Last updated on September 14th, 2023

At a glance, The Genius Blogger’s Toolkit looks too got be true. How can it offer $7k+ in resources for under $100? Here’s our honest review of the Genius Blogger’s Toolkit and if it’s really worth it.

When we first launched Simplifying DIY Design back in October 2017, we had a monthly budget of $100.

Aside from our web hosting, ConvertKit, and stock photo membership, we were using free tools for everything – including Canva!

We had to make miracles on a very limited budget (and fast!) to make our dream of working from home a reality.

Within four months, we had an email list of +1000 subscribers. 60 days later, we launched our very first product, ending the month at just under $12k in revenue.

The 9th edition of the Genius Blogger’s Toolkit is finally here! Get $6k+ worth of blogging resources for just $97 before the timer expires!

We fully understood the value of investing in education, especially in areas that would bring in the biggest return on investment (ROI).

Instead of getting caught up in the #ineedtobeeverywhereatonce blogging trend, we cut out the noise and prioritized our tasks based on ROI.

Keep in mind that high ROI tasks will vary from niche to niche and even more so from blog to blog.

For our specific audience, we focused on writing blog posts and designing lead magnets first and foremost.

Then, we needed to get our blog in front of the right people: our people. We wrote down our top three goals and worked backward.

We knew that money is in the list, so our first big scary goal was to have an email list of 1,000 email subscribers. In order to do that, we needed to:

• Have an opt-in form
• Offer a relevant freebie in exchange for an email address
• Write a welcome sequence that nurtures our readers
• Create Pinterest pin graphics
• Write click-worthy Pinterest pin descriptions
• Design graphics for Facebook ads
• Write compelling ad copy
• And so on

Even though we’re graphics designers, we had no idea how to run Facebook ads or write copy that converted, let alone set up a sales funnel with all the bells and whistles ConvertKit offered.

To help with this, we dug into the Genius Blogger’s Toolkit that we purchased just a few months prior.

While this purchase did cost an entire month’s budget, we knew it was an absolute NO-BRAINER for us and why it’ll be for you, too.

WHAT IS THE GENIUS BLOGGER’S TOOLKIT?

The past few years have taught us about many things, especially money.

We’re now more aware of our spending habits, even researching, reviewing, and researching again before purchasing.

We sometimes find ourselves asking:

• Is this purchase in direct relation to a goal?
• Is this something we already have at our disposal?
• Can we chew on this for a week and see if we still NEED it?

We know many other bloggers need to make their own miracles on a very limited budget, just as we did.

But there’s no way you can afford a program on Pinterest ads, SEO, or even email marketing with what your blog’s making right now.

That’s why the Genius Blogger’s Toolkit is so popular.

The Genius Blogger’s Toolkit is an expertly curated collection of eBooks, courses, printables, workbooks, guides, templates, and more, all in ONE bundle that’s available for a VERY limited time.

It’s packed with resources to help you start a blog, grow your email list, make money online, create digital products, and SO much more – for 97% off!

Because we were getting over $6k worth of products (specific to bloggers) for just $97, we were more than confident in spending our entire month’s budget on this toolkit.

As your blog grows, so will your goals and the programs you need to achieve them.

While we didn’t need a program on ads when we purchased the Genius Blogger’s Toolkit, we did less than four months later.

If we had purchased that program separately when we were ready for ads, it would’ve cost us $129.

Instead, we spent $97 and got instant access to dozens of blogging tools and resources that helped us grow our blog faster!

HOW MUCH DOES THIS TOOLKIT COST?

If you were to purchase every resource within this bundle separately, you’d end up paying $6,191.93. Now add in the 8 bonuses, and your grand total would be $7,314.93.

Yikes!

Instead, you can GET IT ALL for just one payment of $97.

Because of this, we ended up SAVING money by getting the Genius Blogger’s Toolkit instead of purchasing the included resources we wanted separately.

But you’ll have to act fast!

The 2023 Genius Blogger’s Toolkit is only available for 5 DAYS. After that, this toolkit will never be offered again with these exact resources.

DOORS OPEN: Monday, September 11th, 2023 at 9 am ET
DOORS CLOSE: Friday, September 15th, 2023 at 11:59 pm ET

The Genius Blogger’s Toolkit is unique because it’s updated with new and relevant resources EVERY year.

That means the 2023 bundle has completely different tools than what was offered last year.

So while you can wait until next year to purchase, you’ll miss out on the relevant tools you need to grow your blog NOW in 2023-2024.

And with a 30-DAY 100% HAPPINESS GUARANTEE refund policy, what do you have left to lose except time?

Don’t wait another day to fuel your blog with what it needs to grow!

WHAT’S INCLUDED IN THE 2023 GBTK?

This is such a valuable toolkit that it often gets overlooked because it screams overwhelm.

While we encourage diversity (in both income streams and connection points), we want you to actively engage your blinders – i.e., tunnel vision.

Everything you can think of is included in this toolkit, from photography and SEO to podcast growth and affiliate marketing.

Here’s a COMPLETE breakdown of what you’ll get instant access to with just ONE payment of $97:

• #BloggingLife (4 resources worth $390)
• Affiliate Marketing (3 resources worth $163)
• AI Tips & Tricks (4 resources worth $220)
• Content & Product Creation (8 resources worth $988)
• Email Marketing (5 resources worth $500)
• Marketing Strategy (2 resources worth $210)
• Mindset & Reducing Stress (4 resources worth $118)
• Monetization (3 resources worth $133)
• Planning for Success (4 resources worth $347)
• SEO (6 resources worth $803)
• Videos, Podcasts, & Social Media (4 resources worth $738)
• Website & Branding (8 resources worth $997)
• Bonuses (8 resources worth $1259 + Early Bird Bonus worth $300)

That’s a grand total of $7,314.93 worth of RELEVANT blogging courses, templates, workbooks, and more, all handpicked to help grow your blog in the here and now.

