It’s easy to get stuck trying to figure out what kind of content to put in your email newsletters but if you’re a food blogger or YouTuber, you already have loads of content ready and waiting to be used. Just look into your content archives!
One of the biggest challenges most food bloggers and food content creators have when it comes to consistently emailing their newsletter list is figuring out what to put in their emails.
But in reality, you probably already have more email content than you know what to do with!
REPURPOSE OLD BLOG CONTENT VIA EMAIL
If you’re stuck for something to send to your list, it’s time to… go back in time!
Your email marketing is the perfect platform to resurrect old content.
Your new subscribers? They haven’t read that old content.
Your old subscribers? They haven’t seen it in eons, possibly years and potentially not at all! (did you even email them regularly 3 years ago? 5 years ago? 10 years ago?)
While it’s important to update old content on your website regularly for SEO purposes, those rules don’t apply to your emails. If a post is old and doesn’t have the best photos or has a story about your Aunt Betty that the search engines aren’t interested in, it doesn’t matter. You can include it in an email.
Posts that are less popular in search can still get great click throughs in your newsletter (earning you some ad revenue) because it’s a different type of reader.
Think of it this way:
Most of us will never be able to rank on page one for a chocolate chip cookie recipe – the competition is waaaaay too fierce. But that doesn’t mean your recipe isn’t a great recipe!
In fact, your newsletter readers want to know what your chocolate chip recipe is because they trust you and like your content. That’s why they open your emails every week!!!
So share that 6 year old chocolate chip recipe in an email. They want to see it.
HOW CAN YOU REPURPOSE OLDER BLOG CONTENT INTO EMAILS?
Here are some easy ways you can repurpose your old content into emails:
⭐️ THEMED EMAILS: example: a Taco Tuesday theme. Make the email a digest of all your taco recipes. You can make themes as broad (cookies) or as specific (peanut butter cookies) as you like depending on the type of content you create.
⭐️ MENU EMAILS: create a complete menu for a meal. You can theme these as well.
Here are just a few ideas:
mother’s day brunch menu
takeout night at home menu
book club meeting menu
easy kids birthday party
the “soccer practice is at 7pm” menu
Expand this to a meal prep menu for the whole week if that’s your niche.
Expand this to a meal prep menu for the whole week if that’s your niche.
⭐️ SEASONAL EMAILS: Package up seasonal content on your site into individual emails. There are so many opportunities to do this.
For example, Halloween is in October. Package up old Halloween content into a series of October emails:
5 Ghoulish Halloween Treats
5 Fun Halloween Treats to Make with Kids
5 Spooky Halloween party cocktails
⭐️ LEFTOVER EMAILS: what happens after every holiday? We have leftovers. Using Halloween as an example again, send an email out right after Halloween with 5 Recipes That Use up Leftover Halloween Candy or 5 Recipes that Use upPumpkin Carving Leftovers. The recipes themselves don’t have to be Halloween related – they just have to be pumpkin or candy related – search your archives for pumpkin recipes. People always forget about leftovers!
These emails are also a great way to highlight minimizing food waste.
⭐️ TUTORIAL EMAILS: If you specialize in something, package up tutorials on your site into emails. Let’s say you make a lot of pies. Send out an email “Everything you need to know about making pie crust” and simply include 5 links to different pie crust recipes and tutorials on your site (how to make pie crust, how to make a two crust pie, savory pie crusts, how to do a lattice top, etc). You don’t have to write an essay on pie crust – just include the links with a short paragraph tying them all together.
⭐️ GREATEST HITS/POPULAR POSTS: Do recap emails highlighting the most popular recipes or posts on your site. Break it down further and do the most popular soups, desserts, weeknight dinners… you get the idea. Share your personal favourites. Readers like to know.
TIPS TO MAKE REPURPOSING CONTENT INTO NEWSLETTERS EASIER
Here are some simple tips to make repurposing blog or video content into newsletters easier for you or an assistant
✅ PRO TIP:keep a spreadsheet that contains a list of all the emails you send out each year.
Include the date of the email, the topic and the recipe or article names and links that were included. Use a new tab in the sheet for each year. Also make notes of any products or special offers you promote: either your own (recipe ebooks, printables etc) or non-Amazon affiliate links.
