3 Tips To Make Blogging Less of a Chore

Writing, Editing & Publishing

A blog is a great way to communicate with your audiences and demonstrate your expertise online.

Blogging allows you to control the message and connect with your audience on a personal level. It provides a platform for you to inform and position yourself as a thought leader and expert in your industry. But in order to successfully position yourself as an expert using a blog, you need to plan ahead.

Before you start planning, it is a good idea to do some research and take a look at blogs in your area of expertise – blogs you’ve read before and blogs you currently read. Look up your competitors’ blogs and people you admire in your industry to get an idea of what they are publishing and how their readers interact with them.

A blog plan enables you to use your time effectively, giving you a better chance of keeping your blog going. A blog plan can help you to be proactive and plan ahead of time. 

When creating your blog plan, consider the following:

1. Scheduling

Just like a magazine or newspaper, your blog should be planned out ahead of time and have a publishing deadline for example, every Tuesday at 11:00am.

If you set a posting schedule and a deadline you no longer have an excuse to not regularly publish content on your blog. It is also a good idea to schedule a time for writing your blog to help create a routine and ensure you never miss an opportunity to connect with your audience.

2. Producing content

When thinking about what to write, consider creating blog posts around your area of expertise and trends in your industry.

To help get you started, here are a few blog post ideas you can include in your blog plan calendar:

• Highlight special products and services.
• Meet someone interesting at an event? Interview them via email and blog about it.
• Read something you don’t agree with? Write a blog post about it.
• Note down everything you do in your role. Tell your readers about how you do each task.

3. Blog Calendar

Plan ahead and map out a blog content schedule for 6 – 12 months in a blog calendar. A blog calendar should include:

• Blog post titles and ideas
• Themes
• Topics
• Dates

This can be done easily in an Excel spreadsheet or Google calendar and is a great way to avoid repeating the same topic.

Planning your blog posts and updates ahead of time will enable you to share fresh content and ideas with your audience in a structured way.