The rise of the monthly challenge?

Cooking & Baking Challenges

Several of our clients have recently asked for help adding a monthly Cooking or Baking Challenge to their food blogs. These are not new–Sally’s Baking Addiction was likely the first to launch one in 2017–but interest in them is definitely growing.

It’s a simple idea with a lot of upside: feature one recipe each month, invite readers to make it, and offer a small prize.

I researched the top two thousand food blogs and found 15 that are currently running these challenges. 

How the challenge works

Each month, the blogger selects a recipe (sometimes the audience votes for it). Readers make the dish, leave a star rating or comment, and send a photo as proof. At the end of the month, a winner is chosen at random. 

The challenge is promoted across their site, newsletter, and social channels. 

Most bloggers don’t share entry numbers, but the activity in the comments makes it clear that readers love the idea.

Prizes

Prizes vary, but most offer $100 Amazon gift cards, with values ranging between $50 and $250. Some give away two or three prizes. A few also give every entrant a small bonus, such as a free e-cookbook, or make a charitable donation for every recipe review.

The tech used

Behind the scenes, larger sites often use Gleam.io to collect entries, verify photo uploads and recipe ratings, and randomly pick winners. Others use the popular WordPress plugin Gravity Forms to gather the information. Many tie their entry forms to subscribe people to their mailing list.

See the challenges in action

Here are the direct links if you’d like to see how different bloggers are presenting their challenges:

• Ahead of Thyme
• Chef Savvy (launched yesterday with our help!)
• Feel Good Foodie
• Isabel Eats
• Just One Cookbook
• Kroll’s Korner
• Natasha’s Kitchen
• Nom Nom Paleo
• Sally’s Baking Addiction
• Pumpkin ’n Spice
• Stephanie’s Sweets
• The Busy Baker (run via Facebook)
• What Molly Made
• Whip it Like Butter
• Well Plated

Why it works

A regular challenge gives readers another reason to keep coming back. Engagement rises as people comment, rate recipes, and share their own photos, which increases time on site and encourages deeper content exploration. Those regular visits create fresh content signals for search engines, and the extra ratings help recipes earn rich-result stars, lifting SEO performance. Entry forms grow email lists, and the social sharing that comes with a challenge extends the site’s reach. The additional traffic and longer sessions can also improve ad revenue. Sponsors may see the appeal and provide prizes in the future. 

The takeaway

Cooking and baking challenges provide readers with a monthly incentive to visit, cook, and share. They are a low-cost way to build engagement, strengthen community, and grow traffic, email lists, and revenue.

If you’d like help setting one up (e.g., landing page, automated entry form, email reminders, and the design pieces), we can handle the technical side so you can focus on choosing the recipe and connecting with your readers. 

Update September 29, 2025

Facebook has announced new “Fan Challenge” features: