Is It Worth Publishing Content From Other Fields On A Cooking Blog?

A cooking blog certainly allows you to share your favorite recipes with others, but that’s not all. It is also helpful to others and embodies the desire to establish a dialogue with your audience. I have been working on my blog for many years, and during this time, I have become convinced of the unifying power of food. People from all over the world (but mainly from India) are willing to share their family secrets. Food culture in India is an integral part of everyday life; it is a way of expressing love and care for another person.

The audience for food blogs is always responsive and ready to share warmth, sincerity, and honesty. But time passes, and even the most beloved blog requires resources—not only time, but also money for ingredients and equipment.

So I started thinking about monetizing the blog, but without destroying the sincerity that my subscribers find so appealing. I considered options such as selling e-books, paid subscriptions, and a few other common ones. However, to implement such scenarios, I would have had to either change the blog’s format or invest a significant amount of money. I wanted to maintain the mood of spontaneous lightness, so I began researching affiliate programs in both the culinary field and beyond.

The iGaming industry turned out to be unexpectedly promising. This refers to online games that have betting elements. At first, I had serious doubts because online games and cooking were two completely different worlds. However, I then decided to learn more about audience behavior, and the pieces of the puzzle fell into place.

India is one of the fastest-growing online gaming markets, according to figures from 2024. Approximately half a billion people regularly play mobile games, and this number is increasing steadily. Approximately 17% of these people have tried their hand at apps with betting elements. Most of my audience lives in Mumbai, Bangalore, and Hyderabad, and in these same large cities, such apps have become practically the norm.

But that’s not all. I learned that there are many gamers among Indian women aged 25 to 45, and this is precisely the category that not only reads my recipes most often, but also actively comments on them. In other words, the audience of people who love to cook at home and those who enjoy playing games on their phones largely overlap.

I decided to give it a try — but, of course, I didn’t just mindlessly insert game ads everywhere I could, and certainly not where I shouldn’t. To start with, I made a short post about the crash game Jet-X. I found all the information for my advertising post on a specialized Jet-X review website; there are also bonus promo codes that can be activated on platforms with this game. I also mentioned that I could provide more details if anyone were interested in the topic. I received dozens of responses, many of them from my regular readers, who I hadn’t noticed paying attention to content outside of cooking before.

For example, a woman from Patna wrote that she had been cooking my recipes for over two years and added that she appreciated that I didn’t just talk about food. My recommendation helped her relax and temporarily forget about her household chores.

After receiving such feedback, I began to wonder why cooking is so actively separated from the rest of life. You can love cooking and enjoy watching TV series or playing mobile games at the same time. Stepping away from the main topic from time to time means getting closer to the reader’s real life, not betraying them, as one might think.

Of course, there is no question of intrusiveness. There are no banners in the recipes, and no random game reviews have crept in among the recipes. When I write about appetizers, I casually mention that they are perfect for a relaxing evening when you can play your favorite game. Another option is to offer a bonus as a small gift for those who are tired and want to take a break. Unlike intrusive advertising, this format is highly effective. It is also an opportunity to interact with my audience.