Resources to Earn Retirement Income as a Blogger and Influencer

It’s hard to believe I’ve been blogging since 2008 and making passive income from it to supplement my retirement. If you have a blog or want to start one, whether you are a Baby Boomer or an aspiring blogger of any age, I’ve created a list of blogging resources and social media tools I love and use.

You may want to bookmark these items as I update them for current trends. Hopefully, it will help you avoid making the techy mistakes I’ve made in the past.

If blogging sounds like a scary concept, I am now in my 70s and set up this blog by taking online classes and watching YouTube. If I can do it, you can too, especially if you love to write. People of ALL ages are doing it and using their new skills to reinvent themselves and enhance their retirement income.

Read more about how to start a blog here. If you haven’t set one up yet, here is a step-by-step tutorial to install one on Bluehost in minutes. Bluehost has super fast cloud hosting.

If setting up a website yourself is not your vibe, freelancers on sites like Fiverr or Upwork will do it for you affordably.

Some of the links on this page are affiliate links to brands that I have partnered with. If you click on a link and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Please read my site Disclaimer and Privacy/Cookie policy if you have any questions.

Although there is a learning curve, a blog is not hard to install and is much easier than when I first started.

I’m not a fan of free blogging platforms like WordPress.com, Google Blogspot, Weebly, or Wix, because you don’t have control over your content and there are restrictions in monetizing your site. I use WordPress.org with Bluehost hosting and it’s worked well all the years I’ve been blogging.

Note to bloggers – Do not allow someone else to host your site for you, This is a big NO NO! You need your OWN hosting account. If you have a falling out with that person or they are no longer on the planet, it can turn into a huge disaster. A web host I knew died and her clients, who were many of my blogging friends, had sites that went down or crashed.

Get started on the right foot on the best platform

WordPress.org is the self-hosted version of WordPress and is the #1 Blog platform online today. Do not confuse it with WordPress.com, (hosted by WordPress) which has limitations. The software for WordPress.org is free to use but you must purchase a hosting account to install it. (This will cost you around $100 or less per year which is almost nothing to start a business) You can then install WordPress using your hosting account’s one-click installation program. On Bluehost, WordPress is installed as soon as you sign up for hosting.
Thousands of WordPress themes and plugins are available to download that integrate with self-hosted WordPress and they perform practically any function you can imagine.
GoDaddy – I buy all my additional domains at GoDaddy because they are affordable and reliable although I prefer Bluehost to host my websites. Bluehost offers one free domain when you sign up.

Some people choose other hosting platforms like Squarespace or Wix, but WordPress.org has much more functionality. It all depends on your needs.

Email Marketing

MailChimp: MailChimp is an effective email marketing service. It is free for the first 2000 people on your list. It offers opt-in forms, broadcast emails, and RSS campaigns. For a small monthly fee, you can also add an autoresponder.
MailerLite is another free email marketing service I use. It has two types of plans: free and premium. You can compare the features between the free and premium plans on the Pricing page. The free plan is automatically applied to every account upon approval. It allows you to use up to 1,000 unique subscribers and send up to 12,000 emails every 30 days.

Work remotely

Find writing and other remote work with FlexJobs – Do you want assurance you will get paid? Do you desire to work from anywhere in the world? This site offers legitimate work with no ads, scams, or junk.

Time management software

OnceHub is a great platform for scheduling meetings and I recommend it for professionals who need it to integrate seamlessly with third-party applications. If someone wants to book an appointment all they do is click the link and they can find a time that works for both of you. The appointment can be integrated into your online calendars. You can also connect it to a Zoom account and they will receive your personal Zoom link. If you want, you can also create a link or button to put on your website or email so clients can book you directly.
Google scheduling is a free and much simpler option. All you need is a Google (Gmail) account and you can start booking meetings immediately.

Making videos is where it is at these days

Increase your reach by creating videos on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook. The tools below are what I use to create and edit videos and are easier to use than trying to edit on a smartphone. Young people can do that but it’s more challenging when we get older.

