money Archives - Sophie's Nursery

5 Terrific Tips For New Bloggers

Looking for a lockdown side-line or perhaps an entirely new enterprise that you might make a career out of?

Blogging isn’t a bad choice – if you can write engagingly about a topic you’re passionate about then you can make some pocket money or if you monetise it rigorously and work with sponsors and outreach partners, perhaps even profit significantly.

Either way, as well as the potential income, the experience of connecting with an audience about something you find nourishing can be very therapeutic.

Sounds good?

Take a look at these five tips for new bloggers.

Choose your niche

In order to make a generalist blog readable, you’ll have to write very well about each one of a wide range of topics, which is no easy task for a solo blogger.

So instead of coming across as a jack of all trades but master of none, lean into a niche you feel comfy with and really go to town finding different angles for each article. If you’re not sure where to start, this piece on blog niches from WP Beginner should help.

Differentiate

There are countless blogs out there, so you’ll have to differentiate in order to stand out from the crowd.

Finding an unusual niche is one way to do this, but even if you’ve got a lot of competition in a crowded marketplace, building a brand that’s distinctive – from the voice, tone and style of its writing to its brand colourway and social media presence – helps you succeed.

Hone your writing skills

You don’t have to be a pro writer to start blogging, but you do need to communicate in a clear and captivating way that makes people want to come back regularly for more and share your posts with their friends.

Tools like the Hemingway app can help you hone your Plain English skills and by reading widely, you’ll develop a style that adds that crucial dash of charm and panache.

Balance quality with frequency

Publishing a new blog regularly means that your audience knows it’s worth their while checking in often to read your latest musings and also boosts your SEO performance, which is a delightful double-whammy.

But always prioritise quality – better to publish one quality blog post per week than five weak ones that dilute your brand and come across as spammy.

Don’t forget SEO

Blogs which perform well address content which there’s already a demand for, therefore you should use SEO and social listening tools to work out what’s on your customers’ minds.

Also, your blogs should be formatted a certain way and contain the right balance of inbound and outbound links – if you aren’t sure about this, talk to an SEO specialist like Maratopia.

Follow these five solid tips, position yourself properly and play the long game in order to make blogging work wonderfully for you – best of luck!

5 Realistic Ways to Make Extra Money for Christmas

It’s nearly that time of year again &, with Christmas fast approaching, I know it is a worrying time for many of us when it comes to being able to afford it. The cost of Christmas seems to increase each year & so I have been exploring different ways to give my bank balance a much-needed cash injection… Here are my top 5 ways to make extra money for Christmas, all of which are totally legitimate & simple to do.

1. Mystery Shopping

Yes, mystery shoppers are a real thing & yes, it does mean you get paid to shop! I’ve been a mystery shopper for years, visiting places from department stores to coffee shops. Not only do you get paid a fee to complete the shop, but you also get reimbursed for purchases. My favourite sites to sign up to are Market Force, Grassroots & Red WigWam. Payments are normally paid directly into your bank account 2-4 weeks later.

2. Surveys

This is by far one of the easiest ways to earn some extra money. Complete surveys from the comfort of your sofa whilst watching TV! There are tons of survey sites out there to sign up to. All they require is for you to provide some details about yourself. They then match you to relevant market research surveys depending on the required demographics. My favourite sites are Prolific Academic & Global Test Market. Survey sites generally have a low payment threshold & so you will see the money before Christmas if you complete them regularly.

3. Short-Term Loan

If you don’t have time to put the extra effort into making some extra money, then a short-term loan may be the way to go. Taking out a cash loan is quick & easy & can leave you with a decent lump sum in your pocket in minimal time. However, please bear in mind that these sorts of loans have very high-interest rates, so it is vital that you understand the financial commitment you are making. If you know you are 100% able to meet each repayment on time, then something like this could help you out.

4. Cashback

Cashback is a great way to make some money back everytime you make a purchase. My favourite sites for doing this are Quidco & TopCashback. With the toolbar installed, every time I go on a website that gives cash back, this is highlighted to me & I can then proceed to buy the item via the cashback website. Over the last few months, I’ve made over £50 from buying items online such as car breakdown cover & a pizza delivery!

5. Selling Sites

One of the most straightforward ways of making some extra cash is to sell your unused items. Not only will you make some money, but it will also give you some space back! I use eBay regularly & have the most success when I take plenty of clear photographs of items against a plain background. Writing in-depth descriptions is also a big bonus. Facebook Marketplace is also a great way to sell if you don’t want to have to worry about post & packaging as people will come to you to collect items. I have even been paid to drop items off before now so well worth giving it a go.