Blog post lengths

[saraha]

I've never done a poll before, I hope this works.

I am trying to create a blog and after looking at tons of cooking blogs, I noticed most of them are very long posts that are very chatty, often about stuff completely unrelated, but gives you a glimpse into the life of the author. Other than two blogs that I read regularly (both of which are very visually simple with no ads etc) when I am looking for a recipe or something, I usually just scroll past all of that chat to the recipe. If they are very long, I just find it frustrating, but I know that I may be in the minority since so many blogs are written like this.

What kind of posts do you like to read?

Edited November 21, 2020 by saraha

[marbel]

I dislike food blogs with a lot of chit chat, and blogs with too many photos. I'll click out if I can't get to the recipe fairly quickly. A few photos are fine, but some force the reader to scroll past so many, and often they are just repeated photos of the same thing. I like to see the finished product, and maybe some instructional photos, such as examples of how a roux should look.  (For example, I can't read Pioneer Woman's site. Way too much chit chat.)

Of course blogs rely on advertising, so there needs to be content to support the ads. I get that, but I don't really like it .

[Ottakee]

Feel free to check out my blog

I try to keep things short and sweet (despite the heavy topics at times) and I chose no ads.  I know that ads are needed to make money, buy in my case, I am not out to make money.

For a cooking blog, a short paragraph or 2 with hints/tips and then the recipe with maybe 1-3 pictures and I would be happy.   I skip blogs with lots of chatty stuff 

[marbel]

10 hours ago, Ottakee said:

Feel free to check out my blog

I try to keep things short and sweet (despite the heavy topics at times) and I chose no ads.  I know that ads are needed to make money, buy in my case, I am not out to make money.

For a cooking blog, a short paragraph or 2 with hints/tips and then the recipe with maybe 1-3 pictures and I would be happy.   I skip blogs with lots of chatty stuff 

I think of blogs like yours as different from cooking or craft blogs. For an instructional blog, quick and to the point is best for me. For a thoughtful, personal blog like yours, length of posts is not as much of a concern to me. I enjoy reading peoples' stories.

I used to have a homeschool blog and I enjoyed it, but my posts were long, and so were those in the blogs I read. At some point I started noticing that people were adding more photos and less text.  

 

Edited November 21, 2020 by marbel

[Guest]

I don’t follow any blogs anymore and abandoned those I used to follow because they were either too cluttered, too monetized, or both. For cooking and food blogs, I loathe them being extremely chatty and full of photos of every little step along the way. (TBH, I don’t even like that about Pioneer Woman’s cookbooks. I don’t need twenty-seven pictures to show sautéing onions.) If I were ever going to read a food blog again, I would read it if it were targeted to more experienced cooks/bakers. I would not wade through a ton of stuff about how these cookies remind you of Christmas with your German grandmother, etc., etc., etc...just show me how to make the cookies, and assume I have mastered the basics. 

YMMV, of course. Just my opinion. 

[Lady Florida.]

I like short and to the point. I don't need a story about the recipe, I just want to see the ingredients list and instructions. I also appreciate a "jump to recipe" link

Edited November 21, 2020 by Lady Florida.

[Shoeless]

I hate cooking blogs because they blather on and on about things that have nothing to do with how to prepare the recipe. 

Recipe for peppermint ice cream? You get 5 paragraphs on the authors memories of Christmas in the Vermont woods with her grandpa, and how this recipe "takes her back to a simpler time". I don't care! I just want to make ice cream! 

I'd love a recipe/cooking blog that was just about the food being made. Show pics of the finished dish and pictures of how the recipe should look at critical points in the recipe.  I don't need to see a picture of sautedd onions, as Quill said, but if there is a step where the dish needs to look/feel a certain way before proceeding, then demonstrate what it should look like. 

[J-rap]

I like something in-between.  I don't want to have to scroll through tons of stuff just to get to the ingredients list though.  So, I'd start with a great photo plus title, a brief intro (personal/chatty is fine, but brief), and a list of ingredients.  Then I'd have 3 - 6 steps with photos and short instructions (although a little chit-chat that's helpful or interesting is fine).

Any longer chat can be at the bottom, for those who are interested.

[Forget-Me-Not]

Oh this is such a pet peeve of mine. I haaaaaate having to wade through miles of talk and pictures to just find the recipe. Throw in all the pop up ads and videos that go along with a Pinterest link and it’s like nobody wants you to get to the actual recipe. I found a (very simple) soup recipe the other day and the site in question was a nightmare from the color scheme to the video of the soup being made that I almost couldn’t get rid of.  
 

I might forgive if they have a “jump to recipe” button. Maybe. 

