TFS#214 - Lydia Lau @always.hungryyyy Reveals How You Can Get Paid To Eat!

Lydia Lau is a Sydney-based food content creator known for uncovering hidden gems, trendy spots, and budget-friendly eats. Renowned for her authentic reviews and stunning food photography, she supports businesses with social media strategies and influencer collaborations. Connect with Lydia Lau! https://www.instagram.com/always.hungryyyy 0:00 - Introduction 0:42 - Meet Lydia Lau 2:11 - Working in Marketing at Johnson & Johnson, Klook, Big W, and in FinTech 2:41 - How long ago did Lydia start creating food content? 3:13 - Her plans to quit her job & start her marketing venture 5:06 - Main services Lydia's marketing company offers to her clients 5:35 - How Lydia helps cafe owners grow their businesses 11:50 - Lydia’s advice on creating engaging content for your business 15:18 - How she helped Big W’s marketing agency grow their social media presence 15:40 - How she pitches the pricing of her marketing services 18:12 - Handling all content creation for her clients as part of her marketing services 19:41 - Having a massive backlog of travel content to post on her socials 21:05 - Lydia plans to create a second Instagram account for her marketing agency 22:40 - Insights on creating viral educational content 24:00 - How short-form content is great for reach and brand awareness on social media 25:04 - How she accidentally started attracting clients while creating food content in the F&B space 26:42 - How Lydia runs ads for the F&B sector 27:53 - Influencer marketing strategies for the F&B industry 29:04 - Cost for cafe owners to hire Lydia’s marketing services 30:17 - Took 6 months to get her first free food invite and 12 months to receive her first paid food review 32:36 - Lydia’s posting schedule for her food content 34:20 - Does Lydia eat out every day? 35:20 - How Lydia manages the places she features for food content each month 36:38 - How she includes friends in her food review experiences 37:28 - How clients reach out and invite Lydia for food reviews 37:55 - Lydia explains how paid invitations work 38:53 - Are there situations where Lydia turns down an invite? 39:47 - What types of invitations does Lydia accept? 40:24 - Free invites with only 500–5,000 followers 41:53 - Secured her first paid invite with only 5,000 followers 42:28 - Lydia on earning 3-4 figures per restaurant review 44:32 - Lydia limits herself to accepting 3–5 invites per week to manage capacity 45:53 - How Lydia organized a sponsored birthday party w/ Pizza Bros 48:08 - Reaching out to Pizza Bros to sponsor her friend’s birthday party 48:53 - Is it easy for Lydia to get restaurant sponsorships for events? 49:48 - Lydia tracks invoices and the places she has visited 51:11 - Lydia posts food content based on her capacity 51:38 - Best food spots in Sydney for every type of cuisine 52:58 - Best places to take overseas friends in Sydney 53:43 - Best spots to bring an older mentor for dinner 54:13 - Lydia’s top pick for date nights to impress a girl 54:47 - Lydia’s picks for “bang for your buck” dining experiences 55:09 - Her thoughts on this podcast (1st podcast she's done) 56:23 - Thoughts on the fast-paced nature of the marketing industry 56:47 - Recent life discoveries 57:51 - Lydia’s opinion on using the Advantage+ option on Meta 59:25 - Multi-advertiser option on Meta Ads 59:44 - Maximizing dynamic Ad copy and headlines in Meta Ads 1:00:23 - Audience targeting on Meta Ads 1:00:58 - How Lydia would optimize for leads when running ads in the F&B space 1:01:32 - Organic content & retargeting marketing strategies 1:03:32 - Comparing ROI: $10K on cold ads vs. $10K on hiring creators to produce five pieces of content daily 1:03:14 - Creating organic content to achieve free reach 1:05:54 - Personal goals for the next 6 months 1:07:05 - Would Lydia raise kids in Sydney or Malaysia? 1:07:39 - Differences in raising children in Malaysia compared to Sydney 1:08:49 - Lydia reveals she speaks seven different languages 1:09:16 - Connect with Lydia Lau 1:10:00 - Outro