Sarah Wohlner, Author at International Food Blogger Conference

Open Boat Lunch by SalmonState – IFBC 2019 Update

May 13, 2019 by Sarah Wohlner

We are excited to present a new event at IFBC19 on Friday afternoon from 11:45 – 1:15.

An optional Open Boat Lunch sponsored by SalmonState: Visit with Alaska fisherman Tyson Fick on his boat located in Aurora Harbor (~1 mile from Centennial Hall) and learn how a commercial fishing boat works and some of the gear and techniques used to harvest wild Alaska salmon. Light lunch will be provided, including grilled Taku River salmon. Free shuttle ride available; please reserve a seat at the SalmonState Booth at the Friday morning Expo.

Check out the full agenda for a complete itinerary.

#IFBC19 is coming fast! If you haven’t registered for the conference yet, don’t miss out.

6 tips to up your ‘Gram game

April 25, 2019 by Sarah Wohlner

This guest post is by IFBC19 sponsor Heather Sawyer, Director of GCI Digital Marketing

At GCI, we’re passionate about providing the fastest technology available to some of the most remote corners of North America. We’re also passionate about tips and tricks that make technology great! As bloggers, you know by now there is an easy (and free) way to increase traffic to your blog. The key is getting your content on the platforms people are already spending time on. With over one billion active users, it’s no secret people are spending time on Instagram, so if it isn’t already part of your game plan to increase your website traffic, it should be. People likely want to discover your blog, they just don’t know it, yet! A strong Instagram game will show them just what they’ve been missing. By engaging with your audience online, you’ll build a community and create lasting relationships, which will lead to new opportunities.

Here are a few tips to take your Instagram page to the next level, courtesy of #AlaskaBornandRaised GCI.

Create consistent content.

Whether you’re creating a new page for your brand or just trying to refresh your feed, pay attention to the look and feel of your content. Make a point to decide on a consistent aesthetic. This could mean using the same filter on every image or only posting photographs taken from specific angles.

Having a predetermined aesthetic will make your page especially nice to look at. Your followers will begin to recognize content you post by the images alone without even looking at your handle. It will also help to streamline your creative process which will allow you to turn around content at a faster rate – very important in the fast-paced world of social media.

Get tagging, it’s important.

Take time to learn and understand what different forms of tags (hashtags, location tags and in-photo tags) are used for and how other people and brands in your network are using them.

Identify a handful of hashtags that apply to your content and post the most relevant 3-5 tags with every piece of content to reach people who aren’t already following you. In addition to following users, people can follow specific hashtags. This means posts shared with tags that people follow will pop up in their feed, even if they’re not already following you, the OP (that’s original poster for anyone who doesn’t speak Instagram yet).

To extend the reach of each post and make it easy for people to discover your content, it’s also beneficial to tag your location and any other brands that have items featured in your content. If your goal is to work with these brands, showing them a little love will have the added bonus of showing them you are a genuine user of their products, and not just another sponsor-hungry influencer.

You’ve got to be social!

It seems obvious, but this is one of the most overlooked points by people and brands trying to grow their social media presence. Tap into the food blogger community and engage with posts from other accounts.

When you come across something you like, do more than just “like” it, leave a comment! Thoughtful comments and insightful questions can go a long way, and really help build a community.

Go beyond the feed.

Don’t be afraid to venture beyond the main feed! Instagram stories, Instagram live and IGTV are great ways to find accounts to engage with and great ways for people to find you. Instagram stories and Instagram live also provide a tremendous opportunity to get real-time feedback from your audience on how your content is being received.

Mind your analytics.

Be mindful of your insights. Instagram provides a great set of tools within the application for understanding your audience’s habits. Not sure what time of the day to post a picture? Check out insights to see when past posts performed best. Want to know where your followers are based? Insights has the answer. Be sure to conduct A/B tests, such as varying the time of day you post or the hashtags you post with, to make sure you’re getting the most engagement.

Have fun.

Maintaining an Instagram page can feel like work, but it’s important to have fun! Your followers will be able to tell if you aren’t being genuine. If you’re not getting any pleasure from making connections and building a community with like-minded individuals, well then, it might be time to go back to the drawing board.

Remember, there’s no fool-proof way to master social media, but putting these tips to practice will help you get started and figure out what works for your brand.

