Callan Wenner was plugging away at her company job when she realized she wanted a artistic outlet.

She had at all times been very adept within the kitchen, and had even thought of culinary faculty at one level, however ultimately she determined to take her ardour on-line.

She began a weblog referred to as The Cozy Plum as a spot to share her recipes. When she realized that running a blog might really be a profitable enterprise, she went all-in.

At the moment her weblog earns $5k per 30 days and offers her the liberty and adaptability to work when she desires and keep residence together with her son.

Preserve studying to seek out out:

• What she thought running a blog was going to be like
• When she realized what running a blog was really about
• The place her revenue comes from
• How a lot visitors her web site will get
• Her principal advertising methods
• Her ideas on website positioning
• How she conveys her experience
• Her detailed method to key phrase analysis
• Her inner linking technique
• How she creates content material
• How she grows her e-mail record
• The sources and instruments she makes use of
• Her greatest problem
• Her principal accomplishment
• Her worst mistake
• Her recommendation for different entrepreneurs

Meet Callan Wenner

My title is Callan (like calendar) and I come from a comparatively rural space in central Pennsylvania. 

I performed Division I water polo in faculty, which took me to northern California for about 6 years earlier than I moved again east to attend graduate faculty. 

I then lived and labored in Pittsburgh, PA for five years (the place I used to be courting my now husband), and at last moved again to my hometown the place my husband and I lately had a child boy (our first youngster). 

I’ve at all times been very adept within the kitchen and regarded culinary faculty (very costly), however it wasn’t till the pandemic that I made a decision to show my interest into one thing extra.

Why She Created Her Web site

Like quite a lot of newer bloggers, I began The Cozy Plum in spring of 2020… the early pandemic days. I used to be in search of a artistic outlet and have at all times liked being within the kitchen—it’s my completely satisfied place—so I made a decision to begin a weblog to host my recipes as a aspect venture. 

I naively thought my distinctive recipes have been superb and I might trick Google by simply offering a small quantity of textual content and a recipe card. I used to be at all times listening to folks say they only wished to “get to the recipe,” so I believed I used to be giving customers what they wished.

I rapidly discovered that no person was looking for issues like mango coconut marshmallows, certainly one of my earlier recipes, and began diving into what actually goes into operating a profitable weblog: key phrase analysis, website positioning, UX, digital content material creation, operating a small enterprise, and so forth. 

That’s after I realized that running a blog is a really profitable enterprise and I might make an excellent dwelling doing one thing I liked.

I invested in a running a blog mentorship program to assist me be taught the essential ins and outs of running a blog and rapidly begin attacking errors I had been making. It was 1.5 years after this system that I certified for Mediavine and started making an revenue from my web site.

I additionally wished to have a job that allowed me to be at residence with my youngsters when the time got here. I can now say that I’ve achieved that objective. 

How A lot She’s Making

For the previous 12 months, I’ve averaged $5k per 30 days as a base revenue solely from my web site and one pictures shopper. 

I first monetized my web site in October 2022. You may see right here the earnings distinction that one 12 months has made on my web site. This quantity will proceed to extend as I’ve honed in on my key phrase analysis, website positioning practices, and total web site authority. 

I additionally tackle extra freelance initiatives as my schedule permits. This contains recipe growth and pictures and videography for nationwide manufacturers, sponsored social media posts, and ghost content material creation for different bloggers or manufacturers’ social media. 

This varies by month, however I don’t settle for a venture for lower than $1500 solely resulting from my very own value of doing enterprise. One-off initiatives usually vary from $2,000 to $6,000.

As a result of I’m a meals blogger, particularly desserts and big day appetizers, seasonality impacts my web site. 

In the summertime months when there aren’t any main holidays and folks don’t need to have their oven on within the warmth, I common round 50k classes. 

As soon as quarter 4 hits, that quantity doubles and I sit round 120k classes.

