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How to Blog: The Ultimate Guide to Mega-Useful Tools
When writers ask me how to start a blog, I usually start talking about blog-post topics, ideal blog-post format, monetizing strategies, and such…and then realize I’m on the wrong track. Writers have topic ideas! What many need to know is technically, how to blog.
As in: If you write a post, how does it show up on the Internet? What tools are behind the curtain, that make your blog go?
Over the years, as my blog has grown, sprouted my writer community, courses, coaching, and more…lots of new tools came into play. I’ve been meaning to share everything I’m using for a while, because I know bloggers want tips on the best tools.
So, here it finally is! A look at the many blog software tools that work behind the scenes at Make a Living Writing, grouped by topic for easy reference. I’ve included tools I used as a newbie, as well as more robust tools my blog uses today.
Many of these apps and blog software bits are free, some have free trials, some you’ll need to pay.
And yes, there certainly are affiliate links included here, since I personally use and happily recommend these. If you’re a technical noob and have wondered how to blog like a pro, your questions should be answered below.
Enjoy!
Online Writing Jobs in the Cannabis Industry: 15 Markets for Freelancers
If you’re looking for online writing jobs, the cannabis industry may be one of the fastest growing markets for freelance writers.
Just how big of a niche market is the cannabis industry?
With more and more states opening the door to medicinal and recreational marijuana use, it’s an industry that’s expected to generate more than $10 billion in revenue this year, according to market data.
And that’s very good news if you’re a freelance writer.
Now there are growers, processors, sellers, dispensaries, cannabis equipment suppliers, tech companies, and product manufacturers competing for a piece of the pie.
There’s also a growing list of online writing jobs in the cannabis niche cropping up. For example, this summer Entrepreneur magazine launched Green Entrepreneur to cover the business, technology and lifestyle aspects of the cannabis industry.
And it’s one of many places to find online writing jobs in the cannabis niche. Check out these 15 cannabis markets for freelance writers:
The Swift-Kick Move to Triple Your Income for Freelance Work
You dream of being a successful writer. But instead you’re stuck with freelance work writing for content mills and clients who pay you $20 or less per post.
Sound familiar?
Deep down, you know it’s time to drop these low-paying clients and find better-paying freelance work, but the thought terrifies you.
Isn’t it risky to just let your clients go? What if no one will pay your higher rates for freelance work?
If you’re struggling to keep up with deadlines and the volume or freelance work for low-paying clients, where are you going to find the time for marketing to get better ones?
I understand where you’re coming from. I was in this very situation less than six months ago. And then I did something that felt a little crazy and scary. I gave most of my clients a swift kick.
What would happen if you let all your clients go tomorrow?
It cleared the way for me to get higher-paying clients and triple my freelance work income. Here’s how it’s done:
Exhausted? 7 Busy Writer-Moms Share Their Fall Productivity Formula
If ever there was a time of year to come up with a productivity formula for getting more done as a freelance writer, it’s fall.
Know why I say that? Well, fall is a special time because:
- Editors and marketing managers get back from vacation
- Companies plan next year’s marketing calendar and start assigning projects
- Editors complete their editorial calendar, and look for special-section writers
- If you do marketing now, you could still book more writing income this year
- Kids go back to school, and writer-parents suddenly have a lot more time for freelance writing
See the potential fall has to ramp up your writing income?
Except that you’re suddenly transitioning from sleeping late as you like to having to get up at 6 a.m. to put kiddos on that early school bus. And you’re…dragging.
Also, maybe feeling the pressure that now, you’re out of excuses and actually need to do this thing.
And the fall productivity formula is just the thing to help you grow your freelance writing business. Ready to get started?
The Ventriloquist’s Guide to Get Your Client’s Voice Right for Ghostwriting
The Ultimate Antidote to Stop Attracting Bad Freelance Writing Jobs
Bad freelance writing jobs. It’s a problem I’ve heard from other writers ever since I started this blog and first wrote this post. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Here’s the antidote. Enjoy! -Carol.
Nearly every freelance writer I’ve ever met has had some bad freelance writing jobs.
And for some freelancers, it’s practically a chronic disease fraught with some of the worse offenders:
You know the types:
- The control freak who wants to instant-message you 24/7.
- The dreamer who wants the moon, but doesn’t have time to tell you how to fly there and get it for them.
- The dysfunctional nutjob who doesn’t really know *what* they want…until they see what you wrote. Then they know, that’s not it.
- The fly-by-night who disappears with your final payment.
- Last but certainly not least, the super-low payer.
If you’re sick of bad freelance writing jobs, sick-in-the-head clients, and pay rates that make it hard to breathe, here’s the antidote:
LinkedIn Marketing for Writers: 4 Steps to Get Email Addresses FREE!
Do you have a LinkedIn marketing strategy in place to connect with editors and marketing managers in your niche?
Or are you trying to track down a source with a specific set of skills or credentials?
If you just had their email address, it would make things a lot easier. Right?
With an estimated 500 million registered users, LinkedIn makes it easy to find contacts in any niche or industry and make a connection. (If you don’t have a LinkedIn marketing strategy in place as a freelance writer, you should.)
But once you make a connection with a prospect, do you have to rely on the InMail feature inside LinkedIn to pitch a story idea or send a letter of introduction? No.
