As a first-time entrepreneur, you may assume you have everything under control when it comes to your new business’ financial budgeting. However, you may neglect a few crucial costs. Four common overlooked expenses for startups are listed below. You may miss these as a first-time entrepreneur.

1. Business Insurance

Business insurance is more expensive than you might expect, especially as you begin to hire staff.

When you hire staff, you might underestimate the cost of additional liabilities. These business insurance expenses include the following:

a) Workers’ Compensation

Workers’ compensation costs represent the benefits you must pay to an employee who is unable to work (whether temporarily or permanently) because of an injury sustained on the job.

These expenses vary a great deal depending on your line of business and the number of employees.

For example, workers’ compensation policies for office personnel are typically far less expensive than policies covering tree trimmers. Since one field is far more likely than the other to sustain work-related injuries, the premiums are priced accordingly.

b) General Liability Policy

For the sake of your new business, you’ll possibly be required to carry a general liability insurance policy. This is an easy one to overlook when budgeting, especially if you don’t have physical premises.

The useful thing about general liability policies is that they can cover more than just property damage and injury.

Policies can also offer some protection against lawsuits related to libel, slander, defamation, or copyright infringement. For anyone taking part in marketing, blogging, or publishing, that coverage can be especially helpful.

2. Employer Payroll Taxes and Other Fees

New employers sometimes make the mistake of only accounting for wages in their overhead budget. While that is certainly a vital component, there is a multitude of other taxes and fees that rack up expenses. These include employer FICA taxes, federal and state unemployment taxes, and payroll processing fees.

To get a more accurate picture of your upcoming overhead costs, you can utilize a payroll calculator. Alternatively, you can request an estimate from your payroll processor.

Additional payroll costs certainly aren’t the only sneaky budget breakers, though.

With cash and check payments becoming increasingly rare, customers generally prefer electronic means of payment. While there are definite perks of this system, processing fees can really take a bite out of your profits.

Depending on the credit card, processing fees usually average from 1.5% to 3.5%. Of course, there are many options apart from credit cards. PayPal, international wiring companies, and payment plan facilitators such as Synchrony all have their own rates.

If you’re trying to determine your cash flow and don’t take these fees into consideration, you could come up short.

3. Software License and Subscription Fees

With the digitalization of various business operations, your business might need to turn to different computerized systems to help automate operations. These systems do not come without a price, of course, but you might forget to include the costs in your budget.

Most of these systems need to be paid monthly, quarterly, or annually. You will be required to pay a recurring subscription charge in order to access the product throughout the subscription period. If you stop paying for the subscription, you will lose access to the product.

On the other hand, you might choose to make a one-time payment for a perpetual license. With the license, you can keep the product and use it perpetually. However, after a specific period of time, you will no longer have access to continuous product updates or technical support.

For example, if you use QuickBooks only for bookkeeping rather than payroll, you might not need updates. If you use QuickBooks to run payroll, however, you will need to upgrade periodically to access current payroll tables and tax rates.

4. Annual Expenses

You can forget to include large annual expenses during your startup budget.

These are expenses or the estimated aggregate amounts to be incurred in connection with your company during the applicable calendar year. They include costs for business registration renewal, tax preparation, and personal property or real estate taxes.

a) Business Registration Renewal

Business registration fees are usually small, but they do vary by state.

While the amount is usually not one that is going to break the bank, it’s still something to account for. Failure to file on time will cost you fines, yet another of your overlooked expenses, so make sure to mark your calendar to renew.

b) Tax Preparation Costs

Tax preparation costs are the costs incurred in the preparation of your tax return for the year.

This might be negligible if you are confident in preparing your own return. If you engage the services of a CPA, however, this can run into hundreds or thousands of dollars.

In addition, the IRS requires Form 5500 tax returns for certain retirement plans. So if your startup wishes to offer a 401k plan to employees, that is another annual expense to consider.

c) Personal Property/Real Estate Taxes

You might also overlook personal property and real estate taxes in your startup budget. Depending on your state and local rates, real estate taxes alone can be substantial.

This typically only applies if you own a structure. Sometimes, however, you’ll factor these into monthly rent payments for leasees.

Personal property or use tax, in general, refers to assets other than land or permanent constructions.

Not every state requires this type of tax. Those that do, however, typically collect on large or expensive equipment. This would include construction equipment, dental x-ray machines, and other depreciable items.

The Bottom Line

It can be exhilarating to start a new business. However, getting caught up in the excitement and forgetting the intricacies of budgeting can lead to poor performance of the business.

So set aside some money for any unanticipated or forgotten expenses. The majority of businesses fail because they do not have enough cash on hand to deal with unanticipated challenges that arise during the business season.

If you want your new business to boom, pay attention to your budgeting process, account for overlooked expenses, and seek financial budgeting help from experts!

The post 4 Overlooked Expenses That Can Blow Your Startup Budget appeared first on The Blog Herald.

Blogging As a Full-Time Job Brings Some Unique Challenges 

In case you didn’t know, it’s harder to grow a blog than a YouTube channel. You have to push your articles and grab people’s attention. Here comes one of the most heart-breaking problems: you work hard on your pieces of writing, have informative and interesting content, but your posts don’t get traffic. It’s as if search engines are hiding your blogs from potential readers. The blogging world can be fulfilling, but it takes a lot of time and effort to build a career. You’ll face many challenges during your blogging journey, so you need all the help you can get.  

A virtual assistant (VA) can do a range of tasks, depending on your needs, and take the pressure of a mounting list off your mind. You’ll become a better blogger, as you can dedicate more time to core activities and improve the quality of your content. Put simply, hiring a VA frees up time to focus on things that require your skills and talents. You won’t have a hard time balancing work and life in general, and you’ll actually have a life away from the computer. If you’re not accustomed to asking for help, there’s no better time than now to start. 

What Can a Virtual Assistant Do? 

Well, if you must know, a virtual assistant can perform any task that doesn’t require them to be physically present. Examples include but aren’t limited to: 

• Generating trend-responsive blog post ideas. So, you sit down to write a blog post and … nothing. You have no idea whatsoever. Everyone gets stuck at times, but there’s a better way of coming up with ideas than staring at the computer screen. Brainstorm new ideas with your VA. All you need is a pair of fresh new eyes. Take turns brainstorming over chat or Skype.  
• Writing first drafts. Drafts help organise ideas into words. Even if you’ll erase entire paragraphs or rewrite them, you have a clear idea of what you want your final article to look like. If you don’t have too much time on your hands, ask your VA to write a blog post for you. Provide the requirements for the article and, when it’s completed, you can infuse the post with your voice (and make other necessary changes). Keep in mind that you’re not working with just about anyone, but a skilled professional. 
• Editing posts. Post-editing is necessary to eliminate the errors that slip through the cracks. If you want more traffic through search engines, editing is justifiable. You can streamline your workflow by delegating editing posts. Some tasks don’t need your direct involvement. 
• Social media management. Social media is vital for promotion and marketing. Put simply, you can’t grow a blog without social media. You can engage with your audience, eliminate disappointments, and learn from the people who do blogging best. The problem is that social media management requires as much time as blogging. If you don’t have a social media background, you should better pass the task to a VA. Your virtual assistant will prepare a strategy for all the platforms you’re active on. 
• Creating email newsletters. A newsletter reconnects you to your readers and builds a community around your blog. Even if people are bombarded with subscriptions these days, they’ll want to stay in touch with their favourite brands. You can write the content, while your VA can create the layout and handle automation. The result is a newsletter that looks good on all devices. 

As you can see, a virtual assistant can be invaluable. Your VA can work from home, possibly in another country. Determine what tasks you want to outsource and which ones you want to keep on doing. The things you hate doing should be at the top of the list. 

So, How Can a Blogger Find A Virtual Assistant? 

Apparently, it’s not that difficult. If you’re part of a Facebook group, you can post an announcement. Also, you can use sites such as Upwork. A virtual assistant will most likely have a web presence where they can discuss their business. You can review the services they offer, their experience, and business details like hourly rates, refunds, contact details, and so on. The UK, in particular, has witnessed a notable rise in the number of virtual assistants. If you want to outsource, you can look a little bit further. A virtual assistant UK can free you from seemingly endless tasks. Nonetheless, take into account aspects such as data security, the time zone, cultural/language barriers, skills, and experience.

Review the applications that come in and schedule up to 4 or 5 interviews. When talking to each candidate, don’t ask just about experience and skills. Know their goals, hobbies, how they like to work, things like that. If you’re not sure what candidate might be a good fit, give your top candidates a test. People that look great on paper aren’t so great in real life. When hiring a VA, you should always know what you want. Someone with a background in office management doesn’t grasp the fine art of blogging. If you set clear expectations from the very beginning, micromanaging isn’t necessary. 

Final Thoughts 

If opportunities are coming in faster than you can handle, hiring a virtual assistant is a good idea. You can’t juggle too many responsibilities. The VA will take some of the stress away. Your time will be more efficiently used in activities that provide a higher dollar amount per hour. Practicing the jack of all trades is the biggest mistake you can make. 

The post Are You a Blogger? If So, You Need a Virtual Assistant appeared first on The Blog Herald.

Compared to years ago, when blog posts were still at their peak, you’d notice that good marketing ideas are now done with the help of videos. Since it’s pretty easy to create one, marketers have taken advantage of video marketing to help them improve their campaigns better.

People can learn a lot from watching videos, which is why many of them find video content helpful these days. This makes sense because a study had previously predicted that videos will make up over 82% of the internet traffic this year. If you’re a marketer trying to promote new products rather easily, make sure to use video marketing in your campaign efforts.

6 Video Marketing Checklist You Shouldn’t Miss Out

Now, if you want to create marketing videos, it’s essential to understand what should have been done in the first place. Remember that preparation is key when you want to start a campaign in any type of media. The more thorough your preparation process is, the better results you will get from it. Here is the quick video marketing checklist to help you prepare a winning video campaign for your business.

1. Scripting

Your script should describe all the main points that you want to talk about in the videos. Usually, you need to write a conversational copy.

To make things easier for yourself, create a list made up of 3 to 4 bullet points for every how-to topic that you would like to make a video about. Your script should always cover all these topics and include whatever details necessary so viewers can understand properly.

2. Video Outline

After creating a rough draft of your scripting, next is making the outline for your content. Now, make a list of all the items you want to include and arrange them in a logical order. Make sure to watch your script beforehand, following up with the video outline properly.

3. Recording

After preparing your video out and the scripting step, it’s time to create an actual recording. Use whatever equipment is necessary for recordings, such as webcams, microphones, or even smartphones with good cameras. 

Also, keep in mind that lightning will highly affect your recorded videos, so try to find the best spot possible with adequate lighting available for you. After everything is set up and ready for recording, start doing some sessions related to your topic until you get enough footage for it. If at any time during the process you feel like deleting some of the video clips, you are more than free to do so.

4. Post-production

Since there are so many videos nowadays that need to be edited on a daily basis, this process is just as important as the film itself. Editing is part of your preparation phase because it’s where you will have the chance to fix any errors done on the previous steps if necessary. You can also add some effects or introduce title slides for your project here.

5. Distribution

After finishing everything above, now is time to distribute your work out there. Some marketers often choose platforms like YouTube first before anything else. But, others still use their own website or blog if they have one already available since most internet users go there instead. It’s important to know that every video platform is different, so it would be wise to try all of them out one by one.

6. Monitoring

Lastly, monitor your video marketing campaigns on social media and other similar websites. After all, these are the places where your target market is present, so it’s important to know how they feel about what you made for them. You can use web analytics tools like Google Analytics or even Facebook Insights for this step if necessary.

Wrapping Up

After creating a video marketing checklist for yourself, all that’s left to do now is to try it out. Try following through with your preparation process until the end, then check your results afterward. If everything went nicely, continue doing what you are doing until you get better at it.

If not, make some changes on your own and start over again. There is nothing wrong with doing some trial and error steps, so don’t be afraid to do so. Just remember that there are always improvements for everything in the world, so keep that in mind on your own.

Copy and paste this code for a free infographic.

Author

Andre Oentoro is the founder of Breadnbeyond, an award-winning explainer video company. He helps businesses increase conversion rates, close more sales, and get positive ROI from explainer videos (in that order). 

Twitter: @breadnbeyond

Email: andre@breadnbeyond.com 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreoentoro/

The post Video Marketing Checklist: What Every Marketer Should Know appeared first on The Blog Herald.

How long do you think it will take? Six months? Two years on the outside? You can’t believe it–you’ve finally struck it rich.

Going UP

You start searching for the perfect domain. You land one that’s actually available. You buy it right away before someone else scoops it up. You set up the website platform and throw together a placeholder banner and create social media accounts and start blogging. It’s so perfect! You can’t wait to wake up and work on your blog every day. Everything else in your life feels like it’s just holding you back.

You start sending links to your closest friends. These are the people who have always told you that you should write. They’re encouraging. 

A few months in your subscriber count is still low. You’re still spending more in the domain, hosting, and “research” fees (books you buy, freelancers you hire) than you can reasonably hope to recover right now. 

The Crash

And this is where it starts to break down. It stops being as fun. Your passion fizzles. You continue to grind out posts to meet your self-imposed deadlines, but then one day, you figure that no one is going to miss it if you decide to take a break. From there, you’re on the slippery slope to giving up.

This is the cycle of countless abandoned blogs on the information superhighway. Months (or years) later, you reflect back and you think, “I could have really had something there if I hadn’t given up so early.” 

The Solution

There’s a decent chance that you were right. You might have had an idea that would have eventually gained traction–if not as a moneymaker then as a resume-builder to help you get something closer to your dream job. You know the quote: “80 percent of success is just showing up.” 

The only way to find out if your idea will pay off is to keep showing up. But how? When it starts to feel like you’re spinning your wheels for nothing, how do you get your butt back in the chair and write another post with some heart and soul in it? 

The answer is to set goals.

Realistic Expectations

The secret to using goals is to stick with small, realistic goals. Instead of saying to yourself, “Okay, this weekend, I want to go viral,” set a goal such as, “This month, I want a certain blogger to mention my website on her blog.” This gives you something to take clear steps towards.

How is that blogger going to know about you? Well, you’re going to have to reach out.

How do you reach out without coming across like a sleazy self-promoting salesperson? Well, there are whole books written on that subject. Find one, read it, and apply it to your scenario as you read it.

