The Many Tasks in Blogging

Getting a blog up and running is hard work — from the technical tasks of learning to use themes and plugins, to the more creative element of simply writing incredible content. The mind of a blogger can be overwhelmed by all there is to accomplish. Thankfully Elite Blog Academy takes that overwhelming mountain of tasks to be accomplished and breaks them down into manageable units and assignments to help you move through all you need to learn much easier and faster than on your own.

One of the main goals of many bloggers is to eventually make a part-time or full-time income from their work, and right now you can make money blogging in every genre and niche. The secret is: What you think of as common knowledge may not be so for someone else. Sharing expertise and knowledge to serve others is one of the greatest parts of being a blogger. However, with all of the content creation and technical upkeep of blogging, it can be difficult to have the time and energy for advertising, marketing, emails, and social media presence. These all fight for our time and attention each day, and it can be tough to know when to do things yourself and when to hire someone to take care of it for you.

Get Noticed by Advertisers

One task inside of Elite Blog Academy (the blogging course that has made all the difference for me) that many wonder if they should outsource is utilizing private advertising opportunities. Many advertisers know the benefits of working with established blogs and purposefully look for ways to collaborate about products and services. This could be through sponsored posts, sidebar ads, or short promotional snippets from the blogger. These benefit both the blogger and the company seeking advertising.

In order to reach out to companies and potential advertisers with the benefits of advertising on your blog, you will need to have a solid pitch and media kit in place. A media kit is a visual representation of what your blog is about, who you are, and the reach and audience your blog has.

Why Create a Media Kit?

A media kit can be emailed out to potential advertisers and can also have its own page on your blog, so it can be accessed by someone visiting who may be interested in advertising. The examples of a media kit in the EBA materials are wonderful. They are full of ideas for those just dipping our toes into media kit creation. Yet, the design of a media kit is much more detailed than simply typing information onto a page. As you can see with Ruth Soukup’s example below (the creator of EBA), many media kits have a design element to make them stand out:

There are a multitude of options for hiring out the design of your media kit and even some plug and play options. However, most of them don’t make customizing it to fit your needs and your brand very simple. As for hiring someone to create one, I know at this point in my blogging career, I’d much rather save the money I would pay to a designer and use it for advertising. There are many worthwhile expenses in blogging and continually evaluating what is worth spending money on and what isn’t is the sign of a wise business owner.

How to Create a Media Kit in Canva

Knowing I didn’t want to hire a designer for my media kit, I set off to Canva.com to see what resources would be helpful for designing a kit. (If you don’t have a Canva account or have never visited the site, I highly recommend it. And it’s free!)

While Canva didn’t have media kit templates, they did have something just as useful: resumes! Isn’t that basically what a media kit is anyway? You’re putting your best information out there in a concise, well-written page. That sounds an awful lot like a resume to me. The beauty of Canva is once you’ve decided on a style of resume to use, you can simply add your information, make a few adjustments and voila! Here’s the process I used for creating my free media kit in Canva.

The Steps:

1. Go to Canva.com and under Documents select Resume.
2. A new page will open and you’ll see a gallery of resume templates on the left side of your screen. Many of these are free, but some are not. The free templates have a small icon in the corner that says “free.” Don’t focus too much on colors, those can be changed.  Here’s an example of a free template from Canva: 
3. Once you’ve chosen a template, simply replace the info about the person with information about your blog. Start with your blog’s logo clearly displayed at the top. Then move on to replace the other sections of the resume with media kit material. (And all of the colors on any resume can be changed by clicking on the element. Easy!)

• Blog description: What is your blog focus? Two or three sentences work well for this category.
• Traffic Statistics/Reach: You can find these on Google Analytics and other social media accounts. Let the potential advertiser know how you interact with people and how many visitors could be seeing their content if they choose to advertise with you.
• Advertising Opportunities: Clearly explain the opportunities available for advertising. You set the rules; it’s your blog. You can offer sponsored posts, sidebar ads, etc. Set the parameters for each opportunity, so they can choose the option that’s best for them.
• Profile: Let the advertiser know who you are! This is a great way to connect with them by sharing your qualifications. Also include a professional headshot or photo.
• Contact Information: Let potential advertisers know how to get in touch with you to pitch their offer. You can include social media links in here as well.
• Optional: Include testimonials from past clients if you’ve already successfully used private advertising on your site.

