12 Strategies to Grow Your Food Blog Instagram & TikTok Accounts (2024)

In the digital age, the growth of your food blog strongly depends on the effective use of social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok.

These platforms hold immense power in shaping the public perception of your content and, consequently, the success of your blog.

However, harnessing their full potential requires a clear, calculated strategy.

This article’s primary focus is to equip readers with actionable, proven, and smart ideas for growing their social media influence.

We will delve into ways to increase engagement, attract a larger audience, and optimize your content for success.

No matter the current size of your blog, these strategies are designed to amplify your blog’s reach and brand, ultimately accelerating growth.

Strategies To Grow Your Food Blog Instagram & Tiktok Accounts

1. Utilize targeted hashtags

Using the right hashtags on your Instagram and TikTok accounts is one of the most effective strategies for growing your food blog’s following.

They act as powerful tools to get your content in front of a larger audience by connecting with foodies who have not yet discovered your blog.

An important part of this strategy involves conducting research to identify relevant, trending, and targeted hashtags within the food community.

You need to look for hashtags that are popular but not overly saturated, which can help your posts stand out more.

Hashtag research tools such as Display Purposes and Hashtagify can come in handy for this purpose.

It is not always about using the most popular hashtags, but those that are most relevant to your content and audience.

By using the most relevant hashtags, you increase your chances of reaching users who are truly interested in what you have to offer.

This can further lead to meaningful engagement, creating loyalty and fostering a sense of community around your blog.

In addition to general food hashtags, consider using hashtags specific to certain types of foods, recipes, or cooking methods relevant to your posts.

You should also consider creating your own custom hashtags that promote your brand and encourage your followers to share their experiences with your recipes.

Empowering your followers to use your branded hashtags can lead to more user-generated content, which we’ll explore later in this guide.

Remember also to keep testing different hashtags in different combinations to see what works for your specific audience.

Watching this video can provide valuable insights into maximizing the power of Instagram hashtags.

It will guide you on how to properly use and benefit from them in promoting and growing your food blog on Instagram and TikTok.

Don’t forget to periodically review your hashtag strategy to see if it’s working effectively and adjust as necessary.

While this may seem like a lot of effort, the increased visibility and engagement makes it worthwhile.

2. Collaborate with food influencers.

One of the most effective strategies to grow your food blog Instagram and TikTok accounts is to leverage the influence of already established food influencers.

Food influencers are personalities who have garnered substantial following and engagement on their social media platforms, especially in areas related to food, cooking, and dining.

Their audience trusts their opinions and recommendations, thus partnering with them can result in significant exposure and growth for your food blog.

Influencer collaborations can take various forms, such as guest postings, sponsored posts, giveaways, or share-for-share arrangements.

Choosing the right influencer is crucial.

They should share a similar target audience and aesthetic with your brand to ensure authenticity and effectiveness of the partnership.

To support the aforementioned point, it’s important to do your homework: monitor influencers’ engagement rates, content quality, and audience demographic before reaching out for a collaboration.

This ensures a mutually beneficial relationship, where both your food blog and the influencer’s followers can gain from the collaboration.

Moreover, collaborations with influencers often result in content that is more relatable and engaging to the potential audience, attracting more traffic to your food blog’s Instagram and TikTok accounts.

Once you’ve identified potential influencers for collaboration, draft a proposal that outlines the arrangement’s benefits for both parties.

A well-thought-out proposal often results in successful partnerships.

Make certain all details are discussed and agreed upon prior to collaboration, including content creation, posting schedules, and any potential compensation.

Communication is key in ensuring a successful partnership: regular check-ins, constructive feedback, and adaptability can help foster a smooth and efficient working relationship.

Remember to promote the collaboration on your own food blog’s Instagram and TikTok accounts, further expanding your reach and drawing in new followers.

Additionally, it’s beneficial to maintain relationships with influencers post-collaboration.

Not only does this open opportunities for future partnerships, but also for networking within the food community.

In conclusion, influencer collaborations constitute a powerful strategy for growing your food blog’s followers on Instagram and TikTok, harnessing the power of trusted voices within your niche to increase your online visibility.

3. Consistently Post High-Quality Content

Engaging in an online platform like Instagram and TikTok is not all about being there all the time.

Consistency paired with high-quality content speaks louder.

In the niche of food blogging, it’s essential that you consistently post appetizing food photos, creative recipes, and even tips and tricks relevant to your blog’s focus.

Remember that the online universe is very visual.

This is especially true for Instagram and TikTok where enticing and visually appealing food shots can gain a lot of attention and potential followers.

