Hey there, I’m Gina! I help bloggers take their businesses from half-ass to BADA$$
Lightroom Mobile Presets – they’re a beautiful thing! I’ve shared before how to download, import and install them onto your phone, so now it’s time to teach you how to use them to make your phone photography editing a snap tap! First you need to make sure that you have Lightroom Mobile on your device […]
Trying to decide between ConvertKit vs MailChimp email services? Here’s what you need to know when choosing an email service for blogging.
Bloggers wear a bunch of hats – and one is the marketing hat where we have to decide which platforms work best for our business. I’m going to tell you that email is THE MOST IMPORTANT platform every single time someone asks, because it’s that important.
I’ve talked about email marketing before, along with why and how to do it in The Complete Guide to Email Marketing for Bloggers – but today I want to dive into the biggest decision of all:
Before we dive too deep, I do want to tell you that these are the only two systems I’ve personally used (but I have done research on several others), so my opinions are based on my own knowledge of each service.
Also, the links included are affiliate links, so I am compensated if you sign up.
Let’s start with the pros and cons of each service:
PROS
CONS
PROS
CONS
The number one reason I use ConvertKit vs MailChimp (or MailerLite or Madmimi) is the limitations on affiliate marketing. You CANNOT use affiliate marketing on MailChimp (read here) – but you CAN on ConvertKit. Game changer!
Most people don’t realize the difference, so let’s break it down:
So if you’re only dropping in a link to the sofa you bought, but the email is about a room makeover, that’s affiliate linking.
If the entire email is about how you bought a sofa that you love and why you chose that particular sofa and hope the reader will buy the sofa, too – that’s affiliate marketing.
You’ve probably already broken the TOU of your email service but didn’t even realize it!
In MailChimp, the best way to segment subscribers is by putting them into different sign up forms to separate them out by subject matter. It gets difficult to merge those lists in different varieties. And if one person is signed up on 5 lists, you’re charged 5 times.
In ConvertKit, you can also separate by sign up form, but you can also tag them in a myriad of ways so you can super segment out your list (this is crucial for selling products!) I have people on as many as 10 different lists and tags, yet ConvertKit only charges me one time per person – not 10 times like MailChimp would. And bonus – you can mix and match tags and forms and whatever else you’d like to send an email in any combination to your subscribers.
Let’s talk about sending emails in ConvertKit vs MailChimp
MailChimp can (and does) throttle people who send out too many emails too close together. Mainly it’s because they don’t have set protocols in place to keep spammers from signing up in the first place.
ConvertKit, however, will not let you send the first email until your site is approved (it’s super easy and they are SO friendly!) This keeps spammers out of the system from the start, so you aren’t throttled as to how many emails and when you can send them out.
In their defense, the reason the learning curve is so high is because there are SO many capabilities. MailChimp makes it pretty easy, you pick a design, drag and drop in photos… add a bit of text and BAM. You’re ready to hit send. But if you want to set up a funnel that’s a whole different conversation that gets a bit more complex.
In ConvertKit, there’s a LOT of bells and whistles. It’s laid out a lot different… there are tons more options… you have lots more flexibility – yet it takes a minute to wrap your head around how it all works. Once you get the hang of it, it’s amazing! But you need to devote at least a day to making sure you understand the system. (But they have a TON of great free training on how to do every single thing.)
Once you get into that, then the funnels are really easy. Like easier than I could have ever imagined. And you can bulk update and save all on one screen (versus changing back and forth like on MC.)
PS – if you decide to move to ConvertKit, they make it SUPER easy to do… they’ll help you do it free, all you have to do is ask!
Looking for the best blogging resources around? These are the ones I use every day to help manage & grow my blog. They are each tested throughly and I highly suggest each and every one of them. We use these tools consistently to run this site & our business as a whole.
Running a multi-six-figure business isn’t always easy, but these tools take the overwhelming workload and stream line it to perfection.
*Some services included in these blogging resources are affiliate links – but each and every one of them are services I use and trust to keep my business running at full steam.*
I’ve used quite a few email services over the years, but ConvertKit is by far the best. I run multiple newsletters on it with no problem. It’s easy to use and has great features – as well as analytics to make running your business even better.
