Australia’s most popular food blogger reveals how she earns a million-dollar income

Australia’s most popular food blogger earns a seven-figure salary from sharing her delicious recipes online but admits the job isn’t as glamorous as it seems.

Nagi Maehashi, who lives on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, left her lucrative job in finance to start a blog called RecipeTin Eats almost five years ago.

Since that time she has gained over 350,000 followers on Instagram and has thousands of viewers tuning into her website each month.

‘I’ve had my moments when I’ve collapsed on the floor in a flood of tears, convinced this was a crazy idea because what fool leaves an executive position to become a food blogger of all things?’ she told FEMAIL.

‘I had pressure from peers asking me for years and years “When are you coming back to the real world?”

‘They don’t ask me that anymore.’

Nagi admitted to noticing an ‘instant response’ when her recipes were posted online and likely drew a crowd because of how easy they are to make. 

‘I was born into a foodie family so I have always been interested in cooking,’ she said.

Nagi admitted to noticing an ‘instant response’ when her recipes were posted online and likely drew a crowd because of how easy they are to make

The majority of Nagi’s earnings come from digital display ads on her website and the rest comes from being an ‘influencer’ on social media, with fees for appearances and presentations included

‘In my childhood we would spend our weekends fishing for sashimi because back then we couldn’t get sashimi-grade fish and the everyday Aussie thought we were freaks for eating raw fish.

‘Little did I know it would become all the rage.’ 

The majority of Nagi’s earnings come from digital display ads on her website and the rest comes from being an ‘influencer’ on social media, with fees for appearances and presentations included.

She also receives a small income from the sales of her recipe eBooks.  

‘I know it sounds like I’m living the dream. But I’m really not. Yes I love it. But this job is totally not glamorous,’ she said.

How can you earn money as a social media influencer like Nagi?

Whether you’re a brand or influencer stop talking about your brand or yourself. Think about your readers and post what they want to see, what will keep them engaged and interested, what will make them want to share with their friends by way of tagging (or real life conversation!).

And no it’s not just cheese pulls, creamy sauces, pasta twirls and gooey chocolate! Use those as bait every now and then, but make the majority of your content ‘core’ content that reflects who you are and what you do. Just spin it in a way that keeps people engaged.

She also receives a small income from the sales of her recipe eBooks

And my last words of wisdom, if you want to earn an income as an influencer, is it doesn’t matter if you have 100 followers or 100,000 followers, if you can’t actually influence their decisions. 

So focus on the followers you have and building crazy high engagement with them. If you’ve got a captive audience of 100 followers, trust me when I say there are millions of other people out there who want to find and follow you too. 

That’s the whole premise on how I build my website traffic.

‘Most days I’m up to my armpits in food mess… experimenting, shooting or filming, all while batting away a giant dog who thinks he’s allowed to taste test everything. 

‘I work way harder than I ever did in the corporate world and have done so since day one.’

Nagi has thousands of recipes to choose from on her well-curated site, but there are a few that she says are popular with the time-poor. 

‘The most economical option that is outrageously tasty is the Quick Asian Beef Ramen Noodles,’ she said.

Nagi has thousands of recipes to choose from on her well-curated site, but there are a few that she says are popular with the time-poor

Her best piece of advice for amateur cooks who want to hone their skills in the kitchen is to look at the equipment you’re using

‘It’s a four ingredient sauce, includes very little chopping and it’s made in one pan. It’s a true 12 minute dinner! 

‘Also this Baked Chicken and Garlic Butter Rice has been a big hit since day one. It went quite mental when I first published it and nowadays there are plenty of variations of it that have been shared by other bloggers.’

Her best piece of advice for amateur cooks who want to hone their skills in the kitchen is to look at the equipment you’re using.  

‘Spend as much as you can on a great knife and sharpener! It is the only tool you need to be a great chef,’ she said.

‘You’ll chop faster, more precisely and there is less risk of cutting yourself. It’s the advice I give everyone.’ 

You can follow Nagi’s work on her website RecipeTin Eats or her Instagram account.