Hey Monu-fam! We’ve been with Ally for well over seven years and have first-hand experience with her content and community. If you don’t follow her on Social media, you’re missing out on some of the most fantastic food recipes out there. Ally is a wife, mother, daughter, sister, and friend who shares a love for food, great television, coffee, Italian food, craft beers, books, and the Iowa Hawkeyes. She reveals that she started blogging in 2009 as an escape from stay-at-home motherhood and fell in love with writing and connecting with readers. After having three incredible babies in just five years, Ally continued to share her passion for food with readers naturally and authentically. She dreams of one day writing a book that would be a part cookbook, part memoir, and a smidgeon of funny tales.
We got to know Ally a little more by asking a few questions, so grab a cup of tea or coffee and tag along.
Monumetric: We want to know more about you. Fill us in as to how you landed on your site’s niche.
Ally: I consider myself a veteran food blogger with over 13 years of experience in this fun job. I specialize in “Midwestern” comforts – hearty family dinners that are easy and affordable, fun appetizers and sides dishes and of course desserts. It’s always a little bit of everything to make everyone happy! Most say they love my recipes because more often than not all of the ingredients they already have on hand. There is never any running to specialty stores for that one odd ingredient. My meals will nourish and bring comfort to your home, but will still be easy to make.
M: We’re curious. How have you found success in the publisher space? As someone who has been in the industry for a while, what are some tips and tricks you have?
Ally: My success has come slowly and with a lot of hard work. Some food bloggers find instant success within a year of starting their journey, but that was not me. It took time for me and my site to develop. It could be because I’m mainly a one woman show (with just a website developer on staff), it could be that I’m stubborn in conforming to all the latest technologies – I honestly don’t know. But I do feel my slower growth has allowed me to take it all in, to experience the ups and downs and has allowed me the time to make it what it is now.
In the past 13 years I have seen so many food blogs come and go. I’ve seen people reach the top instantly and get burned out even quicker. For me, I watch all of that from a backseat and take notes on what they are doing right and wrong. I take my time and wait for the right opportunities to come along. I’ve found with patience that brand deal will come in, that large website will feature you and people will take note of your steadiness and efficient work.
M: As a passionate blogger, you’ve discovered that you enjoy certain aspects of the process more than others. We want to know what my favorite part of blogging is.
I graduated with a degree in Media & Journalism, with a heavy focus on print media, so writing and developing a recipe is my favorite part. I want people to know just how amazing something tastes and smells just by reading the recipe. What makes it even more fun is when those recipes gets shares and become popular. It’s fun seeing something you created come to life for everyone else.
And of course I would be remised to say that another great perk to this gig is being my own boss. I can work as much or as little as I want. I can set my own boundaries and enjoy the freedom of having a job that brings me so much joy. Not many people can say that and I never take it for granted.
M: As a passionate blogger, you’ve discovered that you enjoy certain aspects of the process more than others. We want to know what my favorite part of blogging is.
Being a food blogger, all kind of fell into my lap. We suddenly found ourselves in a brand-new town, a new home, with a new baby. Because of the move right before having him, I quit my job to be a stay-at-home Mom. After a few months in, I needed an outlet. This was back in 2009, very much at the beginning of blogging. I had read about a food blogger and her business, and I immediately thought, “I can do that,” and I literally wrote my first blog post the next day. I had always loved cooking and baking, and with an ability for quick-witted writing – I jumped right in. Of course, in the beginning, it was a hobby, but soon after a couple of years in it started to become a job, even after I had gone back to work part-time in the marketing field. Since then, it has grown and has become my passion.
What a fun experience. We love all of the publishers we get the privilege to work with and love getting to know them on a personal level. We enjoy seeing our publishers’ skills, community, and journey. Monetize better with Monumetric in order to boost your programmatic advertisement revenue. Learn more and join us at www.monumetric.com
