320: Learning By Doing – How Chelsey White Grew Her Online Community of Millions as a Solopreneur

Foreign.

Hello. Hello. You're listening to the Food Blogger Pro podcast.

This is Bjork Ostrom, and today's interview.

Is one that I'm really excited to share with you.

It's with Chelsea White from chelsweets. And Chelsea is going to be talking about how she's grown her different social media accounts to literally millions of followers.

And that's not, like, cumulative, like, if you add them all up, like on.

Instagram, on TikTok, on each of those respective platforms, she has millions of followers. And she's going to be talking about some of the things that she's learned, how she switches to stay up to date with different trends that are happening, where she places her focus. She's going to be talking about the journey that she went through from when she started to where she is now and how she does a lot of this just as a solo creator. She doesn't have a huge team that's.

Helping her to do all of this.

She's doing this on her own. She's also going to be talking about kind of the split between how she makes her money as a creator, and she's going to be talking about how she views her different social accounts and which ones she prioritizes, and also how her blog fits in there. And kind of something that surprised me in regards to what's the most valuable asset for her, where she's focusing most of her time right now, strategically, from a business perspective. So it's a great interview. I'm excited to share it with you. Chelsea White from chelsweets. Let's go ahead and jump in. Chelsea, welcome to the podcast.

I'm so excited to be here. Thank you for having me.

Yeah, it'll be great. One of the things that is really exciting for me to do on this podcast is talk to people who would be able to coach me on a lot of things. And I feel like you are one of those people because, um, when you look around at your following your site, you know, the niche that you've kind of landed on. You've had a lot of success with it. Um, and it feels like my guess is that you have some pretty strong opinions or some thoughts around what it looks like to build a following, to produce content online and to do that successfully. So before we jump into the specifics of that, can you rewind the tape a little bit and say, talk a little bit about how you started? And are you generally in the same place in terms of focus, content, the things that you're creating content about right now as when you originally started.

So many great questions. I always try to keep things brief because I feel like I could ramble on about the evolution of shell suites for forever. But I think, long story short is that things are always changing. Whether it's prioritized content on different platforms. You know, like reels didn't exist like a year and a half ago. TikTok wasn't as big of a thing when I first started. Like, wasn't a thing at all. I guess musically was still around. But so things are always changing and that also means my priorities are changing. But I think I really started this like on a whim. I never intended to be doing. Like, I call myself like a baking blogger and content creator, but you really could call what I do a lot of different things. But I never intended to do this full time. So I mean it started out really just as kind of a passion. Even though that sounds cliche, it's true. But really just a creative outlet. But I think that because I really loved what I do, it shows and that's what helped me grow my audience and get to where I am today.

And when did you start?

I originally like started baking. Like, I didn't even know how to bake when I started in 2014. Like if you really get aggressive and were like, had too much time on your hands and you scrolled on my feed, you see some pretty terrible looking baked goods, but it's still there.

Okay, cool. Which is fun to see because you get to see the evolution of somebody. It's not like you come in, it's hard work, it's hustle. We talk a lot about that idea of 10,000 hours. Like it's a lot of time working and perfecting a craft. One of the things that I thought was interesting that you mentioned was your priorities are always shifting. If you look back, you know, 2021, today, 2014, when you started, would you be able to pinpoint kind of steps along your journey where your priorities shifted in terms of the platform you focused on, the type of content that you were focusing on. And so take us at like 2014 and kind of bring us up to today talking about kind of the major milestones from a content perspective, for sure.

There's definitely been some very pivotal moments in my path. I'll try to highlight them all. So I think when I started like a lot of bakers, I was really like actually just selling custom cakes and so just focusing on decoration and photos. You didn't. Video wasn't a thing as much back then. Like, I don't even think video was an option on Instagram or people didn't really start posting until 2016. So 2016 was like a pivotal point in time because right as soon as videos started becoming popular, I was seeing the reach they were getting from other. Like, I would see other cakes on there that were doing amazing and I was like, why am I not doing this?

Yeah.

So that was a big turning point for me. I bought a really terrible little tripod and some box lights and I was like, let's try this. So starting to make videos was huge. And then in 2018 I started TikTok also and I actually like did it on a whim as part of a partnership. Like I got paid to create an account and share content on there and I'm so grateful.

Your own account? Yeah, like they were like paid by, by TikTok. They reached out to.

It was an agency, but yes. And they like got me instantly verified. So that was also huge doing that partnership because I think like any platform getting in early always helps. Like, it doesn't mean you can't establish a page or a presence on platforms later, but it always helps to get your foot in the door first. So yeah, that was huge for me. And then also, like, I started working with the food network in 2017. I like don't even know how they. I guess it was like end of 2016, I don't even know how they found me, but I did a shoot with them and then I started doing Instagram or Facebook lives every week for like two years. And that was also a huge growing opportunity for me just because it was like a lot of reach of people that didn't follow me already. It really helped me grow my craft and it also was profitable enough where I could stop selling cakes and really focus on content creation. And that was huge for me too because it's way more profitable and, and just like in my experience, a lot more personally satisfying because you get to experiment a lot more, try new techniques and grow in different ways than just like meeting people's borders.

