This is my journey of how I became a full-time blogger and turned my passion into a business!

From Passion to Profit: My Journey to Becoming a Full-Time Food Blogger

Just three years ago, I vividly remember scrolling through a blog post similar to this one, a surge of inspiration coursing through me. “I want to do that, too!” I thought, a fire igniting in my belly unlike anything I’d felt before. I saw countless individuals, just like me, who adored food, crafting breathtaking photos, inventing incredible recipes, and sharing their culinary delights with the entire world. And the most astonishing part? They were earning a living from it! The question lingered: how? My determination took hold, and I embarked on a mission to unravel every mystery of how to make money blogging. Today, I’m absolutely thrilled to finally pen this very post, because I genuinely believe you possess the same potential to start a successful blog, and I’m here to guide you every step of the way.

The Blogging Blueprint: A Chronological Journey to Full-Time Success

April 2017: A New Chapter and a Dietary Shift

Our family had recently returned to Maryland after a couple of enriching years in Charleston, and January had brought a life-altering diagnosis: Celiac Disease. Balancing a demanding recruiter role from home while raising two spirited young children was already a significant challenge. The Celiac diagnosis felt like my entire world had been turned on its head overnight. The daunting prospect of an immediate, 100% gluten-free diet was overwhelming. To cope, I started sharing the diverse gluten-free recipes I was experimenting with, along with my first round of Whole30, on my personal Instagram account (@MaryLiz929 at the time). This act of sharing, surprisingly, made the transition feel a little more manageable. It sparked an idea: to pivot my Instagram handle to @maryswholelife. My vision was to share wholesome recipes while still offering glimpses into my family life and daily routines. Even now, I find this name perfectly encapsulates my brand and mission.

May 2017: Laying the Foundation – The Blog Takes Shape

With an unwavering resolve to start a blog, I reached out to my brother, Tom, a talented graphic designer. “Hey,” I emailed, expecting him to hold all the answers (as brothers often do!), “I want to start a blog. How exactly do I go about it?!” His invaluable advice pointed me towards The Minimalists’ guide on starting a successful blog. Following their detailed recommendations, I secured my domain name, www.maryswholelife.com, and registered it with BlueHost. I cannot emphasize enough the critical importance of building your blog on WordPress.org (note: not .com), rather than platforms like Squarespace. Trust me on this; you will almost certainly want to migrate later if you choose another platform initially, which can be a complex and costly process. I’m immensely grateful I chose the WordPress.org route from the very beginning, saving myself significant headaches down the line.

For aspiring bloggers, I wholeheartedly recommend BlueHost as your initial web host. They offer an affordable and supportive environment, which is ideal when you’re just dipping your toes into the blogging world. Once WordPress was installed, I invested in a premium theme – the Daily Dish Pro on the Genesis Framework – which I still use today, a testament to its robust design and functionality and its ease of customization. While I eventually transitioned to Big Scoots to accommodate a substantial increase in website traffic, BlueHost served me exceptionally well for those crucial first couple of years, providing a reliable and stable platform for growth.

I vividly recall staying up until 3 AM that first night, completely engrossed in installing and configuring everything, determined to absorb every piece of information instantly. It quickly dawned on me that mastering it all at once was an impossible feat, and a significant challenge lay ahead. Yet, my resolve was stronger than ever. I had officially launched a blog, a tangible step towards my dream!

The Rest of 2017: Planting Seeds and Quiet Growth

Throughout the remainder of 2017, I maintained a consistent presence on Instagram, sharing photos of my gluten-free and Whole30 creations. My blog saw a few of my nascent recipes published, albeit with less-than-ideal photography (a common starting point for many!). My free time, a precious commodity, was dedicated to learning. I devoured countless YouTube videos on the intricacies of blog backend setup and leaned on the expertise of a tech-savvy high school friend. Honestly, I’m fairly certain my readership during those initial six months consisted primarily of my loving mom and dad – and perhaps that was it. But every view, every little step, felt like a monumental achievement, fueling my quiet determination to become a successful food blogger.

Beginning of 2018: Gaining Traction and Upping the Game

As 2018 dawned, I continued to nurture my blog amidst the demands of my job and raising my children. My Instagram following began its slow but steady ascent. This growth was directly attributable to increased engagement with like-minded accounts, strategic use of relevant and trending hashtags, a concerted effort to improve my food photography (still primarily on my iPhone 7 and edited directly in Instagram!), and consistent posting. Brands started taking notice, reaching out to offer products in exchange for promotion. Free stuff? Yes, please! This was a clear sign I was on to something truly promising, proving that consistent effort could lead to tangible opportunities.

