instagram algorithms
K J Espinel
IS ORGANIC GROWTH ON INSTAGRAM STILL POSSIBLE ...

NOTE: This blog post is part 18 of my INSTAGRAM SERIES - content all about helping YOU manage your way around instagram. In the INSTAGRAM SERIES I've touched on subjects such as why am I losing followers on instagram , how the instagram algorithms really work and how to get paid influencer work on instagram. Just click here to find all the other parts in the series. 

'What if organic growth on instagram is no longer possible? What if I post my most amazing images on instagram, use the best hashtags, leave thoughtful comments but still don't gain new instagram followers?' It's a question one of my creative community members asked a few weeks ago and one that somehow lingered in my mind. Like her, many of the talented and committed creatives I speak to daily are struggling to gain real traction on instagram or worse, losing followers week after week, month after month.  

IS ORGANIC GROWTH ON INSTAGRAM STILL POSSIBLE IN 2018?
mastermind, instagram algorithms, instagram tricks
K J Espinel
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE NEW INSTAGRAM ...

NOTE: This blog post is part 17 of my INSTAGRAM SERIES - content all about helping YOU manage your way around instagram. In the INSTAGRAM SERIES I've touched on subjects such as why am I losing followers on instagram , how instagram is trying to get rid of (food) bloggers and how to get paid influencer work on instagram. Just click here to find all the other parts in the series. Now on with today's post!

DISCLAIMER: One of my lovely creative community members, Roberta alerted me to the article I will be referencing through this blog post. Thank you Roberta. So grateful.

It has been a while and a half since I've penned a piece for the instagram series; that's because it's been all kinds of busy behind the scenes at The Little Plantation HQ. But with instagram's unprecedented move to speak openly about how their algorithms really work and whether the shadow ban is or isn't a thing, I HAD to create another part in my popular blog series. So according to this article here's what they said in a nutshell and - more importantly - here's what it means for you as a (food) blogger, instagrammer and influencer. 

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE NEW INSTAGRAM ALGORITHM
mastermind
K J Espinel
1-DAY SMALL BUSINESS MASTERMIND INTENSIVE

Have you started a blog or small business that is earning you money, but not as much as you'd like? Are you unable to find direction in your business and need support nailing your focus point? Do you feel isolated as a solopreneur and lacking a community of like-minded people who totally get what you do and can help you progress? Do you know a lot about your business but not so much about reaching your ideal customer and getting more clients through the power of a website, blog and social media? Then my first 1-day small business mastermind intensive may be just what you're after! 

1-DAY SMALL BUSINESS MASTERMIND INTENSIVE
K J Espinel
NEW INSTAGRAM STORIES FEATURES! WHAT THEY MEAN ...

NOTE: This blog post is part 11 of my INSTAGRAM SERIES - content all about helping YOU manage your way around instagram. In the INSTAGRAM SERIES I've touched on subjects such as why you're losing followers (and what to do about it), how to grow your instagram following and the one thing no one talks about in food blogging. Just click here to find all the other parts in the series. As for today, I'll talk in detail about the new instagram stories changes and, more importantly, what these changes mean for YOU if you're trying to make it as food blogger or instagram influencer.

Love instagram or not, the one thing no one can call instagram is boring, stagnant or uninventive. Nope, this platform is ALWAYS constantly and continuously reinventing itself, pushing boundaries and thinking outside the box. And the new instagram stories features are - yet again - instagram showing off its innovation and creativity.  

NEW INSTAGRAM STORIES FEATURES! WHAT THEY MEAN FOR BLOGGERS

VEGAN GREEN GODDESS SAUCE RECIPE IN COLLABORATION WITH GEM® AVOCADO

VEGAN GREEN GODDESS SAUCE RECIPE IN COLLABORATION WITH GEM® AVOCADO

Disclosure: This is a paid advertorial with GEM® Avocado. All opinions expressed in this blog post are my own and I was in no way influenced by the company.

For me the best recipes are easy, vegan, quick and SO good, you can’t help but make them again and again and again! Today’s vegan green goddess sauce recipe, which I’ve developed in collaboration with GEM® Avocado, fits this criteria perfectly. It’s the kinda, throw-it-together-last-minute-sauce that ALWAYS comes out tasting delicious, even if you get a few of the measurements wrong, swap one herb for another, or add some extra pepper for good measure. It’s not precious or precise, though I’ve written it down in the best version that I know so that you can make the green goddess sauce, tinker with it and then make it even better ;).

VEGAN APPLE MUESLI MUFFINS IN COLLABORATION WITH DEEMUESLI

VEGAN APPLE MUESLI MUFFINS IN COLLABORATION WITH DEEMUESLI

When there is so much of everything already on the food market, how do you stand out? By making something so delicious and nourishing that everyone takes note! That’s exactly what the Belgium-based wife and husband team behind new muesli brand DEEMUESLI did when they came up with their two scrumptious muesli flavours. Tired of never finding organic, sugar-free, wheat-free muesli that was as delicious as it was filling, the couple took matters into their own hands and developed THE ultimate muesli worth waking up for.

