Streamline Your Blog Content Creation
Sharing these easy steps to streamline your blog content creation is my first step in giving the people what they want. A lot of you over the past few months, and in my survey, have shown interest in my blog-specific content.
I started writing about blogging to both, share my personal experience and to connect with other bloggers who’ve gone through similar situations. Blogging can be a bit difficult to explain to non-bloggers and although they may support us, they may not understand exactly what we do.
With that being said, I’m happy to offer any help, guidance, or just fun commentary about blogging as I can. Violet Roots, won’t be turning into a blog about blogging. I’ll leave that to the incredible blogger babes who are already killing it like Style Tomes! I will, however, make an effort to add more blog tips into the mix!
Today let’s focus on learning how to streamline your blog content creation. A lot goes into your average post and I won’t touch on every aspect of it but I will talk about the actual writing process.
I’m also giving away an awesome checklist with 6 bonus points to make your creative life as easy and organized as possible! Make sure you definitely take advantage of that!
Take control of 2017 with the Conquer Your Editorial Calendar Bundle!
NICHE IT DOWN . . . OR NOT
Some people live and breathe their “niche” and others have no idea how to pick one. I’m of the belief that you don’t need to absolutely have a narrow scope of one or two topics for your blog.
You can be successful writing about every subject under the sun and you can also be a hit only writing about one. I do, however, believe that if you do choose to write about multiple subjects you should have a clear voice behind your blog/brand.
Violet Roots is a creative lifestyle brand with a focus on creativity, music and style. I’m the face of my brand but I made the decision a long time ago that VR would be about a community of creatives – not the Monika show.
THE FIX:
In order to streamline your blog content creation, you need to know exactly what your niche is OR what your voice is.
If you know you’re the go-to place for affordable style then it won’t be as difficult to come up with ideas. Not knowing where your focus lies doesn’t do you any favors. If you’re known for your sense of humor or love of Chipotle (guilty) then don’t lose that personality in your writing voice!
BRAINSTORM
Brainstorming is where knowing your focus coming in handy. Now that you’re clear on what you’ll be writing about you can hunker down and list every idea that comes to mind.
Do they all have to be winning ideas? Nope. This is just so that you can have an idea bank ready to go on those days when you feel zero ounces of inspiration. I use a google spreadsheet for just about everything, including my list of content ideas for each of my main blog topics.
Find what works for you. Maybe that’s a post-it note, a planner or the note app in your phone.
THE FIX:
Still struggling for ideas? Consult these five sources and you’re bound to find a great post idea:
- Editorial Content Calendar – What you’re writing about already.
- Topics/Themes – Zero in on your core topics.
- Your “Why” – Why are you blogging in the first place?
- Short Term Goals – What will your readers to gain immediately?
- Long Term Goals – What will you gain in the long run?
Want to know more about these 5 Brainstorming Sources? Comment Below!
NAIL YOUR FORMAT
It’s a heck of a lot easier to write your post if you don’t have to think about how it looks. On VR, all my posts have centered headers. The phrases I want to emphasize are all in bold and to break up the text I had spaces and colored boxes.
Knowing ahead of time how the actual post allows you to focus on the words and less on the aesthetic.
THE FIX:
Have a style cheat sheet for your blog. This could have been taken care of during your branding process but if it wasn’t you can easily do it now. Decide on your format and stick to it! This includes font style and size, text color, spacing, etc.
Want that checklist with 6 Bonus Points?
BATCHING
This tip alone can change the game for you. Batching has the power to streamline your blog content creation, reduce stress levels and take decision-making off your plate. When there are less decisions to make there are less things to be worried about.
Develop a routine of writing blog posts on certain days, scheduling them on another, fleshing out rough drafts and outlines etc. When you do this it takes the guess-work out of your content creation.
THE FIX:
Set up days for Scheduling, Outlines, Rough Drafts & Edits. Consult your editorial calendar to see what post ideas fit best on what days. Dedicate time to outline the main points you want to discuss for each post in either bullet points or short sentences.
For VR, I jot down bullet points and subheadings. This helps me to see a linear train of thought and allows me to keep on task.
REFRESH OLD CONTENT
Another option to streamline your blog content creation is to “update” rather than create. Take an older post, dust it off and amp up the content you already have. Maybe you wrote it before you figured out SEO. Maybe you wrote it before you had an audience to see your post. Or maybe your branding has undergone an overhaul.
When you dig up an older post you’re not only maximizing your content you’re also building on ideas that you’ve already developed.
The FIX:
Flesh out your content. Give your audience more value by adding a freebie, fresh images, and updating with even more ideas.
Short and sweet posts have their place but readers get to know you better when they can clearly hear you. Longer posts with more information and more personality build trust and credibility. (Click to Tweet)
When you update that old post keep the length in mind make it worth your readers while! It doesn’t have to be a novella but a hundred words might be too brief, y’know?
Want to know more about refreshing old content? Comment Below!
Streamline Your Content Creation Checklist!
How do you streamline your blog content creation? If you don’t have a blog, how do you streamline your lifestyle?
NOTE: Take your content to the next level with the Conquer Your Editorial Calendar 2017 Bundle!