These days, sponsored content is becoming more popular especially as contextual (or more targeted advertising) becomes a more effective means for brands to reach consumers in a less disruptive manner.

Often brands will look for blogs to sponsor but there are other times when you may want to be proactive and propose a sponsorship idea to them instead. Where do you start and how do you put your best foot forward? Let’s say you love a new free-trade chocolate or non-stick baking pans and have a great idea of how to feature it on your blog (and social networks) but don’t want to wait for the brand to approach you. Have you ever thought of reaching out and asking them to sponsor you but weren’t sure how?

Put yourself in their shoes and remember you’re approaching someone who most likely develops business pitches on a regular basis. Their expectations are high, especially if you’re asking them to make a significant investment in your blog and social networks. Here are some tips to help you pitch like a pro:

Get your blog and social networks in tiptop shape

Top 10 Tips to Help You Get the Most Out of Working With Brands provides tips to help attract brands and the PR consultants who represent them.

Build a relationship

The importance of relationship building can’t be overstated. The more you get to know each other before you ask them to invest in you, the better. Think about how much more receptive you are to requests from brand representatives you already know and love compared to requests from those you don’t. Do your research, show you understand their business and why your blog is the perfect fit (e.g. you share weekly cookie recipes.) Be polite, helpful and easy to work with every step of the way.

Think like a business

If you want to be treated like a business, you need to act like one. I’ve met a lot of bloggers who approach PR consultants or brands asking for money without wanting to put in any effort. Quite frankly, if you’re expecting a business to take you seriously, you’ll need to think like they do. Be professional. Show them you’ve invested time and effort, earn their confidence and trust in your work.

Deliver a clear and succinct plan. Explain exactly what you are asking for upfront and specify what you will deliver in return. Make sure to answer the five W’s:

• Who is your audience (e.g. cookie lovers who prefer fair trade chocolate)
• What type of content you’ll produce (including any support you’ll need from them such as product samples, logos and images) and what type of reporting they can expect from you in return (daily? weekly? at the end of the campaign? etc.) and what that entails (e.g. metrics, screenshots)
• When you’ll produce content (e.g. number of times – three blog posts, photos and tweets; dates – April 3, 10, 17; duration – three weeks)
• Where you’ll share content (e.g. your blog, other relevant blogs and/or social networks; be sure to include all names and URLS)
• Why this sponsorship makes sense for their business and what they can expect it to achieve (e.g. raises awareness of new fair trade chocolate, includes a call to action that drives downloads of brand’s new fair trade chocolate recipe eBook)

Demonstrate value. Be prepared to provide measurement and results such as:

• Current stats including audience reach for your blog (e.g. monthly visitors, comments) and other social channels Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, etc.)
• Case studies or examples of past successes  – a brief paragraph with relevant links, screenshots and results go a long way.

Be humble and don’t flaunt or make false claims

Be passionate and creative.  Explain why you’re their “perfect” brand ambassador. It helps if you can point them to places you’ve already mentioned or highlighted their product or service online.

Show your creativity. Give them a taste of how you’ve shaped past campaigns or some of the ideas you have to feature their products.

Pay attention to your writing. Good grammar and spelling matter, and both are expected in the workplace. Being an accomplished storyteller is one thing but if your writing is full of spelling errors and typos, it may result in you being denied the opportunity of your dreams.

So you’ve followed all the tips and submitted a fantastic proposal. Now what?

Stay positive and be prepared for anything, including rejection. Hopefully, you’ll initiate a perfect sponsorship deal and have a marketing package you can reuse another time. However, there are as many reasons your sponsorship proposal may be rejected. Maybe your vision doesn’t fit with the brand’s objectives, the timing doesn’t work or there’s no budget. No matter how wonderful your proposal is and how great an opportunity you’re offering, they may not share your vision. Understand where the brand reps are coming from and handle their feedback with grace. You’ll want to leave doors open for other opportunities in the future.

Have you pitched brands before?  If so, what challenges or successes have you experienced? Please share your thoughts in the comments.

Eden Spodek is a digital communications strategist with a unique perspective on emerging media. Client-side, agency-side and high profile blogger and community builder, she’s seen the digital world from all sides. Most recently, Eden added curriculum developer/instructor to her role with the launch a new Digital Strategy & Communications Management certificate program at University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies. She’s happiest helping colleagues and clients to be a little disruptive, challenging the status quo and how people think about brands. Eden is also outspoken about the importance of building online engagement and targeted relationships, one influencer at a time. Eden is based in Toronto and can be found on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram where she loves sharing photos of her adventures in food.

Tweeting throughout the conference. Copyright: b.a.d. photography

It’s just over two weeks to go before FBC2013 – Canada’s first national conference dedicated to food blogging. We’re busy putting the finishing touches on the conference to make the weekend a truly memorable experience for all attendees so today, we thought we’d put YOU to work!

You may be preparing to attend FBC2013 as well. Or another food blogging conference (for a comprehensive list, check out Jenn Oliver’s Food, Writing and Photography Conferences and Workshops page).  Maybe it’s your first time attending or perhaps you’re a seasoned food blogging conference attendee.  So, how does one prepare for a blogging conference?

Marie Asselin, of Food Nouveau, wrote a couple of articles for the site last year (on preparing to attend a food blogging conference and five tips for successfully attending a conference), when FBC2013 was but the dream of many a Canadian food blogger! Well  now it’s a fast-approaching reality, so we thought we’d draw your attention to some of Marie’s tips again.

If you’ve not read Marie’s articles, you should definitely check them out but some of her key recommendations are:

1. Before the conference, get acquainted online!

So, so important to connect with people before the conference starts – you’ll be surprised once you’re at a conference how sometimes you simply run out of time to connect with everyone (though for FBC2013, we think the small size of the conference will hopefully mean you will all connect with each other at some point!) so make sure you follow you fellow attendees on Twitter (here’s the FBC2013 Twitter attendee list), read some new-to-you attendee blogs, join our FBC2013 Facebook Group just for attendees or, simply follow the hashtag (so, #FBC2013).

