Blogging Resources

101 blogs we love

So you wanna be a [craft -- or other type of] blogger? Here are some resources to help you get the most out of your blogging experience. There’s a little bit of everything here, from how to blog to how to engage in social media, how to make money blogging, and how to take great blog photos, and how to interact with the blogging community. Many of the articles listed here are from our site, and many of them link to other articles we loved (and thought you would too).

New Blogs:

Blogging 101: Advice from #Crafterminds
Amy’s Top 10 Tips for Craft Bloggers by Amy Anderson
Heather’s Top 10 for Beginning Craft Bloggers by Heather Mann
Jen’s Top 10 Tips for Craft Blogging by Jennifer Hadfield
Blogger’s Code of Ethics at Confessions of a Cookbook Queen
How to put a new blog on the map at Savvy Blogging
Choosing the Right Blog Platform (Program) at Independent Fashion Bloggers
How to Write a Successful Craft Blog
Blog Giveaways: Staying Legal
How to Write a Successful Craft Blog
Creating Privacy Boundaries on Your Blog by Carolina Moore
How to Link Back Properly (And be a Blogger’s Best Friend!) at Deep Space Sparkle

Writing Tips for Bloggers:

13 Tips for Beginning Bloggers (I learned these the hard way) at ProBlogger
Mad Writing Skills: Order and Structure at mad in crafts
Overcoming Writer’s or Crafter’s Block at Dearest Jackdaw
Featuring others: The Truth about Fair Use at Craft Gossip
A wealth of blogging articles by Alyice Edrich

What to Write About

Do You Follow the Latest Trends? by Madigan Made
What to Do When You Have Writer’s Block by Colleen Jorgenson
Dealing With Craft Block or Writer’s Block by Heather Mann

Photography Tips for Blogging:

9 Photography Tips for Crafters at CROQzine
8 Rules for Using Your Own Photos at CROQzine
6 Ways to Use Other People’s Photos at CROQzine
A Few Photo Tips from Disney at Ruffles and Stuff
Tried & True Tips for Improving Photos by Aunt Peaches
Centsational Girl’s Better Brighter Blog Photos (focus on interior shots)
Making Decorative Background Boards at A Lemon Squeezy Home
Better Photos 101 at I’ll Get You My Pretties
Studio Quality Photography Setup for $12 at Handmadeology
Make a (free) Light Box by Madigan Made
Photo Backdrops (DIY) by DIY Project Parade

Making the Best of Your Photos

5 Reasons to Add Text to Your Photos by Madigan Made
Watermarking Blog Photos
The Glamor Shot: What to Consider (Your Lead Photo) by Carolina Moore
Using Picnik to Watermark Photos by Carolina Moore

Video Blogging & Podcasting:

A Creator’s Guide to Video at The Kickstarter Blog
12 Ways to Promote Your Podcast at Jake Ludington
Great Vlogging Tips from Joeyradiogirl – Real Mom Media

Promoting Your Blog:

50 Ways to Get Your Site Noticed at NetTuts
List of Linky Parties by Day of the Week at Tools are for Women too
5 Ways to Increase Traffic
A Guide to Guest-Posting on Blogs at SITS Girls
8 Reasons to Comment on My Blog
12 Things to Do After You’ve Written Your Post at CMI
109 Ways to Make Your Blog Irresistible to the Media at Copyblogger
5 Ways to Get Attention for Your Blog
The 18 Good Habits of a Social Media Power User at Daily Bloggr
Sites You Should Submit Your Blog’s Content To
5 Reasons Link Exchanges are Stupid by Carolina Moore
How to Create a Craft/DIY that Goes Viral by Swell Designer

Tips from #Crafterminds:

Collected wisdom from our #crafterminds Twitter chats

Tech Stuff:

How WordPress Code Works – Handy Visual Reference
How to Create a Facebook Fan Page
Backing Up Your WordPress Blog – TidyMom
Backing Up Your Blogger Blog – SITS
Google Analytics for Crafters, a series at CraftyPod
Bounce Rates: The Untold Story – Distilled
Is Your Site Hot or Not?
Monitoring Yourself: Beyond Googling Yourself
Learn How: Using Hootsuite
Blogspot Custom Domain Tutorial (Get your own Domain on Blogger)
Is it time to upgrade your server? (everything you need to know about web hosting) at Snap!
Create a Google+ Page for Your Blog
5 Things Google Analytics Will Tell You by Carolina Moore
Best Plugins and Gadgest for Your Blog

Business of Blogging:

Forming an LLC by Bobaloo!
Make Money Blogging by Problogger
Consulting: No, You Can’t Pick My Brain: It Costs Too Much at Forbes
Blog Law – FTC Disclosures and You by Saving For Someday
Keep Your Content on Your Own Site: Publish at Home, Only Share on FB & Other Social Media Tools by Liz Strauss
How to Price Your Handcrafted Goods: by Lauren Venell at CRAFT (This article is about handmade stuff, but applies 100% to your freelance blog work – highly recommended)
Make Money with Ad Networks by Vintage Revivals
How to Make Money Blogging at All Things Thrifty (input from over 10 successful craft bloggers)
Are you Disclosing? at Social Media Examiner
How to Run a Successful Facebook Giveaway at Blogging Basics 101
Should Bloggers Get Paid?
How to Review a Product You Hate by Carolina Moore
How to Get Paid to Be a Blogger by Heather Mann
Blogging for Bucks – Getting Paid to Write Online, by Amy Anderson
Saying No to the Wrong Sponsor by Jennifer, Always in Wonder
10 Ways to Make $600 by Heather Mann

Affiliate Marketing

Artists & the World of Affiliate Marketing — an Introduction at Unstarving Artist
Earn money promoting art-related offers at Unstarving Artist
Affiliate Marketing For Bloggers by Jen Goode of 100Directions

All About Sponsored Posts

A look inside a sponsored post with Social Spark – Mandi at Vintage Revivals

Getting Blog Conference Sponsorship:

I love this article from Blissdom: Smart Girl’s Guide to Personal Sponsorship
And also from Blissdom: Crafting Your Pitch
Some good conference sponsorship ideas in this article: Mom Blog Magazine: What Bloggers Can Offer Brands
What brands are looking for from a sponsorship pitch (from @unexperiencedmom): What Do Companies Want in a Sponsorship Pitch?
#crafterminds chat on Finding Blog Conference Sponsorship

Freelance Writing Strategies:

Content Farms 101: What are Content Farm Sites? by Rhonda Greene
How to Write for Content Farm Sites (for profit) by Rhonda Greene

Your Blog’s Design:

Elegant Themes – Buy Premium WordPress Themes. $39 yearly membership for access to all themes. (We use this service and HIGHLY recommend it! Especially if you can’t afford to pay a designer to make a custom theme for you, but you want a custom look.)
Basic Blog Must-Haves
Does Your Blog Make People Cringe? by Amy Anderson
How to Review Your Blog’s Design by Carolina Moore
Newsflash: I Can’t Find Anything on Your Blog by Amy Anderson
Adventures in Blog Layout by Colleen Jorgenson