10 Reasons Alaska Seafood Promotes a Healthy Lifestyle

April 19, 2019 by Sarah Wohlner

This guest post is by IFBC19 sponsor Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute

Whether you’re an avid pescatarian or you’re looking for delicious ways to get the vitamins and minerals your body needs, Alaska seafood has a lot to offer. Alaska seafood is a key source of marine omega-3 fatty acids (DHA and EPA) which are essential for our bodies to promote heart health, suppress inflammatory responses, improve blood flow and participate in brain function. Alaska seafood is also naturally high in many essential vitamins and minerals including vitamins E, A, D and B12. Alaska seafood provides a complete, high-quality protein keeping muscles and bones strong and healthy.

What’s not to love? Here are 10 ways Alaska seafood can improve your wellbeing.

Be Brainy

Alaska seafood contains vitamin B12, which protects brain cells and prevents memory loss. Omega-3s from seafood give your brain a mental edge. They are linked to sharper brain function, cognition and memory. You may lower your risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, and possibly Parkinson’s disease.

Alaska King Crab contains 9.8 micrograms of vitamin B12 in each serving. What a tasty way to get a brain boost! We recommend this Alaska King Crab Avocado Toast by author and blogger Maya Wilson of Alaska From Scratch.

Eyes like a Hawk

Keeping your eyes in good working order is a must and Alaska seafood is where it’s at. Many types of Alaska seafood are high in vitamins A and D, which help improve vision and prevent age-related macular degeneration.

Alaska sockeye salmon contains 50 mcg of vitamin A and 14 mcg of vitamin D. Stay eagle-eyed and try our Grilled Alaska Sockeye Salmon with Compound Butter recipe.

Skin that Glows

Radiant, elastic skin is more attainable than you think! Fatty fish, such as salmon and herring, are high in omega-3s, which help keep your skin supple and moisturized. Alaska King salmon contains a whopping 1,476 mg of omega-3s in every serving!

Hop on the Instant Pot train by trying our Instant Pot Wild Alaska Salmon with Peanut Sauce recipe. Your skin will thank you!

Be True to Your Heart

The American Heart Association recommends eating two servings of fish a week to maintain heart health. Consuming omega-3s can help prevent blood clots, heart attacks and strokes. Alaska sablefish is chock full of omega-3s — 1,543 mg per serving! Keep your ticker ticking and try our mouthwatering recipe for Miso Glazed Alaska Sablefish with Asian Cucumber Salad.

A Joint Effort

If you haven’t figured it out already, omega-3 fatty acids are like superheroes for your body. Add joint health to their list of benefits. Consuming omega-3s can help reduce joint tenderness and stiffness and also keep the effects of rheumatoid arthritis at bay.

Canned Alaska pink salmon contains 914-1,403 mg of omega-3s per serving. It’s also easy to find at most grocery stores. Spice it up and give your joints some love with our Cajun Style Alaska Salmon and Corn Cakes recipe.

First Line of Defense

A strong immune system is what keeps your body safe from disease-causing microorganisms. Vitamin E is a great way to maintain a healthy immune system. Alaska rockfish contains 12% of the recommended daily value of vitamin E. So the next time you’re cheering for your team’s defensive line, snack on our Wild Alaska Rockfish Nachos.

Alaska Seafood – It Does a Body Good

Active bodies need protein to support athletic performance and recovery. The Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion’s most recent Dietary Guidelines for Americans suggests “incorporating seafood as the protein foods choice in meals twice per week in place of meat, poultry, or eggs.” Well, good news! Alaska seafood is a wonderful source of protein.

Alaska halibut contains 20 grams of protein in every serving. Our Pan Seared Alaska Halibut Steaks with Cherry Tomatoes and Basil is healthy and packed with flavor!

Trust Your Gut

A healthy gut is the key to a healthy body. Bring in our superstars, omega-3s! A recent study shows omega-3 fatty acids may improve the biodiversity of the gut. Fermented foods are also great for your gut, so try our Korean Miso-Cured Alaska Salmon with Fresh Cucumber Asian Pear Kimchi and get your microbiome moving!

Healthy Mom, Healthy Baby

If you are a seafood lover and happen to be pregnant, good news! Consuming omega-3s during pregnancy is not only good for the mother, but they could have beneficial effects on a child’s eye and hand coordination.

Both salmon and pollock contain low levels of mercury and are safe for women to eat 2-3 times a week during pregnancy. We recommend trying our Wild Alaska Pollock Coconut Curry with Cucumber Yogurt Sauce.

Make No Bones About It

Protein, vitamin D and omega-3s are all found in Alaska seafood and keep your bones strong by absorbing key nutrients to maintain bone density. Alaska sockeye salmon is a triple threat – high in protein levels, vitamin D and omega-3s. Stay strong and make the most of your leftover sockeye with these delicious Alaska Salmon Cakes with Spicy Turmeric Garlic.