2. Be prepared to introduce yourself, IRL.

Business cards are always a great way to break the ice and you’ll find yourself handing out and collecting a large number of cards over the course of a conference – make sure you are prepared! For FBC2013 attendees, Silver Sponsor Moo.com is providing each FBC2013 attendee with a free set of either 50 business cards or 100 mini cards to be delivered directly to Hockley Valley Resort! The deadline to design and order them is April 3, 2013, so don’t miss out on this great offer! Check your email – we sent reminder details yesterday!

3. Know before you go!

Before you attend any conference, it’s a great idea to learn as much as you can about the conference activities, sessions and speakers as you can. This will help you feel a little less lost and also help you prepare questions you might like to ask certain speakers or in certain sessions. Check out the sponsors – there might be a particular brand you’d like to connect with.  For FBC2013, you might like to check out:

FBC2013 Sponsors
FBC2013 Speakers
FBC2013 Sessions
FBC2013 Conference Schedule

Over to you…

Have you ever attended a food blogging conference? What are YOUR top tips?

If you’re a conference newbie, what would you like to know?

Leave your ideas in the comments below!

As most FBC members will know, we’ve been just a little bit busy over the past few months, preparing for Canada’s first dedicated food blogging conference coming to Hockley Valley Resort April 12-14th 2013.  Amongst the FBC2013 updates, we’ve also been working hard to bring you useful resources and inspiring content but we realise that in all the conference chit-chat, some of these great posts might have passed you by.

We know from the popularity of our resource recap earlier in the year as well as conversations during the recent FBC2013/ Canada Beef Twitter Party that many of our new members might not be aware of all we have to offer so we thought we would take the time today to recap what a great first quarter of the year it’s been here on FBC.

For our keen baking members, Janice Lawandi wrote about the importance of weighing ingredients for bakers.

In terms of blog resources, Lenny and Denise of Chez Us covered “What NOT to do when making a video for your blog!”

Taylor Mathis gave us Five Ways to Improve your Picture’s White Balance

Eden Spodek offered ten tips to help you get the most our of working with brands.

Aimée from Simple Bites gave a fabulous overview of Understanding Pinterest for your Blog.

Charmian Christie helped us understand the process of reviewing cookbooks with review copies and using recipe excerpts.

And because a few people have asked recently, we thought we’d pull this one from the the vaults 10 Tips to help Food Bloggers use Google +

Our Restaurant Roundup Crew around the country checked out:

Favourite Dim Sum around Canada:

Canada’s best poutine:

Canada’s most romantic restaurants

We’re looking forward to a fabulous spring here at FBC, with of course, FBC2013 to look forward to as well as a whole host of new resource posts, members’ only opportunities and new bloggers for you all to discover through our Featured Member Blogs every Friday.  Thanks for your ongoing support!

It has never been easier to create incredibly beautiful video images at the highest available quality.  Until recently, 2 to 3 years ago, the ability to shoot High Definition (HD) videos with high quality lenses was reserved for those with Hollywood sized budgets.  This is no longer the case with DSLR photography cameras that shoot HD video.

To put it simply, now is an exciting time to get in on the video game.  While it might look like “everyone’s doing it”, the truth is, they are not.  Even if, they are, there is always room for improvement.  Maybe that is why you are reading this article.

The good news is there are basic steps that will vastly improve your videos.  While high end gear is fun and in many cases will improve the image quality, the truth is you can blow your budget on a fancy new camera and still produce terrible looking images.  That is depressing.  Trust me!

In this article, I am going to point out 5 fundamental mistakes most people make when producing food videos.

Neglecting The Background

Unlike still photography, where shots are meticulously composed and analyzed, when people shoot video, they do not compose their shots the same way they would a photo.  They basically say “go stand over there and start talking.”  The truth is you need to pay as much attention to crafting your video shots as you would a photo.  It is actually harder because the camera may move, changing the entire background.

Now, I am not talking about creating a masterpiece.  I am simply talking about very basic stuff, like cleaning the kitchen counter, or removing the broom, or mop from the shot.  Avoid standing beside the refrigerator or microwave.  The other objects to look for are light switches, doors, and clocks.

Standing too close to walls.

Another common mistake people make is standing up against a wall as though they are part of a police line up.  If you can, you want to create as much distance between the subject and the wall, or background.  Creating distance between the subject and the background will do two things: It will help the viewer focus on the subject, and it will help create a greater depth of field.  This is the Holy Grail of shooting and what DSLRs excel at.

Every kitchen is different and, like us, you may not have much space.  Here is where you need to get a little creative and maybe less literal.  Try standing at the edge of your kitchen and see how it looks in the background.  Why not stand in another room altogether?  Watch any cooking show on TV and see what the very first shot is.  In many cases, it’s not even in the kitchen.

Refer to the two images below.  The first image shows you the final shot.  The following image shows you where the subject was standing to make the shot work.  As you can see, the subject is standing well outside of the kitchen.

Speaking of paying attention to the background, note the trash can and the time on the oven in the images above.  Also, the light coming from the window is too bright.  Those are the details you need to look for and avoid.

Poor lighting.

Lighting is where the rubber meets the road.  It will make all the difference in the world.  If you are relying on your standard house lights, you will always get a flat image that is not desirable.  It is the sad truth.

This shot was taken in our kitchen with only the house lights.  It’s flat and yellow, and we do not have any control over the lighting.   It looks terrible, and you probably face similar challenges.

