Do you still write personal stories on your food blog? It seems like a subject of great anxiety to food bloggers these days.
When I taught a writing class earlier this year, many food bloggers said they are afraid to write personal stories now. They’ve all read the long, drawn-out posts about cats, children and confessions about depression that end with a recipe for Rice Krispie Treats. And they’re terrified that they might do the same.
Readers are busy, they say. They just want the recipe.
Plus, some people think SEO and personal stories are not compatible.
But here’s the bad news: If you just talk about a “yummy” or “delicious” recipe in the first graph and then get to your recipe for French Toast that’s the “best,” it will read just like everyone else’s.
That’s not going to work. You have to stand out. It’s not just about the nice photos and a good recipe, although those help.
I’ve got news for you: Your readers who come back are not just looking for a recipe. If they were, they would go to recipe sites and not your blog. They are looking for YOU. They want your personal story — AND a good recipe.
So how do you get personal stories into your food blog?
1. First, satisfy the impatient readers.
Add a button called “jump to recipe” for those who have arrived only because they searched for zucchini bread. Now you can relax and write.
Look at it this way: If you write personal stories, it gives the recipe searchers a reason to come back. Otherwise, they’ll just take the recipe and you’ll never see them again.
2. Banish adjectives.
Your dish is not yummy and delicious, or the best. You can do better. Write a story instead. Here’s how to do it:
3. Inject your personality.
Write as if you’re talking to a good friend. Make your readers feel that they know you.
4. Let me say it another way: Have a voice and personal story that’s yours, one readers will recognize.
If you were looking for a brownie recipe, would you expect to find the same post from David Lebovitz as Smitten Kitchen? No. They have their own approach and stories.
Let’s see how these two superstars write personal stories:
Here’s one of David’s brownie recipes. (Yes, the brownies look tempting. But please focus!)
He starts with a personal story about doing a book signing. A baker gave him a box of brownies, and he ate one surreptitiously, and it was a revelation. Then he continues his personal story about his search for black cocoa powder, and his research on who’s baking brownies with it, and then his recipe development process.
This is pure David. You recognize him immediately, and you expect a story before the recipe. There are other expectations, because you know him: You expect him to discover a delightful new baked good and be funny about it; and you expect him to have lots of brownie recipes, but to be obsessed with this one and making it the best possible recipe, so that you want to drop everything and make it immediately. But he never says that.
Here’s the Smitten Kitchen post. (Also tempting. But hey, you’re learning something here.)
She mentions how long she’s been blogging and how many recipes she has for brownies. Notice the self-deprecating humor in her lede about her excuse to redo the photos. Somehow she works in a personal story about her son Jacob and a Malcom X reference, and then there’s a sales pitch about how they take 10 minutes to make. She makes an argument for using unsweetened chocolate.
And you recognize Deb immediately, because you know what to expect. There’s self-deprecating humor, there’s a personal story about which brownie she likes best, there’s a personal story about her kid, and there’s her breezy way of telling you these are a snap to make. You want to drop everything and make it immediately. But she never says that.
So take a cue from these megastars. Personal stories (and good photos and recipes, of course) are what brings readers to their blogs, so why shouldn’t readers come back to yours?
And if you’d like to learn how to stand out from the crowd by writing personal stories for your blog, take a class or come on a workshoptake a class or come on a workshop.
Thank you for writing this. SEO and ad revenue have become so important for food bloggers but it’s gotten to the point where we run the risk of turning food blogs into generic commodities in order to keep Google and the advertisers happy (and to keep revenue coming in). And that’s not good for us either. You can write for SEO and tell a story or make it interesting but it IS an art form – one we all need to practice at and get better at just like we do with our photography and our videos.
Thanks Melissa. David and Deborah make lots of money from advertisers without resorting to those techniques, so there’s no reason to do it.
People tell me they don’t like the writing part. They’d rather work on photography and videos. But it’s part of the package. How to get people to ENJOY writing is a good challenge for me.
