30 Helpful Writing Tips from Famous Authors
These writing tips from famous authors are inspiring enough to get the motivation flowing.
These writing tips from famous authors are inspiring enough to get the motivation flowing.
Whenever we’re stuck in a period of writer’s block, we always turn to the pros for inspiration.
Here, we’ve gathered 30 of the best tips from famous authors, including everyone from John Steinbeck to Zadie Smith.
Every time we’re stuck, we read through this list and instantly feel a little more inspired and motivated to put pen to paper.
30 Writing Tips from Famous Authors
“This is how you do it: you sit down at the keyboard and you put one word after another until it's done. It's that easy, and that hard.” — Neil Gaiman
“If you have a limited amount of time to write, you just sit down and do it. You might not write well every day, but you can always edit a bad page. You can’t edit a blank page.” — Jodi Picoult
“Abandon the idea that you are ever going to finish. Lose track of the 400 pages and write just one page for each day. It helps.” — John Steinbeck
“You have to get to a very quiet place inside yourself. And that doesn’t mean that you can’t have noise outside. I know some people who put Jazz on, loudly, to write. I think each writer has her or his secret path to the muse.” — Maya Angelo
“Writing a book is a bit like surfing . . . Most of the time you’re waiting. And it’s quite pleasant, sitting in the water waiting. But you are expecting that the result of a storm over the horizon, in another time zone, usually, days old, will radiate out in the form of waves. And eventually, when they show up, you turn around and ride that energy to the shore. It’s a lovely thing, feeling that momentum. If you’re lucky, it’s also about grace. As a writer, you roll up to the desk every day, and then you sit there, waiting, in the hope that something will come over the horizon. And then you turn around and ride it, in the form of a story.” — Tim Winton
“Forget the books you want to write. Think only of the book you are writing.” — Henry Miller
“Whenever I’m asked what advice I have for young writers, I always say that the first thing is to read, and to read a lot. The second thing is to write. And the third thing, which I think is absolutely vital, is to tell stories and listen closely to the stories you’re being told.” — John Green
"Read, read, read. Read everything—trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it. Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master." — William Faulkner
“Don’t think. Thinking is the enemy of creativity. It’s self-conscious, and anything self-conscious is lousy. You can’t try to do things. You must simply do things.” — Ray Bradbury
"Protect the time and space in which you write. Keep everybody away from it, even the people who are most important to you." — Zadie Smith
“Turn off your cell phone. Honestly, if you want to get work done, you’ve got to learn to unplug. No texting, no email, no Facebook, no Instagram. Whatever it is you’re doing, it needs to stop while you write. A lot of the time (and this is fully goofy to admit), I’ll write with earplugs in — even if it’s dead silent at home.” — Nathan Englander
“Don’t say the old lady screamed. Bring her on and let her scream.” — Mark Twain
“I’ve decided that the trick is just to keep after it for several hours, regardless of your own vacillating assessment of how the writing is going. Showing up and staying present is a good writing day.” — Karen Russel
"There's this feeling in the world that artistic ability is just a gift and there's nothing else to it. I think it's a skill set. It's no different from math. It's a thing you need to learn how to do—you need to practice it, you need to get better at it." — Andy Weir
“You learn so much with each book, but it's what you teach yourself by writing your own books and by reading good books written by other people - that's the key.” — Maggie O’Farrell
“The most helpful quality a writer can cultivate is self-confidence – arrogance, if you can manage it. You write to impose yourself on the world, and you have to believe in your own ability when the world shows no sign of agreeing with you.” — Hilary Mantel
“I often recall these words when I am writing, and I think to myself, 'It’s true. There aren’t any new words. Our job is to give new meanings and special overtones to absolutely ordinary words.' I find the thought reassuring. It means that vast, unknown stretches still lie before us, fertile territories just waiting for us to cultivate them.” — Haruki Murakami
“I try to focus on word count per day. So when I do first drafts, I aim to write a set word count every Monday - Friday until the book is done. That means that I can usually predict the day the book will be done when I start it.” — Taylor Jenkins Reid
“Every sentence must do one of two things—reveal character or advance the action.” — Kurt Vonnegut
“A writer who waits for ideal conditions under which to work will die without putting a word on paper.” — E.B. White
“Your character is always right. No real person thinks they’re being stupid or misguided or bigoted or evil or just plain wrong – so your characters can’t, either. If you’re writing a scene for a character with whom you disagree in every way, you still need to show how that character is absolutely justified in his or her own mind, or the scene will come across as being about the author’s views rather than about the character’s.” — Tana French
“To really be centered and to really work well and to think about the kinds of things that I need to think about, I need to spend large amounts of time alone.” — Donna Tartt
“Writing must almost have to fail - it must almost not succeed. If it goes well from the start, if I am in the groove, if I come home to writing, it's not the writing for me. I need to have lost the key and to find no replacement. Writing is not a homecoming. Writing is an alibi. Writing is a perpetual stammer of alibis.” — André Aciman
"If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot. There's no way around these two things that I'm aware of, no shortcut." — Stephan King
“Love is the most important ingredient. Love of words. Of your characters and their flaws. Of truth. You are playing God, but it has to be a loving God.” — Matt Haig
“Write from the heart, write what you believe in, take the time to learn how to write with workshops and classes, and write write write! Every day. Believe in yourself and don't ever give up.” — Kristen Hannah
“Never have an argument with your wife before sitting down to write. It is impossible to write well when your wife is upstairs, royally pissed off with you. Your computer knows she’s pissed at you. Your fingers know she’s pissed at you. Your words know she’s pissed at you. Just stop, go upstairs and say you’re sorry for being such a self-absorbed prick. Then go back downstairs when the timing is right for everyone and watch those words smile back at you.” — Trent Dalton
“Write what scares you. If it’s not scaring you, at least a little, it’s probably not taking enough risks.” — Celeste Ng
“Making it a routine is a gigantic part of it. One corollary of that— and this is probably the most important thing for me— is being willing to write really badly. It won’t hurt you to do that.” — Jennifer Egan
“No matter how stuck I am, I always figure something out from a walk-- something about the motion of my body gets my mind moving as well.” — Madeline Miller
What quote inspires you the most? Let us know in the comments below, we’d love to hear!
