Free Blogging Course Workbook

Blogging Course
Workbook
Allison Lindstrom
BROUGHT TO YOU BY:
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COPYRIGHT © 2018 BY ALLISON LINDSTROM. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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Information presented in this workbook is intended for informational purposes only.

Questions regarding specific companies or services should be directed towards their
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Let's Get Started!
Section 1
© Allison Lindstrom
Page 3 www.AllisonLindstrom.com
Hey there!
What do you want to get out of this free workbook and blogging
course? What's your biggest blogging struggle?
Let's start with a checklist.
Here's a checklist to guide you along each section in this workbook. Keep in mind that you'll
get the best results if you use the workbook and the free course together. Are you ready to
tackle this profitable blog thing? Let's get started!
FIND YOUR WHY + PURPOSE // p. 7
EXPLORE YOUR PASSIONS + INTERESTS // p. 7
DEFINE YOUR AUDIENCE // p. 8
SET YOUR GOALS // p. 8-9
CREATE YOUR BRAND // p. 11
SETUP DOMAIN + HOSTING // p. 12
DESIGN YOUR BLOG // p. 13
PLAN YOUR CONTENT // p. 14-16
DISCOVER YOUR TRIBE // p. 19
BUILD AN EMAIL MARKETING PLAN // p. 20-21
UTILIZE SOCIAL MEDIA // p. 22
DETERMINE YOUR MONETIZATION STRATEGIES // p. 25
Creating Your
Blog Plan
Section 2
The Importance of Your Why
Why are you writing this blog? What is your purpose? How will it be
different from others? What do you want to get out of the blog?
Explore Your Passions + Interests

What hobbies or talents do you have? What activities do you love to
do that just make your day totally awesome?
Define Your Audience
Who are you writing this blog for? What do you want them to get out of your
content? Why will your blog be a good resource for them? What value will you
provide for them?
Set Your Goals

What is your shoot-for-the-stars goal for starting a blog? Include exact
details like an income amount and due date. Be specific!
Example: I want to make $1,000/month before December 1, 2016 by growing my audience and
utilizing passive income through ads.
Set Your Goals (cont.)
Pick 1-3 of these main goals or create your own and add a due date to
them.
Build a community of folks with like-minded interests and passions.
Establish yourself as an expert in a certain niche.
Create high value resources for readers through posts, workbooks, ebooks, and
other materials.
Getting
Set Up
Section 3
Creating Your Brand
There are countless blogs out there in the world so if you really want to stand out, you need a
strong brand that really represents YOU! However, don’t forget that your blog is a business.
Choose a look with your personality and your target audience in mind.
Choose an overall writing tone. How will your personality play into your writing
style? Will your content be friendly, authoritative, playful, etc?
(optional) Choose a signature phrase. This isn’t necessary but if you always say ‘y’all’
or ‘yo’ in real life, then don’t be afraid to bring that into your blog. Your personality
is what’ll make your site stand out.
Save or print 3 images or logos of other brands you really like and tape them to the
back of this page. Refer to them for inspiration only. Professional bloggers are not
copycats.
Master using the design software you’d like to use for your graphics. I recommend
Canva and use it for almost all of my graphics. It’s free!
Setting Up Your Domain + Hosting
HOORAY! It’s time to set up the your domain and hosting! If you’re a little unsure
about the techie stuff, I created a free step-by-step tutorial on my blog. You can find
it here:
https://allisonlindstrom.com/blog/start-blog-earn-income-from-home
Choose a domain hosting company. I highly recommend Bluehost. I’ve used them
from the beginning and have been very happy with their service as my blog grew.
They’re also very affordable, which is important if you’re just starting out.
Choose a domain. This is exciting, friend! Now it’s time to choose the name that will
help you grow a profitable blog. Try to choose something that’s easy for people to
spell and remember. Creativity is great but don’t make your name overly
complicated.
Designing Your Blog
Use a color resource like Design-Seeds.com to pick the colors for your brand. Think
of the message you want to convey when readers see your graphics. Make note of
the HEX or RGB color codes (example: rgb(0,0,0) or #000000) so you can keep your
exact colors consistent.
Pick a clean font that is easy to read and available in the design software you’ll want
to use. Google Fonts has countless options if you want something very unique.
FONT 1 MAIN COLOR
FONT 2 ACCENT COLOR 1
FONT 3 ACCENT COLOR 2
Plan Your Content
Choose 1-3 main categories for your blog. Ask yourself, “How can these
categories help my reader? Am I excited to write about them?”
Create a list of blog post ideas. Put yourself in your readers shoes and
think, “Why should I read this post? What’s in it for me?” Set the timer
for 5 minutes and go crazy filling up the lines below!
Create an editorial calendar for your posts. How often will you
post? How often will you rotate your different categories?
Create and publish a collection of blog posts before you start

