Calling All Food & Beverage Bloggers!

Dear Food Bloggers – I’ve saved the best for last!

Okay, maybe I shouldn’t declare one group of bloggers ‘the best’ over the rest. After all, every single blogger does have a unique story to tell and I love reading them all!

But personally, I can definitely get stuck on food & beverage blog for hours. Every picture, recipe and kitchen setting makes food content so mouth-watering. The sections I go to almost immediately are the slow-cooker, breakfast and of course, the dessert posts. I want so badly to be a good baker!

I am obsessed with the way food bloggers are able to get the perfect image of their dish EVERY TIME. I don’t think I can ever make a plate of spaghetti and meatballs look just as appetizing as you all can. And don’t even get me started on all that adorable dinnerware.

Food & beverage bloggers can do it all – they can whip up an incredibly tasty meal in no time and share it effortlessly with their amazing audience. But, can they monetize this delicious content with affiliate links?

For this last ‘Calling All Bloggers’ series, I’m going to go over the 6 key food groups – err, 6 key tips – that food bloggers can use to see success with Affiliate Marketing!

1. The Breads: Content (6-11 servings)

At the bottom of the food group is the core – the group that needs the most servings. The bread and butter (maybe not so much butter). This is your content. Content is, and always will be, king. Be sure to write about what you love first. Maybe it’s authentic family recipes that no one else has, or creative meals you’ve come up with on your own. These are the types of posts that no one can compete with. A huge part of your content is the visual aspect. Be sure to take consistently beautiful images from the beginning to the final, plated dish. This will help to capture your readers’ attention and keep them coming back to your blog for more!

2. The Veggies: Merchant Programs (3-5 servings)

The group that needs the second most attention is the vegetables, or in this case – the Merchants. Be sure to join the right Affiliate programs. There’s no need to join any and every food Merchant out there. Choose the ones with the products and ingredients that your audience needs, so they can become a wonderful chef just like you. Here are a few food Merchants you could join on ShareASale:

Prepared Pantry
Lifetime Brands
Sun Basket
FreshDirect
Snake River Farms
California Wine Club
BakeDeco

3. The Fruits: Social Media (2-4 servings)

It’s important to put some emphasis on your social media, not only for Affiliate Marketing, but in order to grow your blog. Be sure to share your most popular posts on your social channels, and include some Affiliate links every once in a while. Click on the image below to see how to integrate Affiliate links into social media by using our custom link generator.

4. The Meats: Reports (2-3 servings)

The raw data is super important if you want to earn recurring commissions. This means tracking your clicks, sales, etc. to see what’s performing best. Then, you can take action accordingly with those Merchants and products your audience loves. Familiarize yourself with the reports inside ShareASale, but also remember to check out your Google Analytics and other platforms that provide statistics. Check out a few of the reports we provide by clicking on the following image: 

5. The Milk and Cheeses: Tools (2-3 servings)

Focus on network tools. ShareASale has a handful of tools beneficial to bloggers, including the Product Discovery Bookmarklet, Afftrack parameters, and the Make-A-Page.

• The product discovery tool allows you to quickly grab an Affiliate link to your favorite product. It’s a HUGE timesaver. Sign-up for the tool here.
• The Afftrack parameter allows you to track specific links to see how well they perform. For all ‘serving spoon’ related links, you can add afftrack=servingspoon to the end of your Affiliate link to see exactly how much traction that specific link gets! If it’s popular, keep promoting it!

•With the Make-A-Page tool, you can create a ‘Shop’ page of all your favorite kitchenware and ingredients. 

All Things Pasta from ABestKitchen.com!

6. The Fats and Sweets: Treats (In this case, do NOT use sparingly)

Give your readers a treat by linking to what you use in your own kitchen! Collecting email addresses and sending out newsletters is a great way to connect with your audience on all things kitchen. Reach out to a program manager and ask for an exclusive deal for your readers. Or work with your favorite brand to setup a giveaway. There are so many ways to reward your readers, while being rewarded a little bit yourself. Who doesn’t like dessert?!

In real life, all these food groups work together to form a healthy lifestyle. In blog life, these modified groups above do the same in order to make your Affiliate Marketing efforts thrive. Sprinkle these ingredients into your blog and make some extra dough!