Totally. Yeah. There's a certain moment, a certain level of stress I would imagine that goes with producing a cake that somebody's going to have on display and they need it at a certain time and they have feedback. Everyone is different.

Yes. I was working full time too in like corporate finance. So like trying to like negotiate like pickup and drop offs and like having to stay late from month end and things. Like, it was just really complicated. So that was a huge turning point. Also like, for me to actually Start sleeping a little bit more and, like, living almost like a real person instead of just like a zombie like I was before. So.

And so you had mentioned that it became profitable enough. Was that Food Network reaching out to you and saying, hey, we'll pay you to do these events or Facebook Live. And so now you had a relationship. It was ongoing, it was recurring. And that allowed you to say, okay, I know that, you know, the expectation is 6 to 12 months. Or did they outline it and say, like, hey, we want you to do this for a certain period of time?

It was just like, I think they're like, short intervals. They do. Or like, I mean, you sign a contract, but, like, like anything, it's subject to change. Like, a month later, they could have been like, also, I could have just not done a great job. And it could have been like, you know, this isn't working out great. So I really didn't know how long it was going to go on for, but I just, like, tried my best and hoped that it kept going. So.

Yeah. And when you look at the different platforms that you have, was there a shift in terms of what you considered to be most important? So, like, at one point you're like, hey, my blog is the thing. And now it's like, hey, Instagram. And is there a shift towards TikTok at all? Like, was there any pivot or change at that point?

And does part of it have to.

Do with how many followers you have? Or is it more of, like, kind of the stickiness of the platform, the energy around the platform? You know, Facebook versus Instagram versus Pinterest versus TikTok. All of those.

So many good questions to start with. I didn't. I excluded that part from pivotal moments on accident. But I really started focusing on my blog when I quit my job. And I'd always been sharing recipes, but mostly just for, like, my own, for myself to, like, know what I was making and what was working and what I really liked. And then also for Food Network, people on the lives would always be like, what's the recipe? So it was nice and easy way to drive traffic and say, like, here you go. So I started focusing on my blog more in, like, 2016 through 2018. And then when I quit my job in 2019, I really started focusing on it. Cause I didn't. I had no idea how profitable blogs can be. Like, it sounds so cliche and, you know, like, nobody would ever believe that, but, like, that's my biggest source of income. And, like, I do make a lot of money through Partnerships as well. But, like, my blog makes a lot of money, and so I've definitely started focusing on that once I quit my job and really saw the returns and it continues to grow. So, like, that's. Even though I think people don't realize that because of my social presence, like, My blog is 100% my focus. Like, I'm so focused on creating things that I can rank for that. Like, I revamp old posts, like, posting regularly on a consistent schedule. Like, I am all about that. Like, that is my number one priority, even though social media matters too. And I always try to, like, put the two together. So it might be like, something that doesn't sound that exciting for my blog, like a blueberry cake. But I'll try to really jazz it up and decorate it in a cute way. So for social media, it's like, more exciting, which is what I'm gonna do in like a week of blueberry cake. But so that's a big thing. And then going back to social media priorities, I think it really depends on, like, what you're going after. Like, if you're really looking for growth, I think, like, TikTok, the virality of the or of the algorithm, like, you. You have a lot more opportunity for growth there than you might on other platforms. And it also just depends on, like, how you like filming, what type of content you like creating. Like, I personally love Instagram because I love taking photos. Photos. I take photos from my blog. I'm always trying to improve on that. I love that. And I think a really pretty photo of a cake is just like, awesome. So I love sharing carousels on Instagram with, like, video and photos. And you can't do that on TikTok. And I'm like, not. I'm 31. Like, I'm not the target content creator age on TikTok. So I'm still sharing there. And like, I'm just repurp and I film and I repurpose my content for all the different platforms. But, like, I don't feel like I'm thry. I actually have the most followers on there. I have 2 million. But I feel like my content I create on there, like, is never. I don't talk fast enough. Like, I'm not sure editing fast enough because I just, like, not my energy.

I'm like, it's a different type of content. Yeah.

Yes. So I think it just depends. I personally love Instagram, but I think that's just because it's formats, like, most favor my strengths. But I think that a lot of Newer creators that are trying to come up and create a presence for themselves. Like, TikTok is such an amazing place where you can easily get traction. And once you do, you really have so much opportunity to grow. So I think it just depends.

This is. So I had pulled up these different accounts. I was kind of looking at know your different profiles. This is me giving you a chance to talk through this because I think it's really impressive. Can you talk through each of the different accounts you have and the number of followers you have? So 2 million on TikTok, 1.2 on Instagram. Is that right? Yeah.

You're gonna make me blush. You're just like bragging about me.

Well, it's awesome. And I think it's important for people to know going into it that, you know, it's perspective on the advice you're giving and the thoughts that you have. So Facebook, you multiple hundreds of thousands. What Is your Facebook?

760,000 or something like that?

Yeah.

And then YouTube is the smallest and I think I have like 270.