Recognizing the need to elevate my visual content, I enrolled in Broma Bakery’s Foodtography Course. This course was a revelation, cementing my realization that serious blogging necessitated a proper DSLR camera. I retrieved my old Nikon D3100, dusted it off, and attempted to apply the course’s teachings. Despite my efforts, my iPhone remained my go-to for most photos initially, a testament to the learning curve involved in professional photography.

A crucial turning point was a coffee meeting with my friend Molly from Spices In My DNA. Our conversation delved into all things blogging, and her insights were invaluable. She guided me through essential plugins to install on my site and patiently answered a myriad of my questions, for which I remain incredibly grateful. Connecting with other bloggers proved to be a powerful catalyst for growth.

Concurrently, I decided to dive deep into understanding Pinterest, a powerful traffic driver for food bloggers. I invested in an e-book called “Pinterest Ninja,” which proved SO helpful. It demystified the process of setting up a business account, creating eye-catching long pins using Canva, and, most importantly, leveraging the platform to direct significant traffic to my website. This strategic focus laid the groundwork for future success and diversified my traffic sources.

May 9, 2018: The Viral Moment That Ignited Growth

A moment etched forever in my memory occurred on May 9, 2018. I shared a quick, delicious recipe for Skillet Brown Butter Sage Gnocchi with Chicken, Mushrooms, and Spinach, featuring a clever hack for cooking Trader Joe’s cauliflower gnocchi on my Instagram page. The post caught the attention of @traderjoeslist, a massive account with over 1 million followers, who graciously re-shared it on their page. The response was instantaneous and overwhelming: 13,632 people liked that photo! This was precisely when cauliflower gnocchi exploded in popularity, and my post perfectly captured the zeitgeist. I remember sitting at Sweet Frog with my kids, utterly sleep-deprived (my son Liam was just a month old), when my phone began to buzz incessantly. That single day brought an incredible 3,000 new followers! In just ONE day! I was literally jumping for joy, a truly unforgettable “best day ever.” My Instagram following had now reached approximately 5,000, signaling a clear path towards becoming a recognized food blogger.

A few months later, Pederson’s Farms, a brand with about 50,000 Instagram followers, invited me to do a one-day takeover of their page. I was absolutely petrified! The nervousness was intense, but the experience itself turned out to be incredibly fun and rewarding. It offered fantastic exposure, helping to broadcast my name and brand to a wider audience. That same summer marked another significant milestone: my very first paid sponsored post with Safe Catch Tuna. They offered me $500 for a recipe on my blog. Five hundred dollars for a recipe! It felt absolutely incredible, and I was immensely proud and energized by this tangible validation of my efforts. This was my first taste of making money blogging through direct brand collaborations.

August 2018: The Leap of Faith and Strategic Tracking

By August 2018, I had been a Beautycounter Consultant for about a year, sporadically sharing my favorite safer skincare and makeup products with friends, family, and on my Instagram stories. I decided to dedicate significant energy to growing my Beautycounter team, and I started seeing a noticeable increase in my paychecks through personal sales. This financial boost gave me the courage to approach my husband with a daring proposition: if my income from the blog and Beautycounter could match my base salary from my recruiting job (which, being largely commission-based, was relatively modest), I wanted to quit and fully dedicate myself to blogging. Understandably, he was skeptical. The blog’s growth felt sluggish, primarily because I simply didn’t have enough time to commit to it. It was clear that a change was imperative for the blog to reach its full potential and for me to pursue my dream of becoming a full-time food blogger.

*Earnings as a Beautycounter Consultant in the U.S. may vary significantly and depend on many factors, suchs as dedication to selling/mentoring. Not all Consultants will earn money. To see more about the earnings and costs of Beautycounter Consultants, please view the 2020 Income Disclosure Statement at www.beautycounter.com/ids

During this period, I also made the crucial decision to link my website to Google Analytics. This allowed me to start tracking vital metrics like daily page views, offering concrete data on my site’s performance. The statistics for 2018 showed me averaging anywhere from 250 to 1,000 page views per day. The sheer excitement of knowing people were actually reading my posts, beyond just my parents, was incredibly motivating! This data was essential for understanding my audience and proving the blog’s potential.