Need some great fonts or graphics? Creative Market is the go-to source for all of these and more. Digital files from creators all over the world use the site to sell their work – and you’ll find some of the best values on tools that can help your business stand out from the rest.
UpViral is a email growing platform that has made my list explode – I gained 21,000 new subscribers in 30 days. It works to use giveaways as email sign up incentives – then creates affiliate links for readers to share.
Building your email list with popups isn’t a new concept, but PopupAlly makes it super simple. You can have as many different versions as you’d like, and run them specifically on pages directed towards the content on the page. It’s a great tool to grow your email list organically.
Looking for a reasonably priced host? Bluehost starts at only $3.95 a month. It’s a great way to get started without a huge investment.
Scheduling Pinterest couldn’t be easier than with Tailwind. It’s a system that lets you set up campaigns that run with your content to pin consistently for best results.
Finding the best keywords for SEO can be a bit tricky. KWFinder is a tool that helps you to optimize your keywords in common sense terms to help you get to the top of search engines with ease.
Need copyright free images? Pexels is the best source to get commercial use photos for free. No strings attached.
Another great free resource is Canva. While there is a paid version, which I use myself, the free side is jam packed with tons of useful tools to help you build social media graphics, ebooks, and more. It’s very user friendly and the possibilities are basically endless.
Thinking of selling something? Gumroad is my favorite platform. You can sell anything from books to videos to music – even physical products. Want affiliates? No problem. They even pay them for you. Just upload your products to sell, promote them, then you’ll get a weekly deposit of all your earnings.
Asana is a productivity tool that helps you to keep track of all the moving parts of any project. You can assign different tasks to individuals, create due dates, add notes in relation to the tasks, as well as get notifications along the way. If you have multiple people working on a project – this is a great free resource to keep it all flowing smoothly.
Craving a connection to people who understand the crazy world of blogging? I get it! Explaining the intricacies of online business isn’t for everyone. But, if you need a community of people who get you, then you’re welcome to join my Facebook Community. I share my best tips & tricks on blogging every day with free live training.
Being a lifestyle blogger for nearly a decade means I have had a camera in my hand for a long time. Over the years, I’ve come to realize that photography equipment for bloggers is a bit different than that for normal needs, however I think there’s a lot to be learned from those of us who have been striving to take magazine worthy photos while shooting in our own kitchens. It takes time, work and some great equipment. So I’m sharing my top picks for the best photography equipment for bloggers. No matter if you already have a blog or want to start a blog, these pieces can help you up your blogging game.
*this post contains affiliate links – which means I make a tiny portion of any purchases with no additional cost to you whatsoever*
Choose Your Camera – I’ve been a Canon girl for a long time, and I’ve used the Canon T3i for a few years now. It’s still in great shape, and we still use it every day. However, I needed a second camera so we could do video and still shoots at the same time to speed up content production, so I just invested in the Canon T5i. Both cameras are great models for bloggers. Just because they make a $5000 camera doesn’t mean you need one. A $500 camera will do just fine, because a good camera won’t make a bad photographer better…. only practice will make you better. (And yes, I’ve talked at length with someone who owns one and rarely uses it.)
50 mm fixed lens – this one is commonly called a “nifty fifty” and it is one of the most popular lenses around. It’s pretty cheap at around $100, works great for tight shots, and it features a pretty low F-stop to help you get that pretty bokeh look that bloggers love. This was the first photography equipment I purchased outside of the original camera and it’s been a great buy. I’ve had mine nearly 5 years and it still works like a champ.
10-18 mm lens – this lens is my secret weapon. It can take a tight space and capture the whole room because the width of the frame is massive compared to any other lens I’ve seen. If you take shots of entire rooms or huge groups, this lens is a dream. It is the single best investment I’ve ever made in my photography (other than my camera.) It will seriously change your interior photography game.
Tripod – any tripod is better than no tripod – but investing in a great one means you’ll stop burning through cheap ones. I just upgraded to this Manfrotto after reading nearly every photography blog I could find to make the best choice I could. Getting frustrated with a cheap tripod in the middle of an important photo shoot will make a hard job even harder. Investing in this will make your photos better and go smoother. And also, if you’re going to spend a lot of money on photography equipment like cameras and lenses, a good tripod will keep them safe.