Here’s another realistic goal: “This week, I want five more subscribers to my newsletter.”  How do you go about that? One way is to set up social media ads. Learn how to do that. Set up your ads. How much did that cost? How much can you afford to spend every month?

It’s a Learning Process

If you set realistic goals for yourself, you’re going to learn a lot along the way. You won’t just be writing your heart out and sending your blog posts out into the void, hoping that your friends will suddenly tell their friends, who for some reason happen to be the kind of people who make fledgling bloggers become rich and famous. The process of building a successful blog is like paying off a credit union car loan: You do it one payment at a time.

Keep grinding, friends.

First published in May 2020; republished March 2022

The post How to Use Goals to Keep on Blogging appeared first on The Blog Herald.

Top tips for getting started with a side hustle

1. Don’t be blindsided

You’re the only one with true insight into your passions, priorities, and overall circumstances. While there’s no shortage of great tips and ideas for getting started with a side hustle, it’s vital to decide how much time you have to commit to your efforts. There are many other factors to consider before starting a side hustle.  

If there’s just one tip you remember, make it this one: It’s beyond important to start out on the right foot. Knowing what you’re getting into in terms of taxes and side hustle tax deductions, insurance, and other less-than-exciting but oh-so-necessary factors can save major headaches in the future. 

2. Improve on existing skills

Sure, you can (and should!) hire writers and web developers to help you with your workload once you get to the point where your side hustle is booming, but when you’re just getting started, focus on growing your own skills. Social media training from Hootsuite and other companies can help you get your side hustle off the ground. 

Certification programs are a great way to stay well-informed and updated even after you’ve gotten the social media credentials you want.

3. Start your side hustle the right way 

Whichever side hustle(s) you opt in to, it’s beyond important to create a plan and set yourself up for success from the get-go. Forbes offers a fantastic guide to starting a side hustle with tips that can be applied to everything from creating your own crafting business to picking up gigs on popular freelancing sites like Upwork and Guru.com. There’s no need to reinvent the wheel! 

Side hustle ideas

Maybe you have a side hustle or two in mind. Perhaps you’re just dancing with the idea of setting up as a freelancer or selling fabulous handcrafted jewelry on Etsy. Here are a few top side hustles to consider – and hey – there’s no rule that says you have to pick just one! 

1. Offer your skills as a virtual assistant

Believe it or not, virtual assistants (Vas) are in high demand. As someone who is organized, efficient, and social media savvy, you could make a tidy sum helping companies keep in touch with their audiences and perhaps performing other tasks. Spend just a little time poking around online and you’ll find loads of opportunities to take advantage of this profitable side hustle. Who knows? One (or more) of them could be the ideal match.

2. Manage social media profiles

Love Pinterest? How about Facebook or Instagram? You might be able to translate your appreciation for social media to a fantastic side hustle. Believe it or not, successful bloggers and businesses often need help from experts like you, who know their way around the top social media sites like Pinterest and who can successfully use those platforms to gain followers. Look in blogging Facebook groups and check out freelancing websites for opportunities if managing social media profiles sounds like the perfect side hustle!

3. Start a YouTube channel or sell videos on Vimeo

Vlogging is fun but YouTube tutorials and product reviews can be profitable, as can selling videos on Vimeo. If you’ve got an engaging personality, a great camera, and plenty of useful information to share, this is a fantastic side hustle to consider. Like some other ideas, this one usually takes some time to get off the ground, so it’s not ideal for those who are looking for a way to make extra money right away. 

4. Become an affiliate

You’re already using social media, so why not spend a little of that time making money? Bloggers and other content creators know that affiliate marketing is one of the best ways to make money online – so much so that many find that their side hustle quickly outpaces their day job! 

It takes an effort to get started with this side hustle but with the right affiliate marketing tools, it’s possible to automate time-consuming procedures and enjoy greater freedom in your daily life. Your social media presence will keep you engaged with your audience and give others the opportunity to take advantage of the offers you introduce. 

5. Try your hand at e-commerce

Start your own website or buy an online store that’s already stocked and ready to go. Dropshipping makes it simple to operate a business online since there’s no need to warehouse anything or worry about getting products out to customers. Your social media skills will be put to good use in promoting your products. 

6. Already blogging? Kick it up a notch

If you’re already blogging (or thinking about it) consider creating multiple blogs instead of sticking with just one. Like some other social media-related side hustles, this one calls for quite a bit of work on the front end, but once you’ve created content and set yourself up as an affiliate, it can certainly get easier. Try these tips from blogging experts to make this side hustle as profitable as can be.

These are just a few top side hustle ideas, all curated with social media savvy individuals like you in mind. Remember that social media has the power to amplify anything, given the right mindset! Whether you decide to create your own business or freelance and serve clients, your ability to leverage social media will serve you well. Now, get out there and get started! Your perfect side hustle is waiting.

First published in February 2020; updated March 2022

The post Side Hustle Tips for the Social Media Savvy appeared first on The Blog Herald.

But take a closer look and you’ll see that not all fashion bloggers are created equal. In the search for the perfect outfit, it’s easy to lose yourself and waste time in the black hole of fashion blogs.

This is why we’ve rounded up our favorite no-nonsense fashion bloggers. When it comes to all things fashion and beauty, these guys and gals are constantly dishing out style inspiration as you’ve never seen before.

Jessica Wang

Her blog best exemplifies what a popular, high-fashion blog should look like. Jessica’s social media platforms are graced by high-fashion name brands like Gucci, Versace, and Fendi to name a few. She teaches all her followers not just how to style but also how to pose and shoot.

Check out her TikTok account here: Jessica Wang

Young Emperors

A little quirky, but a lot of fun – this couple is a sure icon in fashion. Isabelle Chaput and Nelson Tiberghien are not only fashionistas but performing artists that are collectively known as Young Emperors. They grace the streets of New York with their spectacular matching outfits. As anyone would see in their content, fashion is all about the texture, the pattern, the color, and the outrageousness of clothing. Their following on TikTok alone consists of 3.7 Million likers. Ergo, this couple deserves a mention in any fashion hall of fame.

Check out their TikTok account here: Young Emperors

Denise Mercedes

This gorgeous Dominican Model has launched a popular TikTok challenge back in 2020 titled “Style, not Size”. This TikTok challenge showed how she (a size 14 model) and her friend (Maria Castellanos) modeled exactly the same clothes. This challenge showed that clothing can make any woman feel beautiful regardless of shape, color, and form. Denise Mercedes is well-known to put together fabulous sets of clothing and feature them on her social media pages. We have to understand that fashion is now much less about clothes but more about body positivity, too.

Check out her TikTok here: Denise Mercedes

Guy Overboard

Ever heard of a plus-sized fashion blog for men? The Guy Overboard blog is probably the best one. We always talk about body positivity for women, but every person (for whatever gender) deserves to be confident with their bodies. In his blog, he features a lot of inclusive men’s fashion brands that are stylish and comfortable. Although his content is in Italian, the advocacy in men’s fashion transcends all languages!

Check out his Instagram here: Guy Overboard

Mercer 7

Slow fashion, sustainability – are two concepts that are highly sought after in today’s fashion world. The overall concept of Mercer 7 is to curate a luxurious and fashionable capsule wardrobe made up of timeless and classy pieces that will last anyone through seasons in fashion. Anyone can edit their closet, de-clutter their clothes, and curate an incredible wardrobe. You can have an effortless style by buying with intention and even when re-styling and re-wearing clothes.

Check out her Instagram here: Mercer 7

Fashion Should Be Fun

Fashion knows no age. If anything everyone gets even more beautiful and classy the older they get. Dawn Lucy is a fashion blogger that proves classy silver hair matches everything! Her style is effortless and chic, so stylish that everyone wants to dress up like her. As her motto, she simply shows through her Instagram that fashion SHOULD be fun – and it shows!

Check out her Instagram here: Fashion Should Be Fun

Conclusion

Whether you’re into street fashion, high fashion, or consumer fashion from places like JJ’s House, you can develop your own personal style by getting inspiration from today’s most influential style bloggers. Although not everyone can afford to be styled by a full-time stylist, you can always get style advice by following your favorite bloggers online. 

Whatever you’re wearing, always remember that you can glam up any outfit with the right attitude and confidence. The best fashion advice? Don’t be afraid to do you!

Related posts:

Top 10 Lifestyle Influencers and Bloggers You Must Follow

8 Best New York Lifestyle and Fashion Blogs

First published in April 2019; updated March 2022

The post 6 Best Fashion Bloggers for Style Inspiration appeared first on The Blog Herald.

Nobody goes to the local store to buy SaaS products. We read and research about them online. Therefore, for SaaS providers, your copy is crucial. It creates the vital first impression that dictates whether potentials will convert. 

In this guide, we cover simple steps to unlock the potential of your service, drive sales, and reduce churn. Let’s start by getting to know your users. 

Know Your Audience

Before you can write, you need to know who you’re writing for. Gather the information that’s already out there. Read your reviews and socials feedback. Get a feel for how your users talk and their tone. Speak to them directly on Twitter. Look at ways of generating more customer reviews. 

Surveys

The users you already have are a goldmine of information. Usually, you’d use their feedback to improve your services, but this is also a great way of tuning in to how they think and speak. This knowledge can feed into the next step. 

Create an ideal customer profile (ICP)

An ICP is a semi-fictional representation of your audience. It’s a persona that sits in the sweet spot in the middle of your demographic. Stitch together your own beautiful Frankenstein! 

Include practical information such as their age, gender, and income. Where do they live and work? Just as important, include psychographic details such as:

• Their pain points
• Their hopes and ambitions
• Their hobbies
• What socials they use
• Which influencers they follow

Get to know your ICP. Give them a name and make them your muse. They’re the screen on which you’ll project your brilliant ideas. But who else wants to talk to your ICP? 

Your competitors

To stand out from the competition, you need to know them well. Analyze their tone and their marketing strategies. What do you offer that’s different? How is your voice unique? 

Secondary targets

Remember when you talk to your potentials that they might not be your only target. You may have to persuade their manager or CEO as well, all of whom will have varying degrees of technical knowledge. 

If you talk tech, you risk dividing your audience. Unite them by addressing their pain points and offering solutions. At the heart of this, what is the key benefit you offer? Make sure you mention it in your copy.  

Identify your unique value proposition. 

Identify Your Unique Value Proposition (UVP)

Before you can write, you need to know what you’re writing about. It will take time to refine your UVP, but at its core are two simple questions. 

1. What are the needs of your potential? 

2. How can you meet those needs? 

Address both of these questions with a simple phrase using direct language. This core insight/mission statement should inform everything from your copywriting to your sales training method. 

You could talk about features and technical details. You might obsess about them night and day. But they won’t fascinate your potentials in the same way. You might have the most technically innovative SaaS on the market, but the details will have niche appeal to your audience. 

It’s far more persuasive to explain how your service can positively affect your prospects’ lifestyles, and that’s exactly what your UVP should clarify. 

Now you know how to grab your prospects’ attention, what do you want them to do? 

Tell your prospects what you want them to do. 

Call to Action Without Distraction

Before you can write, you need to know where you’re guiding your reader. A call to action (CTA) tells your prospects what you want them to do next. What that is will depend on where your prospects are in your sales funnel. 

For example, an initial CTA might be to click on a link to your website. That’s a relatively low level of commitment. You might ask them to:

• Read more
• Subscribe to our blog

Once your prospect has seen your website or landing page, you want them to take the next step. 

• Start your free seven-day trial
• Get your free consultation

Next, it’s time to make the onboarding step as seamless and attractive as possible. 

• Sign up today and save 10 percent
• Subscribe now, cancel anytime

But this is not the end of the journey. The lifetime value (LTV) of your users should be key to your project timeline. Provide your converts with useful information and relevant upselling offers, such as:

• Go premium
• Get an extra 100 GB of cloud storage

Your prospects might not be ready to convert yet, so you could also offer a lower commitment CTA option. 

• Find out more 
• Read our testimonials

Relevant links in articles are great for SEO, but avoid them on your landing pages and in marketing materials. Don’t distract your potentials from your CTA. If you must include a link, use simple anchor text and set the link to open in a fresh tab. 

All your copy should be guided by the power of your UVP and compel readers towards your CTA. 

Perfect your tone of voice. 

Tone of Voice

Before you can write, know how you want to sound. Your prospects will use multiple platforms and channels, often in conjunction. Your voice and tone need to be as consistent as your messages. 

Your tone should be versatile enough to work on different channels, yet consistent enough to feel familiar. Your messages should be adapted to each platform in the same way images are optimized for various socials. 

That applies to the copy on all media, from the scripts for your videos to the chatbots on your blog. 

Richer Language Makes You Richer

There were a few ideas for that headline. “Get Rich With Rich Words” is okay, but it doesn’t end on the keyword. What I want to communicate is the idea of you, the reader, getting richer through the use of emotive writing and powerful imagery, which in turn drives sales for your SaaS. 

Here’s how to do it.

Active language should be used

There’s nothing grammatically wrong with this subhead. Except that “used” is a past tense word. Therefore…

*Use active language

…is more powerful. It addresses the reader in the here-and-now and uses fewer words. This isn’t always possible, of course. Don’t force active language on your readers if it doesn’t flow. 

Questions are more powerful than statements

Are questions more powerful than statements? Yes. And that’s what you want from your readers. It’s an easy goal, even if you don’t like writing. Get them to say “yes”. Then they will say yes to your CTA. For example:

• Do you get too much SPAM in your inbox? Yes. 
• Do important messages get lost or forgotten? Yes. 
• Do your inbox searches return confusing results? Yes. 
• Click here for a free trial. Yes. 

Emotional propositions are more powerful than intellectual ones 

Think about your ICP. Empathize with them. You need to show a thorough understanding of their day-to-day life. Keep your language bold and simple. 

For example, “Achieve the perfect work/life balance” is way more engaging and persuasive than “Unify your comms with a single user-friendly platform”. The latter describes the product perfectly but without any emotional resonance.

Of course, new and complex services will need explaining. If you’re selling business processes, you will likely have to provide a BPaaS definition. 

Balance positives and negatives

Use too much positive language and you’ll sound like a teleshopping presenter. Too much negative language and you’ll make your doom-and-gloom content – and by extension your software – unappealing. Fluctuate between push and pull factors to engage your readers and avoid monotony. 

Keep it minimal. 

Formatting

Keep your paragraphs short and your sentences shorter. Highlight important phrases with bold text. Break up copy with headings, subheads, bullet points, and numbered lists. 

