When I started blogging, Pinterest wasn’t yet a thing. I didn’t worry much about my images, only adding them in product reviews and maybe doing a Wordless Wednesday every now and then.

Boy, have things changed! Thankfully, the PicMonkey editor came along right about the same time I started really focusing on Pinterst and creating pin-worthy images. Because of it’s user-friendly interface, I recommend it for beginners who want to create images that will get pinned again and again.

PicMonkey Editor Tutorial: How to Create Pin-worthy Images

Before we dive into creating pin-worthy images using PicMonkey, we need to talk about where to get images for your post. I typically use a styled stock photo, cropping and adding text to get that irresistible, pinnable look. However, you are free to use your own original photography if you choose.

Now, you can’t just rush off to Google, search for the photo you need, and slap it on your blog as your own. There’s illegal, and you can be sued for stealing someone else’s image!

Grab the Cheatsheet!

Create beautiful, pin-worthy images for your blog posts every time with this free cheatsheet!

Success! Now check your email to download your freebie!

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

First Name

Email Address

We use this field to detect spam bots. If you fill this in, you will be marked as a spammer.

Give me the goods! Powered by ConvertKit

However, there are plenty of free and paid websites that sell rights to stock images so you can use them without getting yourself in trouble. Check out these free places:

• Pixabay
• Unsplash

McKinzie at Moms Make Cents has an awesome resource for more free styled stock photos!

I also like these paid stock photo resources:

• Deposit Photos
• Adobe Stock

Okay, so you have a great photo you want to turn into a pin-worthy image. Off to the PicMonkey editor we go!

Selecting the “Edit a pic” button in the center of the screen brings you inside the PicMonkey editor with a basic image. You want to find the one you have saved on your computer, so click “Open” in the top menu and load the image into PicMonkey.

Here, I am working with a photo I purchased from Adobe Stock for just $1.

Sizing the Image for Pinterest

The first thing you want to do is resize the image so that it is long and vertical. If you take a look at Pinterest, you will see the longer pin images attract more repins. I like for my images to be 735 x 1300+ pixels. You can adjust this by going to the resize option in the menu.

If you have a photo that is more horizontal in nature, you can crop a section of it to use as your Pin-worthy image. Simply set your crop dimension option to “Pinterest pin” and it defaults to at least 735 pixels wide.

Adding a Text Overlay

The PicMonkey editor is installed with many free fonts, but with the Royale plan you can use the fonts installed on your computer. I personally love doing this because I have specific fonts I use for my brand.

There are a few different ways you can create the text overlay so that they image is easy to read and ready to for many users to pin!

There’s the total, semi-transparent overlay. This will completely cover your image with a colored overlay so your text really stands out.

You can also do a smaller overlay, taking up as much as the stock image as you wish.

To create either of these overlays, move down to the “Overlays” menu. Under the “General” section, click the rectangle shape to add it to your image. Click the corners and outside lines of your rectangle to shape and move it as you wish. Then, use the shape’s pop-up menu to set the color and fade (transparency).

When you are satisfied with the overlay placement, it’s time to add the text! Venture to the “Text” menu in the PicMonkey editor. Choose the font that best fits your brand and add in the text. Choose a title or phrase that will make the Pinterest user want to click.

Something enticing like “10 Ways to….” or “The 1 Simple Trick to…” work great! There will be a pop-up menu for the text settings as well. They allow you to change the color, size and fade of the text.

Use two fonts to really make certain words in your title stand out. For example, I wanted Simple Ways and More Time to be eye-catching. How many of us could use more time?? And how many want it to be found in a SIMPLE way?!

Don’t forget to include your blog link! This will help you watermark your image so someone else won’t steal it for their own website. It also helps people find the owner of the article, should they come across your image somewhere other than Pinterest.

When you are finished editing your image, click Save in the top menu of the PicMonkey editor. Specify your file name, and ensure your graphic is the proper size. There is also a quality setting, which I leave on “Pierce” to keep the file size small. Click “save” and choose where you want the image to be saved.

Voila! You now have a pin-worthy image ready for your blog post!

Grab the Cheatsheet!

Create beautiful, pin-worthy images for your blog posts every time with this free cheatsheet!

Success! Now check your email to download your freebie!

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

First Name

Email Address

We use this field to detect spam bots. If you fill this in, you will be marked as a spammer.

