CUISINI

Sina Skulte, Founder

Hamburg, Germany

2024

CUISINI is bringing simple, delicious recipes to a kitchen near you

Sina Skulte started CUISINI as a fun way to think up recipes between her studies. But less than a decade later, CUISINI is one of Germany’s most popular cooking blogs.

Keeping cooking simple

As a student, Sina Skulte would break up long study sessions by posting videos on YouTube. Although at the time she didn’t have much knowledge when it came to content creation, the videos were a fun way for her to engage with her love of cooking.

After casually building up her YouTube presence for a little while, Sina was picked for the YouTube NextUp program. The initiative unites hundreds of up-and-coming YouTube creators from around the world, giving them the network of fellow creators and resources needed to improve their content and grow their following.

“It was during the NextUp program that I met another food blogger who gave me some valuable tips,” says Sina. “The whole experience encouraged me to place a greater focus on my food blog and see if I could grow my following.”

This marked the moment Sina became serious about her cooking blog, CUISINI. The site was founded on an attractive idea: what if cooking and baking could be simple and enjoyable? After all, life can get hectic — so why not choose a recipe with just a few ingredients that can come together in a short space of time?

Now Sina was off to the races as a content creator. And with more readers finding her tasty, accessible recipes, it was time to find a way to turn her enjoyable hobby into a sustainable business.

A powerful ad partner

During her time at NextUp, Sina learned about Google AdSense. A fellow creator explained that supporting their content with ads had helped them start generating income. Best of all, it was easy to set up, even for digital content beginners. Plus, Sina liked that an ad-supported model would keep her content free.

“It's a win-win situation for everyone involved,” says Sina. “The reader gets free recipes and I can focus on creating high-quality content without having to worry about income every month.

Fellow food blogger Annelie from Heisse Himbeeren turned Sina on to Mediavine, a Google Certified Publishing Partner who could help manage her ad strategy. With Mediavine taking care of ad strategy, Sina would have more free time to focus on developing recipes. Today she says choosing Mediavine was one of the best decisions she’s made as a blogger.

“Thanks to the ease of AdSense and the skills of the team at Mediavine, my income is stable and continues to grow over time,” she says.

A recipe for success

Adopting an ad-supported model transformed Sina’s business - “my site income has grown from a few hundred euros per month to a few thousand,” she says. Best of all, the steady income enabled her to work on the blog full-time.

“I never imagined I would be able to work on this full time,” says Sina. “It's still strange to me to this day that I can pursue my passion and earn money with it. When I first dedicated myself full-time on the blog, I thought the only route for me to make a living would be selling cookbooks. But then I learned about ads.”

What pushed Sina’s income to the next level was embracing the power of an ad-supported model on her blog. “It was the best decision I made on this journey,” she says.

“When I first dedicated myself full-time on the blog, I thought the only route for me to make a living would be selling cookbooks. But then I learned about ads.”

The cherry of top

Above all, Sina appreciates the lifestyle full-time food blogging affords her. She works on her schedule, doing the thing she loves — and she makes reliable income doing it.

“I love the fact that I can work so flexibly and at the times I want,” says Sina. “I really enjoy being in the kitchen and developing new recipes that work and taste great. And I also love the part where I sit at my desk and work on my blog and try to understand what readers really want.”

Brainstorming those exciting new recipes and tips for readers is what keeps Sina going. Despite all the success she’s already had, she can’t help but get excited about bigger and better ideas to take her blog to the next level.

“I always have so many ideas that my head almost explodes sometimes,” says Sina with a laugh. “In the last few months, I've sworn to myself that I'm going to take it easy, but it’s hard to stop myself from brainstorming new recipes and more tips to help readers with quick cooking. On top of that, I’m hoping to create more international content with CUISINI in the future.”

Of course, this “one-woman show” of food blogging takes time and effort. On those days when she works herself too hard, it’s the positive feedback from readers that keeps Sina going.

“I love it when my readers tell me that they have cooked or baked something of mine and that the whole family, soccer team or an entire retirement home enjoyed it. That really excites me and keeps me motivated to create more great content.”

About the Publisher

Sina Skulte is a food blogger and YouTube creator based in Hamburg.