Landing pages

Different channels attract different demographics. Ideally, you should build a unique landing page for each. Remote employee management services, for example, could appeal to a broad church. 

Tailor the language, tone, and CTA to each audience. You can gauge which are most effective using A/B testing, and the more landing pages you make, the more refined they’ll become. 

The less text on a page, the more your message stands out. Don’t clutter your landing pages with information. It’s likely your potentials will skim-read your content. Therefore it’s better to split your copy across a few pages. 

Testimonials 

A glowing review is powerful, particularly if the brand is one your potentials recognize and trust. But just like your copy, testimonials need to be precise and specific about the benefits of your service. On the other hand, a simple “It’s great!” won’t get you very far. Try to include a broad range of clients to maximize your appeal. 

Mailing lists

Like your testimonials, you should break up your database into as many different categories and demographics as possible so you can customize your message and tone. Behavioural emails can help here. The most important differentiator is between converts and prospects. 

• Prospects mailing list

Give your prospects useful tips and valuable information. Remember, you’re not simply selling your product. You’re helping your readers to achieve their ambitions and explaining how your service can help them do so. 

• Converts mailing list

Give your converts information about new features, services, or plans. Remind them about your service to prevent churn.

Keep Up!

Every aspect of your SaaS marketing strategy is subject to change. Social movements and political events alter the way people think. Buying habits continually evolve. If you keep saying the same things in the same way, eventually your message will stagnate, however powerful it is. Adopt a more malleable approach.

Writing great copy isn’t rocket science. You don’t have to dazzle your readers with technical jargon. Rather, tell relatable stories in plain English that captivate their imaginations. Less Stephen Hawking, more Stephen King. 

Isn’t it time you turned your copy on its head and made it the best in the market?

Bio:

Jenna Bunnell – Senior Manager, Content Marketing, Dialpad

Jenna Bunnell is the Senior Manager for Content Marketing at Dialpad, an AI-incorporated cloud-hosted unified communications system with a virtual contact center solution that provides valuable call details for business owners and sales representatives. She is driven and passionate about communicating a brand’s design sensibility and visualizing how content can be presented in creative and comprehensive ways. Here is her LinkedIn.

The post The Must-Have Guide on How to Master SaaS Copywriting appeared first on The Blog Herald.

That’s right. Brands are prepared to pay sometimes large sums of money upfront for an endorsement in one of your articles. This could represent a new source of income, giving you greater financial freedom and even new professional opportunities.

An affiliate program can be another great way of earning money from sponsors. What is an affiliate program? Well, it entitles you to part of the profit from each purchase your readers make.

This article reveals, in 10 easy steps, how to attract and work with your very first sponsor. It will also show how to continue this process to work with more sponsors in the future.

1. Create high-quality content that attracts an audience

The first step to gaining sponsorships is to make sure you have something to offer. The better the advertising opportunity, the more a sponsor will be motivated to work with you.

This means creating content that naturally attracts an audience. You need to provide current and useful information that matches the interests of your readers. Improve your blog by creating compelling content with real relevance and insight.

Simple things like making sure your blog posts are well written and correctly formatted will improve the appearance and appeal of your content.

2. Create a sponsorship proposal or media kit

An example media kit to send to potential sponsors. (Source.)

Above is an example of a media kit, sometimes known as a sponsorship proposal. It’s like an ad for your sponsorship opportunities so needs to reflect the best parts of your blog.

It should contain information about you and your background. Sharing your audience demographics and being able to describe how you relate to your readers is helpful.

You should detail how many views the sponsor can expect. That’s what they’re paying for, after all.

Including prices is optional but can set you apart from competitors if the sponsor is unsure. However, it will mean you can’t negotiate down the line.

You might include documents specific to individual sponsors following their first contact. These could contain details of how you would incorporate their product into an effective blog post designed to make them look good, for example.

3. Reach out to brands you’re interested in working with

Contact companies via email or VoIP phone, and keep trying even if they don’t initially respond. Contacting brands you’re interested in working with may seem simple enough, but it can quickly become frustrating.

Much like applying for a job, you may be disheartened by the lack of replies and constant rejection. This is partly because of the low number of opportunities available. As can be seen in the following graph, in 2020, over half of surveyed companies said they’d worked with 0-10 influencers in the past year, illustrating that there isn’t much space in the influencer sponsorship world.

However, it’s important to keep going and not let these rejections affect your ambitions of securing sponsorship. After all, there’s no reason why it shouldn’t be you over some other hopeful.

The results of a 2020 study in which 4,000 marketing agencies, brands, and other industry professionals were surveyed. (Source.)

4. Make sure the brand is right

Having said that, just because you’re interested in the brand and the brand is interested in you, doesn’t mean you should work with them without thinking about it. Whether it be croissant slippers, a .ae domain, or an elephant inflatable, you need to perform your due diligence.

Readers care about your integrity and values, so make decisions that are in their best interests. Make sure the product or service being featured is of sound quality and will be enjoyed and appreciated by your audience.

A lot of bad press can come from endorsing a product that doesn’t work or is of negligible quality.

5. Negotiate a price

Now comes time to discuss the terms of the arrangement. Provided you haven’t already stated your prices, there’s an opportunity to negotiate how much the sponsor will pay and how much you think is fair.

When discussing your terms and reaching an agreement, make sure every communication is noted down somewhere. You may want to look into how to record phone calls (you must always inform the sponsor if you are recording).

As this is your first sponsorship, it may be tempting to offer the sponsor a low price to increase your chances of working with them again. However, your first sponsorship will require more research and collaboration than those down the line. So, assess whether spending more time should mean a higher price.

6. State it’s an ad

Forecasted figures for influencer marketing global spend, 2015-2020. (Source.)

In recent years, many changes have been made to the influencer marketing sphere. Spending has increased rapidly in the domain, as shown in the above graph. And, with influencers earning more on average for each post, there’s more at stake when it comes to the influence this has on customers.

This could be why, in many countries, laws have been created or updated, forcing content creators to make it clear when something’s an ad and when it isn’t. For example, in the USA, the FTC has ruled that ads must be declared.

So, don’t get caught out. To protect yourself, your sponsor, and your audience, always make sure to declare if a post is an ad.

7. Thank your sponsor privately and publicly

Make sure to let the sponsor know how much you appreciate their funding. Suppose you ran a small business and someone bought a product. You’d most likely thank them for their custom. This exchange is no different: the sponsor is paying for a service you’re providing.

Thanking them will ensure you remain on good terms. Consider sending them a small note or gift to express your gratitude.

You could also thank them publicly in the blog post itself. This is a great way to get in the sponsor’s good graces and may also encourage other sponsors to get in touch.

You could add gratitude posts into your blog content calendar so you don’t forget.

Even a small note will do. (Source.)

8. Maintain relationships

Keep in touch with sponsors and let them know what you’re up to. Allow them certain privileges when it comes to your products and events. For example, you might invite them to a launch event for one of your new products.

Maintaining a good relationship will help you in the future should you wish to work with them again. It will also be beneficial for your reputation. Sponsors will speak highly of you in their circles.

When it comes to sponsors, it’s not as easy as using lead generating strategies to find new ones. Good and viable sponsors are hard to locate. However, paths cross in different ways at different times, and you never know who you’ll end up running into again. So, whenever a potential networking opportunity comes your way, be sure to capitalize on it. 

9. Use the sponsorship when reaching out to new sponsors

Every new experience you have with a sponsor can be used to persuade future sponsors. You can add sponsorship examples to your media kit, illustrating the benefits of working with you. Including these is useful as it helps sponsors see how they might be featured on your blog.

Once you have several of these examples in your portfolio, sponsors will be able to see the different ways in which their brand could be represented. It will be easier to have important discussions. You could even collaborate using sharing technology – for example, find out about the best screen sharing app to walk them through what you’ve done before.

Of course, you should stay open to new ideas when it comes to sponsorship representation, and let sponsors know they don’t have to stick to the status quo.

10. Keep updating your terms and prices

A graph showing total sponsorship spending in four different regions. (Source.)

As you gain more experience and build your following, it’s only right you increase your prices and renegotiate your terms on an ongoing basis.

The above graph shows how sponsorship spending has increased over the years. This means there’s the potential to earn more money as time goes on. Take a second to review the going rate via some quick research.

The more experience you have of having sponsors, the more you’ll be able to charge. This is because you’ll be able to accommodate sponsors better and provide superior content for their endorsement. The project timeline is also likely to be shorter and the overall process more efficient.

Know your worth and adjust your rates accordingly.

Keep going with it

Using this simple guide, you can capitalize on sponsorship opportunities time and again. Although success won’t come overnight, keeping up with changes and continually producing great content will keep you on the right track.

Some of this work is repetitive, so you might want to use RPA to fulfill certain actions. What is RPA? It involves using automation to carry out repetitive tasks. It can save a lot of time when it comes to putting together a media kit or reaching out to several sponsors at once, for example.

Whichever way you choose to conduct your activities, keep it up and don’t lose sight of your end goal.

Bio:

Grace Lau – Director of Growth Content, Dialpad

Grace Lau is the Director of Growth Content at Dialpad, an AI-powered cloud communication platform and one of the industry-leading cloud phone systems for better and easier team collaboration. She has over 10 years of experience in content writing and strategy. Currently, she is responsible for leading branded and editorial content strategies, partnering with SEO and Ops teams to build and nurture content. Here is her LinkedIn.

The post How to Earn Your First (and More) Sponsored Blog Posts appeared first on The Blog Herald.

Blogs are an excellent tool for today’s digital writers. They’re accessible and highly versatile, with both individuals and businesses using them for a range of purposes. Reading information rather than watching or talking about it may also offset problems like zoom fatigue. 

One of the first steps on the path to blogging success is proofreading. Proofreading helps you solve problems like misspelled words and a lack of flow. This checklist highlights major concerns and paves the way for blogging success.

1. Spelling

Misspelled words immediately stick out from the words surrounding them, and make a piece of work seem sloppy. Today’s word processors catch most misspelled words quickly, just as google automate reduces errors. But it’s still worth paying close attention to spelling. 

This is particularly important if you’ve confused two homophones (words with the same pronunciation, but different spelling). These can fall through inconsistencies in spell-checking software, but they’re still an example of sloppiness.

It’s also worth checking you’ve got the right spelling for your location. If you’re a Brit writing for an American site (or vice versa) you’ll need to keep a close eye on unique spellings. 

Make sure you know your “grays” from your “greys” (and your “realizes” from your “realises”) and ensure these are applied consistently throughout the writing. Don’t forget about unique words like “sidewalk” or different uses of words like “to” and “with”, either.

2. Capitalization

Capital letters are typically used for names (of people, places, organizations, and so on).

Article titles are trickier, as different places have different rules for capitalizing them. If you’re writing on behalf of someone else, check for their preferred approach. Consider a screen share app so they can see exactly what you’ve written. 

3. Commas

A good rule of thumb is to use no more than one comma per sentence. An exception to this rule is lists, particularly if the Oxford comma is employed. This means we put a comma after the last item in a list. 

While not everyone uses it, the Oxford comma can be useful to clarify intention. If you were to write “I love my parents, Donald Duck, and Minnie Mouse”, the Oxford comma (after Donald Duck) would clarify that your parents aren’t cartoon characters.

You may also use multiple commas if part of a sentence could be excised without affecting the rest of it. Writing “My umbrella, which is green, keeps me dry” is an example of this.

4. Apostrophes

Apostrophes are also easy to misuse, though their usage often overlaps with the homophones discussed earlier. Make sure you don’t have “It’s” when you meant to write “Its”, or “You’re” when you meant to write “Your”. 

Possessive apostrophes are a particularly common error. A fruit seller that sells “Apple’s, Orange’s and Grape’s” isn’t going to make friends with any writers. As a rule, limit your apostrophe use to contractions (like “I’ve” and “You’re”) and possessives (like “Greg’s car”) to avoid any major hiccups.

Worried you aren’t using commas consistently? A blog content calendar can both help you schedule blogs properly, and review all your work with greater ease.

5. Dashes

These come in three varieties: hyphens ( – ), en dashes ( – ) and em dashes ( — ). While they look and sound similar, they have distinct uses.

Hyphens are used to connect two words, shifting their function within a sentence in the process. By linking a noun and a verb, the hyphen allows “load-bearing” to function as an adjective. You can also use hyphens if you spell out larger numbers (like “thirty-seven”) or if you want to add a number, fraction, or prefix to a word (like “fourth-century”, “quarter-pounder”, or “ex-husband”).

En dashes are typically used when you write numerical ranges (like “20–30 hours”, or “1951–1996”). Since they replace the words “from” and “to”, you can avoid both of these when using en dashes. You can also use en dashes in complex compound adjectives, like “World War 2–era”. 

Em dashes usually designate parenthetical information. If you want to draw attention to something in a sentence, em dashes are a great choice.  “Travelling—by train, at least—is relaxing with the right book” is an example of em dashes in action. 

6. Adverbs and Adjectives

Adverbs are really very useful in writing… or so some people might think. In practice, it’s actually best to restrict their use in your writing. This is especially true if you’re writing a blog post for a business; too many adverbs make your writing feel salesy and insincere while contributing little to your arguments. 

Adjectives present a similar problem. There is obviously a place for them in your writing, but using them too often can undermine your writing and inspire laziness. Try to focus on nouns and verbs when describing something. 

7. Coherency

Of course, proofreading isn’t just about commas and capital letters. Good proofreading examines the broader structure and clarity of the writing itself. As you might expect, this requires a little more work. Workflow management tools can make all these tasks more digestible.

One way this manifests is how the parts of a piece of writing fit together. There needs to be a logical flow to your writing, a deliberate order to things that helps people understand your broader argument. A piece of writing could be flawless in terms of spelling and punctuation but if the argument they support is sloppy or unclear, the writing needs work.

Take a step back from the text and consider it as a whole. Does one section flow into the other? Could a section benefit from having its position shifted, or from being removed altogether?

If someone sends you an idea via voicemail, a virtual voicemail app can help you to establish coherency. These tools transcribe spoken words, allowing you to take something organic and make necessary tweaks. 

8. Purpose

Every piece of writing has some kind of purpose. This may be to tell a story, educate its readers on a topic, or make a particular argument. It’s likely you’ll have this in mind before you start writing a blog post. After you’ve finished, consider if what you’ve written serves that purpose. If there’s a section that doesn’t, consider rewriting or removing it.