Thanks for this, Dianne- I agree! I believe the stories are what connect us to each other. I recently wrote a post about remembering people through recipes. I used to get recipes FROM people (coworkers, friends, mother-in-law etc) and there was some kind of connection; a conversation, a get-together or maybe I even eyed and tried their recipe at lunch at work (because it looked good), then they gave me the recipe. Now-a-days I hardly ever get a recipe from an actual person. But when I get one from a blog, where I’m reading a personal story, I feel more of a connection, especially when there’s a story. Perhaps food bloggers that write personal stories are unconsciously attempting to fill a void and bring back some of the soul that missing from this enormous and uninspired online cookbook? I know I am 🙂
And as far as SEO goes, I agree that you can still achieve that. I have recipes that are ranking high on google, although I’ve included a personal story. I’ve just learned how to weave in what I need to rank. Although sometimes I say, ‘to hell with it’ and just write- that’s the best!
I believe that too about stories! And I just gave someone a recipe yesterday, although this time she ate the food at my house and then photographed the page of the cookbook. It’s the modern version of passing a recipe along.
And this is a great point about the “enormous and uninspired online cookbook.” It’s souless.
I think it’s hard to “win” the SEO game at this point, with all the huge food websites with major corporations behind them putting substantial financial resources writing and coding (and aggregating) recipes to get to the all-important front page of Google search results.
There’s been some blowback about bloggers writing personal stories before a recipe, but people aren’t always confident about recipes they find on the internet. So I tell people (like with cookbooks) to look for ones where the writer talks about how they came up with the recipe, and what they did to get to it. (Alice Medrich does that particularly well, and her recipes work. Deb does that too.) Personal stories are also what sets us apart from the mega-food websites and I realized long ago that I just couldn’t compete with them, so it was better to write for an audience that wasn’t just looking for a recipe, but for a story to go along with it.
Yes I really like that you explain how you changed a recipe. Maybe some bloggers are not as confident about changing it or don’t want to take the time to test to see what happened.
Why would anyone want their site to look like a “souless” mega-recipe website, as Terri said in her comment? We definitely cannot compete with that, nor should we want to. I’ve been reading your posts for at least 13 years, and I still enjoy them and look forward to the next one. I wouldn’t say that about a blog that gets straight to the recipe.
I’m with David here. I don’t think it’s necessary to spill personal details to blog well — especially if you are uncomfortable with it. (Please don’t!) I think the idea that blogs have to be excessively personal is somewhat dated; in the early days they were all journals, but they can equally be approached as writing platforms. Instead focus on what a good recipe conversation is; personally, I want to hear how you go there, why *this* recipe and not another, how is the dish usually made and how do you do it differently, why your way is better than what’s out there (and you should believe it is, this is your point of view), where someone might run into snafus, why this recipe right now, etc.. You’re making and sharing it for a reason; why not let us in on it?
Since the beginning of time, people have had an opinion on how much women (it’s more often women with food blogs) should speak, even in their own personal spaces and… it’s not an original, or less tiresome, point of view just because it’s being leveled at food blogs. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Yeah! Let’s hear it for women’s voices and stories. Thanks Deb!
I agree. Personal input is important as well as the story behind a particular recipe. I believe that providing a background to the recipe also gives you credibility. But I believe a mistake a lot of bloggers make is that their personal story is a bit too self-centered. Yes readers want your personal story, but they also want to relate to them as well. What can does your story offer them?
Exactly the point I was making, Elena. You don’t have to expose deep dark secrets, or bore people with the details of your daily life. But you do have to be excited about the recipe in an authentic way and it helps to give people the backstory and a little education.
