How This 54-Year-Old Makes $9k/Month From Her Food Blog Working Part Time

Andrea Castrovillari has been a content material creator because the tender age of 12, and in school, she basically ran the scholar newspaper. A long time of expertise in journalism after which later in fundraising gave her the important expertise she would wish to convey success to her new challenge: a meals weblog.

Cooking with Mama C went dwell in 2014 and has change into Andrea’s labor of affection. A mixture of coronary heart, experience, search engine marketing, and blood, sweat, and tears introduced in additional than 1.5 million web page views in 2022 and a mean of $9k monthly.

Hold studying to search out out:

• How her skilled expertise ready her for running a blog
• Why she created her meals weblog
• How and when she began incomes cash
• How she views her followers
• What occurs when she’s approached by potential patrons
• The advertising and marketing technique she makes use of that works properly
• How she discovered about search engine marketing
• How she makes use of Google Search Console
• Her content material creation course of
• Her strategy to her electronic mail listing
• The instruments and assets she recommends
• Her principal problem
• Her biggest accomplishment
• The most important mistake she’s made
• Her recommendation for different entrepreneurs

Meet Andrea Castrovillari

I dwell within the suburbs of Cleveland, Ohio. I’m 54 years outdated and have been married to my husband for 30 years.

We have now a son and daughter of their higher ‘20s. We not too long ago turned empty nesters when our daughter obtained married on the finish of April.

I’m the primary caregiver for my aged dad and mom, serving to them 15-20 hours every week (on weekdays), except there’s an pressing want for extra of my time. My mother is on dialysis, so I drive her and maintain my dad whereas she’s in any respect of her appointments.

I’m a former journalist and editor who’s been creating content material since I used to be 12 years outdated. That’s 42 years, in case anybody’s counting!

Again in school at Ohio College, I used to be editor of The POST, the every day, impartial pupil newspaper. I led a employees of 100, together with groups of photographers, graphic designers, reporters, and editors. We had 16,000 copies printed per day.

Oh, how I want I had that group of rockstars round me now!! We had the best-of-the-best expertise from across the nation. It cracks me up that now I’m producing a web based publication that has reached tens of millions of individuals, however it’s simply me and as much as two different part-time contractors for probably the most half.

After I left the journalism area, I obtained into fundraising. I labored in fundraising for 25 years, elevating tens of tens of millions of {dollars} for charitable causes. I spent half of these years working as a full-time worker on and off and the opposite half working my grant-writing and consulting enterprise from house.

Within the early days, I raised funds for world-class cultural organizations akin to The Cleveland Orchestra and the Cleveland Museum of Artwork. Then I targeted largely on financial improvement in northeast Ohio. I spent a number of years elevating funds for broadband initiatives, by no means imagining that I’d run a web based enterprise sometime.

Why She Created Cooking with Mamma C

I’m first-generation Italian-American on my mother’s aspect. My mother is from Naples, house of one of the best cooks on the planet!

I grew up consuming fabulous meals ready by my mother, Nonna, and aunts, and I took all of it as a right. I by no means actually helped besides to be a style tester and inform my mother what the meals wanted. I’ve at all times had glorious style buds, at the same time as a toddler, and would discover if she modified one ingredient.

As soon as at a elaborate restaurant once I was about six years outdated, I tasted a touch of orange within the salad dressing. I requested the server if there was orange zest in it. She mentioned she had no concept however would ask the chef. She got here again and affirmed there was, certainly, orange zest in it.

“How did you KNOW?!!!” she requested me incredulously.

As my mother obtained older, I noticed somebody wanted to doc the household recipes or we’d lose them ceaselessly. Nothing was measured or written down. I considered placing collectively a binder of recipes to share with family members.

In the meantime, I used to be spending 25 hours every week studying meals blogs, planning meals, cooking, and grocery purchasing, simply to feed my household. Even once I labored exterior of the house, I cooked dinner each evening. I at all times used recipes however wrote notes throughout them with my adjustments.

I started to fantasize about beginning my very own meals weblog, however by no means took it severely. I considered it for 4 years earlier than doing something.

