Dianne Jacob, Will Write For Food

Useful Tips, Interviews, and Stories to Inspire Food Writers and Bloggers

Promotion

5 Tips for Successful Social Videos

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image for successful social videosBy Virginia Willis

According to Forbes.com, about half of consumers report they watch 5+ social videos online a day. As a visual species, humans are hard-wired to find videos more memorable and more popular than any other type of content.

Video as a means of storytelling and advertising is no longer simply an option for food professionals — it is an absolute necessity. If you’re a culinary professional, chef, blogger, cooking teacher, and/or cookbook author, social video gives you the opportunity to market not only yourself, but also cookbooks, blogs, products and cooking classes.

And people love to watch cooking videos and tips. Digital marketer Hubspot reports that YouTube survey participants say they primarily watch videos in order to “relax and unwind.” The number #2 reason is “to learn something new.” That couldn’t be more perfect for culinary professionals. [Read more…] about 5 Tips for Successful Social Videos

Cookbook Promotion In a Pandemic

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A guest post by Mary Cressler and Sean Martin

cookbook image for cooking in a pandemic

Our first cookbook launched in April, right after the pandemic hit.

We had spent two years preparing for the launch of Fire + Wine: 75 Smoke-Infused Recipes from the Grill with Perfect Wine Pairings. That included another six months of planned book tour and events post launch.

And then the world shut down in March. But we still had to do cookbook promotion in a pandemic.

The two of us can chuckle now at the mention of “pivot,” but that’s exactly what had to happen. All of our planned in-person events that would have [Read more…] about Cookbook Promotion In a Pandemic

5 Tips for a National Cookbook Tour on a Budget

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A guest post by Cameron Stauch

While writing my first cookbook, Vegetarian Việt Nam, people kept asking about my plans for a national cookbook tour. Fellow authors would tell me that “unless you’re a big name author, your publisher will not provide any financial support.” My family and friends assumed, on the other hand, that I’d have unlimited resources at my disposal.

More than six months before my book’s release date, I learned how costly and logistically challenging a national cookbook tour can be. But through [Read more…] about 5 Tips for a National Cookbook Tour on a Budget

Create Evergreen Content to Promote Your Book

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A guest post by Stephanie Weaver

When my book, The Migraine Relief Plan, came out, I created evergreen content to support it. That means I used the same content multiple times on several platforms.

Since like you, I only have so much time, I wanted [Read more…] about Create Evergreen Content to Promote Your Book

Win Secrets of the Southern Table + Get Tips for a Successful Book Tour

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image for book tour and cookbook giveaway

Cookbook author Virginia Willis starts another book tour with her new Secrets of the Southern Table: A Food Lover’s Tour of the Global South. She reminds herself that book tours aren’t just about sales. “Book tours are about connecting with readers,” she says. “Even if I sell only a few books, those people will tell their friends.”

Her first book tour took place in 2008 with Bon Appetit, Y’all. She’s written six cookbooks and done four big book tours. In this interview, she’s [Read more…] about Win Secrets of the Southern Table + Get Tips for a Successful Book Tour

Get Tips About a Cookbook Tour + Win a Copy of Istanbul & Beyond

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Cookbook Giveaway: Istanbul & Beyond

[This post is now closed. Kris Diede is the winner of the cookbook.]

What happens on your first cookbook tour? Author Robyn Eckhard found out when she came to the US and Canada from her home in Italy to promote  Istanbul and Beyond: Exploring the Diverse Cuisines of Turkey. She did around 25 events in 5.5 weeks, traveling with her husband, Dave Hagerman, the book’s photographer. 

If it sounds exhausting, it was. Exhilarating too, she says. In addition to the events, she fit lots of interviews and podcasts into that compressed time.

I’ve known Robyn for years. She is one of those overachiever types who speaks several languages and has freelanced food stories for Saveur and The New York Times. We worked together on her [Read more…] about Get Tips About a Cookbook Tour + Win a Copy of Istanbul & Beyond

5 Ways to Expand Your Platform for a Book Deal

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A guest post by Nicole Gulotta

More than two years before signing a cookbook contract for Eat This Poem: A Literary Feast of Recipes Inspired by Poetry, an editor at my would-be publisher said something like this: “We want to publish your book…but.” Although I had a solid book concept, the size of my platform wasn’t where the publisher hoped it would be. I needed readership building strategies.

In lieu of giving me a firm number to reach, my publisher was more interested in overall growth. This was comforting news for a blogger with around 2,000 visitors per month. After my initial disappointment wore off, I set out to [Read more…] about 5 Ways to Expand Your Platform for a Book Deal