A window is an excellent source of light, and you should take advantage of it if you can when shooting photos.  Unlike photography, where you can take a picture within a matter of minutes, video takes longer to produce, and the light will change from the time you start your shoot to the time you finish.   This is something you do not want to deal with when shooting video.  Fortunately, you do not have to spend a lot of money on a fancy light kit.  You can start with basic lights that are very affordable.

In the next series of images, you will see how light can transform the image above and make it look much better one light at a time.  I’m using 3 inexpensive soft boxes from Cowboy Studio.  You can buy one soft box for $80 or a kit of three lights for under $200.

I am going to start by lighting one side of the subject’s face.  This is called the Key Light.  Lighting one side of the face will create subtle shadows on the opposite side which will give the image depth.   As you can see, one soft box, placed off to the left of the subject, has made the image look much better than the original.

This shot looks good, but it’s a bit dark.  The next step I like to do is add a back light, behind the subject, to separate the subject from the background.  This doesn’t have to be a big light.  It can be a small light which is easy to reposition.

You can see that the back light does a nice job of illuminating the subject’s hair.  What woman doesn’t want her hair to look great?

Finally, I added a fill light to the right of the subject to add some more light to the subject and the counter top.  This light wasn’t necessary, but it rounds off the image.  I also turned on the lights under the cabinets.  These lights filled out the dark spots of the counter and added some color.

A-Roll and B-Roll – No one shoots B-Roll

A-Roll, refers to your main, or primary footage.  This footage contains people speaking in an interview, or acting out a scene.  Basically, it contains people speaking.  This     footage typically has audio that is in sync with the video, i.e., the voice I hear is in sync with the picture.

B-Roll, on the other hand, is secondary footage that is used to support the primary footage.  This can be footage of objects, ingredients, or actions like mixing in a bowl.

For example, if I was going to make a video about how to make eggs and sausage, I would start with an opening shot of Denise talking about what I’m about to make.

“Today, I’m going to make an awesome breakfast that is sure to harden your arteries and keep your Dr. busy…” (A-Roll)

“I like to use fresh eggs and chorizo…” (cut to B-Roll)

“I really like eggs for breakfast, they really help me kickstart my day…” (cut to A-Roll)

“Once I’ve cracked and seasoned my egg batter, I’ll scramble it….” (cut to B-Roll)

You get the idea.  This is a very simple example.  It is also very literal, with a shot for each “concept.”  You can expand on the cut by letting the voice flow from the A-roll to the B-roll.

B-Roll is your best friend, and you will want to shoot as much of it as possible.  You can never have enough B-Roll.  You do not have to use all of it, but it is great to have, just in case you run out of footage.

B-Roll is often where you tell your story without words.  It is truly where the art of story telling comes into the craft.  Think of all the beautiful videos you have seen.  Most of them, particularly those that are shot with a DSLR are mostly B-roll.

Crazy Titles and Tacky effects

As tempting as it might be, avoid using every font in the library, or every special effect at your disposal.  I understand that it can be fun to play with all the toys, but the art is in the subtlety.  Keep your titles and effects simple and consistent.  If you are on the fence, leave them out.  As you get better, you will find you will use hardly any effects, or fancy transitions.

That is it!  If you can master these five things, you are well on your way to becoming a pro story teller!

After graduating from the University of Massachusetts, with a degree in business, Lenny Ferreira packed his bags and headed West to Los Angeles. He has always been interested in video production and the Internet. Lenny started his digital media career in 1994, when he worked for Avid Technology, makers of the original computer based editing system. Avid’s systems revolutionized how movies were made and Lenny is fortunate to have been a part if that revolution. At the same time, the Internet as we know it today was coming to fruition. Lenny built his first website in 1994 and quickly started producing short films and publishing them online for his friends and family to watch. He realized then that the Internet would be a great place for independent producers to showcase their work.

After getting his feet wet in the video production business, Lenny moved to the Bay area, where he founded FullView Media, a boutique webcasting and video production company. Over the past 16 years, Lenny has worked with all of the major studios in Hollywood and is currently helping fortune 500 companies in the San Francisco, Bay Area produce media for their online audience. More than a decade later, it has never been easier to publish video online.

Lenny and his partner Denise share their love of food and life on the popular food blog Chez Us. When she is not cooking, and he is not devouring, they can be found traveling and enjoying the great outdoors.

1. Use the correct camera settings for your light source

Every light source has a colour temperature that is measured in units called Kelvins. In most shooting environments, you will have a Tungsten (around 3200K) or Daylight (around 5500K) light source. Tungsten light sources are mainly found in halogen light bulbs. Daylight lighting is found in daylight balanced light bulbs and in natural daylight. The lower you go on the scale, the warmer (more orange) the light will look. The higher you go on the scale, the cooler (more blue) the light will look. Your camera has different white balance modes. Make sure that your camera is set to the correct mode for your light source.

2. Minimize Colour Shifts

Have you ever worn a bright pink shirt while shooting and found that the whites in your image had a pink tint to them? Have you ever taken pictures at a farmers market under the nice even light below a purple tent and found your images had a purple cast to them? If so, you have experienced a colour shift. If your light source shines through a coloured source (like a red tent) or coloured clothing reflects into the picture, your whites can shift in colour. To prevent this, use clean white diffusion material for your light source and avoid wearing clothing that could cast a colour on set.

3. Expose properly

Have you ever taken a picture of an all white scene and it turned out grey? When you have a predominantly white scene, your camera wants to expose it as grey. You will have to increase the exposure to make the whites pure white.  Don’t be surprised if you have to significantly increase the color.   

4. Use a WhiBal® or Colour Checker Card

Using a reference card like a WhiBal® or Colour Checker Card allows you to correct your image’s white balance in post-production. In one of your images, place the colour reference card in the picture. If you use Adobe Lightroom® for your post-production, you can place the White Balance Selector tool on the grey of the reference card. This will work for most applications. If you are photographing products where colour has to be 100% accurate then you can take the reference card into Photoshop® and use the curves to achieve precise colour balancing. For your everyday food shooting, the grey of a reference card will do just fine.