Edited November 21, 2020 by Forget-Me-Not

[Tanaqui]

All those long posts force you to stay on the page longer. If you don't stay on the page, scrolling down to the recipe, they don't get as much revenue from ads. The ads are what allow them to spend time giving you recipes for free.

[VickiMNE]

Quote

 

I like short and to the point cooking blogs.  However, I'm an experienced cook, but I suspect that your target reader may not be.  For a blog that also includes steps, I like the format of BudgetBytes.  There is a short intro, jump to recipe button, the recipe, and any "how it ought to look" pictures come after along with possible "This goes well with" tips. 

Alternatively, if you need a lot of pictures to demonstrate how to prep veggies, demonstrate cooking techniques, when-is-it-done? photos, etc.,  I suggest making a short video and linking to it, leaving the blog post clutter-free.  

[Carrie12345]

I like long blog posts, but not when I’m searching for a recipe.  And I like pictures, but not a whole bunch that interrupt the flow of my reading.  If the text is telling me how to shape my dough, a picture of how it should look is great. But, if the text is telling me where the recipe originated, photo, why it’s beloved, photo, the first time the kids made it, photo, what a hit it always is, photo, where you like to buy the ingredients, photo, and your favorite mixing bowl, photo... I wanna rip out my hair and click over to Allrecipes.

[marbel]

Here's an example of a food blog post that, for me, strikes a decent balance. There's an introduction without tons of chit-chat, the recipe is straightforward with not-too-many photos, and there is plenty of ad space so the bloggers can make money. This blog also sometimes has sponsored posts, which also don't bother me.  

https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/golden_cheddar_cheese_crisps/

This isn't a mom-in-the-kitchen blog, though. 

Edited November 21, 2020 by marbel

[saraha]

This has been so helpful! The blog is intended to be aimed at participants of the SNAP program and food pantries, so no monetizing to keep it sleek and more accessible. 

[Ottakee]

43 minutes ago, saraha said:

This has been so helpful! The blog is intended to be aimed at participants of the SNAP program and food pantries, so no monetizing to keep it sleek and more accessible. 

That is very good.  I would also run your blog posts through a reading level checker to make sure it is accessible to those with more limited reading levels.

You might also want to add in some information in very basic cooking terms/methods.   Some people don't have much, or any, experience in the kitchen.

[regentrude]

Get to the point. I hate having to scroll multiple pages of idle chit chat to get to the recipe. And I only want a pic of the final food, not a dozen from each stage of the preparation. 

[Drama Llama]

I would love to read a blog like that with my high school students.  

I do think that videos or clear pictures can be really helpful, especially if a reader is new to cooking, has a disability, has limited literacy, or is learning English, and many SNAP recipients would be in that category.  But what I've never been able to figure out is why cooking blogs are organized so that you have to scroll through every time.  Why not put the ingredient list, and key information up top? Then if people want to scroll down for step by step instructions they can.

I agree that you don't need a blog about the first time you served this to your future son in law's grandmother.  

[Tanaqui]

Quote

But what I've never been able to figure out is why cooking blogs are organized so that you have to scroll through every time.  Why not put the ingredient list, and key information up top? Then if people want to scroll down for step by step instructions they can.

 

Like I said upthread: ad revenue.

[Drama Llama]

11 minutes ago, Tanaqui said:

 

Like I said upthread: ad revenue.

Yeah, that makes sense.  Is OP planning on ad revenue?

[Ottakee]

1 hour ago, BaseballandHockey said:

I would love to read a blog like that with my high school students.  

I do think that videos or clear pictures can be really helpful, especially if a reader is new to cooking, has a disability, has limited literacy, or is learning English, and many SNAP recipients would be in that category.  But what I've never been able to figure out is why cooking blogs are organized so that you have to scroll through every time.  Why not put the ingredient list, and key information up top? Then if people want to scroll down for step by step instructions they can.

I agree that you don't need a blog about the first time you served this to your future son in law's grandmother.  

EXACTLY....that was my thought....my own kids and my students.  All young adults, most on SNAP, and needing very basic recipes and cooking skills.

[saraha]

57 minutes ago, BaseballandHockey said:

Yeah, that makes sense.  Is OP planning on ad revenue?

Nope, this is an outlet for me and a way to help others

[saraha]

2 hours ago, BaseballandHockey said:

I would love to read a blog like that with my high school students.  

I do think that videos or clear pictures can be really helpful, especially if a reader is new to cooking, has a disability, has limited literacy, or is learning English, and many SNAP recipients would be in that category.  But what I've never been able to figure out is why cooking blogs are organized so that you have to scroll through every time.  Why not put the ingredient list, and key information up top? Then if people want to scroll down for step by step instructions they can.

