This post was updated June 2021.
Hey friends! With so many things on your blogging to-do list, I know it can often feel overwhelming! From writing posts to pitching sponsors, scheduling pins, and promoting your posts, there is a LOT to do to run a successful blog.
I wanted to share some of the tools and resources that have helped me automate my process, so I have more time for creating content! Note: some of these links are affiliate links which means I earn a small commission at no extra charge to you!
inVideo– I actually wrote a whole post about how much I love this editing software. Think of it as the “Cavna of video editing” with tons of premade templates and tricks for making video editing simpler!
Grow.Me– I’m a huge fan of MediaVine and their social sharing plug in is wonderful. It’s not free, but for $34 a year, it’s not too big of an investment. You can add images that will automatically show up when people hit the Pin It Button. You can change the image that shows up on social. And you can create customized social sharing buttons for each of your posts. If you’re looking for a free option (with fewer bells and whistles) check out Social Warfare!
Lightroom- I knew I need to step up my photography game, and that meant getting better editing software. For years, I used PicMonkey, which is a great, free resource. But once I was ready to take it to the next level, I started using Adobe products. I use the Adobe cloud, which means for 9.99 a month, I get photoshop, Lightroom, and all the other Adobe products.
Tailwind- This has been huge for growing my Pinterest activity. Tailwind allows me to schedule pins so I can plan my week in advance, which is a major time saver. They also have a “Tribes” function where I can share other people’s pins and post my pins for other people to pin as well. It’s sort of like a pin-for-pin trade, but you get to pick what you share so you can make sure it’s targeted to your audience. There are tribes for everything from vegan recipes to money-saving tips.
Streak– This Gmail plugin lets me see when people have opened my emails. This has been extremely helpful when testing subject lines, particularly with potential sponsors. It can also send you automated reminders to follow up with someone if you don’t get a response. You can even schedule emails to send later, which is helpful if you write a pitch late at night but you want to wait until the morning to hit their inbox.
Grammarly– This handy proofreading software has a handy Google Chrome extension. It can proofread your documents, and it’s excellent at catching spelling and grammar errors. I’m terrible at editing, so this tool has been invaluable. I used the free version for a couple of years but recently upgraded to Premium to get even more features and suggestions!
Planoly– This Instagram scheduling tool allows you to plan out your feed, create your Instagram posts, and schedule to automatically post or send you a push notification when it’s time to publish! As someone who writes long captions, I like being able to type it out on my computer then copy & paste when I’m ready to post on Instagram. There are paid features, but I’ve been using the free version for months without needing to upgrade.
What’s your favorite blogging tool?
This looks so helpful! I’m going to look into Planoly. I have the free Lightroom App on my Chromebook and that’s been helpful editing photos.