5. Shoot in RAW

There are times when you will want to have the ability to adjust the white balance of your image in post-production. Maybe you didn’t use a reference card, maybe it was shady outside and you were shooting in sunny white balance mode, but whatever the reason these things can be fixed in post-production. To have the most flexibility, you will need to capture your images as RAW files. Shooting in RAW makes use of all of your camera’s megapixels and captures the most information you can. Having all of this information gives you the most flexibility in adjusting the colour balance.

To sum all of this up, if you

• shoot in the appropriate white balance mode for your light source,
• stay away from colour shifts caused by wardrobe and diffusion material and
• expose properly

you will have no problems with having vibrant whites in your images. If you want to further adjust your colour in post-production, use a reference card and shoot in RAW.

Written by Taylor Mathis, professional food photographer and author of Taylor Takes A Taste.com.
Follow Taylor on Twitter and if you have questions about food photography, feel free to email Taylor.

Photographing Food – giveaway!

If you want to learn more about food photography check out Taylor’s new magazine – photographing FOOD.  It is a downloadable PDF that is formatted to read beautifully on your iPad, iPhone and computer.  Issue 1 is all about Window Lighting, Issue 2 is about Colour Harmony and Camera setting. Issue 3 will be out at the end of February and will tell you everything you need to know to create beautiful images at night with artificial lighting!

To win one of 2 copies of Issues 1 and 2, simply leave a comment on this post.  Two winners will be drawn at random on Sunday February 14th at 6pm EST and we will announce the winners in the News on Monday February 25th.

Whether you’ve been blogging for six months or six years, no matter how much the technology changes, the importance of building relationships doesn’t. But it does evolve as bloggers, brands and their agency representatives learn how to navigate the online world.

I’ve helped plenty of brands and agencies understand how to work better with bloggers. Now the tables have turned and I’ve been tasked with sharing some ways you can get the most out of working with brands. I put the question to my Facebook community and assembled this list of top 10 tips from bloggers, brands, PR consultants, marketing pros, community managers, and my own two cents.

1.    Produce engaging content

The saying “content is king (or queen)” holds true. In order to have a successful blog, there’s no way of getting around this one. Blog posts must be well written and edited. Be sure to include beautiful visuals. As a food blogger, seize the opportunity to tell your story in pictures too. If your writing or photography skills are lacking, consider exchanging tips with a friend.

2.    Have a publishing schedule

Brands want to know that your blog is being updated regularly and that you’re publishing new posts frequently. You don’t need to blog every day but brands will, want to see that your blog is up-to-date before they approach you with opportunities. If you’ve published 800 posts but haven’t blogged in more than a year, no matter how high your search rankings, a brand worth its salt won’t be interested.

3.    Make it easy for brands to get to know you

“About” pages tell new readers what to expect from your blog and who the blogger (or blogging team) is behind the site. Share your story and why you blog – let your passion shine through. Be clear about what types of stories you tell and who is the intended audience.

“Recently, after getting an invitation to an event in Vancouver, I realized that I didn’t have my home city listed on my “about” page, so I changed that,” shares Andrea Toole, who blogs at Andrea the Gastronaut.

Consider adding a “Work With Me” section or page with your pitch policies, guidelines and rates, if applicable

4.    Include your contact information

This sounds like a no-brainer but you’d be surprised how many bloggers make it difficult to contact them… unintentionally. Publish your email address or use a contact form on your site and make it easy to find. Let people know the turnaround time they can expect to hear from you and if there are specific requests you’ll ignore. (Note: linking to your Twitter account doesn’t count!)

5.    Be transparent and disclose relationships

Brands want to work with bloggers who follow best practices. It’s that simple.
Building relationships is all about trust, whether it be with other food lovers or brands and their agencies. The best way to ensure your reputation remains intact is to be transparent and disclose any relationship(s) that may influence your writing.

 6. Be brand loyal

Michèle Bosc, Director of Marketing at Chateau des Charmes says, “Don’t be afraid to endorse a brand you love. Stay loyal to that brand within a category… Be professional and true to your voice.”

Promoting multiple products for competing brands may lead readers to question whether or not they can trust your product reviews, endorsements or anything you have to say. You don’t want to be that blogger who will do anything for attention or a quick buck.

7. Network

“Don’t be shy. Introduce yourself and your blog. Let us know what type of news/information you’re interested in and what your readers like to see,” suggests Mary Pretotto, Senior Manager, Social Media Community at Rogers Communications.

Alanna Glicksman, lifestyle blogger and Digital Marketing & Community Manager at MasterCard Canada, says “Have a firm understanding of the company/brand they rep and provide partnership ideas to show how you (and your blog) are an asset for the company.

Take advantage of opportunities to network with brands and agencies at conferences or events.

Alanna suggests you ask the PR rep or community manager out for coffee, “Once you’ve formed a bond in real life, it will be difficult for them to forget you when they are looking to partner with bloggers on initiatives.”

8. Think beyond the blog

“Be prepared to offer your content ideas up for brand usage,” suggests Matthew Stradiotto, Co-founder, Matchstick, “today brands want to ‘co-create’ content with publishers. Think about how your content could live brand-side, and not JUST on your blog!”

Don’t be discouraged if a brand turns down your amazing idea; it may not fit within their budget or business objectives.

9. Honour your commitments

Jeanette Miller, Principal and Owner, Limelite PR, advises, “If you commit to doing something, then actually do it… Understand that if you are working with brands and expect to be paid then you are committing to a business transaction. So treat the PR rep as your client and operate like any business should – with great customer service.”

And Andrea Toole replied, “… Same goes for the PR company. I’ve emailed reps after events with questions, been promised a response, and never got one. In one case they didn’t get the write up.”

