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!
There is SO much food content you can write about in your June email newsletters! If you’re a food bloggers or food content creator, this is when we’re spoiled for choice. So let’s get writing!
After struggling to make root vegetables interesting for almost 6 months, June is like a breath of fresh air for food bloggers and food content creators. This is when writing your email newsletters gets a lot easier and I’ve got loads of ideas to help you out this month. A lot of these ideas also carry over into July and, to a certain extent, August – so you can plan even further ahead!
SEASONAL HOLIDAYS:
June brings us Father’s Day, as well as school graduations which run through the entire month. And, while Canada Day (July 1) and Independence Day (US July 4) are the first week of July, you’ll want to start dripping content out for these in mid to late June. Here are some ideas:
grilling recipes or Father’s day menu ideas
Father’s Day gift guide for the dad who cooks (grilling tools and accessories, cookbooks, specialty condiments, cool kitchen gadgets etc) – don’t forget affiliate links where allowed!
red and white food (Canada Day) or red, white and blue food (July 4)
Canada Day or July 4 menu ideas for a grilling night, potlucks, appetizers etc
grad party and menu ideas: outdoor movie night, dry grad, morning after breakfast buffet
SEASONAL FOOD:
We’re gearing up for berry season but there’s loads of other ideas
strawberries (raspberries and blueberries may be on the way in warmer regions)
rhubarb (tail end)
peas
leafy greens
cherries (late June through July)
summer cocktails, mocktails and other iced drinks
grilling recipes
seafood
frozen desserts (popsicles, ice cream)
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
COOKING ON THE ROAD:
Just like in May (and continuing through July and August, there are lots of 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!
grilling, smoker, BBQ recipes
shopping meal prep for travel (don’t forget airplane snacks too!)
tips on hot weather food safety and how to pack a cooler
recipes you can cook on camp stoves, campfires or in tiny kitchens
camp kitchen hygiene and animal safety
road trip or airplane snacks
how to grocery shop while on vacation
kid snacks for day camps
how to do any of the above suggestions on a budget!
CANNING AND PRESERVING:
Canning and preserving don’t get into full swing until later in the summer but now is a great time to talk about how to prep for the season: tools, tips, books and blog posts!
ENTERTAINING:
People entertain a lot during the summer. Casual get togethers, out of town family, weddings, wedding showers, engagement parties, sports team windups… it’s a long list!
emails that focus on menu ideas for any of these events – especially easy food that isn’t labour intensive
no cook dinner ideas
make ahead dishes that can be eaten cold
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!
All digital products require consistent marketing to keep sales coming in. Here is a super simple way to to market your ebooks, printables or digital courses that isn’t too sales-y.(PS it also works for physical products!)
So… you’ve created this new digital product. Maybe it’s an ebook, or a downloadable printable. Or a digital course.
You’ve funneled time, money and energy into it and it’s perfect. It’s packed with helpful, practical information and tips. It’s beautiful to look at. And you just know it’s exactly what your people need to make their lives or businesses better.
There’s just one problem.
Nobody’s buying it.
Almost everyone who has launched a digital product has experienced this and it can be, at best, frustrating. At its worst, it can be a blow to your self-confidence and make you wonder why you’re doing what you’re doing.
One Key Thing You Need to Know About Selling Any Product or Service
Before you get too down on things it’s really important to know that most customers, or potential customers, require at least 7 touch points with your product before they’ll purchase. This is a key takeaway to factor into your digital product marketing plans! (oh and it also works for physical products!)
If you share your new product on Instagram , Facebook and Tik Tok once each, that’s 3 touch points…sort of.
If you have different audiences on each platform, it may only be once touch point for each of them…. maybe. If they didn’t see your post (because, algorithms) then it’s actually zero touch points!
Now you’re starting to see just how much marketing you’ll need to do to hit 7 touch points with most of your customers. You need to be promoting your new ebook constantly and consistently.
But what if you don’t want to be too sales-y?
I get it. It feels weird and awkward and even you get sick of hearing yourself talk about your new baby.
So here’s a super simple tip that takes very little effort and helps you get eyeballs regularly on your products.
Promote Your Digital Products to Your Email List In Every Newsletter
Before you groan, this is not as sales- y as it sounds.
Here’s what you are NOT going to do:
you are NOT going to go on and on about your product in each newsletter
it is NOT going to be the first thing, or even the second or third thing you talk about
you are NOT going to annoy your subscribers
Here’s What You ARE going to do:
Create 3-4 different graphics for each product you have. Aim for about 640px wide by 200px high – about the width of your newsletter
Your graphics should show an image of the product (a book cover, the logo for your course etc) and have a small amount of text encouraging people to buy
Insert one of the graphics into the bottom of your next newletter, just above your sign off – like an ad!
Make sure the graphic links to somewhere they can buy the product
If you like, you can also write a short paragraph blurb highlighting a great feature or benefit of your product. If you do this, make sure you include a text link so they can buy
Add a button that says something like “GET YOURS NOW” or “BUY NOW”. Buttons convert well in emails – better than images and text links
Rotate your graphics each week so they don’t see the same image every week.
If you have multiple products, rotate the product you feature each month – if you can tie it into the theme of your newsletter or a key point in your newsletter that’s even better.
By doing this, you’re not in your subscribers faces each week. You’re not pushing them to buy.
You’re simply reminding them that you have this product and, when they’re ready, it’s there waiting for them.
You also need to remember that each week, you have new subscribers who have never seen your product before. They are starting from zero touch points!
You’ll still need to regularly promote your products on social media and to your network but that’s a tip for another day!
In the meantime, add these graphics into your rotation and it’s a very simple way to market your books, products and courses every week to the people who are most likely to buy from you!
Fall is almost officially here and it’s my favourite season. Mother nature puts on a show in glorious technicolour and we get to come along for the ride. It will be wet, rainy, cold or snowy soon enough so soak in all the gorgeous rich colours of fall while you can!
Feel free to download this palette if you wish to use the colours in your own projects or add it to your design resources (right click on the image to download to your computer). The hex values are included. (Hex codes are how colours are described in CSS for the web).
