My All-Time Favorite Blogging Tips and Resources (Coffee Sips and Lovely Links)

Friday, March 24, 2017

Happy Friyay! Despite the fact that I had a short week, I am so stinkin' exhausted. Has anyone else been feeling that way lately? Burning the candle at both ends even though it doesn't seem like there's a reason for it?

I don't know why I have been so drained lately, but I do know that sometimes it's really hard to balance a day-job, VA work, driving to SC to see my family, blogging, and trying to grow my knowledge about the blogging world.

I know when I started blogging, there was a huge learning curve for me because I didn't understand any of the back-end/technologocal side of blogging. I was also 100% unfamiliar with any rules, tips, or tricks for blogging. What kept me from going completely insane was being able to find awesome bloggers who had been there before me and could help me out both through asking them direct questions, and through reading posts they had already written on the subject.

I don't know that I would have kept at it if it weren't for them. Life is crazy enough without having to learn everything from scratch on your own.

So today on Coffee Sips and Lovely Links, I've gotten together a few of my all-time favorite blogging resources and tips for you awesome peeps! Hopefully it will help you avoid pulling your hair out as you navigate the blogging world.

My all-time favorite blogging tips and resources to help you stay sane as you navigate the world of blogging information.



  • Erica Gwyn of Coming Up Roses has an excellent post about crafting a killer "about me" section on your blog. Sooooo good!

  • I discovered Allison of Wonderlass through The Genius Blogger's Toolkit that I purchased back in the Fall. I have been taking her branding course, Rave, and loving it. She's quirky, fun, and very knowledgeable in her expertise. I thought this video, Developing an Entrepreneurial Mindset was good. Nothing fancy, but encouraging.

  • How to Fill Up Your Content Calendar in an Hour by Summer of Coffee with Summer was really good too. I always try to follow a content calendar, and I technically write one out, but I never end up following it all the way. I'll change my idea, switch dates around, or just get completely stuck. I read this post by Summer a few days ago and I think her tips will be helpful to you as well.

  • Most people have heard all about Mailchimp and Convertkit for email marketing. But Rachel of The Confused Millennial recently published a post about The Best Email Marketing Provider and I absolutely agree with her and have for months now! Check it out and you may end up wanting to make the switch!


  • One thing that I hate is when Bloggers play the Follow/Unfollow Game. I'm over here working my butt off, trying to get genuine followers on my blog and social media, but a lot of bloggers play the game and I just don't like it. Want to know more? Summer had a great post about the issue. I was a contributor along with a couple other ladies. If you are interested in being a truly authentic blogger, read this post.


Blogging tips and resources to help you on your blogging journey


Peculiar friends, there are so many resources out there on the world wide interwebz. No, not all of them are trust-worthy, and some will be contradictory, but there are also some really amazing posts at your fingertips to help you navigate the blog world. Utilize them so you won't go completely nutsy!

I'd love to know which of these links was most helpful to you! Or, do you have another resource that you find particularly helpful? Happy weekending!













41 comments

  1. Excellent tips! I have a planner where I keep track of all of my post ideas by month. I then transfer them on to a calendar. Like you, I don't always stick to my calendar but it's a great way to map out my ideas. Whatever ideas I don't use that particular month, I can save for a later time.

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  2. All such great posts! I've read them all and have taken advice from each. I especially love Rachel's photography post, and Erica recently posted about her favourite tools for blogging (a great post!)

    And now THIS post because it's like a bibliography of great advice :)

    Xxox
    Laura @ www.cookwineandthinker.com

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  3. These are all great links! There's so much info to take in, but I just try to take it little by little and grow when and where I can! :)

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  4. Glad you included Erica's about me post! Mine is a mess and I never really know how to write it haha.

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  5. These are such great tips!! I'm learning so much and it's fun to see what other people find helpful!