Tripod Side Arm – ever tried to get great overhead shots? It’s back breaking when you have to do 900 shots to get 3 good ones. A tripod side arm will help you to get those shots without breaking your back. It works by extending it from your tripod and you can adjust it from there. If you want to make life even easier, you can add on a laptop platform – then tether your computer and camera together and you can see your shots on your computer in real time without stressing over how it looks in the camera.
Tripod – any tripod is better than no tripod – but investing in a great one means you’ll stop burning through cheap ones. I just upgraded to this Manfrotto after reading nearly every photography blog I could find to make the best choice I could. Getting frustrated with a cheap tripod in the middle of an important photo shoot will make a hard job even harder. Investing in this will make your photos better and go smoother. And also, if you’re going to spend a lot of money on photography equipment like cameras and lenses, a good tripod will keep them safe.
Tripod Side Arm – ever tried to get great overhead shots? It’s back breaking when you have to do 900 shots to get 3 good ones. A tripod side arm will help you to get those shots without breaking your back. It works by extending it from your tripod and you can adjust it from there. If you want to make life even easier, you can add on a laptop platform – then tether your computer and camera together and you can see your shots on your computer in real time without stressing over how it looks in the camera.
White Balance Card Set – I’m embarrassed to admit that I just recently started using this one. Setting your white balance on your camera isn’t hard (just google your model) and it will make the color in your photos so much better. It’s hard to get the white balance right, so if you can fix it in the camera then you’ll have less of a struggle in Photoshop.
External Flash – I’ve blogged about this one before, and I still fully believe in it. It’s an amazing piece of equipment that you can get for around $35 and it will make your photography so much better – especially when shooting interior rooms with low light.
Light Kit – besides an external flash, you will find a light kit can help to even out the light in areas where you might have dark spots that are hard to work around. Make sure you have as much natural light as possible, then use this as a filler and you’ll find that this is a great investment to help you on the days where it’s just not bright enough. At around $50, it’s a good option for a smaller investment that makes a big impact.
Camera Remote – if you’ve been using a DSLR for still shots very long, you probably know that you should use a timer on your camera for shooting rather than hand pushing the button. It helps keep the camera stable for that crystal clear shot. But if you use a camera remote then you get the same effect, yet it allows you to slowly tweak things between shots without getting 99 of the same shot. It’s a great little tool for under $10.
Photography backdrops – these are so handy because they give you the appeal of pretty wooden tables & backgrounds, yet roll up so you can have dozens of options even in a tiny space.
I’ve been a blogger for nearly a decade – and the most frequently asked question I receive is how to make money blogging. First, I want to dispel the myth that it’s quick and easy money. Not even close. I had to work for nearly 5 years before I made more than $1000 per month. And a lot of that was eaten up by expenses. But now, all these years later, I can tell you that I’ve made a six figure income for three years in a row. If you want to start a blog – or grow a current blog – this post is for you. Instead of creating a series on my tips for blogging, I decided to throw it all into one massive post. It’s a lot of information, so let’s get started so you can learn how to make money blogging.
Don’t have a blog yet? No problem – go here to learn how to start a blog (you can do it in under 15 minutes!)
*this post contains affiliate links for your convenience*
Before you actually get to the money portion of learning how to make money blogging, you’ve got a little groundwork to do. These are the top five things I always recommend to bloggers who are either just getting started or are ready to up their game.
Now that you’ve got a blog set up, you need to add some content. And, as the old saying goes, content is king. Learning how to create blog posts that stand the test of time – and that people actually want to read – that’s the ultimate key to success – and that’s what you need to know before you learn how to make money blogging. Because without a good blog there is no money.
Writing great content isn’t enough. You have to promote that content for years and years to come. One of my strongest posts was written nearly 3 years ago – and I still promote that post almost every day. Promotion is often overlooked in the to-do list of bloggers – but high earning publishers know that the key to page views is promotion.
