Michelle Blackwood adopted her goals to change into a nurse, a profession she totally loved. Nonetheless, a well being problem and dire problems from a C-section led her to reevaluate her way of life.
After transitioning to a plant-based food regimen and deeply exploring matters associated to well being and wellness, she determined to launch her weblog, Healthier Steps. This can be a place to share her vegan recipes and associated content material on skincare, gardening, and well being. As a pioneering Jamaican vegan blogger, she efficiently grew her attain by means of arduous work, consistency, authenticity, worldwide publicity, and search engine optimization.
As we speak her weblog earns over $300k per 12 months, and projections counsel a possible incomes surpassing $400,000 within the coming 12 months.
Maintain studying to search out out:
- Why she transitioned to a plant-based food regimen
- What led her to create her web site
- What different facet hustles she was engaged on
- The place her revenue comes from
- What she did to spice up her revenue
- Her strategy to topical authority
- How she markets her weblog utilizing social media
- Her strategy to YouTube
- What occurred after her search engine optimization audit
- Her content material creation course of and schedule
- How she grows her e mail checklist
- The assets and instruments she makes use of
- The primary challenges she’s confronted
- Her best accomplishments
- Her recommendation for different entrepreneurs
Meet Michelle Blackwood
My title is Michelle and I used to be born and raised in Jamaica. I started my educational pursuits at Northern Caribbean College, the place I obtained a diploma in laptop science. I then ventured to England to chase my dream of changing into a registered nurse, a objective I achieved at DeMontfort College.
My journey took me from England to the USA, the place I met my life accomplice, Devon, and launched my profession as a registered nurse in a hospital.
It was throughout this era that Devon and I made a decision to transition to a plant-based way of life. That was about 26 years in the past.
Across the identical time, I discovered myself fighting carpal tunnel syndrome and launched into an intensive exploration into the world of well being and wellness.
Regardless of counting on conventional ache aid strategies, I skilled no vital aid till I started a juicing routine. The constructive influence on my well being was so vital that I not wanted steroid remedies.
Her Shift in Weight loss program
We determined to modify to a plant-based food regimen for non secular and well being causes. We acknowledged that the primary food regimen within the Bible for people was plant-based, stuffed with fruits, greens, grains, nuts, and seeds.
After in depth Bible research, we realized that there’s a connection between food regimen and lifespan. It was noticed that when people started consuming meat, their lifespans shortened.
Our religion, the will for a more healthy way of life, and the outstanding longevity of these in Blue Zones have been the driving forces behind our choice to modify to a plant-based food regimen. It has been a rewarding journey and we sit up for sharing this expertise with others who is perhaps .
This transformation had a profound impact on my life. I made the choice to go away my nursing place due to my newly found ardour for well being. Craving for a quieter and extra nature-filled way of life, we moved to the countryside of Virginia.
This transfer allowed me to homeschool my daughter, Devannah, develop our personal meals, and dedicate my life to educating others concerning the significance of preventative well being care. I supplied well being and cooking lessons domestically.
Why She Created More healthy Steps
Initially, I began a enterprise crafting vegan muffins with top-notch components. However the value was steep and never everybody was on board with the price.
Within the midst of this, I used to be anticipating my second youngster. After the supply, issues went sideways. A mistake through the C-section left me with a severe damage. I used to be put in a medically induced coma for five days and spent a month combating for my life within the hospital.
As soon as I used to be again residence, I felt a burning want to share extra of my culinary creativity. I spotted that if I hadn’t pulled by means of, all my vegan recipes and information would’ve been misplaced.
So, I received my brother on board to construct a web site, Healthier Steps, and my daughter Devannah jumped in to edit and add pictures as a part of her homeschooling venture. This was again in 2011.
On the identical time, I used to be launching a skincare line and promoting home made soaps, lotions, and physique butters. I added extra merchandise to my line-up—granola, popcorn, and seasoning—and bought them domestically for some further money.
More healthy Steps initially started as a interest, producing round $100 from Google Adsense. Throughout that interval, my most important focus was on my skincare line, which supplied quicker money movement by means of gross sales at markets and on Etsy.
