Episode 579: Monetization 2.0 – How to Innovate Beyond Ads for Sustainable Revenue Growth with Sandie Markle

EBT579 – Sandie Markle

Intro 00:00

Food bloggers. Hi, how are you today? Thank you so much for tuning in to the Eat Blog Talk podcast. This is the place for food bloggers to get information and inspiration to accelerate your blog’s growth, and ultimately help you to achieve your freedom. Whether that’s financial, personal, or professional. I’m Megan Porta. I have been a food blogger for 13 years, so I understand how isolating food blogging can be. I’m on a mission to motivate, inspire, and most importantly, let each and every food blogger, including you, know that you are heard and supported.

Megan Porta  00:37

Wow. This was kind of a mind blowing interview, to be honest with you, I did not expect to be so blown away. Sandie Markle from Blueberri that’s spelled with an i at the end, joins me in this interview to talk about innovating your business beyond ads for really sustainable revenue growth. In our chat, we focus a lot on AI and how that topic is a perceived problem that faces a lot of modern day food bloggers. We have a really in depth discussion about how to stay ahead of the curve with AI and other technology advancements that come out seemingly constantly, how we should watch for trends and stay on the forefront of those trends. A really tangible thing that Sandy mentions that we should all be doing is staying on top of updating our LinkedIn pages. You just never know how that is going to benefit your business. But the overarching topic that I really loved was shedding light on this concept that people in tech and people in recipes, us food bloggers, we speak different languages and we don’t always know how to communicate with each other, or that we should even be educating ourselves on how to communicate with each other. It’s a really interesting discussion that will get your wheels turning. It is episode number 579 sponsored by RankIQ. 

Sponsor  02:05

Eat Blog Talk is thrilled to unveil the Eat Blog Talk Accountability group. An exclusive community made for food bloggers who crave accountability, focus and connection. We understand that not everyone is ready to dive into the Mini Minds Group or the Masterminds program. That is why we’ve crafted this special offering for bloggers like you who want that extra push toward their aspirations, but aren’t yet able to make the financial or time commitment. Here’s what the e Blog Talk Accountability Group has in store for you for this low introductory price of $34 a month. This ongoing membership has its own private Slack channel. You will gain access to a dedicated channel facilitated by the community manager at Eat Blog Talk, Taryn Soli for questions, insights, and collaboration. You will get weekly accountability check-ins so you can stay focused and motivated with those weekly check-ins in Slack to track and achieve your goals competently. You’ll have access to productivity focus sessions. Join these optional live Zoom sessions twice a week to boost your productivity by working alongside your peers and tapping into that collective energy. And you will get monthly group Zoom calls replacing the former clubhouse chats. Join these calls to connect, discuss current topics, share experiences, and celebrate achievements. Those calls will be hosted by me, Megan Porta, and I can’t wait to see some of you there. If this sounds intriguing, head over to eatblogtalk.com/focus to sign up today. Eatblogtalk.com/focus.

Megan Porta  03:36

With a passion for all things food, Sandy’s journey in the tech world has equipped her with a unique perspective and a refined palette. As the former Senior Director of Content engineering at Side Chef, she led strategic initiatives to optimize grocery partnerships and recipe content, amassing over 18 years of expertise and efficient processes and robust strategies, now is the founder of blueberry consulting. She’s dedicated to helping businesses elevate their content and tech infrastructure to help home cooks all over the world make memorable meals. 

Megan Porta  04:10

Sandie, welcome back to the podcast. How long has it been since you were on last?

Sandie Markle  04:15

I think it’s like four years. I think when you first started, wow, I joined the podcast. So it’s so fun to be back.

Megan Porta  04:21

I know it’s been too long. I’m so glad you’re back, and I’m super excited to talk about everything we’re gonna get into today, which is monetization, revenue, beyond ads, sustainable revenue, growth, all of that good stuff. But first, do you have another fun fact to share with us?

Sandie Markle  04:39

Yeah. So even though I do love blueberries, my favorite savory food is pizza. Actually have a favorite shirt. It says I want pizza and not your opinion. And so I try to have pizza in every city that I go to. I love pizza all over the world. I love to eat pizza.

Megan Porta  04:57

Who doesn’t like pizza? Have you ever met anyone who’s like, yeah pizza’s gross?