Now that you’re feeling motivated, check out some of our top tips for becoming a better writer.
Scrawl Creative Copywriting Studios is a collective of professional writers dedicated to producing the best copy in the industry.
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How to Write an SEO Blog Post in 10 Easy Steps
SEO, oh SEO. What on Earth is SEO?!
SEO, oh SEO. What on Earth is SEO?!
Welcome to the blogging world, friends. If you’re on this page, we’re guessing that you’ve just found out about one very important thing to keep in mind while blogging: SEO.
SEO stands for “Search Engine Optimisation”, and though it sounds scary and technical at first, don’t worry. It’s not as scary as it sounds. And anyway, we’re here to help you!
The reason why everyone talks about SEO so much is because it’s really important for bringing new visitors to your blog.
When you want to learn something, where do you go?
Google. Right?
Well just like you, your potential readers also use Google. Just imagine how great it would be if you could get those people from Google onto your blog! While it may seem like this is all up to chance, the fact of the matter is that it requires a certain level of strategy.
Google has a specific way of ranking content that appears online. The higher the ranking, the higher up in search results a website is.
While there is a lot that goes into this algorithm, there are things you can do to try and use it in your favour.
Though nobody can say for certain how Google determines the quality of a web page, certain factors do come into play to tell Google how legit (or not legit) your blog post is.
If you take these factors into account while writing, congrats: You’re now in the business of SEO.
Of course, these are just the barebones basics. It gets a lot more complicated, the more you dive into it. But these 10 easy steps will at least get you part of the way there.
Admittedly, we have an advantage: we’ve worked in the digital marketing world for awhile now. We know more about SEO than the average blogger, but our strategy is honestly pretty basic.
We are speaking from experience when we say that these seemingly simple factors can make a huge difference in how your content ranks on search engines. Using these strategies, we’ve been able to land multiple blog posts in the #1 spot on Google and many more on the first page.
Enough about us, though. Let’s get into it!
10 Easy Steps for Writing an SEO Blog Post
Choose a Keyword
Incorporate the Keyword into Your Title
Use the Keyword in the First Sentence
Write the Right Amount (300- 24000 words)
Make the Keyword Obvious (2-3 Times)
Break Your Writing Up With Headings (With Keywords)
Be Smart With Your Images
Don’t Forget A List
Include Links (inbound & outbound)
Write Catchy Metadata
Get a free, downloadable version of this checklist here!
1. Choose a Keyword
The first — and most important — step in writing an SEO blog post is to write with a specific keyword in mind.
Your keyword (or keyphrase if more than one word) should be something that is directly related to what your blog post is about. It should also be something that people search for. For example, if you wanted to write a blog post teaching people how to compost their leftover food scraps, you could start with a keyword like “how to compost”.
If you’re having trouble coming up with a good keyword, you can play around on Google to get a few ideas.
Open your browser, and search for the thing you’re planning to write about. Sticking with the compost example, you might search “compost food scraps”. As you start scrolling, you’ll see a section called “People also ask”.
Who are those people? Potential readers!
Example “People also ask”
Looking at this list, you might see a question that fits with the blog post you have in mind. For this example, “How do you compost for beginners?” is most similar to the goal of the blogger.
Knowing that that’s a popular question, you could now move ahead with a keyword that directly answers that question. In this example, the keyword will be “how to compost for beginners.”
Initial keyword idea: how to compost
Popular question on Google: How do you compost for beginners?
Amended keyword: how to compost for beginners
See what we did there? We made the keyword more direct.
Though this strategy isn’t perfect, it’s a great place to start. Not to mention, it’s easy enough for beginners to use, even if you still don’t fully get what SEO is all about.
2. Incorporate the Keyword Into Your Title
Now that you have your keyword, you can start incorporating it into your content.
First things first: The title.
You should try to always include the keyword in your title, preferably in the first few words if you can manage it. If the keyword sounds unnatural in the title, you might want to re-think the keyword or use synonyms that sound more normal. A title like “Best Bikes 2021 You Want Now” sounds like someone trying very hard to have good SEO, would you click on that?
We wouldn't.
Though a title like “The 10 Best Bikes to Buy in 2021” may not be as true to the keyword, it is more likely to bring visitors to your page because it seems more natural and interesting.
This is a balancing act, but the more you practice, the better you’ll get. Do use keywords in your title, but don’t force something unnatural — it’s obvious to readers.