January additionally has an enormous decline in web site numbers and income. Everyone seems to be making an attempt to wash up their consuming habits after the vacations and candy indulgences are at a minimal. 

I additionally see a major decline in “unfollows” on Instagram on account of this.

Her Essential Advertising and marketing Technique

My advertising technique is consistency. 

I’ve a devoted schedule for every of the next: weblog posts, Google net tales, e-mail newsletters, Pinterest, Instagram, and Fb. These are my highest-traffic drivers. 

This 12 months, I plan to be extra constant on YouTube, so I’m curious to see how that seems. I’m pushing out content material by way of as many channels as I can actively deal with, and the place I’ve probably the most devoted neighborhood who belief me as their kitchen knowledgeable.

I additionally submit my recipes to FoodTalk, which might be controversial for meals bloggers because the platform primarily scrapes your weblog put up to their web site. Nevertheless, I’ve by no means seen this compete with any of my precise weblog posts, so I don’t see it as an issue (proper now).

They’ve an extremely sturdy e-mail record, and since I’ve a superb following to my profile, my recipes get featured of their e-mail nearly each month. I can submit 3 recipes a month for a function, so I particularly select recipes that present excessive RPMs by way of my Mediavine dashboard. 

Once I land a kind of e-mail options, I at all times see a spike in visitors and revenue. 

I work 30 to 40 hours per week on my enterprise. 

Previous to having a child, it was nearer to 50 to 60, however I’ve outsourced extra of my duties, which has freed up time. I’ve began working smarter, not tougher.

Her Ideas on website positioning

Web site visibility and a powerful on-line presence are an enormous a part of the running a blog aspect of my enterprise. The extra seen my web site, the extra visitors, and the upper my earnings.

When first beginning my enterprise, I had put quite a lot of concentrate on rising a social media following. Nevertheless, as soon as my web site was monetized and I had entry to extra earnings information, I dove into website positioning greater than ever. 

For instance, common RPMs from natural search in October 2023 have been $34.79, whereas RPMs from Instagram have been $11.90. 

My apple crumble cheesecake went viral on Instagram with over 12 million views, which introduced round 67k to my web site in October from Instagram, however solely resulted in roughly $300 due to the RPM conversion. 

Due to this, I particularly concentrate on rising visibility for search queries organically. I additionally actually concentrate on inner linking which helps my EAT (experience, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness), exhibits me as an knowledgeable, and builds my total model fairness. 

I be certain that all of my weblog posts and web site pages (together with class pages) and on-page components are optimized. 

I’m writing for the person… to present them the data they’re in search of as rapidly and clearly as doable, relatively than simply key phrase stuffing to get into the SERPs. 

It’s a long-term technique, however when your YOY information, it’s apparent that it pays off.

Key phrase Analysis

I exploit a couple of completely different strategies and packages to conduct my key phrase analysis. If I’m simply beginning out, do not know what recipe I need to make, and need to get some concepts, I head over to Google, paired with a plugin referred to as Key phrases All over the place which populates month-to-month search quantities with queries. 

I’ll use the ABC methodology to create an inventory of concepts. 

For instance, if I do know I need to make a cake, I’ll write down numerous sorts of muffins to do the tactic with: bundt cake, single layer cake, snack cake, layer cake, sheet cake, and so forth. 

I put “bundt cake recipe” into the search bar then hit the house button. Google will mechanically populate search queries about this with bolded phrases. I see “chocolate bundt cake” and that appears appetizing and is one thing I need to discover additional.

I alter the search time period to “chocolate bundt cake” and hit the spacebar. I write down the entire bolded modifiers. Then, I’m going by way of each letter of the alphabet with the letters on each the again finish and entrance finish of the search time period and write down what populates. 

These are widespread search queries related to your head key phrase. 

From there, I head over to KeySearch and search the phrases I’m inquisitive about to examine the month-to-month search quantity, competitor URLs and area authority, and associated search phrases. 

