9 tips to make your food post interesting
Recently I’ve received an increasing number of requests to guest-post on my site, which makes me ecstatic, but it also sets me in a difficult position to evaluate what is interesting. Of the millions of food blogs out there, what makes yours interesting? It’s you. Your voice, your emotions and your own experience with the food can set your post miles above a recipe that I can find just 0.2 seconds after I google its name. I’m no professional blogger, but I’ve read a fair share of food blogs, and from the ones that I keep returning to, I’ve learned and formed my own set of guidelines on how to write a post (which I try to follow, sometimes more successful than others).
In general, recipe posts have more room for personal stories, and they also comprise the most common type of food blogs (small sample: of the top 50 food blogs on Delish, 43 are recipes), so these guidelines are more geared toward recipe blogging than reviews. I’m gonna skip the photos, although they’re important, they’re the varnish and the writing is the wood.
1. Write statements with specific details, geographically and historically. Let’s say you want to write about grilled catfish. You need an opening sentence. Your first thought is “When it comes to catfish, there are many American dishes. They are mouthwatering and delicious.” These two sentences sound choppy and unimpressive, so you can remodel them into “Our American cuisine has no shortage of mouth-watering dishes with catfish, such as Catfish Tuscany and Catfish Gumbo.” Then you give more background details to it: in which regions in America are these dishes most common, who usually like them; or give a more personal touch: do you have a childhood story related to one of these catfish dishes, how did you come to like catfish or fish in general, etc.
2. Be confident with your opinions, but respect your readers. You’re not trying to give a lecture, you’re just telling a story. Sometimes a confident statement may sound a little bit too direct and confrontational. For example, “you should eat catfish because it is healthy” sounds like an order, but softening it to “my mother always tells me to eat catfish because it is healthy” offers not only consideration but also a personal story and a third opinion (your mom’s), which gently boosts the credibility of your statement. The use of “you” should be minimal, unless you want to make it sound like a conversation, which you should.
3. Give reasons. Why is catfish good for health? Include scientific facts if possible. Include your grandmother’s experience is even better: 1. It’s personal; 2. It’s most likely universal, somehow all grandmothers think the same; 3. It’s proven with time.
4. Tell a story. How did you come up with this recipe? How is your recipe different from other recipes of grilled catfish? Basically, what makes your recipe unique? What have you discovered while making this recipe, using this product, or eating this dish? James Boo and his co-writers on The Eaten Path tell some of the best stories.
5. How flexible is your recipe? Can I use brown rice instead of basmati rice, pork bone instead of beef bone, or blueberries instead of raisins? For a review, how adaptable is the dish or the product? Can it be eaten any time of the day, any season of the year? What kind of beverage would it go well with? What changes can/should be made if I want to make it for my grandmother’s cousin who has dentures and is fond of duck tongue?
6. Tell us about the result. What do you think about your recipe after you eat it? Is it perfect? Did it give you a split second of enlightenment? Is there anything you should have done differently or is there anything you would like to experiment next time you make it? Will you make it again? Did your best invention give you the worst stomachache the following day? Did anyone beside you eat it, if so, what did they think? The answers to these questions add personality to your post and complete your story.
7. Google is your best friend. And like with your best human friend, you should prepare to spend a lot of time with Google. There are already a lot of information out there, simply reciting the first link you find is not going to make your post any better than that link. What the reader needs is all of that information in one place, so that they can quickly go back and look up for it as needed. I spent 2 days browsing through 50 pages of articles on the ash sticky rice dumpling (bánh ú tro), most are copies of one another, to get enough information for my post. The more inclusive your post is, the more useful it is for the reader. Your reader is spending their valuable time to read your post, so you have to invest your time to research before you write.
Also make sure to cite your sources. Citation doesn’t take away your expertise, it proves it.
8. Be funny. This point is always mentioned in every blogging to-do list, and it’s the hardest point to follow. How can you be funny? I try, but I don’t know if I’ve ever succeeded because nobody has ever told me that I’m funny. But here’s a trick I’ve learned from noodlepie: you can be funny by referencing funny things. Use the built-in links to your advantage. Those who bother to click on them, get the hidden jokes.
9. Be open about yourself. Be personal. If you don’t want the world to know about you, maybe you should set your blog private, or blog in your head. Besides, the world is not out to get you, unless you’re a serial killer on Interpol‘s wanted list who also enjoys seeking out the most authentic pad thai in the States, in which case you probably shouldn’t blog about where you just had lunch… (or maybe you should?)
To sum it up, a good blogging tone is confident, respectful and open. Content-wise, be informative. Ask yourself while writing: have I learned something new? If you don’t learn anything new while writing your post, that means you haven’t done enough research and your post is useless. Even if you think of the entire post all by yourself in one go, there are always numbers and statistics that you can add to bolster your arguments, or fun facts to make your baked potato not so trivial, or new words that you procure from thesaurus.com to avoid repeating yourself. If you learn something new while writing your post, chances are your readers will learn something new from your post, and that newly acquired knowledge will prompt them to think of your blog as a valuable source, and they will come back.
