8 Tools for the (almost) daily blogger

Daily blogging is a feat I wish to accomplish at some consecutive rate in the near future.

Even a 90 day stretch would feel great because I don’t think I’ll ever get a solid 365 days in like my pals Chris Lema and Tom McFarlin.

So why would one want to blog every day anyway? Here’s a few reasons:

  • Therapeutic
  • Building an audience
  • Sharing knowledge
  • Nurturing leads

The list could go on, but that’s what I hear from most folks that I’m consulting. A daily blogging ritual is an absolute necessity. Be it in your head, on paper or in the cloud you need some tools to keep you on track.

Tools & apps for the daily blogger

By no means am I a daily blogger — I’m just striving to fly at that altitude.

Here’s a collection of tools and apps I use to keep me fighting the good fight.

Wunderlist2

1. Wunderlist

http://wunderlist.com

I live and die by this app. It’s cross platform, which means I can bring it to my Macbook Air, my Windows PC, and my Android phone without worry. It even has a a cloud based app which syncs across all of these devices which comes in handy if I’m working on one of our iMacs at the studio.

I have a list just for blogging topics that I capture right when the idea enters my mind. The great thing with Wunderlist is I can then leave notes about the “to-do” to expand a bit more if I need to.

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2. Simplenote

http://simplenote.com

I’m relatively new to using this app and my only gripe is there’s no native Windows client. Yes I use Windows at home — I actually think Win 7 is a solid OS. Moving on…

Surprise — I’m enjoying the simplicity of this app. The other day I was able to draft Episode 56: 24 ways to build a better WordPress site while I was on the bike at the gym. I did this using my Android phone, came home sync’d it with my Mac and posted it to WordPress.

Lovely.

hero_evernote

3. Evernote

http://evernote.com

I’ll be honest, I’ve been using this less and less as Evernote has become a bit more bloated. I say that with the utmost respect to the software because I still think it’s a feature rich app with a rather “tuned” experience.

I do use it for archiving assets like articles, photos and links. Certainly useful when I’m gathering for long form posts or extended research.

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4. Moleskine

That’s right, every now and again I just need to sketch it out on paper.

I carry one with me wherever I go and it has a WordPress sticker on it. Notes, drawings, doodles and meeting notes. All go here. When they fill up, I file them and eventually go back to see some of the great ideas I came up with that I never executed.

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5. Screenflow

http://www.telestream.net/screenflow/

Because blogging is a lot more than just text on a screen.

I publish more than just these paltry posts. My podcast being on form of content that this “blog” is used for. ScreenFlow is an amazing app that I can’t recommend enough.

If you’re wrestling with any of the native Mac apps to edit your audio or video (for screencasts/blogging) drop them like a rock and pickup ScreenFlow. You’ll thank me for it.

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6. Skitch

http://evernote.com/skitch

Skitch has had it’s ups and downs over the last year, but I think it’s finally coming to grips with the new owner Evernote.

One massive gripe I have with the app is the URL it uses to share screenshots. It’s horrendous. Why they haven’t syncd up with a URL shortening service is beyond me. So if you’re down with sharing 400 character URL’s, you won’t be disappointed. Other than that, this is my go to screenshot app that allows me to block out, draw arrows and add text to any image on my screen.

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7. Buffer App

http://bufferapp.com

All of this fantastic content publishing is useless without proper promotion.

I leverage timed tweets, Facebook posts and G+ shares via Buffer. When I make a new post, I’ll schedule it out for promotion for the next 24 hours, week and even month. Super useful to set your promotions on auto pilot. Just don’t spam or be *that* person.

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8. Socialize WordPress theme

https://slocumthemes.com/wordpress-themes/socialize/

Not gonna lie, I love my blogging theme. Surprised right?

Seriously, the theme won’t make you a better writer or more consistent, but it’s gonna make you look damn good doing it. In my opinion, you want your posts to have clean and clear definition. Socialize is styled to do just that on any sized browser or device. Give it a go and I’ll even give you $10 bucks off using promo code: THANKS10 at checkout.

And that’s a wrap!

So as I stride to become a daily blogger, these are the tools I’m using to get the job done.

  • I have the stuff I use to gather notes and prepare content.
  • I have the apps I use to promote and build unique posts.
  • I have the platform to make it all look damn good.

What about you? What are you using? Tell me in the comments!


Comments

4 responses to “8 Tools for the (almost) daily blogger”

  1. I think you – and really, anyone – can get that stretch in, but you have to build up to it.

    I started my blog at three days a week, then I began to have more ideas so I slowly increased it to 4, and now 5. I’m still undecided if I want to go a full on 7 days a week, but we’ll see.

    I’d be curious to know how many people would actually read Saturday and Sunday posts…

    1. It’s funny you bring that up. This past weekend I made two posts and they were my most read days for the last 2 weeks, podcasts included.

      Maybe they were just great posts or maybe my audience isn’t out and about on the weekends?

  2. Hey Matt. Great list. I would add Coffitivity (for fun) and Brightpod.com for managing content marketing.

    1. Thanks for the additions!

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