Give me the goods! Powered by ConvertKit

Do you use the PicMonkey Editor to create your pin-worthy images?

The post PicMonkey Editor Tutorial: How to Create Pin-worthy Images appeared first on Online Income Mom.

The “Build a Successful Blog” Prize Pack, valued at $200!

Bold Beginnings eBook ($12) by Chantal Steele

Chantal is all about helping moms find their potential in the blogging world on her blog, Busy Blogging Mom. Her ebook features over 100 pages of information and guidance to help you grow your blog. Chantal includes the strategies she uses to take new blogs from 0 to 30,000+ page views in just 3 months!

With the book, you get:

Blog Traffic eBook ($25) by Lena Gott

I met Lena at a blogging conference in 2015, and I had no idea what a mentor she would become for me! Her blog, What Mommy Does, is an excellent resource for making money online.

Lena has sold over 700 copies of her informative book on blog traffic. The ebook shares the 17 strategies she used to boost her blog from 17K to 350K pageviews in just 9 months. This lady now makes over $9,000/month from blogging, so she is definitely someone to pay attention too!

What you get inside Lena’s Blog Traffic eBook:

Tailwind 6-Month Membership (~$50)

Tailwind is an amazing service to schedule and locate quality content to share on Pinterest. It is what I use on a daily basis, and I love it!

How to Write Blog and Web Content More Quickly ($19) by Laura Pennington

Laura has been a freelance writer for over five years. She enjoys sharing her knowing for content creation and securing clients with her students on her website, Six Figure Writing Secrets. This course will help a blogger write more content in less time!

Pinterest to Profits ($97) by McKinzie Bean

If you are ready to rock Pinterest, you need this course from McKinzie of Moms Make Cents. She has over delivered with this course, providing information on setting up your profile, Rich Pins, creating the perfect Pinterest images, and helping make a pin go viral. There are lots of bonuses included too!

Blog Boosting Analysis ($47) by Kecia Hambrick

Let me use my eight years of blogging and creating web content to help you boost your blog! I will take a look at your blog and suggest areas to improve in gaining traffic, monetizing your blog, and getting more loyal readers. This service has been requested more than once, so I am throwing my service into the ring for this giveaway!

The post Build a Successful Blog Giveaway {$250 Prize Pack} appeared first on Online Income Mom.

There are a list of things you need to do to get your blog ready for 2017. I have listed a few of these below, but you can access the full list by downloading the free printable checklist with 15 tasks to do now to ensure your blog is looking great in 2017!

Get the Free Checklist!

Get my FREE "15 Tasks to Get your Blog Ready for 2017" checklist and start organizing your blog today!

Success! Now check your email for your checklist!

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

First Name

Email Address

We use this field to detect spam bots. If you fill this in, you will be marked as a spammer.

Send it my way! Powered by ConvertKit

15 Tasks to Get your Blog Ready for 2017

1. Update your “About Me”.

Take a look at the photo on your About Me page. Is it more than a year old? Replace it with a newer one. Read through the details on the page, and update ages, locations, or anything else that has changed. Add a few new links to the page, showcasing newer posts that have been popular on your blog.

2. Check for broken links.

It’s not good for your readers to have dead and broken links throughout your blog. If they click and can’t find what they need, they may get frustrated and leave your site altogether. Use a broken link checker plugin to easily find URLs that need to be replaced or removed.

3. Clean up categories and tags.

Throughout the year, you may have created new categories or tags for your blog with great intentions. However, if you only have 1-2 posts in these groups, you can certainly do some clean up. To keep your blog user friendly, limit your categories to 10. Add the most popular ones to your navigation menu so your readers easily find what you have to offer.

4. Update social media bios.

Your blog isn’t the only thing in your online business that needs to be updated for 2017! Make sure your Twitter and Facebook bios are up to date. Reword them to include new keywords and phrases that are pertinent to you and your blog. Consider new cover photos if the ones you have been using are more than 6 months old.

5. Refresh older blog posts.

It’s possible your blog contains outdated information. You may have written about something time-sensitive that is no longer happening, or has changed dates and times. Make sure you venture back through older posts and add or remove any necessary details. This is a great way to have new content to feature when you are too busy to write something completely original!

6. Create new pinnable images.

Take a look at your Pinterest analytics. Is there a certain style of images that have been getting more pins than others? If so, it’s time for a refresh! Sort through older posts that you want more traffic to – or that deserve more traffic.