Okay, great. And in terms of the ability to get sponsored content on those different platforms, have you seen that shift over time? And I know, like, even I look at Captivate. Captivate was a company that does like kind of. It's almost like an influencer marketplace. I don't know if you're familiar with it or have ever worked with brands on there. Okay, so Captivate as we. And there's this is an aside disclaimer. We did a small angel investment in Captivate early through a syndicate, so we weren't like really involved with it. So that's why I'm somewhat familiar with it and track along with it. But, um, they. I've seen them start to shift a little bit in terms of their positioning and say TikTok, like before it was really Instagram. Within the last couple of years it's been TikTok. Have you seen that reflected in terms of any brands or sponsors who reach out to you and say, hey, you know, it used to be three years ago everybody would want to work with you on Instagram. Have you seen a shift to TikTok or like more people on YouTube? What does that look like in terms of an interest from sponsors?

So I think that like the large companies that have the big social media budget, the big social spend are so slow moving. Like I used to work at l' Oreal and I used to manage the social budgets there for Garnier, Maybelline and Essie. So I have like a very unique insider perspective. I also worked at a PR agency doing corporate finance there. So I've seen both sides of how everything works. And a lot of times, like it takes large companies, like they were still shifting from like TV spend to digital spend, like when I was there.

Billboards.

Some companies are still like just moving to Instagram and like, because everybody wants the metrics on like what. Like that's the number one question. Like, well, how many sales is this generating? And sometimes you can't always tie it that neatly or create that like direct of a number. So it takes companies a long time to move. And I think that like I've actually seen more sponsored posts on Instagram for me than I ever have this year. And I think the social spend is increasing because companies know that so many people are spending so much time on their phones and like watching TV and things and YouTube videos and stuff on there. So I think that they know that's where consumers eyes are. So spend is going up in that category as a whole. I definitely have gotten more TikTok sponsorships, but like it's been so slow moving and I think it will take a lot more time for companies to get comfortable with that. They're definitely like pivoting quickly, but that still just takes like so long.

Like it's going to be a long time of corporate. Yeah.

And especially like they might be buying ads on the platform, which is like great. And TikTok has done a really good job incorporating that in. But in terms of like paying influencers to create ads and things like that, it's still, still coming. Yeah, it's happening right now, but it's. There's more to come.

Yeah. Which would make sense now. Kind of at the peak of the shift towards Instagram, maybe two, three, four years from now, that will change to a platform that currently has a lot of traction exist. It could be like a new platform for sure. What do you feel like you learned when you had the role of you. What was the first role you had talked about? It was like you were managing that budget for.

Yes. So I worked in like corporate finance or FPA at l' Oreal and I was, I mean I just, Yeah, I just managed the social budgets for those brands.

What, what do you feel like you learned from that experience and then now apply with your day to day of like being an influencer who would be getting paid from brands?

I love that question because I think a lot of influencers, and it's not like this is the wrong thing to do, but a lot of people think that you should, like, reach out to brands and, you know, direct contact people directly and not sit around waiting for brands to come to you, which it never hurts. Be proactive. Like, that's a great thing to do in life, but a lot of times, the way these budgets are formulated, you create buckets and you make them before the year even starts of where you're going to allocate your funds, what big campaigns you have, when that spend is going to happen, it's laid out, it's tied to your revenue because your P and L is like a work of art. It has to flow just right to hit sales numbers, especially if it's a publicly owned company. So you can reach out to a brand and be like, I'd love to work with you, but realistically, they have thousands of dollars set aside in September for this specific activation, and they'll reach out to you when they're ready to work on that campaign. Like, you can make them aware of you, but, like, they don't just have a slush fund of money sitting around to, like, put aside to random things like that. That's just not how those big companies work. And that's where the big dollars are. So in my experience, like, I initially was like, oh, I should be reaching out more. But realistically, like, when companies have money to spend, like their agencies that they work with, they'll find you. So, like, it's hard to get your foot in the door at first, but I think once you start doing some campaigns, like, brands will become more aware of you. And as you grow, like, they have systems where they track influencers on their platforms, their followers, like, the analytics are crazy. And a lot of large companies or agencies have their own systems that they do that in. You just need to, like, have a big enough presence to hopefully get into one of those systems, and then you can come up when they're searching for people that are the right fit for different campaigns and different clients.

Yeah. So almost advice. Well, maybe. Maybe the question is, would your advice be, hey, you can reach out. It's not a bad thing. It's not a bad thing to make a connection. It's not a bad thing to pitch. But if you're going to spend 50% of your time doing that, it's probably better to spend 50% of your time figuring out how to build your following, how to create engaging content. Because those are the things that will tip you into these databases where they say, hey, we want to find somebody who focuses on baked goods and has over 250,000 followers filter they See the list, we want an engagement rate of at least 4%. Filter you see the list and then people reach out to you. Is that kind of what you're getting at?

Absolutely, that's exactly what I mean. And I think that, like, if you're really creating good quality content, I like to say, like, you know, people notice and people will find you. So just, I think that's the best place to put your energy into is just trying to create the best stuff that you can.

Yeah. And so for you, when you're working with brands and sponsors, mostly on Instagram for social, are you doing any on your blog or is it mostly social when it comes to sponsor content?

