Grow your cottage food business on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok
Social media is the most powerful (and free!) marketing tool for small food businesses. It helps you:
Visual platforms let your delicious food speak for itself
Connect directly with customers and build loyal fans
Let people know what's available and where to find you
Turn followers into customers with compelling content
You don't need to be everywhere. Focus on 1-2 platforms where your customers hang out:
Why it's perfect for food: Highly visual, great discovery features, popular with foodies and gift buyers.
✅ Best For:
🎯 Target Audience:
Why it works: Massive reach, great for local groups, events, and community building.
✅ Best For:
🎯 Target Audience:
Why it's powerful: Viral potential, younger audience, fun behind-the-scenes content.
✅ Best For:
🎯 Target Audience:
Never run out of content! Mix these types of posts throughout the week:
Consistency beats perfection. Here's a simple schedule to start with:
Monday
• Weekly flavor announcement or market schedule
Wednesday
• Behind-the-scenes content or product photo
Friday
• Weekend market reminder or pre-order cutoff
Sunday (optional)
• Market recap, thank you, or next week preview
Instagram & Facebook:
TikTok:
Your smartphone is all you need. Follow these tips for drool-worthy photos:
The #1 rule for food photography:
Level up your social media content with these affordable tools:
Perfect lighting for photos and videos, adjustable brightness
Flexible tripod for overhead shots and video recording
Double-sided white and wood texture boards for clean backgrounds
Rustic utensils, plates, and styling tools
As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. These tools can help improve your content quality.
Hashtags help new customers discover your content. Use a mix of sizes:
Large (1M+ posts)
Hard to rank, but huge reach
#food #baking #homemade
Medium (100K-1M)
Sweet spot for engagement
#cottagefood #floridamade
Small (Under 100K)
Easier to rank, targeted
#orlandobaker #tampafoodie
General Food:
#homemadegoodness #bakedfromscratch #foodie #instafood #foodphotography #foodstagram
Cottage Food Specific:
#cottagefood #cottagebakery #homemadebakery #cottagefoodbusiness #smallbatchbaking
Florida & Local:
#floridacottagefood #floridabaker #orlandofoodie #miamieats #tampafoodies #jacksonvillefood
Your City:
#[yourcity]baker #[yourcity]foodie #[yourcity]local #[yourcity]farmersmarket
Social media is social - don't just broadcast, engage!
Reply within 24 hours. Ask questions back to keep conversations going.
Spend 15 min before posting to like/comment on followers' posts. They'll reciprocate!
Repost customer photos (with credit). It builds trust and makes customers feel special.
Monthly giveaway = new followers. Rules: Like, follow, tag 2 friends. Prize: $25 product credit.
Partner with complementary businesses (coffee roasters, florists). Cross-promote each other.
1. Optimize your bio
Clear description + what you sell + where to buy + link to website/ordering
2. Switch to a business account
Get insights, add contact button, run ads if you want. It's free!
3. Post your next market/availability TODAY
Simple text post works: "At [market] this Saturday 9am-1pm! Here's what I'm bringing..."
4. Take 10 product photos this week
Build a content library so you always have something to post
5. Follow 20 local food accounts
Engage genuinely with their content. Build your local food community.
Ready to grow your cottage food business on social media?