5 Blog Must Haves

I have been blogging for quite some time now, about 7 years, and in that time I have come to find certain things that I just cannot blog without. I thought I’d put together a little list of my top 5 blog must haves!

1. Tailwind

Tailwind is a brand new thing to me and I was really unsure whether it was worth paying for or not. It is.

Tailwind is amazing if you want to make the most out of Pinterest. This isn’t really something I’ve bothered too much with until now but I’ve been so silly not to. Pinterest can become a great source of additional views to your site and Tailwind makes pinning pictures so easy.

With the Plus version of Tailwind you’re able to pin 400 pictures a month if you pay monthly or unlimited pictures if you pay annually. You also get so many months free if you pay annually as well. 

Tailwind has extensions available for different browsers, making it so easy to schedule pins. Tailwind also knows when more people are looking at your pins and makes up a schedule for you. This means your pictures are pinned at times when they’re more likely to be seen and re-pinned. Perfect, right!?

If you fancy signing up here is an invitation for you. If you use this, you get $15 of credit and so will I. If you choose to pay annually it takes the $15 off your total or gives you free time if you want to pay monthly.

REFERRAL LINK

2. Notebooks

I’m really quite old school when it comes to making lists. When I want to make a plan for something or make a list what needs to get done it has to be written down. There’s no point in me using Word because I will forget about it and then nothing will get done.

I have a whole shelf in my office for notebooks. I don’t have nearly as many as I’d like though and I definitely need more.

I do have a bit of a new obsession for weekly planners now as well. I use one in particular just for figuring out my Facebook posts for the week. I like to be able to see everything I’m doing in my own writing and I love highlighting things when they get done! I guess it helps me to feel a sense of achievement, rather than deleting something off of a digital list.

3. Space to work

I have recently invested in a proper work desk and an iMac and I have to say, it helps me so much with blogging. Not only that the iMac is a lot better than my old laptop but it’s having the space to work that makes such a big difference. I bought a pretty big desk that is actually big enough for 2 people. I love to spread out and I use a few different diaries and notebooks for planning and schedules.

It’s also really nice not to be sat in front of the television with a laptop. Having dedicated work space means me limiting my time working and spending more with my family.

4. WordPress Editorial Calendar

As plugins go for WordPress I find that the WordPress Editorial Calendar has been one of the most useful for me.

The calendar allows me to schedule all of my posts, set up drafts when I have an idea for a post and also drag and drop posts into new dates if I want to reschedule. I’m often setting up posts I need to write but I change them around so much until they’ve actually been written. It’s loads quicker to just move them around on the calendar rather than going into each post separately to change the dates.

5. Blog Branding

After going from blogging as a hobby to being self-employed I have learned a lot about some thing that really make a difference. One of the biggest would be to see your blog as a brand. People like to see the same thing across all platforms so a good logo is a must have for me. LogoJoy is a great place to get a logo that will work across all channels. Your brand will look amazing in no time at all!

What would you say is one of you biggest blog must haves?

Disclaimer: This is a collaborative post. All opinions are our own. 

18 thoughts on “5 Blog Must Haves”

  1. I totally agree with the notebooks, I would much rather put pen to paper than have all different apps to store my to-dos and lists. If I put it in my book then I know it will get done.

  2. Ooh there are some great ideas here. I have heard of Tailwind but not sure if it is right for me at the moment. The scheduler is definitely something I’ll look into. I am hoping that Chris will have the kids for me one day so I can power through and get on track, everything is a bit last minute at the moment 🙁

  3. I love your new desk, I want to get a one but I need to finish decorating the house first so I know where I can put one.My must have has to be my stigu planner as it helps me keep organised. I love your new header by the way, I have just noticed it xx

  4. I totally agree with notebooks, I’m running out of space to store them also! Would also add Trello to my list of blog must haves.

  5. My blog has only been going a year but I hadn’t heard of most of these! I only just started using Pinterest!

  6. Love this post, really useful for me as Im still pretty new to blogging (5 months in now). I agree whole heartedly about having a desk we dont have anywhere to put one at the moment but I would love it!

  7. I have none of these tools and my desk is a mess! LOL Are my days as a blogger doomed? Kidding, you look so organised… I wish I was like that!

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