3. Use the Keyword in the First Sentence
By now, you probably get the idea: We are trying to make it VERY CLEAR to Google what your blog post is about. Using the keyword in the first sentence of your post will highlight immediately to both the algorithm and your readers what information you’re trying to share.
Let’s go back to the composting example. Remember, your new and improved keyword is “how to compost for beginners.”
To incorporate that into your first sentence, you could say something like: “Today, I’m going to guide you through how to compost for beginners.”
It’s not hard, but it may not be the way you’d naturally start a post. With a little practice, though, it’ll become second nature.
4. Write the Right Amount
We’re going to ask for your forgiveness in advance before we get into this tip: It’s a bit vague.
To show Google that your blog post is legit, helpful, and deserves a high ranking, it needs to be the right length.
“Well,” you’re probably wondering, “what is the right length?” We wish we could give you a straight answer, but the fact is that the right length will depend on what you’re writing.
In general, your blog posts should be no less than 300 words, but no more than 2,400.
If you feel like you need a more exact figure, feel free to poke around online. One thing to note: The “perfect number” is always changing. You can’t control what the algorithm is doing, but you can control the quality of your content.
If you ever feel like you’re pushing to make a blog post longer or cutting it off short, you’re thinking about it in the wrong way. Let your post be as long as it needs to be, to do the job it needs to do. If it’s helpful, people will stay on your site longer, and (surprise, surprise!) this can help your ranking on Google too.
5. Make the Keyword Obvious
Remember how we said we’re making the keyword obvious for Google? Well, let’s hit that home again!
So you’ve put the keyword in your title, it appears in the first sentence of your post, but do you really need to use it again?
Based on what we’ve had success with, we’re going to say “yes”. You should absolutely use the keyword again. That doesn’t mean you should make every other word the keyword. Remember, we want people to stick around. We want them to like your content.
We’ve found that 2-3 times is enough to hit it home, without really annoying your readers.
6. Break Your Writing Up With Headings (With Keywords)
Using headings not only makes your writing easier to read, but it’s also great for SEO. When you split your writing into headings, you create ways for Google to understand it. Though it may seem like a stylistic choice, headings are tagged in the code as something separate.
Because headings often summarise the most important points, Google knows to look to these headings to understand what the blog post is about. Remember, Google is not a human, so we have to learn how to express the information in non-human ways. Using headings is one of those ways.
As you can imagine, your headings should include keywords. You don’t want to overdo it, though, or else it may come across as spammy — yes, Google can recognise that too! No matter what headings you decide to use, it’s important that they accurately reflect the content they refer to. Using headings well can ensure that Google sends the right audiences to your site, which is key to securing return visitors.
7. Be Smart With Your Images
Just like headings should reflect your content, so too should the images that you use. It’s important to include at least one image in each blog post, both for SEO and aesthetic purposes. Similar to the way that headings are tagged, Image titles are also flagged to Google.
When you add an image to a blog post, ensure that the alt image text is reflective of what the photo represents so that Google can understand how it operates in your blog post. Remember, Google wants to send people to find the best possible search results. We all like looking at images, and oftentimes, they can reiterate key points. When adding images, imagine what you would want to see if you were the reader, and add alt image text that highlights this usefulness.
8. Don’t Forget a List
We know this may sound like a strange tip, but Google likes bullet-point lists. When you read a large chunk of writing, it can get overwhelming, so having a list in the mix can make a better experience for the reader.
You can include a bulleted list, instructions by steps listed, or even a list guiding readers to other posts on your blog. While it may seem too easy to be true, it’s an easy way to boost your SEO.
9. Include Links (Inbound & Outbound)
If you’re not including links in your blog posts already, now is the time to start. Every blog post should include at least one inbound link (linking to another post on your site) and one outbound link (linking to another site).
Inbound links are great because they help build a network of your content. Linking in this way can show both Google and your readers how your content is connected, guiding readers to other helpful posts you’ve written. Not only does it keep readers on your site longer, but it also makes for a better user experience as you guide them each step of the way.
Outbound links are helpful when you need to make an authoritative statement. It can show prior research, and help guide your readers to more info if they need it. We like to use outbound links when quoting another site, or linking to a specific stat that backs up what we’re writing about.
10. Write Catchy Meta Descriptions
We’re all used to the format of Google, but did you know that you can control the blurb that is generated for your posts?
When someone searches in Google, they are presented with a link and a description.
Example Meta Description
With Squarespace, it’s super easy to change meta descriptions within each blog post to make sure that you present potential readers with an exciting pitch for your site. While it may be easier to simply let the meta description auto-generate, taking the time to write an eye-catching meta description can drive many more viewers to your page.
When writing your meta description, make sure to keep these questions in mind:
Why is this content useful?
What will readers learn here?
Why should they choose your blog post over others?
Keep it succinct but interesting, and you’ll be surprised at how many more people click through to read your posts.
Now that you know how to write an SEO blog post, it’s time to put your skills to use. Start following these tips to see better results from Search Engines, and let me know if you see results. We promise, over time, you will.
Happy blogging!
To download a free 10-step SEO checklist, click here.
Now that you know how to write an SEO blog post, check out the 10 best blogging tools of 2021 for beginners.
SCRAWL CREATIVE COPYWRITING STUDIOS IS A COLLECTIVE OF PROFESSIONAL WRITERS DEDICATED TO PRODUCING THE BEST COPY IN THE INDUSTRY.
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What is NaNoWriMo?