For SEO you can always put a very short intro at the top with your keywords and letting the reader know what you are going to be talking about (plus that jump button). So lovely to read this Dianne – it needed to be said. It’s so easy to get sucked in by the ‘everyone MUST do this’ way of thinking with all the advice out there. As you say, then it all looks the same. Not that I want a long rambling confession about the cat etc. David and Deb are two people I welcome into my inbox long term and it’s not for their recipes (good as they are).
Yes, the SEO post talks about writing that short intro at the top. It’s easy to do. Thanks for bring that up.
I always enjoy your posts and finding out about your life in Dubai and what you’re up to. And the photos are spectacular!
I was listening to a podcast recently–Mediavine’s I believe–and one of the hosts said “People can get recipes anywhere.” That really struck me so I wrote it down and posted it in a couple of different places to remind me to include story and personality when I’m writing a recipe.
I am sick of reading updates about the weather and children. For the most part, there’s no story whatsoever. I think that’s lazy writing.
Also, and I know this is controversial and maybe you’ve already done a post about this Dianne but these Mediavine people are saying to get rid of that “jump to recipe” button. They said that if the people on your site are only there for the recipe, you don’t want them as readers anyway so it doesn’t matter if they click away.
As a reader and a searcher for recipes, boy oh boy do I disagree with Mediavine about “you don’t want them as readers”! That’s like a business owner (which you are, after all) turning away customers. To state the obvious: of course you want them. The “jump to recipe” button does not mean that reading recipes and reading stories cannot coexist in the mind of the same readers. It just means that they need more time to discover that it’s not only your recipes they want, but some sort of relationship with YOU. They need to develop trust in your recipes and trust in you. How you write your recipes — and make sure they work! — gives them the start of that knowledge. But it’s your stories (accompanying or inside the recipes) that make them comfortable with you. Then when they have a little extra time, they just might read your stories — and get hooked on YOU, visiting your blog even if a recipe is not one they need.
And as an editor/reader, I completely agree that the stories you tell, and the way you tell them, need to offer something unique and worthwhile to readers. As a blogger, you are (or should be) a writer first and foremost. You went into blogging to create an outlet for information only you have, right? That information includes the stories you can tell and the way you tell them. Work on that craft to tell those stories the best, most interesting way you can.
You want every reader you can get! Maybe the first time they’ll jump to the recipe but maybe they’ll see a bit of the story or your voice and they’ll stick around. And yes, since you can get a recipe anywhere, it’s not enough for a blog post.
Mediavine is an ad network and they may be advising their publishers not to have the “jump to the recipe” button because of the “sticky” ads, that ones that don’t move when you scroll, which are higher paying than other ads? I think Suzanne hit the nail on the head when she mentioned why most of us went into blogging, and that was to share recipes and stories. That’s changed as people have hopped on board to make money, which is unfortunate, but bound to happen I guess, but what makes everyone’s blog special is our personal take on things.
One thing I think that’s important to remember is to edit. That’s at least half of writing; weeding out what’s unimportant, and focusing on what is important. Also check to see how long people spend on your site, which’ll give you some idea, approximately, how long your stories should be. Keeping it personal doesn’t mean you have to drag out a story and explain the minutiae of your life, but keeping the story moving as best you can will keep readers motivated to continue reading…and getting to the recipe. (And hopefully, coming back!)
Owen suggested that maybe Mediavine doesn’t want people to jump because their ad will be out of view! Who knows. It’s a good theory though.
Re editing, that’s music to my ears, speaking as an editor. Couldn’t agree more.
And hey, there’s nothing wrong with making money. We all like to! It’s just that storytelling is critical to a good blog. Yes people can tell their story through photos, but the photos need good captions too, and a good title and opening that catch readers’ attention.
Hey everyone!
Susannah at Mediavine here. Jump buttons don’t always play well with our ads, and using them can affect your ads’ viewability, your RPM and your bottom line. Here’s our blog post about jump buttons, written by Amber Bracegirdle, our co-founder and the co-host of the Theory of Content podcast: https://www.mediavine.com/dont-jump-make-your-audience-want-to-read/
Advertising on your site is a balance between income and user experience. That line is going to be different for every single site owner, but we’re here to help our publishers strike that balance.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions! Our email is publishers@mediavine.com.