Then, in 2013, I couldn’t shut off my mind. It might create content material for my imaginary weblog in my head, all day, on daily basis. I’d go to sleep at evening mid-sentence, get up immediately at 2 a.m., and my mind would decide up proper the place it had left off.

It turned a burden to hold all this content material in my head. Day-after-day, there was an increasing number of, and I frightened about forgetting it and shedding it. Sooner or later, I made a decision to take a seat down on the pc and begin typing out the phrases saved in my mind for months.

Once I immediately discovered myself with no shoppers after leaving a job to do consulting work, I assumed I’d as properly begin this meals weblog. My youngsters’ associates referred to as me “Mamma C,” so there was by no means a query as to the weblog’s title. I spent months researching, planning, and designing Cooking with Mamma C.

Lastly, on June 1, 2014, in a heroic act of robust love, my husband stood over me and yelled “HIT PUBLISH NOW!!!”

I knew the time had come.

I hit “publish” on that Sunday and introduced it on Fb and LinkedIn. My web site had 25 guests inside minutes. We watched as site visitors trickled in all day. The remaining is historical past, I suppose.

I knew blogs might earn cash and hoped I’d break even after a yr. I spent cash on tools, internet hosting, coaching, and meals. I’d by no means heard of search engine marketing and was simply creating no matter I wished, specializing in private tales reasonably than in-depth recipe data.

It took 18 months to interrupt even. Then I earned just a few {dollars} in revenue from AdSense. My web site by no means ranked on Google, however I obtained site visitors from Pinterest and Fb.

In January 2016, I used to be among the many first 200 publishers to get accepted into Mediavine when it launched its advert administration service. That’s the purpose when my weblog turned an actual enterprise. I’ve been with Mediavine ever since.

Cooking with Mamma C’s tagline at all times has been “Household-Examined Recipes from my Italian-American Kitchen.” I characteristic Italian recipes, Italian-American recipes, recipes with an Italian twist, and American favorites.

I’ve resisted niching right down to solely Italian recipes as a result of I’ve numerous content material from the early years that’s extra American, and a few of these recipes are fairly well-liked. I do give attention to Italian recipes for something new.

Folks have come to belief Cooking with Mamma C for one of the best recipes and know they may obtain private consideration if they’ve a query.

I’ve an exquisite group of followers on Fb, together with many individuals who’ve been making my recipes for years. It’s a comparatively small web page of 11,000, however it will get nice engagement. I care about each particular person I serve with my recipes.

In 2022, greater than 1.5 million people visited my web site, which will get about 200,000 pageviews a month. I’ve almost 300 recipes revealed, together with many posts that want updating with higher photographs and extra data. It’s a comparatively small web site, and I need to develop it with the fitting group.

I’ve been approached a number of instances by numerous potential patrons, however this can be a household enterprise, and I intend to maintain it within the household. Perhaps one in every of my future grandchildren will run it sometime!

How A lot Cash Andrea is Making

I’m at present averaging about $9k a month in advert income, regardless of working restricted hours resulting from marriage ceremony planning (simply completed!) and my caregiving duties. Moreover, affiliate revenue and e-book gross sales present a small quantity of income.

I’ve not expanded past Amazon for affiliate applications and wish to try this in some unspecified time in the future.

I’ve one e-cookbook that I produced to get my ft moist in self-publishing. I did numerous analysis (shock!) and wished to learn to promote a product on my web site. I’ve exceeded my gross sales targets and have an excellent template for future e-books.

I’m unsure if I’ll create extra e-cookbooks, however I’m leaving that open as a risk. Something that takes time away from publishing content material on my web site can finally harm total revenues. I’ve to strike the fitting steadiness and guarantee my web site doesn’t undergo within the meantime.

Throughout a “regular” week, I work 25 hours. If there’s a medical emergency in my household (4 instances within the final six months), I work perhaps 10 hours that week.

However I take into consideration my enterprise on a regular basis!

Her Prime Advertising Technique

My principal technique is testimonials. Let the folks you serve vouch for you. I gather testimonials from emails, feedback on Fb, Pinterest, Instagram, and naturally, opinions on my web site. I take advantage of these in social media posts, my e-newsletter, net tales, and gross sales copy for my e-cookbook.