10. Think like a business

Andrew Dobson, who blogs at DobbernationLOVES, recommends you “… think like a business person and not a writer. Show the brand you understand their marketing goals, that you get their audience and that you wish to showcase their products with a creative and unique voice.”

Visit Andrew’s Brand Me page where he shares the highlights of successful partnerships with brands he loves.

Following these 10 tips won’t necessarily prevent you from receiving bad pitches (it won’t guarantee all brands or their agencies will do their homework either), but they should help you improve your blog and attract more of the opportunities and relationships you want, whether you’re blogging for passion or pay.

What helps you get the most out of working with brands? Please share your thoughts in the comments.

Eden Spodek is a digital communications strategist with a unique perspective on emerging media. Client-side, agency-side and high profile blogger and community builder, she’s seen the digital world from all sides. Most recently, Eden added curriculum developer/instructor to her role with the launch a new Digital Strategy & Communications Management certificate program at University of Toronto’s School of Continuing Studies. She’s happiest helping colleagues and clients to be a little disruptive, challenging the status quo and how people think about brands. Eden is also outspoken about the importance of building online engagement and targeted relationships, one influencer at a time. Eden is based in Toronto and can be found on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram where she loves sharing photos of her adventures in food.

It’s no secret that Pinterest has become one of the hottest social media type sites out there.  What’s not to love?  Beautiful photos, neat craft and party ideas, boards full of shoes and clothes, a perfect tool to brainstorm and research for design projects, not to mention… food.   And if people like your posts and pin your images, it can be a huge traffic boost to your blog!

Until recently, brands weren’t allowed on Pinterest, there were issues with the site’s Terms of Service and it was considered poor etiquette to pin your own content.  But the site has evolved over the past 6 months and it’s an important tool for bloggers – and not just in terms of traffic.

We had questions about how to get the most out of pinterest for your blog and who better to go to for answers than Aimée Wimbush-Bourque from Simple Bites and Under the High Chair.  Aimée was named one of Time.com‘s Top 30 Pinners You Should Follow and has over 19,000 Pinterest followers.  She knows her stuff!

FBC:  You have a lot of beautifully curated boards.  How do you stay organized and keep them so appealing?

AWB: Thank you. It’s actually a lot less work than it looks. I invested a few solid evenings a few years ago to get set up with about 30 boards on food-related topics that were of interest to me like Preserving, Family Dinner, Frozen Treats, School Lunch, etc. From then on it was history. If I started a new series on my blog, or threw a big party, I created a board about it. I said yes to a bunch of group boards along the way, and now here I am with over a hundred boards.

I don’t dedicate boards to single ingredients, because, really, I don’t know where I would draw the line! Although I admire boards dedicated to blueberries, bacon, or quinoa, I prefer to be slightly broader: Winter Salads, Sandwiches, Edible Gifts…etc.

As far as looks go, first impressions are everything, right? I have placed boards at the top that I know will grab the interest of fellow food lovers and DIY enthusiasts, while more specific, personal boards are buried at the bottom, along with the group boards.

By default, the newest pin on any board will become the board cover, the large image that appears at the top of each pinboard. I prefer to set a board’s cover myself – something pretty and eye-catching, of course – which will be a permanent image. I make sure it is positioned correctly as well.

(To set a cover image, hover your mouse over a pinboard and then select Edit Board Cover. The Board Cover dialog box will appear. Click the arrows to preview different pins/images from the pinboard. Click “Set Cover” when you’re satisfied with the cover image.)

I don’t pin EVERYTHING that catches my eye or I find useful. That’s what hitting the “Like” button is for!

FBC: Do you use any apps/plug-ins or tools to help you stay organized and pin quickly?

AWB: Early on I added the “Pin It” button to my bookmarks toolbar. It’s pretty easy to install, even for a non-techie like me, and it is a great enabler for pinning content. Visit the goodies page for a walk-though on how to install the button: http://pinterest.com/about/goodies/

FBC:  Initially, pinning your own content was frowned upon but now it’s becoming much more accepted. How would you recommend bloggers balance pinning their own finds and pinning their own content?

AWB: I don’t think it is black and white, although for some people it certainly is. I’ve always maintained at least a 10 :: 1 ratio – in other words, if I’m on a pinning tear, sure, I’ll add my latest post in.

I don’t always have time to make the rounds of my favorite blogs, so I love it when recipe developers and talented photographers share their most recent creations on Pinterest. It’s a lovely, fast way to see what is coming out of their kitchens, and if I want to click through, I will.

The way I see it is sharing your content on Pinterest is no different than sharing it on any other social media platform: do it tastefully and don’t beat people over the head.

FBC:  Do you use group curated boards?  They can be hard to maintain. Any tips on how to do them well?

AWB:  As I mentioned before, I said “yes” to quite a few in the beginning, but they were all initiated by food bloggers I knew and respected, and I have no regrets. It’s been a fun way to collaborate and some of them have a huge following.

My only tip would be to turn off ALL notifications…or you’ll go crazy. (pinterest.com/settings/email/)

FBC: Have you made use of the new “private boards” feature?

AWB: Yes! It’s really helpful. I’m currently pinning to My Master Bedroom Makeover, and like, it’s personal, yo. I love that it is a private board. I also have a couple of secret group boards, which is fun too.

FBC: It’s no secret that having your posts pinned can be a great traffic boost – what are your tips for making your site and your posts pinner friendly?