Sandie Markle  05:01

I haven’t. 

Megan Porta  05:02

Yeah, do you have a favorite? Since you try to hit all the cities?

Sandie Markle  05:08

you know, I don’t like a lot of toppings. I was born in New York City, so my mom would always take us to have pizza. That’s actually a childhood memory, even when I moved to Miami. And so I like one topping or just cheese, because I feel like if it’s a good pizza, you don’t need all of those things, right?

Megan Porta  05:27

Is there a place in New York City that is your favorite? Because I’m curious. 

Sandie Markle  05:31

Well, there’s a, I don’t know what it’s called, but there’s a place on Chambers Street that I would always go to before the pandemic. And I don’t know what it’s called, but I always knew what train to get off and how to get there. So anybody knows what they where that is, yeah, and it was cheap cheese pizza, a Coke, and you’re good. 

Megan Porta  05:52

All right. It’s lunch time here in Minnesota, so I’m starving. I’m with you on the simplicity, too. I mean, a good, loaded pizza once in a while is good, like a taco pizza, but Right? Just like mushroom and jalapeno or something, just right? A really good combo. Yeah. All right, well, I love knowing that about you. Thanks for sharing that, Sandie. Okay, so Blueberri, why don’t you tell us a little bit about Blueberri, and that’s Blueberri with an eye. So give us the background on that, and maybe just a little bit of a background on you?

Sandie Markle  06:23

Yeah. So over the years, I’ve, you know, I’ve had the privilege of working closely with food influencers to understand their challenges and opportunities as as technology involved. And so, you know, I’ve worked with content and technology for almost 10 years, and my last role was leading a content engineering team at a food tech startup, but now I run Blueberri consulting, where my goal is to kind of leverage all the experience that I’ve I’ve garnered over the years helping businesses, big and small enhance their content and tech infrastructure. I’m also creating a lot of educational resources to help food bloggers, in particular, use AI and other technologies to boost their creativity and and have engaged their audiences grow their brands. And you know, one of my goals is, kind of to demystify new technologies and empower bloggers to embrace its potential. So I founded Blueberri Consulting with kind of this mission to support industries that bring food to the table, including recipe developers, food influencers, grocery tech companies and kitchen appliance manufacturers. These are all of the people I’ve worked with in the past. So it wasn’t really like a big shift. So I work with those who are not really risk averse to technology, and are are open to like exploring new opportunities to scale their reach. And you know, really are looking for new, innovative marketing strategies in food.

Megan Porta  07:52

And food bloggers fall into that really well, right. 

Sandie Markle  07:56

Right, exactly. I’ve always found that to be the case.

Megan Porta  08:00

I know that you’ve worked with food bloggers on a big scale in the past. So you know our businesses inside and out. You know how dedicated and just hard working and awesome food bloggers are as well. 

Sandie Markle  08:13

Absolutely. 

Megan Porta  08:14

Okay, so when did you start blueberry? Has it been around a while?

Sandie Markle  08:19

Actually, I just started it in February, awesome, you know, I was thinking about, you know, my next thing that I was going to pursue, and actually it, you know, I had been thinking about consulting, you know, because, especially as people are transitioning out of corporate jobs, a lot of people are getting into consulting, but I didn’t really know, to be honest, if it was going to be a good fit for me. But then people started just asking me, you know, questions and asking for support or reaching out to me. And I thought, well, you know, obviously there’s a need there. And you know, food has been such a part of my life for so long, it just felt like a very natural transition into establishing this. So I just, you know, set everything up and got started. 

Megan Porta  09:06

I love it, yeah, sometimes you just need to listen to the questions that people are asking us, right to know how to move forward into our next thing, which it sounds like you did really well. So this is a really weird time that we’re in because, like, as you know, a lot of things are changing with Google and updates and algorithms, and our world kind of feels like it’s been turned upside down, a little bit, like revenue is not consistently coming from the places that we always knew it to come from. We’re trying to forge new paths ahead. So there are some kind of tumultuous waters right now. What would you say about that? Like, do you see other problems that food influencers are facing at the moment?

