There seems to be no end to the amount of blogging advice out there (all of which I somehow completely missed when I started my blog), but there is no such thing as too much good advice. After recently reading a few of these posts myself, I thought it would be good to share how I, as a casual lifestyle blogger, blog.
If you are a full-time blogger, making regular posts is a must. But, if you are a casual blogger, you have a little more freedom to create posts based on our own personal schedule. However, you want to post frequently enough that readers still know you are around; after all, no one wants to start following a blog only to have the blogger drop out of site for months on end. This can be tough when your blog is more of a hobby and not your top priority, so here are my suggestions for keeping regular content flowing on your blog.
1. Assess your life. The first step is to assess your life and lifestyle. Not in an existentialist "what am I here for" kind of way, but in a "When do I anticipate being the busiest, and when do I have the most free time" kind of way.
2. Write when you have the most time. Once you know when you anticipate having a lot of free time, you can plan ahead by writing the bulk of your posts then. Obviously, there will be situations that come up that can't be anticipated that may rob you of your time, but, in general, try to write as many complete posts as you can when you have the time.
3. Schedule your posts. Now that you have a months worth of posts written, it's time to spread them out, especially during times when you know you will be very busy. This is where the post scheduling feature comes in to save the day! I try to post at least once a week on this blog, so I use the post scheduler to post for me during the times that I'm super busy and can't post content myself on a weekly basis.
4. Write out your post ideas. This has been something that I have seen time and time again on blog advice posts. Now, I'm not too good with jotting down ideas when they come to me, but I when I do get an idea for a blog post, I create a draft post in blogger. In this draft post, I make sure to include the title (or perspective title), and then a few sentences in the post body to remind me what the post is supposed to be about. This is a great way to accumulate post ideas for when boughs of writers' block set in.
5. Hang around the neighborhood. Even if you can't post as regularly as you might want to on your own blog, try to keep up with other blogs and comment frequently. Not only does this let people know that you are still around and part of the blogging world, but it's a great way to stay connected with the goings on of your favorite blogs and get new inspiration for posts.
I hope these bits of humble advice help you and give you all some ideas on how to keep those blog posts coming!
2. Write when you have the most time. Once you know when you anticipate having a lot of free time, you can plan ahead by writing the bulk of your posts then. Obviously, there will be situations that come up that can't be anticipated that may rob you of your time, but, in general, try to write as many complete posts as you can when you have the time.
3. Schedule your posts. Now that you have a months worth of posts written, it's time to spread them out, especially during times when you know you will be very busy. This is where the post scheduling feature comes in to save the day! I try to post at least once a week on this blog, so I use the post scheduler to post for me during the times that I'm super busy and can't post content myself on a weekly basis.
4. Write out your post ideas. This has been something that I have seen time and time again on blog advice posts. Now, I'm not too good with jotting down ideas when they come to me, but I when I do get an idea for a blog post, I create a draft post in blogger. In this draft post, I make sure to include the title (or perspective title), and then a few sentences in the post body to remind me what the post is supposed to be about. This is a great way to accumulate post ideas for when boughs of writers' block set in.
5. Hang around the neighborhood. Even if you can't post as regularly as you might want to on your own blog, try to keep up with other blogs and comment frequently. Not only does this let people know that you are still around and part of the blogging world, but it's a great way to stay connected with the goings on of your favorite blogs and get new inspiration for posts.
I hope these bits of humble advice help you and give you all some ideas on how to keep those blog posts coming!
These are great suggestions! I find using an editorial calendar really helps me stay organized and on track.
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year sweets!
Thanks! I've thought of using a calendar as well, but for some reason calendars just don't seem to work well for me. I always end up ignoring what I have schedule!
DeleteExcellent post! So many people just stop! I often ask, where did that person go? I know life happens, but its great to keep your readers aware if you're on hiatus. Excellent tips and suggestions.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.averysweetblog.com/
Thanks! I know; it's very frustrating when bloggers I absolutely love to read suddenly drop off the face of the earth without any explanation or warning.
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