Over the years, we’ve spent countless days and frankly, quite a bit of money, learning all we can about the business of blogging.
Blogging isn’t a get rich quick career, but with the right skills, hard work, and a bit of luck along the way, it can be hugely rewarding.
BLOGGING RESOURCES
Hosting – We’re going to break from the crowd and NOT recommend BlueHost despite them wooing me with HUGE affiliate payouts. I wasn’t happy with the hosting service or customer service.
Melissa currently uses BigScoots and Angela uses Agathon. We love them both!
Email List/Newsletters – Make sure you have a way to collect emails from day 1. Email subscribers are your biggest fans and aren’t impacted by social media algorithms. We’ve tried several different options including MailChimp and ConvertKit, but MailerLite seems to be the best combo of features and pricing at the moment. Melissa is testing out a new service called Flodesk as well.
Staying Organized – We use Airtable to organize everything in life now!
Instagram Scheduling – Melissa uses Later because I can schedule from the computer or the phone. And it’s free for up to 30 posts/month! Angela loves PLANN and it has some amazing features.
Pinterest Scheduling – We both use Tailwind. Just make sure you set up and use board lists to make pinning faster!
Slides from a Beginning Blog Monetization Presentation – Melissa was invited to do a class at a local co-working/entrepreneur center and while they aren’t as helpful without the coordinating talk, they still give a good overview.
MediaVine – We wholeheartedly recommend the team at MediaVine for ad management. They have a 25K session/month minimum and one of your first goals should be growing to that point. They maximize how much ad revenue you will receive and do it with tons of integrity! Before that point, Adsense will help you earn a little.
We both meet the thresholds for Mediavine’s competitors, but choose to stay with Mediavine!
COURSE/BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS
Building a Framework – This is the best beginner/intermediate blogging course I’ve found. It’s just as good, or better as one I took that was 4 times the price. It’s the only course you need to get started and is worth well more than the price tag.
Photography Basics for Blogging – I’d recommend the Pro package with Lightroom videos, because learning Lightroom has been the #1 improver of my photo quality AND a huge time-saver.
SEO Course – This one is a bit more advanced and more of an investment since it’s a monthly fee. I’ve done a couple other SEO courses in the past and this one is far easier to understand. Plus there is a Facebook group where Jeff answers questions, which is priceless! For total beginners, just use the info in the Building a Framework book. When you’ve conquered all the basics, this is a great next step!
Bloggers Guide to Taxes Ebook – This ebook is very affordable and a must read if you are planning to monetize your blog!
RULES & REGULATIONS YOU NEED TO KNOW
Legally Using Affiliate Links & Sponsored Posts: FTC Guidelines for Disclosure & 2017 FTC Warning Letters/Clarifications
STAYING an Amazon Affiliate: Amazon Affiliate Program Rules & Most Common Mistakes
Don’t Anger Google: Google Adsense Rules