Imagine running a successful blog that allows you to work when and where you want. If that’s your dream, you may wonder if you can start and grow a blog on your phone.
I’ve used my phone for some blogging tasks, but it’s not necessarily a substitute for a computer. Keep reading to learn how oyu can use your phone to start or grow a blog.
But first, this post contains affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy to learn more.
Best Blogging Apps
If you want to run a blog on your phone, you need to use some of the best blogging apps. I’ve used a variety of apps, either for blogging specifically or to help with blog-related things.
Consider some of the following apps to help start and run a blog.
WordPress
I’d recommend starting a WordPress blog with SiteGround as your website host. While it’s easier to set this all up on a desktop, you can then use the WordPress app to run your blog on the go.
Since I write my blog posts on my computer, I primarily use the WordPress app to check my analytics. I’ll also use it to grab links to blog posts that I want to share on social media.
What’s more, if you have multiple blogs, you can easily switch between them. And if you don’t have a computer but need to write a new blog post, you can do so in the app.
Medium
Medium is an excellent blogging platform for beginners because you can start an account for free. The app is a great place to interact with your audience and respond to comments on your articles.
In the past, the app also gave you the option to write posts on your phone. While they took that feature away for a bit, it’s back as of this writing.
I like to use the app to outline posts that I want to share on Medium. You can even write entire articles and publish them to your Medium profile.
Google Docs
Another one of the best apps to run a blog on your phone is Google Docs. Personally, I like to write directly in WordPress when working on my own content.
But if you want to grow your blog, you may want to hire writers. If you don’t want to give them access to your blog, you can have them submit articles as Google Doc files.
Then, you can use the app to review drafts on the go, and you can leave comments or make edits. When you’re ready to upload the article to your website, you can copy and paste the content.
Canva
Canva is one of the best apps and websites to use to run your blog. I use it to create blog graphics so that there’s a more visual element to each of my posts.
The graphics also make it super easy to share each new article to Pinterest and social media. Now, I sometimes find the app hard to use, especially when editing text on graphics.
But if you’re on the go and need to make a design quickly, the app is great. You can also use it to download graphics that you’ve designed on your computer to share on your blog or social media accounts.
Trello
I use Trello to track all of my various projects, from my own blogs to client work. The app works really well, and you can add cards and lists to organize everything you’re working on.
You can also separate things into different boards. For example, I have a board where I organize all of the affiliate programs I’m a part of and another board for the actual blog content.
Trello is free to use, but you can pay for added features. You’ll also be able to add more than 10 boards if you upgrade, but I’ve found the free version to work well for me.
If you want to start driving traffic to your blog, you may want to download the Pinterest app. You can easily share your blog posts to your various boards using the blog post links.
Pinterest is a great place to share your blog content to get traffic. Plus, it can start to pay off over time and drive more traffic without you having to constantly promote your work.
I’d recommend setting up a Pinterest business account so that you get access to analytics. You can also connect your website to see when others share pins from your blog.
Depending on your blog niche, Instagram can be a great place to promote your content. For example, I use it for a couple of my music blogs because there’s an active music community on the platform.
It’s not the biggest traffic driver, but you can use Instagram to build a loyal following. As you do so, you can start to use that following to generate content ideas.
And you may be able to get some website traffic from the platform. It won’t be easy, but if you create an IG page for your blog, you can also diversify your business model and use the social platform to make some extra money.
How to Run a Blog on Your Phone
Whether you don’t have a computer or you travel a lot, you may want to work on your blog on your phone. Consider the following tips to make your blog work a bit easier.
Connect to WiFi When You Can
When you’re near a WiFi network, use it to access the internet. Then, you can keep from using up all of your data early in the month and not being able to access your blog later.
Even if you have unlimited data, I’ve heard that some cell phone carriers will slow down your internet. So save your data usage for when you can’t get on WiFi.
Of course, you’ll have the easiest time getting on the internet at home. But you can also go to a coffee shop or library if you need free internet access.
Invest in More Data
Maybe you have spotty WiFi or don’t have it at all. In that case, you may want to upgrade your cell phone plan to get more data to use each month.
As I mentioned, you may still face limitations with an unlimited data plan. However, it can be well worth paying for more data if you currently have a plan with a low data cap.
Keep a Charger on You
It seems like each new line of smartphone has a longer battery life than the one before it. However, you can still blow through your battery if you spend a lot of time working on your blog.
I’d recommend keeping a charger near you at all times. When you’re at home or near an outlet, you may want to connect your phone to the outlet.
