If you’ve been managing a blog for a while, you’ll probably be able to relate to this.
The life of a blogger is not easy. We get writer’s block, we experience various distractions, we get off schedule when other issues arise in our business or somebody quits unexpectedly.
Sometimes, we even get bored with our own content.
The bottom line, though, is that if your blog is responsible for making you money (and if you are in any kind of business, it is – whether you’re directly monetizing its content or not), it’s your responsibility to keep the content flowing and keep it fresh. Such is the life of a Web content writer.
The biggest mistake that most bloggers make going in is thinking that the process is somehow going to be simple. They know their subject, they have a wellspring of ideas, they think that they’ll be able to keep it up forever and do it with minimal effort.
Here’s the problem: There is a finite number of things to say on any given subject. In theory, one could go on and on for years about a subject or niche, but all of us at one time or another are going to feel tapped. Our message is going to start seeming repetitive, and it’s going to feel stale.
That’s the point when days pass between posts, then weeks, then longer. All of a sudden, your blog isn’t the asset it once was. Blogging is like any other part of your business: It’s a discipline. Granted, it’s a creative and fun activity and it might seem a little less formal than other of your business practices, but it’s a discipline nonetheless. That being the case, it’s important to come up with a way to manage it that keeps the content fresh and keeps the ideas flowing. Here are a few ways I think will help you do just that.
1. Post Regularly.
That’s easier said than done, but it’s a foundational (albeit nebulous) part of the process. “Regularly” can have a variety of definitions, so you need to determine what yours is going to be. That leads me to point #2…
2. Decide How Often You’re Going to Post.
Set a realistic goal and stick with it. Are you going to post every day or just during the workweek? Some bloggers find that it’s just plain easier to write while their brains are in “work mode,” so you can always write seven posts during the week and schedule them to hit on a specific schedule that includes the weekends. That is, of course, if you think it’s necessary to post every day. In some niches, it’s a good idea; in others, it could be considered overkill. Some very effective blogs only get updated a couple times a week.
3. Factor in Laziness, Fatigue, and Lack of Inspiration.
This goes back to the notion of scheduling. While an idea is fresh in your mind, get it out of your brain and into your blog. If you have a few articles already on deck, you can afford a slow brain day every now and then.
Everyone has days and times of days during which they are more productive and can think more clearly than they can at others. I’ve worked with copywriters who only write at night or who need time to charge up their batteries in the morning before thinking about doing anything creative. Know when your “downtimes” are, and plan your writing around them.
4. Read Other Blogs on Your Subject.
Actually, you can shorten that up to “read,” and leave it there. Stephen King has said numerous times that the only way to be a good writer is to be an avid reader. I think a quick glance at his body of work will tell you that he knows that of which he speaks. The temptation, though, would be to start copying content from other blogs. Get your inspiration from various sources, but don’t rewrite other people’s blogs. Find your voice in the lines you read, and put that inspiration to work for you.
5. Discover and Capture Content You Can Use in Your Blog.
I find Evernote to be a very useful tool in this arena. The best part about it is that you can access your source material directly and use it to build some very effective blog content. Anytime you come across anything that you think might be a source of inspiration, just add it to Evernote and move on. Set it and forget it, as it were. You can always call it back up with a click if you set up a notebook specifically for that kind of content.
If you implement these five things and start putting them into practice now, I have no doubt that you’ll reach your goals consistently and effectively leverage the power that is inherent in your blog.