As time allowed, I regularly expanded the content material on More healthy Steps, primarily sharing my vegan recipes and some articles on well being. Over time, the scope of our content material broadened.
As we speak, More healthy Steps serves as a platform the place we share a various vary of content material, catering to these in search of vegan recipes, gluten-free choices, in addition to info on well being, gardening, and skincare. The development of our content material has allowed us to succeed in a wider viewers and supply useful assets in a number of areas of curiosity.
How A lot Cash She’s Making
In 2016, after transferring to Florida, I teamed up with Mediavine and began upping the content material on More healthy Steps. I phased out my skincare merchandise and concentrated extra on the web site.
Throughout 2018, I began placing up content material extra incessantly and my revenue shot as much as over $92,000 a 12 months.
This severe improve motivated me to dive deeper into the world of search engine optimization and work out tips on how to make my web site much more profitable. It took me round 3 years of significantly investing in my weblog to start out incomes a six-figure revenue.
These previous 12 months, More healthy Steps generated an annual revenue of $324,626, equating to roughly $27,000 monthly. This 12 months, projections counsel a possible incomes surpassing $400,000.
It took me 4 years to attain this. I additionally earn about $300 monthly from royalties from guide gross sales on Amazon.
I’m within the technique of launching my first mini-video course, and I’m presently coaching to change into a enterprise coach as effectively. These will add to my income streams.
Even with a devoted workforce supporting me, I personally commit round 36 hours per week to my work. Nonetheless, I prioritize taking day off on the weekends.
As a Christian, I worth spending high quality time with my household and attending church companies. It’s essential for me to allocate this time for relaxation, rejuvenation, and non secular nourishment.
What Moved the Needle
Twelve years in the past, once I first embraced a plant-based way of life, the vegan blogosphere was sparse. As one of many first Jamaican vegan bloggers, I managed to ascertain a robust on-line presence with my distinctive recipes.
There was little competitors again then, and my plant-based takes on conventional dishes even outranked the meat- and dairy-based originals in search outcomes.
Just a few years into my journey, I began incorporating gluten-free choices into my recipe portfolio. I consider being an early adopter of vegan, gluten-free recipes gave me a big edge and contributed to my weblog’s reputation.
What actually set my weblog aside, nevertheless, was the worldwide publicity I gained residing at a missionary faculty in Virginia for over a decade. We had college students from greater than 24 nations, lots of whom got here to fondly name me “mother.”
They shared their beloved conventional dishes with me, which I then remodeled into vegan variations. After successful the scholars’ approval, these recipes discovered their manner onto my weblog.
Dishes like Venezuelan Arepas, African Braised Kale, and Vegan Jamaican Stew Peas have since change into favorites amongst my readers.
I rapidly grasped the worth of mastering key phrase authority, using related searches with associated phrases. Beginning with phrases like “Jamaican vegan” proved useful.
Later, I prolonged my key phrase focus to particular recipes, reminiscent of pancakes. I aimed to create as many pancake variants as I may with out monotonous repetition. Then I moved on to different meals classes, like soups and rice dishes.
Within the early days, my household shaped my help workforce. My brothers, Lloyd and Kemory, served as net designers, whereas my husband managed funds. My daughter has been a useful editor and assistant and continues to play these roles.
Beginning with my closest kin, my workforce has now grown to incorporate social media digital assistants, writers, entrepreneurs, graphic designers, and sous cooks.
I have been methodically optimizing older content material whereas frequently including contemporary materials. With a devoted workforce backing me, I have been in a position to quintuple my content material output, resulting in a surge in visitors.
This distinctive mixture of early key phrase dominance, world inspiration, and workforce help has fueled my weblog’s development and propelled it to its current success.
How A lot Visitors She’s Getting
My visitors saved rising all through the pandemic, as increasingly readers have been residence and studying about pure methods to spice up their immune techniques.
More healthy Steps will get a median of 692,623 month-to-month pageviews.
Michelle’s High Advertising and marketing Methods
My major advertising technique revolves round constant each day postings on my web site and my varied social media platforms.
For Pinterest, I’ve enlisted the assistance of a digital assistant who makes a speciality of creating and sharing charming pins and producing pin concepts.