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WHAT HAPPENS AT A FOOD STYLING AND FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP?

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WHAT HAPPENS AT A FOOD STYLING AND FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP?

After months of talking about it and planning like crazy behind the scenes the 2-day food styling and food photography workshop I ran with Aimee from Twigg Studios PLUS the 1-day small business mastermind I facilitated with Sorrel Roberts came and went in a flash. It was the most international group of eager food photography students and small business owners yet - with attendees coming to my cosy London studio from Slovakia, Dubai, Morocco, Denmark, Canada and the USA as well as good old London ;). How cool is that?!? :) To be honest, I could not have asked for a better group of fellow creatives and food lovers to hang out with over those three days. Want to see what happened over the course of the workshop?

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HOW MUCH SHOULD AN INSTAGRAM CONTENT CREATOR EARN? + SAVEUR COUNT DOWN PART 3

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HOW MUCH SHOULD AN INSTAGRAM CONTENT CREATOR EARN? + SAVEUR COUNT DOWN PART 3

NOTE: This blog post is part 22 of my INSTAGRAM SERIES - content all about helping YOU manage your way around instagram. In the INSTAGRAM SERIES I've touched on subjects such as how to get paid for posting content on instagram, how the algorithms really work and is your instagram account worth following. Just click here to find all the other parts in the series. Now on with today's controversial (?) post...

How much should an instagram influencer slash content creator earn? How much should we charge for our work as photographers, food writers, stylists? It's a question I get asked quite a lot and one that recently came up inside my creative community. I've written about the topic before, more broadly, but that blog post feels like ages ago and hence a few years older and wiser, I thought I'd tackle the question again on instagram and here on my blog AKA my home turf. 

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EASY VEGAN TOFU SATAY BOWL + WHY SIMPLICITY IN FOOD IS EVERYTHING

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EASY VEGAN TOFU SATAY BOWL + WHY SIMPLICITY IN FOOD IS EVERYTHING

Today I'm writing about food on instagram, why simplicity in food is everything and why I do what I do as part of my 3-day Saveur Awards countdown. However, if you're here for the delicious vegan tofu satay recipe, I don't blame you. Just scroll down to the very end to find what you're looking for ;). 

WHEN INSTAGRAM BECAME THE HOME OF FOOD PORN

When Instagram launched in October 2010 it was all about sharing instant shots of yourself in the here and now. Think polaroids for the online, digital age. Posting candid, real shots is exactly what instagram pioneers did, that is, until they didn't anymore.

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ROASTED GRAPES WITH THYME RECIPE + THE THING ABOUT SAVEUR

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ROASTED GRAPES WITH THYME RECIPE + THE THING ABOUT SAVEUR

WHO IN THEIR RIGHT MIND WOULD START A FOOD BLOG IN 2014, 2017 OR WORST STILL 2018?

It's that very question we all ask ourselves when we sign our names on the dotted line and commit to squarespace for a 12 month period. Why do we ask ourselves this question? Because the odds are stacked against us. The chances of anyone seeing anything we produce on our food blog are pretty low and the chances of 'making it' as a food blogger even slimmer.

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TOFU AVOCADO SALAD IN COLLABORATION WITH SAPIENSTONE (AD) + FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY BACKDROPS PART 4

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TOFU AVOCADO SALAD IN COLLABORATION WITH SAPIENSTONE (AD) + FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY BACKDROPS PART 4

As an avid home cook and a food photographer everything starts with great food and a great work surface. If you think of it from the home cook's perspective if makes sense, right? Your ingredients have got to be right to create the dish you crave, but you also need a reliable, sturdy worksurface that makes the preparation process smooth and easy.

As a food photographer those two thing matter just as much - it's hard to shoot beautiful images if the food doesn't look right. And as for the worksurface it is ALWAYS a major consideration when I think about the mood and feel of a food photography image. It's the foundation from which I build my scene and tell my story. In fact if you read this blog post, this one and this one you'll know how incredibly important surfaces are in food photography and food styling. 

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IS YOUR INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT WORTH FOLLOWING?

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IS YOUR INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT WORTH FOLLOWING?

NOTE: This blog post is part 21 of my INSTAGRAM SERIES - content all about helping YOU manage your way around instagram. In the INSTAGRAM SERIES I've touched on subjects such as how the instagram algorithms really work, the three real reasons your instagram account is not growing and is organic growth on instagram still possible. Just click here to find all the other parts in the series. Now on with today's postand with that cheeky blog post title...

With soooo much choice of stunningly curated feeds and insanely gorgeous pictures, how on earth do we decide to take the leap and click the FOLLOW button on instagram? Is our decision to follow an instagram account much more complex than all these popular articles acknowledge? Or will a little hashtag make or break me on my favourite app after all?!