But a fraction of the cost. Get this toolkit now for only $97!

OUR TOP RECOMMENDATIONS

The Genius Blogger’s Toolkit is designed to be non-niche-specific. Therefore, some resources simply will NOT apply to your blog. And that’s okay!

ONLY take advantage of the material that directly aligns with your main goals for the year.

To make this a bit easier (and reduce the overwhelm!), we’re breaking down our top recommendations based on your blogging level from beginner to intermediate and advanced.

BEGINNER BLOGGER RECOMMENDATIONS

As a beginner blogger, your focus should be on list building using audience-driven content, lead magnets, and at least two traffic sources (e.g., Google and Pinterest).

Here are the resources we recommend in 2023’s Genius Blogger’s Toolkit:

• The Personal Brand Program: Build a Brand in a Month by The Marketing Greenhouse valued at $249: A step-by-step guide to designing, building and implementing a personal brand online

• Learn WordPress Fast by Cousett Hoover valued at $197: Learn how to create your WordPress site the right way from the start

• Website Planning Workbook by Stefanie Konstanta valued at $27: This workbook provides a comprehensive guide to confidently creating or revamping a high-converting website

• Content Planning System by Bree Pair at Thrive valued at $97: How to Plan a Year of Content in 2 Hours!

• SEO Optimized Blog Post Template Pack by Lucrezia Iapichino valued at $47: Craft the perfect blog post, increase your click rate, and skyrocket your website’s visibility with this comprehensive pack of templates, structure framework, outline, checklists, and training to make your content stand out from the crowd

• 60-Day SEO SOLUTION by Aisha Preece valued at $97: 60-Day Solution to get your first 1,000 visitors from Google

• Email Super Sales Mastermind by Mom Beach valued at $147: Turn your crickets into ka-chings by using the power of hypnotic sales language in your emails

• Pinterest Boost by Lidiya Kesarovska valued at $55: Pinterest Boost is your shortcut to getting many page views on Pinterest and turning them into blog traffic

Here are a few additional resources from this year’s toolkit to help you brainstorm and create high-converting lead magnets your audience WANTS.

• Content Planning & Inspiration by Faith Lee valued at $67: Content Planning & Inspiration workshop will help you stop the guesswork and have endless ideas and inspiration on digital products to create and sell

•  9-Pack Canva Template Bundle by Cody Berman valued at $89: This 9-Pack Canva Template Bundle can help any blogger or website owner make digital products in no time

• Lead Magnet Ebook Canva Templates by Faith Ola valued at $40: 60+ Elegant Ebook Canva Templates to create ebooks, PDFs, and guides to earn passive income and freebies to rapidly grow your email list

• Copywriting for Cash: Create Aligned Marketing in a Fraction of the Time by Alison Reeves valued at $99: Create Aligned Marketing Copy In A Fraction Of The Time With This Epic Collection

INTERMEDIATE BLOGGER RECOMMENDATIONS

Most bloggers would agree that an intermediate blogger has a solid understanding of their audience and blogging in general.

Because of that, their blog has continuous traffic, steady list growth, and a monthly income.

Intermediate bloggers should focus on growth and income diversity. This is the time to dive deeper into SEO and expand income streams via funnels (e.g., affiliate marketing, sponsored posts, and higher-value products).

Here are the resources we recommend for intermediate bloggers in this year’s Genius Blogger’s Toolkit:

• Product Creators Ultimate Toolbox by Simplifying DIY Design valued at $297: A done-for-you product creation system you can use to create and launch every product

• Grow It: From Blog To Business by Margaret Bourne valued at $197: A roadmap for confident and profitable blogging.

• The Ultimate SEO Course For Bloggers by The Blog Societies valued at $199: The secrets to getting organic search traffic so you can make MORE MONEY from your blog

• Affiliate Income Starter Kit by Helene Sula valued at $99: A straightforward, real approach to making money RIGHT NOW with affiliate marketing. No matter your audience size. Step-by-step guide on making affiliate income!

• Affiliate Toolkit: The Email Templates You’ll Need to Promote Any Affiliate Product by Tina Lopez valued at $37: Leverage our plug and play affiliate promotion email templates to promote any affiliate product and convert leads into commissions

• A Blogger’s Guide to Working with Brands (Bonus ChatGPT Prompts) by Lisa Sharp valued at $17: Learn how to start earning more money from your blog by working with brands

• Funnel By Number by Christie Love Etter valued at $67: A simple 3-step system to learn everything you need to know about funnels, how to map them out and organize the process with an easy to use color-coded system.

ADVANCED BLOGGER RECOMMENDATIONS

Experienced bloggers are ready to scale by incorporating more advanced tools into their marketing strategies, such as AI and funnel/checkout systems, just to name a few.

They also need to stay relevant with their content, which requires continuous updates across the board.

We’re always updating our blog posts, sales pages, freebies, products, and funnels to provide the most up-to-date information for our audience and keep up with ever-changing strategies.

• Product Creators Ultimate Toolbox by Simplifying DIY Design valued at $297: A done-for-you product creation system you can use to create and launch every product

• AI Prompt Secrets Unlocked by Christina Peterson valued at $67: Learn how to use AI for a number of different aspects of your business +PLUS 98 well-crafted prompt templates to move forward with super-speed

• Ultimate Business Success Bundles Featuring ChatGPT: Unleashing the Potential for Business Success by Joni Kinney valued at $89: Our carefully curated bundle brings together three powerful resources to equip you with the tools and knowledge needed to revolutionize your business

• Evergreen Funnel Jumpstart: Sell your online course on autopilot! by Eb Gargano valued at $197: Your complete step-by-step guide to creating and launching a successful evergreen sales funnel, so you can sell your online course on autopilot every day… and never have to do another live launch again

• Messenger Growth Framework by Andrea Deckard valued at $47: Create simple Messenger funnels for Facebook and Instagram to grow your email list

• ThriveCart Toolkit by Melissa Guller valued at $200: Unlock step-by-step tutorials to help you build online courses and high-converting checkout pages with confidence. (Bonus: checkout page template)

• How To Update Your Old Content To Grow Your Traffic by Jessie Festa valued at $74: Learn how to update your old content to improve your SEO and grow your traffic

• 3 Day Sales Jump Start – Mini Course to revamp, restore, and revive your sales! by Holly Daniel valued at $111: Mini Course to revamp, restore, and revive your sales

• Copywriting for Cash: Create Aligned Marketing in a Fraction of the Time by Alison Reeves valued at $99: Create aligned marketing copy in a fraction of the time with this epic collection

SURPRISE BONUS FROM US

We LOVE seeing each and every one of you succeed in your blogging journey. Seriously, keep those emails coming!