promoting on social media. Rockstar-worthy posts have all of
the following qualities:
STELLAR HEADLINE- Hook in your audience with an enticing and exciting title.
STRONG INTRODUCTION- Your readers should think, “I need to read this right
now!”
VALUABLE AND ENGAGING CONTENT- If you’re bored reading your own
sentences, chances are your visitors will be bored too. Only write the best!
CONTENT SECTIONS- Break up your long content with sub-headings. If your
reader is short on time, they can just scroll through your post and catch the parts
they were really excited about reading.
BULLET POINTS + GRAPHICS/PHOTOS- This is self-explanatory. No one wants
to read a long essay.
INTERLINKS- Link to other, similar posts on your blog. You want to keep your
reader around as long as you can!
Tech Resources
This section contains a brief summary of all the tech resources I

recommend for Section 3.
Brand Style Inspiration

Pinterest
Color + Font Inspiration

Design-Seeds
Google Fonts
Creating Graphics
Canva
Domains
Bluehost (you can click this link!)
GoDaddy (you can click this link!)
Hosting
Bluehost (you can click this link!)
Building Your
Tribe
Section 4
Discover Your Tribe
The number one question you may be having right now is, “What’s an
online tribe and how do I find mine?” A tribe is an online community tied
together by similar interests.
Unless you’re starting with a list of a thousand emails, start out by

connecting with other bloggers. They’re usually your first readers.
Check out Facebook groups, Pinterest group boards, and other blogs for likeminded
bloggers out there.
Learn and use the basics of search engine optimization (SEO). Tell search engines
what you’re all about through the use of keywords and descriptions. I recommend
using a plugin called Yoast SEO for inputing this information.
Building an Email Marketing Plan
Repeat after me. “MY EMAIL LIST IS GOLD. MY EMAIL LIST IS GOLD.” The
absolute worst thing you can do is neglect it or put it off. Your first tactic to
reach an audience and build your tribe is to capture subscribers.
Choose an email subscription service. I use ConvertKit and LOVE it.
Display a subscriber form. I recommend placing it in at least 3 places on your blog.

Good places to start are the sidebar, within posts, and on your homepage.
Create and provide a subscriber incentive, such as a free workbook or email course.
Set up and follow a consistent email schedule. Stay connected with your
subscribers!
Create a list of email topic ideas. Think, “How can I help my
subscribers today?”
Connecting with Others
Connecting with other bloggers is an underrated tool in making your blog

freaking awesome and profitable. Bloggers learn from other bloggers.
Collaborate with another blogger to do a post, series, or other type of project.
Utilizing Social Media
Promotion and word-of-mouth are both strong parts of getting traffic to your
blog. However, social media can really be a time suck. Be sure to find a healthy
balance so it receives the love and attention it deserves.
Choose one or two social media platforms to use. Remember, you should be
focusing on building that email list so don’t go overboard using five different social
media platforms
Create a manageable, realistic posting schedule. Use scheduling tools to help you
save time. I recommend PostPlanner & Tailwind.
Tech Resources