9. Clichés

These look a bit different for every area of writing, but they’re always there. Clichés—in this context—are lazy turns of phrase whose usage might not bear scrutiny. While people will recognize clichés upon seeing them, this recognition isn’t a good thing. It’s more likely to inspire eye-rolls than excitement or investment in your work.

Scour your writing for instances of “low-hanging fruit”, “deliverables”, “digital natives”, and other irritating turns of phrase. Getting rid of these clichés encourages your writing to be more innovative and memorable. You can also set yourself apart when choosing a blog color scheme.

10. Acronyms

Acronyms and initialisms are an effective time-saver if your audience understands them. However, if you need to use one that’s obscure make sure you explain it quickly. Everyone knows NASA, for instance, but what about WIPO or RIAA? (These are the World Intellectual Property Organization and the Recording Industry Association of America, by the way.) 

While you can assume some know-how amongst your audience (particularly if you’re writing for a specific industry) it never hurts to clarify an acronym that’s lesser-known. 

If you’re unsure about an acronym’s popularity, cloud content management helps you foster a more collaborative space and get feedback.

11. Active Voice

Writing in the active voice—as opposed to the passive voice—frequently strengthens your blog posts. While they are grammatically accurate, passive sentences don’t flow or engage audiences as easily. They’re also frequently longer than their active counterparts, which can eat into valuable word counts.  

Compare “Bob ate the carrot” to “the carrot was eaten by Bob”. The former is not as short or punchy, and a high number of passive sentences can negatively impact your writing. Use the passive voice if you feel it works, but focussing on the active voice is often the best strategy.

Making the “write” choice

Writing well is a complicated task at the best of times. But proofreading work after writing helps you to avoid the most obvious mistakes, and clarify what you’re trying to achieve. All work benefits from proofreading, so make time to proofread every blog post you’re responsible for.

If you’re blogging as part of a larger team, you and your colleagues will benefit from a degree of emotional intelligence. Empathy, conflict resolution, and giving and accepting feedback will help you improve your work beyond spell checks and apostrophe hunts.

Blogging also benefits from a broader idea of what you’re trying to accomplish. Think about video conference software to brainstorm content ideas and to discuss a content strategy. By creating a long-term plan, you’ll significantly increase your chances of blogging success. 

Bio:

Jessica Day – Senior Director, Marketing Strategy, Dialpad

Jessica Day is the Senior Director for Marketing Strategy at Dialpad, a modern business communications platform with encrypted video conferencing that takes every kind of conversation to the next level—turning conversations into opportunities. Jessica is an expert in collaborating with multifunctional teams to execute and optimize marketing efforts, for both company and client campaigns. Here is her LinkedIn.

The post An Essential Proofreading Checklist Every Blogger Should Have appeared first on The Blog Herald.

If you have a great idea for a website, you’re first going to need to purchase a domain name.  If you’re new to blogging, you have to realize that a domain is quite different than a web hosting plan (which is a term you encounter often).  A domain name is the URL of the site – the “address” where people can find you – while the web host is where all the data in your blog is stored.

Here are 7 tips for choosing the perfect domain name for your blog

Consider SEO Impact when you choose the right domain name

We may not consider it, but your blog’s domain name plays an important role in its ranking in SERPs. A lot of times, choosing a domain name with keywords in it can boost a blog’s performance tenfold. This is where keyword intent comes in quite handy. If a domain name contains keywords, then it instantly tells potential readers browsing the SERP that your blog will provide what they are searching for. The intent is to tell your readers that not only do you have the information they are searching for, but you also specialize in it. 

For example, the website Backyard Gardener ranks first for keywords “backyard gardening websites”. This tells readers that this blog contains information about backyard gardening. Thus, clicking through the website is likely to satisfy their search. Because of this, the potential to rake in a huge chunk of search engine traffic about backyard gardening is high. 

In relation to this, it might be a good idea to choose a domain that conveys meaning. When a reader visits your website, what do you want them to associate your website with? It could be a feeling, a place, or even a purpose. For instance, using the word “experts” can convey your specialization on the subject matter, or using the word “hangout” can convey that your website is a forum. 

For example, the website www.namecheap.com conveys that it is a website that offers affordable domain name registration fees. 

Take your time and weigh it out

It’s a huge mistake to seek out a domain name and rush into purchasing one.  You need to carefully plan out your purchase.

The first ideas for a domain name are usually not the best.  Don’t get set on one idea.  Instead, try to come up with some ideas that are drastically different than other ideas.  You should come up with a list of 20 to 30 domain names you want for your online business. Then, sit on the idea for a couple of days.  You may end up thinking of something better while driving to work, in the shower, or right before you go to sleep.

One very cool website I came across is Lean Domain Search This website helps you brainstorm for good domain name ideas.

When you arrive at leandomainsearch.com you’re going to see a search bar where you can enter different keywords that you might want to use for your domain.

In this case, I used “photography”. Look at the results that showed up. There are over 1,000 domains available that use the word “photography” in the URL.

Related: 5 Best Tools for Coming Up with the Perfect Domain Name

Another website I came across is Panabee, which also helps you brainstorm for a good domain name.

When you arrive at Panabee.com, you’re going to see a search bar where you type in some keywords that you might want to use for your website.  I used the keyword “essential oils”, and you can see a variety of different keywords that Panabee suggested.

Prices Are Not Always The Same

Different registrars will charge different fees for domain names. Consider outright prices and annual costs. For instance, you can pay $100 outright, no more annual payments, and you plan to hold on to that domain name for 5 years. Or, you find another registrar that offers the same domain name for only $30 dollars out-of-pocket but you have to pay additional $15 per year (costing you $105 in total after 5 years).

Sometimes, cost savings don’t just come from annual payments. It may also depend on what your registrar offers you and what you need from them. If you are thinking of a registrar with hosting services go for Bluehost and Hostgator. If you are looking for a website that offers coupon codes and discounts, the Domain website is a good choice. Choose whichever saves you more money in the end. 

A good website I have found for comparing domain name prices is DomComp. They compare 1900+ domain extensions and you can see which registrar has the best prices. 

Don’t waste your money with premium domain names in the beginning.  Premium domain names are going to cost you several thousands of dollars to register each year. 

Auction Websites or Sites For Sale 

There is one major advantage to purchasing a domain name through an auction.  It will probably have some kind of brand recognition or SEO value to it.

These domain names will come with an extra price tag.  The extra price may be worth spending the extra money, though.  You can purchase a domain name from an auction site like GoDaddy, Sedo, NameCheap Marketplace, Flippa, Snapnames, Namejet, etc.

You can always backorder domain names if you have an idea and would prefer waiting it out to see if the domain name becomes available at a later date in time.

Be Careful With Trademarks

Sometimes people purchase domain names accidentally and it violates trademark laws. Never purchase a domain name that has words that are trademarked.  For instance, you can’t own a domain name with the words “Nike” in it.  Your domain name could be legally taken from you if it has violated any trademarks.  Not to mention, you don’t want to end up getting sued by a big corporation, because you violated their trademark.

Simple Is Always Better

Long domain names do not work. The standard rule of thumb is to not exceed three keywords for every domain name. Why? The longer your domain name the harder it is to remember.  

Do not purchase a domain name from a word that is commonly misspelled.  Simple words that a 6th grader can spell are the best because you will minimize the chances of people misspelling your domain name.  I have to repeat that the ideal domain name needs to be short and sweet.

Try to avoid using hyphens in your domain name. This not only lengthens your domain name, but it also reduces the credibility of your website. You could risk getting your website de-indexed, at which point the website is as good as gone. 

Check social media handles

Nowadays, social media presence proves to be a great tool in boosting a blog’s traffic. The problem is, if your main website and your social media handle don’t match, it might not click with loyal readers. Before officially registering your chosen domain name, make sure that you can also use it as a handle on social media platforms. This will surely strengthen your brand. 

For instance, blogherald.com has a Twitter handle of the same name. Followers can immediately associate two and two together. They may choose to follow your content online, and you may translate social media clicks to instant blog traffic. 

Hopefully, this article has shed some light on how to choose the right domain name.  

First published in 2016; updated February 2022

The post 7 Powerful Tips For Choosing A Domain Name appeared first on The Blog Herald.

That’s because the typical case in slow websites is that they’re bogged down by unoptimized images. Take a quick look at your WordPress image gallery and if you see some image sizes with “MB” instead of just “KB,” you got yourself a problem that image optimizer plugins for WordPress can certainly fix.

Otherwise, it could be some server-related issues, but in any case, even if you think your images are optimized but you never used any plugins for them, then it’s high time you give them some meticulous care. Check out these WordPress plugins to help your images and your website speed.

EWWW Image Optimizer

By far, EWWW is one of the most popular image optimizer plugins for WordPress. It provides near-unparalleled ease of use since it optimizes the images you upload on the fly. This can save a lot of time especially if you’re used to manually reducing the sizes of your images as those require external software.

Moreover, EWWW performs image optimization on your own servers. You don’t even need an account of your own to use EWWW, though you can still sign up for it if you prefer. To that end, EWWW is completely free and has no image or file size limits.

Notes:

• Free, no account or signups required
• No file size limit
• Easy-to-use, good quality of life features.
• Works on your servers

Optimole

Uploading an image and then not worrying about it anymore once it’s in your media library is Optimole’s strength. It tailors your images to fit in users’ specific mobile devices or different kinds of screens. Of course, WordPress also has something like this but Optimole improves upon that feature.

Optimole is also intuitive enough to have its own dashboard outside of WordPress so you can tweak the intricate details of your images. You also don’t have to worry about your images loading slowly with Optimole.

Notes:

• Free, but requires an account
• Uses a Javascript workaround to ensure your images always load
• Free plan only allows 1GB of total image data per month

Compress JPEG & PNG images

If you have a ton of old images you left unoptimized due to your website or blog being old, you might find optimizing them one-by-one tedious work. Compressing JPEG & PNG images can be a timesaver in that regard. It’s also one of the free image optimization plugins for WordPress but only allows for 100 images to be optimized per month (free account).

What the plugin makes up for is its ability to bulk-optimize images all at once. It also optimizes any new upload while you’re in the process of doing it. You also get an automatic image-sizing parameter with every new image upload; the plugin will automatically crop or resize the image according to your preferred size.

Notes:

• Free
• Free account has a 100-image limit per month
• Great for bulk-optimizations

RELATED: How to Optimize eCommerce Product Images for Search and Social Media

Imagify

The user interface is where Imagify excels. It has arguably one of the most stylish layouts and dashboards among all image optimizer plugins for WordPress. The minimal menu and option design is also user-friendly and can shorten the time you spend tinkering with image compression.

Additionally, Imagify lets you pick a lossless compression for your images if ever you want to preserve the image quality while still managing to reduce the image size. As an added bonus, Imagify can also optimize your WordPress theme for you.

Notes:

• Free
• Free plan allows 1GB of image data
• Great minimal UI, easy to use
• Lets you use lossless compression

reSmush.it

reSmush.it is often regarded as the best out of all the image optimizer plugins for WordPress by many users in regards to how much it can compress while retaining the image quality. Like Imagify, it also has bulk optimizations for your older images as well as automated optimization upon upload.

Perfect as it may seem, reSmush.it does have some shortcomings; it doesn’t let you choose different compression levels. Optimization is also only available for images below 5MB (free account), 4K images or anything bigger might be exempted. If that’s crucial for your website, then you might want to use another plugin.

Notes:

• Free
• 5MB maximum image size limit for free accounts
• Bulk optimization
• No compression options

ShortPixel Image Optimizer

ShortPixel is highly similar to Imagify especially when it comes to appearance. Both have minimalist UIs but ShortPixel gives you an advanced page if you want more customized images. There’s also a 100-image limit per month for free accounts.

Where ShortPixel shines is its thoughtfulness; it gives you a comparison of your original image versus the compressed or optimized image so you can tweak the settings to achieve your preference.

Notes:

• Free, 100 images per month
• Easy UI, lots of options too
• Lets you compare compressed images with the original
• No file size restrictions

Smush

Not to be confused with reSmush.it, Smush is also quite popular as image optimizer plugins for WordPress go. It also has automatic optimization upon upload and lets you bulk optimize older images– up to 50 images all at once and you can even make them lossless.

You also get plenty of compression options from resolution changes to scale-downs. The downside is the rather limiting free mode; Smush only allows 1MB maximum filesize for images (free accounts).

Notes:

• Free
• Each image can only be 1MB maximum for free accounts
• No need to signup
• Robust bulk optimization

As for which plugin we’d go with, reSmush.it apparently takes the cake when it comes to the compression-quality ratio. Of course, feel free to test out other options depending on your needs.

RELATED: How You Should Decide Which Images to Use on Your Blog

First published in 2019; updated February 2022

The post Best Image Optimizer Plugins for WordPress in 2022 appeared first on The Blog Herald.

1. It’s Easy

With drag-and-drop builders and one-click blog registration processes, the barriers to entry have never been lower. You can have a beautiful and highly-functional blog up and running within minutes.

2. It’s Affordable to Start

Unlike other businesses that require loans, investors, and complicated business plans to get started, a blog can be launched with just a few bucks and some spare time. This makes it an ideal choice for those facing challenging financial circumstances, like bankruptcy.

“Starting a traditional business after bankruptcy is almost impossible – at least from a financing perspective,” bankruptcy attorney Devin Sawdayi explains. “Since a blog requires almost no capital investment on the front end, it’s a realistic option for those who’ve been through a recent bankruptcy.”

Whether you’ve been through bankruptcy or simply don’t want to go the route of taking on thousands of dollars in debt with traditional financing, a blog provides an affordable start.

3. It Builds Your Resume

Blogging is a great resume builder. Regardless of what industry you’re in, you can always link people to blog posts to show them that you’re an effective communicator, creative person, experienced professional, etc.

4. It Can Generate Income

You aren’t going to generate thousands of dollars overnight, but blogging does have the potential to generate cash flow in multiple ways. This includes advertising, affiliate marketing, and selling your own products and services.

5. It Improves Your Writing Skills

It doesn’t matter what your skill level is today. The more you write, the better you’ll get. Blogging every day (or even every week), forces you to improve your writing skills.

6. It’s a Creative Outlet

Blogging is an excellent creative outlet – especially if your day job is monotonous. It gives you a space to just be you.

7. It Provides Flexibility

With blogging, you can publish content at home, in the office, on vacation, or when you’re sitting by the pool watching your kids swim. All you need is a laptop and an internet connection. 