If you love writing like we do, chances are someone has told you to participate in NaNoWriMo. But wait, what is NaNoWriMo?
If you love writing like we do, chances are someone has told you to participate in NaNoWriMo. But wait, what is NaNoWriMo?
Well, before you get in on the fun, it’s obviously super important to at least know what NaNoWriMo is.
To find out what it is, how it works, and find out which famous novels that came from NaNoWriMo, keep scrolling.
What is NaNoWriMo?
NaNoWriMo stands for “National Novel Writing Month”, and is the name of both an event (the writing month) and organisation (named NaNoWriMo). As the name suggests, NaNoWriMo encourages writers to “find their voices, achieve creative goals, and build new worlds — on and off the page.”
While NaNoWriMo does have a Young Writers Program, participation in the novel writing month is open to anyone! To achieve the goal of NaNoWriMo, writers are encouraged to spend the month producing 50,000 words towards a new novel. Of course, anyone can participate, online or off, but if you’re seeking a community this is a great opportunity to register online and become a part of something bigger than yourself.
Those who register online are given access to a login portal, with a plethora of writing tools and resources to help you during the month and beyond. Within the portal, you can find writing buddies, forums, and tons of resources to help you achieve your writing goals.
How Do You Sign Up?
Signing up for NaNoWriMo is super easy! All you have to do is head over to NaNoWriMo’s website and click “Sign Up” in the upper right hand corner.
While the actual novel writing month begins November 1, you can sign up for an account any time of year and get access to all the resources that NaNoWriMo has to offer.
Were Any Famous Novels Written During NaNoWriMo?
While it may sound crazy, NaNoWriMo is the perfect incubator for future novels to arise. Considering the dedication required to “win” (AKA complete) the challenge, it only makes sense that several famous novels were born from this challenge.
Here are a few examples of novels that came out of NaNoWriMo:
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (one of my personal favourites)
Water for Elephants by Sarah Gruen
The Beautiful Land by Alan Averill
Cinder, Scarlet and Cress by Marissa Meyer (all 3 in one month!)
Having a writing buddy can help you commit to a writing project like NaNoWriMo. Explore the idea, here.
SCRAWL CREATIVE COPYWRITING STUDIOS IS A COLLECTIVE OF PROFESSIONAL WRITERS DEDICATED TO PRODUCING THE BEST COPY IN THE INDUSTRY.
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3 Reasons Why Your Business Needs a Blog ASAP
Ever wondered why exactly your business needs a blog?
Today, we’re going to answer a really common question: “Why do businesses need a blog?”
And before you stop reading, we know what you’re thinking:
“ I don’t sell products online!”
“ I don’t have anything to talk to my customers about!”
“ Who will even read blog posts about my business anyway?”
“ I don’t have time for that.”
“ I can’t write.”
How could we guess that these thoughts were going through your head? Well, you’d be surprised how many business owners think the same thing. But despite how you feel about it, the fact of the matter is that having a blog for your business is integral for many reasons.
Though it may sound basic, blogs help businesses grow, connect with new audiences, and retain customers every single day. Having a blog:
Creates a personal connection with your audience
Helps potential customers find you
Teaches customers about your products/ services
Curious about how exactly this all works? Keep scrolling.
Why Do Businesses Need a Blog?
How Having a Blog Creates a Personal Connection With Your Audience
Think about the brands you love, the ones that stick in your mind. Odds are you remember these brands because you have some kind of personal connection to them. Whether it’s because their ads make you laugh, or their customer service is wonderful, you remember them because you relate to them in some way.
Creating a personal connection with customers is no easy task. If they’ve never heard of your business before, they’re starting from zero, so it’s up to you to create that relationship. Of course, social media is great for this. But in the same way that an Instagram caption creates the opportunity for connection, so too does a blog post. Albeit in a more in-depth manner.
How Having a Blog Helps Potential Customers Find You
So you have a website for your business, but how will people find it? Most business owners dream of seeing their website on the front page of Google, yet very few achieve it.
While blogs may seem like a secondary component of a business’s website, they can actually be the number one force for bringing traffic to your website. Well-written blog posts can show Google that your website offers valuable content, which will help determine how highly your site is ranked by the search engine.
Especially if your blog posts cover topics related to your business, answering questions that your target audience is likely to be asking, Google will see the value of your page and begin directing similar users there.
How Blogs Can Teach Customers About Your Products/ Services
Of course, to write blog posts, you need topics to write about.
What better way to showcase what your business has to offer? The key to a great blog is having a variety of content, so you can post a whole array of articles:
How-to guides
Product features
Customer stories
A peek inside the business
Interesting facts about the industry
The real value here lies in the fact that each of these article types will be centred around your products, reiterating to customers just how great they are!
While you might not write “How My Tutoring Business Changed Jeff’s Life”, a story like “How Tutoring Can Make You a Better Person” might convince Jeff to sign up.
Even in indirect ways like this example, your blogs can constantly work to convince potential customers to choose you over your competitors.
Convinced you need a blog, but not sure which platform to use? See our guide, here.
SCRAWL CREATIVE COPYWRITING STUDIOS IS A COLLECTIVE OF PROFESSIONAL WRITERS DEDICATED TO PRODUCING THE BEST COPY IN THE INDUSTRY.
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How To Write More Blog Posts Than Ever With Batch Working
Do you ever feel like your blog has hit a lull?
