Blogging as part of your marketing strategy can have a ton of benefits like increasing your website traffic, improving website engagement, building your SEO and growing your community of followers & subscribers. Even with all of those amazing benefits, sometimes you just DON’T want to write! (I’ve been there.)
So when your next post is starting to fall to the bottom of your to-do list and you’re feeling unmotivated, here are some blogging tips to help you stay consistent with writing.
Outline your blog ideas ahead of time
Most of us can’t open a blank document and expect to whip up 1000-word blog post in record time. But there is no rule that says you have to write a blog post (or finish any project for that matter) all in one sitting.
Break your writing process down into chunks, and start off by outlining your main points. For example, if you have a general idea of what you want to write about, take 5 minutes to do a brain dump to get your ideas down on paper.
If you need to, take a break, and then spend 20 minutes to come up with a headline, research keywords, and jot down some high-level bullet points. That way, when you’re ready to jump into the bulk of the writing process, you’ll already be prepared.
Related Post: How to Massively Increase Your Website Traffic by Blogging
Set a writing deadline
Deadlines are great motivators! Especially if you’re a procrastinator, planning a due date for when you’ll have your post done will help you kick your butt into gear. Just make sure to put it in your calendar, planner, or wherever else you are most likely to see it. You can even set multiple deadlines for each step of the process: A deadline for research, setting the outline, proofreading, and finally, publishing.
If you want to get into a routine of writing consistent blogs, you can plan to publish a blog post, say every Friday, and have that be your deadline. If it helps, do it! I know from experience, that finishing up a project by the due date gives me that well-deserved dopamine rush.
Have a blogging accountability partner
An even better motivator? Someone else! Join a Facebook group with other bloggers/business owners, or Facetime with a friend once a month who also has a blog. Even if you are a solopreneur, you don’t have to face your blogging journey alone.
A dedicated blogging buddy can give you that extra level of accountability to make sure you actually get your blog post written, when your own drive just isn’t enough.
Join the K Design Co Facebook Group, Brand Up!
Make blogging a ritual
Just like you would have a morning routine or a night routine, create a routine for your blog. Having a dedicated ritual or set of steps you like to do to prepare for a task can put you in the right headspace, make it more fun, and help you to be more focused.
So, what can your blogging routine include? Well, that’s up to you! Some ideas you might like to try: making an extra special cup of coffee (whipped cream, anyone?), meditating beforehand to clear out any unnecessary thoughts, or shuffling your favorite lo-fi playlist while you work.
The key here is to find a blogging routine that works best for you and stick to it.
Batch create & repurpose your blog
All the cool kids are batch creating these days. One blog post can become dozens of other pieces of content with just a little extra effort. You can even center your whole marketing strategy around your blog and repurposing the content you write for it for other channels.
For example, this blog post could be turned into a carousel post on Instagram. Each headline could be its own reel idea, or a fun graphic. You can also create short form tip-style posts to share on Facebook or Pinterest graphics. Or why not turn your blog post into a webinar or podcast episode?
With that in mind, you are probably more likely to start hitting that keyboard, knowing you are getting more bang for your buck. Your blog doesn’t have to just be a single blog post that sits on the shelf collecting dust after you publish – it can be a wealth of content and ideas that you use and repurpose on social media and other marketing avenues.
Work smarter, not harder, friends!
Use AI to help you write your blog post
We couldn’t say this last year, but now we have AI technology that makes writing blogs so much faster.
Pro tip: Use AI tools wisely. Don’t let them take over the your whole blog writing process.
Instead, you can use AI tools like ChatGPT as a time-saver for things like coming up with headlines, research and statistics, and brainstorming ideas. This allows you to focus on the creative and fun parts of writing, while the AI takes care of some of the more time-consuming tasks.
Plus, by using AI tools, you can also improve the quality of your writing from resources and insights that you may not have been able to find otherwise.
Update old blog content
If you really just don’t want to write a blog post from scratch, but know you need to publish something, there’s a shortcut… We promise it isn’t cheating to update an old blog post and republish it. Find a blog post that’s deep in your archives and spend 20-30 minutes bringing it back to life.
Most likely some of the information can be updated for accuracy and timeliness. You’re also probably a better writer now and can make edits that will make your content more precise and clear.
You might also want to check how that post is ranking for its target keyterm. If you are ranking in the top 20 search results, it’s a perfect opportunity to optimize your post for SEO. Check out what competitors might be ranking for that term to get a clue on what you should be including in your posts subheadings and overall content. Then make changes accordingly.
Once you make your updates, make sure to resubmit that post to Google Search Console for faster reindexing and to signal to Google that you’ve made an update.
First time writing a blog post…ever?! Start here!
Need even more blogging tips or help coming up with a blogging strategy? Reach out to K Design Co.
Rachael is the founder of Planned in Pink where she assists small business owners with digital marketing strategies and implementation. She is also a bullet journalist and reader!