“The key here is to consistently deliver high-quality food content that appeals to the audience’s palate virtually.”

Spending time on food styling and photography becomes beneficial with this strategy since it adds value to your content.

Equip yourself with the right camera gear, lighting tools, and food styling props to achieve mouthwatering shots.

Furthermore, stepping up in video production can also mean a lot for your growth.

An engaging and crisp video content of a food recipe or restaurant review can capture audiences’ attention more effectively compared to static posts.

While producing high-quality content might seem demanding, there are plenty of tools and resources out there that can help make the process easier and more manageable.

A creative yet authentic touch to your content can get you ahead of the curve.

It is crucial to understand that in attracting and retaining followers, consistency and quality cannot exist without the other.

By watching the embedded video, you can gain insights into smart strategies to design your Instagram posts effectively for optimum reach and engagement.

It provides you with clear guidelines for creating visually striking content that can attract more followers to your food blog.

In conclusion, well-curated content that is consistently posted plays a vital role in your Instagram and TikTok success.

High-quality photos and videos, coupled with engaging captions, can be a magnet for followers who are potential avid readers of your food blog.

4. Engage with Followers and Comments

At the heart of any successful social media strategy is engagement.

This involves taking the time to interact with your followers and those who comment on your posts.

Whether you run a food blog on Instagram or TikTok, the rules of engagement remain the same.

When a follower comments on your post, always make a point of responding.

This not only fosters a sense of community but also boosts your visibility in the algorithms of these platforms.

Remember that engagement is a two-way street.

Do more than simply respond to comments; initiate conversations with your followers as well.

Stimulating dialogue helps build a personal connection with your audience.

Running Q&A sessions, creating polls, and asking for feedback on your content are all strategies to encourage active engagement.

The more your followers feel part of your online community, the likelier they are to interact with your content.

Engagement rates greatly influence how the algorithm ranks your posts in terms of visibility.

Besides responding to comments, engage in other ways such as liking your followers’ posts.

This simple act demonstrates that you value and appreciate your community.

It also increases your visibility, given that users receive notifications when their posts are liked.

If a follower shares your content, always credit them.

This not only helps with engagement, but also adds to your reputation as a fair and respectful content creator.

When you receive negative comments, handle them with diplomacy and tact.

Ignoring, deleting, or aggressively responding to negative feedback can potentially damage your image.

Instead, try to turn it into a positive by showing you respect all opinions and are open to constructive criticism.

Engaging with followers on a regular basis will develop a loyal and active following.

Organic growth of your follower base is critical for success and sustainability of your food blog on social media.

Your followers are your biggest asset, as they are your direct link to increased visibility and potential growth.

Maintaining consistent interaction helps keep your food blog active and relevant.

Responding to comments, liking posts, crediting sharers, and handling negative feedback all contribute to a productive and engaging online environment.

Engagement is about more than just numbers.

It’s about forming relationships with your audience and cultivating an environment that encourages participation and dialogue.

This is why it’s vital to prioritize engagement in your strategy to grow your food blog on Instagram and TikTok.

Keep in mind that the quality of engagement matters too.

Genuine, meaningful interactions will always be more valuable than hollow engagements.

Ultimately, an engaged following is a dedicated following and likely to be more responsive to your content, contributing massively to the overall growth and success of your food blog on Instagram and TikTok.

5. Share User-Generated Content

If you’re looking to grow your food blog’s Instagram and TikTok accounts, one of the most effective strategies is to share user-generated content.

User-generated content (UGC) is any type of content – text, videos, images, reviews, etc.

– created by people, and not the brands/businesses themselves.

UGC can be incredibly powerful in building authenticity, trust, and engagement.

When you share a user’s post on your channels, you not only acknowledge them and appreciate their efforts but also provide fresh, relatable content to your followers.

This form of content also encourages more user engagement.

This gives your followers a chance to be featured in your feed, prompting them to interact more, and in turn helping you grow your platform.

UGC isn’t just about reposting or resharing; it’s about creating a community and promoting a two-way interaction.

It helps create a positive and interactive atmosphere, which fosters a sense of community and enhances your online reputation and presence.

If you’re not sure how to utilize UGC, don’t worry; there are various tools and resources available online to guide you through.

Apart from the tools, there are certain ethics and etiquettes to follow while using others’ content, such as seeking necessary permissions, giving proper credits, etc.

Ensuring these can help you maintain a good relationship with your followers and remain within the legal and ethical boundaries of content use.

You can use storytelling or contest methods to encourage your followers to share more UGC relevant to your food niche on Instagram or TikTok.

For ideas, tips, and strategies, resources available online such as the following video can be immensely helpful.

