When it comes to getting your WordPress site up and running, the biggest hurdle is usually knowing what layouts and plugins to use. Once your site is sorted though, the problem most WordPress users have is getting into a regular routine of creating and posting useful content!
So I’ve decided to share with you a simple plan to organise your content and creation – to ensure your site isn’t one of those that lays dormant and unused.
Brainstorm your ideas
One of the biggest blocks around creating content is actually knowing WHAT to write about. It’s a really good idea to set aside some time to brainstorm the TYPE of content you want for your site. Give yourself ten minutes of so to really drill down on the niche areas you want to create content for.
Once you know your niche areas, you can then branch this down further, by mind-mapping the specifics within those niches.
Create a marketing plan
Once you have those topics you can start creating your marketing plan. This doesn’t have to be difficult – just use an excel document. Start by deciding if you want to write about a specific new topic each month or if you’d rather have set weeks for a topic (i.e. every week 1 – topic 1, week 2 – topic 2 etc.).
You can then use this to organise your topics for the month (or year, if you have enough topics!) ahead, listing them, in order, down the page. Then simply add in the dates down the left-hand side. If you want to take this a step further, you can add in 3-5 bullet point notes for each topic – as these remind you of what you want to cover, as well as becoming your subheadings.
Write in bulk
Rather than trying to write one post every week, why not set aside a few hours to bulk write your posts? This will help free you from the stress you may feel, over the weekly commitment and will enable you to get ahead of yourself. Another advantage is it will make it easier and faster to write each blog – as you can bulk write one specific topic at a time (so only one lot of research etc.).
Schedule posts in advance
You can then use the WordPress scheduler to schedule those posts in advance. There is no limit to how far in advance you schedule, so why not look to get at least a month ahead of yourself?
Install an editorial calendar
WordPress shows all of your posts together in a long list. If you only have one or two posts, that’s fine but if you have several – and they have different statuses – it can be a nightmare.
Installing a simple editorial calendar will make it easier for you to visualise when your blog posts will be live, as it will display them in a simple calendar template. Another advantage of this plugin in is that it enables you to move those posts around easier, so you can rearrange the release date for them easily.
Getting into a regular blogging routine is a simple case of getting organised and making the commitment. This simple plan will help you organise your ideas, your content creation and scheduling – meaning you can get regularly post content, get ahead of yourself AND stop worrying about what you’ll be writing about.
How do you organise your time to ensure you blog regularly? Maybe you have a great plan already in place – if so, why not share some tips to help others get organised? If you find blogging something you struggle with – if so, why not try out my plan and share your experiences in the comment box below?
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