Clearly label your Media Kit

Be sure each of these areas are clearly labeled. Many of the resumes have existing labels, so you’ll just need to replace their label title with your own. This gives anyone who may be looking over your media kit a clear sense of what they are looking at and that reflects well on you. And if ever there was a time to edit, this is it. Consider your media kit as a first impression, and you want to make it memorable (in a positive way)!

Once I added in my own information to the Canva resume template, I simply download it to my computer. This gives you the freedom to add it to your blog or email to potential advertisers as you see fit. Here is my finished media kit:

Your Media Kit is Ready to Go

I was incredibly pleased at how professional it looked considering I only spent an hour of time creating it. If you have all of your blog information ready to go, it could be even quicker. A file from Canva can be saved as a pdf or jpeg. This makes it easy to attach to an email (PDF) or include on a blog page (JPEG).

So save your hard earned blogging revenues for now, and create a media kit on your own. It’s one of the few blogging tasks that doesn’t require a lot of background experience and design skill. Canva has really taken care of all of the tricky design choices, and you can simply click to add your information and walk away with a beautiful media kit to secure sponsors. Now if only adding code to my blog was this easy!

If you want to stay on track with weekly blog tasks, download my FREE printable weekly blog planner by subscribing!

Want to go deeper into Canva and learn how to create your own blog graphics? Check out  my new course How to Create Blog Graphics in Canva that will teach you how to create your own pins, facebook graphics, instagram graphics, and more! Click the image below to see all the details!

Have you ever  had so much you wanted to accomplish that you weren’t sure where to begin? The overwhelm can be stifling! This used to happen to me on almost a weekly basis, which is why I created this free printable weekly blog planner. Get your thoughts, ideas, and tasks all down in one place.

Organize Your Blogging Week

 If you are a blogger, or any kind of online entrepreneur, then the amount of tasks  probably happens to you as well. Do you start by writing a new post, scheduling posts for social media, or website maintenance? All of these things are essential to running a successful blog. If you don’t have a set list of things to accomplish when you sit down at your computer, chances are your mind will wander.

What really needs to get done falls by the wayside if you’re not intentional. Being intentional with my time is one of the important lessons I learned in Elite Blog Academy, a blogging course that changed my blog from hobby to business. (Not interested in EBA? No worries, but take advantage of their FREE trainings, which are incredibly valuable.)

Printable Weekly Blog Planner

When I created this printable weekly blog planner, I did so to help me plan out my week. I do have a calendar that I use for monthly scheduling, but I needed something else. Something specifically for blogging that would help to remind me what I was writing about that week, what posts I wanted to share online, and also give me a place for other tasks to complete, as well as an area to brainstorm for future posts.

It’s my hope that this on-page printable weekly blog planner will also be a big help to you. Here’s what the weekly blog planner contains:

Blog Planner Sections:

• New Post–  If you publish more than one post per week then feel free to modify this page. However, if like me, you aim for one new post per week, then this gives you a place to create your title, category, and long-tail keywords to utilize in your new post. It also gives you a place to check off your social sharing.

• Social Media Sharing–  Whether you have one or more new posts per week, being consistently engaged on social media with previously written posts is a great practice. Don’t get caught at the end of the week thinking, “Geez, I really should have scheduled some posts.” Instead, use this area to plan out ahead of time what you’ll be posting and when. You can choose to post on all social media outlets, or just choose the ones that work best for you. (I typically focus on Pinterest and Instagram, since they drive the most traffic to my blog.)

• Ideas–  If you’re like me, then ideas can strike at any time. Keep this printable weekly blog planner out on your desk. It gives you the perfect place to jot down ideas as they come to mind. By keeping your weekly blog planner pages in a binder, you’ll be able to go back and look at ideas you wrote down previously. This can help you plan for future posts, giveaways, or other online ventures.

• Weekly To-do–  Besides creating new posts and scheduling for social media, there are many other tasks that a blogger takes on each week. Creating a weekly newsletter, answering comments, checking email, and reaching out to other bloggers are just a few of the things that need to be done each week. Customize other tasks you need to get done each week. (You’ll see the weekly newsletter already printed in, because for a blogger, this is essential!)

• Notes–  Finally use the notes section to jot down any random information you need to remember that doesn’t belong in any of the other sections. It’s free to use as needed.

