Some links here are affiliate links, so I may earn a commission at no cost to you. I only list tools I actually use.
The Cat Chaddy is a one-person operation. One guy, two cats, a blog, an email list, a few social accounts, a paid guide and the occasional brand deal. I’ve tested plenty of software along the way. These four are the ones that stuck.
If you’re building a brand around your own animals (or anything else you love), these are the tools for pet bloggers I’d start with.
WordPress.com: where the site lives
What I use it for: This entire site. Every article, landing page and product listing runs on WordPress.com, on the Business plan, and has since 2023.
Why I picked it: I’ve used WordPress for years across several blogs. WordPress.com takes care of hosting, security and updates, so my time goes into content instead of server maintenance. That tier also lets me install the plugins I rely on, including the link manager below.
Good fit if: you want a real website you own, not just a social profile that can vanish with one algorithm change.
MailerLite: my email list
What I use it for: My newsletter, my welcome sequence and the Indoor Cat Boredom Fix Kit that every new subscriber gets.
Why I picked it: The free plan is generous enough to build a real subscriber base before paying a cent. The editor is easy, and automations (welcome emails that send themselves) are what turn a casual visitor into a reader who comes back.
Honest caveat: the no-cost tier caps how many automations can run at once. Fine for starting out, but expect to upgrade as you grow.
Good fit if: you’re starting from zero. Email is the one audience no platform can take away from you.
ManyChat: comment-to-DM automation
What I use it for: When someone comments a keyword like BORED on my Instagram or Facebook posts, ManyChat sends them a DM, asks for their email and hands them off to MailerLite. No copy-pasting, no missed messages.
Why I picked it: This kind of automation has been the most reliable way to turn social followers into email subscribers for The Cat Chaddy. People ask, the bot answers in seconds, even at 2am.
Honest caveat: the free tier is tiny now. Plan on Pro once real volume shows up, and budget a little setup time to connect it to your email tool.
Good fit if: you post on Instagram or Facebook and get questions like “where did you get that?”
Pretty Links: clean, trackable links
What I use it for: Every affiliate link on this site runs through Pretty Links. Instead of a long, ugly Amazon URL, readers see a short thecatchaddy.com/go/ address, and I see how many people clicked.
Why I picked it: Click counts tell me which recommendations people actually care about. And when a product goes out of stock, I swap the destination once and every post that uses it updates.
Honest caveat: it’s a plugin, so your site needs to allow plugins. On WordPress.com that means a plan with plugin support. I run the free version.
Good fit if: you do affiliate marketing and want to know what’s working.
Want to work together?
Brands: my media kit has audience numbers and partnership options, and Work With Me covers how collabs run.
Here for the cats? Start here.