This post was written after an allnighter. Now the author has learned what her third alarm, which she always sleeps through, sounds like.
You are my inhalation, I have few web logs and often run out from to brand : (.
1This design is steller! You definitely know how to keep a reader entertained. Between your wit and your videos, I was almost moved to start my own blog (well, almost…HaHa!) Excellent job. I really enjoyed what you had to say, and more than that, how you presented it. Too cool!
2Thank you for the good writeup. It in fact was a amusement account it. Look advanced to far added agreeable from you! However, how could we communicate?
3Excellent site you have here but I was curious about if you knew of any message boards that cover the same topics discussed here? I’d really like to be a part of community where I can get comments from other knowledgeable people that share the same interest. If you have any suggestions, please let me know. Appreciate it!
4Wow that was unusual. I just wrote an very long comment but after I clicked submit my comment didn’t appear. Grrrr… well I’m not writing all that over again. Anyhow, just wanted to say superb blog!
5I genuinely enjoy examining on this site, it has got fantastic articles. “The longing to produce great inspirations didn’t produce anything but more longing.” by Sophie Kerr.
6Hi there would you mind stating which blog platform you’re using? I’m planning to start my own blog soon but I’m having a difficult time making a decision between BlogEngine/Wordpress/B2evolution and Drupal. The reason I ask is because your design seems different then most blogs and I’m looking for something completely unique. P.S Apologies for being off-topic but I had to ask!
7I get pleasure from, result in I found exactly what I used to be taking a look for. You’ve ended my four day lengthy hunt! God Bless you man. Have a great day. Bye
8Thanks for your whole hard work on this web site. My aunt loves conducting research and it’s simple to grasp why. Almost all know all about the compelling mode you deliver insightful thoughts on your blog and as well as invigorate contribution from some others on the area while our favorite princess has always been starting to learn a whole lot. Take advantage of the rest of the year. You are conducting a really good job.
9Just what I was searching for, thanks for posting.
10I am delighted that I detected this web blog, exactly the right information that I was searching for! .
11소액결제현금화(휴대폰깡·모바일깡)의 뜻과 수법, 정보통신망법 위반 처벌 수위, 실제 처벌 사례와 이용자 피해, 급전 필요 시 합법 대안까지 정리했습니다.
12소액결제현금화(휴대폰깡·모바일깡)의 뜻과 수법, 정보통신망법 위반 처벌 수위, 실제 처벌 사례와 이용자 피해, 급전 필요 시 합법 대안까지 정리했습니다.
13누누티비의 서비스 종료 이력과 같은 이름의 사이트를 확인할 때 알아둘 내용을 정리했습니다. 드라마·영화 다시보기 제공 여부, 회차·자막·화질 확인 방법과 자주 묻는 질문을 살펴보세요.
14누누티비의 서비스 종료 이력과 같은 이름의 사이트를 확인할 때 알아둘 내용을 정리했습니다. 드라마·영화 다시보기 제공 여부, 회차·자막·화질 확인 방법과 자주 묻는 질문을 살펴보세요.
15부산오피를 검색하며 부산 지역 일반 마사지·스파를 알아보는 분들을 위한 안내입니다. 프로그램 선택, 관리 시간과 비용, 시설·위생, 주차, 예약 전 확인사항과 자주 묻는 질문을 정리했습니다.
16부산오피를 검색하며 부산 지역 일반 마사지·스파를 알아보는 분들을 위한 안내입니다. 프로그램 선택, 관리 시간과 비용, 시설·위생, 주차, 예약 전 확인사항과 자주 묻는 질문을 정리했습니다.
17You made some nice points there. I did a search on the subject matter and found most individuals will go along with with your website.
18광주호빠를 찾는 분을 위한 광주광역시 예약 안내. 라운지 분위기, 인원별 공간 선택, 가격 상담, 첫 방문 준비와 자주 묻는 질문을 확인하고 원하는 일정에 맞춰 문의
19여기여에서 검색·콘텐츠·학습·디자인·개발·생활 분야의 링크모음과 주소모음을 살펴보세요. 사이트 주소 확인법, 모바일 이용법, 북마크 정리, 접속 문제 해결 방법과 FAQ를 안내합니다.
20I think this is among the such a lot significant information for me. And i am glad reading your article. But want to observation on few common issues, The site taste is ideal, the articles is in reality great :D. Good job, cheers
21광주호빠를 찾는 분을 위한 광주광역시 예약 안내. 라운지 분위기, 인원별 공간 선택, 가격 상담, 첫 방문 준비와 자주 묻는 질문을 확인하고 원하는 일정에 맞춰 문의
22대밤·대구의밤을 찾는 분들을 위한 대구 지역 정보. 동성로·수성못·동대구역·달서구의 저녁 여가와 지역별 특징, 후기 비교 기준, 가격·운영시간·교통 확인사항 및 자주 묻는 질문을 살펴보세요.
