Food Content Trends in February

Hello, friends! How’s it going? Can you believe January is already almost done?!

It’s amazing how fast time flies when you’re having fun (aka planning your yearly goals for your blog!). Pageviews, social shares, content management… it can all be a bit difficult to manage.

But, I’m here to help you out a bit with another Food Content Trends article! For those of you who are just tuning in for the first time, these articles are designed to help you figure out what your readers want to see in the upcoming month so that you can get ahead and plan out your editorial calendar accordingly.

Here’s what’s trending in February:

Valentine’s Day

The holiday of love! Yep, Valentine’s Day (February 14) will soon be upon us, and readers are looking for ways to make their loved ones feel special.

Try being vulnerable and personable with your readers to get them in the spirit of the holiday. Tell them the story of your favorite Valentine’s Day memory with your bae. Or maybe chat about some of your favorite ways to spend time with your loved ones. Share those cherished stories and open up with your readers.

If you’re going solo this Valentine’s Day, share ways (involving decadent food, of course) to still enjoy the couple’s holiday by yourself or, better yet, with a group of friends.

And of course we can’t forget about Galentine’s Day, aka the holiday made popular by Leslie Knope of Parks and Recreation fame that’s aimed at celebrating the female relationships you have in your life. Galentine’s Day is celebrated on February 13.

Super Bowl Snacks

Get the wings and seven-layer dip ready! The Super Bowl falls on the second Sunday in February, and readers are looking for the tastiest treats to satisfy them through the whole game.

Interestingly enough, searches for “healthy Super Bowl recipes” have gone down in recent years, so you might be better off sticking with your most decadent and indulgent recipes for the big game.

Chocolate

Yep! Searches for chocolate will be higher this month, and for good reason: it’s pretty much the dessert equivalent of love. Chocolate searches see a spike in December, and then again around Valentine’s Day, so it is a great time of year to share your chocolate recipes.

As food bloggers, we have the wonderful opportunity of helping our readers and their loved ones through their stomachs. Plan a perfect date night complete with a meal, wine pairing, and chocolate-based dessert.

Make a dessert recipe that you had on your first date with your significant other and put a chocolate spin on it. Find creative culinary ways to help your readers say, “I love you.”

Spring Cleaning

“Does it bring you joy?” Even though Marie Kondo’s organizational Netflix show was a hot topic a few years ago, “spring cleaning” still starts its upward trend each February:

How can you work spring cleaning into a food blog? That’s a great question. Someone who’s already doing it really well is Melissa over at The Faux Martha! She organized a free course called “The Minimalist Kitchen Course” where she helped her readers organize and declutter their kitchens.

As a double-whammy, she paired the course with her cookbook “The Minimalist Kitchen,” so it was an effective way to capitalize on a trending topic all while promoting her book and her blog.

Holidays to Remember

Last but not least, as you’re planning out your content for February, don’t forget about these upcoming holidays:

• National Snack Food Month: February
• Chinese New Year: February 10
• Groundhog Day: February 2
• World Nutella Day: February 5
• Super Bowl: February 11
• Mardi Gras: February 13
• Valentine’s Day: February 14
• President’s Day: February 19
• National Muffin Day: February 20

And for those around the world…

For those of you in the southern hemisphere, February marks the last month of summer! Consider making recipes starring blackberries, nectarines, rhubarb, sweet corn or zucchini, all of which are in season right now.

Carnival, or Carnivale, is celebrated around the world this time of year, with festivities in Italy, France, Brazil, Trinidad and Tobago, and more! Carnival celebrations tend to involve lots of delicious food, and could be a source of inspiration for your recipes this month! Check-out this article for Italian Carnival Foods, for more ideas.

Now over to you: What content are you going to share this month? Let us know in the comments!