If the question ticks my private packing containers (greater than 1k month-to-month search quantity, capability to rank prime 10, aligns with my model, and so forth), then it goes on my operating key phrase record for consideration. 

I then consult with that key phrase record to consider seasonality and holidays, as I’m planning out my recipes every month. 

Along with this methodology, I additionally use RankIQ to construct supporting posts and in addition analysis queries to make use of as H2s in associated posts. 

In case you’re inquisitive about meals running a blog, I extremely counsel taking the Cooking with Key phrases course, which is how I discovered how one can effectively and efficiently conduct key phrase analysis.

Inner Linking and Hyperlink Constructing

Hyperlink constructing is extremely vital, particularly for EAT. 

Inside my very own web site, I exploit the LinkWhisper plugin to advocate inner hyperlinks that I ought to contact on primarily based on what I’m writing about.

Once I first began, I used to be at all times linking to different weblog posts by way of the precise recipe title. Nevertheless, this wasn’t actually benefitting me as a result of I used to be continually linking to the identical actual key phrase. 

There are tons of, generally 1000’s of key phrases that every recipe can rank for, so I needed to adapt my technique to hyperlink these posts to different rating key phrases. 

For instance, if I’m writing a brownie put up and describing “fudgy brownies” I’ll hyperlink one other brownie put up to the phrases fudgy brownies, as that could be a key phrase I’d wish to rank larger for. 

To construct hyperlinks externally, I submit recipes to recipe roundup teams on Fb, converse on podcasts, and do interviews.

Callan’s Content material Creation Technique

After deciding on my key phrase and common recipe, I write out the recipe and take a look at. 

If I’m utilizing a base recipe that I have already got, I just about know it would work out. Nevertheless, generally I’ve to check recipes a number of occasions, particularly baking recipes.

Throughout this course of, I take each course of pictures and movies concurrently. This permits me to condense the method so I get all of the digital content material I want in a single go. As soon as the dish is completed, I take closing images and closing movies.

From there, I export, cull, and arrange all information. Images get exported from Lightroom and despatched to my photograph editor. I edit every recipe into 3 movies (1 minute, 30 seconds, and 10 to fifteen seconds). 

As soon as the images come again, I load them into WordPress and into the bottom recipe template, together with the ultimate recipe within the recipe card and the step-by-step-instructions inside the weblog put up.

From there, I ship my key phrase analysis spreadsheet to my author, who writes the remainder of the weblog put up, incorporating vital key phrases and descriptions.

I evaluate the weblog put up, publish, add the 1-minute video to my recipe card, then add the recipe to my schedule to advertise by way of Google net tales, Pinterest, Instagram, and Fb. 

This will get repeated for each recipe, which is as much as 8 per 30 days.

Her E mail Record

I at present have nearly 3,000 subscribers on my principal e-mail record. I name these my MVPs, as these are the parents who’re actually tuned in to my choices and are probably to make my recipes. 

I ship out a bi-weekly e-mail with new and featured recipes, in addition to tidbits of what’s happening behind the scenes.

I exploit numerous CTAs on completely different pages of my web site, pop-ups if I’m providing one thing particular (like a information), a highlight function in the midst of each weblog put up, and in Instagram tales. 

My principal viewers sign-up has an intro e-mail sequence which sends out a sequence of three emails after signing up. 

This contains what they’ll count on from The Cozy Plum, how one can discover success in my recipes, and the highest 10 recipes from the previous 12 months to get them began.  

I additionally lately joined the ConvertKit creator program, which lets you counsel different creators your viewers could get pleasure from (upon sign-up) and vice versa. I don’t have sufficient information on this, but, however I’m hopeful that it’ll carry extra subscribers. 

Lastly, I’ve a further e-mail record that goes particularly to manufacturers or shoppers I’ve labored with prior to now. 

This goes out twice a 12 months and contains current initiatives and what I’ve been as much as in a contract capability. It helps to maintain me top-of-mind for initiatives and permits manufacturers to see what I can supply them.

