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Recipe Writing: How to Make Money Starting a Recipe-Selling Business

Did you know that around 17.8 million cookbooks were sold in the United States in 2017? There remains plenty of growth in the recipe writing industry for you to get involved.

If you’ve got a flair for cooking and a passion for writing, that’s the perfect combination to make it as a recipe writer. You could even look at entering a writing contest to see how you can hone your skills at captivating an audience, and if you can engage with people with what you are writing.

Do you know how to start making money selling recipes? Here’s our helpful guide to get started selling your recipes.

1. Promote Yourself on Social Media

Who is going to buy a recipe from a recipe writer without a reputation?

Before you can start to make money, you need to put yourself out there. Establish your reputation in the niche market and become an influencer.

Set up social media accounts on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. You can include photographs of your dishes and behind the scenes highlights.

Regularly posting comments, sharing ideas and promoting your recipes through social media is a surefire way to build an audience.

Also, take advantage of private groups on Facebook. These are dedicated platforms for bloggers and writers to promote their work. Just submit a request to join a group and start posting and engaging with others.

2. Set up a YouTube Channel

You shouldn’t only restrict yourself to social media.

There are nearly 2 billion active users on YouTube. This makes it an excellent opportunity to reach out to an audience with your recipes.

Create videos about your recipes. Give prospective customers “tasters” of your recipes with demonstrations.

You can also link to your website or blog to encourage people to purchase your recipes. If you’re a success at building a following, YouTube also pays content creators.

This also provides you with a chance to build a brand. Are you a Momma’s home-cooking style recipe writer or a scientific and innovative recipe inventor?

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3. Freelance Writing Gigs

You may think nobody would want to buy your recipe ideas. But, you’re not going to get anywhere thinking like that.

You need to realize that there are numerous opportunities for talented recipe writers to earn a living through freelance gigs.

You may find a restaurant owner who wants to start a recipe blog for marketing reasons. You could secure payment as a blogger for a cookbook publisher.

Sure, the amount of work available and the compensation is dependent on experience and skills. However, as a freelancer, you can determine your own rates.

4. Set up a Profile on Fiverr

If you don’t already know about Fiverr, it is an online platform for freelancers to promote themselves and their respective services to potential clients.

You’ll find everything from graphic designers to language instructors on the platform. This makes it an excellent opportunity to sell your recipes to eager customers.

You should make sure you include lots of photographs of your dishes to get prospective clients excited and interested.

It’s also recommended to target a niche audience to concentrate your service. For example, you could specialize in healthy recipes or Scandi bakery.

5. Selling Recipes on Etsy

Etsy is an e-commerce website for anyone who wants to sell vintage crafts and handmade decorations. However, it’s possible to sell pretty anything on here.

There is a Food and Drink category which allows you to promote your recipes. You can even expand on your recipe writing business to include cooking accessories and food products as well.

If you write up a recipe cookbook which contains several recipes under a single theme, then you could promote this as an e-book on Etsy too.

6. Recipes for Sale to Bloggers

You may wonder why other bloggers would want to promote a competitor like yourself. But, bloggers also benefit from promoting multiple authors on the website.

According to studies, 62.96 percent of people perceive blogs with multiple authors as more credible. Therefore, it makes sense to pay other recipe writers to produce content for your website.

It also can save a lot of time by outsourcing recipe writing to someone else with the knowledge and experience to produce interesting and engaging recipe blog posts.

Make sure you have content already prepared before you approach bloggers with your recipe ideas. You should also include a ready-made package of photographs, ingredients, and links.

7. Start Your Own Recipe Blog

Roughly 59 percent of people between the ages of 25 and 34 years old cook with their smartphones within reach. Therefore, you can safely assume that there’s plenty of interest in online recipe blogs.

While the cookbook industry remains strong and healthy, the number of people seeking out innovative and creative recipes online continues to grow as well.

You can take control of your own recipes with your own blog. This way you can generate an income through online advertising, selling recipes and other products and subscription content.

If you need the financial capital to launch your own recipe blog, Bonsai Finance can show your cash loan options.

8. Enter a Competition

Do you think your recipes can cut it against other cooks? You can put your recipe ideas to the test. Enter your recipe for a competition for a cash prize.

Sure, you’re going to be able to maintain a stable income through competitions alone. But, it’s a great way to start making money with your recipe ideas.

Make sure you select carefully a contest which you stand a chance at winning.

For example, if you’re an expert in barbeque recipe ideas, make sure you concentrate your efforts in this field. Some recipe competitions have up to $50,000 worth of prizes up for grabs.

How to Make Money Recipe Writing

Now you know how to make money recipe writing, you can get started earning a living doing what you love. Follow our tips to establish yourself as a recipe writer.

Do you need to spark your creative juices to come up with more recipe ideas?

You can find inspiration by traveling to some of the best foodie destinations on earth. Check out our blog to learn more!

One Comment

  • Dawn D.

    God bless anyone who takes this on. I have no trouble with following a recipe, but writing one,, lol – no thank you.