There are many reasons why serious foodies need to stop Yelping. This is my attempt to motivate and convince Yelpers to drop Yelp. Yelp is the laughing stock of the culinary industry for their garbage reviews.
Everyone from Anthony Bourdain to renown chefs can’t stand Yelpers. However, it doesn’t stop people flocking to Yelp to earn a worthless Elite Badge.
First and foremost, Yelp gives out Elite badges for writing shitty reviews like Trump gives out childish nicknames. How hard is it to become a Yelp Elite? Easy. Yelpers flaunt their badge like a medal of honor. However, Yelp is a complete joke. If those reasons weren’t enough, I’ve gathered more reasons why foodies should stop Yelping.
One word. Instagram. Instagram has changed the culinary world. Instagram is where foodies flock to display their photography skills and it has reshaped the online foodie community.
It’s where the culinary world goes for inspiration for food trends, picture angles, and concepts. There are countless Instagram foodies who get invited to grand opening and tasting events. I’m not talking about ones with only 100k followers.
They’re a lot of small (i.e., less than 5k) Instagram foodie accounts who get invited. It’s much better than a Yelp Elite event. Yelp is where the culinary world goes for a good laugh. Instagram requires less work than Yelp and it should be the reason why foodies should stop Yelping.
Is posting food pictures completely obnoxious? Absolutely. However, the same can be said about the fashion, fitness, and travel Instagrammers. However, the food pictures have become identical in style with the over-saturated editing or minimalist presentation.
It has spawn copycats across the platform because everyone is in the rush to boost their numbers in hopes to monetize their pages and become an “influencer”. All you need to do is mimic what works on Instagram.
Why should you stop Yelping? Simple. You’re being con by Yelp. Here are the top 4 reasons why foodies should stop Yelping:
1) You’re a joke
As mentioned, the culinary industry loathes Yelpers. I have to agree with them because Yelp created a facade with its Yelp Elite Badge. The “Yelp Elite” is a marketing tool for people to think they’re sitting at the cool table in high school.
However, the ‘cool table’ is disdained by the real industry elites. Is your Elite badge worth anything in the real world? No. How hard is it to get an Elite badge? It’s as hard as watching your cheating ex get cheated on.
In other words, it’s not hard at all. All you have to do is write 20-30 one to two paragraph reviews within 3-4 months. If you apply, I’ll guarantee you a Yelp Elite badge will be making its way to your Yelp profile.
It’s even easier to get one if you live in a city where Yelp doesn’t have a strong presence. Say Vancouver, Istanbul, Hong Kong, or Toronto?
2) Garbage reviews
Yelp is filed with garbage reviews. The lack of depth is as common as over-saturated food pictures on Instagram. Yelp reviews are known for their obnoxious complaints about the most insignificant things and false narratives.
The platform is filled with one paragraph reviews from vocabulary challenged Yelpers who adjectives flip flopped between “Sooo good” or “Soo bad”.
I don’t know any ‘serious’ foodie who wants to be associated with Yelp. A serious foodie would have started a blog instead contributing content for a superficial badge on Yelp. Are all Yelp reviews garbage? No.
My estimation would be 99.98%. That’s a lot. Any legit foodie would not use Yelp.
3) You’re working for free
Seriously. You’re working for free. When you write a Yelp review, you’re contributing your time and effort for free. You’re basically a freelance writer who doesn’t receive a paycheck.
When you post a picture, you’re a photographer who will never receive a pretty penny in royalties. I’m sorry. I totally forgot. If you’re a Yelp Elite, you get free food at the Yelp Elite events.
Yelp takes your review to sell advertisements to small businesses. There are countless stories where Yelp tries to extort small businesses for advertising dollars.
As soon as they decline, the small businesses’ Yelp ratings drops. Guess what? Those advertising dollars don’t get shared with you.
4) Monetization
Don’t you want to monetize your writing? That’s why serious foodies need to leave the platform. There isn’t a way to monetize your Yelp reviews unlike Facebook, Twitter, Google+, or Pinterest posts.
Owners scuff and shame people online for threatening to leave a bad review. Yelp is a selfish platform. Foodies should leave Yelp behind and start their own blog. It’s the best way to monetize your blog.
In addition, a blogger is taken a lot more serious than a Yelper. It legitimizes your love for food and the love can turn into a full-time career. I don’t suggest adding free content to Yelp. It’s like having a lover who doesn’t care about you no matter what you do.
Summary
Yelp is a waste of your time. It’s bad for any serious foodie because it takes away your earning potential. Yelp has branded its Elite badge as a worth wild status; however, it’s a worthless badge used to gain free content from hapless Yelpers who put superficial value on it.
Why should any foodie keep bringing food to a potluck when the host just eats your food without giving anything back? That should be the main reason why foodies should stop Yelping.
All is not all lost, Yelpers. I would suggest starting your own blog, concrete on your Instagram account, and figure out ways to monetize both. Don’t know anything about starting a blog? We have you cover. Check out our blog starter guide here.
If you want more followers on Instagram, check out our favorite social media service here.