I agree that you don't need a blog about the first time you served this to your future son in law's grandmother.  

I like the idea of recipe first, then talk. I plan to put a recipe or meal idea (not everything has to be a “recipe”) then some helpful information, like tips for menu planning, budgeting, shopping etc

[Drama Llama]

1 minute ago, saraha said:

Nope, this is an outlet for me and a way to help others

Then I would suggest a shopping list and the written recipe at the top and then step by step directions with clear illustrations. 

Also, larger fonts and white space, and consistent layouts.  White space makes so much difference to my students in being able to make sense of something like a blog. 

I hope you'll share the link here when you're done, and for selfish reasons, I'd love you to maybe think of a way to market it that isn't 100% centered on SNAP.  While most of the kids I work with probably will receive SNAP as adults, and many of them live in households that receive SNAP, I think I would get pushback if I used a resource that implied that I expect them to receive SNAP as an adult.  So something that was marked to people who use SNAP or are on a budget would be great.  

[regentrude]

5 hours ago, saraha said:

This has been so helpful! The blog is intended to be aimed at participants of the SNAP program and food pantries, so no monetizing to keep it sleek and more accessible. 

Something to think about: How is your intended audience's literacy level? I could imagine some of your clientele being intimidated by long articles.

To clarify: I am not saying all poor people are uneducated! But I know that learning disabilities and educational gaps are often a cause for poverty.

Edited November 21, 2020 by regentrude

[Tanaqui]

You might want to consider that many people with a low income have limited kitchens. They might not have a working stove, they might have a stove but not an oven, they might not have much in the way of cookware, they might not be able to get to the store very frequently and are limited in what sort of produce they can keep at home.

It may be useful, therefore, to explicitly state with the ingredients what sort of tools are needed to make the recipe ("This will require an 8 or 9 inch frying pan", "This recipe needs to go in the oven in a 9 x 13 casserole dish cover with foil. An aluminum "lasagna pan" from the store can be used instead of the casserole dish") and explicitly suggest substitutions ("If you don't want to buy spinach, almost any other greens can be used, but most of them - turnip tops, mustard greens, beet greens - will require you to cook a little longer"). I'm not sure where the best place to put substitutions is... if you put it with the ingredients you clutter that up, but if you shove it in with the instructions then you've discouraged people who've already decided that they won't use or can't get that ingredient. (I used greens as my example because if you haunt the produce section, you can often get them for *free*. That's how I get beet greens, I wait until I see somebody lopping them off the beets, then I fill up a bag. I get chicken skin the same way, by asking the butcher to give me some.)

[saraha]

Ok, for better or worse, here it is!

https://snappymeals.blogspot.com/

[Ottakee]

50 minutes ago, saraha said:

Ok, for better or worse, here it is!

https://snappymeals.blogspot.com/

I love it.  Nice, easy to read.  The we are in this together vs I am here to rescue you is a great approach.  

May I forward this to the teacher I work with for our students to check out?

[Drama Llama]

1 hour ago, saraha said:

Ok, for better or worse, here it is!

https://snappymeals.blogspot.com/

This is really well done.

[WendyLady]

2 hours ago, saraha said:

Ok, for better or worse, here it is!

https://snappymeals.blogspot.com/

Your blog looks great!

I know my young college kids needed just that kind of basic directions. My daughter once called for directions for mashed potatoes (with real potatoes.) Then told me that she made the same thing (chicken in the instant-pot and homemade mashed potatoes) three times that week - she was so excited to be able to fix a "real" meal.

[marbel]

I like it a lot!  Looks great. 

[saraha]

12 hours ago, Ottakee said:

I love it.  Nice, easy to read.  The we are in this together vs I am here to rescue you is a great approach.  

May I forward this to the teacher I work with for our students to check out?

Sure! And everyone feel free to comment on it! Thanks! I am excited for this new project.

[saraha]

Do you think doing an entire meal as an example of meal planning would be too long?

[VickiMNE]

24 minutes ago, saraha said:

Do you think doing an entire meal as an example of meal planning would be too long?

Do you mean as one blog post?  The main, the sides, etc?  with step-by-step directions or recipes?  Probably.  I've seen blogs where a meal is posted as several posts, all linked together to make it easy to jump from one recipe to another.  But if it features just one recipe (for example) with easy sides (sliced apples, cut carrots and hummus) then probably not too long.

I love what you are doing and wish you great success.  If, by chance, you want some other inspiration, I can recommend reading through these posts:  Budget Bytes Snap Challenge which tie into trying to live off SNAP benefits for a month. It was an eye-opening experience for the author (who didn't actually need to do it) and the comments are worth reading, too.

