Bon Appétit: Why Food Media Is Captivating Today’s Digital Audiences

With today’s barrage of content, it’s difficult for publishing companies to find a sustainable audience and digital niche. However, one form of media that consumers keep craving in droves involves, well, multimedia representations of things they’re actually craving. 

In other words, social media users love food content, which encompasses everything from Instagram photos of delicious-looking meals to videos of professional chefs creating gourmet dishes to hacks for cooking at home. 

For media companies who have expanded their food content output, the investment has paid dividends. According to Digiday, The New York Times’ cooking subscription business passed 250,000 subscribers in less than two years, while Bon Appétit’s YouTube channel has 4.7 million subscribers. 

Why is culinary media such a slam-dunk for content creators? Axios reporter Sara Fischer has a simple explanation: Everyone likes to eat. “Food and beverage caters to nearly every demographic,” she writes.

But viewers also like food content because it’s approachable. New York Times food editor Sam Sifton told Digiday that while many of his section’s contributors are known by name, they aren’t seen or treated as influencers. They’re just here to demonstrate a recipe, share a kitchen tip or show off a dish they’ve cooked — entertainment that’s engaging without being extraordinary. 

“The truth about recipes is there are probably only 10 or 11 recipes in the whole world, anywhere,” said Sifton. “You can get that roast chicken recipe by going to a search engine. Go ahead. I’m prouder of our roast chicken because I know the reporting that went into [it].” 


photo credit: zeb andrews