Sandie Markle  09:48

I do you know today food bloggers, they’ve always had to innovate to stay ahead of trends. And like you mentioned, you know, these algorithm changes, it’s a hard balance, because you have to adapt to the algorithm changes while also maintaining authentic connections with your audiences. So that’s one. And then another big challenge is dealing with AI generated content. I’ve seen a lot of commenting about, you know, people feeling having this visceral reaction as they should to you know, the content being shared by AI, and unfortunately, unlike traditional writing or creative work, currently, AI isn’t bound by copyright laws, so it can scrape and generate recipes from anywhere on the internet, as many people know. So the issue here is that recipes, unlike stories or poems, aren’t typically protected by copyright because they’re seen as functional instructions rather than artistic expressions. That’s something I learned years ago, and now there are exceptions to this, but that’s the general rule. So this loophole is creating a dilemma for bloggers who whose bread and butter, no pun intended is is based on creating original content, original authentic recipes. And everybody wants their audience to trust that what they’re getting is uniquely theirs and made with care and all of that. And you know, bloggers understandably, as I’ve talked to a few, quite a few of them. And you know, they feel overwhelmed by what they feel AI is, is is going to do to to their creative passion and their business. And you know, it’s like this big, angry, complex machine that’s churning out content, and it’s not always accurate, and the quality of the recipes it produces is questionable, to say the least. So that’s why some bloggers would rather avoid AI altogether. They prefer sticking to what they know and trust creating their own recipes from scratch, and it’s not about control. It’s about maintaining creative integrity. This is something that I’ve learned working with food bloggers is so important, you know, and making that recipe that they make something that they feel they can stand behind. So I feel like in today that is something that’s kind of looming, this dark cloud kind of looming over food bloggers at the moment as well. 

Megan Porta  12:18

Yeah, I see that too. I see that people either embrace it and they’re running with it and using it in the best ways that they can to serve their businesses, or they’re just totally afraid of it and, like, get away from me. I don’t like this. I see, like, those camps. It’s like, one or the other. It seems like, 

Sandie Markle  12:37

Yeah, it’s very polarizing. 

Megan Porta  12:38

Yes, very polarizing. 

Sandie Markle  12:40

Can be. 

Megan Porta  12:40

Exactly, yeah. So it’s a lot right, like this in itself, just the AI thing in itself can be really overwhelming, really frustrating. So how do we stay ahead of this so that we’re not always feeling like we’re just about to be pulled under?

Sandie Markle  12:58

Yeah, so you know, my story is really interesting, because my specialty has always been in content, but I worked in tech companies. I work with tech companies and people using tech, and so it was really important for me to really understand the role that technology played in content. And so I think it’s also important for food bloggers to stay ahead of emerging trends in content creation in the context of technology, to remain competitive and create the experience that will remain relevant well into the future. So you know, when we think about here and now, you know, there’s still a space for the experiences that food bloggers are creating, but it’s important for bloggers to also think about the future. How will they continue to be relevant? And so, you know, when we think about history, you know, recipe developers have always been innovators, actually, in monetizing what they cook. So, you know, first, you know, they started doing handwritten recipes and binders and handing them down within their families, you know, because they wanted to preserve traditions and build community, right? And then it involved into publishing cookbooks. So, okay, now it’s the business of publishing and understanding that and reaching broader audiences with printed recipes. And then, you know, you started seeing people on TV like Emerald or Julia Child, you know, now people watch you and cook with you, right? And then, you know, then it transitioned to blogs with the rise of the Internet. And you know, now you’re able to connect globally and sharing recipes in real times. But bloggers had to learn how to use the blog platforms to publish their content. You know, how to use tags, and you know the WordPress and all of that. And then social media boomed, right? And then now you have to learn about social media and engagement and commenting and and so that you can engage directly with your followers. So it was no longer a passive type of interaction with cooking. Now you can engage. Now. Once Google came along, they said, We have to rank. So everyone in the internet had to learn about SEO. So now there’s SEO boot camps, keywords, tagging, page speeds, ah, you know. So, so the best recipes became synonymous with the best SEO strategies. 

Sandie Markle  15:18

Now today, it’s the same concept. You know, staying ahead means embracing AI or other technologies so that we can enhance the way we’re sharing content. So I think, you know, when we see these words llms and AI and generative AI and prompting, you know, I think it’s important to really try to find a way to understand these concepts as it relates to your work, and in the end, what you’re trying to accomplish, which is bringing inspiration and memorable meals to people’s homes and lives.

