Blogging On A Budget with Latasha Peterson: Mediavine On Air Episode 15

Underpromise and overdeliver is one of my favorite maxims. Unfortunately, the marketing teams for the vast majority of blogging tools out there don’t seem to agree. So, how do you find which tools actually deliver on their promises without breaking the bank? 

Pinterest strategist and founder of the website Arts and Budgets, Latasha Peterson, joined me on the Summer of Live 2021 and shared 15 of her favorite free or cheap tools that she’s used to grow her traffic and create nine flourishing income streams.

I knew we had to turn this Facebook Live into a podcast episode ASAP, so here we are!

I’m Jenny Guy, your host of Mediavine On Air, wishing all our listeners a big welcome. If you want to follow along with Latasha’s awesome presentation while you listen, we’ve got it linked below.

Now let’s get going with the wonderful Latasha! 

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Helpful Resources

How To Grow A Blog On A Budget Presentation
Publisher Interview: Latasha Peterson of Arts and Budgets — Learn more about Latasha!

Transcript

[MUSIC PLAYING] JENNY GUY: Hidey ho, audience. It’s Wednesday, June 16, and I’m so happy to welcome you to the third week in Mediavine’s fourth annual Summer of Live. I’m Jenny Guy, your host throughout each and every season. What the heck is a Summer of Live, you ask? I thought I heard you ask that. It’s this crazy thing that we do at Mediavine every summer, where we go live on Facebook every week for three weeks– three months. Three months. Bringing you experts from every corner of the content creation industry.

So, reminder that if you cannot capture the episode live, if you’re watching on a replay, the replays are always available for free on Mediavine’s Facebook page. And then once we edit them, we put them up on our YouTube channel. And finally, they could end up as a podcast episode for our new podcast Mediavine On Air. We’ll also be sharing our guest presentations in the comments at the end of every episode, because our goal is to make it as easy and painless as possible for you to consume the content and learn. That is our goal.

Hello, everybody. Thank you for tuning in. I always love to watch our animation that Senior Graphic Designer, Susanna, made. It just makes me so happy. So, so far this summer we have talked about Pinterest with Amy Locurto and affiliate marketing with Jessica Turner. And this week, we’re talking tools. Tool time, for any of my other geriatric millennials. Remember Home Improvement ? Specifically, tools that help your business without costing a fortune. We’re all about growth in June.

So, let us start out with a question for the audience. Say, hello. Some of you already have. And tell us, what app do you believe has helped you out the most in growing your business? Post it in the comments. And while those answers are rolling in, please allow me to introduce my guest, who is joining me for the first time on Mediavine live, but is no stranger to us and our audience. She’s here to give us the lowdown on the apps that you need to grow your business on a budget. Latasha, welcome to the Summer of Live.

LATASHA PETERSON: Hi, Jenny. I’m so happy to be here.

JENNY GUY: We’re so happy to have you. All the way from the Windy City. Let me tell you a little bit about Latasha before we get started with her presentation. So Latasha Peterson is a wife, mom of three, side hustle coach, Pinterest strategist, speaker, and the founder of the blog Arts and Budgets . Because of her love for helping creatives find ways to build multiple streams of income while following their dreams, she created Arts and Budgets to help individuals find the best and most profitable side hustles for them.

She currently helps ambitious side hustlers monetize their blogs and websites by using online strategies, and with the power of Pinterest. Arts and Budgets currently gets over 100,000 monthly viewers each month and has over 40,000 followers on social media. From her side hustle, she has created nine income streams, and has been featured on CNBC, Bankrate, Black Enterprise, Business Insider, Tailwind, LegalZoom, QuickBooks, Mediavine, Plutus Foundation, and more. Pretty amazing bio, there. Latasha, thank you so much for joining us.

LATASHA PETERSON: Thank you. You’re so welcome.

JENNY GUY: So, I’m going to put up your presentation.

LATASHA PETERSON: Yay!

JENNY GUY: Let’s see what you have, here. We’re going to talk about– how many different apps are we going to discuss today?

LATASHA PETERSON: 15.

JENNY GUY: 15. All right, here we go.

LATASHA PETERSON: Perfect.

JENNY GUY: Just start whenever you’re ready.

