A blogger has so many little details to keep track of! One important detail is managing our social media posts.

I have tried a few different options to make this easier. My favorite resource so far is CoSchedule. CoSchedule allows you to write and schedule social media shares from within the WordPress interface. CoSchedule also works for non-Wordpress bloggers, but I do not really know the details of how easy it is to use outside of WordPress.

I have a couple quick disclosures. I am hoping to receive a discount on my CoSchedule subscription as a reward for posting this review. I will also share my CoSchedule referral link, if you use that link to sign up for CoSchedule I receive a modest discount.

CoSchedule Video Demonstration:

CoSchedule provided this video walk-through that provides a peek at the CoSchedule interface and the features and benefits of CoSchedule.

My Experience Using CoSchedule:

My blogging budget is tight. So I have to think long and hard about any service that requires a monthly subscription fee. I just completed a two-week free trial of CoSchedule. During the trial, I did my best to make best use of CoSchedule’s features.

What I Like About CoSchedule:

• I love having the ability to pre-write and schedule posts to Facebook, Twitter and Google+, and LinkedIn.  I can write a personalized message including any hashtags that I need to include. I can also pre-schedule additional posts a week or month in advance. CoSchedule also allows custom scheduling for specific dates and times.
• I love that CoSchedule keeps a calendar of my blog and social media posts. The calendar uses my profile images for each account and can be color coded. I coded mine for the different sections of Feeling Fit (fitness, food, relaxation, style, etc).
• The calendar can be shared to your Google calendar.
• The analytics tracks social media shares for my posts and suggests that I schedule more shares for popular posts.
• CoSchedule is easy to use from within my WordPress dashboard and it fits very well with the way that I work
• CoSchedule features a few resources that help users learn to best use their service
• For those who manage Facebook groups: CoSchedule allows the option to schedule to post to those groups from within the web interface.
• CoSchedule can also be used to schedule social media posts that are not related to specific blog posts and it integrates with Buffer.

It Would Be Even Better If:

• The price were lower. It is a little high for a newer blogger like myself. I would love to use the plan that syncs with Evernote (another favorite app), but I really cannot justify the expense.
• I wish Co-Schedule could schedule pins to Pinterest and Instagram. CoSchedule use to be capable of Pinterest integration, my understanding is that were not able to continue that integration due to changes in Pinterest’s API.

Questions I Had About CoSchedule And My Answers:

Can CoSchedule Help Increase  My Traffic?

I don’t know whether to credit CoSchedule, but I followed the apps advice and scheduled new shares for some of my popular older posts. I saw some additional traffic to those posts from Twitter  (though some from search engines). My overall  page view stats increased a little over the two week trial period.

I used CoSchedule to  schedule social shares using the same day, next day, next week and next month options.  I have noticed my Twitter referred traffic increased a little, though I have not noticed a change in Facebook and Google+ referred traffic. I am curious whether CoSchedule will help improve my traffic over time by helping readers discover my older content.

Can CoSchedule Save My Time?

Yes! I am able to write my social media shares in the same interface where I also write my blog posts. I had used some other apps to autopost to social media. These other apps typically only shared the post title and link. Sometimes I need to include a specific hashtag in my social media shares and I would have to include the hashtag in my post title. Not anymore!

I still spend plenty of time on my social media accounts. However, now that same time is spent engaging with my community and sharing helpful posts from other sites.

My current goal is to better manage my blogging time and CoSchedule helps!

Will CoSchedule Help Keep Me Organized?

I find the calendar very helpful as I can visually see my blog and social media posts in one place. It would be nicer if I could also see Pinterest, YouTube and Instagram on my calendar, but so far this is the closest to an automatically generated editorial calendar.

With a small hack, I can view my CoSchedule calendar along with listings of my Pinterest and Instagram posts. Since CoSchedule will share to my Google Calendar, I use another app to post my Instagram and Pinterest posts to my Google Calendar Account. This does result in a comprehensive

In short, CoShedule is a problem solver for me. It saves time, allows me to control and schedule my social media shares, and it seems to be boosting my traffic a little. I know it is a big investment for a lot of bloggers.

 

How To Join CoSchedule:

Disclosure: This section contains my referral link to CoSchedule. If you use my link to sign up, then I receive a discount on my co-schedule subscription.

To learn more about CoSchedule or sign up for a free trial visit their website: CoSchedule Website (My Referrral Link).