Through this video, you may learn about the different ways of how to use user-generated content on Instagram effectively.

It also discusses the best practices, professional tips, and useful tools to make the most out of UGC.

Remember to make UGC a part of your content strategy to provide varied and relatable content to your followers.

This will not only help in maintaining your followers’ interest but also attracting new ones.

So, start digging into your tags, mentions, hashtags, and comments to find those gems of UGC!

6. Run exclusive food recipe competitions.

Running exclusive food recipe competitions is an exciting strategy where you can engage your followers and be able to grow your food blog’s Instagram and TikTok accounts.

Firstly, what’s key to set is the foundation for starting your own exclusive food recipe competition.

You could choose a theme or a particular ingredient that contestants need to incorporate into their recipes.

This could be a seasonal ingredient or a niche food item that’s relevant to your blog’s focus.

Then, make sure to clarify the rules for your competition.

Clearly state how to enter, the specific criteria you’re judging on, and any other requirements.

Additionally, don’t forget to set a deadline for entries.

Announce your competition on both your Instagram and TikTok accounts.

Use striking visuals and compelling captions to catch your followers’ attention and stoke their enthusiasm for participating.

Ensure that your competition is as accessible as possible.

This is crucial as you want to attract a wide range of participants.

Make it clear that people of all cooking abilities can join in.

You could even encourage participants to involve their families or roommates to broaden the competition’s appeal.

Once users start submitting their recipes, maintain engagement by sharing their posts via your Stories or feeds.

This gives recognition to the participants and invites others who haven’t already entered the competition to join in.

Every competition needs a reward to motivate participation.

The prize doesn’t need to be extravagant; it could simply be featuring the winner’s recipe on your blog or recipe book.

You could also offer food-related prizes, such as kitchen gadgets or a voucher for a gourmet meal delivery service.

To further increase the buzz around your competition, consider hosting live cook-offs on Instagram or TikTok.

Invite finalists to prepare their recipes in real-time, letting followers watch and vote on their favorites.

This will provide fantastic content for your social channels and keep followers eagerly awaiting the results.

A food recipe competition can serve to increase engagement, attract new followers, and strengthen the sense of community among your existing followers.

It’s a dynamic tool to use on Instagram and TikTok to grow your food blog.

Lastly, when the competition ends, celebrate the winner publicly to generate excitement and closure for the event.

Thank everyone who participated, and hint at future competitions to keep followers engaged and anticipating your next big event.

One key aspect to ensure the success of your competition is to promote it consistently on both Instagram and TikTok.

Use every tool at your disposal from regular feed posts to stories and reels or TikTok videos.

Continue creating and sharing content linked to the competition until the deadline to remind your followers to participate.

Running exclusive food recipe competitions, therefore, gives you a powerful way to engage your followers, promote your blog, and expand your reach to potential new fans on Instagram and TikTok.

Make sure to take the time to plan your competition thoroughly, communicate clearly with your followers, and use this opportunity to showcase the unique value your food blog offers.

7. Partnerships with Local Restaurants

One of the effective strategies to grow your food blog Instagram and TikTok profiles is to establish partnerships with local restaurants.

These partnerships not only aid in the development of engaging content but also provide a platform to reach a broader audience base.

A well-planned collaboration can offer a reciprocal benefit, wherein your food blog gets wider exposure and the restaurant gains promotion.

Pairing up with local eateries serves as a powerful impetus in augmenting your online presence and building credibility.

When your food blog is associated with popular restaurants, your followers perceive you as a legitimate and reliable source of food recommendations.

This, in turn, enhances your blog’s reputation and compels more users to follow and engage with your content.

As a part of the collaboration, you can share the restaurant’s special recipes, conduct interviews with their top chefs, or feature their unique dishes.

Such engaging and unique content tends to attract more attention and triggers user interaction on your posts.

Furthermore, featuring in the restaurants’ promotional posters or IGTV videos can provide you dual benefits of brand endorsement and content creation.

Meanwhile, the restaurant also gains through consistent mentions and posts on your food blog, leading to a win-win situation.

To make your partnership even more fruitful, try organizing joint events or food tasting sessions, where you can personally meet with your followers and share insights about your food expedition.

This helps in building a stronger connection with your audience, thereby promoting user loyalty and increasing followers’ engagement.

Working with local restaurants does not only mean promoting their food but also focusing on their vision, history, and the experience they provide.

Done properly, this strategy can be a great way to provide value to your blog, and though it may require some initial investment of time and effort, it’s usually worth the payback in the end.

In the embedded video, you can find loads of practical advice on how to better collaborate with eateries for Instagram promotion.