It totally makes our day and gives us the push to keep moving forward when we’re in one of those icky motivation lulls. (It happens to everyone; you’re definitely not alone!)

Because branding is one of the biggest obstacles for bloggers, we knew we had to add a special bonus for those who purchase the Genius Blogger’s Toolkit through our link.

If you purchase 2023’s Genius Blogger’s Toolkit using our link, you’ll get FREE access to our Five-Minute Brand, valued at $47!

Our Five-Minute Brand comes with 40 complete (and editable!) Canva brand kits PLUS matching templates to brand your blog top to bottom.

Follow these easy steps to access our FREE special bonus:

• Purchase the Genius Blogger’s Toolkit using any link on this page (or emails!)
• Send an email to hello[at]simplifyingdiydesign.com with a copy of your receipt
• Be sure to include the email associated with your Teachable account

If you’re like us and value thorough due diligence before investing in your business, this is for you.

We’re answering the exact questions we had before we purchased our first Genius Blogger’s Toolkit back in 2017.

How is this not too good to be true?

This was our first thought, along with, ‘Are we dreaming?’ It’s truly a beginner blogger’s dream to have so many tools to help grow your blog at such an incredible discount.

The creator of the Genius Blogger’s Toolkit is no novice to business.

In fact, that’s all they do! Ultimate Bundles sells hundreds of thousands of bundles throughout the year in a wide variety of niches, from travel to faith… and really everything in between.

The Genius Blogger’s Toolkit combines the best products from top bloggers and experts in their respective industries and packages them up in one bundle for a very limited time.

It would be quite difficult to provide year-round access whilst maintaining the relevancy of the material along with quality.

Isn’t this the same thing every year?

The Genius Blogger’s Toolkit launches a new edition once a year. Some of the categories will stay the same, such as monetization and SEO, as those are staples in the blogging industry.

The contents, however, are updated every year, so you’ll always have the most up-to-date resources to help grow your blog NOW.

Even though you may have purchased the toolkit in 2021 or even 2022, the algorithms, methods, and tools we use in our business change – a LOT!

In order to make money, you have to spend money. Investing in your business is essential for growth!

How long will I have access?

You have access to everything within the Genius Blogger’s Toolkit for 6 months. Whatever material you access within those 6 months will be available to you for the life of the program. If it’s a download, obviously, you’ll have access forever!

That’s why it’s so important to make a list of the available resources specific to your blogging goals as quickly as possible.

We usually download or enroll in everything we need within the first month, so we have ample time to access more, just in case.

We’ll move all of the login details to a dedicated folder within our Gmail account. Any downloads are neatly tucked away in a Google Drive folder for safekeeping.

Our stance on the Genius Blogger’s Toolkit

Blogging is such a shockingly fast-paced environment in both exposure and tools. If your brand isn’t keeping up with the demands of relevancy, your business will struggle.

Ask any top blogger or industry expert, and they’ll all say the same thing: You can never stop learning.

Most of the tools we used to start our blog back in 2017 are now obsolete. They didn’t continuously update their programs to stay relevant.

But because we stayed in the books, so to speak, we knew what had to go and what to replace it with. We knew what algorithm changes were going to affect our content and what updates to focus on.

The Genius Blogger’s Toolkit helps meet those demands by providing expertly curated products at an incredibly affordable price.

Have we loved every single resource we accessed from the bundles over the years? Nope.

If we all thought, taught, and learned the same way, life would be pretty boring. Diversity as both consumer and blogger is what makes your brand uniquely you (along with your audience).

This bundle is the perfect opportunity to dip your toes without breaking the bank. 

• See if you jive with a specific course creator before purchasing a higher-priced product
• See if a certain strategy works for your business before investing further
• Help you get something done and out there (like templates!) to then tweak it as you grow

Plus, Ultimate Bundles has an amazing 30-DAY happiness guarantee.

If you’re just not satisfied with your Genius Blogger’s Toolkit, simply request a refund within 30 days for a full refund.

There’s nothing left for you to lose except time. Get a copy of the Genius Blogger’s Toolkit NOW for just $97 before the timer runs out!

Last updated on April 21st, 2024

In this Canva Content License Agreement series, we’ll dive into the can and can NOTs of your Canva designs as a blogger. Part three of this series is all about how you can legally use Canva content throughout your blogging business!

Great visuals can either make or break a blog. Eye-catching Pinterest pin designs get more people to your blog posts.

Intentional blog post graphics break up heavy bits of text and make it easier to read, keeping people on your blog longer.

Enticing freebie opt-in designs gets people to sign up for your email list (and free goodies).

Thoughtful product mockups get people interested in your products before reading your sales page.

Instead of spending thousands on a brand photographer, most bloggers use stock photos for their Pinterest pins, blog post images, opt-in designs, product mockups, and even testimonial graphics.

But because of that, you could be violating Canva’s Content License Agreement without even knowing it.

Want a FREE, no-fluff crash course on how to use Canva as a blogger? Enroll in our self-paced Canva 2.0 Quick Start NOW to dive in!

If, while reading this post, you find yourself on the wrong side of Canva’s agreement, what you do after will make all the difference.