I was going to say something about that earlier and then I forgot. I was going to say it's really great if you can't. It's super challenging to grow across platforms because they're all uniquely different and trying to really make the best possible quality content across that many different formats is challenging. But it really helps to have a presence across different platforms because a lot of times a brand will be like, like, we want an influencer that can make a YouTube video, an Instagram video and a TikTok for this new product that we're launching. And so it's really helpful to have that array of platforms so that you can do. And I mean it's not to say that like you won't get partnerships because a lot of times it is just one platform. But being able to offer those options and include them in your rate card and showing that you can do that is really helpful. I found a lot of big partnerships want, like to have like to, for you to share it across your platforms. And so I'm so grateful even though it like is a pain. And I think I kind of do like a B job across all my platforms instead of focusing on one and doing like an A plus job. I still think it's a better way to like divide my energy so that I'm ready for any opportunity that comes my way.

Yeah, I think of that with Pinch of Yam. So the Lindsey, my wife, kind of does the day to day with a great team there for Pinch of Yum. And all credit to them for building, building that as a platform. But they do like, if a sponsor will come to us and they'll say, hey, we would be interested in working with you, we'll have like you said, a Ray card and it'll break it out and say like, hey, we could do like blog posts, we could do videos if we do videos here's what it would look like to publish it to Instagram and to Facebook and to the blog. Is that kind of what it looks like for you? A brand will reach out, you send them what it would look like to work with you, and then you kind of work together to put a package together. Are you doing that and what have you. If so, what have you learned about that that you can teach other people in terms of putting together a package that's like, competitive and you're getting paid well, but also something that the brand would work for. The brand?

Yes. So I love having a media kit ready, which kind of shows, includes a bunch of stuff, kind of talks about me, what my brand is about, shares about, like any accomplishments I've had, TV appearances. If you've done a book, you could put a book in there, like anything that you're really proud of. I talk about the different formats of content I create and through my platforms, my following count and just like what platforms I have a presence on. And then I also share stats about my blog and also examples of past partnerships that have done well because they want to see what you're capable of. It's a PDF, but I embedded a link in it so you can click to the sponsorships and actually see what I've done, which is nice. So I think that's good just because it kind of shows a brand what you're capable of. It gives them a quick snapshot. Like, realistically, they've probably already done the research if they're reaching out to you, but if they're reaching out to you just as an inquiry and they have like 10 influencers they're considering and they're only gonna have three for the campaign. Like, it's so helpful to just like have everything laid out and to look really professional. So I made one in Canva. It's like, not super. It's a little bit time consuming. It's not super hard to do and you can update it then as you go. So I highly recommend having a media kit and then a rate card that shows either. Yes. Like you mentioned your individual pricing. I have like a full package that's obviously like a better deal if you know. So they're more motivated to do everything like blog post, YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Instagram stories, the whole works totally. But yeah, I will send that back. And then a lot of times though, like, a brand already knows like, what they want. So, like, you can work with them and figure out what makes sense, but they know that they want like an Instagram post and a TikTok video, or they just want a TikTok video or whatever it is. So there's not like too much of that, but there's, there's more negotiating in terms of, like, what I'm going to make and how I'm going to use their product or how I'm going to share it on my platforms. And, you know, then you get into actual iteration of the content, the content review. But usually brands are very. Have a clear idea of exactly what they want from you when they email you, is what I found.

Yep. Do you have. Don't have to share the. At what the actual rates are. But I mean, but I think a lot of people are like, how do I go about figuring out what my rate is Like? I think a lot of people come to the table and they're like, I don't know, like, either on one side, like, hey, I want to work with brands and I'd kind of be willing to get paid, not a lot to get started and kind of build my portfolio. Or on the other side, don't want to send people something. And they'd look at it and be like, what, you think you're going to get paid that much? Never. You know, and then no reply.

Such good questions.

How do you feel comfortable with a. With a rate that's like, competitive but also paying you?

Well, it is hard, especially when you're starting. It's like, number one, you doubt yourself and you're like, am I worth this? Like, am I creating things? And so I totally get that feeling. And just like when you're new to it and if you like. Luckily I had a background in it, so I was like, reviewing influencer contracts, like, managing those things. So I saw what people were charging and like, I was familiar with it, which helped a lot, but I think kind of like the going rate is like a dollar per 100 followers. So like, if you were to take my following on like Instagram, say it's like 1.2 million, be like $12,000 a post. And that's not to say that you like, if you have amazing engagement, maybe you charge more or like, also if you'd like less, Like, I know. I think if you have like 250,000 followers, you probably could charge more. I think there's like a band and on the upper end, you probably can't charge too much more because it really is like so much money in a. Out of a budget. But if you're on the lower end, you probably can charge up a little bit. But that's just like a rule of thumb. So that's like, by no means, like, you need to adhere by that.

The ultimate. Yeah.

