Running your blog as a business – Part Two

Planning Blog Posts

So you’ve got your blog up and running and you’ve secured all of your social accounts (twitter, pinterest, facebook, instagram, etc).  Now it is time to start to generating and sharing content and planning blog posts.

A few easy steps to get you started:

1. Brainstorm blog topics.  Depending on the focus of your blog this can be as simple as a list of recipes/dishes (food blogger) that you plan to create, photograph and write about.  If you are a travel blogger it may include hotel, restaurant reviews, travel gear, landmarks, etc.  Always a good idea to keep an ongoing list of ideas. I like to use Microsoft OneNote to jot capture my ideas as I can use it on my computer and phone and it synchs so I can always access the most up to date list.  Other options include: Evernote or Trello.
2. Draft a high level plan and schedule for the month.  Decide on how often you plan to post and start plotting out when you want your posts to be ready.  Pencil in the topics and then start creating a high level schedule to complete the post and any associated work (photography, social media, etc.)
3. Plan your post. Once you’ve picked the post that you want to create take some time to plan out the post.  Jot down the key points that you want to make sure you cover.  This can be as simple as a bulleted list.  You should also undertake any research that is necessary.  Again, if you are a food blogger this is also when you would plot out your basic recipe and also start to think through how you would frame the shots and what accessories/dishware you need to make your post-cooking photo session a breeze.
4. Write Post / Take Photos / Secure Stockart.  This is the hardest part but also the most fulfilling. Set aside some quiet time without distraction to complete your first draft of the post.  Take your photos and edit them. I like to use Lightroom and Photoshop but there are also some good free or low cost options available depending on the amount of editing that you need to do.  Check out Pixlr and PicMonkey
5. Schedule your post. If you are using WordPress,  leverage the scheduling capability to have your post published at the time you desire. This can especially be handy as you build up your posts and start planning your posts further in advance.