Kayla Burton, Food Blog Coach.

Hey! I’m Kayla Burton

& I love food 😋 Mostly sweets as you’ll find on my baking blog, Broken Oven Baking, but savory’s been growing on me!

I started my baking blog in 2020 as a take-my-mind-off-of-work thing. It wasn’t long before I realized that I loved the technology and business side of blogging! Even more, I love helping food bloggers understand it and strategize to find success in their own businesses!

Since 2023, I’ve worked with 25+ food bloggers in a 1:1 or group setting, and have helped 500+ more through my free content!

Food blog coaching

My goal with Food Blog Coaching is to make food blogging easy to understand and build into a thriving business for all who wish to turn their recipe hobby into a career!

When I began blogging, I had no idea what I was doing. I wished there was a place where I could find all the resources and tools I needed to start off on the right foot (without having to spend $$$). Even as I grow, I wish there was a close community for me to grow with.

We’re just getting started, but I’m excited to build out Food Blog Coaching with resources to help you every step of the way!

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What you’ll find here

Life before blogging

Before 2020, I’d never read blogs. I didn’t even know blogging could be a career.

I grew up in a small Wisconsin city with a family full of talented self-taught cooks and bakers. We weren’t super close, but food always brought us together! Every holiday my sister and I would decorate cookies with our grandma. Her version of “I love you” has always been “Are you hungry?”. Needless to say, I got my baking skills, stand mixer, and urge to bring home-baked treats to every event from her.

I was never Miss Popular growing up. I was quiet & shy and spent my free time on my computer making animated AIM logos and pretending to design pages on sites like Xanga and Neopets. I loved playing around with technology and teaching myself how to use new tools. Super cool, I know 🤓

Anyway, somehow I completely forgot all of this and ended up graduating from UW-Madison with a degree in biology 😅 Shortly after I moved to Chicago and worked a few jobs in pharmaceuticals and clinical research before picking up baking as a serious hobby in 2020.

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Kayla Burton, Food Blog Coach, on The Blogger Genius podcast.
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The Ultimate Blog Podcast interview with Kayla Burton, Food Blog Coach.

My transition to full-time blogger

At the beginning of 2020 I started sharing my hobby bakes on Instagram. Within a few months, I’d gained 1K followers and discovered the wonderful world of food blogging!

The food blogging community was so kind, supportive, and welcoming. I was inspired and motivated to start my own blog!

I launched Broken Oven Baking in May 2020 without knowing what SEO and keyword research were. I made many mistakes starting out, but over the next few months, I consumed as much industry information as I could and transformed my site into a user-friendly, optimized recipe blog!

In 2021 I surpassed 10K followers on Instagram and brands started reaching out about paid partnerships. After establishing my LLC and signing 3 brand deals, I quit my 9-5 that April to pursue blogging full-time!

Food blog coach Kayla Burton holding a phone showing her blog Broken Oven Baking.
Top Resources that helped me level up

TopHatRank

Free SEO Webinars

Food Blogger Pro

Free Podcast

Casey Markee

SEO Audit

Cooking With Keywords

Keyword Research Course
Four food bloggers talking on Zoom.

Kayla the Food Blog Coach

By May 2022, my baking blog hit the 50K monthly sessions milestone and joined Mediavine’s ad network!

A month later I had an SEO audit with Casey Markee. I learned so much and he confirmed that I was on the right track to build a successful food blog!

Afterward, I got questions from food bloggers about SEO, content strategies, etc. It turned out that Casey had started showcasing my blog as an example – an amazing surprise!

I got so excited every time someone reached out to me (I still do)! Being able to share my knowledge and have a positive impact on the community makes me so happy!

In 2023 I launched my 1-on-1 coaching services. Since then it’s grown into so much more! Every day I feel more and more grateful that hundreds of food bloggers trust me to help them grow their businesses.

I still can’t believe I get to work for myself, connect with fellow bloggers, and do what I love every single day.

