Whether you’re new to blogging or have years of experience under your belt, you want to make sure you start the New Year prepared and ready to make money. To get you started on the right foot, here is my list of 7 Things Every Blogger Should Do In January to prepare for the New Year.

Update Old Posts

I work on a lot of sponsored campaigns and many of them require me to use specific links for tracking purposes. When my exclusivity is up with the brand (usually 6 months), I like to go back through all my old post and swap out campaign links for affiliate links. This allows me to make money on posts that are already bringing in traffic and ranking on Google.

My go-to for affiliate links is Skimlinks. They have a large selection of brands, they accept almost everyone, and I love that I don’t have to log into several different websites to grab links. They even have a plugin that lets me know if I’m on a website that offers affiliate commissions and what the commission rate is.

Update Your Media Kit

Have your numbers changed? What about your rates? The end of Q4 and the start of the new year are the perfect time to update your stats. Add new photos that show off your best work, add in any press mentions and brag a little about some of the amazing brands you worked with last year. Also, update information about your reader demographics if that has changed. Things Every Blogger Should Do

Update Your Information With Networks

If you are registered with several different networks, you’ll quickly discover that it’s hard to keep all this information up to date. Social media accounts get disconnected, rates change, you might even want to update your work samples. The start of the new year is the perfect time to do this. Things Every Blogger Should Do

Signup With New Networks

Influencer marketing is growing like crazy and every day more and more networks are popping up. I like to use January as a time to take a closer look at networks I’ve never worked with. Before the new year, take a few days to do a little research on the types of brands they work with, ask around, and see what other bloggers have to say about working with them (like do they pay on time), etc. Once you’ve done your research apply for the ones that you feel are a good fit and add them to your list of networks to follow up with. Things Every Blogger Should Do

Reach out to PR Agencies

I’m all for working smarter, not harder so, while I am registered with a few different networks, they are not where I put most of my efforts. PR agencies handle more than one client and if you can show them that you consistently deliver quality work, turn things in on time and you’re good about staying in touch (without being annoying), they will more than likely continue the relationship and will have no problem considering you for other brands they represent.

Working with PR agencies as opposed to networks and directly with brands means you won’t have to spend as much time pitching and will have a steady flow of income. Use this time of year to reach out to new PR firms, introduce yourself and let them know a little about your readers. Send over your media kit and be sure to follow up again in a few months. Things Every Blogger Should Do

Deal With Uncle Sam

I’ve owned several businesses and am no stranger to filing taxes as self-employed but there is something about filing taxes as a blogger that makes my skin crawl. Last year I waited until the last minute and before I knew it I had over 40, (yes FORTY) 1099’s staring me in the face. Trust me when I say you don’t want this level of stress on top of trying to work. Start getting your taxes in order long before April. Have a system for keeping track of 1099’s when they come in, be prepared to follow up on missing 1099’s, and start gathering your receipts. Trust me, you will thank me later.

Start Planning Content

January and February tend to be the slowest time of year for bloggers. I love to use this time to get ahead because I know that come March and April I’ll be running around like a chicken with my head cut off. Take a minute to sit down and plan out your evergreen posts using a content calendar. Things Every Blogger Should Do

Planning early allows you to start coming up with ideas for those random holidays (we all know celebrating National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day is a must lol)! Get those posts written now so you have a steady stream of content so that when things do pick up you won’t be stressed. Another perk, since you already have content in the hopper you can take a few mini vacations throughout the year without worrying about also trying to juggle work. Try to schedule your blog posts to go out 3-4 weeks before the holiday and social media posts 72 hours prior to the holiday.