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  6. Great tips! Yes, the follow/unfollow game is the worst. How do they have time for it? Very frustrating!
    Jobie @ thewifeslife.com

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  7. I've gotta block off the time to look at these! The problem is not so much the resources, but how I'm spending my time. Sometimes I'll sit and try to write a post and then get distracted by FB notifications or an e-mail.

    I just gotta have tunnel vision!

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  8. There are so many great resources out there! These are great ones - thanks for highlighting them!

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  9. I need to work on a content calendar for summer, so am eager to read that link. Also -- about me. That is something I have been planning to revise at my blog. Thanks for these great tips! They were really helpful.

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  10. so many of these posts are favorites of mine! Great roundup!

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  11. There is so much great information in this one post. I am definitely Pinning It for a reference. Thanks for all the advice.

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  12. Thanks for the tips! I make myself a blogging calendar too, but never seem to stick to it! I work full time as well, so that always trumps my blog.
    Sarah | www.sugarmaplenotes.com

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  13. This is a great post Kristin, thanks very much for putting it together. Really useful.

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  14. This post is awesome! I love when other bloggers share their wisdom in the blogging world. I would be totally lost without them! I am definitely saving this as a resource!

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  15. These are so awesome! I know there are so many wonderful resources out there but it's hard to find so many good ones in one place! Thanks!

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  16. You just reminded me that I really need to update my about me section. Gotta get one that!

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  17. This is an awesome list! I also loved the post on Coffee with Summer--made me feel so much less overwhelmed and more motivated about the prospect of creating a content calendar. Going to work on that this weekend!

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  18. Love these! And thank you SO much for recommending MailerLite - I absolutely agree that it's an amazing platform and very much worth looking into if you're tired of MailChimp frustrations but can't afford ConvertKit. (Honestly, I love MailerLite so much that I may not move to ConvertKit even when I can afford it!) I so appreciate this list!

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  19. Awesome! I am pinning this post. You can never have enough blogging help.

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  20. I clearly need to go and read those tips. And the follow/unfollow game is awful.

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  21. Great round up! Rachel's post on the photography studio was invaluable to me. And I love Summer's thoughts on follow/unfollow.

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  22. I really have been wanting to create a subscription service I will look into the one you mentioned is better than mail chimp.

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  23. Hey now - thanks so much for sharing my post, sweet girl!! I'm so glad it's been helpful for you.

    Coming Up Roses

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  24. All of these tips are great. I love the filling up your content calendar one!!

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  25. How am I just seeing this post?! I'm honored to be included in this - it means the world to me. I'm humbled that I can share what I've learned with others. So glad to have you as one of my blogging besties!

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  26. Thanks for sharing! I love Allison of Wonderlass.

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  27. I totally agree with all of this! Great tips. I hate the follow game people play. We are a community!

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  28. Thanks so much for writing this! I am a new blogger and need all the help I can get. I still need to do an About Me page so I'll definitely check out Erica Gwyn.

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  29. These are such great tips. One tip I know I need to follow is creating a content calendar. I keep track of the posts I plan to write and notes using the EverNote app, but I really need to plug in all of those details into a content calendar!

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  30. Thanks for sharing.

    I am just setting up Mailerlite so am super happy you think it is great!!

    I struggle with lighting at home, so am going to jump on that photography post and get it under control - because I love taking photos and they SHOULD look good!!

    I totally know what you mean with the follow/unfollow thing -I have it happening to me a lot on Instagram - my followers fluctuate 10 follows each day! My theory is to follow what interests you, and don't follow to get a follow back or because you are being followed.

    xx Angela

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  31. Oh hey!! I just saw this! haha thanks for including my posts!!! <3

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  32. Thank you for sharing these posts, they are all so helpful! Especially for a newer blogger like me, I'm still trying to figure it all out and these are all really good resources!

    - Kristen
    www.sophisticatedgal.com

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  33. Wow, gold mine! I can't wait to click through and check these posts out. Thanks so much for sharing them! :)

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  34. Love all of these posts! Such good info.

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  35. These are really some great tips! So nice of you to compile them. Thanks for sharing! :)

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