So get started on the right foot each week. Planning out what your week will look like, and you’ll reap the rewards. This will give you the best return on investment for your time. As a blogger it can feel as if you’re working all day long at a multitude of tasks. Get done what needs to be done, and spend the rest of that time with your family or on other non-blog related activities. Sign up below for my blogger newsletter (only once a month), and you’ll snag this free printable weekly blog planner. Have a great week!

Tried and True Blogging Resources

The Kitchen Garten has been a labor of love over the past three years, and I am excited to keep growing! The best resources for starting a blog are those I have personally used that have been steady for me over the years. They offer great help to those just starting a blog or those with an established following. I’ve also only included resources whose creators stay engaged with their product (such as updating courses and giving you lifetime access) as well as those with higher engagement on Facebook groups and other social media outlets. Who wants to purchase a course from someone just to never hear from them again? Not me. If I have questions, I definitely want to know there is a way to get an answer!

Starting a blog doesn’t have to be a solo-effort. In fact, there are many ways to build an online community for yourself of those who are working toward the same goals as you! And getting good insight from quality resources and being engaged in online communities are great ways to do just that. All of the blogging resources I am listing are those I have actually used myself. I wouldn’t recommend anything I haven’t used in building my own blog. Now, on to the resources!

How to Get Started Blogging

1. Elite Blog Academy by Ruth Soukup (of Living Well Spending Less)

Y’all this course is a total investment in your business. So, if you’re just thinking about blogging, but not completely sure, then this may not be the route for you. I have personally invested in the course, and it takes you through what to blog about, how to start it, and all the way through to full business development. There’s so much fantastic information! Here’s what you get with the course:

• 12 Modules with instructional videos
• Q and A sessions with each module
• Printable work pages to accompany each unit, including specific assignments for you to grow your business
• Access to an Elite Blog Academy Facebook Group
• Live Q and A sessions on Facebook
• Self-paced, you can work at your own speed. I’m not going to lie, I slowly trudged through the course for over a year, but that was the perfect speed for me!
• LIFETIME ACCESS- probably the biggest bonus. I started with Elite Blog Academy 2.0 and ended up finishing when it was EBA 3.0. And every time the course is updated, you’ll have access to the new materials. Who doesn’t need a refresher now and then? Elite Blog Academy 4.0 will be released in March of 2019, and it’s set to be the best version yet!
• Free Assessment- Take the EBA free assessment to see if it’s the right fit for you!                                                                                                                                                                                

2. Your Blogging University by Crystal Paine (of Money Saving Mom)

I started reading Crystal’s blog way back in 2008, and it’s one of the few blogs that I have consistently read over the years. Her wisdom in her approach to blogging has been very helpful to me. She was one of the reasons I wanted to start a blog, so when she began YourBloggingMentor.com, I knew that it would be well done and affordable. Here are the benefits of Your Blogging University:

• Take only the courses you need. Pick and choose the areas you need instruction in and only pay for those, instead of a huge cost for an entire series.
• Easy to navigate and understand, even for beginners.
• Affordable, many of the courses start at just $37!
• Assignments to accompany each lesson to get you working on your own business.
• LIFETIME ACCESS- A huge deal, since technology changes so quickly,  this is a great way for you to stay fresh and get new information as the courses are updated.

3. How to Start a Blog by Amy Lynn Andrews

Amy is a fantastic resource for all writers and bloggers. Her no-nonsense simple explanations are incredibly helpful… and FREE! Here are some of the benefits I’ve found from using Amy’s site:

• It’s Free! So, if you’re just considering starting a blog, this could be a huge determining factor.
• Amy’s experience in blogging extends back 14 years, so she’s been through it all, and her wisdom in invaluable.
• Her book, Tell Your Time, is a low-cost but highly effective book about managing your different roles (which I find especially true for women), and is helpful for those delving into running their own business online (like a blog!). And it’s only $2.99, total deal.
• She takes you step by step through the six steps to developing and starting your blog.
• Did I mention it’s free? Just checking. 

4. WordPress (WordPress.com and wordpress.org)

There are several platforms to use when starting a website or blog, but WordPress has been my go-to. It’s incredibly easy to use, and the forums on wordpress.com are incredibly helpful for those starting out. If you’re just testing out the waters of blogging, then you can even start your blog for free on wordpress.org. This was how I started, and once I knew I wanted to get serious, I took my blog from wordpress.org and easily moved it to wordpress.com.

