5 Lifestyle Trends that Food Bloggers Should Capitalize On

We’ve talked repeatedly this year about finding a niche to differentiate your food blog, find the ideal audience, and extend your reach. One approach to niche blogging is focusing on a unique lifestyle that poses particular challenges to readers.

This year, a few lifestyle choices stand out as potential gold mines for daring food bloggers who aren’t afraid to test new frontiers.

Nomadic

While RVs and sailboats used to be the stuff retirement was made of, more and younger Americans are trading in their mortgages and car payments for a nomadic lifestyle. The perks are obvious. Dumping the sedentary life for a life on the road means a daily dose of novelty, considerable savings in terms of cost of living, and lots of time to appreciate the finer things in life.

As for the the pitfalls: Have you ever tried flipping a pancake in a listing boat?

Food bloggers with wanderlust might consider breaking into this niche and providing tips and tricks for cooking on the go. It would be a great opportunity to show the diversity of food offerings available as you explore your state, country, and the world and to demonstrate the cost-effectiveness of this unconventional lifestyle.

Tiny house

Truth is: tiny houses aren’t a new lifestyle. Humans have spent most of our history living in more humble abodes, and tiny house advocates are often seeking to get back to those roots. A more minimalistic lifestyle can decrease stress and your expenses, but of course, it comes with a smaller kitchen and much less storage space for pots, pans, and pantry.

If you’re trying to pare back your lifestyle in your own cozy cottage, show your readers how you maximize space and minimize kitchen clutter. Demonstrate techniques for scaling back on ingredients and kitchen gadgetry. Even readers in not-so-tiny houses will find your knack for simplicity enviable.

Urban

While plenty of Americans are moving into suburbs, Millennials tend to prefer metropolitan areas. Shared working and living spaces allow younger singles to live alone without being lonely, and urban areas offer greater variety when it comes to shopping, dining, and entertainment. But like the nomadic lifestyle and the tiny house movement, living in the city can be a little cramped. Most apartments are small and offer few amenities.

If you happen to be winning at this lifestyle, consider sharing your secrets with other city dwellers. How do you make the most of unique city offerings like butchers and curb markets? How do you entertain your friends in a studio apartment? If we’ve learned anything from ApartmentTherapy, it’s that there’s a loyal readership for writers capable of making city living simpler.

Luxe

While luxury brands are actually seeing a decline, it’s not because your readers aren’t seeking out a more luxe lifestyle. Instead, the meaning of luxury is changing with younger generations. Today’s luxury consumers aren’t looking to affirm themselves by spending preposterous sums of money on watches and pearls. They’re looking for something that you may be well-equipped to provide – even on a budget. They’re on the hunt for originality and novel experiences.

You don’t have to be a mogul to model luxury for your readers who crave it. But you do need to choose fresh, exotic ingredients and demonstrate finesse when it comes to the experience of dining. Look to European-style meals with multiple courses and make sure that your photographs feel rich, even if you’re using dishes from Target!

Cannabis

As of 2017, 26 states and the District of Columbia have legalized marijuana in some form. Cannabis dispensary jobs have grown by 90% since 2014, and it’s estimated that by 2020, the U.S. market for legal marijuana will reach $11B. You can bet that some of that is going to be baked into brownies and butter cookies.

If you accumulated a stash of reefer recipes during your college days, now’s the time to break them out. You’ll have a little more competition in this particular niche as cooking with cannabis is not nearly as taxing as cooking on a boat or in a tiny house, but if you get in now, there’s still plenty of room at the top.

Of course, we all make lifestyle choices every day that could be the start of a brand new trend, so don’t be afraid to launch off into totally new territory! The best way to corner a niche, after all, is to invent it.

What’s your favorite lifestyle niche food blog?