Create new pinnable images using one of these 3 simple image creation tools and pin them. You can also schedule them to pin with a service like Tailwind – which I recommend in order to really get your content out there on Pinterest.

7. Reflect on your most popular posts.

Now it’s time to look at more stats, this time from Google Analytics. Look into your most popular posts for 2016. Create new post titles from the ones that are getting your blog the most traffic. That way, you can interlink the posts and boost your traffic in the new year.

8. Get a new blog design or logo.

Many bloggers like to get a new look for their blogs when a new year is starting. It’s like a chance to start fresh! You can purchase a theme to tweak on your own, or hire a professional to create new logo or design for you.

9. Declutter your sidebar.

Evaluate the banners, images, and other items you have stashed in your sidebar. Are there any outdated ads? Feature some of your most popular posts in your sidebar to put your blog’s best foot forward in 2017. You can also feature banner ads for affiliate products to increase your blog income.

10. Create new opt-in forms.

It may be time for a refresh in the freebies you are offering to build your email list. Sometimes, just the look of a new opt-in form will get more people signing up. The difference may catch more eyes. Better yet, leave the current form and add a new one somewhere else on the blog to double your chances of getting more subscribers!

Grab the free checklist for all 15 tasks to get your blog ready for 2017!

Get the Free Checklist!

Get my FREE "15 Tasks to Get your Blog Ready for 2017" checklist and start organizing your blog today!

Success! Now check your email for your checklist!

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

First Name

Email Address

We use this field to detect spam bots. If you fill this in, you will be marked as a spammer.

Send it my way! Powered by ConvertKit

What are you doing to get your blog ready for 2017?

The post 15 Tasks to Get your Blog Ready for 2017 + Free Printable Checklist appeared first on Online Income Mom.

But, where should you put your money?

If you are still in your first year of blogging, or the first year of investing in your blog, the following 5 things are probably the most important for you. They will ensure you look professional, get more done in less time, and find success with your blog!

Top 5 Investments to Make in your First Year of Blogging

1. Reliable Web Host

In order for your blog to stay up and running, you need a quality web host. Free blogging sites aren’t recommended by most because you don’t truly own your space. The blog could be deleted at any time without a notice or reason. It’s happened to many people on Blogger or the free WordPress.com.

Note: A free WordPress.com blog is not the same as the free WordPress.org platform. With WordPress.org, you have to install it on a hosting plan – see what I mean in my “How to Start a Blog” tutorial.

I recommend A Small Orange for web hosting. I have been with them for a year and a half, and they have provided me with nothing but top-notch service. From what I can tell, their chat support works 24/7. I recently had a plugin issue at 11:00pm EST and there was something there to help right then.

With ASO, you can get one year of hosting for about $40. Use code AFFILIATE15 to save an additional 15% off your first year to make it about $2.50/month. Plus, choosing the Small or higher plan will give you a free domain name too.

2. Professional Theme

If you want to be taken seriously as a blogger, you have to look the part. A high quality blog design is important. It needs to be clean, easy to navigate, and have your blog title prominently displayed at the top. Avoid too many bright colors or the black ground with white text. It’s just difficult to read – and downright annoying to the eyes!

I have used a number of themes in my 9 years of blogging, but there are a few I recommend. Genesis Themes are great for beginners. You can customize these without knowing any fancy coding. Plus, there are many styles to choose from! I like Lifestyle Pro to start out with, myself.

3. Pinterest Scheduling Tool

If you are only going to choose one blogging tool to help you gain traffic and readers, let it be something for Pinterest. Most bloggers can’t be on Pinterest throughout the day (for a total of 2-ish hours), pinning their content as well as quality posts from other bloggers. However, that’s what your account needs in order to stay active and be pumping out useful pins that others want to re-pin.

The solution? Tailwind!

Why Tailwind? I recommend it as the best Pinterest tool for a number of reasons. It’s the only approved Pinterest Marketing partner, so I feel safe using it. It won’t get my account banned, as long as I am using it as it’s recommended.

Also, the Tailwind Tribes feature has been amazingly useful in exposing my content for more repins as well as finding content I can share with my own followers.

And the analytics in Tailwind?! They are insane! It’s important to see what pins are doing the best to get your blog more page views. The number lover in me gets a little excited every I look through my stats on Tailwind.