I’ve been using Camtasia to edit videos for years. There are other programs out there but what I love about Camtasia is that it works with PowerPoint and gives you all sorts of assets you can use to make your videos shine. Free programs are available but you are on your own. You can upload your videos directly to YouTube and other networks or save them as a local file. Techsmith provides online tutorials, updates, and support.
Snagit is another Techsmith product that is fabulous for creating screenshots, editing photos, and recording short videos. It is also fairly simple to use. You can also edit your images and videos using its native editor to add text, callouts, resize, crop, add watermarks, graphics, and more.
Canva is an amazing site that lets you design social media graphics using templates and images. You can also create and edit videos on it. It has a free version but the paid version gives you more options. I use the platform constantly for everything to do with images and videos.
Zoom became essential during the pandemic. It is an easy-to-use platform for hosting webinars or interviews. They can be recorded and downloaded as videos. You can also use Google Meet and Skype.

Graphic Design

PicMonkey is a program I’ve been using forever in addition to Canva to easily create, resize, edit, and add text to photos. There is a free version but the Pro version gives you many more options.

Podcasting

Podcasting has become huge and many creative and business types have shows.

Popular platforms to host podcasts include Podbean, Libsyn, Buzzsprout, and Spotify for Podcasts. Most of them allow you to submit to podcast streaming sites.

YouTube has added a podcast element. If you have a YouTube channel you can create a podcast playlist in YouTube Studio. You must upload a square podcast logo and a description.

The advantage of hosting your podcast on YouTube rather than on podcast streaming sites is that YouTube is the #2 search engine on the Internet and you can easily monetize your podcast with Google ads. Find out more about creating a YouTube podcast, here.

Getting Paid as a blogger or digital creator

Paypal is a popular platform to receive payments or send money to someone else. It’s free to sign up but upgrade to Premiere, which is also free. This will give you a QR code and a unique link to give to others to pay you, you can create payment buttons for your website. I love that I can create and manage invoices within PayPal. For current consumer fees, click here.
Venmo is another popular money app. It lets you safely share payments on your phone. I’ve used it to sell furniture, pay at garage sales, and even taco vendors. All you need to do is connect your bank account and you can send payments and transfer your money received instantly to approved merchants using your profile name, email, or phone number. No personal information is shared but you can send emojis to share your payment with friends in the app. Check current Venmo fees here.
Zelle is a banking app to send or receive money through your bank or some credit unions. Banks such as Chase, Wells Fargo, and other participating banks can enroll you on their banking apps. Register your vendor’s or friend’s email address or mobile number to transfer or send money to them. Zelle does not currently charge fees to send or receive money.
CashApp is a robust app that allows you to pay anyone instantly. In addition to sending and receiving money, you can send stocks with a fractional shares option, buy bitcoin, and file and receive your tax refund. There are no Cash App fees for sending money if you stick to standard transfers processed within 1-3 business days. Check other fees here.
Patreon is a hugely popular app for content creators to sell subscriptions and digital products with recurring income. It is free to start. Click here for fees charged to creators on the platform.
Ko-Fi is a company that allows you to collect donations on your blog or social platforms without paying fees. It gives you a link or you can even create a button for your website. It’s great for artists, actors, podcasters, or other creative types. Fans can sign up for memberships which are recurring at different tier levels. There is a low 5% fee for membership payments.

Where to find stock photos

Licensed photos must be used on blogs and social media if you do not create them yourself to avoid copywriting violations, which can be costly. The sites below offer free or reasonably priced photos. Some only ask that the photographer be credited.

Canva is my favorite site for designing graphics for all social platforms and print jobs. It has a large library of photos, graphics, and fonts. You can create and edit videos, use AI Magic Write to help with content creation, create a media kit, printables, and more.
Big Stock Photo is an affordable site to purchase stock photos.
Pixabay has free images and videos available to download.
CanStockPhoto offers stock photography with no sign-up required at affordable rates.
Fotosearch.com has an extensive collection of royalty-free stock photography, clipart, illustrations, and stock footage.
MorgueFile also offers free images
GoGraph Stock Photography offers low-cost stock photos.
Burst has a collection of free stock photos powered by Shopify that can be used for commercial websites.
Unsplash is a good site to find stunning free images.

Photo Storage

Photos and videos can jam up your computer but can be automatically saved to cloud storage sites.