Another good resource is Leanne Brown's site who wrote a cookbook Good and Cheap as her master's dissertation on eating well within SNAP limitations.  The cookbook is FREE as a PDF file (very nice, full-color photos included!) and has just recently been translated into Spanish (also free). Read the FAQ as well. The book is a terrific resource.

Best wishes for good success!

[saraha]

Thanks! I follow Beth's Budget Bytes blog. She even gave me some tips back when I first started teaching cooking classes and she was not the huge blogger she is now!

I will check out the book, thanks!

[Drama Llama]

1 hour ago, saraha said:

Do you think doing an entire meal as an example of meal planning would be too long?

I think that having a page with a list of foods to serve together, and then links to individual recipes, might be better?  And then you could also have links on the individual recipe pages that go back to pages with menus.  

I also think that one thing that newer cooks have trouble with, though, is flexibility in combining things to make a meal.  So, for example, my kid might think of simple ground beef tacos as a meal he can make. But if he is thinking of tacos and goes to the cupboard and there are no taco shells, he would probably decide he can't make tacos.  On the other hand, as someone who has been feeding a family for years, I would be able to figure that I could serve that taco meat mixed with rice and frozen mixed veggies, or over a baked potato or on a salad.  Similarly, if I was planning tacos for 4, and then suddenly found out my nieces were staying for dinner, I know how to stretch that meat with lentils or to open a can of beans.  So, some kind of menu plan that has links to a couple different options might be helpful.  

[WendyLady]

21 hours ago, saraha said:

Do you think doing an entire meal as an example of meal planning would be too long?

not too long at all. You could do meal planning regularly and link to different recipes that you have previously posted!

My favorite is the planned leftover where I may cook extra and use it in another meal that week.

Edited November 26, 2020 by WendyLady

[saraha]

Do you think a weekly sample meal plan would be helpful? It wouldn't be my family's meal plan as our circumstances are not the same as our target audience, but meal planning seems to be hard for people, so maybe having several examples to look at might be helpful? It could be a weekly feature

[Drama Llama]

Just now, saraha said:

Do you think a weekly sample meal plan would be helpful? It wouldn't be my family's meal plan as our circumstances are not the same as our target audience, but meal planning seems to be hard for people, so maybe having several examples to look at might be helpful? It could be a weekly feature

When I think about the families I know, who might be in your target audience, I don't think they are living lifestyles that are compatible with planning out a weeks worth of meals.  Adults are often working erratic unpredictable hours, and there might be neighbors or cousins appearing at the dinner table because there is a lot of trading childcare.  Plus in my area most low income families either don't have a car or the car is tied up taking people to work, and so instead of doing a weekly shop, families are grabbing something from the corner store to stretch what they have, and choices may be limited.

I know people that do an amazing job of putting wholesome complete meals on the table for their families under those circumstances, but it's done through day to day problem solving.  They're constantly thinking What can I stretch?  What complements the leftovers? How can I use this thing I found on sale?  

 

[VickiMNE]

3 hours ago, saraha said:

but meal planning seems to be hard for people, so maybe having several examples to look at might be helpful? It could be a weekly feature

I think it *would* be helpful, especially the part of having several examples.  I think that is key.  Meal planning can look very different from family to family.  Some look at the whole week and plan each day.  Others work from a template.  Others plan to cook three meals and morph leftovers/super easy/no-brainer meals for the rest and choose by day.  I'd stress Cook-Once, Eat-Twice type dishes.  

I concur with several previous posters that one area many people need (especially if inexperienced in the kitchen) is how to make do, how to streamline.  I cook a lot and I was always surprised when my young teens, helping out seriously in the kitchen (ie., not the one-off batch of chocolate chip cookies), dirtied SO MANY DISHES.   Despite seeing *me* work efficiently in the kitchen, I had to point out (nicely) ways to reduce the workload.  Measure dry before liquid.  Use a glass bowl and melt butter in the bowl that you are going to later add eggs to (vs. eggs in one bowl, melt butter separately and then combine).  

Also, with making do.  An inexperienced cook is naturally timid to make substitutions because they don't have enough knowledge to know if that will ruin the dish or not.  I think explaining ONE "good to know!" hint per every post (and repeated over time, in different recipes) will go along way towards making confident cooks.  Confident cooks can do a lot with a little.....

[saraha]

If anyone wants to pop over to the blog and take a look at what is up so far, feel free to give me suggestions! I want it to be as helpful to as many people as possible 

[fairfarmhand]

1 hour ago, saraha said:

If anyone wants to pop over to the blog and take a look at what is up so far, feel free to give me suggestions! I want it to be as helpful to as many people as possible 

It looks good! I think you have some great ideas and it's a good start! I left a couple comments too!

[saraha]

Thanks!