Megan Porta  15:58

What does that look like, embracing so, speaking of AI specifically, how do we as food bloggers embrace it and drop the resentment maybe for it?

Sandie Markle  16:10

Yeah, so I think one of the biggest ways to overcome the obstacle of not accepting, you know, what’s happening is, you know, just education. You know, so finding ways to educate yourself, you know, now there’s a lot of, I just saw an article posted by someone about, you know, how the tools that they use for ai, ai tools, you know, you know, clicking into those things and really reading or googling. You know, there was a someone that was kind of spoken about on online that was basically ripping off everybody’s recipes. And so I think understanding how that’s possible is really a really good way to understand, like, how is that happening? You know, there’s a lot of basic AI courses, and I’m also sharing a lot of new content as well about, you know, just the basics. You know, you don’t have to be a software developer to understand the concepts of AI. And a lot of people don’t realize, or don’t think about it actually, that AI’s actually been around for a long time. We see it all the time, right? We you know, Alexa is AI, Siri is AI, spell check is AI. And so, you know, these basic concepts and experiences that we have once we start normalizing how we feel about AI, then we say, okay, if I’m using AI probably all the time, what is this new experience of AI that still hasn’t happened yet or still under construction, and what are people talking about? And if there’s other content creators who are embracing AI, maybe reach out to them and say, How are you using AI and and these new technologies, and how do you feel about them? And and you you learn. You know learning is so important, and then you adapt those things to something that you feel more comfortable with. But you know, technology is a forward moving thing, so you know, it’s going to continue to incorporate itself into our lives. I’m not an early adopter of anything, to be honest. That’s just my personality, but I really like to observe ask questions and then see how I can incorporate but it’s usually very well along before I start incorporating it into something into my life. But I have known about it all along. And also, you know, technology is also iterative. That means it continues to be refined over time. So I like to have all the bugs out before I start using something. So even just kind of seeing what people are talking about and, you know, finding little ways to educate yourself, sometimes, there’s a lot of webinars out these days, and, you know, an hour, 30 minutes, sometimes they’re free, you know, just pop in and just kind of listen. I think that’s really important.

Megan Porta  19:04

Self educating is so important, even if we feel like we do want to resist it. I think sometimes I do have to just sit down and force myself to educate myself about things like I hear so much commotion about a certain topic that I’m like, I want nothing to do with this.

Sandie Markle  19:20

I hear you.

Megan Porta  19:22

So I just have to, like, Okay, you are gonna sit down and you’re gonna read this article, or you’re gonna read what people think about it, or how they’re using it. And it really does serve me, because usually I come out with a little bit of a different perspective. 

Sandie Markle  19:35

Yeah, it’s funny that I ended up working at a tech company, and I’m so, you know, passionate about content and tech, because I remember, I was in the early 2000s very much a Blackberry person, and so when, you know, the smartphones came out in the apps, I was very resistant to the movement, you know, but now I can’t even imagine my life without my apps and everything like that. So that’s what I mean about not early adopting, but also, you know, all of my friends or having it. And, you know, especially when you find out that actually it makes your life, it streamlines things so that you can prioritize other things, yeah, you know. So that’s what technology is really supposed to do. So, you know, it’s important to kind of know in the context of what you what you want and what you want to do, how technology helps you to do that. 

Megan Porta  20:27

So do you have ideas for monetization strategies for bloggers in this current landscape? Because it’s something that I hear all the time, like my ad revenue has gone down, I have no idea where to look next. 