Now we’re getting to the good stuff. So let’s see… we’ve started a blog with the right set up, we’ve created good, sustainable content, we’ve learned how to market that content, and now we’re ready to get down to the nuts and bolts of how to make money blogging. No matter what other sites says, at the end of the day there are really only 5 ways to actually make money blogging. Any other option just falls under one of these categories:
And that’s what I know about how to make money blogging. It sounds like a very long winded explanation, but you really need each of these stepping stones to create the path of successful blogging. Of course, we can dig deeper and go super in depth with advanced tactics, but that’s after you’ve tackled all of these steps.
Have questions? Leave a comment and I’ll do my best to give you a solid answer!
Everything a blogger needs to know about email marketing. How to create and grow a mailing list, what to do with it, and how to utilize it properly.
*some links in this post are for affiliate products I use and love – which means I will earn a portion of any sale with no additional cost to you whatsoever*
Before we get started, you should know that this post is LONG. It literally has everything you need to know about getting started with email marketing, how to grow it, how to monetize it and more. But it’s over 3,000 words. So grab a Caf-Pow and let’s get to work!
One of the biggest mistakes I have ever made as a blogger was to ignore email marketing for so long. What does email marketing have to do with blogging? Short answer: EVERYTHING.
Email marketing is a form of direct marketing that uses electronic mail as means of communicating messages to an audience.
Although bloggers don’t typically call it email marketing, newsletters, RSS feeds and any other method you use to send an email out to a list of readers whose addresses you have collected – it’s all considered email marketing. The goal is for them to consume your product (a blog post) through direct communication. Now that we’ve covered what it is….
Throughout over a decade of blogging, I can tell you that evolution is the key. But evolution is exhausting. Every other week there’s an algorithm change to Facebook, or Pinterest, or Instagram, or Google, or Stumbleupon, or any other platform you don’t own.. Just when you think you’ve got your head wrapped around how to make the most of a platform you’ve painstakingly built, it changes and you’re back to square one.
Email lists are a totally different ball game, because of one ultimate truth:
THERE IS NO POSSIBILITY OF ALGORITHM CHANGES TO EMAIL MARKETING.
When someone stumbles upon your site and really digs you and what you’re saying, then your main goal is to get them on your email list. No one can ever take that away from you – you own the rights to that list of amazing people who want to hear directly from you. And there’s no barrier between you and them.
And also…. newsletter readers are your avid fans. Avid fans are the ones who tend to trust you more and are willing to make investments in the tools and products you recommend. These are the people who will up your affiliate game like nothing else.
Mailing list services are a personal choice – and there’s a ton of them out there. I personally use ConvertKit <get a free 30 day trial instead of the regular 14 day trial when you use my special link! I started out on MailChimp (which isn’t a horrible choice and you can start for free.) Many of my friends use Mad Mimi. Those three are just the tip of the iceberg… there are dozens of different services out there. These are the most prominent three you’ll find among bloggers, though.
To get started, simply choose a platform and go through their signup process. Each one is a bit different, but all of them are super user friendly and will explain step by step how to set it up.
Now the fun begins! Your main goal is always to grow your list. That’s the #1 rule of email marketing (for bloggers or otherwise.) You need to give readers a SOLID reason to sign up. Sometimes you’ll be lucky enough that someone who stumbles upon your site will sign up without your nudging… but massive growth comes from promotion.
Before we even get to the promotion aspect, let’s step back and remember that creating wicked good content is paramount to your blog’s success. If you’re not giving your readers incredible value, then they won’t hang around for long. (Need help with that? I covered this in Fundamentals of Blogging Lesson One – and then SEO is covered in Lesson Two.)
Alright, this is where you get to work! I have one major secret to growing an email marketing list: incredibly focused incentives.
If you don’t know what incentives are, it’s a free printable, ebook, class or any other exclusive that you offer in exchange for getting their email address. You offer them a freebie, then send it to their email.
I know, I know… pop ups are effective. But here’s the thing: If no one wants what’s on your pop up, then they will just click out. I still use them on desktop, however mine are currently set to exit intent. (This means that readers get a pop up when they start to leave my site.)
