8 smart steps to planning your blog posts
By: Marcia Francois
I regularly post to 6 blogs and because I didn’t want to get overwhelmed, I devised a system that works for me and will probably work for you too whether you post to one or more than one blog.
These are the ways I plan my blog posts:
1. I have a Word document called blogging for the week. This is where I plan most of my posts for the week ahead. When you start this - if you start this – you’ll be one week behind but after that it’s easy.
2. I have a page for each blog. And I type the blog’s name in BIG letters at the top of the page so I don’t have to strain my eyes. If I find a quote I like or I think about something I want to blog, I add my notes on the relevant page.
3. I am sure to add the memes I participate in on a weekly basis, like Menu Plan Monday, Tackle it Tuesday and Works for me Wednesday, to their appropriate blog pages. I keep a basic format which I add to during the week. If I think of a recipe I want to put on the menu next week, I add it to my document so I don’t forget when I’m writing my next Menu Plan post.
4. I have a folder called Blogging and inside this folder, I have subfolders for each of my blogs. As I take pictures and compress them, I save them in their individual blog folders so it’s easy to upload when I’m composing a blog post.
5. For the memes, I write those out on the weekend beforehand and post to my drafts. Sometimes I have lots of ideas for a specific meme like Works for me Wednesday so I’ll go ahead and type up two or three at a time, and save them to my drafts.
6. If you have a mailing list and you send out regular mailings to a subscriber base…convert your blog posts to newsletter articles. I regularly do this so my blog will have the shortened version and my newsletter article will have an expanded, more in-depth version. This is just another way of working once but using the same content in more than one way.
7. If you’re stuck for blog content, go through your email Sent Items to see if there are any client queries you answered that could be useful to your blog readers.
8. When you find yourself leaving long comments on someone else’s post, be sure to save your comment in a Word document so that you can use it for your own blog post. Or if you think of too many good things to say, then comment and tell the blogger that you’ve answered it on your own blog.
Happy blogging!
© 2007 Marcia Francois
About the Author
Marcia Francois is a time management and organising coach who teaches small business owners and other busy people how to get at least 5 extra hours every week. Visit http://organiseyourbusiness.com for a free copy of Marcia’s book, 100 Surefire Ways to Organise your Busy Life.
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