Coffee Lover | Shutterstock
If you are wondering what I use to get it all done, I am laying it all out here! These are great tools for all types of bloggers, whether you are a “Mommy blogger”, a food blogger, a lifestyle blogger or even something even more niche specific. I’ll be updating this post as things pop into my head so check back often!
Photos & Photo Editing
I use a combination of stock photos and my own photography on Frugal Mom Eh. For my own photos I use a Canon EOS Rebel SL1 with a Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L IS USM Macro Lens or a Canon EF 40mm/2.8 STM Standard Lens, however I recommend going to a local camera store and playing around with different models and lenses to see what you prefer. Many bloggers prefer to use the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Lens as its pretty versatile.
In the winter I always use my Indoor Lighting Unit – the Lowel EGO rather than natural light because achieving good natural lighting is near to impossible 6 months of the year in Canada. The lowel EGO is really simple to use and comes with a deflector to help you bounce the light and minimise shadows.
I use Shutterstock for my stock photos these days, they have plenty of high quality stock photos available for editorial use.
I edit my photos and stock photography using PicMonkey. Picmonkey is a powerful online tool for photo editing, collage making and graphic design. The pro-version is inexpensive and provides features necessary to take your photography to the next level.
Recommended Books & Articles for Bloggers
Tasty Food Photography – If you want to take your photography to the next level I highly suggest grabbing a copy of this book, it helped me learn how to take great pictures of food. The techniques and skills are applicable to all different types of photos though so definitely recommended for all bloggers interested in improving their photography.
How to Grow on Twitter for Bloggers – Learn a simple strategy that will help your follower growth sky-rocket on Twitter. Learn how using this in depth article!
Courses
Pinning Perfect – This course is the course you should take if you take no other courses. This class digs into techniques and strategies that work for all types of content and transform you into a Pinterest power user. Pinterest is consistently my number one traffic referral source by far because of the pinning perfect course and the skills it taught me. Drive massive traffic to your blog and reach new followers who will continue to return to your blog over and over!
Content Brew – In Content Brew, you’ll learn how to plan & create fresh content ideas for your blog, Facebook and Twitter. You’ll also learn ways to find content to share and tools to make doing all of this easier.
Media Kit Smash – Media Kit Smash walks you through making a professional, informative media kit that gives potential partners exactly what they’re looking for. A Media Kit is essential if you intend to monetize your blog and work with brands on a professional level.
Food Blogger Pro – Learn how to Start, Grow, & Monetize your Food Blog with a library of over 300 easy-to-understand videos made for beginner to intermediate food bloggers.
Accounting
If you are making money then you are running a business. Do it right from the start and invest in easy to use online accounting software to track your income and expenses plus send professional looking invoices. It makes filing your income tax return a little bit less of a chore and turns things like reporting collected tax into a breeze. I personally use Quickbooks online but FreshBooks is fairly similar and I have heard great things from friends who use it – both are popular choices among bloggers.
Coffee
You’re going to become a coffee addict. Don’t fight it and stock up.
More Blogging Resources for SUCCESS!
Recommended Resources for Bloggers
How to Write an About Page that Grabs Your Attention
7 Major Mistakes that Stops People from Commenting on your Blog
Simple Ways to Spend Less Time Creating Blog Posts
8 Foolproof Tactics That Will Keep Your Readers Coming Back To Your Blog For More
7 Effective Ways to Get More Comments on your Blog Posts
How to Improve Your Bounce Rate
8 Resources for Free Images Online
How to Conquer Pinterest & Harness it for Major Traffic to your Blog
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links and I will earn a commission if you purchase through those links. I use all of the products listed above and recommend them unless otherwise noted. Please comment below if you have any questions!
Elizabeth Lampman is a coffee-fuelled Mom of 2 girls and lives in Hamilton, Ontario. She enjoys travelling, developing easy recipes, crafting, taking on diy projects, travelling and saving money!