You’ll not only know what oopsies you’ve made by (illegally) using Canva content throughout your blog (so you don’t make them again) but also how you can fix it.

We’ve all made mistakes in our blogs that cost us money, resulted in a loss of traffic, or caused just downright embarrassment with LOTS of strongly worded emails.

All you can do is fix it and write it off as a lesson learned!

REMEMBER THIS POST LATER! PIN IT TO YOUR FAVORITE PINTEREST BOARD!⬇

USE CANVA CONTENT ON YOUR BLOG

When you think about all the visuals that go into a blog, it starts to add up pretty darn fast!

Pinterest pins, featured images, opt-in graphics, blog post images, sidebar graphics, about image – it’s like it never ends.

A good chunk of those is usually made with stock photos, which means you likely have a stock photo membership or use Canva’s media library.

If you use Canva’s stock photos, there are a few things you need to keep in mind.

• Add the copyright symbol © followed by the creator’s name and then canva.com if using standalone stock images
• Ensure each Pro stock photo used is not larger than 480k total pixels (roughly 600px x 800px) OR has content over top (to prevent theft of that image) OR
• Use a free stock photo so you’re not limited by size or design requirements

To make more sense of it all, let’s dive into the areas of a blog where you’d use a stock photo.

Pinterest pin design

Multiply the width and height of your image (e.g., 600px x 800px) to get your total pixel size.

Our Pinterest pin sometimes uses a Canva Pro stock photo AND is much larger than 480k total pixels (1000px x 1500px = 1,500,000 total pixels). But we have content over most of the photos, so it cannot be stolen.

Since our Pinterest pin is an original design and not just a stock photo, we don’t have to add any copyrighted material.

Overall, our Pinterest pin meets the criteria discussed in Canva’s Content License Agreement.

Featured image

Featured images can vary in size based on your website’s theme, so this is something that’ll be unique to you.

For our custom theme (designed by Laura at Pixel Me Designs), our featured image size is 350px x 500px (175,000 total pixels). Because this image size is smaller than 480k total pixels, we don’t have to put content over the top to prevent theft.

‘Woman typing on a laptop’ created by Janeb13 on Canva.com

However, most of the images we use are from Canva’s free stock photo library and not Pro, so we don’t have to worry about size regulation and theft prevention. Remember, that’s only for Pro stock photos!

Now, let’s chat about copyright for a moment.

Section 9, line item 9 of Canva’s Content License Agreement, states that you can NOT “use the Content for editorial purposes without including the following credit adjacent to the Content or in audio/visual production credits: “©[insert Contributor’s Name] via Canva.com”

Technically, a website or blog is considered editorial, so we, as bloggers, would fall into this particular scenario.

We must credit the creator because our Featured image is a standalone stock photo.

We’ve contacted Canva for more guidance on properly citing stock photos used in featured images and will update you accordingly.

Blog post image

Adding related images throughout a blog post is a very common practice for breaking up heavy blocks of text.

To make sure we’re in compliance with Canva’s Content License Agreement, we generally use free Canva stock images so we’re not limited to a certain pixel size or have to add content over top to prevent theft.

‘Person using Canva on a smartphone’ created by Cottonbro on Canva.com

But if we really wanted to use a Canva Pro stock photo, we would keep the image size to under 480k total pixels as per section 5A of Canva’s Content License Agreement.

USE CANVA CONTENT IN A TESTIMONIAL GRAPHIC

While your first response might be to share the photo of the person actually giving the testimonial, you can easily use a stock image for things like sports, outdoors, parties, journaling, and many other products.

This keeps with the theme of your brand and showcases your product type (if not the actual product) in action, which helps visualize your buyer using your product.

Related Post: How to Easy Sell Canva Templates on Your Blog

However, there are a couple of things to keep in mind.

According to section 9, line items 6 and 7 of Canva’s Content License Agreement, your graphic can NOT:

• Give the appearance that the person in the stock photo is a brand advocate or endorsing your business (especially political endorsements)
• Depicts any person(s) in the stock photo in a bad light or in a way that they themselves might find offensive

An easy workaround is to use an image of more than one person because it can’t be attributed to one specific individual. See the difference?

The first image shows that the woman on the laptop gave the testimonial and, therefore, endorses the template brand. The image on the right, however, can’t be attributed to a specific individual.

You can also just not use an image with a person. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with keeping the testimonial front and center with a few design elements to make it pop.

Another popular option is using the actual testimonial (so, like a screenshot). We’ve done this with email and social media posts on our sales and checkout pages for authenticity and trust!

USE CANVA CONTENT TO PROMOTE YOUR PRODUCTS

There are many forms of a product mockup that can be designed with Canva content. We use mockups on social media, in our emails, and on sales pages, just to name a few.

Here are two different product mockups using Canva’s stock images that meet Canva’s Content License Agreement.

First, they don’t give the impression of any endorsements. Second, it doesn’t depict any individual in a bad light.

Related Post: How to Easily Create and Sell Printable Products

If we were to include a testimonial in these images, then we’d be in hot water because it could be tied to the person in the photo. But just using them as a plain ol’ mockup is a-ok.

WHEN YOU CAN NOT USE CANVA CONTENT

It should go without saying that you can NOT use ANY Canva content on a blog that is immoral, libelous, obscene, defamatory, pornographic, or just plain wrong in any given nature.

Don’t use a photo or content creator if it would portray the person in the photo or creator in a negative light.

Additionally, there are a few other things that can NOT be tied to ANY Canva content.

Tobacco, adult entertainment, politics, and pharmaceutical or healthcare are off-limits. Even herbal and medicinal products cannot be tied to Canva content.

We know that some of our reader’s blogs contain material about naturally grown medicine and remedies, which, unfortunately, could fall under medicinal products.

Please reach out to Canva Support for specific clarification on how you can use Canva content on your blog.