I additionally doc media mentions and the media retailers/websites the place my recipes have appeared.

These are the identical methods I utilized in my 25-year fundraising profession.

All the time promote the worth your web site/enterprise offers to your readers/prospects. How will folks profit out of your choices?

After all, you need to have the products—the wonderful high quality of your product/companies—to again it up. By no means exaggerate.

In my fundraising days, I needed to inform organizations I couldn’t promote one thing that was damaged. They wanted to repair it! Then the donations/investments/gross sales would observe.

So, one of the best advertising and marketing technique is having excellent content material, merchandise, and/or companies

after which ensuring folks comprehend it and can assist you unfold the phrase.

The Significance of search engine marketing

Social media carried my enterprise within the early years, however search engine marketing has been crucial site visitors driver since 2020.

I discovered about search engine marketing by taking the free Ahrefs course, at all times listening to podcasts, and being attentive to recommendation in meals running a blog Facebook groups. I make it a degree to listen to views from 3 to five totally different specialists as a result of I’ll discover useful nuggets from each.

Generally, individuals are not in settlement, and I defer to what I’m seeing alone web site. I do know the adjustments I’ve made and the outcomes that occurred. I’ve obtained 9 years of information.

Key phrase Analysis

I rely fairly a bit on information from Google Search Console. Once I replace outdated posts, I evaluation years of information displaying the key phrases that submit confirmed up for in search outcomes. I additionally word any key phrases related to my area of interest however for which I don’t have a submit.

Hyperlink Constructing

Backlinks are necessary to determine authority and be seen as an skilled in your area of interest. Meals bloggers usually create roundups of recipes on a sure subject and can put out a request for submissions. I monitor the Fb teams devoted to these no less than weekly and submit hyperlinks to my related recipes for consideration.

I’ve not actively sought out hyperlinks from publications, however I do reply to requests for interviews like this one when it’s an excellent match.

Andrea’s Content material Creation Course of

That is at all times a piece in progress. Within the outdated days, I did one recipe submit from begin to end over a few days. Then, as food blogging turned extra concerned and aggressive, it turned essential to interrupt down the elements and attempt to get assist with elements of it for a number of posts at a time.

For anybody not within the food-blogging area of interest, the elements embrace key phrase analysis, recipe analysis, recipe improvement and testing, meals images, photograph modifying, (video manufacturing and modifying if wanted), submit writing, social media graphics creation, net story creation, and social media posting.

Then, including inner hyperlinks, making an attempt to get backlinks, and many others. Any meals weblog producing numerous content material has a group of individuals. You should change into a media firm.

I’ve principally finished all these items alone however have employed out video manufacturing, Pinterest advertising and marketing, photograph modifying, and submit drafts that I spoon-fed and edited closely anyway.

Extra not too long ago, I’ve began hiring out images for some outdated posts that should be up to date. That makes extra sense than hiring out the writing. I’m gifted in writing and modifying, however images doesn’t come simply to me.

My technique contains updating outdated posts, particularly once I see them rising in Google rankings regardless of by no means being optimized. I additionally create new posts once I can, across the subjects I see in my search console.

Her E mail Listing

I’ve a small email list of about 5,000. I’ve culled it a number of instances so I don’t should pay to ship emails to anybody who hasn’t opened them for months. My open charge is at present 53%, and my click-through charge is sort of 6.5%. My open charges are increased when I’ve new recipes to share.

I take advantage of Mediavine’s Develop to gather new electronic mail subscribers. I’ve heaps extra work to do on this space.

Her Favourite Sources

If you wish to launch a meals weblog, I like to recommend signing up for Meals Blogger Professional. That’s what I did almost 10 years in the past once I was beginning out. The net trainings stroll you thru every little thing step-by-step to get your web site up and working.

In the event you’re in a special area of interest, you may contemplate coaching from Undertaking 24, run by Revenue College. Do your homework to search out one of the best coaching program on your area of interest. Be keen to make a financial funding to be taught to do issues proper from the start.

Andrea’s Should-Have Instruments

My high instruments are positively Ahrefs Webmaster Instruments, Google Search Console, and Key phrases In all places.