How did I combat this loss? I started focusing on creating incentives that were DIRECTLY relative to my biggest posts. Some of them are usable for many posts on the same subject. While others are hyper focused and only work on one single post.
To prompt the readers to click over, I create graphics that are photos which will grab their attention and convert them to subscribers. I insert them into a post just like I would any other photo, but I edit the information on the photo itself to send it to the URL of my lead page on Convert Kit. So when a reader clicks, they are sent to the sign up page.
My Disney World Packing List Printable works on any WDW post I write, because if they are looking at those posts, chances are the reader is either planning a trip or about to go on one. So they’re going to need to pack!
My Freezer Meals post is one of my biggest posts of all time. I have a free printable shopping list that ONLY works with that one set of recipes. If you want to do the plan (and thousands have!), then that shopping list is going to come in really handy.
As you’re reading right now, you’re investing your time into learning the information, which is why when I offer you my free download of 31 Blog Post Ideas, then you might find that incentive useful (and you can find it at the bottom of this post.)
Any time a reader clicks on one of those graphics to jump through for the incentive, they are directed to a lead page on ConvertKit to enter their email address, where the freebie is sent to them. It has quickly become my #1 way to gain email subscribers.
If you want to start to cultivate an email list that is highly interested in certain subjects (for me that’s recipes, blogging, Disney, DIY and decorating), then having customized incentives will capture those audiences and gives you a direct line to people you KNOW are actually interested in those subjects.
When you have different crowds that are all after different information, then you can segment off your list and contact the right people about the right content.
Segments…. it’s a relatively new idea amongst blogging circles, but retailers have understood them for a long time.
Here’s a good example: I love Anthropologie. But I really only buy home goods there. Why? Because I’m not a size 2. (Seriously – why can’t they sell plus size?!?) After I purchased from them the first time, I started getting emails & occasional catalogs from them, mostly featuring home decor. That was until my daughter went with me one day and bought a couple of shirts. Now I get emails from their home category AND their clothing line. They have two distinct customer bases (although there is a lot of overlap). Because they know I shop both sides of the store, now they advertise both sides to me.
I personally have distinct lists on what my different types of audiences are. Why? Because I write about more than just one topic. I write about Decorating & DIY, I write about Disney World tips and tricks, I share recipes, and I write to help other bloggers grow their blogs.
Chances are, if you clicked through to this post from an email, then you are on my blogging email list. If you signed up for that WDW shopping list, you only get an email from me every two weeks that shares when I’ve posted a new Disney World centered article.
However, if you signed up through a food related incentive, you get an additional email full of nothing but recipes.
How does that help me? Well, the odds are in my favor that if I have a highly focused list (like the blogging segment), when I have an affiliate product of incredible value, then they are the ones that will be most interested in it. If I sent out a newsletter full of blogging info to my main list (98% of which are NOT bloggers), then I’d get a crap-ton of unsubscribes. And no one wants that. We want to keep our lists happy so they want to stay with us.
(BTW – the last affiliate product I promoted – which is few and farrrr between for me – I made over $1,000 with two simple emails that took me about 30 minutes total to write. Nice, eh?)
Segmenting alone is why I LOVE ConvertKit. Before I switched, I was on MailChimp. While I had different lists (though not as many as I do now), I had to pay for every person on every list. That adds up if you have the same person on 4 different lists. You’re essentially paying for that one person four times. On ConvertKit, no matter how many lists they subscribe to, you only pay once for each unique email address.
Because I don’t have to worry about being financially drained from multiple lists, I segment the crap out of my audience. Inside of ConvertKit, you can choose to create segments through the freebie they signed up for. There’s more advanced ways of doing it (which is best left for another post.)
At the bare bones, just make sure you have separate lists of unique audiences.
So let’s take a minute to keep track of where we are. Now you….
- understand what email marketing is
- you started (or already have) a list
- have a basic understanding of how to convert readers into subscribers
- know what segments are and why to use them
*high fives all around for making it this far*
There are dozens of ways you can use email marketing, but I’m going to strip this down for bloggers to make it easy. Bloggers typically have three main choices for regularly delivering content to readers:
Which one is right for you?