SCHEDULE 100 PINS FOR FREE WITH TAILWIND NOW!

4. Email List Builder

In orer to engage with your readers, you need to start building an email list. FROM DAY ONE.

This is the only way to ensure your loyal followers get notified of your new posts. Sharing them on social media isn’t a guarantee, especially with the way that Facebook only shows you the posts they want you to see. It’s very easy that people can miss your posts, even if they would like to read them!

Having an email list lets you place yourself right in the inbox of your biggest fans. You can email them each time a new blog post goes live. Plus, you can communicate with them on special deals, exciting contests or challenges, or offer subscriber-only content they will find super helpful.

ConvertKit is my top choice for building my email list. I started with Mailchimp, but ConvertKit was designed with bloggers in mind. The automation, segmentation, and tagging just can’t be beat! With ConvertKit, you won’t pay for the same people multiple times, even if they sign up for every different freebie you offer.

5. One eBook or Course

In order to grow your blog, you need to invest in your education. Just like you would go to college to get a fancy job, you need to learn all you can about online marketing, blogging, web traffic, and conversions.

Why do I say to only get ONE ebook or course your first year of blogging?

Because it’s SUPER easy to get overwhelmed. There are so many books and courses out there, you can easily buy them up and then not know where to go next. It’s called “info overload” and it is seriously a real thing.

Choose one area where you’d like to grow your blog. Maybe you want to grow your email list. Or increase your page views. Or start monetizing with affiliate links. No matter what your goals, stick to one course until you have finished and implemented it.

I have a few helpful blogging ebook and course recommendations on my Resources page if you’re interested!

Wrap Up

Of course, there are many other things you could invest in for your blog. Some may buy plugins, a professionally-designed theme, services, or coaching. The options are endless to what you can purchase in order to grow your blog. However, I do think the 5 listed here are the most essential if you are starting out.

What investments are you considering? If you’re not new to blogging, what investments do you think are the most important in a blogger’s first year?

The post Top 5 Investments to Make in your First Year of Blogging appeared first on Online Income Mom.

If you have a long post, you’ll want to use images to help tell your story and break up long pieces of text.

There are three image creation tools I’m currently using to create the images for my blog and social media. I love them all for different reasons, and though I could probably cut down to just a single tool, I like the flexibility and features that each of them offer.

So, let’s dive into the three image creation tools that make blog images easy, shall we?

Blog Image Creation Made Easy with these Simple Tools

1. Picmonkey

Picmonkey will likely always be my first love when it comes to creating and editing graphics for my blog. It’s just so easy! I use Picmonkey to create Pinterest graphics, cute graphics for my gift guides, and any time I need a button or banner for a blog post. It’s also great for a quick resize or crop!

There is a free version of Picmonkey, which I used for the first 6 months or so. This will get you the basic editing tools, touch up features, fonts, and overlays. It can get you started if you need an easy solution for  blog images.

However, I quickly realized the value in upgrading to the Picmonkey Royale plan. For an annual fee that equals about $3/month (less than a Starbucks frappe, yay!), I am able to do much more with the program, including more advanced fonts and effects, editing after saving an image, and templates!

Collages are also easy to make with Picmonkey. You simply choose multiple pictures from your computer or Facebook, add them into one of the collage templates, and you’re done. These are great if you have multiple photos for a product review, or you are doing a roundup of recipes or crafts.

2. Canva

I recently switched to creating my Pinterest images in Canva. I purchased a pack of templates from Kristin at Believe in a Budget, and it has drastically decreased the amount of time it takes me to create a single pin. Plus, my branding is now ON POINT!

With Canva, you can quickly change up colors, fonts, and text on the templates to keep your branding cohesive while creating new images for your blog posts. Once I figured it all out, including choosing my blog’s fonts and colors, I can create an image in less than 10 minutes.

Plus, Canva’s preloaded templates make other social media images easy to create. I come to Canva when I need an image that is a specific size, such as a Facebook cover photo.

I use the free version of Canva, but there is a Canva for Work version available for $12/month. The only con I’ve found with the free version, is the inability to resize your image. Picmonkey allows this for free, so it’s a bit of a pain to save an image in Canva, just to upload it in Picmonkey to resize it.

3. Stencil

I recently discovered Stencil, and I am in love! They also allow you to save and edit templates, so I’ve been using it to make my Facebook and Twitter images. I already have the background image set to the perfect transparency, so all I have to do is change the text and color, add a new background, and voila!