LATASHA PETERSON: OK, so, hi, everybody. I am Latasha Peterson of Arts and Budgets , and today we are going to directly talk about 15 of the top tools and apps that have helped me. So, today’s agenda is to cover 15 best tools bloggers can use on a budget. Because, as you may know, when you first start a blog, you may have less money or things like that, or you just want to just find tools on a budget while you grow your blog into a profitable business.

So, with great tools, you can boost traffic, you can increase income, you can get more clients, you could grow your social media following, and you can also turn your blog into a profitable business. So that’s why tools are so important. And what helped me turn my blog from a side hustle into a profitable business was the tools that I use to help me through the process, for sure.

So, the first tool I want to talk about, which is probably my favorite tool, is Canva. So, Canva is a tool that makes it possible to design anything and publish anywhere. This platform has thousands of templates that you can use to create. Instagram images, Pinterest pins, logos, and much more. So, Canva is my go-to. So, whenever I am creating new Pinterest pin images, or if I have to create an Instagram post, I go to Canva. Canva currently is $12.99 per month, but for the year, you can get it for $119. So, it’s really budget friendly and really effective for your branding.

So if you’re looking to take your brand to the next level, definitely check out Canva. They have a ton of templates that are easy, drag and drop, that you can use. And they also have stock photos that you can use, too, when you get Canva Pro. You can actually start off on Canva for free, but if you want to do Canva Pro, it’s $12.99 per month, and I highly recommend it. I am currently using Canva Pro, and it’s my bread and butter. So, Canva is one of my favorite tools to use and definitely one of the ones that have helped me turn my side hustle into a profitable business, for sure.

JENNY GUY: Love hearing that. Wanted to say that you are not the only one that loves Canva, we have several people in the comments that are saying Canva. And just to say, we’ve got questions coming in, but we will ask those at the end of the presentation. So, hold on to those and we will get to them. And the next slide, we’re talking about Calendly.

LATASHA PETERSON: Yeah, Calendly is a free, online, appointment scheduling software that helps you set up your appointments with clients with a breeze. So, this tool can help you save time, it can help you get more sales, and also improve your service quality. So, the reason why I love this tool and why I use it is because, when I do one-on-one coaching, I can send someone directly to my link through Calendly, and they can book. And then, also with that, Calendly also sends them email and reminders about the coaching call. So, it’s really like you could be hands off once you set it up, and it’s really easy to set up appointments, send people your calendar, let them know what days you’re available, what times. It just takes the pressure off of you. So, I absolutely love this for when I do one-on-one coaching, because it takes a lot of weight off of me for sure.

JENNY GUY: I love that it’s empowering other people to take the next step, whether, like you said, taking that weight off of you, the burden off of you. Love that.

LATASHA PETERSON: Yes.

JENNY GUY: Next up is MailerLite.

LATASHA PETERSON: Yes. So, I’ve been using MailerLite for as long as I’ve been almost blogging. It’s a really nice, budget friendly, email marketing platform to help you grow your email list, create opt-ins, set up automation, and more. So, with this tool you can actually get started for free for your first 1,000 subscribers, which is huge. Especially if you’re on a budget and you’re just starting to get the ins and outs of creating an email list. This product is really good to help get you started. And also, they have great customer service. So, if you need help with setting up your automation, or you need help creating opt-ins, or almost anything, they are really, really hands on and help you. So, I highly recommend them if you are just starting out or even if you just want a budget friendly email marketing platform, for sure.

Screencast-O-Matic So, Screencast-O-Matic is an amazing video recorder that you can use to record videos for your courses and digital products. Now, one of the great things about this tool in particular is that it’s only about $20 for the whole year, and it has great quality. I recorded my Pinterest course on Screencast-O-Matic, I recorded my side hustle courses on Screencast-O-Matic, and it’s so easy to navigate through. I’m not super, like, an editor, things of that nature, like my husband. But this platform makes it super easy to create videos for your courses, for any of your digital products. So I highly recommend them if you’re looking for a budget friendly tool that could be a video recorder for you to record videos for your courses and different products, for sure.

OK, QuickBooks. So, we all have to talk about the financial part of a blog. So, if you have a blog and you turn it into a business, or if you’re looking to turn it into a business, it’s always wise to make sure the finances are in place. Taxes, invoices, and things of that nature. That’s where QuickBooks comes in. So, QuickBooks is a platform that you can use to track all of your business sales and expenses. You can also use it to pay your employees, maximize your tax deductions, track unpaid invoices, and much more. So the technical things, the financial part of growing a blog, and tapping into taxes, and things like that. You can help simplify it by using QuickBooks.

