November Blogging Newsletter — Clarity in the Age of AI, Email Marketing Strategies, and More!

Hey Reader!

Happy Thursday! We're just a few short weeks away from Christmas, which is crazy because weren't we just celebrating the arrival of longer days and warmer weather?! 🤯

From the latest insights from Casey Markee to a case study of a food blog that has leveraged its email list to generate tens of thousands in revenue annually, we've got some fun updates to share with you in this month's newsletter! 🎉

1. How Casey Markee Uses AI to Help Bloggers Grow

Casey Markee's latest article from Niche Pursuits goes into how the industry is quickly evolving (surprise!) as Google shifts toward becoming a pure "answer engine," meaning bloggers must create their own 'moats' beyond search traffic.

The best strategy now involves investing heavily in what you own: email marketing (stop us if you've heard this one before), building engaged communities, and creating unique products to diversify revenue.

Those who are thriving are embracing AI — not just for writing, but also for workflow automation. Casey's key advice here is to shift your mindset from merely trying to rank to optimizing your high-quality, expert-driven content for citation by Large Language Models (LLM).

Read the full post on Niche Pursuits here.

2. Blogging, AI, and the SEO road ahead: Why clarity now decides who survives

Another gem from Casey! In this article from Search Engine Land, he argues that success in the age of AI Overviews no longer revolves around ranking — it's about clarity and retrieval.

As he mentions in the previous article linked, you're no longer just writing for people; you’re writing for Large Language Models (LLMs). These AI systems favor blogs that are clean, consistent, and instantly understandable, essentially acting as an ecosystem of connected, authoritative content.

Here are just a couple of key takeaways we wanted to highlight:

Make it clear: Focus on building a strong, recognizable brand so that AI systems recognize you and understand why they should cite you.
Show your freshness: Always ensure your "Last updated" date is visible and accurate, as AI tends to favor recency.
Get cited, not just ranked: By prioritizing a clear brand and clean structure, you position your content to be retrieved and trusted by AI, securing your visibility for the next five years and beyond!

Read the full article on Search Engine Land here.

3. How The Real Food Dietitians turned healthy recipes into tens of thousands in ebook revenue

If we haven't driven this point home already, don't underestimate the power of your email list! The Real Food Dietitians prove that digital products are a powerful third stream of income, generating tens of thousands annually with their popular recipe ebooks and meal plans.

Their entire strategy is built on their massive, engaged email list (over 105K subscribers!), which they treat as the one audience they truly own, regardless of unpredictable social media algorithms. Instead of a hard sell, they use a "jab, jab, jab, right hook" method — offering three valuable free emails for every one product pitch, and always include a smart two-upsell strategy to boost the average order value instantly. 👊

For larger sales, they get surgical by using link triggers in pre-sale emails to tag the most interested buyers, targeting them with exclusive offers on launch day. The takeaway is clear: focus on audience ownership, give value freely, and create strategic, multi-touch sales funnels to turn casual readers into loyal, repeat customers! 🤝

Read the full post on Kit here.

4. Replying to Comments Boosts Engagement by 5-42% on These Major Platforms

A new study by Buffer, analyzing nearly two million posts, has confirmed that simply replying to comments is one of the most effective ways to drive engagement.

The data show a clear pattern: when creators engage with their posts, they perform significantly better. Here it is, by the numbers:

Threads saw the most significant increase, with a 42% rise in engagement for posts featuring replied comments.
LinkedIn also offers huge returns, seeing a 30% lift when creators took the time to respond to their audience.
Instagram posts with replies experienced a notable 21% increase in engagement.

Even in the age of AI, it's clear that being human and validating your audience’s time is highly rewarded. So, next time you see a comment, remember that a simple reply could be the easiest win for your overall reach!

Read the full article on Buffer here.

5. Mastering the Art of Creating an Email Marketing Calendar: A Guide for Bloggers

In Allea Grummert's (our email marketing expert!) latest article, she discusses how your email marketing calendar is the secret weapon for a thriving blog. A simple, consistent schedule can transform your newsletter into an essential bridge to your audience, ensuring you maintain that relationship outside of social media. 😅

She shares some gems in the article, including do's for content planning:

Create a Content Bank: Always keep your ideas in a content bank to ensure you’re never starting from zero.

Create a System: Develop a rhythm for your emails. Whether it’s theme-based or content type-based, figure out what works best for you and go all-in!

Send More Emails: More frequent, bite-sized emails are better than one overwhelming monthly newsletter. It keeps your audience engaged and drives more regular traffic.

And a few don'ts! 🙅‍♀️

Overplan: You don’t need to have every week planned for the entire year. A rolling 4-5 week schedule is more than adequate.

Assume: Never take for granted what you know and how it could impact someone else. Every bit of knowledge you can share is valuable to someone out there!

Overstuff: Emails shouldn’t be a challenge to navigate. Keep them concise, clear, and purposeful. Click here for two questions to ask yourself when sending an email.

Getting started is easier than you think! Start by setting a few clear goals (hello, more traffic!) and toss your ideas into 3-5 themed "buckets" — this keeps your topics organized and your readers happy. Then, commit to a fun, consistent sending rhythm. Once you're rolling, keep an eye on your stats, see which emails get the most love, and tweak your plan accordingly. It’s the smart, simple way to make sure your email game is always working hard for your business! ✉️

Read the full post on Duett here.

Our Cyber Monday sale is coming up! 🤩

We’re holding our end-of-year Cyber Monday sale, which starts on Monday, December 1st! During the regular Cyber Monday sale, you can get $100 off an annual Food Blogger Pro membership (we'll also be offering a sale on our monthly membership for just $22/month)! 🎉

But! If you sign-up for our waitlist, you'll get an EVEN BIGGER discount — $150 off an annual membership on the first day of the sale! 👀 Yes, you read that right! Every year that you're an FBP member, you'll get everything within our incredible membership for just $200. That's just $0.55 a day! 🤯

Access to the waitlist will close on Sunday, November 30th. If you missed the waitlist, don't worry! You still get access to our regular Cyber Monday Sale — an annual membership for $250/year AND our monthly membership sale for $22/month at this link. The best part: all of these sale prices will continue every single time your membership renews!

Sign up for the waitlist here!

Food Blogger Pro