Getting Sponsored Content (Even if Your Blog Isn’t Famous)

April 9, 2019 by Sarah Wohlner

This guest post is by IFBC19 speaker Raj Thandhi of Pink Chai Living

It’s not easy for me to say, but I’ve been blogging for nine years, and I’m still only moderately successful in terms of online fame. My pageviews are okay, my social media following is nothing to boast about, and my YouTube channel is a passion project that never quite took off.

You might be thinking ‘why is this girl still blogging then?!’ The truth is, my blog is profitable. Yup, I make enough money from my blog and social media channels to make it worth the effort to run them.

A little sidebar before we talk more about business. My blog is also a creative outlet that I love, but for the purpose of this chat, I’m talking just dollars and cents.

Like most other bloggers I really wanted to make it big. I imagined getting a cookbook deal, endorsing major brands, having a line at Target (until they went bust in Canada), the whole nine yards. But that never happened for me, and the true success didn’t come until I stopped trying to be North America famous, and focussed on being hyper-local and catering to a niche.

There are two things that are unique to me and my blog. First-off I live in a city called Surrey BC, where almost no one wants to admit they are from, and very few lifestyle and food bloggers boast about living. Secondly, I’m South Asian. I took these two factors and turned them into an opportunity to create unique partnership opportunities. I’ve collaborated with my local tourism marketing board to show “big-city” bloggers the great hole-in-the-wall restaurants in my hood, and I’ve worked with mainstream brands to create campaigns around ethnic holidays that no one was talking about, and I’ve managed to with national brands like Kraft, Lindt, and Bounty by maintaining a highly engaged audience.

In addition to my creative collaborations, I also started a social media marketing company that specializes in working with food, travel, and hospitality businesses, and I’m a partner in a blogger’s network called South Asian Bloggers Network, which connects businesses and brands with an underserved audience.

At the Food Blogger’s Conference in Juneau, I’ll be sharing my top tricks and tips for finding unique sponsorship opportunities. Maybe the biggest brands won’t work with you (yet), but we can figure what is unique to you that can be marketed – even if you aren’t a superstar!

Your unique selling point doesn’t have to be as obvious as ethnicity. Are you an expert on craft beer in your region? Vegan food writer? Do you make the best darn lunchbox snacks for littles? In my session I’m going to show you my strategy for matching your “secret sauce” with a regional marketing strategy, and amplifying it by showing a brand your expertise in reaching a certain audience.

Brewing with Alaskan History and Local Flavor

March 29, 2019 by Sarah Wohlner

This guest post is by IFBC19 sponsor Alaskan Brewing Co.

The Alaskan Brew Crew is excited to be a part of the International Food Bloggers Conference coming to our little Southeast Alaskan city! Like food bloggers’ passion for great food, we’re passionate about great craft beer. We’re all about creative brews, pioneering innovative, sustainable brewing processes, and a zest for life in Alaska.

Here’s how it all started: In 1986, Geoff and Marcy Larson decided to open a brewery as a way to stay in the beautiful state they had fallen in love with. While researching brewing in Alaska, Marcy came across a turn-of-the-century recipe developed during the Gold Rush in an old brewery’s shipping records. After Geoff homebrewed a batch, they discovered that Gold Rush-era miners had great taste in beer! That beer is now known as Alaskan Amber.

With Amber as our flagship brew, Alaskan Brewing became the 67th independent brewery in the country and the first brewery in Juneau since Prohibition. Since then, we have grown to become one of the most award-winning craft breweries in the history of the Great American Beer Festival and expanded distribution to 22 states (so far)!

We’re not only inspired by Southeast Alaska’s rich history, but also by its rich environment and abundant wild ingredients. From glacier-fed water, to malt smoked over local alder wood, to the citrusy spruce tips that emerges from the branches of Sitka spruce trees in the spring, we love to incorporate local flavor into our brews.

Fittingly, our brews are known for how perfectly they pair with local dishes and for being a delicious addition to recipes. Smooth, balanced and malty Amber is famously the perfect accompaniment to local, freshly-caught seafood such as king salmon and crab, while the dark, robust, and smoky Smoked Porter is delightful with smoked seafood, cheese and other hearty foods. Local foodies continually find creative ways to incorporate our brews into recipes such as Alaskan Amber-battered halibut or Smoked Porter cheesecake (trust us – it’s amazing).

The Alaskan Brew Crew will be pouring samples throughout the conference and at the Taste of Juneau – we’re excited to meet you all and talk beer! If you’re into craft beer, don’t miss the opportunity to visit our brewery to check out our beautiful new expanded tasting room, sample our wide variety of brews, and see where the magic happens! We’ll see you there!

Cheers!