OK, Gumroad. So, Gumroad is one of my favorite platforms to sell digital products. So, it is $10 a month for– I think it’s a Pro, and Gumroad is a budget friendly platform to sell products and services online. So, literally, you could sell anything. If you have digital products, if you have a course that you have developed, you can also sell your coaching services directly through Gumroad. What they do is they host your files, and process your payments, and deliver your files to your customer. So, if you have let’s say, some printables, and you have clients or customers, they purchase the printables, say, from the Gumroad website.

What happens is, Gumroad would collect the payment and then they will send the files to the person. So, you don’t have to do anything. It’s really hands off. And I use this for my Money Boost bundle. And also, when I did my first coaching program, I used Gumroad and it was so easy to do. So, I highly recommend them if you’re looking for a platform to sell digital products, such as printables, or templates, or ebook, or something of that nature, to use Gumroad, because they make it super simple for you.

JENNY GUY: Get those income streams happening, right?

LATASHA PETERSON: Yes, I’m all about it. OK, Zoom. So, a lot of people Zoom because, during the pandemic, we relied on Zoom. But it’s also a really good platform just to add to your tools for your blog, as well. So with Zoom, it’s an amazing platform where you can host meetings and also webinars. This tool is great for group coaching and one-on-one coaching sessions. So, a lot of my one-on-one sessions I do via Zoom, and also for my group coaching sessions, I do via Zoom as well.

Grammarly. So, how many people know that, when you write a blog post, you may overlook some spelling errors, or just in general? That’s where this tool has helped me so much. Grammarly reviews spelling, grammar, punctuation, clarity, engagement, and delivery mistakes in real time. So this tool is great to proofread blog posts, email copy, social media copy, and much more. So, if you are anything like me, where you may want an extra set of eyes or your blog post, or anything like that, this tool can really help you out. Especially if you can’t afford a proofreader in the beginning, then you can check out Grammarly to help you get the extra pair of eyes looking at your work to make sure you didn’t miss anything.

Small PDF. So, this is my favorite website. Well, one of my favorite websites and tools for my business. For the longest time, I would always look up things to help me convert PDFs. Because, so many times in a business, you will have individuals saying that you need to sign a PDF. Whether it’s coaching, whether it is to do a sponsorship post, or something like that, you need to sign a contract. But, sometimes it’s hard to sign PDFs without certain tools. That’s where Small PDF actually comes in. So Small PDF makes it super simple to edit and send PDF documents to clients. This tool lets you edit PDF documents without having to download them and install any software on your computer. So, I really enjoy this tool because it makes it super easy to upload a PDF and sign it if I need to. Or, if I need to fill it out, I could fill it out on Small PDF, too.

So, BuzzSuo is an amazing online tool that allows any user to research which topics are popular in your niche. So, if you are just starting out with a blog, or if you have a blog, this tool is great to find out what is happening. Find out which sites and blog posts are getting the most comments, shares, and likes on the different platforms. What are people liking? What is a great topic for you to cover with your blog posts? This site can help you get structure with that, and help you get some ideas on what blog post to write and what your audience really likes and enjoys.

OK, Google Docs. So a lot of people know Google Docs, but I put this one on here because this is also my bread and butter, too. Google Docs is an online word processor that lets you create and format documents, and work with other people. It’s a great tool to create content, such as spreadsheets, PowerPoints, Word documents, and so much more. I used Google Docs every day, writing blog posts and then teaming up with other people. When I have to write blog posts or freelance write, I use Google Docs to help me make it very simple.

JENNY GUY: We used Google Docs to prepare for this episode. [INAUDIBLE]

LATASHA PETERSON: Yes!

JENNY GUY: So, we love it here, too.

LATASHA PETERSON: Yes. Loom. So, Loom is a Chrome extension that lets you record your screen, your voice, and your face to create videos that can instantly send to people, such as your clients or other fellow side hustlers. So, let’s say you have a student that just doesn’t know how to navigate through the interface of where your course is. You can literally use Loom to create a quick tutorial for them in real time, really fast. It doesn’t have to be super in detail, but you could just use this extension to help them out really fast and get back to them in a timely fashion. So, this is a really good tool if you want to show someone how to do something, how to navigate something if they’re having a hard time. And if you don’t have a lot of time to type it out or email it, you can record a video really fast to show them how to navigate it online.