8. It’s All Yours

It’s your blog – nobody else owns it or can tell you what to do with it. This is a freeing thought.

9. It Opens the Doors for New Opportunities

When you have a blog, you naturally become a more attractive person/professional to others. It gives you a certain degree of clout and respect. This may lead to additional opportunities (personally, professionally, or otherwise).

10. It Helps You Build an Email List

In the marketing and business world, we say “the money is in the list.” And there’s no better way to build a list than by creating high-quality content on a blog.

11. It Cultivates Discipline

When you first launch your blog, you’ll be excited. But there will come a time when that initial jolt of energy fades and you no longer want to do it. However, this is a great opportunity to strengthen your discipline and resolve. The more you do it, the more disciplined you become. This will benefit you in other areas of your life.

12. It Teaches You New Skills

In addition to becoming a better writer, blogging teaches you new skills. This may include things like graphic design, video editing, direct response copywriting, negotiating skills, accounting, SEO, advertising, etc.

13. It Can Help You Land Your Dream Job

Depending on the type of career you have and how it aligns with your blog’s subject matter, having a blog could help you land your dream job one day. It’s a great resume booster.

14. It’s a Good Networking Tool

A blog is an excellent networking tool. It gives you an easy way to reach out to people and engage them. You’ll also find that people email and connect with you online more. Sometimes these connections turn into lucrative opportunities. 

15. It Allows You to Help Others

If you have a heart for helping others, you’re going to love blogging. It gives you an outlet to educate and instruct. You’ll love reading the comments when you see people putting your advice into action and benefiting from it.

16. It Teaches Patience

No matter what anyone tells you, you’re not going to create a successful, revenue-generating blog in seven days or less. It takes months (even years) of hard work and dedication to reach a point where it generates significant cash flow. And as frustrating as it might be at times, this teaches patience.

17. It Keeps Your Memories Alive

Having a blog is like having a diary that never gets lost or destroyed. You can go back in five or 10 years and re-read your work to see exactly what you were feeling, thinking, and experiencing. It helps to keep your memories alive. 

18. It Challenges You

There will be times where you have no clue what to do or how to move forward. These challenges will make you a better person.

19. It Gives You Something to Talk About

You’ll never find yourself in a situation where you can’t think about something to say. People are intrigued by blogging and will want to know more. Just casually mention that you have a blog and you’ll have plenty to discuss. 

20. It Doesn’t Require Any Prior Experience

Unlike professional writing jobs that may require a huge portfolio of content, blogging has no prerequisite. Whether you’re a teenager or a retiree, you can start a blog.

21. It Reduces Job Burnout

Getting burned out at work? Having a blog gives you a creative outlet, which alleviates some of this friction. Plus, if it ever starts to make money, it could allow you to reduce the amount of time you spend working your full-time job.

22. It’s Fun

This one is pretty self-explanatory. Blogging is a whole lot of fun!

Are You Ready to Start Your Blog?

It’s never been easier to start a blog. And while there are no guarantees that you’ll be successful, there are plenty of benefits and opportunities. Make this the year that you finally take the plunge and begin blogging!

The post 22 Reasons to Start a Blog in 2022 appeared first on The Blog Herald.

Maybe a decade ago, good, reliable resources are hard to come by. To the point that bloggers have developed a “we-get-what-we-pay-for” mindset. We think that if we get anything for free, we compromise quality and experience. We think that free WordPress stuff means many things. This can be hidden broken links, minimal to no customer support, no regular updates, bugs, and errors galore!

But, we do have to give generous creators credit. Why? There are so many premium-like WordPress themes available for our use now – as long as you know where to look.

While most of these premium WordPress themes are offered for a fee (at a site like ThemeForest), there are some free premium WordPress themes out there. Most of these themes don’t have hidden or shady advertising. Also, they still promise regular updates to decrease errors or compatibility issues.

Here are some of the best sources for Free Premium WordPress themes on the internet:

WooThemes

WooThemes, a plug-in and commerce platform, offers several great free WordPress themes. They offer a variety of themes for several different purposes, from a simple blog to a photography portfolio.

ThemeFreeSia

Themefreesia is a great WordPress theme library because it has a theme for a blogger’s every need. There are themes for magazine layouts, e-commerce websites, personal blogs, fashion pages, lifestyle blogs, and more. A lot of the free themes are compatible with third-party providers and are up-to-date with the latest technologies. Lots of the free themes are compatible with the Gutenberg block editor. This website also offers free plugins to help bloggers build impressive WordPress sites.

A-Themes

Not only does this website offer free premium WordPress themes, but they also have blog entries. These blog entries feature the best of their collections and even reviews for some.

Nice Page

Nice Page offers hundreds of themes that allow styling for colors, font, and typography. Other than these aesthetic customizations, NicePage also has themes where the layout can be edited. These are good customizability features that bloggers will surely love.

EnvoThemes

Looking for a collection of free, responsive, premium WordPress themes? EnvoThemes have hundreds in its collections. Their themes are compatible with third-party platforms like Elementor, Beaver builder, Brizy, and more.

Great Premium-like WordPress Themes to Try:

Astra

When we say Premium-like WordPress themes, we mean lightweight and fast. The most premium-like feature of this WordPress theme is its high customizability. Any blogger can use this WordPress theme without breaking the bank. A plus is its hassle-free use! Astra is pretty much what a lot of experienced web developers will recommend for any blogger building a code-free website.

OceanWP

One of the best competitors of Astra, OceanWP is also a highly-recommendable premium-like WordPress theme. It is highly customizable, fast, and accessible.

GeneratePress

A promising open-source theme that has all the essentials a blogger needs for their website. What is impressive about the GeneratePress free theme is its high performance that would surely wow your website’s visitors.

Neve

Thinking of a theme that will look great on any display, even mobile? Neve is a good pick. It is a multi-purpose theme that is great for any purpose – blogs, businesses, e-commerce shops, and more.

Moesia

If you are looking for a WordPress theme with parallax effects, Moesia is the best one for you. Parallax features in websites are not easy to create. We should thank our lucky stars that there are so many generous developers out there that are willing to share premium-like themes such as Moesia.

Additional tips to find free premium WordPress themes

No matter where you decide to get a free premium WordPress theme, pay attention to the website designed where it is offered or published. Also, make sure that the free theme you are downloading is not pirated copies or nulls. If you can’t find what you are looking for, it may be worthwhile to pay for a WordPress theme. This will bypass any of the hassles that could come with downloading a free theme instead.

Also read: 10 eLearning WordPress Themes

First published in 2013; updated February 2022

The post The Places to Find Free Premium WordPress Themes appeared first on The Blog Herald.

However, there is more to being a good copyright citizen than just writing your own content, quoting only what you need to in your entries, and attributing your sources. Your blog is much more than just text and there are many copyright “hazards” that even well-intended bloggers can step in.

In the past, I wrote an article about holiday copyright hazards for bloggers to avoid. But while the holidays are an especially dangerous time for copyright issues, they are a potential thorn in the side year round.

So with that in mind, here are five copyright hazards to avoid, regardless of the time of year.

1. Images

If you treat Google Image Search as your personal stock photo library, you’re pretty much asking for trouble. Not only is it likely a copyright infringement, unless you filter results for images that allow reuse first, but as image matching technology improves, including services such as Tineye, more and more rightsholders, large and small, are tracking their works.

When you seek to include an image with your post or use one in your theme, it is important to make sure that you have clearance to do so. Failure to do get permission can, and often does, lead to big headaches down the road.

How to Avoid: Avoiding this one is simple, when you look for an image, find ones with Creative Commons license that you can use. WordPress users can use the PhotoDropper plugin to greatly speed the process along.

2. Themes

When it comes to copyright and blogs, few things are stickier than themes. Themes have many different components, some of which may or may not be GPL depending on your blogging platform of choice, and many theme developers, though well-intended, make mistakes when clearing the rights to the work they use.

To make matters more complicated, many themes have licenses that require the user to keep a footer on the site or pay a certain amount to remove it.

Considering how critical your theme is to your site, it makes sense to make sure that it is up to code in terms of copyright.

How to Avoid: You have to think of themes in three different parts, the code that runs the site, the stylesheets/JavaScripts that aid it and the images that make it give it polish. If you use WordPress, the code itself is probably GPL-licensed, making it available for you to use, but the stylesheets, other scripts and images probably are not. As such, you need to make sure that you are complying with the license of the theme itself and you will likely want to replace the images in the theme, both to ensure proper licensing and to make the theme “yours”.

Also, try not to stray from the official WordPress theme directory for free themes. The requirements Automattic places on themes for inclusion (full GPL themes, no hidden links, etc.) ensure that the themes are safe from all sides.

3. Embedded Content

Though the odds of you getting in trouble for embedding YouTube clips into your site is fairly slim, putting content into your blog that you know is likely infringing can leave you with broken embeds and a lot of embarrassment.

It may not be as bad as some of the other hazards in terms of the consequences, but having a lot of “video removed” embeds on your site is ugly, especially considering that YouTube doesn’t notify embedders that the content has been removed (just the submitter). As such, the down videos could stay on your site for a very long time without you being aware.

How to Avoid: The easiest way to avoid this problem is to embed only from official YouTube channels or from official sites such as Hulu and TheDailyShow.com. However, one has to be careful even there as these videos often “cycle off” after a certain number of days, making them no longer available. While still annoying, at least you know of it beforehand and it doesn’t say the video was removed for copyright or terms of service reasons.

4. Comments

Comments may not seem like much of a legal danger, and indeed they aren’t on many sites, but as more and more blogs focus on interaction and community, comments become a more and more crucial part of the site, oftentimes outweighing the original post many times over.

You may not control what people post on your site, but as the one with the power to use the “delete” key, you do have obligations under the law, at least if you are blogging from the U.S., EU, and other regions with a “notice and takedown system”. As such, even if it is only an outside chance, it’s important to be prepared for the possibility you may be called upon to act.

How to Avoid: First, discourage comments that are infringing, a key element of any set of comments guidelines, and delete any comments which are clearly infringing. Then, make yourself available and ensure that your contact information is easily located on the site. If someone contacts you about an infringement that takes place in the comments and does so in a way that complies with your local requirements, remove the infringing material.

Doing that should ensure that you avoid the worst of the potential dangers.

5. Fonts

Using a font in an image, perhaps for a logo, or using it to design isn’t going to land you in any hot water, however, if you embed the font or otherwise have users download the font to their machine, you could find yourself on the wrong end of a copyright dispute.

Though we tend to think of fonts as being trivial things, they are, in most cases, protected by copyright. Though you can use them in the intended manner, distributing them to others is not allowed without permission.

As such, you need to be careful not to distribute fonts on your site without a license to do so. This pains many graphic designers and typographers, who wish to use custom fonts on their site, but the legal risks are very real.

How to Avoid: The easiest way to avoid this is to not make any fonts available for download. Even if you use a free one, you may not have the right to redistribute it.

But more than a potential copyright violation, it is also annoying to have to download a font to make a site work correctly. As such, it’s best to stick to web safe fonts and put your fancy text, which should be kept to a minimum regardless, in your images.

Bottom Line

The Web, at times, can seem like a copyright minefield and for good reason. There are a lot of pitfalls to worry about and void. Some of it is common sense, but many of the dangers lie beneath the surface.

It’s worthwhile to educate yourself on the law, especially as it relates to you and your site geographically, and follow it closely. Failure to do so can result in a slew of copyright headaches and results in all of or parts of your site being shut down.

If you’re spending the time to write a blog, craft new content, and promote it to your readers, you owe it to yourself to take the extra time to make sure that it is around as long as you want it to be.

It doesn’t make any sense to risk your hard work because you were unaware of the pitfalls around you.

First published in 2009; updated in January 2022

The post 7 Copyright Hazards to Avoid appeared first on The Blog Herald.

However, there are plenty of ways to do it.

6 Tips for Starting a Blog Post-Bankruptcy

Starting a business is difficult enough. Starting a blog after bankruptcy is even harder. But with the correct approach, you can do it. Here are several tips and considerations:

1. Be Smart About Bankruptcy

This first tip is really something that you need to think about as you’re going through the bankruptcy process. While most people look at bankruptcy from a purely emotional frame of mind, you have to think objectively about where you see yourself going from here.

“When filing for bankruptcy, you can’t look at your circumstances in a vacuum,” attorney Rowdy G. Williams explains. “You have to zoom out and think about where you want to be in 12 months, three years, or even five years. That’s the only way to make a smart decision that benefits you and your family.”

Each type of bankruptcy is different. There are unique rules and slight nuances that might make one particular form of bankruptcy more favorable than another (based on your current assets and your future goals – like starting a blog). Don’t go through this process alone.

2. Fix the Underlying Cause

Every bankruptcy can be deconstructed and analyzed. Make sure you take the time to do an in-depth analysis and review to understand what the underlying causes were for your bankruptcy. It might have been one single factor or a long list of small issues that compounded over time to put you in a bad situation. It might be a specific mistake you made, or it could simply be the result of bad circumstances that you had no control over.  Whatever the case may be, dig in and seek to understand the cause.

When you understand the cause of your bankruptcy, you’re much less likely to make the same mistakes in the future (or put yourself in a situation where the same circumstances can harm you). This sort of clarity bodes well for your future business plans.

3. Gradually Rebuild Your Finances

One of the most important things you can do after a bankruptcy – regardless of what kind of business you’re trying to start – is to begin repairing your credit.

“It’s a widespread myth that filing bankruptcy will ruin your credit forever. Although bankruptcy does do some serious damage to your credit score, that damage is not irreparable,” credit expert LaToya Irby writes. “With discipline—and a little patience—you can follow these steps to slowly rebuild your credit and get your financial life back on track.”

Irby recommends doing a few things, specifically making sure your credit report is accurate, making payments on time, choosing credit repair companies wisely, getting a secured credit card or loan to slowly build new credit, etc. These are all great tips, regardless of whether you’re an entrepreneur or not. But when you use them wisely, it accelerates your financial “recovery” and gives you a better chance of having new doors open.

4. Take an “All Cash” Approach

While easier said than done, you may need to bootstrap your blog using an “all cash” approach. In other words, you can try building the blog from the ground up without taking on any outside financing. If nothing else, build it to the point that other people can believe in the vision and it has enough money coming in from ads, sponsorships, or affiliate links to justify outside investment.

