I think I can anticipate what some of you are (possibly) thinking: I already fork over money for my domain name(s), web hosting, blog design and on and on… why do I want to pay out more?
Believe me, I hear you. I’m pretty…. thrifty… myself. But when it comes to blogging, sometimes upgrading accounts or making additional purchases might make the difference between making a post pop or flop. It might compel a reader (or an editor…or brand…) to reach out and talk, or even want to work with you.
Note: prices below are in US dollars unless specified otherwise.
Upgrading my Buffer account
I’d been playing with Buffer for a while, but it wasn’t after I had a chat with Nicole from Planning with Kids who explained the benefits of upgrading did I fully come around to making the decision. And I’m glad I did. The primary difference I get in an upgraded account is not having my scheduled updates capped until I get to 200 (and I doubt I’d ever have that many!) and being able to make alternate schedule timetables. This is good for weekends, say, when I wouldn’t do as much as I do during weekdays. Being able to add links to my Buffer through Feedly and a Chrome browser extension is very handy. Their help team (or “happiness heroes” as they call themselves) are terrific.
How much? The ‘Awesome’ plan I’m on is $102 per year. There are business plans too.
Upgrading my PicMonkey account
Just this month PicMonkey got even better by making all fonts available, so a free account is made even sweeter, but an upgraded account will still get 40% extra effects and a whole bundle more – this link goes through the list.
I personally prefer a lot of the royale fonts and a few other overlays etc. so the very reasonable $33 per year is a no brainer.
Upgrading Flickr
Ahh… Flickr. Once the hub of photographers and a trustworthy, uncomplicated receptacle of images, Flickr has gone through a lot of changes, over the past year in particular, making account holders very, very angry. Myself included. I’ve had a venty rant or two on social media about the frustrating photo viewer and how my images weren’t embedding for a while (that was due to the iframe code, I think. I believe the html option was removed, then reinstated, thank goodness).
Anyway!
I recently paid up to my Pro account again, but I did wonder if it was worth it. This is because if you’re a free Flickr user, it’s atttractive to stay a free user because everyone gets 1T of storage ( more than what most of us amateur photographers will probably ever need – this excellent article by Mashable ‘The New Flickr: What it Means for Flickr Pro Users‘ is a good resource for fellow existing Flickr Pro peeps who are wondering why/if to remain on ‘pro’ status).
However, because I’m an existing ‘Pro’ my entitlements will be the same as they were. In fact, the ‘Pro’ account that I have no longer exists: to buy an ad-free upgrade is $50 per year, for which you’ll still ‘only’ be getting 1T of space.
Confused? It is confusing. Their accounts help page helps (a tiny bit).
Okay, to sum up: I’m happy to stay as a Pro account holder, so in that respect it’s a worthy investment. But if I was a brand-new sign up today… I’d stay on a free account, at least as a trial.
Triple Scoop Music song purchase
At the Problogger Conference last year Hailey Bartholomew mentioned Triple Scoop Music as one of the places where she sources music for her videos and on her recommendation I did the same when it came time to shoot my Christmas with IGA video.
It was an interesting experience, and I spent a lot of time listening to music, selecting favourites as I went. It really starts off the creative process in your head, matching up music to what kind of story you want to tell, the mood you want to depict etc. I’ll be using it again very soon (no spoilers, you’ll see why/where before long!). From memory, for blog use, a song costs about $60, but I think it’s worth it.
And one investment ‘not-so’ worth it… Passionfruit ads
Opinion varies on Passionfruit ads, and I will say upfront that I know there are a few bloggers who like and benefit from this particular ad network. I haven’t. Perhaps I’ve got my ads priced too high? I don’t know. I’m on the lowest ‘Sweetheart’ plan, so maybe that is a turn off? The website says the plan is $29 per year – which is more than what I paid last December, so have prices increased? I don’t think I’ll be reinvesting this coming December. I far prefer my current affiliate arrangement with dgm.
What successful blogging investments or purchases have you made? Care to share?
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Related Reminder: Upcoming blogging workshops
Sydney:
I will be teaching at the NSW Writers Centre on Saturday 5th July 10am – 4pm
Do you want to take your blog to a new level? This course will help you plan your content, make the most of social media, and understand the importance of networking and building community.
Learn the key elements of content creation, the basics of content marketing, and pick up a raft of social media tips and essentials.
This is aimed at blogger beginners.
Melbourne:
Writers Victoria on Saturday 9th August, 10am – 4pm
‘Blogging 2.0: Maximising Your Potential‘
Has your blogging reached a plateau? Are you sinking too much time into something that’s not yielding results? Or do you want to capitalise on its success but don’t know how to go about it? This one-day course will investigate personal and professional prospects that can steer you through the rest of 2014 and beyond.
This workshop is for people who have been blogging regularly for at least six months.
Hope to see you!