Or maybe you’ve thought about paying for LinkedIn Premium ($47.99 and up) just to be able to send InMail to people who aren’t in your network yet. There’s a better way.
In fact, there’s a LinkedIn marketing strategy you can use to get the email address for every person you connect with for FREE in just four simple steps. Here’s how it works:
Use This Pampered Freelancer’s Way to Tap a New Niche Market
How do you break into a new niche market without any samples or connections?
Ask Waze the quickest route to freelance success, and it would present one option so much more profoundly efficient than the others that you wouldn’t dream of ditching it.
In fact, a blinking red stop sign would likely appear with four bold words: “Go straight to a niche market.”
But if you’ve never been to that place called Niche Market before, how do you get there? Let me just say, a little pampering might made your journey from where you are to where you want to be as a freelance writer a little easier.
The absolute quickest way to earn more opportunities, improve your authority, get to know key players in your industry, move up and earn more is easy…tap into a niche market.
But how do you do that if you’re just starting out? Here’s how I went from zero contacts and clips in a niche market to landing a major magazine assignment:
Use This Clever, Gutsy Freelancer’s Strategy to Find an Email Address
Ever struggled to find an email address for a prospect?
You check the website for the business or magazine you want to pitch. You do an exhaustive online search. You even use software apps to try and find an email address for the right person. But all you get is frustration.
Do you settle for the blackhole of email addresses and send your pitch to info@ or editor@ and hope for the best? Don’t do that, OK. There’s a better way.
It’s time to put on your big-girl pants and be a little more clever and gutsy. If you have to work to find an email address, you might as well make it fun.
Using my brilliant tactic, I have never been denied the email address I want. Never!
You’ll need to pick up the phone and leverage the art of creative rhetoric to make it happen (some writer’s might need a personal pep-talk to get started).
But it’s worth it to find an email address for a prospect you can turn into a client. Here’s how I do it:
Plug Into This Marketing Machine to Be a Six-Figure Freelance Writer
Do you know how to get steady, high-paying clients as a freelance writer?
If that voice inside your head is telling you, “No,” it’s OK.
When I was just starting out as a freelance writer, I didn’t know much about how to find clients or understand why marketing matters so much.
A lot of freelance writers turn to job boards, content mills, and bid sites (that typically pay low rates), thinking it’s a productive way to move up and earn more. But it’s not. There’s a better way.
Instead of waiting around for clients to find me or settling for low-paying work, I created a marketing machine that helped me land contracts with steady, high-paying clients.
I’ve never experienced the famine that so many freelance writers face. And I’ve never used a freelance job site or worked for a content mill.
Want to build your own marketing machine to be a six-figure freelance writer? It’s not that complicated. Here’s how I did it:
Slam Dunk Assignments: The Easy Method That Sells More Story Ideas
Note: In this post from the past, you’ll learn about one easy method to come up with story ideas that never gets old. Enjoy! -Carol.
Are you short on story ideas to pitch magazine editors?
A lot of writers make it a lot harder than it needs to be to come up with story ideas to land an assignment.
You try and be ultra clever. You spend countless hours doing research looking for a nugget of information…and then another. Or you second guess every single one of the story ideas you come up with. Sound familiar?
Some story ideas deserve that kind of attention. But if you’re hustling to land more work and make more money, you need to pitch story ideas that sell.
And there’s one angle that few writers take the time to craft, but that often results in an easy sale.
What is this slam-dunk idea? Let me show you how it’s done:
Science Writing for Freelancers: 20 Markets That Pay $100 to $2,500
Ever wonder where you can land science writing gigs?
In today’s fast-paced world, there’s no shortage of research, scientific discoveries, technological breakthroughs, and environmental issues that people want to know about.
If you have an interest in science writing and a solid story idea, you can find a market to land an assignment. The scientific method is actually a good formula to follow to test out an idea. Seriously.
If you’ve ever been subjected to an episode of the kid-friendly show Bill Nye the Science Guy, he’ll convince you that if you drill down far enough, just about everything can be explained by science. For example:
- Is Elon Musk’s goal to get humans to Mars even possible?
- What’s it really like to use forensic science to solve crimes?
- What are health researchers doing to find a cure for Alzheimer’s disease?
- Can science help solve the food and fresh water problem in drought-stricken countries?
If you want to make a living as a freelance science writer, look around. Story ideas are everywhere. Validate your idea, and then pitch a story to one of these science writing markets:
Looking for writing courses & community support?
Our online community, Freelance Writers Den, was founded in 2011. Since then, we’ve helped 14,000+ writers connect with peers, improve their skills, and grow their freelance writing income.
Our lively community is stuffed with useful tools and career-building resources. Use our 24/7 forums to get your questions answered by pros. Tap our 300+ hours of self-study trainings to learn new skills.
The Den has live events and multi-week bootcamps where you can tap experts’ knowledge, an exclusive job board, accountability buddies, live chats, and more. Also, if you want feedback on your writer website, LinkedIn profile, or article draft, we’ve got you.
Visit the Freelance Writers Den site to see if we’re open for new members right now. Sign up on the waiting list if we’re not, and you’ll be first to join when we reopen (plus, you’ll get useful free resources in the meanwhile).