Sandie Markle  20:42

So before, when I was first on the podcast, I was living in Shanghai, and I’m recently now, in the last year and a half, I’ve been living in the Bay Area, so it’s given me a great opportunity to reconnect with a lot of the food bloggers and influencers that I’ve come to know in the past, and you know now that the desk has settled, you know, post covid, and you know, people are trying to figure that out. I’ve also gotten a lot of feedback in that area as well. And because my experience was across a lot of industries in a food, I really think non traditional partnerships is the name of the game. So it’s about partnerships, like beyond the usual suspects. And what I mean by that is, you know, there’s traditional sponsorship opportunities that are still very viable. But, you know, I think I can, I encourage bloggers also to think about collaborating with tech companies to integrate recipes, because it’s already happening. You know, I’ve attended a smart kitchen event last month. And you know, the innovations happening right now in food are crazy and also really inspiring, to be honest. But you know this idea of being a subject matter expert in food is still very much lacking, so bloggers can tap into that niche community and new platforms as well to see, like, what, what’s going on in food, what are these companies doing, and could they really use your support? And also, thinking about platforms that are less impacted by AI to reach diverse audiences. You know, there’s audiences like podcasts, you know, these, these channels that probably won’t, won’t be impacted by AI for some time. That’s my theory, because it’s really about the more about the human connection. And now that AI generated recipes are gaining traction, like I mentioned, that they’re not without their issues. This is a known fact, even for companies who are, you know, launching 1000s and 1000s of AI generated recipes. So as food bloggers, you know, you are the experts in recipe development, so maybe bloggers can step in to refine these algorithms so that they produce recipes that not only are accurate, but you know, are practical and result in good tasting food and finding a way to use their expertise in those situations. 

Sandie Markle  23:08

So in technology, you know, prompt engineering is the buzzword. Prompt engineering like it’s like the new career path for for a lot of people in tech. But here’s where recipe developers come in. Imagine a prompt engineer training an AI model to generate recipes. But what happens when they they have no idea how to cook? That’s where a food blogger comes in as recipes of developers. You know, you’re the domain expert, and with their expertise, AI generated recipes aren’t just data driven, but our recipes people actually want to cook. We’ve all seen them. They’re light years past where they should be, so there’s still a need for what bloggers are doing right now, but bloggers can kind of be ahead of the curb by bridging the gap between technology and inspired cooking and guiding prompt engineers to understand these food nuances and collaborating they can refine AI models produce recipes that not only meet culinary standards, but also help home cooks make amazing meals. But it’s about finding those opportunities, right? You know, that’s the current challenge, because it’s never really been done yet.

Sponsor  24:23

Food bloggers, have you experienced traffic loss after the recent Google updates. Are you feeling confused about how to move forward? I get it. I have been a food blogger for nearly 14 years. And I’ve been through the wringer with industry changes and business changes. You name it, I have been there. When I look back over my tough times. The thing that pulled me out of slumps and traffic loss and disappointment was always people. We need each other right now more than ever. You are in this food blogging game for the long haul I know you are. And that means you need to find people to collaborate with to connect with and to learn from. Eat Blog Talk has two great options for you coming up. The 2025 Eat Blog Talk mastermind groups and in person retreats. We are now taking applications for the 2025 mastermind groups. This year we’re splitting the group’s in two. It’ll be intermediate and advanced and beginner. We also lower the price to accommodate traffic and revenue dips a lot of us are experiencing apply now as the first four people let into the group will receive 20% off the whole year. Go to eatblogtalk.com/mastermind to apply today. And there are still a few spots remaining for the 2020 for Fall Retreat, which is also discounted this year due to revenue loss for so many. Join us in October in Minnesota. It is my favorite time of year here in Minnesota for three incredible days filled with laughter, great food, tons of learning and connecting and honestly, they’re just so much fun. You will not regret attending this retreat, head over to eatblogtalk.com/retreat to apply for that today. I hope to see you in one or both of those spots. I can’t wait for the next 12 months and to see all of your businesses explode. And trust me having those people in your corner is going to help. 

Sandie Markle  26:26

I think staying ahead of of these AI advancements is not just about keeping up, but a participant in shaping the future of recipe development. So you know, it’s like you’re not just being dragged along by technology. You’re leading the pack. You’re saying, I am a domain expert. You need, actually need me. And instead of everyone being in a silo, in kind of in isolation, I think really, you know, if you have a agency, for example, and you say, these are the type of, besides the traditional partnerships, these are also the things that I’m looking for. Now, these types of opportunities are not necessarily for someone who’s just starting off or could be sometimes people don’t have the space to be risk averse or to be innovative or to try out these types of partnerships, but people who are at the micro or macro or even mega level, definitely of influencer they have, kind of they can leave a little space for these types of opportunities, and because the traditional partnerships are still very much important and valuable and still relevant, starting off with these types of opportunities is also just a little maybe 10% of your time is also a way to kind of get your feet wet and make yourself relevant into the future. So I really believe that in with education, and also thinking about how content will be relevant in the future, and looking for opportunities to collaborate as a domain expert, as a of someone who understands what the outputs of AI should be, especially in food, is such an important thing, and I don’t think a lot of maybe they are, but it’s a field and a role that I think that’s my hypothesis, will be very relevant. And it’s actually very relevant now, and it’s but it’s not something that a lot of people either think about or talk about at scale. So looking for those opportunities could be a revenue generating machine, actually. 