Stencil comes pre-installed with over 800,000 free images and over 100,000 quotes. I have been using them to create graphics to share on Facebook and Instagram. Just something a little different so I’m not always spamming my Facebook page with links to my blog.

With Stencil, I have always been able to find a background image for my creations, so I don’t have to worry about paying for stock images elsewhere! You can upload your own background images though, if you wish.

There is a free version of Stencil that will allow you to create up to 10 images per month. I actually have the unlimited plan that lets me create as many images as I need. It also gives me access to all of the photos, icons, and templates they offer.

Do you use any of these blog image creation tools? Which is your favorite?

The post 3 Simple Image Creation Tools for your Blog appeared first on Online Income Mom.

You may be asking:

Which social media strategy will work best for my blog?

What’s the best way to begin?

Read on to learn four steps to a social media strategy for your blog that will help you get started.

4 Steps to a Successful Social Media Strategy

Step 1: Define Your Objectives and Set Goals

Start by determining what you hope to accomplish with your social media marketing. When you know what your goals are, it will help you determine which strategies to use to get to that point the fastest. You need to have a clear picture of where you’re going before you can get there.

Imagine where you want your blog to be in three months, six months or a year from now. Having set goals will help you stay on track and it will help you determine if the strategies you’re using are working for you.

There will be times when you need to make changes to accomplish your goals. Be flexible to adapting new strategies as you analyze what works and what doesn’t for your blog.

Step 2: Do Your Research and Choose Your Platforms

Doing research will help you learn more about your target audience, identify trends and it will help you choose the best platforms to use for your social media strategy. For example, if the majority of your target audience uses Facebook, then using Twitter to market your blog won’t be very productive.

The more you know about your audience, the easier it will be to reach them and accomplish the goals you set for your blog. You also want to research the marketing strategies that other bloggers within your industry use. This will help you find unique ways to market your blog so you can stand out from the rest.

Step 3: Determine When to Post Your Content

When you post your content is very important. You need to know when the majority of your followers are online so your posts reach more people. Google Analytics and similar tools can help you determine the best time to post your content. They also provide a lot of other useful information that will help you accomplish your marketing goals.

CoSchedule is another great tool that will help you decide when to publish your content for maximum effect. They analyze all of your shares across multiple platforms to give you the “best time” to post on each. When you schedule social media updates through CoSchedule, you can allow the program to choose the time each share goes out. It basically does your social media strategy research for you!

Step 4: Choose a Variety of Ways for Your Followers to Share Your Content

You want your followers to share your content with their friends and family. The more they share, the easier it will be to increase your online presence. The easiest way to encourage people to share your posts with others is to make it easy for them to do so. When your followers can use the method they like best, they will share more often.

Social Warfare is a WordPress plugin that makes it easy for your readers to share your content on many social media platforms. It’s the plugin I use to add buttons to the top and bottom of all my posts. There’s even a floating bar toward the button of the screen, so a post can be shared no matter where on the page your reader is!

These four steps will help you create a social marking strategy that will help you reach and connect with your audience. Now all you need is good, quality content that’s useful and interesting to keep them coming back.

Have your developed a social media strategy for your blog?

The post 4 Steps to a Successful Social Media Strategy for your Blog appeared first on Online Income Mom.

I have been super hesitant to share my income here on the blog, but I see so many other bloggers doing it. I know how motivational it is for me to see how others are making money online. I think we are all drawn to the exact numbers to know if something works or not.

So, it’s time for me to give back! Plus, I feel that this will hold me accountable in my online income journey. Hopefully it helps others see what is possible with an internet connection and a computer!

October 2016 Income

Alright, let’s get to the nitty gritty of my October income.

• Sponsored Content: $910
• Advertising: $134
• Freelance/VA Services: $776

Total Income: $1,820

Though I usually average $2000 or more online each month, October was way down…for a few different reasons. First, my summer was terrible. I didn’t get near as many sponsored posts as I normally do, and since they pay out 60 days, I am just getting a little bit of what sponsored work I did do over the summer.

Second, I was focused more on building Online Income Mom. This meant writing content, creating my lead magnet (blog monetization checklist), building my email list, and taking courses. I used the time I previously used on my parenting blog or services, so I didn’t have as much time to do the things that make me money immediately.

