Do you daydream about desserts, savor soup recipes, or review unique menu items at local restaurants? If so, becoming a food influencer could be a natural fit. Foodie influencers can inspire home chefs, share time-saving tips, and teach busy parents how to eat healthily.
How to become a food influencer
If you’re interested in becoming a food influencer, here’s how to get started:
Pick a niche within the food category
You might assume that a food influencer is its own niche, and it is, but with so many food influencers out there, you need to go further. A “food influencer” could be too broad, so narrow your focus. Here are a few categories to consider:
- Family meal planning
- Cooking on a budget
- Quick meals
- Healthy meals
- Recipes for the grill, slow cooker, or instant pot
- Recipes for vegans, vegetarians, or diets like keto
- Baking, or even more specific niches like cakes or old-fashioned pies
- Drink recipes
- Meals for parties
- Recipes from a certain country or region
- Restaurant reviews
Pro tip: Get inspired by these foodie influencers.
Select a food-themed name
Food influencers need a fun, food-themed name. While it might feel tricky to come up with something original, there are a lot of combinations you can use to generate a quirky, descriptive handle.
Your account name could include your first name or the kind of food you focus on. For example, it’s not hard to figure out what kind of content @AllThingsMeaty or @healthygirlkitchen create, right?
The name should be easy to remember and spell, and of course, it has to be available on the channel you plan to use.
Pick a channel
You’ve picked a focus and a name, now think about the content you plan to create. Your preferred content type will guide your channel selection. YouTube might be your best bet if you plan to show followers how to make meals with video. Planning to review local restaurants? You could take a snap of the dish you order and share it on Instagram.
Remember, food influencers aren’t just on social either. You can create a food blog or launch a podcast too.
Consider photography or videography classes
Food influencers often benefit from photography or videography classes. You’ll need top-notch content to stand out in a crowded influencer niche. You want pictures or videos that are so amazing that followers have to notice.
You don’t need to trek to your local college campus. Look for online options instead. After your class, practice, and practice some more.
Draw inspiration from other food influencers. Browse through their feeds to see how they’re framing plates, what angles they’re using, and what kind of backgrounds are best.
Start posting regular content
Consider your posting frequency once you launch your social channel, blog, or podcast. How often do you plan to post? Being a food influencer isn’t just about sharing snaps of mouth-watering cakes or drinks; it’s about showing up for your followers regularly.
At a minimum, plan to post two to three times a week. At most, you can post daily.
With this kind of commitment, it’s a good idea to create a content calendar and a list of topic ideas to draw from. You can plug your social channels into a social media scheduler so you can create content ahead of time and schedule it to publish. There are similar tools for blogs and podcasts too.
Grow your audience
If you want to monetize your content, you’ll need an audience. Influencers with 1,000 followers or more are usually attractive to brands.
You don’t need millions of followers to collaborate with brands. Many brands work with nano- or micro-influencers because they often have higher engagement rates and are more affordable.
You’ll need to make efforts to grow your audience, though. Here are a few tips for doing so:
- Host a giveaway.
- Use food-specific hashtags to make sure your posts are searchable, like #food, #homemade, #Instaeats, #foodislife.
- Team up with other food influencers and share each other’s content.
- Write guest posts for industry blogs.
- Follow and engage with other food sites and channels.
Join influencer marketing platforms
When you’re ready to gain exposure as an influencer, join an influencer marketing platform like The Creator Marketplace®. You can create a profile, link your social channels, and connect with brands on the platform.
Want to explore influencer opportunities? Check out Casting Calls, where brands create an ad and ask influencers to pitch them ideas.
An influencer marketing website is a great place to get discovered. Brands often turn to these platforms to search for content creators, so creating a presence is an effective way to promote your foodie-based brand.
With these tips, you’ll be a food influencer in no time.
Influencers:
Looking to partner with industry-leading brands? Create your free profile today.
Marketers:
The world’s biggest brands trust IZEA’s influencer marketing software and managed solutions. Find out which solution is right for you.