On Fb, I make the most of the Fb scheduler to make sure I publish seven occasions a day, besides on Saturdays, once I take off. I actively handle two Facebook groups, and my Fb web page boasts over 116,000 followers, making it my third most vital supply of visitors.
My teams are Vegan Recipes With Love and Gluten Free and Vegan for Beginners.
My posting schedule is about to launch new content material each two hours from 7 a.m. to eight p.m., plus I share one publish from one other blogger. After 8 p.m., I’ve observed a drop in visitors, which aligns with my viewers’s routine.
I’ve modified my technique for Instagram as a result of it hasn’t been a considerable supply of web site visitors for me. The Reels Bonus program was additionally discontinued, and since then I’ve discovered it to be extra of a distraction and time-waster.
I’ve determined to add stuff on Instagram much less incessantly so as to treatment this. As a substitute, I’ve engaged the assistance of a digital assistant, who’s in command of overseeing and publishing content material on the positioning.
This allows me to pay attention my time and efforts on different advertising initiatives which have a better potential to extend guests to my web site.
To interact my viewers additional, I conduct dwell cooking movies the place I persistently encourage my followers to go to my web site for extra content material.
I report and publish movies 3 to 4 occasions per week. These movies are a mixture of dwell movies, recorded movies, and AI movies.
I take advantage of Pictory AI for a few of my movies. Pictory is a know-how platform that makes use of synthetic intelligence to remodel long-form textual content content material into video, which might embrace textual content, synthetic voice, and music.
As a way to improve the consumer expertise, I combine my YouTube videos into my web site posts, offering a seamless viewing expertise for my guests.
Recognizing the worth of YouTube shorts in rising my subscriber base, I’ve additionally employed somebody particularly devoted to creating a lot of these content material on my YouTube channel.
I totally take pleasure in connecting with my viewers whereas cooking, and subsequently, I incessantly go dwell on YouTube. I then built-in these movies into my web site.
I even have a neighborhood of superfans who like, remark, and share my posts each day on their social media platforms. Sometimes, I share my content material with Fb teams for a lift in visitors.
I’ve achieved some Fb adverts, particularly throughout This autumn, to drive further visitors to my web site. I do it as a result of RPMs are often excessive and extra individuals are trying to find content material.
Her Ideas on search engine optimization
search engine optimization is essential to me, as I discover that almost all of my visitors is natural. Our intention is for our posts to be on the primary web page of Google in order that our content material will probably be simply seen.
Subsequently, I do use key phrase analysis instruments like KeySearch to pick out a few of our content material. In any other case, we publish what we consider will profit our viewers.
My focus now’s to replace my older content material and enhance the standard of the pictures on my web site.
I often begin doing new seasonal content material about 3 to six months upfront. We now have over 2000 posts, so it takes some time to replace this older content material.
At first, search engine optimization wasn’t one thing I used to be notably concerned with. Nearly a decade in the past, my buddy Michael Dantzie, a UK-based advertising guide and an alumnus of the school we lived at, reached out to me to conduct a short search engine optimization evaluate of my web site.
Astonishingly, he was immensely impressed by the extent of search engine optimization effectiveness in my content material, though, at the moment, I wasn’t consciously conscious of it. This surprising reward led to an elevated curiosity on my half about search engine optimization. Because of this, I began to be taught extra about search engine optimization.
Within the early days, I used Key phrases In every single place, then SEMRush. These days, KeySearch is my most well-liked device in relation to optimizing beforehand printed content material.
Previously, lots of my articles have been fairly temporary because it was possible to attain excessive rankings with as little as 300 phrases. These days, I move these older items to my author for obligatory updates. She’s effectively versed in including detailed descriptions of components, recipe directions, potential variations, and solutions to generally requested questions.
I’ve additionally educated her on tips on how to use the KeySearch content material assistant device, guaranteeing that our articles incorporate key phrases that our competitors is utilizing.
I’ve by no means targeted my consideration on hyperlink constructing; my focus has been extra on creating high quality content material. Nonetheless, many respected websites have shared my content material through the years.
Her Content material Creation Course of
I collaborate with an assistant chef who works carefully with me.
