The Power of Food Creators on Social Media

In honor of Thanksgiving coming up in the U.S., let’s talk about one content niche that’s always dishing up success: food creators. 

People love food. In fact, 52% of Americans said they love food more than anything else. Undoubtedly, it has become a dominating presence on social media and is fueled even more by the fast-approaching holiday season, with viewers searching for the perfect recipes to impress their hungry guests. 

Whether creating out-of-this-world recipes, hearing the crunch of a freshly fried mozzarella stick, or taste-testing a brand new meal at a favorite fast food restaurant, food creators are exploring different avenues of what makes someone’s mouth water.

This is the reason Jellysmack wanted to help these creators go even bigger. We have partnered with 120 of some of the most delectable creators, empowering them to go further by gaining a combined 26.3 million followers and 5 billion total views in the last year alone (July 2021-July 2022).

Creators Are Hungry For Success

EmmyMade is one of the most beloved food creators online; with the help of Jellysmack, Emmy catapulted from 162,000 followers on Facebook to 5.3 million in just two years and recently launched a new show on Pinterest. Emmy Eats World features recipes and tastings of unique, culturally-inspired foods like Korean Fried Chicken. Since her launch in July of 2022, she’s earned a whopping 820K monthly views, and she’s just getting started.

To reach that level of success across platforms, Emmy has not only created delicious-looking food but has also ensured her vibrant personality shines through. When so many creators are vying for the internet’s attention, showcasing their version of yet another classic recipe, you’ve got to give them a reason to watch yours. Emmy has honed her craft, engaging her millions of followers and keeping them coming back for more.

Vincenzo’s Plate is also making millions of mouths water, not only through his infectious personality but also by guiding viewers through traditional Italian recipes exactly how his Nonna would have cooked them. Vincenzo is one of the Top 10 Australian YouTubers and, since partnering with Jellysmack, has grown from 213,000 followers to 1.9 million on Facebook in just over a year. His authentic persona and passion for his rich Italian roots are what sets Vincenzo apart from many others trying to make it in the creator food space.

While food is universal, it takes a special creator to find success on every platform. Jellysmack creator partners JP & Julia of HellthyJunkFood make it look easy. 

With a combined follower count of over 6.4M across YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat, JP & Julia have found ways to stand out with their unique, comedic personalities while taste-testing the latest fast food or recreating a giant version of some of your favorite foods.

Since launching their Snapchat show in late 2020, they have garnered over 1 billion views and continue to see amazing growth on the platform with the help of Jellysmack. So, what’s JP and Julia’s secret sauce? Their unique positioning in the crowded space and first-hand accounts of their hilarious fast-food adventures have enabled them to find a niche that not many could replicate. 

The delight of food content not only spans platforms but languages. Chef Michel Dumas, a French chef based in Canada, is bridging borders between cultures through his cooking. He teamed up with Jellysmack in 2020 to help display his authentic and humorous personality in both French and English on Facebook. With it, a new audience of foodies can delve into ‘la gastronomie française.’ Since joining the Jellysmack Creator Program, Chef Michael has grown to over 2.1 million followers on Facebook alone, proving that everyone, no matter where you are, appreciates good cooking. 

The Secret Sauce to Social Platforms

As with most content genres, food content performs differently on different platforms. Thinking of how the unique audiences engage with the content can help guide creators in the right direction, whether they’re just starting out or looking to expand their reach across platforms.

YouTube, of course,  specializes in long-form video. Users can search for exactly what they want, providing close, if not exact, matches. So when you need a step-by-step recipe to follow, it’s the perfect platform. Can’t remember how to make French Onion Soup? Pop it in the search box, and you’ll be dicing onions like a pro chef in no time. Because of this feature, YouTube is best for food creators specializing in easy-to-recreate recipes.

Facebook, however, is an entirely different dish. This platform’s algorithm likes to deliver content that it feels would best suit the audience. This means it’s unlikely that the user will see all your videos in the order you post them. You can also bet they won’t be searching for a recipe, since most Facebook users come to browse. But while Facebook poses some challenges for creators, it does put forward unique and inspiring content. Those visually appealing recipes that can’t help but make your stomach rumble will make users stop and watch while endlessly scrolling through their feed, so keep that in mind.

Speaking of endless scrolling, TikTok doesn’t have long to grab a user’s attention, so creators have found unique ways to make FoodTok one of the most prominent genres of the entire platform. It has also kickstarted the careers of many food creators.

Watch, Eat, Repeat

As the creator economy has grown, platforms have had to keep up. And as the internet becomes more and more visual, video content is leading the change, with food content at the forefront of the evolution. 

Not only are food creators leading the change on social media, they’re also impacting the food industry as a whole. In 2019, a Finnish food blogger, Jenni Häyrinen, posted a recipe for “Uunifetapasta”,, which quickly became an overnight sensation due to its simple cooking method and use of inexpensive ingredients.

In 2021, the recipe resurfaced as a viral TikTok video, recreated many times over by creators all over the world. This trend led to many stores selling out of feta cheese and basil, with Instacart, the US-based grocery delivery company, reporting that the ingredients became some of the most-searched products on the app.

“Food content has always captivated audiences, and online creators have tapped into this vertical in every way imaginable.”

Cat Valdes, Jellysmack’s Senior Director of Creator Partnerships

That is the unique thing about food in the ever-growing world of online content. It finds a way to succeed no matter the platform or format and what comes next in the ever-changing world of social media. Whether it be emerging apps and sites, or new technologies in gastronomy, food creators have, and always will, found a way to tempt our tastebuds and leave a craving for more.