Check out the rest of our Canva Content License Agreement series so you know what you can and can NOT do with your Canva designs as a blogger!

• Part One: Read This Before You Make a Logo in Canva
• Part Two: How to Legally Sell Digital Products Made in Canva

Do you use Canva content in other ways throughout your blog, or do you have a different example you want us to share? Let us know in the comments.

We want to make sure this post is as informative as possible so you can feel confident when you use Canva content (legally) on your blog!

Don’t forget to grab our FREE Product Creators QuickStart Kit! Use the checklist, cheatsheet, and Canva design template to create a digital product for your blog!

TRY CANVA PRO FREE FOR 30 DAYS

Start your FREE Canva Pro trial today and unlock ALL of their incredible time-saving features that cut your design time to just minutes.

To be honest? It’s the best $12.99/mo OR $119/yr we spend on our business because that time we save with every design is put back into making MORE money in our business!

WANT TO SAVE THIS FOR LATER? PIN IT TO YOUR FAVORITE PINTEREST BOARD!⬇

Last updated on April 21st, 2024

In this Canva Content License Agreement series, we’ll dive into the can and can NOTs of your Canva designs as a blogger. Part two of this series is all about how you can legally sell products made in Canva – it’s not as straightforward as some might think!

Canva is not only the focal point of our business but also, hands down, the best tool we’ve ever used.

It’s so easy to create literally any visual for your blog—product mockups, lead magnets, social media posts, email signatures, and even digital and physical products.

Bloggers and small business owners don’t just use Canva. Mega corporations like FedEx also use Canva and have partnered to create a design-to-print marketplace.

Okay, it’s no secret that we get super giddy anytime we can discuss how awesome Canva truly is.

But the one thing that’s not so awesome is talking about Canva’s content licenses.

Want a FREE, no-fluff crash course on how to use Canva as a blogger? Enroll in our self-paced Canva 2.0 Quick Start NOW to dive in!

It’s easy to think that if Canva offers it, we can use it without question. Life as a blogger could be much simpler, right?

If you sell products made in Canva, you could violate their Content License Agreement without knowing it.

And if reading this post helps you realize you are, that’s okay. You’ll know what mistakes you’re making (so you don’t make them again) and how you can fix them!

Or maybe you’re just starting and want to ensure you’re doing things right the first time.

We’ve all made mistakes, big and small (trust us!), and we’ve all managed to come out on the other side stronger than ever.

So if you sell products made in Canva or want to start, this is for you!

REMEMBER THIS POST LATER! PIN IT TO YOUR FAVORITE PINTEREST BOARD!⬇

Canva offers two membership plans – free and Pro. Even though your free membership has a very limited media library, you still have the option to purchase Pro content.

Each piece of Pro content (indicated by a crown icon) is just $1. Even though you purchased a piece of Pro content, you must pay each time you use it in a DIFFERENT design/project.

If Amanda has a free account and purchases a piece of Pro content (let’s say, an arrow) for one social media post, she’ll pay $1. But if she wants to use that same arrow in:

• Multiple social media posts that are in the SAME design/project, she’ll only pay $1
• Two YouTube thumbnails in DIFFERENT designs/projects, she’ll pay an additional $1
• One page in her eBook, she’ll pay an additional $1

This can add up quickly, so if you use more than 13 pieces of Pro content a month, you’d save money by upgrading to Canva Pro ($12.99/mo OR $119/yr).

If you’re on Canva’s free plan and pay to use a piece of Pro content, you’re issued a Pro Content license upon purchase.

If you have a Canva Pro account and use a piece of Pro content, you’re issued a Pro Content license when you export a design.

But what does that mean?

When you either purchase or export a design using a piece of Pro content, you agree to the limitations found in the Pro Content license.

There are things you can and can NOT do with your designs that contain Pro content.

CAN YOU CREATE AND SELL PRODUCTS MADE IN CANVA?

The short answer is YES. You can create and sell products made in Canva!

But…

Some limitations will vary based on the type of product you’re selling, whether it’s an end-user product or a design template.

But before we dive into examples specific to bloggers, there are some license commonalities with selling any product you created in Canva.

1. THEY MUST BE YOUR DESIGNS

Any design you want to sell (finished or template) must be created from scratch. However, you can also purchase a design template specifically made for commercial use from a third party (like us).

However, you can use a Canva template for inspiration! This is a great way to see what types of layouts or styles you like (or maybe even a color palette!) to help you create something unique.

This includes selling standalone items like a stock photo or single design element from Canva’s media library, which we’ll discuss in a later example. It’s a big no-no!

2. CANVA TEMPLATES CAN NOT BE SOLD AS-IS

You cannot sell something you didn’t create. To sell Canva templates, you must create your own designs.

It’s kind of obvious, but you can’t take credit for something you didn’t design. How would you feel if someone took something you created, changed out one or two things, and started selling it as their own?

You’d feel pretty icky, huh?

3. CANVA TEMPLATES WITH PRO CONTENT MUST BE SOLD AS A CANVA LINK

If you use Pro content in your (original) design template, it has to stay in Canva by selling it as a direct Canva link.

If your designs ONLY include free content, you can sell them as a digital file (flattened PDF or PNG) or as a direct Canva link.

You can do this by delivering a PDF with buttons that link to each Canva template. This helps ensure the proper royalties are paid to those who contribute to Canva’s Pro media library, such as photographers, illustrators, and artists.

Now that you know what you can and can’t do if you want to sell products made in Canva, let’s explore a few examples specific to bloggers.

USING CANVA CONTENT IN PRODUCTS TO SELL

EXAMPLE #1

Renee wants to create a workbook to help parents teach their children about the Bible. Her workbook will include a mixture of Canva free and Pro content, including stock photos and graphics.