No matter how hard you try to write X number of posts per week, it just isn’t happening?
Do you ever feel like your blog has hit a lull?
No matter how hard you try to write X number of posts per week, it just isn’t happening?
All bloggers have been there. We promise you. We’ve all felt it.
It’s so easy to have the best intentions to hit a writing goal every week — much harder to execute it.
Having done this for a while now, running multiple blogs while trying to have some semblance of a life away from a computer screen, we’ve picked up a few productivity tips along the way.
While work styles vary from one person to another, there is one trick that I think can help anyone whose job is centered around creating content: Batch working.
Batch Working for Bloggers
What is Batch Working?
Batch working is no new concept. It’s been flying around the blogging world since as early as 2017. A quick Google search about it, and you’ll likely find several bloggers singing the praises of batch working.
Often touted as the “trick” to “skyrocketing productivity” or “increasing output”, it might sound too good to be true.
But there’s nothing sneaky or special about it. It’s just a different way of forcing yourself to focus, and — you know — work. Easier said than done, huh?
As the name suggests, batch working consists of completing your work in separate batches. To keep it familiar for bloggers, we’ll use examples of tasks you likely do to keep your site running and updated.
How to Batch Work
At the beginning of the week, you might have a “planning day”, where you decide what your batch of content will be. If you have an editorial calendar, this is the time to finalise what stories you want to send live on what days.
If you can manage it, batch working works best when you plan one week ahead, so that you’re never pressing to batch something that needs to be TODAY!
An Example Week of Batch Working for a Blog
For bloggers, a week of batch working may look a bit like this:
Monday - Planning Day: Plan/ research blog posts for the following week. Decide titles, figure out what imagery you need. Plan any extra content surrounding blog posts.
Tuesday- Writing Day: Write all of your blog posts for the following week.
Wednesday- Graphics: Create any graphics you will need to accompany your posts for the following week. These could be graphics that sit inside the blog posts or things like pins/ Instagram posts.
Thursday- Social media: Write captions and schedule all posts for the following week. Make sure the day that you post the Pinterest/ Instagram posts align with the publish date of the blog posts.
Friday - Building/ Scheduling + Admin: Build blog posts in your CMS and schedule them to publish. Answer emails, reply to comments, update your accounting ledgers. Friday can be all about making sure the business side of your blog is sorted.
How Does Batch Working Increase Productivity?
If batch working is just completing the same work in a different order, then how does it increase productivity?
The secret to batch working doesn’t lie in what you do, but rather how you do it. While you may think you’re a multi-tasking hero, the odds are that constantly jumping from one task to another is hindering your productivity.
The Harvard Business Review goes so far as to say that multitasking doesn't even exist, so by trying to juggle a hundred things at once, you’re likely doing more harm than good.
Our Personal Experience
Our experience with batch working has been wonderful! But the key to success with this method is to execute it properly, sticking to whatever process you decide upon.
It may seem counter-intuitive, but the hardest part of batch working is the initial planning step.
We’re sure we’re not alone in getting ahead of ourselves when it comes to content creation. Rather than jump straight into things, batch working forces you to stay organised— an important skill to learn regardless.
When we first started batch working, the time spent planning felt almost like time wasted: We just wanted to be writing and promoting blog posts. After a few weeks of getting used to it, though, we were able to achieve so much more and now can’t imagine working any other way.
Trying to be more productive? Check out the book that changed the way I work forever.
SCRAWL CREATIVE COPYWRITING STUDIOS IS A COLLECTIVE OF PROFESSIONAL WRITERS DEDICATED TO PRODUCING THE BEST COPY IN THE INDUSTRY.
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The 10 Best Blogging Tools For Beginners 2021
Today we’re going to outline the best blogging tools for beginners in 2021. You’re going to want to bookmark this page because no matter what stage you’re at, we’re confident that this will be helpful.
Today we’re going to outline the best blogging tools for beginners in 2021. You’re going to want to bookmark this page because no matter what stage you’re at, we’re confident that this will be helpful.
This isn’t some list of promoted companies that are paying us to write this — these are the actual tools we use each day on this blog. We even use these tools on the other blogs we run as well! There are endless blogging tools out there, and like anything, some are great and some are duds.
The good news is that we’ve done the hard work for you, so you can rest assured that this list only touches on the very best. If you’re tired of wasting your time with free trials, unnecessary software and pointless plugins, this list will be your saviour.
To see the tools we use every day, keep reading for a thorough description of each. Every single one is beginner-friendly and can greatly improve the quality of your blog.
Squarespace
Google Analytics
Tailwind
Canva
Google Search Console
Grammarly
Pinterest
Creative Market
Mailchimp
Unsplash
The 10 Best Blogging Tools for Beginners 20201
1.Squarespace
It’s no secret that we love Squarespace. Heck, this blog IS A SQUARESPACE BLOG. That's all the proof you need, right?
Jokes aside, Squarespace is an amazing tool for creating your first blog. Thanks to the easy-to-use backend, well-designed themes, and SEO-friendly settings, Squarespace makes blogging pretty simple: Even if you don’t have the first idea about coding.
Though it may be tempting to go with a slightly cheaper alternative like Wix, I'll tell you now that it’s not worth it. If you want your blog to be something serious, with the potential to monetise, you should fork it out now for Squarespace.
There are a few different pricing options, so depending on what kind of features you envision for your site, you’ll be able to find one that suits you best.