AWB:

• Definitely adding a small ‘Pin It’ button to your site is a good start. It invites readers to pin your content which is helpful for both of you. Visit the Pinterest Goodies page for instructions on how to add the button.
• Label your images specifically for Pinterest when you insert them into a post. In doing so, you can customize the description to fit your picture, add your url, and usually the pinner will leave exactly what you have as their description. Amanda has a great little tutorial on How to Label Your Pictures for Pinterest that is easy to follow.
• Text on photos is hot right now and really pops on Pinterest. You can use PicMonkey.com for the basics, unless of course you have something fancier. Tracy is pretty much the queen of text on images.
• Know your camera equipment and strive to take the best images you possibly can.
• Link your site to your Pinterest profile. You can make a clickable icon appear in your profile if you include your web address in your Settings. This will put an icon underneath your bio.

FBC: What are your tips for being a good Pinterest citizen?

AWB: Direct. Source. Only.  Be sure you are pinning from the source. Please don’t pin through Foodgawker or Tastespotting. (It bugs me that they even have those buttons as options.)

Use keywords in your descriptions when you Pin – something other than “Yum!” or ‘Cute”! This is helpful for your followers, and also helps to get pins and boards found more easily via search methods.

Tag your friends and colleagues in a post when you pin their content. Like Twitter, you use the @ sign to tag their Pinterest handle. Not only does it give them a polite nod, it introduces them to your followers.

And – maybe this is too obvious – but pin from the individual post, not the website’s homepage.

FBC:  What are your top 3 tips for making the most of pinterest as a blogger?

AWB:

1. Aim for one highly pin-worthy image per post, ideally in portrait layout, as it takes up more real estate and taller images just pop better on Pinterest than landscape images do. I am not religious about this vertical business, but it is something to strive toward.

2. Label your images for Pinterest (see above).

3. See what people are pinning from your site using pinterest.com/source/yoururlhere . It’s a good overall indicator of their interests and what’s hot.

http://pinterest.com/source/simplebites.net/ shows me everything people are pinning from Simple Bites.  The comments can be helpful, too, but don’t get too hung up on the negative ones.

FBC:  Who should we follow on Pinterest?

AWB:

Sylvie – food photography http://pinterest.com/gourmandeinthek/

Heidi – for inspiring food styling  http://pinterest.com/foodiecrush/

Tracy – best text on images http://pinterest.com/shutterbean/

Kelsey – queen of group boards http://pinterest.com/TheNaptimeChef/

Marla – for spark and dazzle http://pinterest.com/marlameridith/

Caitlin – dramatic and whimsical http://pinterest.com/cocofromroost/

Aimée Wimbush-Bourque is the editor of Simple Bites and author of Under the High Chair.  She’s also the FBC Regional Admin for Quebec and will be speaking at FBC2013.  She lives just outside of Montréal with her husband, Danny, and three beautiful children, and can almost always be found in the kitchen.  You can follow Aimée on Twitter at @SimpleBites, on Facebook at Simple Bites, and of course, on Pinterest.

The days of big in-house marketing departments are gone. Instead, publishers often fill the gap with professional publicists. As a result, the once common multi-city, cross-country book tours have been replaced by smaller launches supplemented with online reviews. While bloggers are playing a bigger and bigger role in book buzz, they are being asked to share a smaller and smaller pie. Even the publicists have limited resources. Debby de Groot, owner of MDG & Associates, a PR firm specializing in literary, cultural and culinary public relations says, “We don’t have unlimited books. In some cases we get only 10 [review copies]. Therefore, we need to justify to the publisher who we send books to.”

Small is big

While fewer review books means you might not get every review copy you request, the ones that arrive at your door are likely a good fit.  And you don’t necessarily have to be a big name blogger to get noticed. De Groot says, “When it comes to niche marketing, 2,000 devoted readers who are likely to buy the book are more valuable than 100,000 general readers where only 1% will be interested.” To help the publicist determine who’s best suited for each book, build a relationship with them. Tell them who you are, what you like and don’t like. Tell them about your readers. Speak up. Loud and clear.  Leave no room for confusion.

It’s not a waste of time. The good publicists are listening. “The ultimate goal for a publicist is to understand what you like and don’t like, and send you pitches for only books that suit you,” de Groot says. For the blogger, this means a more streamlined inbox. For the publicist, it means the best use of limited resources.

Before accepting a review copy

Not all publishers provide the same marketing material and have the same excerpt policies. Even if you know the publicist, read the bottom of the press release for details on any restrictions and what they can provide. If it’s not spelled out in the press release, ask:

• What recipe excerpts (and photos) can be provided?
• Do they require a permission form?
• Do they require specific wording for the excerpt?
• Is there a specific link to use?

Recipe Excerpts

Some publishers allow any recipe to be excerpted as long as you give proper attribution, some require signed permission forms, and others provide a short list of recipes available for excerpt. If you want to excerpt a recipe, email the publicist to let them know which recipe you’re interested in. This gives them the opportunity to send you a copy of the recipe, cover art, photos, links, and clarify any restrictions.

Attribution without permission is not enough under copyright law. If the recipe you want to excerpt isn’t on the list, don’t just go ahead and post it thinking they’ll be grateful for the exposure. First, ask for an exception. Some companies will grant permission if they see an advantage. This is especially true if you have established a relationship and they know your work. Other reps have their hands tied and can’t bend the rules no matter how solid your relationship is. If you can’t excerpt the recipe you want here are some options:

• Post a review without an excerpt.  Will more words, less food might give your readers what they need? If not –
• Post a review with one of the approved recipes. Keep in mind that many (many) other bloggers will be using this recipe too. If this goes against your business model then –
• Create an adaptation. Make sure the recipe is a true adaptation and you’re not just swapping pecans for walnuts. Be sure to clearly state that the recipe is an adaptation and give credit as you would with an excerpt. If that won’t work —
• Decline reviewing the book. Sometimes the recipe excerpt is the tipping point. If a review without a specific recipe won’t serve your readers then sometimes it’s best to politely decline.

