Most new bloggers soon realize they need some help growing their blogs. The wrinkle in that is that most new bloggers have little to no budget for investing money in their blogs. Luckily there are quite a few FREE blog resources out there to help the new blogger. That’s right I said FREE! Each one of these resources can be used effectively FREE of charge to build your blog and make your blogging life a little easier.
So let’s get us some FREE help growing our blogs, shall we? I’ve got some really good ones for you. I actually currently or have personally used each one of the following resources on my blogs so I can attest to their usefulness.
Free Blog Resources
Drive before you buy!
Before digging in I need to disclose that each one of these resources has a PAID version, but it is optional. What this means is that you can drive before you buy. Try it out and if you decide you are using it regularly and like it consider upgrading to the paid version. Usually, the paid version has a few more perks than the free version which is nice. But it is totally up to you.
Opps! One last thing, I am NOT an affiliate of any of the resources I mention here. This is my honest and unbiased opinion of each app mentioned.
Ok without further ado, here are 10 FREE Blog Resources:
10 FREE Blog Resources
1. Evernote
In my early months of blogging, I noticed other bloggers kept mentioning Evernote as a tool that they used. Evernote is a cross-platform, freemium app designed for note taking, organizing, and archiving. I started using it and loved it. I especially like that I have it on several of my devices and how it syncs the information across the devices. TIP: If you notice a tool that the pros use, see if it’s something you might want to use too. (Mimic the Pros)
2. Flickr
If you are not a great (or even good) photographer you might be happy to know there are plenty out there. Even better their great images are there for you to use FREE. Flickr is one of many stock photo sites that can create great blog images a breeze.
3. PicMonkey
Speaking of images, you find out early on that most likely will need to create or edit images for your blog posts. Another tool I noticed other bloggers using was PicMonkey. It is super easy to use photo editing website. You can find plenty of YouTube videos to teach you any effects you need help with. I really liked using PicMonkey and I still use it on occasion. But …
4. Canva
I really don’t remember how I stumbled onto Canva, but boy howdy am I glad I did! One of the main reasons I love it so much is because it has ready to go templates that will get you creating professional looking images with little effort. It really has some cool features. And get this, the templates come preset with the image sizes needed for most of the social media platforms. You literally pick a pre-designed template (I try to find a FREE one), edit or add text, save and download it.
THAT’S IT!
Remember how I said you get to test drive these resources before you even need to consider buying the upgraded version? Well, I have used Canva so much in my 1st year of blogging that I decided to go on and invest in the upgrade. This one is truly worth it!
5. Dropbox
So you will need a safe place to store all those great images. You could store them on your hard drive, but I have a better place. Dropbox is a home for all your photos, docs, videos, and files. Anything you add to Dropbox will automatically show up on all your computers, phones and even the Dropbox website — so you can access your stuff from anywhere. So instead of filling up and slowing down your hard drive, download and save your images on an app like Dropbox that has a lot more space.
6. Later
Something else that is super helpful to a new blogger, especially one that does not have a lot of hours to devote to all the social media platforms is autoresponders. Later (formally called Latergram) is one of those tools that will help you schedule your social media posts so that you don’t have to manually post all the time. They recently added a few more social media platforms that you can schedule posts too. The one downside is that they limit how many platforms you can use with the free version and it will probably be necessary to upgrade to the paid subscription to use all of them.
7. Ripl
Speaking of social media, I just recently starting using Ripl. This app will take your pictures to a new level. You can create special effects and even a video with a musical backdrop. I am currently using this app to create eye-catching videos to help my social media posts stand out (fingers crossed).
8. Wunderlist
I love the thought of getting organized. Sadly I usually fail miserably at actually being organized. Still, I try. Wunderlist is another tool that I heard a few bloggers use. It is a place where you can create and sort all the many lists you may need to help you get tasks accomplished. Like Evernote, Wunderlist syncs across devices making it easier to keep your lists up to date.
9. CommentLuv
CommentLuv is a WordPress plug-in that I happen to notice on another bloggers site. I had left a comment on a post I liked and because she had this plugin, it automatically cited my most recent post on my blog. How cool is that?! I thought it was a really nice gesture so I installed it on my blog as well.
10. Calendar
Ok, this one is a cheat because you probably already know about whatever calendar app you have on your computer. But do you use it to help you become a better blogger? You can schedule specific days and times for writing posts, social media, creating images, leaving comments on other blogs, etc. Utilizing your simple calendar app for better time management can keep you consistent and growing your blog. Go ahead and make appointments with yourself.
Another perk of these FREE blog resources is that most of them have companion mobile apps so you can use them on the go. Yea!
So there you have it 10 FREE blog resources you can use today. Each one I can attest will help you with many of those everyday tasks a blogger needs to do. If you have heard some of these before, it was for good reason. They really do help a blogger out.
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