Friends, it’s time for a heart-to-heart with yourself. How much time are you honestly willing to devote to email marketing?
Me personally….. I kind of do a combination of #2 and #3. I send out two longer, multi-link newsletters a week. One to my main list, then another to my food lovers. Both of these tend to have a theme of related posts throughout my blog.
Then I send out specific emails to bloggers and to Disney peeps, just giving them a brief heads up when I create new content I think they’ll love.
There’s a million reasons people decide they no longer want your emails – but just remember one thing: they are not your people. Do NOT beat yourself up. 1-2% loss for every email sent is average. So if you have 2,000 subscribers, expect to lose about 20 every time you send an email out. Sometimes that loss is more, sometimes less, but over the course of three months – mine always averages right in there.
So what do you do about it? Just keep creating wicked good content. Streamline your newsletter. Constantly strive to make your content – both on your blog and in your newsletter – the very best it can be.
The main goal of email marketing it to reach your people. You can email them every single day, but unless you grab their attention then you’ll most likely end up in the trash unopened. The more people that open your email, the higher your “open rate.”
I’d wager to guess that 90% of the emails I get are trashed unopened. I still want to get the info, but I know in under a second if I want to read or not. Which means you have literally one second to catch the reader’s attention or you’re going to end up in the bin. And you don’t want that.
Having a great headline is the major secret to increasing your open rates. I typically spend twice as long figuring out a headline for an email than I do writing the newsletter itself. (We discussed creating great headlines over in THIS POST.)
There’s a reason BuzzFeed gets SO much traffic. Their headlines beg you to click on them. So take cues from their lead by creating your own click-worthy headlines.
Increasing your traffic to your blog gets a little easier after you increase your open rate. When readers take the time to open the email, they’ll quickly scan to see what’s inside. You have a few more seconds of their attention, so make the most of it.
First, don’t give it all away. There are a lot of bloggers who put the entire post from their blog onto their RSS feed, then it all goes out into the email. If all the info is right there in front of them, they have no reason to click through. So you just lost a page view, which in turn lost you money.
Be vague, yet interesting. Use the before photo in a room reveal and tell them to click through to see the results. If the reader can grasp the idea without clicking over, then they won’t.
Personally, I give them one “hero” shot and 2-3 sentences talking about my inspiration for the post, then a link. At the bottom of that same email is a list of links that take you to complementing posts. And yes, use that headline formula again for those links – entice them to make the jump.
It depends. Each audience is drastically different from the other, so your best bet is to try different days and time slots for a few weeks to see what works for you.
Early Monday morning (like 4 am EST) is the best time for my main list. Since my blogging posts go up on Wednesdays, then those posts go out Wednesday around lunch time. Early Friday mornings are food oriented. And Disney posts just go out when I have new posts (typically early in the morning.)
Some people send them out at night.
As much as I like weekdays, bloggers often find that weekends are the absolute best for them. It’s honestly a trial and error event.
Yes, yes you can.
Earlier I mentioned that I made $1,000 from an affiliate of a product I loved selling it to a rather small list. So that’s one way – use your list to directly tell your readers why you love a product and then link to it. Make sure you disclose the partnership – and NEVER link to an Amazon product in an email.
You can also create a round up (thats a collection ) of things together into a blog post and then share that post through your email. Remember that these readers are the ones who trust you, so if you have links for products that bring value to their lives, then they will be more likely to purchase through your links.
If you really want to up the ante, then create your own product. Of course, you want to make sure that you use the right list for the right product, though. I would never email my main list about a blogging tool that I created. They’re just not interested, so I might make a sale or two, but chances are I would upset more than I sold. It’s not worth it in the end. Segments really come in handy here, too!
First, know that it’s not a quick solution to getting a million hits in one month of work. You’re building a blogging empire, here. And since Rome wasn’t built in a day, I’m pretty sure your blog isn’t going to be that quick either.
Second, you HAVE to include a physical address at the bottom of your email. It’s the law and there are big fines if you get caught, so just do it.
Third, treat your subscribers like the rockstars that they are. They bought the backstage pass to your blog – so give them the royal treatment. They’ll become fans for life.
