Top 7 Things In My Blogging Toolkit?

Do you need a blogging toolkit? That answer is a resounding YES!. Even if you do not consciously set to put together a toolkit, should you take an inventory of all the software and apps you have been using to keep your blog running, you will soon realize that some tools imperative to your blogging success.

The online world has accelerated since the pandemic, in my opinion, and so many of the software and application I started with at the birth of my blog have seen a lot of updates and, for most, are more efficient. There are many available resources to help you run a successful blog, and what works for me may not work for you. Nevertheless, I have decided to share my blogging toolkit as a guide should you find some of these tools helpful on your blogging journey. I also recommend taking a free trial of the software and or apps where possible.

Canva

First on my list is Canva. Canva is one of my most valuable resources, it’s an online graphic design platform, and I use it for just about everything blog-related. From Pinterest Pins, Twitter, and Instagram posts to creating checklists, ebooks, and blog graphics. If you find yourself needing some inspiration for your social media account, my suggestion would be, try Canva. The platform is easy to use and has most if not all the resources you’d need for your designs in one location. I’m talking about premade templates for just about everything, fonts, stock images, decorative elements, and premade color palettes.

Additionally, you can use Canva to create a brand kit and design logos for your brand. Most significantly, you can take advantage of Canva’s content planner by posting directly to your social media accounts as well as schedule posts to be published at a later date. Like I mentioned earlier in this post, there have been quite a few improvements in software and apps since the pandemic making the user experience a lot more pleasant. Canva is no exception. Here are some of the updates in Canva 2.0.

Digital Design to Print– this can easily be one of the most convenient benefits of using Canva. Have your designs printed and shipped to your location. The digital design to print option lets you print anywhere from 25 to 1000 copies in either matte, glossy or unfinished. Once you choose to print your design, the platform walks you through a full editing process, grammar, and inspection of the elements used in your design. It offers editing suggestions to replace low-quality elements. Finally, your design will be shipped FREE between 5 to 8 working days.

Curved Text– This has been a long-awaited feature that Canva has finally delivered on. The curve text feature has been added to the text effect section. You are now able to accentuate your designs by changing your plain texts into arches and circles.

Canva for Desktop– Now, you can create those beautiful designs directly from your desktop! You heard that right. Head on over to the Canva site and download Canva for desktop, which is available for Windows and macOS. One of the reasons why I have downloaded the desktop version is to avoid the slow experience I sometimes encounter on the platform.
Royalty-Free Audio Tracks– Canva has added up to 25000 audio tracks that you can use in Canva video. Canva Video? Yes, now you can compile and edit videos in Canva. See for yourself!

Canva has made the lives of many online businesses easier and convenient. Canva offers a free 30 day trial of their Pro version; I recommend you give it a try. Canva is a complete game-changer.

Try Canva Pro Today

Grammarly

Another favorite tool in my blogging kit is Grammarly. There is nothing like publishing your posts with spelling or grammatical errors. That’s the reason why Grammarly is a must in my toolkit and while I can proofread my own posts. There are times when even the best of us bloggers overlook simple typo errors.

This writing assistant works for you wherever you write. Grammarly has an extension for Chrome and Internet Explorer; it scans your text for grammatical errors. Yes, it’s good for more than grammar and spelling errors; Grammarly helps you restructure sentences to provide clarity, notes tone as well as a formality. Check out the Grammarly editor, which is similar to Microsoft Word but provides far more than spell check. You can sign up for the free version or get the premium version for $ 29.95/ month or 139.95 yearly.

Coschedule Headline Analyzer

If you want to get more readership for your blog posts, start by writing attention-grabbing blog titles with the Coschedule Headline Analyzer. With this analyzer, you can likely increase your blog traffic and ranking with Google. The analyzer works by scoring your post titles based on emotions, clarity, word count, headline types, and character count to improve SEO readability. One great advantage of using the browser extension available for Chrome and Internet Explorer is, you have the flexibility to analyze headlines in WordPress, Wix, Shopify, and Hubspot.

Stock Images

I am a big Canva Fan, and they have thousands of images that you can use on your blog or social media profiles; be sure to read their terms and conditions. In addition to Canva, Unsplash is one of the best free sourcing websites for copyright-free images to help you stylize your blog.

Buffer

Buffer is essentially a social media management app; it integrates with Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Shopify, and Twitter. I cannot overemphasize how important a social media presence is in building your brand. It’s a good idea to be consistent on one social media platform rather than spreading yourself thin, and Buffer is a useful tool to get your content out there. Try the free version, which allows you to schedule up to 10 posts per platform.

Pinterest is the place for bloggers; this is a visual platform that, if used appropriately, can help your blog traffic skyrocket. It is recommended you create at least 5 Pinterest Pins per blog post, and you’re likely to get a higher reach with your pins since the average lifespan of your pin would be 3.5 months.

Flodesk

One way to stay in touch with your readers and promote your products and services is through email marketing. One of my favorite email marketing platforms is Flodesk; I love their attractive template designs, and for a cost of only $38/ month, you get unlimited everything; subscriber list and emails. You may take advantage of their 50% off promotion using this link.

So let us recap, these are the essential tools I use to keep my blog running.

Canva
Grammarly
Coschedule Headline Analyzer
Stock Images
Buffer
Pinterest
Flodesk

I hope after reading this post, configuring your blog will be easier. Let me know if you have any of these tools in your blogging tool kit. Also, share some tools you use to run your blog. Sign up for my newsletter to get more tips.

Cheers!