Amazon Prime Photo Storage gives you unlimited photo backup for full-resolution images with your Amazon Prime Account and 5 GB for Videos. Plus, you get all the advantages of Amazon Prime for streaming, shipping, books, grocery delivery, and more.
Google Drive – Save documents, videos, audio files, PowerPoints, and spreadsheets for free up to 15 GB and at a low cost for more depending on how much you need. Sync it to compatible devices and your smartphone.

Monetize your blog and social media sites with affiliate marketing

If you have an active blog or are active on sites like Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok, you can promote products from brands you love and earn an affiliate commission. Affiliate programs are free to sign up and you get paid when someone purchases a product you promote.

Once accepted to a program, you can insert tracking links to text on your blog or social media from brands you wish to promote. If a person clicks on the link you have inserted and purchases something, you will earn a small commission for that sale. This is a passive way to earn extra income.

Amazon Associates – This is one of the easiest programs to get started with, especially for affiliate beginners. Join Amazon’s associate program using your Amazon login. You can add text links, or create ads and widgets.
If you have a social media following you can also apply to become an Amazon Influencer. Amazon allows you to set up a storefront and promote products you love. See mine as an example. A link to your storefront can be inserted on your website, social media sites, or Link in Bio. you must qualify to be part of this program and have at least a small social media following but it is well worth it.

Affiliate networks – The networks below are connected to top brands in all categories. All payments and tracking is completed within the platform so you do not have to go from brand to brand to find out how your links perform. However, you must apply to each brand separately and be accepted before inserting your links.

The platforms below do not require you to apply to each brand separately. They offer higher commissions than other affiliate networks. Just sign up and start linking.

Brandcycle – top brands including fashion, beauty, home, etc.
Mavely – top brands including fashion, beauty, home, etc.
Collective Voice is excellent for fashion bloggers. Create widgets that embed into your content and can be updated on the platform. They can be displayed on blogs and social media sites. You can also create a Store widget that can be embedded by adding a code. An advantage is that clothing and other goods on your widgets that sell out can be easily replaced without manually inserting them in your content so they stay up to date.

Ad networks

An Ad Network places ads on your website that can earn income depending on your traffic. Most require a snippet of code to be added manually or with a plugin to activate the ads on your website. You do not have a personal relationship with the brands, as you would with an affiliate network. However, most allow you to control categories you do not wish to appear on your site. They use artificial intelligence (AI) to pinpoint what a reader likes and dislikes creating a unique set of ads on your site customized to that reader.

Google Adsense – Most bloggers start with Google Adsense as it is the easiest to qualify for. Make sure you have a Google account – (Gmail) Then, apply for an Adsense account. Once accepted, add a code to your site and ads will appear automatically. You can also manually place code in particular places on your site so that ads only appear there.

Other ad networks may give you more bang for your buck

SheMedia is what I use on this site as it syncs with my content and is easy to set up. It hosts webinars, holds events, and offers support to women bloggers.
Other ad networks include Mediavine (It requires 50,000 views per month.), AdThrive, Ezoic, and Monumetric.

Tech tools I love to work my online business

Most digital content creators use iPhones to create videos but I use my Samsung 23 Plus. It is not necessary to purchase an expensive camera to get started but you may want to later on. I recommend a camera with a microphone jack.

My ring light of choice Is the Luxsure Selfie Ring Light with a stand and phone holder. You can get all sorts of angles using this light to shoot things like your feet or food and I also use it to hold my microphone. I also have a desktop ring light that can be used for a smartphone or a webcam. I set it behind my laptop when I’m doing a Zoom.

I use the TP-Link Powered USB Hub to hook up elements such as my microphone and webcam on my laptop. Everything uses a USB port so I needed more ports. This one has 7 data ports and 2 fast-charging ports. Another one I like, that my son-in-law uses is the Selore & Global USB Docking Station. It charges a PC laptop, is universally compatible, will operate two monitors, and is fast charging.

Expert blogging advice

The best WordPress Themes for Blogs – Here are suggestions for WordPress themes from a reputable source, QuickSprout.
How to Speed up WordPress – The speed of your site makes all the difference in your success as a blogger.

More blogging resources

More Shopping