2.Google Analytics
Google Analytics is a free tool that you can connect to your website to measure data. Similar to Squarespace's insights, Google Analytics shows detailed information about your site’s visitors and content.
While your site’s built-in analytics can tell you the basics, Google Analytics is much more detailed and can give you a better understanding of your site and audience. It’s pretty easy to set up, and all you need is a google account to do so (such as Gmail.)
3.Tailwind
When we first tried out Tailwind, we weren’t sure we would stick with it.
Sure, we knew that Pinterest was great for bloggers, but we didn’t understand the true value of a scheduling app like Tailwind.
Now, we’re obsessed.
Not only does tailwind schedule pins and post them automatically, but it also offers super-helpful tools to boost your Pinterest to unheard-of levels. Before using tailwind, I was so excited when my pins got a few impressions. Now, they regularly get hundreds (if not thousands) of views.
The best part? Those impressions translate to page views, as there is always a percentage of people who click through to our blog.
In addition to scheduling and posting, Tailwind has a few other features that can enhance your Pinterest presence. With a creative studio, community groups, and “loops” Tailwind has figured out the best ways to get pinners onto your blog.
4.Canva
We don’t even remember when we first started using Canva, but it wasn’t until we began to take blogging seriously that we finally got a pro subscription.
The free version is great, and it offers most of the tools you’ll need for basic graphics social posts. If you’re considering the pro package, though, we’d say go for it. We haven’t once regretted our subscription and find ourselves using Canva’s pro features almost every day.
We use Canva to create graphics for our site, social posts, and even newsletters. Everything just looks better when it's well-designed, and having a good aesthetic plays a huge part in your blog’s success.
5.Google Search Console
Google Search Console is another free tool from Google, but it’s one that we find often goes neglected.
Like Analytics, Search Console displays data about your site. But rather than focusing on your site itself, the focus is how your site performs on Google.
To get new traffic to your site, your posts must be optimised for search engines, and Google Search Console helps you do just this. It can check the health of your entire site, as well as individual pages to show you errors that may be negatively impacting how you perform on Google.
In addition to providing site health insights, Search Console also provides valuable data about what your audience is searching for. Inside Search Console, you can see which search terms bring users to your site. This kind of data is great for bloggers because it highlights your readers’ interests and can inspire future blog posts.
6.Grammarly
Anyone who’s ever taken a marketing class has likely heard the term “content is king.” And it’s true.
If you want your blog to be successful, you need to make sure that your blog posts are well-written, helpful, and valuable to your readers.
While you likely already enjoy writing (if you don’t, maybe choose something other than blogging?) it can be easy to get tripped up with small grammar errors.
We don’t know about you, but when we see a grammatical or spelling mistake from someone who’s supposed to be an “expert”, it makes me question their authority.
Spell-check can be helpful, but it’s not enough. Enter, Grammarly.
It can check for spelling and grammar mistakes, measure the readability of your posts, and advise you on tone and delivery.
Best of all, it’s free!
7.Pinterest
This one is a bit of a cheat because we don’t know if Pinterest is technically a tool. But let’s run with it.
Pinterest is the dark horse of social media when it comes to blogging. It may seem less visible, or less trendy than Instagram, but we promise you it’s way more valuable for blog traffic.
Compared with other social media platforms, Pinterest is more similar to a search engine. This means that you may create a pin today that pops off, and it will keep bringing traffic to your site months into the future.
From a marketing perspective, it's clear why Pinterest is the best choice for bloggers when it comes to social media.
When people are on Pinterest, they’re in the decision stage. They want to visit a helpful site, but they need to find the best one for their needs.
They’re there to look for something specific, so they’ll be much more likely to click through to your blog if it solves their problem.
On a platform like Instagram, this isn’t the case. You can think of Instagram as being a part of the awareness stage. Yes, it can bring you visibility and help you to grow your brand image, but it’s not as likely that people will visit your blog from there.
8. Creative Market
Ever wonder how all of the best bloggers seem to have amazing graphic design skills?
We used to too, but no matter how much time we spent messing around on Illustrator, we could never find the right fonts or master the spacing of all the different graphic elements.
Let’s pause here to remember one thing: People get entire degrees in this stuff!
So while you can try and fake it ‘till you make it, trust us when we say it can be kinda obvious that you don’t know what you’re doing at first. We would guess that you probably want your blog to look pretty and professional, not cheesy and cheap.
How do you create beautiful graphics, though, when you have no design experience? Creative Market!
While it’s not a free resource, Creative Market is an amazing way to find beautiful templates — some of which can be quite cheap. You can find fonts, newsletter templates, social media templates, website themes, and even add-ons for Photoshop and Illustrator.
Plus, many templates are made to work with Canva, so even if you have zero experience with Adobe, you’re all covered.
9.Mailchimp
If you’ve decided that it’s time to start sending newsletters, Mailchimp is the way to go. You can easily import subscribers from Squarespace into Mailchimp and send beautiful newsletters out with very little effort.
We’ve found that Creative Market, Canva, and Mailchimp are the holy trinity in creating stunning newsletters. All you have to do is find a template you like, edit it in Canva, and build it out in Mailchimp.
If you’re just starting, we know that newsletters may seem like an unnecessary marketing strategy.
But actually, having a newsletter is one of the best ways to bring people back to your site. If someone has already given you their email, that means they WANT to see more of your content. So take advantage, and start building a good relationship with your readers.
