How to Start a Food Vlog: A Practical Guide

So, you want to become a food vlogger and wondering how to start a food vlog? Here is a practical guide for you with all the details. More than 40% of the population watches vlogs regularly – and food vlogs happen to attract the largest audiences. The best thing about becoming a food vlogger is that videos about cooking are only becoming more popular as time goes on.

But creating a successful food vlog takes more than a camera, an idea, and some great photo backdrops.

Here’s everything you need to know about becoming a food vlogger and growing your audience on YouTube.

Connect With Your Audience

Vloggers who stand out among the 37 million YouTube channels out there know that it’s all thanks to their fans. In the world of YouTube, your viewership is what will make or break your channel.

Your fans are everything – so it pays to keep them engaged.

The easiest way to drive engagement and connect with your audience is to ask for feedback on your videos. You can also post questionnaires and polls to hear back from your fans, and you can encourage them to follow your social media pages.

At the end of your videos, include a call-to-action to increase your visibility – this can be asking your followers to “like” your video or subscribe to your YouTube channel.

Gaining new followers means that your videos will reach a wider audience – YouTube will reward you for this with ad revenue. Every time a viewer sees a sponsored ad pop up in your video, you’ll earn cash.

Don’t forget to reply to your fans’ questions and comments to keep them invested in your brand.

Equipment

To make high-quality content for your YouTube channel, you’ll need some essential equipment.

The good news is that if you’re on a budget, you can shoot your videos on your phone. Most cameras in modern phones can easily shoot in 4K, so you don’t necessarily need dedicated camera equipment.

You can also edit your footage on your smart device, and there are many free apps that will enable you to add transitions and effects to your videos.

For cooking videos, you’ll need to get a tripod to keep your hands free.

Popular Video Formats

There are many different video formats you can adopt for your food vlog. Here are a few tried-and-tested formats to get you started.

Grocery Haul

The concept of this one is simple: go grocery shopping and take a camera along. Film yourself discussing and displaying the ingredients you’ve purchased in a steady, front-facing camera shot. After shooting, you can edit your footage to make it more creative and dynamic.

Single Recipe

A popular cooking format on YouTube is the single recipe video. This type of vlog takes viewers through the cooking process of one specific dish. Usually, the vlogger discusses which ingredients to use or possible variations on the dish.

Restaurant Review

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to making a restaurant review video on YouTube because each vlogger will have their own style and voice.

Remember, though, a restaurant review doesn’t just review the food – it reviews the atmosphere and service as well.

Taste Test

Taste test videos are extremely popular on YouTube and usually involve the vlogger reviewing a food-related product or service. You can either try a new recipe at home or review the food from a new takeout joint.

The Bottom Line

If you’ve got a passion for food and a personality that translates well to the screen, you can start a successful food-related channel on YouTube.

If you set yourself apart from your competitors, create unique and engaging content, and connect with your fans, you can earn money as a food vlogger.

Want to learn more about food photography and styling, then check my tutorials @Food Photography & Styling.