As a new blogger, I have been going all over the internet trying to figure out what the best tools and resources are for me. Honestly, all the information is a little overwhelming because there is just so much out there! After a lot of searching, I’ve now got some firm favourites that I use to make blogging a little bit easier.
Blogging is way more than just going online, typing up something and hitting the publish button; there's a lot of behind the scenes work that goes into just one (1) blog post, and I've really come to learn that. So, let's go over the tools I love to use for blogging!
ORGANISATION
My first organisational favourite is definitely Google Drive. I use this everyday because it has all of my important documents in there. I use Google Docs to write out my blog posts before putting them into Blogger, and I use Google Sheets for my editorial calendar. My editorial calendar is so important because it helps me keep track of all the posts I’ve published and plan to write out later, so Google Drive is definitely a lifesaver!
I also love Google Calendar and Google Keep for keeping myself organised. I put my scheduled posts in Google Calendar and set a reminder for when they will be going live. Google Keep is what I use when I’m out of the house and a new thought comes to my head; it lets me quickly write down the idea before it escapes me forever! I wrote about both of these apps and how I use them in this post.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Other than Twitter and Instagram, I use these next two apps every single day to help me out. To schedule my posts, I love using Buffer. Buffer schedules my tweets so they go up at certain times, so I don’t have to continuously tweet myself. It’s so useful for saving time and getting people to find my posts.
Other than Twitter and Instagram, I use these next two apps every single day to help me out. To schedule my posts, I love using Buffer. Buffer schedules my tweets so they go up at certain times, so I don’t have to continuously tweet myself. It’s so useful for saving time and getting people to find my posts.
Bit.ly is great for social media too. When I copy my post link, it’s so long and doesn’t look that great either. So, Bit.ly shortens the tweet down so it’s easier on the eyes and saves some space in Twitter. It also tracks the number of times your link has been clicked on, which is super useful.
PHOTOGRAPHY
Finally, we have my photography favourites. Canva is my go-to for editing photos by adding some text. I also used it for my header and favicon too, so it’s very versatile. I love that the features are easy to use and it’s free, so that’s definitely a bonus!
Finally, we have my photography favourites. Canva is my go-to for editing photos by adding some text. I also used it for my header and favicon too, so it’s very versatile. I love that the features are easy to use and it’s free, so that’s definitely a bonus!
Another favourite is VSCO. I take photos with my phone and I don’t feel compelled to go out and buy a camera just yet. VSCO helps me edit my pictures quickly and also stores a lot of my blog photos. Once I save these photos to my phone, I back them up onto Google Photos so I can easily add them into a blog post before I schedule.
Sometimes, I'm unable to take my own photos (the sun now disappears at 3pm so it's difficult to get natural light!), so instead I like to use stock photos. You can get all the stock photos your heart desires right here! Just be sure to read the legal bits to make sure everything is gonna be fine!
Sometimes, I'm unable to take my own photos (the sun now disappears at 3pm so it's difficult to get natural light!), so instead I like to use stock photos. You can get all the stock photos your heart desires right here! Just be sure to read the legal bits to make sure everything is gonna be fine!
And that’s it! I think this list is really basic but as a new blogger they’re perfect for me to get stuff done. Comment below your favourite blogging tools so I can find some other great ones!
This is my last post for 2017, and I just want to say a huuuge thank you to everyone who has commented, and followed me on social media! I've loved finding lovely new blogs, and I can't wait to come back to posting for 2018! Be sure to follow me on Twitter and Instagram to keep up with all the Christmas-related stuff and I'll see you all soon! Have an amazing new year!💙
Photo Credit: Create Her Stock
This is my last post for 2017, and I just want to say a huuuge thank you to everyone who has commented, and followed me on social media! I've loved finding lovely new blogs, and I can't wait to come back to posting for 2018! Be sure to follow me on Twitter and Instagram to keep up with all the Christmas-related stuff and I'll see you all soon! Have an amazing new year!💙
Photo Credit: Create Her Stock