To start, I conduct keyword research to generate roughly two recipes per day. I then proceed to put in writing the recipes, discussing with my assistant chef the specified outcomes and offering them with the written directions.
The assistant chef follows the recipes as written, making changes or redoing them as obligatory. Collectively, we take a look at the ultimate recipes to make sure their high quality and style.
Moreover, my assistant chef is accountable for capturing interesting pictures and producing accompanying movies for the recipes.
As soon as the recipes are finalized, we ship them to our author, who transforms them into well-written content material. This content material is then uploaded to our web site, and a digital assistant takes care of duties reminiscent of including meta descriptions and different related metadata.
Earlier than publishing, my daughter makes a closing revision of the content material, making any obligatory edits and incorporating the suitable photos. As soon as all the things is in place, she handles the publication course of.
To search out further gifted writers and photographers, I usually depend on freelancing platforms like Upwork and Fiverr.
Due to this collaborative workflow, we’re in a position to persistently publish content material every day, guaranteeing a gradual stream of participating posts for our viewers to take pleasure in.
As for key phrases, one other technique is to make use of Google Search Console to search out key phrase titles that my customers is perhaps trying to find however I’m lacking.
That is my course of:
- Login to Google Search Console
- Click on on Search Outcomes
- Make Certain Common Search Place is highlighted
- Click on on Final 28 Days, then apply
- Click on on pages
- Click on on place to indicate the very best numbers, the arrow needs to be pointing downward
- Click on on the primary URL
- Click on on “queries, and it’ll present you what search phrases individuals are utilizing to seem in your web site you can now embrace in your web site
Her Content material Publication Schedule
Our posting frequency varies. We guarantee a minimal of 1 publish per day, and at occasions, it may very well be as many as 4.
Basically, we publish anyplace between 1 to 4 occasions every day, contingent on the workload from different ongoing initiatives.
These initiatives embrace the current launch of our video course, 7 Foods You Must STOP Eating Right Now!”, plus we’re doing native catering occasions this summer time, together with cooking lessons, and we’re relaunching our vegan skincare firm.
Michelle’s E-mail Listing
To make sure a extremely engaged and dependable subscriber base, I made the choice to refine and trim down my e mail checklist, leading to a modest rely of 8,953 subscribers.
High quality and engagement matter extra to me than sheer numbers, as I consider having 1,000 devoted subscribers holds larger worth than a big checklist of disengaged people.
At the moment, my e mail campaigns show promising open charges of 44% and a good click-through charge of three%.
Sometimes, I ship out emails as soon as every week to keep up constant communication. Nonetheless, as a result of ongoing launch of my first mini-video course, I’ve elevated the frequency of my emails to a each day foundation.
Her Favourite Assets
I strongly encourage participation in mastermind teams, having an accountability accomplice, and becoming a member of Fb running a blog communities.
Through the years, I’ve participated in 4 mastermind teams, all of which have had a profound influence on my growth.
In January, I used to be concerned in two such teams for a span of three months. One targeted on synthetic intelligence, whereas the opposite mastermind focused on workforce constructing. At the moment, I am attending a enterprise teaching course, and I am actively making use of the teachings I be taught to my enterprise operations.
I even have an accountability accomplice with whom I keep common communication. We intention to trade phrases of encouragement each day and share bi-weekly updates and goal-setting classes.
For these within the food blogging sphere, Fb teams can function a superb platform to provoke a mastermind group with people sharing comparable pursuits.
Running a blog can typically really feel isolating, which is why belonging to a supportive group is essential. Being a part of such communities not solely gives a way of camaraderie but additionally presents useful alternatives for development and studying.
I additionally like to take heed to podcasts like How I Constructed This, Eat Weblog Discuss, and Millionaire Mindset.
My favourite YouTube channels are principally about well being and enterprise, reminiscent of Evan Carmichael, Odetta Rock-Head Kerr, and Lewis Owes.
Present books I’m studying are the Bible, Creating Wealth, by Robert G. Allen, The Artwork of Warfare, by Solar Tzu, and We Ought to All Be Millionaires, by Rachel Rogers.
Her High Instruments
The primary instruments I take advantage of in my enterprise are as follows:
KeySearch: That is the primary keyword tool that I take advantage of, and I take advantage of it to search out weblog publish matters and key phrases.