Search Engine Optimization

Yoast SEO Plugin
Google Keyword Planner
Social Media Scheduling

PostPlanner
Tailwind (you can click this link!)
Email Marketing
ConvertKit (you can click this link!)
Monetization
Section 5
Monetization
Your blog is a business from Day 1. You should constantly evaluate the different
ways you can make money. If you’re making $100,000 a year but working insane,
unhealthy hours, then you’re not using the most advantageous avenues.
Determine the avenues of monetization you’d like to focus on for the next 6
months.
selling digital products
selling online courses
selling physical products
ad networks
affiliate sales
creating membership-only sites or content
writing sponsored posts
selling freelance services
What ideas do you have for creating digital or physical products?
What ideas do you have for courses or member-only sites/content?
What ideas do you have for freelance services?
Tech Resources
Creating Digital Products + Services

KDP Amazon
Createspace
Teachable (you can click this link!)
Gumroad
Fiverr
Ad Networks
Sovrn
AdThrive
Sponsors
Activate by Bloglovin'
Clever Girls
TapInfluence
Sponsors
Amazon Affiliate
CJ Affiliate
Shareasale
Skimlinks
Where to Go From Here: A Checklist
CONGRATULATIONS! You’ve finished this course and workbook! Now it’s time
for the real fun to begin. Here’s a checklist to help you take everything from
here. Trust me, you’ve got this. Thanks for joining me, friend!
Keep track of ALL income and expenses. Save all receipts and documents for tax
purposes.
Track the popularity of your categories and posts. Weed out or change things as needed.
Continue build ing the relationship with your subscribers. Listen to what they really
want and need.
Provide more subscriber incentives and resources.
Promote and improve your freelance services.
Promote and improve your products and services.
Market your blog through social media regularly.
Apply for sponsored posts and/or ad networks.
Write and promote posts with affiliate links.
NOTES
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Blogging Course

COPYRIGHT © 2018 BY ALLISON LINDSTROM. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Information presented in this workbook is intended for informational purposes only.

FIND YOUR WHY + PURPOSE // p. 7

EXPLORE YOUR PASSIONS + INTERESTS // p. 7

DEFINE YOUR AUDIENCE // p. 8

SET YOUR GOALS // p. 8-9

CREATE YOUR BRAND // p. 11

SETUP DOMAIN + HOSTING // p. 12

DESIGN YOUR BLOG // p. 13

PLAN YOUR CONTENT // p. 14-16

DISCOVER YOUR TRIBE // p. 19

BUILD AN EMAIL MARKETING PLAN // p. 20-21

UTILIZE SOCIAL MEDIA // p. 22

DETERMINE YOUR MONETIZATION STRATEGIES // p. 25

Explore Your Passions + Interests

Set Your Goals

Build a community of folks with like-minded interests and passions.

Establish yourself as an expert in a certain niche.

FONT 1 MAIN COLOR

FONT 2 ACCENT COLOR 1

FONT 3 ACCENT COLOR 2

Create and publish a collection of blog posts before you start

This section contains a brief summary of all the tech resources I

Brand Style Inspiration

Color + Font Inspiration

Unless you’re starting with a list of a thousand emails, start out by

Choose an email subscription service. I use ConvertKit and LOVE it.

Display a subscriber form. I recommend placing it in at least 3 places on your blog.

Connecting with other bloggers is an underrated tool in making your blog

Collaborate with another blogger to do a post, series, or other type of project.

Utilizing Social Media

This section contains a brief summary of all the tech resources I

Search Engine Optimization

Social Media Scheduling

selling digital products

selling online courses

selling physical products

creating membership-only sites or content

writing sponsored posts

selling freelance services

What ideas do you have for courses or member-only sites/content?

What ideas do you have for freelance services?

Creating Digital Products + Services

Provide more subscriber incentives and resources.

Promote and improve your freelance services.

Promote and improve your products and services.

Market your blog through social media regularly.

Apply for sponsored posts and/or ad networks.

Write and promote posts with affiliate links.

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