That way, when you’re out and about, you’ll have plenty of battery to work on your blog. If necessary, you may want to put a portable charger in your bag just case your phone battery can’t survive long enough.
Play Around With Voice-to-Text
One of the biggest reasons I rarely work on my blog on my phone is that it’s hard to type a lot of text. But you could get around this by using the voice-to-text feature.
You can speak into your phone to tell it what you want to say in your blog post. Not only will this help you get around the typing issue, but it can encourage you to blog how you talk.
Writing how you’d speak is essential for a blog to sound engaging and like you’re a human. As AI writing tools get better and better, we need to find ways to compete.
Promote Your Blog Posts
If you’re like me, you may prefer to do most of your blog writing on a computer. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t do anything to grow your blog on your phone.
I’ll use my phone to promote my blog posts on social media. The WordPress app makes it easy to find the post I want to share and grab the link.
Then, I’ll head to Pinterest, Instagram, or some other social network and share the link. These platforms are super easy to use thanks to their mobile apps.
Why Run a Blog on Your Phone
If you’re used to writing blog posts on your laptop or desktop, you may wonder why you’d want to run your blog on your phone. There are a few good reasons to at least give your mobile device a try.
Blog While Traveling
I don’t think I’ve ever taken my laptop on a trip, be it a roadtrip or a flight. But you never know when you may need to respond to comments or want to share your latest blog post.
Or you might realize you made a glaring error in an article and need to edit it. Being able to blog on your phone can come in handy so that you don’t have to wait until you get home to make any corrections.
And you can safely leave your laptop at home and not worry about losing it when you’re out of town.
Blog From Bed
Have you ever been too sick to get out of bed? If so, you’ve also been too sick to do a lot of work on your blog, but you could still share your latest article with your audience.
When you have the right blogging apps, you can do some basic work in bed. Even if you’re not sick, you may realize that you forgot to share your latest post earlier in the day.
As you wind down before going to sleep, you may use your phone. And if you have a few apps installed, you can finish up any blog work for the day without sitting down at your desk.
Save Money
A good laptop, like a MacBook Pro, can be quite expensive, and it can be hard to justify that cost just for a blog. That’s particularly true if you haven’t started making money from your blog yet.
But most of us have a smartphone already just because we need one to keep up with loved ones. You can use the gear you already have to start and run a blog.
Once you start to make money, you can invest in a laptop. However, you shouldn’t have to go into debt to start your online business or venture.
Plenty of Apps
I love how there are so many apps out there that make it easy to work on your blog on your phone. Sure, you can use the website version in Safari or Google Chrome.
But mobile apps are designed specifically to work with the small screen. They can be a lot easier to navigate and find what you need compared to the browser version.
Plus, a lot of the best blogging apps are free to download.
Why Not Run a Blog on Your Phone
Unfortunately, there are a few reasons why you won’t see me give up my laptop in favor of my phone. Before you start a blog with just a mobile device, consider the drawbacks.
Smaller Screen
Sometimes, it’s nice to be able to see a lot of information on the screen at once. Even the largest smartphone has a small screen, so you have to do more scrolling to see all of the details you need.
And if you do a lot of typing on your phone, the on-screen keyboard will take up a lot of room. That means you’ll see even less data than you otherwise would.
Working on a small screen can be okay for a while, but it quickly gets old. So while I don’t mind running my various Instagram accounts on my phone, I wouldn’t run a full blog only on my phone.
App-Based Limitations
Some apps also make it hard to do certain tasks. For example, Canva allows you to make and edit designs on your smartphone, but I’ve struggled to do so.
The small screen is part of it, but also, my fingers aren’t as precise as the cursor on my laptop. If you want to make really good, precise designs, you may want to hold off until you can get to a computer.
More Casual Feel
Another drawback is more psychological. I don’t know about you, but using my phone feels like something I do on my free time and not for work.
But if you want to run a successful blog, you need to treat it like a job. If you struggle to be productive when using your smartphone, you might want to do most of your blogging tasks at the computer.
You can do some things on your phone, like post on social media. However, relying only on your smartphone might keep you from reaching your full potential.
Final Thoughts
Running a blog on your phone is possible, but it’s not going to be easy. Whether you’re starting a blog or want to grow your current blog, you may want to give your smartphone a try.
Then, you can determine what tech you need to make the most of your blogging time.
Regardless, you may want to use your phone to grow your blog using Instagram. If so, enroll in the Instagram Marketing & Sales Academy today!