Jump Start Your Blogging with Themes
If you’re struggling with getting your blog started and keeping it up, rest assured that you are not alone. It’s a common concern. 
We get so busy with all of what we have to do that it slips on the priority list. One big reason is not having a clear sense of what you want to write about. If you don’t know what to write about, it’s extra hard to find (or take) the time.
One way around this takes a little longer up front, but can make it easier over the long haul. It involves creating an editorial calendar using themes. It doesn’t have to be elaborate. It can be as simple as listing out a theme for each month or quarter and then jotting down a few ideas for each theme.
For Example:
March: Spring into motivation
- How to get started with themes
- How to determine what social media outlets are right for you
April: Exploring Social Media Options
- What is the appeal of Pinterest?
- What are the benefits of Instagram?
May: Amping Up Your Social Media
- How to use tags
- How to write a better LinkedIn profile
The themes can be based on what your company offers, industry trends, cultural events or whatever you think will resonate with readers. Maybe it’s a monthly theme or maybe it will run for a quarter. You could even have a rotating set of themes – the first week of the month on networking, the second on systems, the third on writing and the fourth on finances.
Having this list like giving yourself directions. When you start to get caught up in everything else and you don’t have the time to think much about what you’re doing, you just follow your own instructions. Of course you can change it as needed, but at least you will have a starting point and that can be the half battle.
Need help setting up a blogging and social media campaign to grow your business? Give us a call.
3 Comments
I’ve had a hard time writing for my photography and framing business for the exact reason you pointed out here. Now that I am writing about the photos I love, it has been much easier. Thanks for sharing this blog.
March 16, 2016
Life’s distractions can decidedly shunt your blog onto a sidetrack, even if you have loads of ideas for posts. I need to relaunch mine, but have been dedicating much of my time to the effort of finishing my current novel-in-progress.
But another thing that bloggers can do is to devote half a day, when things aren’t so pressing, to writing several posts, in anticipation of those times when they might not have time. I often find myself in a writing mood, and can happily research and prepare one post after another, for several hours. I think this can save time, for me anyway, because once I’m in blog-post mode, I can go easily into another, without having to warm up my blog-post thinking cap for each one.
The posts can either be held in the computer until posting day, or entered into the blog and scheduled to launch automatically on the assigned day.
March 16, 2016
Jen: love the editorial calendar idea!
It will hold me accountable to exposing myself.
I need to stockpile posts so they’re at the ready. Thank you for your posts Jen – I devour them!
March 16, 2016