The video also shares insightful tips about creating relevant and engaging content to boost your blog’s growth.

8. Leverage Instagram Stories and TikTok Duets

Leveraging Instagram Stories and TikTok Duets can be a game changer in your food blog’s social media strategy.

Users are often more engaged with these features, which allows for a unique, personalized experience.

The Instagram Stories feature enables you to share fun, informal moments of your food blogging journey, which might not typically make it into your feed.

You can post bite-sized content which lasts for only 24 hours, presenting an opportunity for spontaneity and creativity.

Apart from regular posts and visuals, you can use the poll, question sticker, and countdown features to increase engagement rates.

Regularly posting to Instagram Stories can boost your visibility, as Instagram tends to prioritize accounts that utilize all of its features.

Sharing snippets of your blog, latest recipes, or sneak-peeks of upcoming blog posts can keep your followers excited and looking forward to more.

The TikTok Duets feature presents an opportunity to collaborate with fellow food bloggers, influencers, or even followers

This feature lets you create a side-by-side video with another TikTok user, providing a new interaction platform for you and your followers.

It can be a fun, engaging way to showcase a new recipe or a friendly cook-off between bloggers.

In this way, both accounts get visibility, potentially encouraging new follower growth.

Remember to choose your collaborators wisely, ensuring their content aligns with your blog’s theme and they have a similar follower base.

Whether it’s a cooking challenge, a recipe swap, or a taste-test comparison, TikTok Duets can encourage viewers to visit your blog for the full recipes.

Finally, remember that both Instagram Stories and TikTok Duets are not about polished, professional content.

They’re about authenticity and connection.

They offer the chance to show the person behind the blog, making you more relatable to your followers.

So don’t be afraid to experiment, have fun, and let your personality shine through.

9. Promote Giveaways to Boost Followers

Your food blog’s online presence can grow exponentially if you leverage the power of giveaways on Instagram and TikTok.

Giveaways engage your current followers and attract new ones to your food blog profiles.

After all, who doesn’t love free stuff, especially when it’s food-related?

Consider working with brands that align with your blog’s focus to supply the giveaway prizes.

For example, you could collaborate with a premium kitchen appliance brand for a blender giveaway or with a local restaurant to give away a dining experience.

Opt for a “tag-a-friend” giveaway model where your followers are encouraged to tag their friends in the comment section for a chance to win.

This automatically increases your reach as it exposes your food blog to diverse audience networks.

Plus, it’s a great way to gain organic followers who are genuinely interested in your content.

Another effective strategy to boost followings is by requiring participants to follow your account and the account of the sponsor (if applicable) to be eligible for the giveaway.

Not only does it leave you with more followers, but it also does the same for your sponsors, creating a win-win situation.

It’s also critical to promote your giveaway well.

Ensure that it gets as much visibility as possible by posting it at peak hours, leveraging your Instagram stories and TikTok Duets, and maximizing the use of your targeted hashtags.

The embedded video provides a practical guide on how to implement a successful giveaway growth strategy.

It goes through the process of growing your followers effectively while ensuring that those gained from the giveaway will contribute to your blog’s long-term growth.

Your giveaway could run for a set period, say a week or two, to build anticipation and give more people a chance to participate.

Once the giveaway is over, ensure to announce the winner(s) in a creative and exciting way to maintain the enthusiasm among your followers.

In conclusion, giveaways can be incredibly effective in growing your food blog’s Instagram and TikTok followers if executed and promoted correctly.

10. Share behind-the-scenes content.

Behind-the-scenes content is an incredible asset in revealing humanity behind your food blog.

Share moments like creation processes, trials, ingredient sourcing, or kitchen setups.

These are valuable glimpses into your work that fans crave.

Such transparency can build trust and engagement among your followers.

As the saying goes, People invest in what they understand. By letting your audience in on the secret of how you create your content, they may feel more connected to you and your blog.

Sharing these intimate details can transform followers into loyal fans.

Your followers will love seeing the real people behind the polished images of food.

Hard work and authenticity shine through in these kinds of posts, and your followers will appreciate it.

These posts can also be a great opportunity for you to tell your brand story.

You could share about how you started, your passion for food, and the challenges you’ve overcome.

A variety of content, including behind-the-scenes footage, helps foster a stronger connection between you and your audience.

Remember to keep these posts interesting and fun, as this content is a deviation from the norm.

An occasional post or Story that shows a recipe disaster can make your blog seem more approachable.

You could also involve your audience by posing questions or asking for recipe suggestions or tips.

In conclusion, sharing behind-the-scenes content is a great way to mix up your content and keep your audience interested and engaged.