Her Favourite Assets

My go-to sources are:

• Podcasts/Webinars: Meals Blogger Professional, Eat Weblog Discuss, website positioning for Bloggers
• YouTube: The Chew Shot 
• Paid programs: Cooking with Key phrases, meals running a blog mentorship packages, enterprise teaching

Her Favourite Instruments

Probably the most helpful instruments are my venture administration programs. 

I particularly use these packages as they permit me to automate my processes, cut back pointless communication with my workforce, and maintain me on monitor with weblog posts and venture deadlines.

Asana: I exploit this as my private venture administration system to make sure no items are falling by way of the cracks. 

For instance, I’ve a 26-step guidelines for each single merchandise I want to finish per recipe with date-specific deadlines.

AirTable: These spreadsheets are used to compile all information for my weblog posts, together with focused key phrases, months to advertise, and put up IDs, which helps me simply add the posts into custom-made blocks on my homepage. 

I additionally use them to create and share schedules with my contractors, which I embed with e-mail triggers upon standing adjustments (i.e. “put up loaded to WordPress,” “weblog put up full”). 

These are used for my author, Pinterest VA, and Google Net Tales VA. 

Honeybook: I exploit this program as my CRM to maintain monitor of shopper info and communication, and my invoicing system. 

It mechanically sends reminders to shoppers to pay an bill so I might be completely hands-off. 

Callan’s Greatest Problem

The most important problem was studying how one can be my very own boss and adapting to the pliability. I’d say it’s the most effective and worst half about operating a web based enterprise. 

It’s really easy to present in to the sensation of not eager to work on a selected day, however selecting to work anyway.

At the start, it was tough to have fluctuating month-to-month revenue after getting used to a really regular revenue in my company job. 

It took a while to determine precisely what I wanted to run my enterprise and which bills might wait till I used to be bringing in more cash. 

Her Biggest Accomplishment

Constructing my enterprise from the bottom up. 

I knew how one can create an superior, attractive recipe…I didn’t know a lot else. 

I taught myself how one can construct and keep my web site, how one can key phrase analysis, market myself on social media, negotiate contracts, be taught drool-worthy pictures and videography, web site analytics, handle a workforce, and keep on prime of the altering panorama of the net world. And a lot extra!

Once I really feel like “I’m not profitable sufficient but,” I remind myself that I’ve constructed all of this from my very own dedication and can solely proceed to develop.

What She Needs She Knew When She Began

I want I had recognized about website positioning. 

I spent an excessive amount of time with my head buried within the sand and would have monetized my web site a lot quicker if I had taken the time to be taught extra about key phrase analysis and website positioning finest practices. 

I’m nonetheless paying for that naivety by updating outdated weblog posts after I might be spending time specializing in different methods to usher in revenue or diversify. 

However skinny content material is just not helpful to my web site, so I have to get these updates completed. 

Her Greatest Mistake

I don’t assume I can say that I’ve made any large errors to date, however there are undoubtedly some issues that I want I’d completed in another way. 

Second, I’d discover ways to value my companies and negotiate contracts with manufacturers proper off the bat. 

I’ve undoubtedly underpriced myself on a variety of initiatives just because I didn’t perceive my very own value of doing enterprise and what my absolute baseline value per venture wanted to be.

Third, I want I had outsourced sooner. While you aren’t making some huge cash but, it’s straightforward to need to tackle that work your self. However for my enterprise, time is cash. 

Paying different folks to do the work that I don’t need to do (or takes quite a lot of time) frees up my schedule to run the elements of my enterprise that permit me to proceed to usher in cash.  

Her Recommendation for Different Entrepreneurs

Constructing a enterprise from the bottom up is a marathon, not a dash. I nonetheless inform myself this every single day. The to-do record is countless, and a few days you get extra completed than different days. 

All through yearly, there can be highs and lows, and it may be lonely while you’re placing within the lengthy hours.