Christmas 2018: A Game-Changing Gift for Photography

Christmas 2018 brought a gift that would fundamentally transform my blogging. My incredible dad surprised me with a brand new Canon Rebel T6i camera. I literally wept tears of pure joy as I unwrapped it. This was the moment I committed to fully harnessing what I had learned in Foodtography School and truly mastering professional food photography. To complement the camera, I immediately purchased a 50 mm lens, a staple for food photographers for its versatility and beautiful bokeh. With this new equipment, I finally had all the tools necessary to start capturing truly high-quality photos that would captivate my audience. I diligently learned to edit using Adobe Lightroom and also invested in a few beautiful photo backdrops from Woodville Backdrop. This shift in equipment and skill was pivotal in elevating my content and visual brand.

January 2019: The Year of Professionalization

The dawn of 2019 marked a definitive turning point: this was the year I would transform my passion project into a legitimate business. I poured an immense amount of effort into developing innovative recipes and producing high-quality content for the blog. Every spare moment became an opportunity to practice food photography, honing my skills and developing my unique visual style. This period was characterized by countless late nights, moments of frustration and tears, and extensive discussions about the strategic next steps. The emotional and physical toll of “doing all the things” was significant, but my resolve remained unbroken.

That very month brought an email that sent me over the moon: Jen Kendall from the Whole30 team extended an official invitation to do a takeover on the prestigious @whole30recipes account! After the kids were asleep that night, I remember jumping up and down, stifling quiet screams of excitement. As my friend Natalie from @tasteslovely aptly describes it, a takeover on that account is like the “Super Bowl Halftime Show for blogging!” I was being handed the incredible opportunity to share my meticulously crafted recipes with a staggering 1.4 MILLION people. It was almost beyond belief. I had six months to meticulously prepare for this monumental event, crafting the perfect Whole30 recipes.

Around this time, I also began running Gourmet Ads on my site. While the residual income amounted to only about $20 a month initially, it was a tangible step towards passive income and a clear indication of growth. Every little bit counted when you’re building a business from the ground up.

My brother, ever supportive, also assisted me in creating a professional Media Kit and Rate Sheet. These essential documents serve as a comprehensive resume and pricing guide, indispensable when pitching your services and collaborating with companies for sponsored posts. Having these polished assets empowered me to approach brand partnerships with confidence and professionalism.

March 2019: The Moment of Truth – Quitting the Day Job

March 2019 was a monumental month. The combined income generated from my blog (through ads and affiliate links) and my Beautycounter endeavors officially matched my base salary from my recruiting job. This was the trigger I had set for myself, and the decision was clear: it was time to submit my resignation. While it was incredibly difficult to leave a company where I was approaching my five-year anniversary and genuinely enjoyed my work, I knew deep down it was the absolute right choice for my future and the growth of my passion project. This leap of faith felt both terrifying and exhilarating, marking my official transition to a full-time blogger.

In the same pivotal month, I formally worked with a lawyer to establish Mary’s Whole Life as an official LLC. As brand partnerships became more frequent and substantial, protecting myself and my business legally became a top priority. This step solidified my commitment to professionalizing my blogging career and safeguarding my assets.

July 2019: The Whole30 Takeover & Mediavine Milestone

July 2019 arrived, bringing with it the much-anticipated Whole30 Recipes Takeover. It was, without a doubt, the best week ever. The sheer volume of work was immense, but the rewards were immeasurable. The takeover propelled over 15,000 new followers to my Instagram page, bringing my total to an astounding 25,000! This significant surge in traffic also meant I qualified for Mediavine, a premier ad network that requires a minimum of 25,000 sessions (unique monthly visits) to a website. Finally, I could begin earning a substantial income simply from people visiting and engaging with my site. This was a true game-changer, transitioning my blog from a passion project with sporadic earnings to a legitimate business with predictable, significant revenue streams – a huge step in how to make money blogging.

The remainder of 2019 was nothing short of incredible. I continued to actively engage with other accounts on Instagram and diligently responded to every direct message and comment on my page, fostering a strong, loyal community. I maintained consistent content creation, but also strategically went back through older blog posts, updating them with fresh information, improved visuals, and, crucially, optimized them for SEO for bloggers. My commitment to learning was unwavering: I signed up for Food Blogger Pro, an invaluable resource that taught me a tremendous amount about the business of food blogging. Whether through podcasts, online courses, or YouTube videos, I seized every opportunity to expand my knowledge. While my page views naturally peaked during the exhilarating takeover week, they maintained an impressively consistent upward trend throughout the rest of the year, underscoring the long-term impact of consistent effort and strategic learning.