Ahrefs’ free webmaster instruments are the best-kept secret. In the event you can’t afford a dear paid plan, instantly join this instrument and join it to your search console.

Then, click on on every little thing you see within the dashboard. Check out all of the hyperlinks! You’ll be blown away by how a lot data is there. You may filter your outcomes too, so play with these filters.

Google Search Console solely provides you the highest 1,000 outcomes, however Ahrefs goes past that. And, whereas GSC exhibits a key phrase place with out telling you whether or not it’s resulting from a picture, net story, or submit that’s rating, Ahrefs exhibits you precisely what’s rating.

Nonetheless, the free Ahrefs instrument solely offers the final 30 days of information. That’s the place Google Search Console is available in. It offers historic information, going manner again to the start of my web site.

The Key phrases In all places browser extension is also extraordinarily useful. Once I’m in Google Search Console reviewing search outcomes, KE exhibits the quantity of every key phrase developing. It’s necessary to have that context. It additionally exhibits the quantity if you Google a key phrase and can present all of the key phrases for which a submit on Google is rating.

Her Greatest Problem

I take duty for occasionally being the holdup in my enterprise. In addition to being a stickler for high quality, I’ve had many challenges and used them as an excuse for placing work on maintain.

Meals running a blog is bodily demanding (climbing chairs for images, chopping meals and cooking it, washing piles of pots and pans, and many others.) and I had bodily limitations for years resulting from intense again ache, carpal tunnel in each wrists and a set off finger.

Fortunately, I had two life-changing surgical procedures on the finish of 2020. After a yr of restoration, I regained full use of my fingers, and my again ache was gone after residing with it every day for six years.

My problem continues to be bringing on the fitting folks on the proper worth to assist me create extra content material so Cooking with Mamma C’s viewers shall be higher served.

Her Proudest Accomplishment

I’ve constructed a enterprise that helps my household in methods I by no means imagined. I can’t be “on the job” as a lot as I’d like, however my web site is working 24/7 and offering a full-time revenue.

2021 was a big yr. My mother went into kidney failure initially of 2021 and I needed to in the reduction of my working hours. Mid-year, I wanted to scale back my enterprise bills to start out saving cash to assist pay for our daughter’s 2023 marriage ceremony and bridal bathe and to buy a van to move my dad and mom.

I made a decision to eradicate spending on contractors throughout that season of my life. I finished spending on Pinterest advertising and marketing, movies (apart from 4 movies in December 2021), and content material creation. I ceased posting on Instagram. (I do know, proper?!!!)

It was simply me, myself, and I specializing in search engine marketing till October 2022. And guess what? My 2022 gross income was 77% increased than in 2021, and site visitors grew by 37%!

What She Needs She Knew When She Began

I want I knew about search engine marketing 9 years in the past once I was beginning out. I used to be simply sharing recipes and telling tales with none recreation plan. Though, I’ve to confess it was extra enjoyable and enjoyable to weblog in these days!

Andrea’s Greatest Mistake

My greatest mistake was not getting an search engine marketing audit sooner. There have been folks saying you want one, and others saying you didn’t. I selected the reply I wished to listen to. I didn’t need to spend hundreds of {dollars}.

However my site visitors started taking a nosedive in 2019, regardless of my efforts to replace my content material. It was so demoralizing. What was I doing incorrect? Why wasn’t my web site rising?

I started questioning if one thing was technically incorrect on the again finish of my web site. I lastly realized I wanted to have somebody “test beneath the hood.” It was time to chew the bullet and have a technical and search engine marketing audit.

My audit in October 2020 was a turning level. There have been some issues with my web site resulting from issues I’d modified over time. In a single case, there was duplicate coding from a previous host.

I ought to have gotten the audit years earlier.

I spent 2021 implementing lots of the suggestions and noticed ends in 2022. My 2022 site visitors was 66% increased than 2020 site visitors.

Her Recommendation for Different Entrepreneurs

Give attention to high quality. Focus in your distinctive worth proposition. What do you convey to the desk that others don’t? In a world of ChatGPT and the like, what human ingredient are you able to convey to make your model stand out?