JENNY GUY: The Mediavine Support Team is a very big fan of Loom. We use that a lot to help our customers and publishers.

LATASHA PETERSON: That’s perfect.

JENNY GUY: Mediavine approved.

LATASHA PETERSON: Yes. So, Strides app. So, I just heard about this app, but I’ve heard so many great things about them. And I put them on here because, a lot of times, when you have a blog or online business, sometimes it could be kind of hard to see the goals and create habits. But with this app, it helps you track all your goals and habits in one place. So, this tool helps you get organized and tracks everything to help you build the perfect routine. What helps me a lot is writing out my goals each day, writing out three business goals that I have each day. And when you see them, it can help you accomplish much more, and that’s where this app can come in and help.

Teachable. So, Teachable is a budget friendly platform where you can host your online courses. On this site, you can create sales and check out pages for your courses to help increase sales. So I’ve been using Teachable since I started my blog, when I first released my first Pinterest course. And I just love how easy it is to get a course up and running. So, if you’re looking for a platform that’s budget friendly and you want something that you could get your courses up and running, I highly recommend Teachable for sure.

Yoast SEO. So, Yoast SEO is a search engine optimization plugin for WordPress. So, this site helps you optimize your post to be SEO friendly. So, in recent days, I’ve been focusing a lot of time on SEO. And this plugin has also helped me make sure that my blog posts are SEO friendly, making sure that I use the keywords that I want to target for, enough. So if you are just starting out or if you’re just looking for a plugin to help you with SEO, definitely get Yoast SEO. Well, you can get it put inside WordPress.org as a plugin, and that can help you actually figure out what things you need to tweak or change with your blog posts.

JENNY GUY: We also offer a lot of SEO learning and tips on Mediavine blog for absolutely free, including–

[INTERPOSING VOICES]

JENNY GUY: Called SEO Like A CEO, from our CEO Eric Hochberger.

LATASHA PETERSON: I love that.

JENNY GUY: So, check it out. Yeah, we love– free is my favorite price.

LATASHA PETERSON: It’s the best, it’s the best. Speaking of SEO, with SEO, you need keywords, keyword research. So, if you’re writing a blog post, you want to make sure that you’re doing keyword research, because you want to make sure that you’re targeting blog posts that are actually ranking on Google, and you want to find the competition for those keywords and things of that nature. So, one of the key word tools that I use is Twinword Ideas. Most of the time, I use a tool called Ahrefs, but it could be more on the more expensive end, at $100 a month. But, if you are looking for a budget friendly keyword tool, Twinword Ideas is perfect. This tool is great if you’re looking for a keyword research tool on a budget. This tool helps you discover new keywords related to your blog niche and your blog post by giving you information, such as monthly search value for each keyword that you research.

And do you guys have any questions for me?

JENNY GUY: Yes, guys, please. Absolutely ask any questions that you have. We’re here. We had a couple before we started. I actually have the first question– we have a lot of comments, but we have, Sarah said, “If you’re keeping score like me, I’m already using five of the 15. Woo hoo.” Love that. We had some Canva lovers. But we actually had a question, asking, what makes you prefer Canva over PicMonkey?

LATASHA PETERSON: You know what? I tried to use PicMonkey, but it was a little bit harder for me to understand the interface. Canva was easier with the drag and drop, for me. Because I have used both, and I haven’t used PicMonkey in a while. But when I first used it, it was just a little bit harder for me to just learn how to design on it with the interface. Canvas interface, for me, was just easier.

JENNY GUY: We use Canva a lot on the marketing team. And I would say I love that Canva really stays up on the latest trends, and they’re always bringing out new stuff, depending on what the different social media platform is releasing at the time. And Jen Tipton Beard says, “I love PicMonkey for social and Canva for invoices.”

LATASHA PETERSON: That’s good, I like that.

JENNY GUY: Hey, Use them both My question for you, Latasha, is you mentioned nine income streams. Can you name your nine income streams? Because we’re all pretty blown away by that.

LATASHA PETERSON: It’s so funny, because I just went over this. I was trying to go over them for the podcast interview I just did. But, let me see if I can get them all. Because I had a brain freeze. And I’m like–

JENNY GUY: A lot of income streams.

LATASHA PETERSON: So many. So, the first one, working with Mediavine at a publishing company, which is one of my favorites ones. So passive, right? Also working with affiliate marketing with companies such as ShareASale, MaxBounty. Public speaking is another one. Freelance writing.

