Blogging to Inspire: 5 Blogging Tips, 8 Must-have Blogging tools + 20 Bloggers to Follow

I love blogging, I really do. When I started my first blog, it was on a whim. I had been talking about writing and doing something creative for awhile and finally got a chance to do it.

But, it was different with this blog.

With this blog, I knew I wanted to create a blog where I could share inspirational content, especially for single women and I’m so thankful I did. Creating and growing this blog has been a wonderful experience with many blogging highs and lows and the expected midpoints.

 

Why I started this blog

I shared some of my reasons in my about page but would also like to add that I believed I was called to reach out to more women through this blog.

I have always been interested in women’s issues and this blog has been an avenue to explore the many things that affect us as Christian women in today’s world.

I’m really excited to see what the future holds but I envisage that I would be creating more content, freebies, helpful courses and products.

 

 

Blogging Awards

I am so grateful to the following bloggers for the nominations and for giving me an opportunity to write this post. Here they are:

Ufuomaee – blogs over at   https://ufuomaee.blog/ where she shares spiritual and biblical insights for every Christian. I love that she asks and answers the hard questions we are oft to avoid. She also writes captivating story series and has now published a few books. She is definitely a woman that inspires me and I hope you get to follow her journey, too.

Tammy – Can I just say I love Tammy? She has been one of my strongest supporters since I started this blog. Always cheering me on and making me feel like I’m some really smart and gifted blogger. She blogs over at Grandmamma Mary Martha. You should check out this interesting story of how she came up with her blog name.

Alisha Dane – Alisha, is a blogger and full-time teacher. She shares her heart and encourages young women over on her blog.

Whit Devereaux – this strong woman of God is a domestic violence survivor and recently authored a book, ‘Not by my Own’. You should definitely check out her blog to learn more about her story and do get her book.

Timberely – Timberely blogs at Living Our Priorities, a blog that encourages others to find balance in life and never forget God’s priorities.

 

20 Bloggers that inspire me

Over the last year and a half, I have met and read about so many bloggers. More importantly, I have been inspired by so many of them, from their stories to their content.

One recurring feature amongst these bloggers has been how much they all seem to care about their readers and subscribers.

Through their content, I have been encouraged to push through during the difficult moments and I have also learnt a ton from them. There are too many to list in this post but here are a few of them:

 

Blogs for Christian Women

1. Jennifer Kostick – She provides deep and insightful expositions on the Bible. I usually feel my heart beating fast whilst reading her emails. Great stuff.
2. Sarah Koontz – Provides helpful Bible studies and also sends out Saturday Soul food emails every week.
3. Blogs by Christian Women – Shares articles from a wonderful community of Christian women Bloggers. It was an honour to guest post on this site.
4. Titania Paige – Nia is just amazing. Her heart for God is so encouraging. She shares content on some of the hard areas; sex, relationships and purity on her blog & Youtube Channel.

 

Blogs For Single Women

1. Heather Lindsey –I love Heather’s refreshing take on singleness and her encouragement to single women including the Pinky Promise Movement.
2. Joy Pedrow – A resourceful writer on topics that affect young women.
3. Phylicia Masonheimer– She has a lot of helpful content for single women especially those who are looking to develop themselves as they wait for their mate.
4. Alisha Dane – This awesome lady shares the joys and struggles of singleness, using her life and those of others.

 

Blogs on productivity & growth

1. Ruth Soukup – Bestselling author with one of the most successful blogs in her niche. She shares great tips on blogging, productivity and living an organised life.
2. Marie Foleo – A video whiz with an infectious sense of humour. She has boatloads of positivity and you will generally feel better after reading and watching her content.
3. Josh Spector – Oh my! Where do I start? Of all the bloggers I follow, Josh is probably the most resourceful. His emails are pure gold as he usually collates the best articles from around the web. Great stuff.
4. Kirsten (Create If Writing) – Kristen is one of those warm and caring bloggers, she is so smart and has a lot of helpful content on email list growth and use of social media.

 

On Blogging

1. Rosemary Groner – I met this lady at a conference and was blown away by her humility. At the time, she was making about $10 -$15k a month. Now with revenues exceeding $100k/mo. She still keeps it real. Subscribe to her email list for great content on blogging.
2. Pro Blogger – This is a behemoth in the blogging world with so much helpful content for bloggers, at every stage. You can also check out their Podcast for more useful information from Darren Rowse (founder).
3. Jon Morrow – an inspiring and sometimes unbelievable writer and a great blogger. Jon is definitely one to follow. He believes in writing with empathy and heart.
4. Amy Lynn Andrews – For updates on new blogging tricks, Amy is your go-to blogger.