And also, like, you know, sometimes I will get a pitch from a brand like, that I really love or, like, I genuinely love the product, or it's like a show that I'm, like, a huge fan of. So even if the budget is, like, lower than my, like, rate card, sure, I'm like, usually willing to work with it. But I mean, you do need to negotiate because, like, it's not that they're buying just your time. They're buying your audience. Like, you're feeding this ad to your audience, and you've spent, like, how many years building this page, building this audience and following, so you don't want to undervalue yourself. But at the same time, especially when you're getting started, you know, like, some money is better than no money. And if you're trying to make a go of it and be full time, like, it's all about what you're comfortable with and what you feel good about. So it's hard and it varies. And I. You want to stand firm, but at the same time, it's okay to be a little bit flexible. And some. But some brands, if it's not some huge brand that probably don't have a huge budget, so you might want to be more flexible with that.

So, yeah, it seems like some of the variables are, to your point, like, how much do I like this company? How much do I like this brand? Another variable would be how much do I like doing sponsored content? I know some people who hate doing sponsored content. So they quote a ridiculously high rate.

And some people say, hey, we really.

Like working with you, so we'll pay it. So they don't enjoy it, but they feel justified by the price. Another would be like, how closely aligned is it with the content that you produce? And for you, you talked about, hey, this would be a show. And I think some people would hear that and be like, wait, show, Wait, a show will sponsor you. Can you talk a little bit about how that works and how that plays into you creating recipes, but then how it could also be a show.

Yes. So when I say show, I just mean, like, I did a partnership with Rick and Morty, which, like, I love. I love animated TV show. Like, I love spongebob. It's a long saga. But I got reached out to by them and they were like, can you make a reel to celebrate the fifth season of Rick and Morty? And I was like, heck, yeah. So, like, I made a Pickle Rick cake. Unless you watch the show, you probably have no idea what I'm talking about.

I know, Like, I've read. This is like how I consume content. I've read articles about Rick and Morty and, like, But I've never actually seen an episode of it.

That's totally fine. So there's like a really iconic episode that's like the season, I think won an Emmy or I don't know if it was a show or the season, but just like a very iconic season that if you like the episodes, if you like the show, you know this. So I made a cake of that and it performed really well because anybody that likes the show is, like, obsessed with that. Like, they understood it, which I was nervous about because I was like, is this too niche? Is anyone going to get it? But people did. But there's stuff like that all the time. Or like movie premieres. Like, I made a overall cake for like, Mamma Mia. Two, like, years ago. That was like one of my first bigger partnerships. And I was like, this is crazy. They sent me overalls. It was a whole thing. It was like, fun. And so I generally like making sponsored content. I mean, I don't. I prefer doing my own stuff 100. But a lot of times with my. The way I. My platforms are, like, I really try my hardest to do something that's like, fun and that I'm proud of. And so I can make a cake or something that's really cool and aligned with what the brand wants. Like, I'm excited to make it. So I really try to stick with opportunities like that. I wouldn't. I never do things that are off brand, like, like the sugar bear hair gummies or like slim slim tea. I get so many things like that that just like, I would never, ever do. But it's also about picking the right opportunities that are aligned with your brand.

Yeah, that makes sense. And in your case, it sounds like sometimes this sponsored content can even be the best performing content. Like, if it's a niche, if it's about a show, people would be excited about it. And that, to me is the best type of content.

Yes.

It's a win for the brand. It's a win for you if your followers are excited about it. Like, all of that stuff aligns. And I think that's where sponsored content works the best is when you can align all of those things. How about in terms of growth? So you have 2 million followers on TikTok, 1.2 million followers on Instagram. What have you found that has worked well for growing on a platform like TikTok?

TikTok is such a roller coaster of emotions. You can have a video just like go absolutely viral, like millions and like 30 million views or like more. And then your next video can get like 20,000 views. Like it's so, so I, number one, try to like emotionally detach because like you have no control over it and you just gotta try to create stuff and hope the Internet will like it.

How do you do that? How do you emotionally detach?

I mean, I just don't do a good job of it. I. That's what I try to do. I just, I mean I try not to like number one, limiting my screen time. I just try not to be on my phone all day because that way if you're constantly checking it, you get kind of obsess like how things are going and then you might like either feel better or worse about something when you already feel like you did a good job on it. So you should already just like be happy with what you did. It's not easy though. But I think that just trying to make fast moving videos that like most of my followers are people similar to me, like similar in age. Like 90% of my following in general across my platforms is female. So I just try to make stuff that I would want to watch and that I think is entertaining. And it doesn't always work, but sometimes it does and you just, just try and try also volume, just like continuing to create stuff and eventually something will get traction, will stick and sometimes it won't, sometimes it will. You just got to keep chugging along.

How do you do that? Like what does a day to day, week to week look like when you're producing content, developing recipes, Are you doing editing yourself? Do you have a team that you work with? How do you scale all of that and stay sane?

I literally am a one woman show. Mostly because I'm like not a control freak, but like I don't love managing people.

Sure.

And so I really need to outsource video editing and I eventually like pretty soon we want to start trying to have kids. So I really actually do need to like build a team soon.

Yeah.