JENNY GUY: Four.

LATASHA PETERSON: One-on-one coaching. And then I also do group coaching, as well. And then I have digital products that I sell, and then I also sell physical products. I sell t-shirts as well for Financial Freedom and things of that nature. I also work with brands on sponsorship deals for different social media campaigns and things of that nature. And trying– like, am I at eight?

JENNY GUY: That’s nine!

LATASHA PETERSON: Oh, there it is.

JENNY GUY: That was nine, that’s great. That’s amazing. So, how long were you blogging before you started creating the courses and offering the coaching?

LATASHA PETERSON: Oh, perfect. So, I was blogging for, I want to say, two years, before I created a course and started the coaching. The coaching came a little bit later. I started to offer one-on-one blog and side hustle coaching, and also Pinterest coaching in, I want to say, end of 2019, going into 2020. But, I created my course probably a year before that. The first year, I didn’t make any money. I was just trying to figure out the ins and outs of everything, like, it all.

JENNY GUY: You got to learn. You’ve got to learn. So, how long were you going? You said the first year, then you started earning in your second year. When did you take the side hustle into being your primary income and your business?

LATASHA PETERSON: Absolutely. So, in 2017, this is when I joined Mediavine, and I was looking into affiliate marketing. So it was a year and a half when I actually turned Arts and Budgets into Arts and Budgets, LLC. Because I started to make money. So it was like a year and a half in. I started to make money through Mediavine, and also affiliate marketing, and also selling my digital courses on Teachable. And then, from there, I turned it into an LLC, I want to say, that summer.

JENNY GUY: That’s quick, but also responsible. And so, what were you looking for that made you feel secure in going full-time?

LATASHA PETERSON: It’s so funny, because I was already staying at home because I was pregnant with my son in 2016. I had just left– I was teaching at a performing arts high school, and my husband and I had decided that I would stay home. And I thought that would be the perfect time to start a side business. So I started that in 2016. And my husband held down the house, he was working downtown Chicago. So he just let me stay at home while I figured it out. Figured out the business. And I’m so thankful for him for that. And from there, like I said, the first year I didn’t make any money, it’s almost a year and a half. And then from there, that’s when I started, like, OK, let me get super serious. Let me turn into an LLC. Let me really start to really treat this like a business.

JENNY GUY: What made you decide to get an LLC? What hallmarks– because we’ve actually done episodes like that with lawyers, to talk about when it’s time to do it.

LATASHA PETERSON: So, when I started to make money, my husband and I, we sat down and we talked about it. Just to cover your assets and cover things of that nature, just to cover yourself. Let’s do an LLC. And that seemed like the best decision at the time, which it still is, but for us to make sure everything was just covered. And it was like, OK, let’s do it. So, that’s why I chose the LLC in particular.

JENNY GUY: Love that. OK, so this is a question both for you and for our audience. I know the presentation was focused on free or very inexpensive apps, but we’ve all heard the saying that you have to spend money to make money. So are there any apps that you’ve upgraded from free to paying, I know you mentioned Canva, that you feel are worth it? And same question to everyone in the audience. What app have you upgraded from free to paid and you felt like it was worth every penny?

LATASHA PETERSON: Let’s see. Teachable is definitely one that I upgraded to the paid version. Calendly, I do the paid version. Canva, for sure. I use the Ahref’s keyword tool. I do. Which I did not put that one on here, because it’s a little bit more on the expensive end. For sure. But, I definitely use that one. Let’s see, what else. Mailerlite, too. I used a paid version of Mailerlite, too, now, as well. Because when you have over 1,000 subscribers. But it was totally worth it to me, for sure.

JENNY GUY: Awesome. Thank you. OK, and I want to do a little segue on something that we talked about back before we started the episode, which is, you were saying that you had some massive growth at the end of 2020. And you were focusing. You were really changing your strategies, and growth in terms of her traffic on her website, Arts and Budget . So, tell us a little bit about that, please. I know it’s a bit off topic, but it’s hard not to talk about.

LATASHA PETERSON: Oh yeah, absolutely love that question. So, in December of 2020, I only got 40,000 page views on my site. I really stopped, and I really started to really hone in to my strategy. And really started to write longer, more quality filled, blog posts. I focused a lot on that with the strategy. I focused on Pinterest, a Pinterest strategy. And started putting out, I would say, two to five fresh, new pins, daily, to help the Pinterest traffic and stay really present on Pinterest. And, from that, and also learning more about SEO. And making sure that I’m using the right keywords, finding out what people are searching for and going for, those type of keywords and topics.