5. Work With Private Money

A traditional business lender probably won’t work with you in the direct aftermath of a bankruptcy. Having said that, private money lenders have their own requirements and expectations. Most won’t care about your personal history. They just want to know that you have a good idea that can make them money. That’s why we recommend working with private money in these situations. If you can show that you have a plan for generating cash flow (not just clicks to your blog), you’ll be much more successful. 

6. Use Your Experience

You might not have a great track record for building successful businesses in the past, but you have plenty of life experiences. For example, you’ve just gone through bankruptcy – why not start a blog on the emotional side of bankruptcy? Or what about a blog about starting a business after bankruptcy? There are huge markets for this. Don’t miss out on these opportunities.

Blaze a New Path Forward

Don’t let your past financial mistakes, including bankruptcy, prevent you from exploring your entrepreneurial dreams and passions. If you have a good idea for a new blog that you firmly believe in, go for it. Yes, you’ll face some challenges in getting financing, but it’s nothing that you can’t work around. Take it one step at a time and you’ll eventually feel your way through the dark. 

The post Starting a Blog After Bankruptcy: What You Need to Know appeared first on The Blog Herald.

The high surge of content creation and vlogging has further increased in the past couple of years. This makes installing WordPress Plugins for video quite a necessity for bloggers. Nowadays, internet users of ALL ages find excitement in engaging with others not only through watching videos but also in creating and sharing them. This is especially true during the current pandemic when people have found that internet videos (watching, creating, and sharing) are a great source of entertainment.

In fact, internet videos are so influential that a good majority of social media platforms have adjusted their designs to encourage their users to create and share more videos. This is quite evident with Facebook Stories, Instagram Reels, and TikTok. This has encouraged websites and blogs to adjust and incorporate more videos into their content.

While, yes, you can easily embed some code into your blog post, there are many WordPress plugins for video. From helping you share self-hosted videos to displaying videos from YouTube or social media in a beautiful way, there’s something for everyone.

Quadlayers TikTok Feed

In the last two years alone, the quantity of TikTok users has grown exponentially. TikTok’s content is made up entirely of videos created by its users and learning how to integrate a website with the platform can be highly beneficial. This Quadlayers TikTok Feed plugin (or WP TikTok Feed) allows for the easiest integration. So, what benefits can we gain from installing these kinds of WordPress plugins for video? It simplifies video uploads onto your WordPress site. Other than that, it easily recovers data from your feed including likes and comments.

Embed Plus for YouTube

If YouTube is your go-to video site, this plugin will help you save time. You can search and directly embed videos, view analytics and even see what people across the web are saying about a video. Its settings page also allows you to automatically set defaults for videos you embed. The latest update also puts ease in embedding entire channels which allows readers to scan through a channel’s entire gallery. All these are among other great features.

Instead of copying and pasting HTML code, all you have to do is copy and paste the YouTube video URL into your post. That means no more messing around with code, and with the proper dimensions for video embeds set in the defaults, no need to edit that either.

The best part about this plugin? Well, it is compatible with both the Gutenberg block editor and the classic WordPress editor.

Envira Gallery

Envira Gallery is more of a gallery plugin with a WordPress capability. Still, for its designated purpose and the bonus, it’s one of the best, meaning you wouldn’t want to ignore this one. It comes with its own Videos Addon feature for WordPress and this lets you grab clips from YouTube, Wistia, or even your own self-hosted WordPress videos.

Additionally, you get plenty of options when it comes to customizing your video embeds for your website. Envira Gallery lets you display videos with several options and easily too. The said plugin lets you drag and drop to add videos or a gallery of videos on your blog. Of course, some of its more advanced functions come in at a premium price, but you can stay free if you want.

All-in-One Video Gallery

The downside to incorporating internet videos into any blog is the fact that there are just too many video types and formats. What this plugin boasts about is that it supports all types of videos and video-hosting services. Its flexibility and compatibility are what hooks bloggers to this plugin – even if your blog and your video have different hosts. Although the free version is a bit limited, it is still complete enough for any blogger’s use.

YourChannel

Up next is a plugin that’s most likely best suited for content creators who also dabble in videos. If, in addition to your website, you’re also a YouTuber and want an easy way to both manage your YouTube channel and embed your videos to your main site, then YourChannel is perfect for you. It’s not as popular as some of the more mainstream options in this list but it also has a free version.

With YourChannel, you can easily turn your website or blog into a place of engagement similar to YouTube. The best part is that you don’t even need additional storage for this; YourChannel lets you load your videos and playlists from the comfort of the WordPress site, with no need for additional messy tabs, leading to overall better user experience. It’s also quite easy to set up.

RELATED: Improve Your Blog With These 5 Types Of Blog Video Content

VideoPack (formerly Video Embed & Thumbnail Generator)

Depending on what you’re working on, some videos may not be best uploaded to a site like YouTube. For example, if you’re selling a product or wanting a video to be seen by only a select group of people. With Video Embed & Thumbnail Generator, you can easily embed self-hosted videos in a wide variety of formats. Once a video is uploaded, you can choose a thumbnail from the video to set as the featured image, or add the URL to a different image.

What is great about this plugin is the fact that it automatically selects the resolution closest to the size of the player, or nearest to what you have set as default. Viewer control also isn’t an issue as you can provide a button for your viewers to manually select their preferred resolution. Videopack’s blogger favorite feature should be the Videopack Ads premium add-on. This allows bloggers to add advertisements to the videos.

ARVE

ARVE sounds like new bleeding-edge technology and depending on how much you like it, you can treat the plugin that way. It actually stands for Advanced Responsive Video Embedder. As such, it does what it’s been named for and then some more. ARVE is compatible with a wide variety of video formats and websites such as YouTube, Vimeo, Dropbox, Facebook, HTML5, and more.

For some, ARVE might even be the best there is given its versatility and flexibility when it comes to different video types. To that end, you can think of ARVE as a Swiss Army knife for video embeds. It likely has a solution for every compatibility problem you’ll face if you want to show videos on your website. Surprisingly, it also comes with a free and premium version. It is also compatible with both the classic WP editor and the Gutenberg block editor.

Elite Video Player

Elite Video Player’s name precedes its reputation. That “elite” moniker is not just for show or marketing– it really is one of the cleanest and most functional WordPress plugins for video. Unlike other plugins, this has unique features that bloggers simply can’t pass on. One unique feature is its compatibility with YouTube’s live-streaming and 360 VR videos that gives viewers a unique omnidirectional experience. Another would be the plugin’s support for Google Drive and Dropbox videos.

Spider Video Player

Spider Video Player is similar to Elite Video Player but can be simpler to operate. It also allows for customization provided you know how to code a little bit with HTML5.

Additionally, Spider Video Player proudly boasts compatibility with a lot of devices from phones, desktops, to even tablets. This has much to do with how it implements utilizes for Flash and HTML5 where the latter would be a backup to the former if it turns out that a device does not support Flash. Thankfully, such generous features also come with a free version in case you’re just starting out.

Video Portal

More of an add-on than a plugin, Video Portal extends and improves features of your existing video plugins. One unique feature would be its Facebook login component. This allows users to review videos watched, playlists, “liked” videos that are linked to their personal Facebook accounts, in case they wish to embed them into their blogs.

If you are looking for WordPress plugins for video – these are probably the best ones to explore!

RELATED: How to Turn Your Best Blog Posts Into Even Better Videos

The post Top WordPress Plugins for Video appeared first on The Blog Herald.

There are two important questions you need to ask yourself when it comes to membership plugins. The first is do you need a membership plugin and the second is why your blog needs one. Having this plugin for your page gives you the opportunity to give your member base perks and special access for their loyalty. It is also a great way to keep your members engaged. On top of these, and probably the most important, is that a membership plugin gives you back control over how your blog community behaves within your website. This could come in the form of gated content, download limits, special access, and more.

Hence, you might want to take a look at these plugins. They are some of the best WordPress has on offer in regards to making your regular viewers honorary members of your website.

Paid Memberships Pro

Considered as one of the most trusted membership plugins for WordPress, Paid Memberships Pro is a worthy investment. It boasts of its completeness making it the one-stop shop for all your membership management needs. The best feature yet – if you want to use the plugin for just one license, they offer it completely free. It is highly customizable and flexible making it seamless to use for any of your websites.

The problem is, all its additional features do come with a hefty price of $297 per year, for five licenses.

Notes:

• Free signup for all users, offers basic features with no support
• Basic plan is $297 a year for five website licenses and $597 a year for unlimited licenses
• Probably one of the most expensive of all

Wishlist Membership

Wishlist is one powerful membership plugin for WordPress. It boasts of providing premier, “every-feature-you-need” with its standard membership. Wishlist Membership promotes itself to be an all-in-one toolbox that will get its users unlimited membership levels and unlimited members.

On the downside, it’s not the best plugin here for new users. It’s quite advanced and would need a seasoned blogger or website admin to operate. It’s also quite serious and usually reserved for the bigger businesses. Why? Wishlist Member does not have a free trial, but they do offer a 30-day money-back guarantee. Users will be required to pay at least a single site license and could request a refund (“no questions asked”) in case the plugin is not the best fit for your blog.

Notes:

• Premium version is $149/year for single-site license, $399 for multisites (up to 20 sites).
• Advanced tool for advanced users
• Plenty of customizable membership options

MemberPress

MemberPress is often considered unanimously as the best among all WordPress membership plugins. One thing which earned this plugin much praise for many users is how easy it is to use compared to the more intermediate Wishlist Membership. For new bloggers, the cost of $179 a year is already a good deal in exchange for its ease of use.

Additionally, MemberPress integrates with a wide range of third-party solutions making payment processing, email marketing automation, and even page building easier. Such flexibility does come at a cost, though. MemberPress does not offer a free trial. But they do offer a 14-day money-back guarantee.

Notes:

• Basic plans for single site access starts at $179 per year
• Pro plan for up to 5 site access is rated at $399 per year
• Not ideal for big businesses as there are no plans for access for more than 5 sites
• Versatile plugin with lots of conveniences for the admin
• Easy to use

WP Members

What WP-Members can boast is that it is the original membership plugin for WordPress. It may be old, but it is surely in active development. It is up to date with whatever is current with WordPress.

It may not be the best membership plugin on the internet, but an open-source membership plugin is hard to come by. Despite being free to use, it can still fare well compared to its competitors. It is easy to set up and simple to use. Plus, its flexibility and customizability are admirable.

Notes:

• Offers all basic or standard membership plugin features you could ask for
• Basic support is available for all users, but developers offer premium support (for a fee)
• Premium extensions are also available for download (for a fee)

Restrict Content Pro

Another premium tool in our WordPress membership plugins list is the Restrict Content Pro. You could say that it’s as easy to use since Restrict Content Pro mimics the look and feel of the WordPress admin dashboard– something you should already be familiar with.

The plugin is also designed to fit seamlessly with any theme without any need for custom CSS. Its developers also made sure to reduce potential clashes with other plugins that are possibly installed on a user’s website.

Notes:

• Costs $99/year for single-site, $149 for five websites, $249 for an unlimited license, and a one-off fee of $499 that provides your websites iThemes Security Pro and BackupBuddy access
• Also guarantees full control for membership restrictions
• Blends in seamlessly with WordPress dashboard

RELATED: Learn from Business Entrepreneurs Who Take the Time to Train Others

S2Member

If free WordPress membership plugins are more your speed, then look no further than s2Member. It has been in existence for a while now and has a dedicated user-base as well. Now, since it’s free, you obviously have to give up a few things. In this case, s2Member isn’t exactly known for its user-friendliness.

It’s more suited for advanced users and those who know their way around WordPress. Still, it’s free and also comes with a pro version; it also comes with its own range of functions similar to the more heavyweight plugins in this list like the content dripping, integrations, and payment gateways. Meanwhile, the pro version’s pricing isn’t too steep.

Notes:

• Has a generous free version
• Pro version costs $89/year for a single-site license, unlimited sites cost $189
• Not beginner-friendly

Paid Member Subscriptions

Another option for those of you who want WordPress membership plugins with free versions would be Paid Member Subscriptions. It’s pretty straightforward and is all about gating some of your content, products, or site sections to non-members. Thankfully, setting it up is easy (installation) but the functionality isn’t as flexible as the others.

Its latest feature is the Pro version that offers licenses for unlimited websites. Other than the features for the basic plan, the pro version has PayPal integrations, content dripping, invoicing, and more. The pro version also offers multiple subscription opportunities per user.

Notes:

• It has a fully functional free version
• Single-site license starts at €69/year
• Multi-site license starts at €149/year
• Not as robust as the others
• Better suited for online stores

LearnDash

LearnDash is not a membership-dedicated plugin. But it is an all-in-one learning management system that has membership plan options. LearnDash is highly versatile and comes with great options for membership tiers and other conveniences.

Its features, for that matter, are similar to the best plugins in this list. LearnDash’s integrations list is also extensive and includes Slack, WooCommerce, bbPress, and even other membership plugins like MemberPress. The cost? Quite high, consequently.

Notes:

• Single-site pricing starts at $159/year
• Easy to use
• Highly flexible

aMember Pro

It is a longstanding, comprehensive membership tool that has been in existence on the internet for almost two decades. What it boasts best about is its lifetime license that involves a one-time payment of $149.36.

It’s also not free but comes with a plethora of payment integrations for your site members (over 200) and an unlimited allowance of members. One of the good sides to this is that aMember Pro is not a WordPress dedicated plugin. This means you could use it with any CMS that allows integration into WordPress. But, be wary of compatibility issues that might arise.

Notes:

• Tool costs $149.36 and can then be used as a plugin for an unlimited number of sites
• Extensive payment integration options

MemberMouse

What is admirable about MemberMouse is its questionnaire that matches you with a membership model that fits your needs and your blog best. This is a great, informative tool for start-up bloggers who are just starting to explore membership plugins for their use. It is user-friendly from installation, dashboard use, up to member management.

MemberMouse also has a 14-day free trial, something that other membership plugins do not have.

Notes:

• Offers a $29/month basic plan, and $199/month premium plan
• Measures the plan per members instead of per site (as compared to its competitors)
• A bit pricey for its features, compared to its competitors
• Offers discounts for annual subscriptions

Magic members

The Magic Members website boasts of its user-friendly interface. Users can easily download and install this plugin to their websites with minimal to no programming necessary. It also seamlessly integrates with multiple payment gateways like Paypal, Stripe, AlertPay, ClickBank, and more.