But it's like a little bit of a struggle, but I kind of like it. Not the struggle, but I like doing everything because it feels like you're, the full process is coming complete, you know, like your recipe testing, then you're filming, then you're editing it, you see it coming to life, you see the final, final product. You Share it. And then like, it's like this whole life cycle of like, really feeling accomplished with what you did. And also, like, I don't ever want to do just all filming in the kitchen. Like, it's really exhausting being on your for like 12 hours a day and. And filming. I'm like, running around my island by myself. Like, I'm here. So I like, like, you know, one day on my feet all day, the next day editing on my computer. And I try to just like, alternate and balance things out so that I don't get burnt out. Because you also, like, need to be creative, which, like, is something that's so hard to feel like inspired and motivated to do. So I try to just kind of like some days in the kitchen, some days off, but it's. It's a lot of work. I think people underestimate how much work goes into it, but I'm sure you guys understand.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I think I was just having a conversation earlier on a live Q and A that we had with Food Blogger Pro members and was. That's exactly what I said. I think people underestimate just exactly how much time goes in. Start to finish, recipe development, shooting, writing, publishing. Have you learned things that have been able to make that process more efficient, even in regards to publishing to multiple platforms? Like if you're doing video on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, is it the same? I look at YouTube shorts sometimes and it's like, it's obvious that some people have just exported those from TikTok. Like, it's just the branding. TikTok branding on them, where it's just like creators being like, I'm exhausted. I'm just gonna like, straight upload this to YouTube.

Yes, I definitely try. Like, I film. I try to film, like, usually two cameras. So I have like some different angles. Because some angles just like, that's the worst thing ever. It's like trying to film horizontally and crop it at vertically, which, like, you have to. For YouTube or for, like, if you're gonna have a video on your blog, like, it has to be horizontal. And like, again, vlog is always secretly the priority. So, like, it's so hard to get your framing right and then you have to crop. So I try to. I film everything, like just once or I try to. And then I do just try to crop it down. And I try to keep that in mind as I'm filming so that I can just like, make it work. But, like, it's a. It's a struggle.

Yeah. Are you publishing YouTube shorts? As well.

I was for a while. And like some of them did well. It's honestly one of those things where it's like you already have like X number of platforms.

Yeah.

And then that's like that last thing in the back of your mind that you're like, oh, I should, oh, I should, should schedule those.

And then I do this. Yeah.

And then I forget and like I'm creating the content for TikTok already and I'm creating it like not in the app. So I like have vertical videos saved. I could very easily like upload them. I just like don't some. It's totally. I need to, I need. You need to like hire a team so that I can have other people. It's just things fall through crack and that's one of the things that has been lately. But there's good opportunity there. Like I really should be focusing more on that.

Yeah. But there's always going to be another thing you could or should be doing. And especially as a, as just you doing it. It's like that is so much, I'm interested to hear you talk a little bit about. What is that? When do you know when to stop or don't you? Like we do sometimes we'll interview people and they're like, it really is like from when I get up until, you know, the last like hour, maybe I'll kind of slow down of the day. Do you feel like that's true for you or do you feel like you're able to build in rhythms to say like hey, I'm gonna wrap up at 3:30. No, that's not what, what does that look like for you?

I think that I struggle with that a lot and I think pretty much anyone that's like self employed when you're working towards something that you directly benefit from and, or like something you're growing towards like a very tangible goal, you're just gonna, you wanna work all. And I genuinely enjoy what I do. I like the variety, I like the creativity, I like the autonomy. So I wake up and I exercise always first thing I try to like run or do something like go to the gym. Then I start working and I work pretty much all day. I, I like try to make time for friends. So I'll like go get coffee with a friend or like dinner or something. But if I don't have that planned, like I'm just working until like a half hour before I go to bed when I like will brush my teeth and read a book and then I go to bed. But like I'M not unhappy. I really do try to plan things to get me out of my apartment and like, just because you burn out is so real. But yeah, I do work a lot. My husband works a lot too. So it's kind of like it's this really bad cycle where like I'm like, oh, you're working late. Okay, like.

That. Yeah, so I will. What does your husband do for his work?

He, he works, he would say he works in insurance, but he does insurance for mergers and acquisitions. So it's like a lot of deal based work that is really tight timelines and just.

Yeah, yeah. And so he has to have long days because there's a deal that's going to close and they have to make sure that.

Exactly. And just like weekends, like, oh, we thought this was going to close next week, but need to close early. So there goes the weekend.

And you're like, you say, as long as you're working, I might as well schedule these extra pins.

Let me make. Or like, let me make those muffins I was going to make. I'll get ahead on that.

Totally. Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. So. So what would your advice be? Let's say you were to. Everything resets, everything goes away and you are where you are today and you are wanting to build a successful business, but you don't have any of the things that you've had before in terms of traction in any platforms or following. What would that look like? Where would you start? Where would you focus your time and what are the things that you'd be doing each day?

That is such an interesting question. I haven't thought about that perspective in a while, but I think honestly if I was like starting from scratch, I would be focused on TikTok because I just think you can grow a lot there. And I think I would, other than that be doing a lot of the same stuff I do now of just like consistently working hard, having a content schedule of things listed out that I want to do. And that makes sense strategically for like, for me blogging. Like, I would see what I could, what I could rank for and even if it was like a much easier keyword, I would still be trying to focus on that. I really. And just think like working hard, I think you do just. You have to grind it out. It's a volume game and that's not easy. But I think that's why people that are successful in this space are the people that are willing to work the hardest. There's obviously a little bit of luck involved. I Think at least. And I'm so grateful for the way things have worked out. But I think that, I think there's like a saying of like, luck is when opportunity meets hard work or something like that.