I went from 40,000 page views in December to 100,000 page views in January. So, in 30 days, I think. So, it’s really crazy, but I really focused in on Pinterest for a short term strategy, but also Google SEO long term. And I use keyword platforms, like Ahref’s and also the Twinword Ideas. And also, another good, budget friendly, keyword tool is I think it’s Keyword Search. We found the best keywords for my blog post, so I’m just not writing a blog post for myself, but also writing a blog post that can help serve individuals in my community and my audience, and help them solve a problem that they may face. And I really focused in on serving, and that really helped so much.

JENNY GUY: That is incredibly helpful advice, in thinking about what questions people are asking and how you can serve the needs of your audience and potential audience members that haven’t met you, yet. So, I love that attitude, and I love that way of phrasing SEO, because what else is it but that? Michelle said, “Using Ahref’s now, thinking of keeping. Do you pay every month?”

LATASHA PETERSON: I do pay every month, so far. And what I do, I’ll use it for maybe two months and get all the keywords for at least 10 to 15 blog posts. And then I’ll stop it, just to save money, because I’m also paying off debt, too. So I want to be budget friendly, too, for sure. But I would do a lot of research, and get at least, I would say, 10 to 15 keywords that I can use for different blog posts, and really study those. And then I’ll stop Ahref, and then I’ll get it back, maybe, six months later, or something like that. But currently, I am currently using it right now, for this month.

JENNY GUY: Michelle is saying, I just got Frase, which is F-R-A-S-E, and love it. It was an AppSumo deal, which is another SEO tool. I’ve never heard of that one.

LATASHA PETERSON: Me either, I’ll have to check that out. Thank you.

JENNY GUY: So, what other places would you recommend investing in your business? You did mention that you already invested in making your business an LLC, so, lawyer, but where else?

LATASHA PETERSON: So, I would say getting the taxes done each year, going to a tax professional, for sure. I hand that off to my tax guy, my tax accountant, and that’s a good place to also invest. Also, investing into different courses that are going to take you to the next level, whether it’s a blogging course, SEO course, Instagram course. Wherever you’re focusing in on, definitely invest in that area, as well. Because I feel like investing in courses is a great way to actually go to the next level. And the courses that I took in the past also helped me with my blog today.

JENNY GUY: Are there any courses that you want to give a little shout-out to that you would recommend?

LATASHA PETERSON: Yes, absolutely. So Mike Pearson, Stupid Simple SEO is probably one of the best SEO courses I have ever taken, so I’m always telling people, Stupid Simple SEO changed my life. So, if you don’t know about SEO, this course can help you, for sure.

JENNY GUY: I have to say that, we are– beyond SEO Like A CEO, which is a really great course. Not of course yet, but a series. We are planning on having Mike Pearson on the Summer of Live a little bit later, he’s going to be a guest, so–

LATASHA PETERSON: What are the odds?

JENNY GUY: We like him, too.

LATASHA PETERSON: He is awesome. Awesome with the trainees, very knowledgeable about SEO and niche sites, so I’m all in.

JENNY GUY: We are all in, too, we’re excited to have him. OK, Michelle said, “Do you have a VA?”

LATASHA PETERSON: I currently don’t, but I am actually looking for a VA. So, within the next month or two, I’m going to hire and bring on a VA, because the load from the business has increased. So I need some extra hands, for sure.

JENNY GUY: How did you know when it was time to start looking? Because, that’s tough.

LATASHA PETERSON: I felt burnt out. I have to write the blog post, and I’m proofreading, I’m sending it to a proofreader now. But doing the blog post, and then I am creating a side hustle-to-profit coaching program for our new bloggers, we’re looking to turn our blogs into profitable businesses. And I’m trying to do that, make the workbooks, so much stuff, Jenny, and I’m like, I need some extra hands. Plus, with three little boys and my husband, so we have our hands full. So I was like, I definitely need like some extra hands. So, that’s why I was like, OK, it’s time to get a VA to help me with this, for sure.

[INTERPOSING VOICES]

JENNY GUY: Of course. You’re investing in yourself to grow, and also for your sanity for your life.