To Review or Not To Review

“You are under no obligation to review a book,” de Groot says. “A book must stand on its own and … A blogger must protect their brand.” If you decide not to review the book, let the publicist know, along with some reasons why. Did the recipes call for eggs and dairy but your readers are predominantly vegan? Were the recipes too complex for your audience?  This feedback will help them send you more accurately targeted pitches. If you do review the book, send a link to the publicist with a quick note of thanks. Not only does the link make their reporting easier, it’s a natural opportunity to foster the relationship.

Relationships beyond the review

If you no longer want the book, resist the urge to make a few bucks by selling your used copy. While it’s legal to sell used copies, it is considered bad etiquette for reviewers. If the book is just hitting the stands and a review copy crops up in the used bookstore (local or online), it can hurt the author’s book sales. Instead, keep your review karma clean and:

• Host a giveaway to your readers or newsletter subscribers.
• Donate the book to charity, the local library or a woman’s shelter.

Charmian Christie is a food writer, columnist and soon-to-be cookbook author. Her first book, The Messy Baker, is due on bookshelves in Spring 2014 via with HarperCollins Canada. When she’s not biting her nails in anticipation, she’s blogging at Christie’s Corner, updating her Kitchen Disasters and Fixes app or tweeting in the wind.

Melissa of Eyes Bigger Than My Stomach offered up  7 tips on making your blog more reader-friendly right this minute was one of our most commented and visited post over the year. This goes to show that people like friendly things and that goes for blogs too! There are so many things we can do to make a visit more enjoyable for our readers and you now have seven more ways to do it!

We tackled iPhoneography with professional photographer Tim Clinch. Tim challenged all of us to be better and provided us simple and applicable tips that can help us shoot with our phone.

Sean’s Adventure in Flavortown is a busy place! Sean is constantly on the move in Vancouver eating his way through the whole city. With many things being an unknown, Sean discussed the importance of where you sit, the lighting and of course some general tips that can be applied wherever a camera meets a plate of food!

She may live in Utah, but our Cookin’ Canuck Dara broke down the importance of a media kit and how to put one together. If you’re seriously in this food blogging game, there are certain things you just must have and a media kit is one of those things!

Virtually everything that goes into food blogging happens in the home, so it’s no surprise that a little help goes a long way. There are so many people around us that can offer so much in terms of support, but it’s just a matter of asking. Aimee of Simple Bites explained how best to ask for support. You’ll be surprised at the response!

Speaking of asking for help, we went to two bloggers who have dove headfirst into the world of Google+ and asked them for their Top 5 Google+ Tips. Chef Dennis of A Culinary Journey and Irvin Lin of Eat The Love hooked us up with some terrific applicable tips on making the most out of G+ experience.

Like Google+, making videos for your blog is something that’s still relatively new in the food blogging world. We reached out to Amanda of The Hot Plate who posts how-to videos like nobody’s business! With a quick history lesson of her own journey and practical tips, a video and YouTube hits are just around the corner for any of us!

All the resources in the world are only as good as the content you produce. People like pretty things, so we asked Marian of Sweetopia to demonstrate how to ice a cupcake with the perfect swirl. With the right tools, a video explaining it all and a little encouragement, your cupcake is that much closer to being the next Pinterest sensation!

No one wants to be a fail, especially a #FAIL when it comes to common sense and courtesy. We had Ethan of Feeding Ethan look at some Twitter etiquette and how you can be a better Twitter citizen. We’re all guilty of something, but that doesn’t mean we can improve ourselves!

And there you have it, a snippet of what has been going on resource-wise on Food Bloggers of Canada in 2012. Sure, we like to use the word “eh” and conduct hot chocolate round-ups in our frozen arctic-like country, but regardless of geographical location, we are set on providing and helping all food bloggers achieve their dreams!

If there is a topic you’d like to see covered in 2013, please let us know at info@foodbloggersofcanada.com.

So, you have a Facebook Page for your blog.  And you’ve noticed a big drop in page views recently.  And you’re freaking out.

What happened?

This Dangerous Minds article came out a few weeks ago, claiming it was an attempt by Facebook to make us pay for promoted posts.

Techcrunch followed up with this article where Facebook disputed the Dangerous Minds post by claiming that it was a change (a big one) to their spam algorithms (here’s more on EdgeRank – the new algorithm)

Where does the truth lie?  I don’t know.

There are two paths this article could go down – one is that, as bloggers, we have to get rid of this expectation that we are owed services for free because “we’re just a little hobby blog”.  (Remember the outcry over Feedburner a few months ago?  The panic in the blogging community was quite something to watch…)  I have a “little photography hobby”.  Trust me… nobody gives me camera equipment or printer ink for free and my local camera store does not accept warm chocolate chip cookies as payment… oh but how lovely that would be!

Or, we could take a look at how to make the most from your Facebook fan page, with or without paying to promote your content.  Let’s take that path today!

I run three Facebook pages, one for my business, one for my blog, and the FBC Facebook page.  I have varying degrees of success with them that are directly related to how much time and effort I put into each one. That’s right… time and effort!

I realized months ago that Facebook was changing how the game was played and I decided to start experimenting with the three pages to see what worked and what didn’t (I like to poke and prod!).  What follows is purely anecdotal and very unscientific.  But hopefully you’ll find some useful tidbits that you can put to work for your page.

Start Engaging, Not Regurgitating

When I first noticed our FBC views and engagement were dropping like a stone, (and which had always been very healthy in relation to the number of fans we had) I thought it must be our content… we must be boring, people don’t care what we’re saying, nobody likes us!!  Eeks!

It was probably the best thought I could have had because it made me want to up our game.  I started looking specifically for fun or useful things to share with our fans, or asking questions that, I hoped, would get people wanting to reply.  Sometimes, it was as simple as asking what food related activity people had going on for the weekend and sometimes it was something a little more substantial.  It seemed to work – we certainly didn’t get back to where we were but our engagement level started to climb back up.  People were interacting.