And I think that's like luck wears overalls.

Yes. But it's so true. So like, I think I would just keep trying to like grind it out. It's. It's a lot harder when you have a full time job and you haven't been able to make the transition. And like that's a whole other conversation of like when that's the right time.

Yeah.

But I think just also focusing on something that you love helps a lot. Sorry.

No, totally.

I like it.

It's a good point for me to interject.

Good.

To, to say how much of. We just had this question come up regarding that. How much of it is, hey, I'm just doing stuff that I love versus you had talked a little bit before about, you know, doing keyword research. A lot of times keyword research isn't like. And this just happens to be the thing I love the most as well. It's like, oh, there's opportunity here. I don't really love this, but I might be able to rank for it. So I'm going to create this or there's this thing I really love, but nobody's going to really search for it. How do you balance those things as a creator?

I love that question because I have been actively working this year on trying to do like two things a week that are strategic keyword research that I know will benefit me in the long run. And then one fun thing that's just for social media. So for me, I've been making like sheet cakes of spongebob characters. It can be something silly, but it's just something that I genuinely like and that it's easy. It's so much fast. When you don't have to do a blog post, it's so much faster to like edit for your platform. It like, it's easier to crank out content. So it's not like it's that big of a time sink. And even though I feel like it doesn't get me towards all my goals, I think it makes me like happy and keeps the creativity flowing. So I try to give myself like a little bit of time a week to just play with something or just genuinely make something I want to make. And that has been so helpful, especially during the pandemic because I found myself just like working all the time because there's nothing else to do. Yeah, and so having that kind of outlet, allowing my work to still be a creative outlet for me in a fun way was really nice. And I highly recommend doing that if you're able to.

Yeah, it's interesting. One of the things that I've heard you say a couple times is just kind of this consideration around the different platforms. And one of the things that's interesting on the performance side of things is like search doesn't really exist on an Instagram or TikTok. Technically it does, but that might be. Yeah, but that might be a better outlet for something where you're like, hey, this isn't going to be like a keyword that's going to rank really well. I'm just going to be really excited to make this. You could maybe put it on your blog if you want to, but you know that it's not search oriented content. But then you do have stuff where you know that blueberry pancakes aren't going to perform super well on. If it's just like a standard recipe on Instagram or at least considering the focus of your following, that might not be true, but it would potentially be a keyword that you could rank for. When you're doing that keyword research, are you using a tool for that and what have you learned about kind of that process that's been helpful in your journey?

I love keyword research. Actually. I find myself falling down rabbit holes of just like things like oh or this or oh that and then different flavors of that. And like, I will just go on a tangent for like long periods of time. I think it's like the inner like accountant slasher.

Sure, yeah. Data and like spreadsheets and love the number.

I do have a spread. I have spreadsheets. I list things and then I like prioritize what I want. Anyways, I use a tool called key search, which I really love. It's super easy to use. There's tons of great tools out there, as I'm sure you know. And like, I'm sure most people following this podcast know about, but I think it's like one of the cheaper options. And like, I'm not going too crazy with that. I'm really just trying to like think up ideas. So I'm not like targeting competitors, keywords and things like that. I'm really just kind of going with the flow. So for me it works really well and it's like like $18 a month or something. And so I really like it.

Yeah, it feels like the kind of tool where it can kind of. It's Kind of like when you go to Target and I'm like, can you tell me where the, you know, peaches are? And they're like aisle seven. Like, it's directionally where you want to go, but they're not like aisle seven halfway down, right side. So you can kind of know like, hey, this is kind of guiding me generally where I want to go in terms of content perspective, which I think is what a lot of people need. Like, where should I.

Where's.

What's the general idea with this? It doesn't have to be specific. There's no like hard and fast rule, but it allows you to kind of make educated decisions around content that you have coming up. Another thing that you mentioned was your content calendar. Are you being. Being a finance person, are you managing that in a spreadsheet or do you have a process that you use for that? What does that look like?

I'm not like, cool enough to be using like asana or something like that. And also it's just me. I don't need to like, share with other people.

Yeah, yeah.

I literally just use Google Calendars, which is, I started, I did that in college when I'd have meetings and classes and I just have my kind of flow of stuff on there and I have everything mapped out there. What I'm creating that week, when I'm going to edit things, what meetings I have, what I'm sharing on social, they're all color coded. It's kind of aggressive looking when you glance at it. But I love it because I turn everything green when I finish it, which is very satisfying. And then I never get everything done in a day, so I constantly just like drag things to the next day. And it's kind of like time blocking, but it really helps me visually to see what's going on for a week. And even like buying groceries for the week. It's like, what do I have coming up, what I need? So I just use Google Calendar and it works really great for me at this point in my business.