Related Post: How to Design a Workbook Using Canva

Referencing sections 5 and 5A of Canva’s Content License Agreement, Renee can sell her workbook if:

• It’s an original design (or she purchased a template specifically intended for commercial use from a third party like us)
• Each Pro stock photo used is not larger than 480k pixels (or 600px x 800px) OR has content over top (to prevent image theft)
• It’s being sold as a finished product that her customer can use as-is (doesn’t need to edit to use)

Yes, you read that right. You can NOT use a Canva template to create a workbook and sell it unless you add your own creative design twist to make it your own.

This is why we highly encourage our readers to purchase design templates specifically designed for commercial use from a third party (like us!).

We created our templates to help you sell digital products without worrying about design or licensing.

Keep in mind that Renee’s example applies to most end-user products.

End user means it doesn’t require any edits from the purchaser in order to use – workbooks, eBooks, worksheets, greeting cards, cheat sheets, etc.

However, there is one caveat that we’ll get to in example #2.

ALTERNATIVE SOLUTION

Let’s say Renee is on Canva’s free plan, uses our page design templates, and ONLY wants to use free content throughout her workbook.

Renee no longer has to worry about:

• Creating an original design because she’s using OUR templates designed for digital products
• A specific pixel limit because it doesn’t apply to free stock photo content
• Selling her workbook in a particular format if she decides to sell it as a template versus end-use

Remember us mentioning Canva templates that contain Pro content MUST be sold as a direct Canva link?

Because Renee uses free content in her workbook (instead of Pro content), she can sell her workbook in various ways if she decides to sell it as a template instead of an end-user product.

EXAMPLE #2

Morgan has a homeschooling blog and wants to sell printable flashcards with only individual pieces of Canva content on each card, like an earthworm, caterpillar, and honey bee.

While the printable flashcards wouldn’t require editing from the end user, it still violates Canva’s Content License Agreement. So, what makes Morgan’s flashcards different from Renee’s workbook?

Renee incorporates Canva’s content throughout her workbook, making it an original design.

Related Post: How to Easily Create and Sell Printable Products

Selling printable flashcards with standalone Canva content violates section 9, line item 1 of Canva’s Content License Agreement.

Whether Morgan was using free or Canva Pro content, she was (unintentionally) reselling Canva content as a standalone element.

What can Morgan do to sell flashcards still? Morgan needs to do one of the following:

• Create an original design (either with the Canva content or without)
• Purchase design elements specifically for commercial use (like Creative Market)

Suppose Morgan was to purchase her insect graphics from Creative Market for commercial use (meaning, she bought the ‘Commercial’ license at checkout). In that case, she can create and sell her flashcards as initially intended.

We recommend this route because using just one piece of Canva content can become a gray area when creating an original design.

Could Morgan put the piece of content over a colored shape to provide some dimension? Absolutely. Would that classify as an original design? Some might say yes, and some might say no.

She could be more creative with her design, but this might negatively affect the intent of the homeschooling product.

You can always contact Canva Support for more clarity or if you’re unsure about any potential license violations.

EXAMPLE #3

Carla is a skilled calligrapher and wants to design and sell her own line of stationery, including children’s birthday invitation templates.

All of her designs are completely original, with a mixture of free and Pro content. She then sells her invitation templates on her Shopify storefront as direct Canva template links.

Carla does NOT violate Canva’s Content License Agreement because she:

• Designed all of her templates from scratch
• Sells her templates specifically for use on Canva (only when using Pro content)

Because the customer needs to add their information to use this product, it’s not classified as an end-user product but rather as a template.

Canva treats templated products differently than end-user products, specifically those that use Pro content.

Here’s where we get into end-user versus templated products again.

Related Post: How to Sell Canva Templates on Your Blog

If Carla were to use ONLY free content in her invitation templates, she would have the option of selling her templates as a direct download (like a flattened PDF or PNG) or as a Canva template link.

But because she includes Pro content in her templates, she MUST sell them as direct Canva template links. Canva Pro content licenses will always trump their free content licenses.

EXAMPLE #4

Jasmine blogs about all things dogs and wants to start selling apparel for dog lovers on Etsy using a print-on-demand service like Printify.

She uses a pre-existing Canva template but puts her own unique, creative take on it to make it her own. She used a mixture of fonts as well as free and Pro content. Then, she downloads her design as a high-quality digital file and uploads it to Printify.

Jasmine does NOT violate Canva’s Content License Agreement because she:

• Put in her own creative effort to make the design template unique and original to her
• Didn’t use any piece of free or Pro content as a standalone design item

If her design consisted of just a single stock photo (or piece of content, as we mentioned in example #2) instead of her own design, Jasmine would’ve violated Canva’s Content License Agreement.

Even if she added a simple border, it would still violate the agreement. The bottom line is that the designs you sell need to be original.

CANVA PROTECTS THEIR CREATORS

You need to know a lot of information if you want to (legally) sell products made in Canva.

We promise you that Canva isn’t doing this to make our lives as bloggers harder. They want to ensure that the proper royalties are paid to those contributing to their Pro media library.

Once we started looking at their Content License Agreement from that mindset, it became much clearer.

If you sell Canva templates that contain Pro content, you must sell them as a direct Canva link. That’s so the creators of the Pro content are paid.

If your end-user product contains Pro stock photos, it can’t be larger than 480k pixels in size (600x800px) or have another piece of content or text over it, so it can’t be stolen.

You can’t resell something you didn’t create, which protects the original creator(s). Instead, purchase templates specifically designed for commercial use from a third-party designer like us!

Check out the rest of our Canva Content License Agreement series for bloggers, mainly if you sell Canva-created products!

• Part One: Read This Before You Make a Logo in Canva
• Part Three: How to Use Canva Content Throughout Your Blog

Do you sell products using Canva, or do you have a different example you want us to share? Let us know in the comments.

We want to ensure this post is as informative as possible so you can feel confident creating and selling products made in Canva!

Don’t forget to enroll in our FREE self-paced Canva 2.0 Quick Start course! It’s PERFECT for learning the ins and outs of what makes Canva the best design platform for bloggers!

