Building a food content business by creating what comes naturally, growing to 1 million followers on TikTok, and monetizing Substack with Claire Dinhut from Condiment Claire. ----- Welcome to episode 558 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Claire Dinhut from Condiment Claire. Trusting Your Creative Instincts to Build a Million Follower Food Brand Claire Dinhut first started sharing food content on TikTok when she lost her job working on a food and travel docuseries during the pandemic. Since then, she has grown to over 1 million followers on TikTok, published a cookbook, and started a Substack blending food, travel, and history into a cohesive content brand. Claire's journey is a good reminder that you don't need to follow a rigid formula to succeed online. By leaning into what felt natural — documenting her interests, telling stories she genuinely cared about, and creating without overthinking — she built a business that feels aligned, sustainable, and creatively fulfilling. Whether you're curious about Substack, growing on TikTok, or finding your own creative rhythm, this episode is packed with insight and encouragement to trust the way you create best. Three episode takeaways: Monetization works best when it's intentional — By waiting to monetize her Substack account and being thoughtful about what goes behind her Substack paywall, Claire built a smaller but deeply invested paid community alongside her massive free audience on social media. She also shares more about how she uses audience response to inform paid content and her content strategy overall. Find the path of least resistance — Claire's success comes from leaning into how she naturally creates, posting often, and treating each platform differently. How Claire grew to over 1 million followers on TikTok without consuming social media herself — Claire explains how posting consistently on TikTok and Instagram helped her find her voice and shares the tools she uses to write, film, and edit her content (you might be surprised!). Resources: Condiment Claire The Condiment Book JSTOR CapCut Follow Claire on Instagram and TikTok Join the Food Blogger Pro Podcast Facebook Group Thank you to our sponsors! This episode is sponsored by Grocers List and Clariti. Interested in working with us too? Learn more about our sponsorship opportunities and how to get started here. If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to [email protected]. Learn more about joining the Food Blogger Pro community at foodbloggerpro.com/membership.