One special feature of Magic Members that rarely exists on other membership plugins is its pay-per-view and pay-per-post access. Although we aim that our websites get members that subscribe, and stay subscribed, this kind of setup does not exactly work with every subscription.

Notes:

• Offers a one-time payment of $97 for a single license and a one-time payment of $207 for unlimited licenses
• Training videos are available for all users
• Pro packages offer store credits to certain website and perks

On a final note, make sure to review each of the plugins’ offerings to ensure that your website needs are covered, especially if you’ve chosen the premium ones.

RELATED: Membership Services: Worth The Effort to Create and Develop?

Updated January 2022

The post 11 Best WordPress Membership Plugins appeared first on The Blog Herald.

These plugins pretty much tinker with your website’s images to make them optimized. There are plenty of benefits for doing that but the primary ones would be to make them fit in better with your content and to stop them from slowing down your website. That is why they are necessary for most blogs since a blog without images is basically handicapping itself.

So, in order to have the best of both worlds, image compression blogs exist. You can have your images and they won’t slow down your website. These godsend packets of software can rescue your blog and server from damaging slowdowns and ghastly formatting. Here are the best image compression plugins for your blog.

Smush

Here we are with one of the most popular options among image compression plugins, Smush. Aside from the cute and appropriate name, Smush just crushes most of the competition due to its generosity. It’s a free plugin that also offers an all-in-one solution to most things pertaining to your images in WordPress.

This can be lossless image compression, bulk compression, lazy loading, image resizing, and a lot more. Of course, one of Smush’s best selling points is how it promises to leave the image quality intact despite the compression. Smush also gives you an unlimited allowance for its free version, though the catch is that this only applies for images 5 MB or below in data size.

Compress JPEG & PNG Images

Another generous free option would be the aptly named Compress JPEG & PNG Images. This plugin is pretty straightforward and does what it’s named after. Expect its functionality to be not as versatile as Smush, however. Still, because of that, it might be a lighter plugin or software for your website.

In any case, Compress JPEG & PNG Images lets you automatically compress or optimize images on the fly as you upload them. You can even set a maximum custom upload size so you don’t have to tinker with it every upload. The allowance is more or less generous, however, since Compress JPEG & PNG Images only allows you to optimize 100 images every month for the free option.

EWWW Image Optimizer

Despite the comical name, EWWW Image Optimizer is the real deal when it comes to image compression plugins. Like the previous option above, it lets you optimize your images as you upload them. You can even use this to compress your previously uploaded images in bulk in case you want to fix some of your past errors for the older content.

Compression is also performed on your own servers which eliminates the need for an account. Optionally, you can let EWWW Image Optimizer convert any image you have to a lighter and more optimized format. It’s a free plugin as well and you’ll only have to pay for premium if you want compression qualities higher than 80 percent.

RELATED: How to Optimize eCommerce Product Images for Search and Social Media

ShortPixel Image Optimizer

Like Compress JPEG & PNG Images, ShortPixel Image Optimizer only allows for 100 images per month if you’re running on the free option. However, one of the most outstanding features for it is how upon installation and getting an API key, ShortPixel Image Optimizer immediately begins compressing images.

It even has the courtesy to store your original images in a separate folder. This, in turn, allows you to do some comparisons on how this image compression plugin performs. The plugin even lets you choose how you compare the images and formats.

reSmush.It

reSmush.It has most of everything the other plugins in here have from bulk compression of older images to automatic upload compression. Of course, you can also choose levels and customize how the plugin resizes and compresses your images.

In that regard, it’s also similar to how Smush handles its free plan; reSmush.It only allows compression and optimization for images sized 5 MB or below. Anything higher and you’ll have to avail of the premium plan. The plugin’s developers are also proud of how they made the plugin simple and a breeze to use; you can start any operation in as little as two clicks.

Imagify

Imagify has one of the best user interfaces as far as image compression plugins go and also comes in a free option. Nevertheless, you might find Imagify’s free plan more limiting as it calculates the allowance differently. Instead of limiting the number of images or the max image size, Imagify will give users a monthly limit of 25 MB total image data size.

For this, you can have the same or similar functionalities as some of the top image compression plugins on this list. The plugin does allow you to restore some of the media it has compressed back to the original version quite easily.

Lazy Load

As for this final plugin, it doesn’t exactly optimize or compress images directly. Instead, it uses the lazy load method; that is, it only displays the images which the website visitors only need to see. This frees a huge bandwidth for your servers and will certainly speed up your website. It decreases the number of requests needed when loading a page, thus improving the loading time.

Lazy Load is pretty much a dedicated plugin to lazy loading. It’s a great alternative to image compression or optimization especially if you run a photography website and don’t want to tamper with the image quality. It’s also free, like most of the plugins here so it’s up to you which one appeals to your needs and wants best.

RELATED: StickPNG: A Blogger’s Haven For Personal Use Images

First published in 2020; updated 2022

The post 7 Top Image Compression Plugins For Your WordPress Blog appeared first on The Blog Herald.

Uploading and downloading works on the internet is a gray area for many. A lot of photographers and artists do not get attribution for their work while many content creators do not acknowledge the origin of the images that they use. Crawlers and browser search algorithms are much stricter now when it comes to reusing works without licenses. A webpage could be taken down for simply re-using an unlicensed image.

This is why it is inevitable to purchase licenses of works from artists and photographers on the internet. Google Image Search even has a feature that links to the licensing of images on their search results. However, not every writer has the capacity to purchase licenses for their works all the time. The great thing is that artists and photographers are willing to share their work online for free, these are called ‘creative commons’.

Here are some websites where writers could get news-related images for free:

Superfamous

If you are looking for any artsy images, then Superfamous is the place to go. The collection does not have that many photographs and does not necessarily focus on a particular topic or genre. However, anyone looking for a show-stopping piece may visit the website to choose from any of the stunning images in the collection. The deal about Superfamous images is that they all have creative commons licenses. This means that they are free to use as long as proper credit is provided.

Travel Coffee Book

The best travel moments can never be captured by photographs, but they do come close if taken with great care. Travel Coffee Book is one of the best depositories of travel and landscape images on the internet. It pretty much covers almost every corner of the globe from Asia to Europe. The website was created in 2014 and the owner does explicitly say that the images could be used for free. However, the creator does accept donations or minimal payments from those who are generous enough to pay for as low as $5.

KaboomPics

This website is very similar to popular image collections like Pixabay and Pexels. According to the website, the photos could be downloaded and used for both commercial and non-commercial use. They do not require attribution. The images could be used on books, posters, shirts, or whatever. This is as long as the images are not used for any criminal, illegal, or offensive activities. The owners are only very strict about redistribution of the images, altered or not. What they are strict about is selling the image as a ‘stock photo’ on a separate website.

Gratisography

This is a good collection of the ‘non-standard’ stock photo. The images are quite artistic, in a quirky kind of way. All the images are free and could be used even for commercial uses. The rules about the redistribution of the images, just like in Kaboom Pics, are very strict. Images should not be sold by anyone as a stock image, since the images are downloaded for free.

Death to Stock Photo

What is great about Death-to-stock is that they have not only images but videos and vectors as well. The images are all unique and authentic. All the artworks could be used for both commercial and non-commercial uses. However, unlike other websites, Death-to-stock is free only for 14 days. Subscription is required for a minimal fee, in financial support of the artists creating all the pieces on the website.

Jopwell Collection

Talk about taking stock photos to a whole new level! These are great photos that are not cringe-y and meme-able like your standard stock images. It features real people and real communities. One of the main goals of the images is to not only represent inclusivity but also practice it. Many of their images, feature models of different races and genders. A lot of their editors, analysts, leaders, and the like are Asian American, African American, Hispanic American, and even Native Americans. The Jopwell collection provides hundreds of free-to-download images that can be used by anyone, as long as proper credit is given back to Jopwell.

All in all

There are multiple sources for images online. The websites indicated above are among the best to use for free images. However, downloading and reusing images are always tricky. For safety, always attribute the sources of an image and backlink to their accounts. This not only helps the artist but is also a nod to respecting their work.

Also Read: Platforms for Guest Blogging and Why You Should have Collaborative Content

First published in October 2020; updated January 2022

The post Sites to Get Free News-Related Images appeared first on The Blog Herald.

You’re ready to work with a mentor once you understand the basic blogging concepts and techniques (you don’t want to burden someone with questions you can easily answer yourself by reading a couple articles). Then, take a stab at propping up a blog for yourself and posting some content. After you’ve familiarized yourself with the basics and created a fledgling blog, a mentor can help you get to the next level.

Top Reasons to Get Yourself a Blogging Mentor

Motivational support. Blogging can be a lonely experience, and at first, your blog may not receive many accolades or much attention. In addition to being a teacher and a guide, a mentor is a coach who wants to motivate you to reach your goals. If you’re feeling lost or distressed about blogging, communicate this to your mentor and talk through it. You’ll probably find that your mentor has experienced some of the same feelings and has surmounted the challenges in certain ways that you can follow.

Guidance. For design, you’ll find out what works functionally and aesthetically, and what should be avoided. For writing, you’ll learn about using catchy headlines, following the rules of grammar and employing good structure. A mentor will look at what you’ve created and give you advice on making your content more entertaining, inspiring, and engaging while also being useful to readers. They will be willing to teach you about SEO and how to open an income stream with ads or an online store.

Name recognition. A well-known mentor who has been featured on other sites is probably a knowledgeable mentor. Being connected to other high-profile bloggers helps establish your own authority. Their name will lend credibility to your own blog and help drive traffic to your site, especially if they’re willing to add you to their blogroll. Make sure to get their authorization before advertising that they mentored you.

Networking. Not the computerized kind, but professional and personal networking. Knowing a successful expert in your field will connect you to others and expand your social circle to include other knowledgeable people. Look outside of the blogosphere for networking opportunities. “A successful professional career does not exist in a vacuum,” comments John Foy, attorney and founder of John Foy and Associates. “You need to build up your online presence and your brand if you want to make headway in the future.” If you blog about pets, for instance, find out if your city hosts any associations or conventions for breeders, trainers, veterinarians and such, and attend some of their meetings. When you’re there, be sure to tell people about your blog and what you’re trying to achieve, and you’ll probably receive lots of advice, whether you want it or not.

How to Find a Blogging Mentor

Finding a mentor is probably easier than you think because you may already know him or her. Think about someone online or in your life who’s a success in their field and blogs about it. Are you currently following any blogs that you respect as good examples? Check their media history and look for lots of followers on social media. Look for a blogger who is demonstrating a willingness to give away information generously, since that’s a good sign that they’ll be willing to help you. Have they published courses or eBooks to help people learn more about their field? If so, that means they have an aptitude and desire to teach.

Begin interacting with this person by commenting on their posts and videos. After you establish a rapport, inform them of your blogging project and ask for some advice. Show your appreciation by thanking them and, above all else, putting their advice into action. Repeat the process by asking for further input on what you’ve done.

The final stage is to become a mentor yourself. Mentoring, like blogging to some extent, is a matter of giving people more than you receive. Teaching also has its own intangible rewards. Helping others as you have been helped is gratifying. It will also help you codify your ideas into useful lessons, which you can then share with others by (what else?) blogging about it.

Helping people in a friendly way is really what blogging is all about, and that factor should take precedence over Google ranking, Twitter followers, and ad revenue. A good mentor is, above all, a good friend. Friends try to understand what you’re going through, whether good or bad. Mentors, like friends, will celebrate your successes and help pick you back up when you slip. This is why you should not be shy about seeking a mentor, because a good one will welcome taking on that role for you.

Let us know how you found your blogging mentor in the comments below!

First published in 2018; updated December 2021

The post How Do I Get Myself a Blogging Mentor? appeared first on The Blog Herald.

Identify the Problem

As with any reclamation project, the first step is to define the problem. It might seem obvious to simply pick out the blogs with the lowest engagement metrics on your site and work on them first. And while that may be a good place to start, a blog with high engagement can still cause a company a lot of trouble if it’s not contributing in a positive way. (I.E. if it contains offensive, inaccurate, or plagiarized content.) So prioritize which blogs need the most immediate attention. 

Fact-Check

One of the worst things a copywriter can do is make an egregious factual error in a blog post. If, for instance, a writer claims that a product is lightweight and easy to carry, but it is in fact, quite cumbersome and weighs several hundred pounds, consumers are going to be confused (at best) or irritated by these falsehoods. Fact check all of your blogs to make sure they align with the true nature of your products or services. 

Change the Focus

Most companies market their product or service to several different buyer personas. As such, it makes sense to tailor specific blog posts to specific types of consumers. However, it’s possible that a blog post written for one kind of customer is actually more applicable to a different group. If one of your blogs is struggling to gain traction, consider changing its focus and remarketing it to a different kind of customer. What may not resonate with one group, it could be a smash hit with another. 

Get Creative

There are tons of ways to make a blog more interesting, from editing out long, dense sentences to adding new images, graphs, or videos. Whether your business blog focuses on sophisticated lab equipment like culture dishes or something as common as office supplies, blog design can have a massive influence on how customers perceive a post.

Delete It

Some blogs are simply more trouble than they’re worth. If a blog is actively hurting your company’s reputation, then get rid of it. Removing one blog isn’t likely to affect your SEO efforts or make your operation look unprofessional. 

First published in 2019; updated December 2021

The post How to Improve Bad Blog Posts appeared first on The Blog Herald.

You might be a great writer but still struggling to make a decent income. If that’s the case, then you might be missing your client process.

Creating excellent blog posts is one thing. Managing your clients the right way is another. How to do that? Well, read on!

Offer discounts

Offering discounts make potential clients choose you because of your service’s affordability. But this doesn’t mean that you’re getting the rough end of the deal. Even though you’re offering cheaper services, you still get more clients and more money in the end.

One way to do this is by offering quantity discounts. The more blog posts your client orders, the more significant discount they get. You want to stand out because it’s a competitive world out there. Offering discounts help you with just that.

Showcase your testimonials

You’ll look good if your clients see what people think about you. Put your previous client’s testimonials on your blog. It lets your potential clients know what to expect from you. Good reviews are the foundation of trust. And when they trust you, they’re most likely to hire you. Just make sure that the testimonials are from real people. You can also include their name and profession beside their testimony.

Use screenshots and stats on your blog

Another cool way to give more value to your clients is by presenting them with reliable facts. There are times when words can’t fully explain what you’re trying to point out. Good thing there are screenshots. This help because it can efficiently relay the message to your readers.

