How Did The Virtual Pediatric OT Blog Get Started?
Do you want to start blogging as a way to decrease therapist burnout? Use these blogging resources if you want to start blogging as a creative outlet or to share your therapist knowledge! For years I looked for a way to continue to make an impact with special needs families without doing direct patient care.
I started blogging on a travel blog in January 2020. Why? Because I wanted something different to do as a hobby and I wanted something fun! My goals were only some free or discounted travel (still working on that one!)
*Disclosure: This page contains affiliate links where I may receive compensation to keep TVPOT running! See my disclosure at the bottom of the website
Several years ago I considered starting a blog on what I learned as a virtual occupational therapist. All of a sudden in March 2020 so many therapists were thrown into teletherapy, and TheVirtualPediatricOT.com was born!
I am a big researcher, googler, and I do not like to spend money unnecessarily! 🙂 There are many free resources! I have currently spent about $500 to get this blog started (which includes one $300 course!). If you do not have the time to research and google, then I recommend buying courses to get started. I did not buy anything except blog hosting until I was about 4 months into my TVPOT journey and was looking to make a little of the money back that I invested.
Want to Start a Blog? Here are my Favorite Business running Resources
Bigscoots Webhosting
Everyone needs a hosting site to start a blog. I recommend Big Scoots and I recommend getting started with it from the beginning. Free is not better in this case. If you are not super tech-savvy this is where I would buy a course. Learning WordPress was probably the most difficult part of my journey.
FIVERR
This is a great place to get a logo! I have used FIVERR twice for logos. Some tips: Look for someone who does logos like the one you have in mind. Or even just look to see which ones you like! Second, read the reviews. I did get burned one time with a logo I hated! But even with that my logo for my travel blog (thegoofy5.com) cost under $25.
Passive Income Products PIPS
If you are just starting out and want to take a course. I recommend Passive Income Products (PIPS). Sadie's blogging 101 and 102 will have you setting up your blog up right!
Mailchimp
This is for collecting email addresses and starting a list. Start with an email provider right from the start even if you have no plan to sell products! My email list took off organically because I was filling a need, you just never know. I currently use the paid version of Mailchimp.
Later
Automation is key. Later is a way to automate your social posts. I plan my posts out a week to a month in advance with the Later free version.
Tailwind
Is your blog Pinterest-based? Tailwind was a gamechanger for me, no more manual pinning! Even though I was getting a lot of organic Pinterest traffic before, Tailwind sent me over 100,000 monthly viewers.
Canva
I make all my Pinterest pins here. My Pinterest traffic is my most important asset.
Pixistock
Do you like templates? I am totally in love with the Pixistock templates! I use them for Pinterest pins, Instagram posts, Ebooks, etc!
Stupid Simple Seo
Once your blog is up and running you may want to learn more about SEO and what to write on your blog to get the most traffic. That is where seo comes in. Mike's course is AMAZING. I learned so much from this free hour course. Check it out.
Click up
Many of these have free versions to start. Then the paid versions are necessary as you scale. I hope this helps you on your blogging journey!