However, I believe investing the time into this blog will pay off down the road. That’s how blogging works sometimes. You have to put in a lot of effort for a few months before you begin to see a return on your investments.

October 2016 Expenses

You don’t want to know how much I spent on my online business in October! But, like I said before, investing now will allow me to make bank in the future!

• Fab FB Groups by Caitlin Bacher – $447
• X Theme – $64
• Genius Blogger’s Toolkit – $58.20
• Content Creation – $35
• Social Warfare Plugin – $29 (for a one-year license)
• Aweber – $19 (Though I switched to ConvertKit later in the month)
• Business Bank Account – $15
• Adobe Stock – $9.99
• CoSchedule – $9.50
• Facebook Ads – $2.12

Total Expenses: $688.81

Net Income: $1,131.19

October 2016 Traffic

• Unique Visitors: 3,540
• Pageviews: 5,844

My pageviews are steadily growing, as they were 4,795 in August. I slacked off on promotion in the last half of October, to do some freelancing and take courses. I want to make sure I don’t fall off the wagon in November.

My most popular post for October was “Explode your Blog Traffic & Income this Holiday Season!” with over 300 shares.

What Worked in October 2016

TAILWIND! Pinterst is my #1 source of traffic here at Online Income Mom. I attribute most of my success to Tailwind. It takes me less than 2 hours a week to set up my entire week’s worth of pins. Plus, their Tribes feature has me getting even more exposure for my pins!

Switching to ConvertKit! I have been wanting to switch for a while, so I finally bit the bullet and did it! Being the best autoresponder for bloggers, ConvertKit is SUPER easy to use. I am working on new sequences that my subscribers will automatically be added to as soon as they sign up. Plus, you can easily create opt-in forms and landing pages without additional software.

Changing Themes! I become unhappy with the theme I had, so after a TON of research, I went with X Theme. This theme comes with many extras – one of which is ConvertPlug. I am using it to create some of the opt-in forms on my blog. The rest are basic ones from ConvertKit. The theme also comes with a drag-and-drop editor for pages. Soon, I will be revamping my home page to be more than just a simple blog page.

What Didn’t Work in October 2016

Facebook Ads. Seriously, I have got to learn how to run these. I had one that was approved, but two days later they stopped it due to it having too much text. So I cut my losses at $2 until I can learn more about having success running ads on Facebook.

November Goals

I am not setting an income goal just yet, since I’m still working on building this blog, reducing my freelance work, and creating a couple products.

However, I do want to set a few goals!

• Pageviews: 10,000
• Email Subscribers: 200
• Pinterest: 10,000 (currently 9,139)
• Facebook: 400 (currently 213)
• Twitter: 20,000 (currently 19,100)

How was your October online income?

The post Income Report: How I Made $1820 Online in October 2016 appeared first on Online Income Mom.

With so much going on to keep a blog running, it can be difficult to consistently put out new content and promote the old. However, if you organize all of your content creation and promotion efforts, things get a lot easier!

One simple content organization hack I have discovered is the use of editorial calendars. This gives you a visual representation of all the content you have published on your blog, posts you need to schedule for brands, and posts you want to discuss in the future.

I have been using editorial calendars within my blogging for over 3 years, and I don’t know what I would do without one. Each blog has its own, and it’s easy to jot down ideas for future blog posts. I can even shuffle them around between dates as needed, to ensure I stick to a publishing schedule without missing deadlines.

You can create a written editorial calendar with a pen and paper. Or, print out a calendar template for each month online and fill it in. However, I like to keep things simple and have a digital editorial calendar, right in my WordPress dashboard, with CoSchedule.

CoSchedule integrates with WP so you don’t have to have yet another tab open or log into another website to view your editorial calendar. It adds a menu option on the left side of your WP dashboard, so you can quickly get to the calendar whenever you need it.

You can create new posts while viewing the calendar, and drag and drop any currently listed posts. To write or edit a post, you simply click on the post title and then “Edit”. You will be directed to the normal Edit Post screen without WP.

CoSchedule also gives you their popular headline analyzer right within the editorial calendar. You can use this to create blog post titles that people will find interesting, increasing the chances they will click to read your posts. This means more traffic for you!

Along with scheduling and managing blog post, CoSchedule also assists you with social media promotions. You can schedule your posts to go out to the most common social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, and Google +, as often as you would like.