 

Personal Finance Blogs

1. Ramit Sethi – Of all the bloggers on the list, I have probably been following Ramit the longest. He has been my source of no-holds-barred advice. He’s not one to sugar coat things but will give it to you straight. I’m yet to get any of his paid courses but hope to do so, soon.
2. The Simple Dollar – This was my go-to source for tips on managing my money and it was instrumental in the personal finance tips I shared on my first blog.
3. Nick Loper – The side hustle master and founder of Side Hustle Nation. If you’re thinking about ways to grow your income on the side, Nick is your go-to guy.
4. J. Money – This guy is funny and always has many interesting money stories and tips.

 

Blogging tips for bloggers

This post wouldn’t be complete without sharing some awesome tips and tricks I’ve learnt on my blogging journey

1. Before you start, understand your why

While I had started my first blog on a whim, I also had a general idea of the sort of things I wanted to write about. Though this was quite broad (lifestyle, personal finance and a few of my literary antics or what I call Poetic Prose).

With this blog, it was different from the get-go. I knew this blog was all about sharing tips on practical living and inspirational content for young professional women, with a lot of it geared to single women in their 30’s.

Knowing you’re ‘why‘ is always a great place to start as it sets the tone for everything else; from blog content to blog design, freebies, products/services and even your email list.

 

2. Use your voice

You may have heard a lot about authenticity and being true to yourself. I definitely believe this couldn’t be truer in the blogging world.

There are times we read about successful bloggers, and in our bid to grow our blogs, we end up writing just like them and doing some of the same things.

This will likely hurt your brand. Your voice has to be your own, you can get tips on writing or blogging from others but have to put your personal spin on it.

 

3. Time management matters

Blogging has helped me with time management. When I started this blog, I was also working on a new business.

This meant trying to grow two separate but demanding projects and I must tell you that there were days I was just plain tired and wanted to run from these commitments.

But over the last few months, I have been scheduling more and more of my tasks. This is particularly true for my social media management.

I now use apps, monthly planners and processes to make sure my blog posts and emails go out when they should and that I also promote them appropriately. There’s been some progress and I hope to do more with it.

4. Do your 1%

One of the other things I’ve learnt on my blogging journey is that the small wins matter. That, if I continue to make improvements to my blog, albeit little tweaks, it could have a considerable effect on the growth of my blog. This has been called the one percent rule.

This basically means the improvements are accumulated and can make a lasting difference to the growth of your blog or business.

5. It’s okay to fail

Don’t strive for perfection because you will not get it. There is no perfect blog, I know some are really close but if you asked the Bloggers who own those sites, they will probably list all the things they are yet to do and the ones that were a complete disaster.

I know I have not done a lot of things I should have and I’ve failed with this blog more times than I can count. But you know what? It’s okay.

Even if it’s taking forever to get things right, to see the traffic you were hoping for or the subscriber growth you were expecting, just know that you and your blog will be okay.

Even as a Christian blogger, you may feel slow growth means you are not following what God has put in your heart but it doesn’t work that way. Just do what he expects of you and you will be amazed by what he does with your blog.

Blogging tools I use

So, here’s one more thing I thought to share with you. As a blogger, there a few tools that make our lives not only easier but our work more effective.

Depending on your stage of blogging, you probably use a lot of tools. I definitely believe in these tools but I usually strive for those that are free or cost-effective.

Here are a few of the tools and apps I use for this blog:

1. Bluehost – hosting and domain management (affiliate link – read disclosures here). they usually have periodic sales, so, do check them out.
2. MailChimp – Email service provider, free for first 2000 subscribers
3. MailMunch – Free opt-in forms and landing pages
4. Milotree – Can be used to grow social media channels
5. Buffer – For scheduling posts to social media
6. Boardbooster – for scheduling posts to Pinterest
7. Tailwind – for growing Pinterest account (referral link – read disclosures)
8. Stocksnap – for free images for my blog posts

 

Use your blog for good

In closing, I must say that blogging has been a fulfilling experience, which I hope to continue in one form or the other. It is a wonderful opportunity to do good, not just for others but also for ourselves.

It is also a cheap and pretty effective way to share our knowledge, skills and stories with the world and hope, it not only touches hearts but encourages others to take action and improve their own lives.

 

Thank you so much for reading and do share your blogging story.