It demonstrates that you’re more than just a food blog — you’re a real person creating your content passionately and authentically.

11. Optimize your bio with relevant keywords.

When talking about strategies to grow your food blog Instagram & TikTok accounts, it is crucial to not overlook the importance of optimizing your bio with relevant keywords.

This strategy involves being strategic in the choice of words and phrases used in your Instagram and TikTok bio, in order to attract the right kind of audience.

Using relevant keywords in your bio can significantly increase your visibility amongst people interested in food and cooking.

To start with, identify the keywords that are most relevant to your niche and include them in your bio – these could be anything from ‘home cooking,’ ‘chef,’ ‘food blogger,’ to ‘recipes,’ ‘gourmet’ and ‘culinary art.’

Additionally, integrate hashtags strategically into your bio.

These should be sharp, targeted and representative of what you publish.

For instance, if you post a lot of vegan recipes, it would make sense to include hashtags like #VeganFoodBlogger, #VeganRecipes, or #PlantBasedCooking.

Remember, keywords and hashtags aren’t just for your posts.

They are equally important in your bio, working to make your account more discoverable to users searching for content like yours.

Having a keyword-optimized bio can directly influence the reach of your profile as it becomes more visible in searches relevant to those keywords.

Moreover, it assists you in connecting with followers who are genuinely interested in your brand and content, thus increasing engagement rates and account growth.

Keep reevaluating and updating your bio keywords and hashtags to keep up with current trends in the food space and to attract new followers interested in those trends.

This tactic is not just limited to Instagram.

It applies to TikTok as well, where an optimized bio can help you appear in the ‘suggested users’ list and get discovered by potential followers.

In order to attain a higher reach, visibility and growth on these platforms, understanding and employing SEO best practices like bio optimization is crucial.

And speaking of SEO strategies to grow your food blog, here is a handy video that can further assist you in learning more about the intricacies and benefits of Instagram SEO and keyword optimization:

Watching this video will deepen your understanding of SEO for Instagram and provide valuable insights into effective keyword use for your bio and posts.

Furthermore, it will highlight the role of SEO in enhancing your account’s discoverability and attracting the right audience.

At the end of the day, the more strategically you use keywords in your bios and posts, the more targeted and engaged your follower base becomes, ultimately leading to account growth through improved reach, visibility, and engagement.

12. Post at peak times for visibility

For food bloggers, knowing when to post on their Instagram and TikTok accounts is a game-changer.

The posting time directly affects visibility of the content which, in turn, impacts the engagement rate.

Instagram and TikTok algorithms favour posts that gain quick engagement.

When more people engage with your posts, your content becomes more discoverable to a larger audience.

Selecting peak times to post can be a bit tricky, as these may vary depending on the audience of a food blogger.

This is where knowledge of your audience and use of insights provided by these platforms come in handy.

Using the analytics tools provided by Instagram and TikTok, food bloggers can observe when their audience is most active.

This information is crucial in determining the best times to post.

The aim is to post when the majority of your followers are online and scrolling through their feeds.

For Instagram, some studies suggest that the best times to post are between 9am and 11am, or between 2pm and 5pm.

For TikTok, usually, earlier in the day or late at night are considered peak times.

Yet, this is just a general guideline – every account and every audience is unique and therefore might have different peak times.

Food bloggers have a unique opportunity to capture the attention of hungry scrollers around mealtimes, an advantage not every content category has.

Consistency is key and posting regularly during your specific peak times can enhance your visibility, increase followers, and boost engagement.

Nonetheless, it is important to make sure that the content you share at these times is not compromised in the rush of adhering to a strict posting schedule.

In conclusion, posting at peak times is a powerful strategy to grow your food blog Instagram and TikTok accounts, but it should always be complemented by the quality and relevancy of your content.

Remember, the objective always remains the same: engage, inspire, and provide value to your audience.

The Bottom Line

Effectively elevating your social media prominence, particularly for food-related content, rests on a robust strategy that combines creativity, regular engagement, and shrewd promotional techniques.

Using targeted hashtags and collaborating with food influencers can greatly enhance your visibility, while consistent posting of high-quality content will keep your audience engaged.

Interacting with followers, sharing user-generated content, partnering with local restaurants, and running engaging competitions also forms a crucial part of this strategy.

The clever use of Instagram stories, TikTok Duets, and enticing giveaways can further amplify your reach.

Moreover, diligent optimization of your bio with relevant keywords and posting at peak times can significantly boost your profile visibility.

Above all, providing an authentic glimpse of the behind-the-scenes process can help to foster a stronger connection with the audience, culminating in a flourishing food-centric community on your socials.