FIRST
UP:
How to Brainstorm and Write an Epic Blog Post in 4
Simple
https://blog.bufferapp.com/brainstorm-write-epic-blog-post-4-simple-steps
Bryan Harris writes
a fabulous post about how to write an epic blog in 4 simple steps. For full
details, check out his post, but the gist of it is:
What if instead
of writing blog posts you only answered questions?
An excerpt
from his site:
If
my wife asks me “Bryan, why do you think most people never act on their
ideas?”I would answer in less than 5 seconds with at least 3 minutes worth of dialogue.
No prep. No outline. No research.
However, if I were trying to write an article entitled “The 7 Reasons Your Idea Will Never Become A Business”
Gridlock. All dry. Words … are … hard.
There is something fundamentally different with writing about a TOPIC as opposed to answering someone’s specific QUESTION.
So, when you are stuck, try the following steps outlined by Bryan in his post:
Step
1: Don’t write, record
Step
2:
Transcribe your audio
Step
3:
Pretty it up
Step
4: Write
5 different headlines
Step
5:
Publish
He has some great videos and an excellent
easy to understand explanation about buffer analytics and how they can help you
reach your audience more effectively.Thanks Bryan.
Darren Browse has an
amazing quick list of things that will give you a greaet blog post. I like how #9 connects with Bryan Harris’ use
of buffer analytics. And I like how he
ended this post with his own #15 suggestion- ask your reader
questions.
I am personally
taking #3 and #4 to heart and am re-promising myself to do #12, #17 and #19
better!
- Tell
your story–
it is one of the key things that will
make your content stand out of the crowd
- Share
how you feel
– it will take your readers to a deeper place and make it more
relatable
- You’ll
never please everyone
– the sooner you make peace with this reality, the better!
- Write
about things that matter to you
– passion is infectious and your readers will catch ahold of it. Tell
the world something important.
- Inform,
inspire and interact
– aim to do these things every week (read
more on this)!
- Experiment
with different
styles of writing
– it will help you find your voice
- Mix
up the length of your posts
– short
can be sweet but long can be epic!
- When
an idea strikes
– drop everything and capture it!
- Do
everything you can to understand who
is reading your blog
– it will make you much more useful to them.
- Before
you publish
– ask what you want your reader to do after reading your post – and edit
accordingly. Calls
to action are important!
- Become
hyper
aware of problems –
and obsessively write posts that solve them.
- Put
aside time to create quality content
– it doesn’t just appear
- Put
aside time to edit
and your posts
– it will take them to the next level
- Get
a life
– you’ll be a much more interesting writer if you’ve lived a
little
- Ask
your readers questions
– it will make them feel like they belong and you’ll learn a lot from their
answers!
- Take
your readers on a journey
– posts that build from one to another can be powerful. Build momentum
and create anticipation and you'll hook readers for the long
term.
- Brainstorm
regularly
– generating ideas for future posts now can save a lot of pain later and help
you keep things rolling. I highly recommend mind
mapping.
- Not
every post needs to go viral
– shareable content will help you grow but it may not serve your current readers
best.
- Write,
Write Write
– the more you practice,
the better you will get
- Publish
selectively
– you don’t need to publish everything you write
What quick blog writing
tips would you add?
Thanks Darren, these
are great.
AND FINALLY:
www.quicksprout.com/2014/.../how-to-streamline-your-content-creation/
Ok, so Neil Patel seems to be as busy as I am, so I checked out his blog to see how he stays afloat.
For full details, check out his post, but the main points are:
From his post:
You’ll never succeed at content marketing if you can’t create content on a regular basis. In essence, you need to learn how to streamline your content creation.
The good news is it’s not that hard. I’ve figured out how to streamline my content creation process. It works so well that I write eight blog posts a week. I publish three times a week on Quick Sprout, and I guest-post five times a week.
Here’s how I streamline my content creation, and here’s how you can too:
Step
#1: Generate a list of potential topics
Time
limit: You should spend no
more than ten minutes on coming up with content ideas.
Step
#2: Create an outline
Time
limit: You should spend no
more than twenty minutes on creating an outline. If it takes longer than that,
you are picking topics that you are not very familiar with.
Step
#3: Write
Time
limit: You should spend no
more than sixty minutes on finishing your post. The writing portion typically
takes me forty-five minutes, and then I spend fifteen minutes re-reading and
adjusting the post.
Step
#4: Proofread, add a picture and schedule
Time
limit: You shouldn’t spend
any time on this step. Hire someone to do Step #4.
Neil
says that "It’s not that hard to streamline your content creation process. You
just need to figure out how many times a week (or month) you want to publish
content and stick with it.
Once you decide on the frequency of posting, make sure you create a few extra posts in addition to the required number. That way, if something doesn’t work out, you’ll have a few backup posts. Your readers will feel you are consistent even if you drop the ball with your content creation process."
Once you decide on the frequency of posting, make sure you create a few extra posts in addition to the required number. That way, if something doesn’t work out, you’ll have a few backup posts. Your readers will feel you are consistent even if you drop the ball with your content creation process."
My writing partners keep reminding me that I should use my teacher vacation days to write several posts as back ups so I don't drop the ball, but I can’t find my way out from the grading pile even during vacations!
However, what
I did learn is that posting a blog isn't always about what you are interested
in, you have to connect with your readers and two of these sites give me really
concrete ways in which to do that. I like procedures and a solid process and
these bloggers really have created a system that works for them, but has a
universal appeal. I know that I for one, am going to try to recreate some of
their tips for my own break throughs in the world of blogging.
I
will be back soon with more reviews of links that will help you with THE
BLOG.
And
a parting question:
What things do you do to generate your weekly blog posts?
See I am already employing number #15! Enquiring minds want to know!
I dare you to reply.
I really like the ideas from the second blog. I really focus on #9 in terms of seeing what posts draw the most people and learning from this when I plan for the next year.
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