Megan Porta  28:30

Yeah, this is interesting. It’s very much like forward thinking, almost to the point where you don’t even know what to think about, because it’s so new and innovative. So how would we even know what to look for? I mean, it sounds great. I love your thoughts. But as far as working with tech companies, I don’t think food bloggers really know what that looks like, or even how to go or who to seek out, or any of that. So, I mean, I just, I would have no idea where to even kind of scope that out.

Sandie Markle  29:02

Right, and so, because I’ve worked so much with companies like this, I have a lot of experience, and that’s one of the reasons why I started blueberry consulting to besides the execution of Content Strategy, it’s also kind of bridging the gap, again, with these, you know, these different groups in food, you know, I do feel food bloggers, content creators are very much siloed out of the full kind of loop of food when, you know, in the end, it’s about the food. So, you know, connecting and creating opportunities. I’m not an influencer manager, but I do, you know, want to support influencers with, you know, meeting and connecting with different companies, looking for it’s almost like being an advisor, right in these new innovations that companies are doing. So if someone reaches out to me and says, Hey, Sandy, you know, I this is amazing. I don’t know about this, but, like, I just want to learn. I just want to know and see if I can, you know, make myself available. Now that’s something that I’m aware of. Like, great, because I’m talking to different companies all the time, you know, just like on Discovery, calls to really understand what they are trying to do and just connecting all the different groups together, you know, because I, in my experience, I found that, okay, one type of companies, you know, doing their own thing, and like kitchen appliance manufacturer, for example, is trying to figure out the content, and then the recipe developer is trying to make the content, but they’re not actually working directly together. It’s always like somebody in the middle, or they just don’t know, they don’t really understand each other’s space. And so sometimes there’s a lot of things that happen without the advisement of both sides. You know, that doesn’t necessarily need to be the case, so adding a lot more thought leadership content out just to get people thinking. And of course, you know, they can reach out to me as well. But you know, one another good thing, because this is more of a B to B collaboration. 

Sandie Markle  31:05

I always encourage food bloggers to have a strong LinkedIn page. You know, I found, like not a lot of people have, they may have a LinkedIn page, but they’re not active on it. So, you know other because this type of partnership is very much B2B, and so, you know, while you know, you don’t have to be as engaged, because it’s a totally different type of platform, but that’s also a platform that’s really good for you to understand, like, what’s going on and connect with, you know, different industry people, to expose yourself to, to the way businesses are working together, just for for exposure and understanding, and then when it’s time to work with these industries, you know, you can see who they are. You know, it’s not just, it’s not just okay, I’m waiting for you to give me a sponsorship, and then it’s one and done. This could also be a long term partnership as well. So that’s kind of and then also, I think it this also connects with education as well, because then, you know, you know how to talk the talk, yeah, you know, that’s something when I, when I was working in my last role, working with developers, we were speaking a different language, so I had to at least get up to a certain level where I knew how to speak their language. But that required, like you mentioned before, some self learning on my side. So all of those things kind of come together. You know, you don’t have to, like, jump all in all at once, you know, just kind of test the water and and see, you know, what’s out there, reach out to to people who are speaking about content in the context of technology and just, you know, explore like so what do you mean by that? And I’m also trying to my goal is to have more specific educational resources for content creators about technology and about opportunities and how they can affect, you know, their businesses and help scale and create new monetization opportunities as well, and who, what types of partnerships that they can look for in the future. So I’ll be rolling out with more of that information coming months.