This helps ensure you don’t repeat links too frequently. I’ve noticed many of my clients tend to gravitate to the same 20-30 links over and over because they like the recipes or they perform well in search. But by having a record, it’s easy for me to show them we used that link two months ago and it’s too soon to repeat it.
✅ PRO TIP:a spreadsheet is easily searchable making it easy for you, or anyone helping you, to check and see the last time you included a taco recipe.
✅ PRO TIP:Try to wait at least 6 months to repeat a link. I prefer to wait longer but it really depends on your send frequency or the content you want to reuse. Sometimes sooner is better!
✅ PRO TIP:Repurposing content makes it very easy to write and schedule your seasonal emails well in advance. By repurposing your older Halloween or Christmas content you can probably have 10 seasonal emails written and scheduled by late September.
Leave space in your schedule to write an email for new holiday content or leave space in each email where you can add a new recipe that fits with the theme. But seriously… how nice would it be to have all those emails written before the busy holiday season even starts?
These are all really simple ways you can repurpose old content and make it earn its keep, while never running out of emails to send!
WANT MORE TIPS?
Want more email tips? Subscribe to my monthly newsletter! Each month I write an exclusive newsletter full of tips, tricks and ideas for food content creators and their email lists!
For food bloggers and food content creators, August email newsletters can be a little challenging. Not because of a lack of content but because we’re bridgingtwo very different seasons.
August is an awkward month for food content emails. We’re in the heart of summer vacation and the hottest weather of the year but at the same time, back-to-school is right around the corner. In many parts of the US and eastern Canada, kids go back to school as early as mid August.
So… some people are looking for back to school content and others aren’t even opening their emails as they soak up their last few days of freedom.
Much of July’s content suggestions, particularly canning and preserving, outdoor entertaining and cool kitchen ideas are still relevant for August (get the full July list here)
SEASONAL HOLIDAYS:
Labour Day (the first Monday in September), other civic holiday long weekends
one last kick at the can for summer – this is a popular weekend for having friends over and entertaining outdoors. For many people this is their second New Year’s Eve as school and regular work routines resume after the weekend and summer unofficially comes to a close
SEASONAL FOOD & CONTENT:
It’s stone fruit season!
blackberries with raspberries and blueberries at the tail end of production
stone fruits: apricots, nectarines, peaches, plums
pears and grapes in some areas (September for others)
while many fruits are at the tail end of their summer production, most are still available in August with cranberries, apples and rhubarb being the exceptions.
almost all vegetables. Squash is just coming in, potatoes, tomatoes, green beans, corn and carrots are all flourishing. It’s actually easier to list the veggies that aren’t available yet! Asparagus has long since finished and pumpkins, red and yellow onions and Brussels sprouts are still a month away.
Depending on where you live, kids go back to school in late August or after Labour day weekend in September. University and college kids mostly go back after Labour day. Start dripping out content in late August but keep this list handy as you plan September as well. Here are a few to get you started:
lunch box ideas
allergy friendly (peanut-free in particular!)
eco-friendly packaging ideas
budget friendly (10 lunchbox ideas that cost less than $X)
hot lunch ideas (and how to keep them hot)
lunch box sweets and homemade treats
making lunch box veggies exciting
after school snacks
quick and easy
fuel for sports or activities
quell the pre-dinner munchies
grab-n-go breakfasts
easy breakfasts ready in 10 minutes or less
budget friendly cooking tips for college kids
dorm friendly meal ideas or dorm friendly foods
cooking basics for kids on their own for the first time
weeknight dinners
30-45 minutes or less
one pot meals
10 ingredients or less
meal prep and batch cooking
foods that fuel study sessions or help with mental focus
how to avoid the morning breakfast/lunchbox prep crunch
tips on getting your kitchen and pantry organized for meal prep and back to school.
As always, these are suggestions – adapt them to fit your niche and your audience.
WANT MORE TIPS?
Want more email tips? Subscribe to my monthly newsletter! Each month I write an exclusive newsletter full of tips, tricks and ideas for food content creators and their email lists!