Yep. And idea being, you maybe will have three things that you're focusing on for that day. The time blocking thing I think is really important too, because I think sometimes if we use just a standard list tool, we can be like, like, great. I want to do these five things which are super important, but it's like, realistically, one of them probably takes three hours, another takes four hours, and then it's like you're doing email and other stuff in between. So there goes your day. But to put it on a calendar it makes it look and feel a little bit different than just like a task that would live in asana or, you know, things, which is a. An app that. That I use. So it's one of the things that I appreciate about that idea. And then being able to move them and then turning them green to that feeling of, like, done. Checked off the color version of crossing it off, which. Which feels great. That's cool. So any other thoughts that you'd have for somebody who's looking to say, like, go to the next level or to find traction? You talked about working hard. You talked about grit. You know, finding the work that overlaps well with what you love to do, but also being open to finding out what might perform well. Any other advice or insight that you have for folks who are. Look at what you've done and say, like, wow, that's really impressive. I would love to do something similar. How do I do that?

I think one thing that I forgot to mention is, like, looking at how things are performing. And even though I said earlier, like, don't get too attached to it, like, don't think you failed if you created something really beautiful and people don't like it on the Internet, I always joke around that, like, people never like what I like, and whenever I think something is stupid that I made, people love it, but, like, that's not how it always is.

Yeah.

That'S exactly. Yeah, exactly how it feels. But it's really good to look at how things are performing. Like, if you like, for me, in general, like, layer cakes always perform better. It's like, more of a story. This is, like, getting too much into the baking niche, but more of a story. You're watching this whole thing come together. I cut a slice, you really feel like you're making it with me. Whereas, like a cupcake, usually it doesn't perform as well just because it's not as exciting. It's just like there's not as much going on there. And it doesn't mean that that's, like, a hard rule. But in general, like, I know cakes perform better. So I. And I also love making cakes and decorating them. So I probably try to make more cakes, but, you know, that can be applied to any niche if, you know, like, a certain type of format or video is really working for you and even on different platforms, like, one thing might be working on one and a different thing on another and just really trying to be flexible, possible test things out, try different formats, try different, like, styles of filming and editing and just seeing what is getting Traction and then sticking with that and continuing to grow and expand in that category. I think that's like the hardest thing. Sometimes we get so caught up in, like what we're making or what we want to make, but it really also is just like, what's actually working, like what's giving you growth. And so taking a minute to look at your analytics and just see what's. And usually, you know, like, if you have a viral video, you're like, oh, that worked really well. And it doesn't. Yep. It doesn't always mean it's going to be viral next time you make the same video. And realistically, it probably won't, the way the algorithms work. But like, if you see a format's working well, just keep, keep working with that.

Yeah. And is that generally how you're doing it is kind of like high level observation in gut, like, hey, let's look at the analytics. What blog post did well? Why do I think that did well? Is there a way that I could sort of replicate that? Or like on Instagram, hey, this reel performed well. Why do I think that maybe performed well? Let me try a similar, but different thing. Is that kind of the premise of what you're getting at?

Yeah, absolutely. Like, I had never done like a lot of sheet cakes. I did that Pickle Rick cake for the Rick and Morty partnership. People loved it and I was like, oh, I can do like these sheet cakes, they're so much faster to make so much easier. And like, I like this and this works. Okay. So like, I've been doing some of those and it's been fun and I like it. And I probably wouldn't have thought to do that earlier, but, like, I tried this new thing worked well. So I've been doing some more of it. So. But a lot of it too is the gut. And that's like a hard thing. But I think, you know deep down, like, what is going to be good and what's not.

It's kind of the art and science of it, which is the world that we live in. Chelsea. Super fun to chat with you. For those who want to follow along, they have a lot of options. The different platforms that you're on, are your handles the same on all of them and can you kind of highlight those?

Absolutely. Oh, I. I always just say you can just search for like ellsweets on most social media platforms and you'll find me. But that really just includes TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, or just literally Google. Just google chelsweets.com and you'll find all my recipes cool.

Really encourage people to check those out. I know I will. It's one of those where it's. I feel like I could watch this content, but at this point, I could never make that content. But it's the type of stuff that is that perfect in between of entertainment and education. But also, I'm sure that you get people who message you back and will, like, show you their. What was the Rick and Morty character?

The Pickle Rick cake.

Pickle Rick. Pickle Rick Cake. And show. Like, do you. This will be my last thing. This is one of my favorite things of all time is the. Nailed it. Like, the Pinterest nailed it. Where, like, somebody tries to do it and it's so far off. Do you ever have people who are like, hey, here's my Pickle Rick cake. And it's like, so far off that you can't even understand.

Yes. I get, like, a very. My, like, DMs and emails are very interesting from people. But, like, it's fun. And like, a lot of times, like, it can be someone's like, first cake. And like, I remember my first cake. It wasn't that long ago, so it's always entertaining. But you know what I love about it is that no matter what the cake looks like, usually whoever sends it is extremely proud of themselves. And that's like, the best feeling because, like, you inspired somebody to do something they loved and create something, no matter how. How it might look to everyone else that they're really excited about. And it does vary, but I just, like, love it in general. So I'm always, like, super encouraging and so excited whenever I get emails like that, no matter what they look like.

That's awesome. Well, that's great, Chelsea. Thanks so much for coming on the podcast. Really appreciate it.

Yeah, thanks so much for having me.

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