Starting a blog can be exciting, but maintaining it can be challenging without a clear plan in place. To help you avoid the blogging blahs and keep your blog updated regularly, we have put together a guide that covers the entire blog writing process, from idea generation to publication.
Step 1: Do Competitor Research
Before you start writing, research other blogs in your niche to get a sense of what they are doing. Make a list of the top blogs in your industry or niche topic area and read them with a few key questions in mind. Take note of who the intended audience is, how frequently new posts are published, what categories each blog has, what types of headlines grab your attention, what calls-to-action are featured, and what types of images are used. You can also use online tools like Google alerts or SimilarWeb to track your competition.
Step 2: Brainstorm
Once you have an idea of what your competitors are doing, it’s time to brainstorm your own ideas. Think about what you want to write about, what subjects your competitors have covered that you can provide a unique take on, and what frequently asked questions you receive through customer support or social media. You can also ask your customers or audience what topics they would like to see explored more in-depth or search through industry hashtags for topic ideas. Creating a mind map or free writing can also help unleash your creativity.
Step 3: Schedule Time to Write
With a handful of ideas in mind, schedule time to write your blog posts. Treat this time like an appointment and write it down in your planner or calendar. Writing on a consistent schedule will train your mind to be ready to write during “blog writing time.” The first few sessions might be slow-going, but you’ll soon find that writing blog posts during your scheduled writing sessions becomes like second nature.
Step 4: Proofreading and Editing
Don’t forget to factor in time for editing and proofreading. Account for time to edit your work by planning ahead. Read through your post out loud to catch obvious grammatical mistakes or missing words. For more complex issues, use an editing assistant like Grammarly or Hemingway. Error-laden content reads poorly and can convey an unprofessional look, first and foremost. But it’s also unappealing to search engines.
Step 5: Post Prep
Once your text is how you like it, prepare the post for publication. Copy your draft into WordPress or another word processing app of your choice. Add proper formatting, including headers, links, and images. Fill in the meta title and description in Yoast or a similar SEO plugin, and optimize your post for SEO.
Step 6: Image Prep
Every blog post you write must include images. Take screenshots yourself when applicable, use royalty-free stock photos, or use images you’ve taken yourself. Be sure to resize images to an appropriate size for your theme and optimize images before uploading them using a tool like TinyPNG. Add alt text to each image for SEO and accessibility purposes.
Step 7: Schedule
Once your post is ready, schedule it for publication. Figure out what day of the week you want to publish your post and use the scheduling tool within WordPress. Copy the slug and URL for the soon-to-be published post and use it to schedule social media posts to promote your new blog post as well.
Having a plan makes it easier to publish consistently. A consistent writing schedule ensures that you’re always generating new, amazing content and always getting it ready for publication. To make writing blog posts a part of your work schedule, rather than a thing to squeeze in, plan ahead and schedule time for each step of the process. Best of luck!