CoSchedule will even help you get the most engagement on your social media updates, offering to post at the best times for you!

Schedule social media updates for a specific post right in the “Edit Post” page by scrolling down below the text field until you find the CoSchedule section. There’s a meter that will raise as you schedule each share, until you have scheduled enough that CoSchedule deems important. This is usually 8-10 shares.

You can also schedule shares of older content in CoSchedule. Simply hover off a date box in the calendar and click the pencil that appears.

This will take you to a menu for scheduling different types of content. Choose “Social Message”. The next box gives you all the details and options for scheduling shares.

Choose a single social media network or multiple, if you want the exact same message goin
g out to more than one platform. Click “Share Old Post” to search by a keyword to find the post you wish to promote. You can use the title and permalink of the post or edit the “Your Status Update” box to change the message. You will see a preview of how your social share will look just below the text box.

Your social shares will be displayed on the main CoSchedule calendar along with your blog posts. They are highlighted in blue. This lets you use CoSchedule for both a blog and social media editorial calendar!

CoSchedule is constantly putting out new features for their tool. I love that I can schedule and share all of my content within my WordPress dashboard – so I don’t get sidetracked and lose precious going through my Facebook news feed every couple hours!

CoSchedule offers a free 14-day trial. Give it a try now!

Do you use editorial calendars in your blogging? Have you ever given CoSchedule a try? Let me know how you like it in the comments below!

The post Editorial Calendars – An Essential Content Creation Hack for Bloggers appeared first on Online Income Mom.

There are gifts to buy and wrap, holiday desserts to bake, family to spend time with, a tree to decorate – the list goes on and on. How do you make time for blogging when you are already so busy? Just letting it go until January may not be the best thing, since you risk losing readers when your blog “dies”.

The solution? Get creative with your content! Learn how to blog during the busy holiday season in a way that doesn’t take up so much time. This way, you can still enjoy the season without being on your computer all day, and your readers still get to see something new now and then!

How to Survive the Holidays without Losing Blog Readers

1. Republish older content. If you have posts that haven’t gotten you traffic in several months, it may be time to bring them back to the top! Read through these older posts, updating any information that needs it. You can also create new Pinterest images and other social media graphics so it looks new. A refresh and new graphics is likely less time consuming than creating new content altogether.

Don’t worry about your readers being upset that you are re-sharing something you wrote months ago. Most of your readers have probably never saw super old content. Plus, when you update and add to it, it’s beneficial for them to give it another look.

2. Repurpose other forms of content into blog posts. Do you have any ebooks, videos, or audio recordings you have created on your blog topic? You can use these to create new content for your blog!

If you have content on your YouTube channel, for example, that you’ve never actually posted about on your blog, do a roundup of your most popular videos. The same can be done for podcast episodes.

You can also have audio or video transcribed so that you can publish a text blog post during the holidays. Hiring this out frees up your time to spend with your family while still getting fresh content for your blog!

3. Stay semi-active on social media. Even if you can’t blog as much as you usually do during the holidays, it’s still a good idea to check in with your followers. Just a simple post explaining what you are doing or why you are away is sufficient.

This lets your readers get to know you a little better, and see there is a real person behind your blog. If you can be personable, most won’t abandon you even if you blog hasn’t had a new post published in 3 weeks or more!

You can also use schedulers like CoSchedule or Tailwind to keep your social media accounts active when you don’t have time to post!

4. Engage over email. Your most loyal fans are probably subscribed to your newsletter. Reach out to them to let them know you are busy with the holidays. They are probably drowning in holiday tasks themselves! Even when you can’t post on your blog, a 10-minute email to your subscribers can keep everyone sticking with you until the busy season is over.

5. Hire a virtual assistant to help. Sometimes, bloggers just need a little help keeping things running smoothly during the holidays. A VA will free up so much of your time because they specialize in the mundane tasks, like publishing posts, creating images, and social media management. If all you had to do was write the post and let someone else take care of the rest, your blog would stay alive during the holidays!

6. Ask for guest posts. It’s common practice for bloggers to ask others for guest posts when they know they are going to be away and unable to create content. Along with holidays, vacations or caring for a loved one are other times you could seek guest posts. And it’s a win-win for everyone, because the guest poster will receive some link love from the post they send you!

More Posts You May Like:

What are your best tips for surviving the holidays without losing blog readers?

If you found this post helpful, please share!

