How to make speciality diets more palatable to mainstream readers

So you’ve made it your mission to make the world a healthier place via your food blog. Whether you’re offering up a diet that’s vegan, paleo, or gluten-free, you’re probably targeting a very particular subset of the population. While your organic audience raves about your wheat-free, meat-free meal in a minute, you’re definitely going to have to work a little harder to reach those of us who are steeped in the American traditions of steak and potatoes and a slathering of cheese whiz.

But it can be done. You can tempt mainstream readers with a specialty diet. It just requires an understanding of basic psychological principles and finesse.

Start with the basic benefits

And I’m not talking lower cholesterol, less gas, or a longer life. Of course we all say we want those things, but in reality, we don’t make decisions based on those desires. They’re too abstract. Especially when it comes to meal time.

Words like fat-free and anti-inflammatory are just not mouth-watering. And for people who are resistant to healthier diets, any hint of health benefits can actually be a turn off. That’s not to say you shouldn’t include the benefits, but don’t lead with them.

What benefits of a speciality meal should you lead with?

The same ones that you’d advertise with any other delicious meal – flavor, simplicity, speed, and affordability. Flavor should always be the first consideration in food writing. A dish can be healthy, affordable, and fast – it can extend your life by ten years – but if it tastes the way that nutritional yeast sounds, you’ll have a hard time selling people on it.

Choose your recipe name carefully

While it might seem natural to include the healthy aspect of your recipe in its title, consider downplaying the specialization and giving more attention to the taste benefits of the recipe. According to research by Brian Wansink of Cornell University, descriptive names increased the sales of food by 30%, and vivid adjectives actually make diners feel more satisfied after they’ve eaten.

So instead of Super Clean and Healthy Paleo Mac and Cheese, try Ooey Gooey Mac and Cheese. If you feel compelled to include the specialization, add it to the sub-title:

Ooey Gooey Mac and Cheese

You won’t believe it’s vegan!

Or try this interesting industry tip for naming recipes:

Name the recipe after a relative. That’s right. Diners prefer Aunt Ruby’s Mac and Cheese to regular Mac and Cheese even when it tastes exactly the same.

Describe food in mouth-watering ways

So how do you express the rich flavor of your vegan mac and cheese? With specific sensory details. Sensory details are those words that appeal to the senses. They describe taste, smell, texture, and so on.

Delicious is not a specific sensory word. It’s too vague. It’s a stand in for a sensory word. A description that would sell the flavor of vegan mac and cheese, for instance, would read something like this:

This creamy, comforting mac and cheese will win your heart and your taste buds with a hint of roasted garlic, a pinch of mustard, and a crumbly panko topping.

See? If you start here, you’ve already won me. Now you can follow with health benefits, and I’ll bite because I’m already convinced that this dish is worth exploring as a dinner option.

Build a spice rack of descriptive language

If you’re not sure where to find those enticing sensory descriptions, dig into the recipes and reviews of some unwholesomely divine dishes that we all love to hate ourselves for eating. Epicurious.com and Chowhound.com are two sources for building up your go-to savory description storehouse. Once you’ve gathered up a spice rack of adjectives that’ll send any palate into overdrive, use it to add the sinful flavor we all crave to the descriptions of your heavenly recipes.

Offer social proof

Some of us may be hard to convince even with a description that makes our taste buds beg for more. That’s where social proof comes in. This can come in the form of an anecdotal story about your picky child who hates vegetables but loves this recipe that is made almost entirely of cauliflower, onions, and garlic. Or it might come in the reviews of your faithful readers who have already had great success with the recipe. So be sure to encourage feedback in your comments section.

Dana from the blog Dig in with Dana shared a recipe with the temptingly simple name “Slow Good Green Beans.” It’s a simple vegan dish, but she doesn’t sell it that way. Instead, she sells it with this quick story:

Last month I had a cooking play date with my niece. We decided to make some family friendly recipes to expand her dinner rotation, and green beans are one of the few vegetables her husband likes. This easy but intensely flavorful recipe won him over.

That social proof is further backed by comments like this at the bottom of Dana’s post:

Include enticing images

Don’t skimp when it comes to taking photos of specialty foods. They need to look just as delectable as their bad boy cousins. Pull out all the stops when it comes to lighting and little details like moistening food and adding steam to photographs.

You know that the specialty dishes you prepare are every bit as comforting and hearty as their mainstream counterparts, and that’s what you need to express to your more reluctant readers. Win them over with flavor, and your food blog will be well on its way to making the world a healthier place, too.

What are your favorite specialty recipes?