— Susannah at Mediavine
I love the solution posed at the end of the blog post, Susannah: create engaging content. That is the point of this post. I am finding, more and more, that SEO experts are at odds with this notion.
This is great advice, David, and I totally agree! As a writer who has also worked (in my previous life) as an editor, I sometimes spend as much time (if not more!) editing my blog posts as I did writing them. But I’ve found that it’s much easier to edit someone else’s work than my own! 😉
This was a good read for me today. I have no idea how to write for SEO, which my blog stats clearly represent (not that I want it that way), but I LOVE the writing and connecting part. Even though I have a million and three quirky, smart-assy, and a few emotional stories in my head, I’ve let myself think people don’t want to hear them so I haven’t been writing much at all in the past year. It’s time to stop that nonsense I guess. Now, I just need to figure out how this SEO thing works so I actually have an audience for my sassiness. Thank you for another helpful article, Dianne.
Sweet wishes,
Staci
People still want to read your stories. This is some kind of message we give ourselves that no one has time, no one is interested. Not true at all. Of course, you need to a GOOD storyteller! That is not optional.
Re SEO, there is a link in the post to a great interview with an SEO consultant, specifically about food blogs, if you want to bone up.
Ahh, yes! This is exactly what I needed to read today, Dianne. Thank you for your helpful thoughts on this topic! My career background & education are in technical & professional writing, and yet writing is the part of my blog with which I struggle the most. I love sharing the stories behind the recipes that I make & post on my blog and look to connect with readers in this way, but lately I’ve been feeling that perhaps the reason my blog audience isn’t really growing beyond my immediate family (ha!) is because of the personal stories–maybe they’re too boring? Or too long? Maybe I should just stick to sharing quick recipes, minus the lengthy essays? But your post reminded me why I approach blogging the way I do: I enjoy exploring & sharing the stories behind the food that I make, and I think it’s these stories that make each blogger unique. Hopefully… someday… I’ll find more like-minded readers who enjoy reading these longer-form essays about the stories behind my recipes. I certainly enjoy reading other food blogs with longer, personal stories about food, & I regularly read several of them more for the stories than the recipes (although I’m very often pulled in by a delicious-sounding recipe too!). So I think I’ll keep on doing what I’m doing, & hope that I will eventually connect with more like-minded readers & food lovers & home cooks. I still have my doubts, as any writer does (maybe my stories are indeed boring or unrelatable or too long), & I should probably learn more about SEO, but, for now, your post helped assure me that I’m at least on the right path. 🙂 That’s what I’m telling myself today anyway. 😉
You said, “the stories behind the food I make” — that sounds like a great reason to write a blog post. If you want to quell the doubts there are many ways to improve your story telling. Take a class, join a writing group, read Will Write for Food, come to France in December to our workshop…just a few ideas (some self-serving, sorry!). Also recognize that second-guessing yourself is part of your process, and not to get waylaid by it. I have that problem also!
Thanks, Dianne, for the encouragement! I have read Will Write for Food and have taken (& taught!) many writing classes. I’d LOVE to come to France in December for your workshop (what a dream!), but alas, my budget will not allow it. Someday…. 🙂 In the meantime, I’ll keep on writing food stories as best I know how. And yes, sometimes I have to remind myself to not let the perfect be the enemy of the good, as the saying goes, and just press “publish,” knowing I’ve done the best I could with a post, despite my self-doubts. All part of the writing life. 🙂
Sounds good Amanda. Just keep going! That is half the battle right there.
Thanks so much, Dianne!
