said. “It’s about building a community around what you do. It’s a way to genuinely interact with the people, with your readers, and genuinely care about what’s going on with their lives.” Evoy uses a variety of social media sites to reach out — Instagram, Pintrest, Twitter and, of course, Facebook. On Instagram, Evoy shares Alaska photos along with food photos. That’s the place where she has the most followers — about 29,000. Pintrest is her second biggest social media site. There, she has about 10,000 followers. That actually drives more traffic to her website than Instagram does. Evoy said the recipe for success on Pintrest, so far as she’s found, is taking excellent photos. She shares those photos and links to recipes on her website, but Pintrest is also where she provides some different content, including recipes
that inspire her from other bloggers. She also has an Alaska style board. That offers her social network a more complete picture of what she’s interested in and how she lives, she said. Evoy said what is most popular is not always predictable. Her most viewed recipe is a broccoli salad with sunflower seeds and cranberries. That has received 261,000 page views since it was posted in July 2012. Sometimes, what drives traffic is simply links from other media. She’s been featured on The Today Show and Buzzfeed, and each of those drove readers to her site. She also writes a column for the Alaska Dispatch News, and her Alaska readership has increased since she started that in January, she said. Beyond content, Evoy said her advice to others trying to build their social media presence is to be genuine.
“My biggest tip would be to build a community, to build relationships with people, and not just be a self-promoter,” she said. Evoy said social media is more than just a way to build her website. She’s also made real connections with some of the people she’s met through social media that are interested in food writing. “I’ve met a fair handful of people now that I’ve connected with through blogging,” Evoy said. The connection across the miles is one of the things Evoy enjoys about blogging. “I feel like being a food blogger and providing good recipes is a way to nourish people from afar,” she said. Molly Dischner can be reached at molly.dischner@alaskajournal.com.
Superfood Salad with Pan-Seared Salmon Ingredients • 1 3-ounce wild salmon fillet, pin bones and skin removed • 1 ½ cups kale, chopped • ½ cup cooked quinoa • ½ of an avocado, chopped • ¼ cup pomegranate arils
Photo/Courtesy/Maya Evoy
For the Honey Mustard Vinaigrette: • 1 garlic clove • 1 tablespoon dijon mustard • 1 tablespoon honey (or to taste) • 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar • ½ cup extra virgin olive oil • salt and pepper to taste Instructions 1. Season the salmon filet with salt and pepper. In a saute pan over medium-high heat, pan-sear the salmon until golden and cooked to your liking (I like mine medium, which only took 2-3 minutes per side). Set aside and allow to rest. 2. Add the dressing ingredients to a food processor and process until smooth and emulsified, about 30 seconds. Set aside. 3. Add the kale to a bowl and massage it with your fingers firmly for 30 seconds to tenderize. Stir in the cooked quinoa. Drizzle the kale and quinoa with half of the dressing and toss to combine. Top the dressed kale and quinoa with the chopped avocado and salmon filet. Sprinkle with the pomegranate arils and drizzle everything with the remaining dressing. Serve.
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