ChatGPT4: This has change into my new favourite device. I take advantage of it for social media publish descriptions and total writing
Google Analytics: That is nice for tracking website traffic, together with the variety of guests, classes, and pageviews. It additionally offers you demographic info, age, location, and gender.
Michelle’s Greatest Challenges
I’ve had a number of challenges. These embrace:
Scaling my firm to 7 figures: My largest problem is scaling to my 7-figure revenue objective. I’m presently strategizing about beginning a number of streams of revenue to get there.
Utilizing spreadsheets: I don’t like spreadsheets, so I write down all the things on paper the old school manner. I ended up hiring a bookkeeper and payroll firm.
Google updates: We now have seen constant development regardless of the Google updates, so I often remind myself that it’s inevitable
Synthetic Intelligence: Nobody is bound how the surge of AI will influence us as meals bloggers so I’ve embraced the truth that it is coming, so I’ve been acquainting myself in utilizing AI instruments.
Her Best Accomplishment
My most vital achievement has been surpassing the revenue I may have ever earned as a registered nurse.
Regardless of skepticism from others, my husband and I made the life-changing choice to change into missionaries, and it turned out to be the only option I’ve ever made. This path has supplied us with a high quality of life that was as soon as solely a distant dream.
Being an entrepreneur has allowed me the privilege of sponsoring quite a few people in varied third-world nations. I’ve witnessed the constructive influence of my help, because it has improved residing circumstances and kids at the moment are in a position to attend faculty.
One of many features I actually cherish about being an entrepreneur is the pliability it presents. Not tied to the constraints of punching a clock, I’ve the liberty to form my very own schedule and pursue my passions in a manner that aligns with my values and objectives.
General, the choice to embark on this missionary journey and embrace entrepreneurship has not solely introduced monetary rewards, however has additionally enriched my life in ways in which prolong far past materials wealth. It has allowed me to make a distinction within the lives of others and expertise private success on a profound stage.
What She Needs She Knew When She Began
I deeply remorse not realizing the potential of rising my weblog right into a thriving enterprise earlier. If solely I had taken it extra significantly sooner, I may have capitalized on the alternatives out there to me.
One other facet I want I had prioritized earlier is search engine optimization. Recognizing its significance in driving natural visitors and boosting visibility, I ought to have devoted extra consideration and energy to optimizing my content material for engines like google.
Moreover, I now perceive the worth of outsourcing work to specialists of their respective fields. Had I acknowledged this earlier, I may have delegated duties that have been exterior my experience, permitting me to deal with the core features of my weblog and enterprise.
Within the ever-evolving digital panorama, video content material has emerged as a strong device for engagement and viewers connection. I remorse not embracing video earlier in my running a blog journey.
By incorporating extra video content material into my technique sooner, I may have fostered deeper connections with my viewers and reached a wider viewers by means of visible storytelling.
Lastly, overcoming my shyness and stepping in entrance of the digital camera earlier would have been immensely useful. By sharing my genuine self by means of video content material, I may have cast stronger connections with my viewers and showcased my experience in a extra participating and private manner.
Her Recommendation for Different Entrepreneurs
My recommendation for different entrepreneurs could be:
- Join together with your viewers by offering worth and take heed to their suggestions
- Search assist and keep away from being a one-person operation when constructing what you are promoting. By leveraging the help of others, you possibly can speed up your development and scale extra effectively.
Attempting to do all the things alone can decelerate your progress and restrict your potential for achievement. As a substitute, delegate duties, outsource the place wanted, and collaborate with others with the abilities and experience to enhance your personal.
- Be agile and adaptable. Enterprise landscapes can change quickly, so it is important to be agile and adaptable. Embrace innovation, be open to new concepts, and be keen to pivot your methods when obligatory.
Keep resilient and versatile within the face of challenges. Keep in mind, constructing a enterprise takes time, effort, and resilience. Keep targeted, be taught from failures, and rejoice your successes alongside the best way.
- Apply self-care! Prioritize your bodily and psychological well-being to maintain your vitality, creativity, and total efficiency. Set boundaries, take breaks, and keep a wholesome work-life stability.
