Blogging Tips

08 July

How To Create Your Own Worksheets In Adobe InDesign (And Make Pro Freebies + Digital Products)

Erika Madden   |   Blogging Tips, Branding, Business Tips   |   37 Comments

Tutorial: how to create your own worksheets in Adobe InDesign. (Also great for making your own blog printables, planners, digital products, etc.) Includes a free InDesign worksheet file download.

Today I'm shaking in my cowgirl boots because I get to introduce you to one of my best biz pals. (Okay, just kidding, this Montana girl doesn't wear cowgirl boots -- but I am legit excited.)

Say hello to Adobe InDesign.



You can do a lot with the app -- like make e-books, pamphlets, mini-mags, brochures, posters, planners, and other printables -- but today I want to show you how you can use it to easily make your own pro, custom worksheets.

(That you then might want to give away as your email opt-in gift, include within blog posts, or sell for [real!] money.)

To go with this tutorial I've also included a free InDesign file download at the end of this post so that you can play around with a pre-made worksheet; be sure to pick that up before you go.

Oh, and if you don't have InDesign yet? Check it out here (btw, not an affiliate link) -- it's $19.99/mo on its own or $49.99/mo if you want Photoshop, Illustrator, Lightroom, and all the other Adobe apps included.

You can also get a 30-day free trial if you want to play around with it first. Plus: it works on PC and Mac -- which always makes me happy.

Let's get started, shall we? We shall, my friends, we shall!

Here's how to create your own worksheets in Adobe InDesign:
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19 June

The Epic 21 Day Brand Impressions Detox for Digital Business Owners

Erika Madden   |   Blogging Tips, Business Tips, Reputation, Resources   |   53 Comments

Making an A+ first impression online is so important as a small business owner, freelancer, or entrepreneur! This free email course is out of this world helpful in improving your website + social media accounts so that you look credible + professional to potential clients and customers.

Hello again, friends. :) Since absence makes the heart grow fonder, I just know that right about now you consider me your greatest online love.

This month marks the Olyvia.co 1 year birthday -- wild, right?! -- and to celebrate with you I wanted to create something cool + helpful you could use to refresh your blog + social media accounts + brand reputation (and look 10x more pro online).

So, for the last 2.5 weeks I've been buried in InDesign + Illustrator + Mailchimp working (fun, but I missed you!) -- and what I came up with is this:

A 21 day free detox for your brand's online spaces.

(Henceforth known as "The 21 Day Brand Impressions Detox" -- because I like to make things sound all official like that.)

It's for new and intermediate level bloggers, freelancers, creative business owners, coaches & consultants, solopreneurs, and anyone with a personal brand online who wants to:

1. Make certain that their online presence screams "modern" and "professional" -- not "dated" or "amateur"

2. Do a serious, effective cleaning of their digital spaces so things look bright + clean, not dull or junky

3. Get a (virtual) kick in the derrière to take their brand up a notch, and have some laughs along the way (totally at my expense, I assure you)

Here's how to get started:
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28 May

3 Ick-Free Ways to Promote Affiliate Links on Social Media

Erika Madden   |   Blog Income Report, Blogging Tips, Business Tips, Classy Marketing, Social Media Marketing   |   21 Comments

How to share + promote affiliate links on social media without sounding sleazy, icky, or greedy. | olyvia.co/promote-affiliate-links-on-social-media/

As part of my blog traffic + income report this month I'm sharing some tips on a topic I hear people voice frequent worries about:

"I want to try to make some extra money as an affiliate for companies and/or people I support, but I'm scared to actually share the links on social media. I don't want to sound like I'm greedy (or a sellout)!"

This is a valid concern in affiliate marketing.

(We've all seen the scammy-looking accounts on Twitter or Facebook where their feed is overrun with "SAVE $19.42 - LilyDoo Makeup Compact, Gold Stripes $36.27" advertisements, and it's not pretty.)

But happily, it doesn't have to be this way -- and you CAN promote affiliate links on social media without looking like a ShamWow salesman. 

Below are the 3 principles I live by when sharing my referral links so that I'm not obnoxious to others:
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22 May

5 Official Secrets To Getting More Blog Comments

Erika Madden   |   Blogging Tips, Business Tips   |   60 Comments

How do I get more blog comments? Here are 5 secrets behind a busy combox + why you want one on your blog.

In assurance to makers, doers, and dreamers everywhere, they say "if you build it they will come."

But I'm about 102% certain that whoever the heck "they" is never had a blog.

(Picture who you may at this point, but all I see in my head is a young, baseball-playing Kevin Costner.)

"If you build it, they will come!"

See, I don't know about you, but I've built a large number of websites in my day.

And only a handful came to most of them.

(Especially that fun -- but ohhhmyugly -- "I-am-so-darn-fed-up-with-Britney-Spears!" site I created as a 15 year old. Ha.)

Along the way I did learn what it takes to steadily attract website visitors and get noticed online, but getting blog traffic is -- to continue our corny baseball + Costner theme we have going on here -- like only getting to first base on the baseball diamond.

So what's second base?

Getting engagement (otherwise affectionately known -- probably only by me -- as blog comment luv).

The baseball diamond of blog success! Olyvia.co

Before I "pitch" you the steps to get more blog comments (oh I crack myself up), let's be clear: simply because you don't have much engagement on your blog DOES NOT mean you can't make money from it or that it's one colossal failure.

You can monetize and sell successfully through your website as soon as you've started bringing in some visitors, and the fact you have little to no comments coming in right now doesn't necessarily mean your blog is failing you.

HOWEVER, there are good, business-y reasons for wanting engagement on your blog, which I will explain to you later on in this post.

With that, let's get to the 5 secrets to getting more blog comments!
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30 April

The 3 Best Tips For Growing Your Blog Traffic

Erika Madden   |   Blog Income Report, Blogging Tips   |   116 Comments

The 3 best tips for growing your blog traffic + readership, no matter what niche you're in!

What is it called when you go to publish your blog traffic + income report and instead you end up writing blog traffic tips for 2 days?

I'd like to say epicness, but we're all friends here so I think I can admit that the truth is closer to Blogger's guilt + procrastination. :D

Anyyyway. Moving along. What I came here to show you is how my blog traffic has grown over the last 10 months, and, more importantly, how you can achieve the same thing for your blog.

Enter Exhibit A, a screenshot of Olyvia.co growth over the past 10 months since launch:



How did I get here? What practical tips (+ 1 Mission Possible challenge) do I have for you so that you can do the same?

Your answers await, my friends:
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