Megan Porta  33:18

This is really interesting. I totally hear everything you’re saying. Like, there have been so many times, even within our space, for example, like talking to an SEO expert where it’s like, we’re talking different languages, they have the best of intentions with helping food creators get their content ranking on Google, but they don’t, not all of them know recipes. So there’s this, like, I don’t know, like, a disconnect,so I, I totally see what you’re saying. And there have to be so many more examples that I’m not even thinking of where people are trying to talk about recipes, you know, to provide content on tech platforms or whatever, but they don’t actually know the world of recipes,

Sandie Markle  34:04

right, right? And, you know, you can see that, right? I think that’s why there’s such a strong reaction to AI generated recipes. It’s almost offensive, yeah. You know, I read this article last year, and it was talking about why people in content have such a strong reaction to bad content, it’s because we internalize our work a lot, and so it’s really a part of us, and it’s and so when we see bad content, when food bloggers see bad recipes, it’s just this real strong reaction. But then, you know, you have to kind of step back and say, Okay, well, why is this happening? Because they don’t know about food, but these are the industries that are putting food forward. But what is our goal? It’s to make money. But that’s not where we started, right? It’s because we want people to have delicious meals. So how can we kind of come together? Here and and make that happen. It’s win, win. You know, it’s monetization. You also, you know, innovating, but also, in the end, you know, creating better experiences for people. It’s about the experience, right? So the experience is not the best. I’ve tested a few AI generated things I remember last year. I mean, this has been happening for a long time, right? 

Sandie Markle  35:22

So last summer, I tested one, and I put in to put in any ingredient, you know, and I put in cheddar cheese, tilapia and peanut butter, and so it spit out, boom, 15 recipes. And I said, Whoa. I mean, are they good? Who knows, right? But I said to myself, whoa, this is a game changer. Now, that was a year ago, and it generated an image, and it wasn’t, it wasn’t an image that was pulled off the internet. It was an AI generated image. Every recipe had an AI generated image, different ones that showed something about the ingredients that I put. And I said, Whoa, you know, in tech, there’s always, you know, versions, right, like v1 v2 v3. V1 I was always going to be kind of clunky, but I could tell right away. I said, this is going to change a lot of things. And so I think, you know, knowing this, it really made me think about how our roles have to change, our perspectives about what we do has to change. And so now, what I did a year ago versus now is adjacent to what I did before. It’s changed, but it’s not completely different. I’m still food. I’m still, you know, advocating for good meals and and supporting the different groups. But the way I’ve shifted my perspective. Because, you know, you could say, AI may have put me out of a job, but I’m now leveraging, I’m still leveraging tech, technology, to continue to find ways to accomplish the same goal I’ve always had, which is to make so everyone can have a good meal on the table at the end of the day. Yeah, yeah. So I think that’s, that’s, that’s something that is really interesting to think about.

Megan Porta  37:23

it’s really simple. As sometimes we’re just speaking different languages, right? Yeah, we just need to get to that acknowledgement, like, Okay, we need to be on the same page. I need to educate them, maybe, or they need to educate us, or both. 

Sandie Markle  37:38

Absolutely. And once that happens, oh my goodness, it’s, it’s a game changer. It’s really a game changer. And you don’t, it doesn’t take, you know, so much. It really doesn’t. It doesn’t take so much. And when you understand the application of the things that are already affecting you, like I mentioned earlier in our conversation, like spell check is AI, but we trust spell check. You know what I mean, the little line comes up and you’re like, Oh no.

Megan Porta  38:06

I’m in trouble.

Sandie Markle  38:08

I’m in trouble. I gotta fix this, you know. And whatever they say, we do it, we do it, you know. But that’s, you know, when I don’t remember what spell check first came out, but I you know, maybe it was one in the Windows 98 era. Who knows, but I remember, you know, you had your dictionary, you know, in your hand and and maybe that transition felt a little weird. It felt a little inauthentic, but then it started normalizing, and more tools have now embedded spell check, yeah, into it’s like, if it doesn’t have spellcheck, you’re like…

Megan Porta  38:44

Tt’s a part of our everyday lives now, yeah, yeah. 

Sandie Markle  38:47

So I think it’s going to be the same thing with with how technology is changing, the way we approach cooking. Yeah, it’s going to be very similar, but now it’s in the beginning stages, so it feels inauthentic. It’s it’s not governed by any kind of specific guidelines. And so, of course, there’s going to be people who take advantage of that, but if we stay ahead and we really try to understand and be a participant in doing that, and I think there’s going to be more opportunities that come out. Like, right now, you know, bloggers may not know, like, Well, how do I get started? Like, how did I even figure this out? I also see that there may be opportunities for other industries to start reaching out in different ways. But it’s also important to make to make it known that this is what I’m offering. Like, I can do this. It’s just like, if you’re a recipe developer and also a menu consultant, and also something else, you know, a brand or product advocate, you know, you have to put those things in your media kit or in your, you know, portfolio or your website, you know, so that, as these brand marketing people are looking through your kids, they’re like, Oh, well, that’s interesting, you know. And then word can. Get out, you know. So you’re advocating for these types of opportunities just as part of your brand image as well. Yeah, too.

