5 Food Blog Trends to Expect in 2017

Feature Fest is your 6-day crash course to train your team (or future team) and finally glow up your site.

While we don’t have a crystal ball over here, we do pay attention to what’s happening in the world, internet trends, and food fads to get a sense of where food blogging is headed. Here are our predictions for 2017.

Bring on the comfort food

Last year was an emotional roller coaster, and it left a lot of people feeling very insecure and anxious. We’re all looking for those little comforts that can ease uncertainty about the future. With that in mind, food bloggers who focus on comfort foods will probably find an eager audience.

Be an ambassador

You may be thinking that it’s a stretch to connect globalization and food blogging, but bear with me. In 2016, we saw a lot of news about the ills of globalization, terrorism, and immigration that left many people feeling uneasy about other cultures. Because food is an easy gateway to appreciating other cultures, socially conscious food bloggers will become natural ambassadors, connecting readers with our neighbors around the world.

Satisfy your veg-curiosity

While vegetarians and vegans are still in the minority in America, their influence on food trends has been growing steadily for years. As early as 2015, Coca Cola was competing with vegan in terms of search term popularity on social media sites. Many of the people exploring plant-based lifestyles have not fully adopted them, they’re merely “veg-curious.” But a curious reader is a blogger’s best friend. Consider integrating a few more vegan and vegetarian recipes into your editorial calendar to expand your reach among Gen-Xers and Millennials, in particular.

Netflix and chill

It looks like weekends curled up on your sofa binge-watching Game of Thrones or The Walking Dead are here to stay. That means quick and easy snacks and TV show-themed yummies are going to be a thing in 2017. (No complaints here.)

Find your niche

As content marketing has become more refined, so has the personalization of content. According to Search Engine Watch, “Content is not created anymore to reach a broad audience, but rather a specific target group, as this may be more useful for a brand trying to stand out from its competitors.” If big brands are benefiting from niche marketing, so will bloggers. Narrow your audience and find your niche in 2017 to expand your blog’s reach.