Resources
I firmly believe in trying things before committing to a monthly (or annual!) subscription, so I thought I would create a handy resource page to pass along my affiliate and referral links to some of the services and tools I use!
Please note that I have already written blog posts about some of them, while others will be mentioned in upcoming posts. So if you don’t see a blog post up about something that you see on this list - don’t worry, it’s on the way!
*Disclaimer: I only recommend products, services, and tools I have used myself or would use. All of the opinions expressed are my own. This post contains affiliate links, which means that I get a small commission for purchases made through the links in this post.*
If you don’t know how affiliate links work, it’s as simple as this real life example: I have a blog post about my favourite purchases from Creative Market, which contains my affiliate links to each product. Let’s say you read my post, decide you want one of the mockups, and click the link. That link will then take you to Creative Market to purchase the mockups. I will receive a small commission from your purchase because you found the link through my blog.
The best part: It doesn’t cost you anything extra. If you decide that you don’t want to purchase, then that’s cool, too! Affiliate links will be marked with an asterisk. If you don’t see an asterisk, then it’s a referral link.
As I mentioned above in the disclaimer, I only have and share affiliate and referral links for the products, services, and tools that I use, like, love, and would use. There isn’t a point in becoming an affiliate or referral for something that I am “meh” about or don’t even like in the first place.
(In other words, I will not be selling you teas that people swear make you lose five pounds in a week. That’s not my thing. I’m not going to recommend or suggest something to you that I don’t, wouldn’t use, or like for the sake of getting paid.)
Fit is also a factor, so all of the links listed below fit into design, content creation, productivity, email marketing, social media, starting and running an Etsy shop, etc.
So, now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, you can find the list of all the links below! (And thank you for supporting in advance if you purchase through any of the links.)
This list will be updated as time goes on.
Starting & Running an Etsy Shop
Please note: this is only for new shops that haven’t been created yet! It doesn’t apply to existing shops.
The cost of listings can add up when you’re first starting out! If you’re thinking of starting up an Etsy shop, sign up through the link on the left and get your first 40 listings FREE!
This SEO tool is used to help you find keywords for your Etsy listings. It shows the engagement of keywords over time, how many people are searching for them, and has many more useful features.
I tried out both ERank and Marmalead when I first opened my Etsy shop. To keep it real, I wasn’t really impressed with ERank’s layout, so I gave Marmalead a try and haven’t looked back. (This is just a personal opinion - plenty of people use ERank and love it!)
This has been one of the best and tools I used the most for helping to run my Etsy shop. I was honestly just winging keywords before and I noticed a huge improvement once I started to use Marmalead when creating my listings.
Productivity Tools
Tailwind*
Tailwind is a post scheduler for Instagram and Pinterest.
I use Tailwind Pro for Pinterest (since I like to automatically schedule my pins over there) and occasionally use it for Instagram. Tailwind has a variety of features like Communities, which are groups you can join to share pins and reach new audiences, and Tailwind Create, which lets you create your pins and other posts right in their design tool.
Their SmartSchedule tool analyzes your account and tells you when the best times are for you to post, which personally, has helped me A LOT with Pinterest.
Keep in mind that there are plenty of features and analytics tools that are also included that I haven’t mentioned or used personally. It’s a great tool to have on deck!
Design Resources
Canva Pro*
Canva is a great tool for those without a design background who want to design eye-catching social media posts. I personally use it to create some of the templates in my Etsy shop and I like that customers can easily access and customize the templates after their purchase has been completed without having to know any other design programs. Its drag and drop interface makes it a breeze to use!
You can sign up for a FREE 30-day trial of Canva Pro through the link.
Creative Market*
Creative Market is a place to find all kinds of assets, from fonts, mockups, social media templates - you name it! I’ve been using them for personal projects for years and for business related things over the last year and a half. It’s the first website I go to when I need mockups and fonts!
And also, they offer six free goods of the week that you can download! Yes, FREE!
You can read all about my favourite Creative Market purchases over the past year.
Adobe Creative Cloud*
The programs in Adobe Creative Cloud pack a punch. I subscribe to the All Apps plan, which gives you all 20+ programs for one set price that you pay monthly or annually. They’re powerful and they’re worth every penny. Plus, as someone who uses multiple programs like Photoshop, XD, Illustrator, and InDesign along with Adobe Acrobat and Adobe Spark (occasionally), it makes more sense for me to subscribe to the bundle instead of paying individually for them.
Tip: I highly suggest keeping an eye out because you never know when you’re going to find a great deal on the All Apps plan!
You can click the banner below to see the plans that are currently offered.
Email Marketing
Flodesk*
Beautifully designed email templates for you to send out to your audience. Flodesk makes it easy to create stunning emails with a drag and drop interface, options to use custom fonts, and to import your logo to add more personality to your emails.
Unlike other email marketing systems, there isn’t a limit as to how big or small your audience is. You have unlimited subscribers and you still pay the same price monthly.
Want to learn more? Get cozy and read about why I switched to Flodesk from MailChimp.
My Flodesk affilate link gives you a FREE 30-day trial & 50% off the first year of your monthly subscription.
Instagram Marketing
Hashtag Hacks by Ellen Yin*
Mini course that teaches you how to use Instagram hashtags effectively, along with a few other bonuses. I learned a lot and ended up tweaking my approach to Instagram after going through the modules! (Which is a big deal considering how much of a love/hate relationship I have with the algorithm.)
Legal Contract Templates
Contracts Market*
Legal contract templates created by a Canadian entrepreneur for other Canadian entrepreneurs to use for their businesses. Make sure you and your business are protected!
You can read all about my experience here.