LATASHA PETERSON: Yeah.

JENNY GUY: So, we’ve got Andrea. Andrea said, “I took that course, too, and he just updated. So I’m going to run through it again.” If you take the Stupid Simple SEO course, Ellen asked what the course name was, it is Stupid Simple SEO. If you take it, you will notice a guest session from Mediavine CEO Eric Hochberger, he’s on there. So, it is there, you will see him. Shaquana said, “I’m looking for a VA as well. So, please share some recommendations. Where are you looking?”

LATASHA PETERSON: I started to look at UpWorks. I did start looking up. That’s where I’ve only been thus far for a VA.

JENNY GUY: And what types of things– how do you know what you’re going to outsource versus what you’re going to keep to yourself?

LATASHA PETERSON: And I also was looking up ProBlogger to bring on an extra writer. Another writer as well, Arts and Budgets, and since I have my blog post structure this type of way, I’ve been like holding on to that. But I feel like, in the long term, I’m going to have to, probably at the beginning of next year. I’m going to have to bring on somebody, a writer, to help me with that. But someone that is really savvy with social media. I’m really active on Instagram and Pinterest, so somebody that knows those platforms, knows about email marketing, and things of that nature. Maybe a little bit of how to write copy and things of that nature, is what I’m looking for currently, for sure.

JENNY GUY: So another content creator like you to help, just, more double down on your efforts, whip out more content.

[INTERPOSING VOICES]

JENNY GUY: You have your structure created. You already know the way you want it to go, now you can show them that model, and they can mimic it.

LATASHA PETERSON: That is perfect. Like you said it perfect.

JENNY GUY: Oh, well, thank you. You said it.

LATASHA PETERSON: Exactly.

JENNY GUY: Love that, awesome. OK, well, for the last question, I’m going to put to you and then– I’ll do two more two more quick questions. So how do you decide when it’s time to spend money on a new tool?

LATASHA PETERSON: You know what? When I’m burnt out. Or when I want to get the extra additional features. So with Canva, when you go to Canva Pro, you get more stock photos. So I’m creating all these Pinterest pin images, and I’m like, OK, I need new photos, and they make it so easy when you get Canva Pro to get those stock photos that are amazing. So I was like, OK, let me upgrade so I can get the extra added features. So, a lot of times, the places where I upgraded, it was because I wanted those extra features, for sure. To help maximize my time.

JENNY GUY: Yeah. And How do you find out about new tools and test them?

LATASHA PETERSON: Oh, that’s a good question, for sure. So, a lot of times, it could be in Facebook blogging groups. If somebody said, hey, I just found this new keyword search tool, did you guys check this out? Or even on Instagram. I’m apart of the personal finance community on there, and they might use different tools, like budgeting apps and things of that nature. And then they’ll refer us. So, also an additional way that I find new tools to try and test.

JENNY GUY: Love that. OK, so last question. I’m going to let you think about it for a second. Of all the tools you presented today, do you have a favorite that you think every content creator should have? And while she is thinking about that, I might– you can do more than one if you want to, you don’t have to just restrict it to one.

And while Latasha is thinking about that, everybody, on the next episode of The Summer of Live, it is next Wednesday, June 23 at 3:00 PM Eastern. We have Jeffrey Eisner. We’re talking about blog-to-page, become a published author. We’re very excited about that episode. Also, guys, please go subscribe to the Mediavine YouTube channel and like our Facebook page so you don’t miss a single episode. We also have our new Mediavine On Air, which is available– our podcast. It’s available anywhere that podcasts are– wherever you listen to your podcasts. Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, we have all of them there, Spotify. So, please, go give that a listen.

And Latasha, thank you so much for being here. Please, tell us what apps are can’t miss.

LATASHA PETERSON: Definitely Canva. I really enjoy MailerLite, too. Also, get a good keyword research tool, whether it’s Twinwords, Ideas, or Keyword Search, get a good keyword app. Especially, you’re writing blog posts, that is going to come in handy long term, for sure.

JENNY GUY: Investing in your SEO is always a sound investment, it’s the long term. We love that. OK, we are going to share your presentation, and people will be able to reach you there. We’ll have all your different links so that people can get in touch with you when they want to find you.

Guys thank you so, so much for joining us. Have a wonderful rest of your day, and we will see you next week. Bye, everyone.

LATASHA PETERSON: Thank you Jenny. Bye.