Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Taylor Haines. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Taylor thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Going back to the beginning – how did you come up with the idea in the first place?

I first started my blog back in 2017 as a fashion blog being as I earned a BA in fashion marketing and management the year before in 2016. It was meant to take my mind off of my mother being sick at the time and just a hobby to clear my mind. After a few fashion posts I decided to play around with food photos, everyone likes food – right?! For whatever reason, my food posts took off and I quickly learned that’s what my audience would love to see. I started to focus my niche on food and restaurants and have grown my blog to over 8.5K followers on Instagram.

Since then, I’ve partnered with brands such as Insomnia Cookies, Houlihans, Ruths Steakhouse, ect. and have met with small business owners. It’s truly a rewarding feeling to help small businesses and network with other content creators. I can’t imagine my life without the community I’ve built!

Taylor, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am Taylor and got into my business back in 2017. I help restaurants grow their social media presence by going into the establishments and blogging/recording my experience on Instagram. I love connecting with restaurants and helping them grow their social channels.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

To be honest, I totally wish I knew sooner about podcasts. I think they would really have helped me grow my social media presence quicker than I did. I basically learned everything through trial and error but if I’d have know about podcasts sooner I think listening to educational ones would have truly helped get the blog/Instagram page rolling! I am still learning about SEO from my blog standpoint.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

It’s all about fostering a community and building trust! In the beginning I followed a lot of local creators and businesses and reached out about collaborating. From the collaborations I’d often get reposted by the business and earn new followers that way. Another great tip is just sending a direct message every time you get a new follower and introducing yourself. This helps build your community and it’s all about networking. I’d also recommend posting to your stories often because this gains new followers and builds trust in the ones you already have. Many followers want to see your face so try to include yourself in stories if you can!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.eatingwithtayyy.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eatingwithtayyy/?hl=en
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUjsurtuO6q_GNjgfcfYyhQ

Image Credits
NA, all taken by me