23대밤·대구의밤을 찾는 분들을 위한 대구 지역 정보. 동성로·수성못·동대구역·달서구의 저녁 여가와 지역별 특징, 후기 비교 기준, 가격·운영시간·교통 확인사항 및 자주 묻는 질문을 살펴보세요.
24This is a very good tips especially to those new to blogosphere, brief and accurate information… Thanks for sharing this one. A must read article.
25Definitely believe that which you stated. Your favorite reason seemed to be on the internet the simplest thing to be aware of. I say to you, I definitely get annoyed while people consider worries that they plainly do not know about. You managed to hit the nail upon the top and defined out the whole thing without having side effect , people can take a signal. Will likely be back to get more. Thanks
26Great work! That is the type of info that should be shared around the web. Disgrace on Google for not positioning this publish higher! Come on over and seek advice from my site . Thank you =)
27I genuinely enjoy looking through on this web site, it has fantastic posts. “A short saying oft contains much wisdom.” by Sophocles.
28Nice article, I learned a lot from this blog. Keep it up!. Nice write-up, keep it up.
29Dead written subject material, thankyou for selective information.
30I would like to show my love for your generosity supporting individuals who absolutely need guidance on in this topic. Your very own commitment to passing the solution all around had become rather informative and have usually enabled regular people much like me to reach their desired goals. The invaluable useful information means a great deal to me and substantially more to my mates. Best wishes; from each one of us.
31Excellent web site. Plenty of useful info here. I’m sending it to a few pals ans additionally sharing in delicious. And obviously, thank you on your effort!
32I have learn some just right stuff here. Certainly worth bookmarking for revisiting. I surprise how so much attempt you set to make this kind of excellent informative web site.
33I loved as much as you will receive carried out right here. The sketch is tasteful, your authored subject matter stylish. nonetheless, you command get got an impatience over that you wish be delivering the following. unwell unquestionably come further formerly again since exactly the same nearly a lot often inside case you shield this hike.
34Greetings from Florida! I’m bored at work so I decided to check out your website on my iphone during lunch break. I love the knowledge you present here and can’t wait to take a look when I get home. I’m shocked at how quick your blog loaded on my mobile .. I’m not even using WIFI, just 3G .. Anyways, good blog!
35Hey There. I discovered your blog using msn. This is a really neatly written article. I will make sure to bookmark it and return to read more of your helpful info. Thank you for the post. I’ll certainly return.
36As I web-site possessor I believe the content matter here is rattling magnificent , appreciate it for your efforts. You should keep it up forever! Good Luck.
37Hi there, just became alert to your blog thru Google, and located that it’s truly informative. I am gonna be careful for brussels. I’ll be grateful in case you proceed this in future. Numerous folks will likely be benefited out of your writing. Cheers!
38This post contains some really useful information. Thanks!. Really appreciate the detailed explanation.
39Can I just say what a relief to find somebody who truly is aware of what theyre speaking about on the internet. You undoubtedly know how to carry an issue to mild and make it important. Extra individuals have to learn this and understand this facet of the story. I cant consider youre no more well-liked because you undoubtedly have the gift.
40I was suggested this web site by my cousin. I’m not sure whether this post is written by him as nobody else know such detailed about my trouble. You’re amazing! Thanks!
41Woh I love your posts, saved to my bookmarks! .
42I am no longer sure the place you are getting your information, however good topic. I must spend a while finding out much more or understanding more. Thank you for magnificent info I used to be in search of this information for my mission.
43I’d have to examine with you here. Which is not something I normally do! I take pleasure in reading a publish that may make folks think. Also, thanks for allowing me to comment!
44Good day I am so excited I found your web site, I really found you by mistake, while I was searching on Digg for something else, Nonetheless I am here now and would just like to say many thanks for a marvelous post and a all round entertaining blog (I also love the theme/design), I don’t have time to go through it all at the minute but I have saved it and also included your RSS feeds, so when I have time I will be back to read much more, Please do keep up the fantastic work.
45Its such as you learn my mind! You seem to know a lot approximately this, like you wrote the ebook in it or something. I feel that you simply could do with some to force the message house a bit, but other than that, that is excellent blog. An excellent read. I will certainly be back.
46You actually make it appear so easy with your presentation but I find this matter to be really something that I believe I might never understand. It kind of feels too complicated and extremely broad for me. I’m looking ahead in your subsequent publish, I will try to get the hold of it!
47Hey very nice site!! Man .. Beautiful .. Amazing .. I will bookmark your web site and take the feeds also…I am happy to find a lot of useful info here in the post, we need work out more techniques in this regard, thanks for sharing. . . . . .
48whoah this blog is great i love reading your articles. Keep up the good work! You know, a lot of people are searching around for this information, you can aid them greatly.
49Great beat ! I wish to apprentice while you amend your website, how could i subscribe for a blog site? The account aided me a appropriate deal. I had been a little bit acquainted of this your broadcast provided bright clear idea
50