Megan Porta  40:08

And just putting words to this, I think, is really helpful. I promise you that most people who listen to this episode are probably thinking the same thing I am, which is, I’ve never given this any thought, honestly, Sandie like this is so mind blowing, like, of course, there’s a divide. Of course, there’s something that isn’t making sense going back and forth between us and them, whoever them is. But I’ve just never had that thought before. So now we know to kind of be on the lookout for it, to put it out there that we are advocates for this, that we want the same thing you do, which is for people to enjoy good, authentic recipes that come from a good place, a quality source, and all of that. But yeah, we’re just in an age of educating and learning and growing together as we evolve so quickly in this AI world, right? 

Sandie Markle  41:00

Absolutely, absolutely. 

Megan Porta  41:01

I thought of, as you were talking about spellcheck, I was thinking of like Maps too. Remember when Maps first came out on the phone and it was like.

Sandie Markle  41:10

Absolutely, Map Quest.

Megan Porta  41:12

Take a left turn, and you’re like, wait, I’m in a parking lot. What? And now it’s so sophisticated, it’s it can now direct you around construction and like.

Sandie Markle  41:22

Yeah, you trust it.

Megan Porta  41:24

Oh, it told me to go left. Here I go right.

Sandie Markle  41:27

It was like, veer right or steer right or turn right. Like, well, what’s the difference?

Megan Porta  41:34

Yeah, this is all going to evolve so quickly. I feel like, but I love that you’re trying to stay on the forefront of this and encouraging food creators to do the same. Is there anything else we need to know as far as just thinking through this and staying on, kind of staying ahead of that curve?

Sandie Markle  41:52

Well, I know it’s such a kind of a new concept, like you said you you never even thought about this, and this is what I was thinking about as well. So besides my consulting services, which, you know, you can always look up on my website, I plan on, like I mentioned before, creating a ton of educational resources around this topic and more. And I feel like these resources will help content creators in the food industry leverage their big their biggest asset, which is their creativity. So, you know, I think looking out for this type of content that I’ll be sharing out on my distribution channels, on LinkedIn and Facebook and Instagram, is also something that’s really gonna help because, you know, you don’t time is also valuable, and so before you invest a ton of time in it’s good to know what you’re investing your time into. You know, I want to really have. So in the next several months, I’ll be really sharing a lot of information to support the the blogger community, which I love, and so that they can know you know what to accept and what to participate in as well. So just keep a look out for that. 

Megan Porta  42:59

I’m so glad that you’re kind of going down this road. It’s very exciting, and I’m excited to see what comes of it for you and for the food creators that you help. So thank you for sharing it all with us today. Sandy, you definitely have my wheels turning, that is for sure. Do you have a favorite quote or words of inspiration to leave us with?

Sandie Markle  43:18

So I always, even though, you know, I’ve branched out on my own and I’m solely building up a team, I really think teamwork is really important. So I really like this quote that says the strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team. So as bloggers, you know, people in food, I feel like we’re like, oh, like a T, you know, but it’s really important for each individual person to really be a good individual contributor and really be a participant. So the strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team. 

Megan Porta  43:53

That’s powerful. I love that. For our chat, we’ll put a show notes page together for you, Sandy, if you want to head to eatblogtalk.com/blueberri with an i. You can find those. Tell everyone where they can find you.

Sandie Markle  44:08

So they can find me on LinkedIn, and they can also find me on Instagram, blueberribiz and Facebook and threads, awesome.

Megan Porta  44:20

Well, go check everything out that Sandy mentioned, and thanks again for being here, Sandie, and thank you for listening food bloggers. I will see you next time. 

Outro  44:30

Thank you so much for listening to this episode of Eat Blog Talk Don’t forget to rate and review Eat Blog  on your favorite podcast player. Thank you, and I will see you next time you.