September 2019: A Cookbook Dream Becomes Reality

In September 2019, an email from Page Street Publishing landed in my inbox, inquiring about the possibility of writing a COOKBOOK! I was in utter disbelief. Me? A published author? The idea felt surreal. After much deliberation and consideration of the immense time commitment it would require away from my blog, I decided to take the leap. I knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that I would forever regret passing up such an extraordinary opportunity. I signed the contract and embarked on the challenging yet incredibly rewarding journey of recipe development for my very first cookbook, fulfilling a lifelong dream.

Here’s how 2019 concluded in terms of website analytics. What a remarkable increase from 2018, clearly demonstrating the power of consistent effort and strategic monetization!

Monetizing Your Passion: How Food Bloggers Earn Income

This is by far the most frequent question I receive, often accompanied by curiosity about how to make money blogging. Even my own family sometimes struggles to grasp that blogging is a legitimate and demanding job. But I assure you, it absolutely is! Crafting a single blog post from conception to publication – which includes recipe development, professional food photography, writing engaging copy, and strategically sharing across social channels – typically consumes 8 to 10 hours of dedicated work. It’s a significant commitment of time and creativity. Fortunately, the world of blogging offers a diverse array of revenue streams, allowing you to turn your passion into a sustainable business:

1. Advertising Revenue (Ad Networks)

Ad networks strategically place advertisements on your website. You earn income when visitors engage with your content and, by extension, are exposed to these ads. The revenue isn’t solely dependent on clicks on the ad itself; page views and impressions also contribute significantly. Towards the end of 2019, I made the strategic decision to transition from Mediavine to AdThrive, a move that resulted in an astonishing increase of over 50% in my ad revenue. I truly cannot speak highly enough about the AdThrive experience – their support and optimization are exceptional. To qualify for premium ad networks like AdThrive, you generally need a minimum of 100,000 page views per month, a target that represents a significant milestone for any growing blog.

2. Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing involves partnering with brands and earning a percentage of sales generated when someone makes a purchase using your unique link or discount code. For me, authenticity is paramount in this area. I am fiercely committed to partnering exclusively with brands and companies that I genuinely use, trust, and love. No amount of potential income is worth compromising the trust I’ve built with my audience. My primary affiliate partnerships currently include esteemed brands like Butcher Box, Nut Pods, Thrive Market, and Primally Pure. While Beautycounter also falls into this category, it represents far more than just an affiliate partnership for me; it’s a deep passion and a significant part of my professional life, allowing me to share products I believe in while building a community around safer beauty and wellness. This is a fantastic way for food bloggers to earn income by recommending products they genuinely use in their kitchen and life.

3. Sponsored Content & Brand Partnerships

Sponsorships occur when a company compensates you to create specific content – this could be a recipe, a dedicated blog post, a social media campaign, or other promotional materials. These partnerships typically involve negotiation, detailed contracts, and a keen interest from companies in metrics such as page views, likes, comments, and overall engagement generated by the content. Much like affiliate marketing, I approach sponsored work with great seriousness and selectivity. I consistently decline opportunities that I feel won’t genuinely resonate with my audience or involve products/services I don’t personally use and adore. This commitment to authenticity ensures that every sponsored post feels organic and valuable to my readers. I’ve certainly had to scale back on sponsored work, especially during the intensive period of cookbook development, to maintain focus and quality and ensure my primary content remains top-notch.

What’s Next for Mary’s Whole Life? Continuing the Journey of a Full-Time Blogger

Currently, my plate is full, navigating the joyful chaos of raising three children at home (a reality many of you likely share!), diligently finalizing my cookbook (which is set to be released on November 10th!), consistently creating fresh and engaging content for the blog, and embracing continuous learning every single day. Furthermore, my website is undergoing a complete redesign set for June, a project I’m incredibly excited about. My hope is that this refresh will dramatically enhance user-friendliness and simplify navigation, making it an even better resource for my community, whether they’re looking for gluten-free recipes or Whole30 meals.

To further my reach and ensure my content is easily discoverable, I am currently enrolled in Hashtag Jeff’s comprehensive SEO course. My goal is to deepen my understanding of SEO for bloggers and apply these techniques to make my posts more searchable and accessible to a wider audience, driving organic traffic to my valuable content.

My overarching goal for 2020 is to significantly grow my email list. The digital landscape, particularly social media platforms, is constantly evolving and unpredictable. Cultivating a robust email list provides an invaluable direct line of communication with my audience, ensuring I can connect with you regardless of algorithm changes or platform shifts. It’s about building a resilient, long-term community that I can reach directly.