There are so many delicious options to write about in your July email newsletters! If you’re a food bloggers or food content creator, the hard part will be narrowing down those options. So let’s get writing!
July is another bumper month for content. Many of the ideas I shared in June cross over into July (and I’ll recap a few here but for the full list check out June Newsletter Ideas for Food Bloggers)
SEASONAL HOLIDAYS:
Canada Day (July 1) and Independence Day (US – July 4)
grilling recipes, potlucks, BBQs, picnics
red and white food (Canada Day) or red, white and blue food (July 4): make the most of seasonal strawberries, cherries and blueberries
Canada Day or July 4 menu ideas for a grilling night, potlucks, appetizers etc
stone fruits: cherries and apricots with peaches arriving in late July in some areas
melons
veggies: peas, green beans, tomatoes, peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, salad greens zucchini, radishes, swiss chard, corn, new potatoes
canning, preserving and freezing – don’t forget jams and jellies!
pie
summer cocktails, mocktails and other iced drinks
grilling recipes
seafood
frozen desserts (popsicles, ice cream, gelato)
no-bake desserts
potluck and picnic dishes
homemade BBQ sauces, spice rubs and marinades
air fryers and instant pots as ways to cook and keep the kitchen cool
dishes best served cold
KEEP THE KITCHEN COOL:
Nobody wants to turn on an oven in July or August – unless it’s an outdoor pizza oven! Think make ahead meals, dishes best served cold or household appliances that don’t generate much heat:
potato and pasta salads
cold proteins (cook in the morning and serve in the evening): cold chicken, ham
fresh fruit and veggies with light, bright dressings
no-bake desserts
Instant Pot, Air Fryer and BBQ or propane grill recipes
** Note that in many areas as wildfire season is in full swing, any kind of outdoor flame may be banned
CANNING AND PRESERVING:
Gardens, farmer’s markets and farm gate sales are now in full on production mode with entire flats of fresh fruit and produce available for sale. And that means it’s canning, preserving and freezing season!
basic equipment
different types of preserving
basic safety precautions and preserving techniques
jams and jellies (unique flavour ideas are big right now!)
salsas, pickles, pasta sauces
ROAD TRIPS & ENTERTAINING:
There are still opportunities to focus on outdoor cooking and entertaining. But don’t just focus on grilling! This time of year people are cooking on portable camp stoves, charcoal BBQs, over campfires, in RVs, on the beach or at their Air BnB. And they’re eating while moving!
Also think about pool parties, outdoor movie nights, picnics, impromptu neighbourhood get togethers, sports tournaments – anywhere people are gathering, they’ll want food and cold drinks.
BACK TO SCHOOL:
This one is a little wild for me as back to school here is always after labour day in September but, a lot of areas go back as early as August. I’ll have more ideas for this next month but have it on your radar and start planning your BTS content for all your platforms.
This is just a smattering of ideas – take them and run with them. Shape them to fit your niche and content. The hardest part about June and July is narrowing it down to a few topics.
Now’s the time to get started. Plan out your June newsletter calendar and batch write your emails. Schedule them and you’re good to go!
Want More Tips?
Want more email tips? Subscribe to my monthly newsletter! Each month I write an exclusive newsletter full of tips, tricks and ideas for food content creators and their email lists!
One of the biggest hurdles for food content creators when it comes to email marketing is… knowing what to send. What do you write about? How do you keep your emails interesting? Let’s start with some helpful tips for planning out email content for food bloggers.
One of the biggest reasons potential clients approach me to help them with their email newsletter marketing is that they’re tired of trying to figure out what to send to their list over and over again.
Everyone I work with is a food content creator. They might be a food blogger, YouTuber, Instagrammer, cookbook author, chef or even a food brand. What do they all have in common? They love food. And sharing food and feeding people. A few even love writing about food. But most of them would rather be in the kitchen than writing emails.
Because they don’t know what to write about. So let’s talk about planning out email content when you’re a food content creator!
The first steps to creating engaging food email newsletters include figuring out what your goals are and putting a plan together to help you achieve them.