TRY CANVA PRO FREE FOR 30 DAYS

Start your FREE Canva Pro trial today and unlock ALL of their incredible time-saving features that cut your design time to just minutes.

To be honest? It’s the best $14.99/mo OR $119/yr we spend on our business because that time we save with every design is put back into making MORE money in our business!

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Last updated on April 21st, 2024

In this Canva Content License Agreement series, we’ll dive into the cans and can NOTs of your Canva designs as a blogger. Part one of this series is all about (legal) Canva logo design and how you can make a trademarkable logo in Canva!

Understanding a license agreement for anything can be challenging. But when it pertains to a multi-use program like Canva, it can be even more complicated.

There are licensing differences between Canva’s free and paid memberships, simple logos versus trademarks, end-user products versus templates, Magic Write’s (similar to ChatGPT) dos and don’ts…

It’s a lot of content to unpack for experienced bloggers, let alone for someone new to the blogging community.

Want a FREE, no-fluff crash course on how to use Canva as a blogger? Enroll in our self-paced Canva 2.0 Quick Start NOW to dive in!

While the constant addition of new Canva features is a total game-changer, there are now even more content licensing agreements bloggers need to know.

Now, remember that this is a breakdown of Canva’s Content License Agreement specific to bloggers.

There will be things in Canva’s agreement that we won’t mention because it doesn’t pertain to the average blogger, i.e., remixing music from Canva’s media library.

Just because we don’t discuss it here doesn’t mean it’s not included in Canva’s Content License Agreement.

When in doubt, always reference the entire license agreement or contact Canva Support for additional guidance.

Due to the size of Canva’s Content License Agreement, we’ve created a series to go into full detail on the topics that matter most to bloggers!

Now let’s dive into logo design from a blogger’s perspective using Canva’s Content License Agreement.

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What’s the one thing ALL bloggers, specifically all websites, have?

A logo.

Not everyone has a YouTube channel, but we’ll bet that every blogger has or is working on a logo!

Which is why this is hands down the most common question we get asked…

“Can I create a logo in Canva and use it for my blog?”

First things first.

1. You CAN create your logo in Canva

In fact, they have hundreds of logo templates to choose from if designing from scratch isn’t your thing.

Type ‘logo’ in the search bar at the top and filter based on style, subject, topic, color, and more.

Once you find a logo template you like, swap out your brand colors and add your business name.

Poof! Instant logo!

Related Post: 10 Must-Know Tips to Make Your Logo Stand Out

Download it as a transparent background (only available for Canva Pro users) and keep it somewhere safe.

Don’t forget to compress your file using TinyPNG to access raw and compressed files quickly and easily.

We use and LOVE both Google Drive and Asana to keep our business organized, especially as we expand our team.

If you still haven’t found the perfect logo, be sure to check out our Five-Minute Brand!

You’ll get instant access to 40 complete (editable!) brand kits PLUS hundreds of Canva templates to brand your blog. It’s truly lived up to its name if we do say so ourselves!

2. You can NOT trademark your logo if…

Here’s where it can get a little confusing for some.

You can use Canva’s logo templates for your small business if you do NOT want it trademarked.

Reason being, you can NOT trademark something that more than one person owns. The same goes for using stock content like photos or graphics – it’s not original to you.

In other words, if it’s available to use by others, it can’t be trademarked.

Even if you:

• Change the colors and fonts to match your brand
• Swap out the text with your business name
• Add stock content like a photo or graphic

It’s still based on the original design of the template and can NOT be trademarked.

It’s okay not to have a trademarked logo. Some million-dollar bloggers haven’t trademarked their logos or even their business names. If you’re using a template, you have to be okay with having the same or similar logo design as someone else.

We don’t recommend it if your blog is less than five years old because you’ll more than likely update your brand as your business and blog grow anyway. We revamped just after three!

If you’re firm on trademarking your logo, you can:

• Create your OWN logo using lines, simple shapes, and/or fonts
• Hire a designer to create a custom logo for you

As Canva’s Content License Agreement states, Canva defines ‘Content’ as “photos, icons, illustrations, video, audio, fonts and templates.”

However, Canva expressly excludes fonts regarding the prohibited use of their free and Pro content, stating, “use any of the Content as part of a trade-mark, design-mark, trade-name, business name or service mark (excluding fonts).”

Note that lines and shapes are not listed as items of ‘Content.’ Under copyright law, you cannot copyright a simple shape. Again, a design created using simple shapes can be trademarked (like Target’s bullseye logo).

Let’s go over a few examples.

EXAMPLE #1

Shelly wants to create a logo for her home organization blog using a logo template she found on Canva.

She swaps out the template colors with her brand’s color palette, changes the faux business name to her blog’s name, and even changes the font to match her brand’s premium font she purchased on Creative Market.

But, she left the ‘brushstroke’ graphic in her logo design.

‘Peachbuff Brush Stroke Photography Logo’ created by Canva Creative Studio on Canva.com

Shelly can NOT trademark her logo because:

• It’s still based on the pre-templated logo design
• Does NOT contain ONLY lines, simple shapes, and/or fonts

Even though Shelly’s logo cannot be trademarked, she can still use it throughout her blog and small business.

EXAMPLE #2

Roberta wants to freshen up her DIY party blog with a new color palette and logo design. She found a party-style logo template in Canva but intends to create an original design unique to her brand.

Roberta uses the template as a guide and replaces the graphic with her design using simple shapes and a premium hand-drawn font she purchased for commercial use to create the strings.

Related Post: How to Create a Color Palette for Your Blog (+color guide!)

She then changes the faux business name to her blog’s name.

‘Green Birthday and Party Service Decoration Logo’ created by Cikalora on Canva.com

Roberta CAN trademark her logo because:

• It’s her OWN unique design
• ONLY uses lines, simple shapes, and/or fonts

Whether Roberta wants to trademark her logo or not, she can still use it throughout her blog and small business.