• post updates outside of your latest post
• ask questions of your fans
• ask for their opinion on things – people LOVE to give their opinions.
• respond to people’s comments! Use the @ symbol and type the commenter’s name in your reply so they’ll know you responded.  People love to know they’ve been heard
• “like” people’s comments when they say something that resonates with you or that you think is a great point. Both of the last two points let people know that somebody is actually reading their replies to you and they’ve been heard.  Everyone likes validation – especially bloggers!

If Facebook has indeed change their spam algorithm as they say, and all you are doing every day is simply posting a link to your latest post, you do quickly become spammy and people will click the “hide” button (which, from the sounds of it, tells Facebook you’re spamming).

Have a Facebook Personality

No, don’t create a new personality just for Facebook – instead infuse who you are into your updates.  FBC’s Facebook page is maintained almost exclusively by me.  The status updates are written in my voice – usually exactly how I would speak if I were having a conversation with you.

I was chastised once by a fan for using the word “y’all” in a status update when I’m supposed to be Canadian.  Well, I am Canadian and very proud of it – but I say y’all in every day conversation! I also use a lot of exclamation points, have a weakness for ridiculously bad puns and jokes, and can quote most Seinfeld episodes word for word.  If you follow our Facebook page regularly, you’ll have figured all of those things out.

My point is, people who follow us, know that the page is run by a real human being and not a corporate entity who’s probably not listening

Understand the Medium

Ok, I have to reference a very famous Canadian here: as Marshall McLuhan said “the medium is the message”.   Now that guy was one heck of a visionary and I would love to know what he would think of world of social media if he were still alive!

Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and whatever comes down the pipe next are all very different mediums. To make the most out of them, you have to figure out what works best for each one.  This is why using a generic plug-in that updates them all at the same time with the exact same update is not a good idea (and it looks like a robot is running your accounts – it does nothing to help you with my last point!)

While I run the FBC Facebook page, Ethan runs our Twitter account.  And there’s a very good reason for that.  They’re different mediums and require a different approach.  Ethan has a great twitter personality (and by the way, he says “y’all” a lot too!) but I feel more comfortable with the slower pace of Facebook.

• Facebook gives you an opportunity to grow a more interactive community than Twitter does.  People can reply to your updates and immediately see what others have said and can respond to not just you, but your other fans.  Leverage that by encouraging discussion – it’s a lot easier than creating a forum on your website (as we learned!).
• Facebook is great for showcasing your photos.  You can create albums, tag people, upload an image at a time and the interface makes them great to look at.  If you want to stretch your photo to be the width of the page, click the star button to the left of it.  It’s a great way to showcase a photo.
• Create unique content that only goes on your Facebook page.  Part of what can make social media overwhelming is that it’s the same stuff on FB, Twitter, Google +!!  Mix it up a bit!

To highlight a Facebook post, hover your mouse over the left of the post until the Star and Edit buttons appear. Click on the Star button to make a post full width or shrink it back down to a column. If you click edit button, you can reposition the image so that the parts you want to show, do!

If You’re Just Starting Out on Facebook

If you’re brand new to the Facebook Page scene here’s a few tips to get you going

Fill Out All Your Profile Info

Make it easy when people visit your page to know they’re at the right page for your blog.

• fill out all the profile info
• upload your blog logo as your profile picture
• put up a timeline image that relates to your blog (read Facebook’s Terms of Service carefully – they are very strict about what can and can’t go in your timeline photoand how you run contests through Facebook)

Invite Your Friends

• You have a built in audience with your existing friends on your personal profile.  Invite them to check out your page and give you a like.  Most of them will oblige
• Make it easy for people to find your facebook page on your blog.  I recommend using a Facebook icon that you manually link to your page.  When I check out new FBC members, I like to “like” their pages using the FBC page.  The Facebook widgets usually only allow you to do that if you’re logged in as your personal account.  An icon manually linked to your Facebook page makes it easier for anyone to visit and like your page (and you do want them to visit!)

Promoting a Facebook Post – Should You Do It?

It’s certainly something to consider.  But think about it carefully.

First of all, if you have less than 400 fans, you can’t promote a post – it’s not an option.  Second, how much you pay to promote is directly proportional to how many fans you have – the larger the number, the more you pay.

Choose the post to promote carefully.  For our first promoted FBC post, we chose our Canola/FBC 2013 Cookie Contest.  It cost us $10 – an absolute steal in comparison to a press release! It was seen by over 4000 people and garnered a stack of new FB fans and a lot more “post shares” and “likes” than we normally get.  But most importantly, this was a post we really wanted people to see – people who might not have us in their RSS reader or who follow us on Twitter.  We also recruited 19 new FBC Members during the time the post was promoted.

Here’s what I’ve also noticed since we ran that promoted post… our engagement levels are much higher.  We now average around 1/3 of our fans seeing our posts – double the normal Facebook average of 15%.  Is it because we chose to pay? Or is it because we’re doing a better job of engaging?  I’d like to think it’s the latter but it’s probably a combination of the two.

Last But Not Least

Facebook is notorious for tweeking and changing things, no matter how much uproar springs from it.  Get used to it.  And remember, solid content, being engaging and interesting with your fans, and understanding how each Social Media channel works will always serve you well.

Getting the Most From Your Facebook Fan Page was written by FBC co-founder Melissa Hartfiel. By day Melissa is a WordPress web & graphic designer at her own little company, Fine Lime Designs.  By night, she’s a professional food photographer and author of the food photography blog Eyes Bigger Than My Stomach.  In between she leaps tall buildings in a single bound.  Well, not really, mostly she just hangs out with her dog and eats chocolate.

Connect with Melissa on Twitter: @mhchipmunk or Facebook: Eyes Bigger Than My Stomach