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You should never struggle to make money blogging. From day one, you can set up your blog to make money, while you provide free valuable content to readers.
There are so many ways to make money, and so many (often free) tools available to help make money blogging. No matter your blogging niche, whether you’re a travel blogger, mom blogger, fashion blogger, or food blogger, there are plenty of tools you can use to help make money blogging in 2018.
Ready to make money blogging?
Some of these tools I invested in right when I started my blog, others I added over time to make more money blogging. I needed reliable web hosting, programs to create beautiful images for my site and social media, and ways to organize the money I made running a blogging business. Here’s my list of top blog tools to help make money blogging.
Bluehost
You can’t make money with a blog without a reliable website host. Even if you already started your site and opted for a cheap-o web host, you can upgrade to a cost-effective, but reliable service like Bluehost easily. This is important if you plan to grow your blog and add lots of beautiful photos to attract readers. If you want a web host that can support a growing site, check out Bluehost here.
Tailwind
Pinterest sends thousands + thousands of views to my site, but taking the time to pin on Pinterest daily is a lot of work! Tailwind, a Pinterest-approved automation tool, has made it possible to scale my following without spending all day on Pinterest. It’s a way to help make money blogging that I couldn’t live without. You can try Tailwind free with this offer.
Divi Theme
I wasted so many profitable blogging months wasting my time with crappy website themes. The free ones never met my needs, and other paid blog themes didn’t offer drag-and-drop features. Being a visual person, Divi Theme is a lifesaver! I’m finally empowered to edit my blog to look just-right, without frustration. I highly recommend it – make life easier and get the Divi Theme here.
Stitch Fix
Taking professional photos to put on your homepage and on Instagram to promote your blog can feel scary. I always loved picking out cute clothes in the store, but when I expanded Sip Bite Go to YouTube, I fell in love with Stitch Fix. My closet is now tailored to my personal style, and it saves me so much time and frustration shopping. The best part is, you only keep and pay for the clothes you absolutely love. Return shipping is free. My husband even started getting his own Stitch Fix. We get really excited when our boxes come in. If you want to look more put-together for blog photos and in your personal life, get a free style assessment quiz on Stitch Fix here.
IPSY
This is another one I love to keep my look up-to-date. Clumpy mascara and outdated makeup looks really bad on camera (and in real life!). For just $10 a month, this service has been critical to keeping my mascara fresh, skin glowing, and hair soft and shiny. Once you fill out your profile, IPSY only send the types of makeup and beauty products you want, in the shades you like to wear. If you want to keep your makeup fresh for a really cheap price, sign up for IPSY here.
Fiverr
The first step in having a memorable brand is crafting the right logo. If you’re not a graphic designer, Fiverr will help you hire one for as low as $5. It’s free to open a Fiverr account here.
Mail Chimp
If you don’t send emails to your website subscribers, you’re missing out on traffic and growing relationships with loyal readers. Mail Chimp is free up to 2,000 subscribers. It’s easy to add Mail Chimp email opt-ins to any site template, and it’s easy to build beautiful emails with their drag and drop features. If you’re not using a great email provider yet, check out the free Mail Chimp plans.
Creative Live
Talk about life-changing skill development. If you are a creative entrepreneur like me, you’ll love Creative Live. They bring in really impressive teachers to share knowledge on photography, blogging skills, business skills, and a ton of other topics to help you grow your brand. My photography skills alone have increased so much from these classes, that I’m opening a food photography website. That’s something I never thought I would say! You can live-stream Creative Live classes from anywhere in the world. The best part is that you can watch many classes for free! The only cost associated is if you want to buy the class to “own” and for any bonus materials. Check out all the free skills you can learn to help your blog and site photography with Creative Live classes here.
PicMonkey
While I love Photoshop, there are easier programs if you’re not graphic design savvy. I suggest blogging beginners create promotional graphics for their blog with PicMonkey. PicMonkey makes it easy to make beautiful new graphics for blog posts and social media posts. I love using automatic grid layouts for my Pinterest posts and client social media graphics. See how to make eye-catching blog promotions with PicMonkey here.
Food Blogger Pro
No matter your photography experience and blogging experience, you can learn to grow and promote a beautiful food blog with the help of Food Blogger Pro. They have video classes for every level of food blogger. Join Food Blogger Pro here.
Grammarly
Unless you have an English teacher to check your blog posts, you’ll want to use a service like Grammarly. I use the free service option and it’s really helpful! It’s 100X better than relying on you computer’s default spell check feature. If you want to have a polished website and reduce nerves when hitting “publish”, sign up for Grammarly.
Quickbooks
If you’re ready to make serious money blogging, you’ll need to easily organize receipts and blogging income. Taxes became less of a nightmare when I started organizing my expenses and income in Quickbooks.
Share a sale
Find a sponsor for your web site and get matched with brands looking to promote their products on blogs. Start earning affiliate commission when you sign up for free at Share a Sale.
Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions about the tools you can use to help make money blogging. Use my contact form to get in touch.
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