EXAMPLE #3

Kristen’s starting a budgeting blog and is ready to design her trademarked logo. She finds a finance-related logo template in Canva that she can recreate using only shapes, lines, and fonts.

This is a very gray area regarding trademarked logos. Canva highly recommends that you put your own creative effort into creating a unique design.

‘Modern Money Bag Logo’ created by Brandreka on Canva.com

If Kristen’s logo still appears like the pre-templated logo design, regardless of the approved tools used to create the design, it would violate Canva’s Content License Agreement.

Kristen has a few options if she wants a logo that she can confidently trademark:

• Add additional lines and shapes to create a unique design
• Design a new logo with her own creative spin
• Hire a graphic designer to create a custom logo

If Kristen decides she does NOT want to trademark her logo, she no longer has to put any additional effort into her logo design and can use it as-is.

EXAMPLE #4

Elizabeth is a well-known blogger and wants to start a new side venture teaching others how to start a blog.

She’s keen on creating a simple brand with a simple logo to show that blogging doesn’t have to be complicated.

Related Post: Create a Brand for Your Blog (+brand board template!)

Elizabeth creates her own logo using only one line to extend the letter t and one Canva font.

Elizabeth CAN trademark her logo because:

• It’s her OWN unique design
• ONLY uses lines, simple shapes, and/or fonts

Having your business name as your logo (without any other design features) is a very common approach for bloggers.

Have fun with the typography as we did in this example by extending the cross on the letter t or keeping it simple with just text.

Look at businesses like KitchenAid, Dell, and FedEx. Their logos are as simple as they come, yet they’ll be remembered for decades, if not generations.

EXAMPLE #5

Rebecca’s crochet blog just hit its fourth year in business, and she wants to celebrate with a rebrand.

Rebecca found the perfect crochet graphic on Creative Market and uploaded it to Canva to add to her text-only logo design.

Related Post: Top Blog Design Tips from Pro Bloggers

Rebecca can NOT trademark her logo because:

• The graphic she uploaded is NOT a unique design

Even though Rebecca wasn’t using a graphic from Canva, she’s still unable to trademark her logo because the graphic could be used by someone else.

Reference Creative Market’s License Terms for more information on approved uses for purchased assets.

Can she still use her logo even though she cannot trademark it? Absolutely!

EXAMPLE #6

LaDonna is expanding her design business to incorporate custom logo designs for her clients using Canva.

Even though LaDonna is creating logos for others, she still must abide by the same Content License Agreement along with section 4A:

• Transferring the rights of any client design to said client (using an agreement)
• Ensures client complies with Canva’s Content License Agreement for received design(s)
• Transferring client design(s) to only the client (i.e., transferring/selling to others)

LaDonna must make it abundantly clear if the logo design can or can NOT be trademarked.

This will depend on the many factors we’ve mentioned throughout this post. If it’s a unique design, contains Canva content, lines, shapes, fonts, etc.

Just because a logo design meets all the essential Content License Agreement trademark criteria doesn’t mean it can be trademarked.

WHERE YOU CAN NOT USE YOUR CANVA LOGO

Canva is a reputable, professional business. They respect their employees, freelance artists, illustrators, photographers, and users.

So much so that they created specific ‘Prohibited Uses’ regarding both their free and Pro content.

What does that mean for bloggers?

If you create a logo (or any design for that matter) using free or Pro content, you can NOT use it in a way that according to section 9 of Canva’s Content License Agreement:

• “is pornographic, obscene, immoral, infringing, defamatory or libelous in nature, or that would be reasonably likely to bring any person or property reflected in the Content into disrepute;”
• “places any person depicted in the content in a bad light or in a way that they may find offensive”

It’s frustrating to see discussions in Facebook groups where someone asks if they create a logo in Canva and use it throughout their blog and are immediately hit with NO because that couldn’t be farther from the truth.

Some have even gone as far as to ask why you even have logo templates if you can’t use them for your blog.

First off, that’s factually incorrect.

You can 100% use a templated logo for your blog as long as you do NOT trademark it.

You can also 100% create your own logo using free or Pro content for your blog as long as you do NOT trademark it.

Non-business individuals use Canva’s logo templates, too.

Families use them to create a fun family logo for their Christmas cards. Some add a logo to homemade products like laundry detergent and tinctures, DIY family recipe cards, wedding print-outs, and so much more.

There are hundreds of ways you can legally use a logo you made in Canva (your blog being one of them!) without having to claim exclusive rights or trademark it.

To recap, you:

• CAN create a logo using Canva
• CAN use a logo template for your blog
• CAN create a logo using free and/or Pro content for your blog
• Can NOT trademark a logo made from a template
• Can NOT trademark a logo that contains anything other than lines, shapes, and/or fonts

If you’re still unsure about what you can and can’t do with your logo, contact Canva Support for further guidance.

Check out the rest of our Canva Content License Agreement series for bloggers, especially if you sell Canva-created products!

• Part Two: How to Legally Sell Digital Products Made in Canva
• Part Three: How to Legally Use Canva Content Throughout Your Blog

If you have another example you’d like us to share or want us to go into more detail on a particular scenario, let us know in the comments.

We want this post to be as informative as possible so you can feel confident using your Canva logo throughout your blog and small business.

Don’t forget to enroll in our FREE self-paced Canva 2.0 Quick Start course! It’s PERFECT for learning the ins and outs of what makes Canva the best design platform for bloggers!

TRY CANVA PRO FREE FOR 30 DAYS

Start your FREE Canva Pro trial today and unlock ALL of their incredible time-saving features that cut your design time to just minutes.

To be honest? It’s the best $14.99/mo OR $119/yr we spend on our business because that time we save with every design is put back into making MORE money in our business!

WANT TO SAVE THIS FOR LATER? PIN IT TO YOUR FAVORITE PINTEREST BOARD!⬇