The post 6 Ways to Survive the Holidays without Losing your Blog Readers appeared first on Online Income Mom.

Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing Interview with Michelle Schroeder-Gardner

What made you decide to start a blog?

In August of 2011, I started my personal finance blog with the hopes of teaching people how to save money after reading a magazine that featured a personal finance website in one of their articles. I got hooked on that website and my interest in blogging just grew from there. Before August of 2011, I didn’t even know that blogs existed. I didn’t know what they were, I didn’t know that they could make money, or anything like that.

I did not create my blog with the intention of making money blogging. It was really all just a hobby. I then realized how much I loved blogging and realized that it was for me, so now I am a full-time blogger! It’s funny how life can change so much.

On Making Sense of Cents, I talk a lot about different ways to make extra income, money saving tips, how to start a blog, living your dream life, RVing (me and my husband RV full-time), and more. I love running Making Sense of Cents and I am very happy that this is now my full-time career, my business, and pretty much my life.

How long did it take for your blog to create a full-time income for you?

You can find all of my blogging income reports here. It took me around 6 months to make $100, around one year after I started blogging I was earning $1,000, and just a few months after that I was earning around $5,000 a month. Like I said above, I didn’t start my blog with the intention of earning money, so I do believe that I could have earned more even sooner if I would have had that as my goal.

Are there any blogging mistakes you have made that you’d tell others to avoid?

I’ve made tons of blogging mistakes! These mistakes include:

• Managing a bad work-life balance.
• Spending too much time creating content instead of promoting it
• Not starting an email list.

One big blogging mistake that I’ve noticed many other bloggers make is not making the effort to network. Networking is so important as a blogger. You should see others in the blogging world as your colleagues and friends, not your enemies or competition.

What is one piece of advice you would give to newer bloggers in terms of monetization?

My top piece of advice would be to just try all of the different ways to monetize. So many new bloggers think that they have to wait forever before they monetize, and that is just not true. You can start at any time!

Why is affiliate marketing your preferred choice for making money with your blog over other methods?

I love affiliate income and affiliate marketing because it can feel quite passive. You can create just one blog post or social media post, and potentially earn money from it years down the line, as long as you maintain it and keep generating traffic to it. With affiliate marketing, I can enjoy life more and know that I am still able to earn a great living promoting products that I use and enjoy.

Think about it this way: If you already enjoy a product, why not get paid to promote it?

What made you decide to launch your “Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing” course?

I decided to launch my Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing course because I was constantly asked about affiliate marketing. What seemed normal and easy to me, isn’t easy for others, so I knew I had to create this course so that I could get my knowledge out. Affiliate marketing is great, and I want others to benefit from it as well!

Would you recommend your course for beginners or more advanced bloggers?

Both!

The average blogger is not good with affiliate marketing, and my course can help anyone who is struggling with earning affiliate income.

Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing is a great learning tool, even if you are a brand new blogger. By taking this course, you will start off blogging the correct way. You can learn from my affiliate marketing mistakes and learn the best ways to start making an income by being an affiliate.

Through taking this course you are sure to grow a profitable blog quicker than the average blogger, as you’ll learn exactly what you need to know about affiliate marketing. So, even if you only have one blog post, you are ready to get started with this course!

If you’re an advanced blogger, this course is for you as well. Affiliate marketing is an area that even the most seasoned bloggers can improve upon. Plus, most bloggers aren’t making anywhere near the amount of affiliate income that they should be and are leaving money on the table. If you want to grow your affiliate income, there are numerous tips and strategies that I share in Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing.

Do you need a crazy high number of page views each month in order to be successful with affiliate marketing?

No, you do not need a crazy high number of page views each month in order to be successful with affiliate marketing. I believe that anyone with an influencer platform can be successful with affiliate marketing, regardless of page views. It’s all about approaching your audience and affiliate marketing in the correct way so that you can do it effectively and efficiently. These are all things that I teach in my Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing Course.

Do you want passive income from your blog? Affiliate marketing is one of the best ways to get it. I spent years just throwing affiliate links out there. Once I took Michelle’s course, developing a affiliate marketing strategy made much better sense! Plus, I’m earning more now than before!

If you found this post helpful, please share!

The post Grow your Affiliate Marketing Income to $50,000/Month – Interview with Michelle Schroeder-Gardner appeared first on Online Income Mom.