Yes! I’m so much more interested in posts that have a story attached than I am with a description of a recipe, bullet-points about what it offers, and list of how to make it. That’s all fine, I guess, if I were just reading it for the recipe alone, but I’m not. I want to know who the person is behind the recipe, and why she needed to make this recipe at this time. Over the years, I’ve felt a real kinship with bloggers, because I know some facet of them, as well as what excites & inspires them. (I completely agree about David’s posts. I read every one.)
I wrote a post on my blog back in June called, “Why don’t food bloggers shut up and get to the recipe?” It felt good to get those feelings off my chest that have a lot of parallels to what you’ve said today.
I love that you wrote about this subject! I’m going to include that post in my next newsletter.
Getting to know someone online, when you’re going to their blog regularly, is a pleasure. That doesn’t mean people should overdo the personal stories. Storytelling is a skill, like anything else, but it seems like bloggers will pay for classes in SEO and photography before they will take a class on how to be a good storyteller. But still, I like to teach them, and show people how to improve.
The comments on this post have been so helpful! I just read your post, Cadry, “Why Don’t Food Bloggers Shut up and Get to the Recipe?” Such a great read, & I agree so much with everything you wrote! I’m bookmarking it to return to again when I need to be reminded of why I keep sharing the (sometimes lengthy) stories behind the food I make and the recipes I develop.
Another option to differentiate from the mega sites is to add a video. One must not forget that a big reason most people came to your blog/website in the first place was to learn how to make the recipe. If you want to expand your base outside of just foodies to people that want to learn how to cook/bake, video is a good way to do that. These people need extra help and often need to see someone actually do it. It’s not an easy solution which is probably why it’s rarely discussed anymore, but it’s worked for us and just earned us a million subscribers on YouTube the other day.
When food blogging began, it was all about the writing. Then came photography and video and social media. Now there is so much less emphasis on writing. So the point of writing this post is to remind people how powerful it can be. But yes, video has been huge for many bloggers, especially Joy of Baking.
I hope I didn’t come off as suggesting that writing isn’t important because it is. We often add a personal story to our posts too. But after reaching our million milestone and reading the over 1200 comments in the last 24 hours that resulted, there is a common thread. People’s primary objective is to be able to make the recipe successfully. Everything else, while still important is secondary. Video is certainly an excellent way to achieve this but clearly not the only way. Good recipe writing with detailed instructions, tips, pitfalls to watch for etc. is another. After reading all this feedback , in my view, if you don’t do video I’d spend the writing effort on detailed information that allows the reader to make the recipe successfully. Like I said, let’s not forget why they came to the post in the first place.
Excellent point! Thank you Rick.
Thank you for writing this! I completely agree. As a relatively new blogger, I’ve been disappointed lately to see that most big blogs are now dominated by the visuals rather than the actual writing and recipe development behind posts. Whenever there is a story to accompany a post I take that as a sign that the blogger has put in a lot of work into thoughtfully crafting the recipe and cares about connecting with her/his audience. It just feels so much more personal.
That’s exactly what I like about food blogs too, Noor. Thanks for saying so.
Yeah, this is a challenge, especially when there is so much noise out there. Anyone with a wooden spoon and an internet connection has a food blog these days. It is, however, hard and frustrating to pour your heart out and get seven page views.
Sigh.
Yes, true. Write for yourself, Suzannah, and practice your craft. Readers will come.
I definitely agree that this is something that all bloggers should do, not just food bloggers. It makes you seem more like a real person (because, well, you are a real person). But I also think you shouldn’t let personal stories completely take over your blog… your readers started following you for a reason, because you make cool crafts or recipes or whatever, and although I’m sure they do like to hear about your personal stories sometimes, it’s not a good idea to pivot your blog and suddenly make it all about that. I’ve seen some people do that sometimes and I don’t think it’s ever worked out for them.
Hah. Yes so true. That is what frightens people about telling personal stories in the first place. They’ve read those stories and didn’t like them.
Great post. Thanks for the great advice. Although I don’t know if I could ever be clever enough to do a comic post.