10.Unsplash
The final tool we’ll mention here is Unsplash. Unsplash is a free stock photo library where photographers post beautiful photos that creatives can use royalty-free. Unlike other free stock photo websites, the images on Unsplash are high-quality and professional.
It’s easy to create a profile, and once you do, you'll be able to save and sort your favourite photos.
Unless your blog needs content specially crafted to match the blog posts, using Unsplash is a great way of saving time while keeping your look cohesive.
On our other blog, we do take the photos ourselves — but for this one, Unsplash is perfect. Nobody wants to see the same photo of MY laptop 100 times over, but on Unsplash I can find a variety of beautiful blogging-inspired images that still fit my aesthetic well.
Is your favourite blogging tool on this list? Let us know what else you use in the comments.
Want to make money blogging? Discover the best niches for earning, here.
SCRAWL CREATIVE COPYWRITING STUDIOS IS A COLLECTIVE OF PROFESSIONAL WRITERS DEDICATED TO PRODUCING THE BEST COPY IN THE INDUSTRY.
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40 Blog Post Ideas for Food Bloggers
These blog post ideas for food bloggers are perfect for those moments when you find yourself riddled with writer’s block.
These blog post ideas for food bloggers are perfect for those moments when you find yourself riddled with writer’s block. Coming up with something to write about is sometimes the hardest part of keeping a blog running. Especially when you’re in a narrow niche (like food blogging) it can sometimes feel like you’ve already covered everything there is to write about.
Whether you use these post ideas as writing prompts or get new ideas from them, hopefully, these blog post topics will leave you ready to write again.
Because there are so many angles food bloggers can write from, I’ve broken this list into a few categories, so that you can easily find ideas that best suit the type of content that fits with your brand. Below you’ll find ideas related to:
Recipes
Cooking Tips
Restaurants
Meal planning/ meal prep
Kitchen Basics
Food
40 Blog Post Ideas for Food Bloggers
Recipes
Your favourite recipe ever
Recipes for special diets (vegan, low acid)
Holiday recipes
Budget recipes
Date night recipes
No-bake treats
Dorm room eats
Recipes that don’t require a kitchen
15-minute meals (or 30-minute meals, like Rachael Ray)
Freezer meals
Cooking Tips
Cooking hacks
Basic cooking guides (How to boil an egg, for example)
How to use different kitchen appliances
Commentary on your favourite cooking show
Cookbook reviews
What to cook for friends
Cooking for a large group
What to cook for family
Dietary alternatives guide (ex: for gluten-free/ dairy-free)
Measurements conversion guide (ex: grams to cups)
Low GI cooking
Restaurants
Copy a recipe from your favourite restaurant
Restaurant review of new/favourite local places
Travel dining guides
Meal Planning/ Meal Prep
How to keep food fresh
How to shop seasonal produce
What to buy at the farmer’s market
Grocery lists to fit different budgets
Best packed lunches
Simple snack roundup
Meal prep advice
Kitchen Basics
What’s in your fridge
What’s in your pantry
Kitchen tools roundup
Kitchen tour
Must-have spices
Food
How to keep food fresh
Food history (ex: the history of hummus)
How to host a dinner party
How to reduce food waste
Want more blog inspiration? Check out 60 blog post ideas for lifestyle bloggers, here.
SCRAWL CREATIVE COPYWRITING STUDIOS IS A COLLECTIVE OF PROFESSIONAL WRITERS DEDICATED TO PRODUCING THE BEST COPY IN THE INDUSTRY.
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Working As A Freelance Writer? Here’s How to Get an ABN
Sure, it may not be the most glamorous topic, but this post is all about how to get an ABN for freelance writing.
Sure, it may not be the most glamorous topic, but this post is all about how to get an ABN for freelance writing.
If you want to work for yourself in any way, shape, or form — be it a side hustle or a full-time gig— you’re going to need an ABN (Australian Business Number) to be considered a real, legit freelancer. If your business makes less than the GST threshold ($75,000 per year), it’s not required that you have an ABN, but companies that want to contract your work may ask that you supply one.
If your business continues to grow, however, and you do surpass that $75,000 you’ll be required to register for GST, and to do that, you need an ABN. Because of this, we think that all new freelancers should create their ABN as soon as they strike out on their own.
Not only will it make things easier down the road once you need to register for GST, but it can also make your business look more legitimate in the eyes of potential clients. If someone asks you to include your ABN on an invoice, but you don’t have one, you run the risk of looking unprofessional and losing that client forever.
Thankfully, setting up an ABN is super simple. As long as you’re entitled to an ABN, you can apply and likely be granted one in very little time.
How to GET An ABN for freelance writing
To apply for an ABN, follow these simple steps. You’re already getting closer to your dream of working for yourself!
1.Visit the Australian Business Register website and click Apply for an ABN.
2. Read the important information, check the box to “agree”, if you do agree.
3. Assuming that you’ll be working as a freelance writer, you’ll want to choose these options:
For taxation purposes which type of entity is the applicant?: If you are the only person who will own and operate the business, choose sole trader.
Will your activities be carried out in Australia?: If you’ll be running your business within Australia, select Yes
Have you started or are you taking steps to start your activity?: If you have started the steps to conduct your business, select Yes. This might look like having already completed a few copywriting gigs, creating a website or social media page for your business, or registering your business name.