As far as I’m concerned, the sky is truly the limit, and I eagerly anticipate where this dynamic journey will lead me next. I cannot adequately express my gratitude to each and every one of you for your unwavering support – for using my affiliate links, for visiting my site, for faithfully making my recipes, and for sharing them with your own family and friends. You are, quite simply, the absolute best, and none of this incredible journey would have been possible without your encouragement and trust. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Your Roadmap to Blogging Success: Essential Tips for Aspiring Creators

If you’re feeling that same spark of inspiration I felt years ago, wondering how to start a blog or grow your social media presence, here are my tried-and-true tips, honed from my experience as a full-time blogger:

1. Choose a Niche You Truly Love

   Your blog should be an extension of your genuine passions. For me, that’s undeniably food – specifically, making delicious, easy, and comforting paleo meals accessible to everyone. I am endlessly enthusiastic about talking about, eating, and cooking food. The combination of culinary arts and photography lights me up. While this profession demands an incredible amount of work and dedication, my deep love for the subject matter ensures I cherish every single minute of it. When your passion is your purpose, the work feels less like a chore and more like a joy, making it easier to maintain consistency and quality. This is fundamental for any food blogger.

2. Embrace Consistency Above All

   Consistency is, without a doubt, the single most crucial ingredient for success in blogging and social media. In the past 2.5 years, I can count on one hand the number of days I haven’t posted on Instagram. While taking a well-deserved break is certainly beneficial from time to time, maintaining a consistent posting schedule – ideally at least once a day for social media – is absolutely vital for algorithm recognition and audience engagement. For my blog, averaging about 5-7 new posts per month has proven to be an effective rhythm, keeping my content fresh and my audience engaged. A steady stream of valuable content signals to both your audience and search engines that you are an active and reliable resource, which is key for long-term growth as a food blogger.

3. Engage and Connect Authentically

   Don’t just broadcast; interact! Make it a priority to respond to direct messages, thoughtfully reply to blog comments, and actively seek out and connect with your target audience. Understand who your “people” are and engage in genuine conversations with them. Authenticity is magnetic. People are drawn to follow individuals they can relate to, who bring them joy, provide valuable knowledge, or offer a fresh perspective. Beyond your own platforms, actively comment on and like photos from like-minded Instagram accounts in a meaningful way – go beyond a simple emoji; offer genuine thoughts and appreciation. Building a community is about real human connection, and it fosters loyalty and trust.

4. Cultivate a Network of Fellow Bloggers

   Over the past year, I’ve had the immense privilege of connecting with several groups of incredibly talented women in the blogging world. Having a supportive network of peers who truly understand the unique wins, challenges, and frustrations of this career path is invaluable. I communicate with my blogger friends almost daily, and we serve as each other’s biggest cheerleaders, collaborating on giveaways, posts, or content roundups, and consistently offering mutual assistance. This spirit of collaboration over competition has been a cornerstone of my growth and well-being in the industry, proving that shared knowledge accelerates success.

5. Commit to Lifelong Learning

   The digital landscape is in perpetual motion, which means continuous learning isn’t just an option – it’s a necessity. Make learning an integral part of your daily routine. Listen to industry-specific podcasts, invest wisely in your business by taking relevant courses (like those on Food Blogger Pro or SEO for bloggers), and, most importantly, practice, practice, practice. Whether it’s mastering new photography techniques, delving deeper into SEO, or understanding emerging social media trends, staying curious and committed to self-improvement will keep you ahead of the curve and continually enhance your craft and business acumen.

6. Don’t Wait, Just Start!

   There will never be a “perfect” time to embark on anything significant. The most crucial step is simply to begin. Use the resources you currently have available, imperfect as they may seem. Embrace the process of learning as you go. Don’t let the fear of not knowing everything paralyze you. Imagine the incredible progress and achievements you could make a year from now if you only take that first brave step today! Your future self will thank you for taking action and starting your food blogging journey now.

Thank you deeply for taking the time to read my story and for your incredible support. It is solely because of you that I have the privilege to pursue my passion every single day, and I will never take that blessing for granted. Thank you for your trust, for welcoming me into your kitchens through my recipes, and for sharing my creations with your loved ones. I love you all!

xo,

Mary

*This post contains affiliate links. This means if you use one of my links, I will receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting Mary’s Whole Life!