Whether you’re just stopping by or working with me as a client, thank you for being here.
Your time and energy are your most valuable resources 🩶 I do not take them for granted.

Kayla’s Journey

At the end of 2024 I started doing case study calls with my coaching clients. Hearing about their stories & progress was inspiring, and it made me realize I’d never really shared my own! So one night my partner (Chris) sat down with me to help me tell my story ☺️ I hope you enjoy my impromptu interview!

Food Blog Coaching

Core Values

Honesty

Being open and transparent is important for all of us to grow.

Value

Be helpful and provide value. No wasting precious time or money.

Camaraderie

Work together and build trust within the food blogging community.

Action

1) Actions speak louder than words.
2) One must take action to see results.

Frequently Asked Questions

My goals have changed a lot since I started blogging! I’ve been finding less joy in developing recipes and photo/videography, and more joy in connecting with food bloggers and helping them along their journey. Moving forward, I’ll be expanding my blogging resources (free & paid) to make a bigger positive impact on this community. I’ll also continue working on my food blog so I don’t lose touch – there’s always so much to learn!

Yes, of course! I’m always happy to help 😊

Please keep in mind that if it’s a lengthy/highly personalized question, I may ask that you book a coaching call. Regardless, feel free to reach out and I’ll always give you my honest answer if I can help you! If I don’t have an answer, I’ll try to point you in the right direction.

I have knowledge and experience in many areas of food blogging: backend technology (WordPress, plugins, etc.), photography, freelancing, brand partnerships, social media, SEO, keyword research, etc.

I’m an open book and willing to share what I know. I love solving problems, but I know I don’t know everything 😅 If you aren’t sure if I can help you, send me a DM on Instagram or email (kayla{at}foodblogcoaching{dot}com). We can chat about what you need and decide if my services would be a good fit!

I’m here to teach you how to think about blogging as a business. As your food blog coach, I do things with you, not for you.

Every blogger has different goals, audiences, etc. What works for me might not work for you. My mission is to provide you with the resources, tools, and mindset to help you make better choices for your business.

I genuinely care about the food blogging community and want to see everyone succeed. I research and come prepared with notes and resources for every client call. If I don’t have an answer, I’ll do my best to find one or someone else who can help. We’re a team and this industry is full of brilliant minds that I’m lucky enough to connect with ☺️

Great question! I do not, and I have my reasons.

I’ve thought about creating a course, but it didn’t feel right. Our industry is constantly changing, whether it be algorithm updates, apps coming and going, third-party cookies depreciating, etc.

If I had a course I’d be updating it constantly to provide the most accurate information. I’d rather spend that time helping other food bloggers solve their problems and grow their businesses in real-time. At the same time, bloggers would spend extra time re-consuming the course as it got updated.

Real-time coaching is more efficient and productive. My time is spent working with you to solve your problems using the most current industry information. Since we’re collaborating, I can explain things in a way that makes sense to you and provide you with a clear direction to move toward your goals.

Lastly, I value the connections I make with my clients. You can’t really get to know someone through a course.

Don’t get me wrong, there are some great courses out there! But for the impact I’d like to make at this time, it just isn’t a good fit.

For my food blog I have and recommend the Feast Plugin with Genesis (I’m on Feast+). However, I created this website using Restored 316 with Kadence because it’s another popular food blog theme so I wanted to try it out! I’m excited to get familiar with it and provide extra help to food bloggers on both Feast and Restored 316 themes.

Kayla Burton and Chris Pieta in Nice, France.
Food bloggers Cynthia, Lynne, Callan, Meredith, and Kayla.
Kayla Burton and Chris Pieta holding their dog in Chicago.
Chicago food bloggers Jess, Kayla, Megan, Briana, Debbie, and Laura.
Kayla Burton from Food Blog Coaching
have a question? want to connect?

Reach out anytime on IG or send me an email

@foodblogcoach | kayla{at}foodblogcoaching{dot}com