What is the nature of your activity?: In the case of working as a freelance writer, you will select “In the form of a business”, a category which includes independent contractors.
Are you doing things that are consistent with running a business (use the help icon to see the list of what we look for)? They’re just checking that you do intend to have a real business. If you do, select Yes.
4.Check that all of your answers have been entered correctly, and click Yes.
5. Fill out the application details. This is an example of what your answers might look like if you already have a TFN (Tax File Number).
6. Answer whether you’re an Australian resident and whether you are using a tax agent.
7. Fill in your details, including your TFN if you can.
8. Enter the details of your business activity. No two freelance writers have the exact same job, so on the drop-down menu, select what you think describes your situation best. If you planning to do this long term, leave the end date blank.
9. Fill in your main business information. This can be your home address and regular phone number if you don’t have seperate ones for your business yet.
10. Provide contact details for your business. Again, this can be your personal phone number or email address.
11. Select your reason for applying for an ABN.
12. Finally, make your Declaration and submit your application. I didn’t follow through with this step (obviously) as it was just an example but once click submit, that’s it!
Now you simply wait to hear back! Usually they’re processed fairly quickly.
Found this useful? Find more tips like this, here.
SCRAWL CREATIVE COPYWRITING STUDIOS IS A COLLECTIVE OF PROFESSIONAL WRITERS DEDICATED TO PRODUCING THE BEST COPY IN THE INDUSTRY.
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What Do Copywriters Do? (And Why Every Writer Should Try It)
Today we’re going to answer one very common question: What do copywriters do?
Today we’re going to answer one very common question: What do copywriters do?
If you’re on the hunt for writing jobs, you’ve likely seen listings searching for copywriters. But for those who are new to the writing world, this terminology can be a little bit confusing. Fear not, though. It’s really straightforward.
Mediabistro sums it up perfectly: “A copywriter creates clear, compelling copy to sell products and/or educate and engage consumers.” The work a copywriter does can come in many forms. Brand blog posts, social media captions, newsletter blasts, or the text you see on ads. Any writing that promotes a brand can be considered “copywriting.”
While this may not sound like your dream job, it’s a great source of revenue for writers of all stripes. If you’re just starting, we strongly suggest that you consider and actively seek out copywriting opportunities.
To learn more about copywriting and find out why I recommend that all writers give it a go, keep reading.
What Do Copywriters Do?
As we touched on before, copywriters create all types of written materials for brands. Usually, this looks like marketing content: Blog posts, email newsletters, or captions for social media posts.
While some brands may have an in-house copywriter, it’s usually a job that sits within a larger marketing department. Just like any other marketing material, copywriting serves the purpose of promoting a brand or building a stronger brand identity.
Knowing this, copywriters create content that will not only inform potential customers about the brand, but they also ensure that their writing matches the brand’s voice and image.
On the face of it, copywriting is writing to sell products, but if you dig a little deeper you can see that it’s also about building a brand’s image.
Copywriting jobs vary from one brand to the next. It might be a permanent role, with one person creating all written content for a brand. It might be the responsibility of a marketing coordinator who writes all Instagram captions and newsletters. It might be a job that a company hires contractors to complete, periodically hiring when they need more content.
This means that someone who works as a copywriter can look like any of these:
Someone in the marketing department, who is in charge of creating all written content
Someone who works within a marketing agency, and is contracted out to clients who need copywriting services
Someone who works for themself as a freelancer, working for multiple brands at a time
Why You Should Consider Copywriting
We know that not many writers set out to become professional copywriters, using their words to sell someone else’s products. But whether or not you like the idea, we think that every writer can benefit from working as a copywriter at some point.
In our opinion, copywriting teaches you some very useful skills, which will benefit you throughout your entire career:
Dedication to a project: When you have a copywriting contract, you need to complete it. Having the constraints of a predetermined agreement will force you to complete the work you’ve promised to complete within a designated period. This is great for your overall work-ethic, but is especially beneficial to writers. As a writer, you likely have a few ideas of projects you dream of completing in your life: A best-selling novel, a groundbreaking investigative deep-dive in the New York Times. Whatever it is you have your sights on, you’re not going to be able to write that thing without dedication. Learning dedication to a project early on can teach you how to stick with something, even when it gets difficult or boring.
Working within constraints: Copywriting teaches you to work within constraints, writing to fit a particular style or content form. While this might sound limiting, it’s a great way to flex your creative muscles. Writing without any inhibitions is a great way to let it all flow, but sometimes a bit of direction works wonders for writing. Working within thematic, tonal and structural constraints will force you to get out of your comfort zone, and practice writing in ways that you may not be used to.
Mastering tone and voice: A major component of copywriting is to reflect a brand’s image with words. Every brand has a different vibe, a different target audience and a different way that they want to interact with customers. For each brand you work with as a copywriter, you need to adjust the tone and voice of your writing to reflect these aspects of the brand you’re writing for. By writing for different brands, you will soon begin to develop new techniques for conveying similar messages in new ways. While it’s great to have a signature style, it’s also very valuable to know how to adopt different ones when need be.
If you’re starting to think that copywriting sounds like a good idea, browse online for open positions. You might love it, or you might hate it. But you’ll never know unless you try!
Have any more questions about copywriting? Let me know in the comments below, and I’ll do my best to give a good answer.
If you found this post helpful, you. might also like: How to Become a Better Writer