STEP 1: TAKE STOCK OF WHERE YOU ARE WITH YOUR EMAIL LIST
Before you know where you’re going, you need to know where you’re at in your business. It’s time to ask yourself a few questions:
AND REMEMBER: no judgement here. All we’re going to do here is collect some data so no mean self-talk if you don’t like your answers!
When was the last time you sent your list an email?
Are you emailing your list consistently? How frequently?
When did you last clean up your email list?
What happens when somebody signs up for your emails?
Do you have any products you are promoting or should be promoting? Like these…
digital downloads like meal plans, checklists, shopping lists
ebooks
traditionally published books
classes or workshops you teach (remote or in person)
STEP 2: WHAT ARE YOUR BUSINESS PLANS FOR THE NEXT 12 MONTHS?
Outline your plans for your food blog or food content business for the next 12 months. A few things to consider include:
Do you have plans to diversify your revenue beyond ads?
Will you be launching any products, services or events this year?
Are you writing a book or having one released this year?
Will you be actively growing your affiliate revenue?
Do you have existing products/services etc that you want to see perform better?
Are you actively trying to grow your traffic?
Do you want to add more value to brand clients?
If you answered yes to any of the above questions, it’s time to focus on your email list.
STEP 3: TIME TO WARM UP THAT EMAIL LIST
We’ll address things like cleaning up your email list and automated welcome sequences in future articles. For now, let’s focus on getting an email out and establishing some consistency.
If it’s been a while since you sent your list an email, now is the month to do it.
⚠️ WARNING⚠️
Haven’t sent an email in a while (more than a month)?You will get unsubscribes. You may get a LOT of unsubscribes. Don’t panic, or stress. This is normal – people forget they signed up, their lives change or they’re no longer interested.
Take a deep breath and let them go. It’s short term pain for long term gain. And commit to emailing more often!
START WRITING
Sit down this week and draft a short email:
Give your list a big cheery hello and let them know you’ll be dropping into their inbox more often going forward. If you’ve decided how often, tell them. If you haven’t, don’t worry about it – the important thing is to open up communication now!
Give them a reason to stay subscribed – if it’s been a while since you last emailed, you may even have a lot of subscribers who’ve never received an email from you. Let them know what kind of content you plan to send them this year: recipes, kitchen hacks, shopping tips – whatever works for your niche.
⚠️ WARNING⚠️
Sending an email to your list where the only thing you’re doing is asking for money (aka “please purchase my new thing”) when they haven’t heard from you in months is pretty cheeky. Don’t be that friend who only shows up when they want something. Keep that list warm!
ALREADY EMAILING YOUR LIST REGULARLY?
Fantastic! That’s half the battle. Take a moment to review your send frequency and do a list cleanup.
✅ SEND TIP: Now is a great time to re-introduce yourself to your email list (it’s good to do this once a year actually!).
Send a fun email with 5 random facts about yourself
Give some hints about what you have in the works for the coming months
Ask for some feedback – what would they like more of? Less?
STEP 4: PLOT OUT YOUR FIRST QUARTER OF EMAIL CONTENT
The easiest way to stay consistent with email newsletters is to plan for it. You don’t need to map out the whole year. Start small.
decide on a send frequency (you can change it at any time)
roughly map out the big food celebrations for the year but focus on the current quarter
if possible, write a month’s worth of emails at a time (they don’t need to be long!)
if you already have a product or service, include a mention of it – just a short blurb in the footer of the email as a reminder that it’s something you offer. Do NOT make it the focus of the email.
schedule
repeat the process each month of the quarter.
✅ SEND TIP: deciding on a send frequency trips up sooooo many people:
There’s no right or wrong frequency and it will depend on your audience.
Don’t be afraid of experimenting
Consistency is key
My recommendation for a minimum send frequency is once a month. Any less and you risk people forgetting they signed up and then reporting you as spam. Most of my clients do a weekly send with once every other week being the second most common choice.
Follow these 4 steps and you’ll be well on your way to becoming more consistent with your email list and more engaged with your subscribers!
Want More Tips?
Want more email tips? Subscribe to my monthly newsletter! Each month I write an exclusive newsletter full of tips, tricks and ideas for food content creators and their email lists!
