writing style of the blogger? Try to implement these things in your blog. Social media (Facebook, Twitter, Google+) is a great tool to keep readers updated on new posts and interact, too. And of course, support your favorite bloggers with nice comments – You’ll get plenty in return.”

Matt, Matt Bites
“When I felt like no one was reading, or what I was doing didn’t have value and wanted to give up, I didn’t. I kept on, kept typing, kept shooting, and met some of the most creative and amazing people along the way. So I’d definitely say that my first year of blogging I learned perseverance and dedication!”

Nami, Just One Cookbook
“During the first year of blogging, I learned three most important things: the amazing food blogging community that I am in and the support I receive from the fellow bloggers; the importance of food photography (good drool-worthy shots worth a thousand words and without them it’s hard to convince readers the recipes work; and be true to yourself and always produce good quality content when writing a post.”

Sally, Sally’s Baking Addiction

Valerie, Une Gamine Dans La Cuisine
“Even though I have been blogging for a few years, I’ve come to realize that my food blog is a work in progress and that I’ll (hopefully!) never stop being open to learning new things. The most important lesson I’ve gleaned, between a flour-dusted keyboard and an ever-sticky camera, is to just be myself. I know that’s cliché, but it’s spot on. For a long time I tried to replicate the bright, beautiful food photography from the bright, beautiful ‘big’ food blogs. It was maddening and exhausting, and it wasn’t ‘me.’ I’m more cosy, “nookish,” and akin to rainy days – quite the opposite of vibrant, colourful, and sunny. When I finally shook off the thought that I had to be like everyone else, my blog and I could breathe – it was as though we had been wearing a corset for an eternity. Now my photos and writing, as nonsensical and moody as they may be, are a tiny doorway into who I am – and that has made a huge difference, both in reader response and in my own semi-neurotic, always flustered head.”