This is very useful if you’ve got a tutorial blog full of technical instructions.  Putting statistics also backs up your blog. It supports the ideas you’ve presented, making it look legitimate and factual. Just be sure that the stats are from a reputable source.

Ask your clients questions

What usually happens when negotiating with a new client is we immediately say yes. We don’t bother asking questions because we want to look confident and able. That helps at the beginning. But you’re just increasing the risk for complications later on.

You won’t have enough information to do the job properly. You’re also likely to get lost as you go deeper into the project. What would you do when that happens? You’re going to get back to the client and ask them things you should’ve known in the first place. Not only will you look unprofessional, but you’ve just wasted time. Ask as many questions as you can. It’s the recipe for becoming a great blogger.

Provide an easy way to receive payments (without being a brat)

You won’t be a freelance blogger if you don’t do it for a living. As obvious as it may sound, that reality is what keeps your career intact. That’s why you need to make sure that the payment process is easy.

It shouldn’t be a hassle for your client to pay you, and for you to receive the money. You can do this by using an invoice template generator like HubSpot’s. This will make it easier for you to notify your client about the payment. It’ll also help you receive the payments in time.

Promote their posts

Being a freelance blogger isn’t all about the writing. It’s also about the sharing. Your blog posts would be useless if no one reads it. When you’re through writing, you want to share it out with the world. There are lots of ways to do that. Working on your email marketing, social media, and SEO campaign are some of them. You can also use JustReachout to maximize your reach.

Conclusion

Income stability is an issue most freelance bloggers face. But with the help of these tips, there’s no doubt you’ll get over this common problem. Also remember that reputation, consistency, and continuous improvement are the pillars of being a great blogger. Keep these in your mind, and you’ll surely reach greater heights in no time.

Related posts:

How to Transition from Your 9-5 Job to Being a Freelance Blogger

How to Apply for Freelance Blogger Work (Yes, there’s a right way)

First published in 2018; updated December 2021

The post How to Provide Even More Value to Your Clients as a Freelance Blogger appeared first on The Blog Herald.

However, not all legal blogs are created equal. Some offer high-quality content while others provide little more than shallow dross that’s more akin to marketing copy than it is anything that people would truly wish to read. As a result, any freelance writer who is looking to break into the space is going to want to ensure that they’re on the right track with whatever they might be working on. To help you get the best information available, here are the top 10 blogs that lawyers and law students are following, and, by extension, you’ll want to take a look at if you plan on doing any sort of legal blogging in 2022.

1 – ABA Journal

First, ABA Journal is the blog of the American Bar Association (ABA). It is maintained by a professional team of editors and writers, and invites contributions from lawyers who are recognized experts in their fields. Consequently, it’s one of the highest-quality sources of legal news out there. For students, it offers a fantastic overview of the legal landscape in the US. If you’ve been trying to reach the academic law market, then they provide an excellent framework to start writing from. Take a look at some of their trending articles and there’s a good chance that you’ll find something to inspire you.

2 – Artificial Lawyer

Technology is shaping every area of our daily lives – including how we practice law. The mission of the Artificial Lawyer blog is to help legal professionals optimize their workflows with technology. It offers a legal tech education guide, as well as in-depth product reviews, walk-throughs, and courses. Some people in the technology space have also commented on the way that it’s helped to bridge the gap between that world and the legal profession. You might want to consider framing things that you write in this way. Naturally, you don’t want to just copy the way that Artificial Lawyer or any other organization writes things, but it is certainly a good idea to find a niche that nobody has reached yet and then go to town on it.

3 – Vanguard Law Magazine

Unlike many US-focused entries on the list, the blog of Vanguard Law Magazine offers a global perspective. It provides insights into legal philosophy from professionals in a variety of specialties. The blog is especially notable for its wide array of perspectives, with voices from North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa, as well as stories highlighting the LGBTQ legal community and women. Consider localizing your content if this is a space that you’re working on reaching. North American bloggers may wish to use internationalized or Commonwealth spellings if they plan on speaking to a worldwide audience. Likewise, freelance writers from European or Asian markets may wish to use more American spellings if they’re planning to reach out to blogs that primarily have a readership in the USA.

4 – FindLaw Legal Blogs

Next up, FindLaw is invaluable as a legal blog because it offers a client-centered perspective. The blog aims to offer easy-to-understand and accessible legal advice for anyone. For legal professionals, this is a great opportunity to take a step back and appreciate how their clients approach the topics that they handle on a daily basis. Writers who are working on finding their own voice have long turned to directories like this because they aggregate content from so many different individuals. Some have even turned to them as a way to get started when it would have otherwise been very difficult to find any audience at all.

5 – Law Technology Today

Law Technology Today is a blog dedicated to covering the legal ramifications of technology. It features articles by expert contributors on legal issues relating to automation, remote work, cybersecurity, and even NFTs. While it tries to again put legal and technical topics together in one place, the writers here have done their best to find a very different voice for the blog than what you’d normally hear in most places. Writers might want to take note of this because it’s a great example of how you can do something completely original even if you’re working on something in a popular space.

6 – Above The Law

Above The Law is another must-read resource for legal professionals. It offers news, insights, and opinion pieces. One distinguishing feature of this blog is that content is structured into “small law” and “big law” topics. This helps readers pinpoint the topics that are most relevant to them – whether they’re working at big law firms or as solo attorneys. Another upside of Above The Law is that it offers a career center, with curated content for students and established lawyers. This has provided multiple opportunities for writers who might have been looking to branch out. You don’t ever want to be afraid to do so regardless of your normal comfort zone.

7 – Attorney At Law Magazine

Next up, the online version of Attorney At Law Magazine is a fantastic source of information on topics like law school, legal marketing, and how to manage your legal practice. In addition to a general news section, this site also offers a legal advice section, which covers anything from family law to healthcare law. Plus, it offers a list of legal events as well as a directory of expert witnesses. Those who want to cut their teeth by writing for something that started as a print magazine will certainly want to take a look at this.

8 – Constitutional Law Reporter

You’re after information on Supreme Court cases? You’d like to learn how to write like a pro who does nothing but carry major cases in the beltway? Look no further than The Constitutional Law Reporter. This blog is dedicated to current and historic SCOTUS cases. It features in-depth information on the facts of every case, as well as the court’s decision.

9 – The Crime Report

Are you interested in criminal law and justice? Then The Crime Report should be top of your to-read list! This blog is published by the nonprofit Center on Media, Crime and Justice at John Jay College. Its main goal is to provide nonpartisan information on breaking criminal justice news. Topics range from policing to immigration and systemic reform. The site has also been known to mix in federal white papers and other related materials, which makes it an excellent example for those writers who are looking to figure out the best way to integrate different types of content together in a single blog. It’s a great example to follow along with.

10 – Verdict

If you’re looking for sources on legal analysis and commentary, Verdict is an excellent address. This blog features law professors and some of the US’ foremost legal thinkers discussing a variety of topics related to different legal specialties. What makes Verdict so interesting, at least from a writer’s perspective, is the fact that it provides deeper dives into many topics related to law than an overwhelming majority of the other blogs that you’re likely to come across. It’s a great example to follow if you’re just starting to delve into the field and want to start writing more vigorously.

The Final Verdict on Legal Blogs

Writers who are looking to get involved in the space certainly won’t want to reach out to just one of these blogs, even if it’s an excellent pick like the aforementioned Verdict. Try looking for places that accept article submissions and see if you can’t get your own work published on several different sites in order to build your portfolio. While it can take a while to get a sufficient number of credits, it can seriously help when it comes time to apply for bigger writing positions. Those with an academic background in the field of law may find that this is quite helpful as well, since it might look impressive to potential editors. That being said, you shouldn’t ever feel like you’re being held back even if you lack experience in the field.

Simply start putting your fingers on the keyboard and you can grow your experience over time.

The post 10 Legal Blog Examples for Those who are Looking to Start Writing in 2022 appeared first on The Blog Herald.

Here are some cool gift ideas for bloggers:

Physical gifts and gadgets

Robot Vacuum

With all the work bloggers have on a daily basis, we don’t really get the time to clean up. A robot vacuum is a great tool that could help bloggers ease up on housework. A robot vacuum is a great playmate for their cats and dogs, too.

Vlogging Camera

One of the best gifts to give our blogger friends would be something they could use for their work on a regular basis. A vlogging camera and there are a lot of brands out there, is definitely a great (albeit expensive) choice. So, if you dearly love your blogger friends or you are a blogger looking for a gift for yourself, a high-quality vlogging camera is always a worthy investment.

Planners

A planner is something cute a lot of us get to use for a few months before we forget about them for the rest of the year. But, hey, maybe this year is different, right? A planner is a great gift, for bloggers and non-bloggers. This is a great tool that could help us with schedules, meetings, reminders, and notes. Or, it is also a great place to practice our calligraphy hobbies. Let us let our blogger friends de-stress by practicing their scrapbooking and calligraphy with a great planner.

Portable Espresso Machine

Honestly, we all know that bloggers work late nights and early mornings – editing, writing, and planning. If you are looking for a gift for your best blogger friend, the best thing would be something that would perk them up. Why not purchase a portable espresso machine for them? These are easy to carry and lightweight, something they could bring anywhere they go for that yummy coffee fix anytime and anywhere.

Digital Clock

Blogging is not all about the work, sometimes it’s also about the aesthetic. Who wouldn’t want to wake up to a cool and quirky digital alarm clock, right? Besides, with all the work bloggers have, a digital clock is a handy tool they need to remind them that THERE ARE DEADLINES TO MEET.

Subscriptions and virtual Presents

Because we are still in a pandemic and going out is not the same as before, why not give your blogger friend a virtual present? These could come in digital cards, subscriptions, and even gift cards. Here are some of the best virtual gift ideas:

Print at home gift cards

We don’t want to be wasting money on gifts that our friends would not be able to use. If you are pressed for time to think of a gift, an Amazon gift card would be a great choice. Not only can our blogger friends be able to choose a gift of their liking, they could also choose a time to spend it.

Spotify Premium

Listening to music is one fo the best ways to relax after a long day of work. Giving our friends a Spotify premium subscription is a thoughtful gift. Not only are we thinking about the work they do, we also show them that we care about their relaxation and well-being.

Grammarly Subscription

THIS. This is probably the ultimate, most-trust worthy gift anyone could give a blogger. Not only would it make their work so much easier, a Grammarly subscription is also a useful tool not only for their writing work but everywhere else.

Uber Eats Gift Card

There will be days when bloggers have so much work, they don’t have the energy (or time) to cook. An UberEats gift card is a thoughtful gift that they could use anytime, and anywhere.

Also read: How to Research Content for Your Blog Post

The post 9 Gifts for Bloggers appeared first on The Blog Herald.

Some people just wing it when writing their blog posts, and they may achieve a certain level of success with this process. However, if you want your content to cut through the clutter and provide your readers with the blog content possible, you must consider taking a more deliberate approach with your blog writing. It starts with your research process.

This post will help you refine how to research content for your blog post. This step-by-step process will help you produce valuable, actionable, and helpful content. And by using the same process in all of your blog post research, you can build a rabid blog following.

Scour the Web for Competition

Once you have a topic you want to discuss on your blog, check out what other websites say about it. A quick search on Google will reveal to you the top pages discussing the topic.

These pages are ranking on top of organic search for the topic, which means they’re doing something right. From here, collect what you feel are the top pages from the search result and analyze them. 

Figure out what made Google decide that these pages appear as one of the top pages for the topic. Read the content and check out the questions it answers and subtopics it covered about the subject. Also, check out the formatting of the posts—see if the content has lots of images or videos.

List down the good things that you think and feel the pages did to warrant their rankings on Google search. Then take these things and apply them to your content to make it as good—if not better—than the competition. Doing so should convince Google that your page should eventually rank on top for the topic.

Search for Questions to Answer About the Topic

The researched pages in the previous step should provide you with enough information to write your content. But you want to get over and above to make the best possible content about the topic you wish to cover.

So to help expand your research, you must look for additional questions you should discuss and answer in your content.

There’s a People Also Ask (PAA) section from Google search containing the most relevant questions about the topic.

If you click on one of the questions to reveal the answer, two additional questions appear at the bottom of the section to provide you with more questions to consider answering in your content.

You can also go to Quora to find the top questions people ask about the topic.

More importantly, you can find multiple answers to each question, making research much more effortless. You can simply compile the best answers from here and rewrite them into your article to make them your own.

Use Answer the Public as well to exhaust all possible questions you should cover in your article. 

It produces a multitude of questions you can answer in your article. You can also use an alphabet soup section as additional subtopics or write a brand new article for each keyword suggestion.

Finally, another neat tactic you can use is blogger outreach. While this is commonly used to acquire backlinks to your site, you can use the same process of reaching out to bloggers. But instead of asking them for backlinks, ask them for answers to some of the questions you wish to answer in your blog post.

By targeting influential bloggers for their quotes to include in your post, you can get them to answer the tough questions you encounter in your research. At the same time, you build relationships with them that you can further leverage in the future—it’s a win-win!

Build Your Outline

Finally, you should have all the necessary information to help you produce an outline for your article.

The advantage of developing an outline before writing it is to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve with your piece. Aside from adding the subtopics and questions you plan on discussing in the article, you should also include the following:

• Statistics to help support your arguments and points. Refer to reliable case studies from authoritative sources like Statista to erase all doubt about the validity of the findings.
• Images and videos you should include in the article. Sites like Pixabay and Pexels are good places to start searching for free stock photos. Ideally, you should edit them using Canva to make them unique since there’s a good chance other sites will be using the same stock photo you want to use. As for videos, find the most relevant ones on YouTube to embed in your article.
• Internal and external links to include in the post. Ideally, you should always strive to link to relevant internal pages to prevent people from leaving your website. But if you haven’t any relevant content about the subtopic or idea, it’s best to link to a reliable source instead. The goal is to provide value to readers by pointing them to great content that will help explain the subtopic in greater detail.

By laying down all the information you must discuss in your article, writing will be much easier.

Conclusion

The key to writing a great blog post lies in how you conduct your research before writing it. The research is time-consuming, which leaves you better off passing this responsibility to a website content service provider like TopContent. But if you want to acquire this skill so you can implement it across all the articles you’ll be writing moving forward, it’s best to follow the simple steps above now.

The post How to Research Content for Your Blog Post appeared first on The Blog Herald.