5. Good Web Hosting

Your blog will only be as good as your content (of course) and hosting. Hosting affects the speed of your site and when (if ever) your site crashes or is temporarily down. Having a web hosting company that has excellent customer service is a must. You want to be able to contact someone immediately if there are problems and have those problems resolved quickly. The company I recommend (and personally use) for hosting is Siteground. I used a different hosting company initially, and once my traffic increased, they could no longer keep up. My site would crash, and that would cost me readers. Many hosting companies offer incentives for joining up, such as a discount for the first year. Feel free to research the different companies, because there are lots of reviews out there of the various web hosting companies. So start off with a good one, and you’ll save yourself a headache!

Do you have information to share? Do you have a love for teaching others that just isn’t being fulfilled in your current job or situation? Then blogging may be the right fit for you! I know when I started blogging, I had lots of information to share, and my poor husband and friends could only tolerate so much garden and baking talk. And while they may not be interested in my hobbies, there were tons of people out there who were! So, after deliberating for over a year, I finally took the plunge and started writing.

Do you need to be a tech expert to know whether to start a blog? Absolutely not! A desire to help others or share information and a basic knowledge of operating a computer (and internet) is truly all you need to start. You will learn so much along the way, but no one should expect to know everything when they first begin.

You (and your ideas) have value

There’s of lot of self-doubt that comes into play when you start thinking about publishing blog posts. What if no one cares? What if no one reads it? Will I get negative comments like I’ve seen on some other blogs? The truth is that there are tons of people out there who ARE interested in the same things you are. And many people are happy to read ideas, tips, and suggestions from others. So know that your content and ideas have VALUE!! You have value! And blogging is an amazing way to share your gifts and talents with others.

I haven’t experienced a lot of negative feedback, but gardening isn’t a hot button topic, right? But just know there are some people who thrive in living negative comments, but overall, they’re in the minority. You’ll find a tribe of readers who love your content and you!

Now, let’s cover some commonly asked blogging questions:

1. Is blogging dead?

Heck no! When was the last time you looked at a blog? If you’re active on the internet, particularly Pinterest, then it probably hasn’t been long since you’ve visited a blog. I know that I love blogs for new recipe ideas, home decor inspiration, and articles on a wide range of topics. I love knowing there are people all around the world who want to share their knowledge and talents with the rest of us! And there’s always room in the blogosphere for more, like you!

2. What should I blog about?

Do you have multiple interests? Welcome to the club! If you are considering starting a blog, then start by listing out topics (or niches) you’re interested in. I did this exact thing when I first began my blog. Once you have your topics listed, think about content or posts that you could create for each one. The topics or subjects that you come up with the most content for may be the areas to direct your blogging energy into. If you’re like me, you may have two niches that are closely related. The Kitchen Garten is all about gardening and recipes using fresh ingredients. They really go hand in hand together. Some topics will do this, so consider if you have two similar interests that would mesh well. Ruth Soukup has a FREE Blog Planner that is a great way to get your ideas on paper and start planning. I used many of her resources when I first started. She also has a free assessment to determine if her blogging course, Elite Blog Academy, is right for you!

3. Does blogging really make money?

Yes! Is it quick money? Not necessarily. It does take time to build a readership and get your feet under you in regards to advertising and affiliate sales. But, if you are passionate about what you’re writing about, then blogging could be both enjoyable and financially rewarding for you! There are lots of ways to earn an income while blogging, and some of these include:

• Ad revenue (having ads on your site)
• Affiliate sales (promoting other people’s products)
• Sponsored Posts (companies hire you to write a post about their product/service)
• Product creation (develop products to sell on your site)
• Coaching (either in your niche or about blogging, you can offer your time to help others)

How to Get Started Blogging

There are lots of resources and blogs out there that promote blogging courses, books, and articles. I’ve been blogging for over three years and have a list of reliable resources created by long-term bloggers. You can find that list on Blogging Resources page. All of these resources I have used personally.

Use the Blog Planner that I mentioned above to get your ideas down on paper, and then get started building. I recommend WordPress as a website builder, and there’s a free option if you want to test the waters before investing money into starting your blog. However, if you already know that you want to pursue blogging as a way to make an income, then go ahead and spring for a WordPress.org site, and go from there!

If you’re interested in getting blogging related emails, sign up above and they will come straight to your inbox! Always feel free to reach out with any questions you may have; and have a great week!