When I started blogging, I would post whatever I felt like posting. That of course led to limited posts on the blog, the death of the blog and ultimately a lack of consistency and cohesiveness. When I became serious about wanting my blogging journey to be what I define as successful and when I decided to view it as my own little business, then things changed.
Time for a little disclaimer: I thought it would be fun for me to post about what I've been learning about blogging from my studies and my own perspective as I'm going through it and encountering different things. These opinions are my own. This is what I have learned and what I try to implement here on my blog. Feel free to use what you find helpful and leave the rest.
// Content is KING. Have you heard this before? It's definitely something that has been stamped into my brain during grad school and through self study. Great content and quality content will keep readers coming. To do that, you need an overarching theme and to develop a content strategy. Remember my last blogging + business post? I mentioned that in your blog plan, you should be determining what topics or themes your blog will be centered around for the year. For example, Chasing Happy has been posting a lot about creativity. I would venture to say this is a popular topic or theme on the blog, and that Kenzie put some time and thought into how and when she would create posts centered around creativity. Creating your strategy is the next step. For example, if health and fitness is one of your themes, when will you post about it, how often, what exactly do you want to share about health and fitness, what other channels will you use to share it, how will you engage your readers, etc.
// Content development. There are several ways that I go about achieving this:
Write down your inspiration. I surf the net and write down anything that interests me. It's important to note here that there is a difference in getting ideas and stealing ideas! This is so important! It's okay to be inspired by others and it's even okay to take an idea, re-imagine it and re-create it in your own way. But, don't copy! If you are going to share the exact thing you saw somewhere else, you must give credit. Chasing Happy also wrote a great post on how to do this, not just for blogging, but also for projects you may want to do in your life.
Explore. This is my favorite way to come up with ideas for content because it not only gets me out of my comfort zone, but it also helps me come up with fun content to share.
Use writing prompts. There are so many lists out there of writing prompts that you can work from when you get writers block. You can even create your own. Another awesome idea is to start a visual journal. Design Delight wrote a great post on this. A Beautiful Mess also has a class - 52 Weeks of Art Journaling. Work and stretch your mind in a new way and you're sure to be inspired!
// Use an editorial calendar. This will definitely help you with consistency in your blogging and cohesiveness throughout your site as well. Editorial planning can also help with that writer's block when it decides to pay you a visit. But, you'll be prepared with your list of ideas and your editorial calendar. Right? Right!
The calendar is something I started using at the end of last year and I've really made it a part of my blog plan this year. The way you use the calendar is entirely up to you and your needs. Do what works for you! I have several methods that I use myself to make everything work for me.
Good Calendars that I've seen (haven't personally used them all):
And of course there are digital calendars, calendar apps, and diy calendars as well. I also write out dates along with post ideas so that I have some flexibility if I change my mind on something I previously had penciled into the calendar.
Content and editorial planning are an important piece in achieving your blogging goals and making movement within your blog plan. Once I sat down and figured out where I wanted my focus to be for the year (leaving some wiggle room of course), all that was left was to fill in a calendar. I've definitely experienced more consistency in my posting schedule and I'm also noticing that things are beginning to look and feel how I want them to on the blog.
AN EXERCISE
What is the theme of your blog? It's okay to have multiple, just make sure they are all aligned with each other!
Now that you've identified a theme or themes, spend a week finding inspiration centered around that theme. Create a list of topics you could post about and/or activities that you can do for fun.
If you're blogging, make a calendar! Fill in the dates with topics you want to cover. If you are posting a series, be consistent about the days you post on for that particular series.
How do you create ideas for your content and how are you using an editorial calendar? Do you put pen to paper or are you completely digital?
Creating a theme is something that I have been working on a lot this year with my blog. I agree just posting without a plan def leads to a lack of consistency! I would love to see how you use your planner!
ReplyDeleteYep, I'm all about the plan! And I'll definitely share with you! I need to organize my thoughts because I really do use a few different things lol. I'll share the most important ones with you.
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