Mar
5
Has this ever happened to you? You sat down — like you’ve done many times before — to write a post for your blog or your client’s blog. Suddenly, your mind went blank and you panicked! You couldn’t seem to think of a topic you hadn’t already covered, but you knew you had to blog about something to keep your posts consistent.
Don’t let this dilemma happen again. Plan your blog posts in advance, so the next time you find yourself in this situation you won’t panic. Instead, you’ll refer to your list of blog post ideas and choose one to blog about. Following is some advice to help you create that list of blog post ideas, ideas you can fall back on the next time your hit with “blogger’s block.”
1. Open Microsoft Word or your favorite word processing software.
2. Build a list of upcoming topics for each blog you write for. These will be topics you may already have in mind. (Place the title of the blog you’ll write these topics for above your list of blog post ideas.)
3. As your record each idea, make notes under the ideas to assist you when you go to write the topic. Here’s an example that begins with the title of the blog:
Freelance Writing for Writers
1. Scouring the Web for News or How to Scour the Web for News
- Blogs
- Search engines
- Forums
- E-zines
In the above example, the notes include places you’ll mention where writers will discover the news they’ll hunt for. Then all you have to do is add additional information to each of them. Basically, the notes you insert under your blog idea could be referred to as a short outline.
4. After you’ve recorded your ideas for each blog that you write for, save the list, and then close the program.
5. Finally, every time a new idea surfaces, record it in your list of blog post ideas. Be sure to place the idea under the blog the topic will be written for.
Just follow the steps listed above, and the next time you need an idea for the blog you plan to write for you can refer to your blog post idea list. After you write the post for your list, delete that post, because you’d hate to forget you wrote it and then duplicate it later down the road.
Do you have a different system that you use to plan your blog posts in advance? Share it with us in the comments area below.
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For some reason my ideas come to me just before i fall asleep so i usually grab good old pen and paper and write a quick draft. Next morning i shape it up a little.
I tend to end up with piles of content ideas on notepads all over the place. At one point I got spread out over so many notebooks, i felt completely unorganized. So, I am trying to use an editorial calendar to structure posting times and topics. Something to keep me a bit more on a schedule….that is once i start posting a bit more consistently.
I use Microsoft OneNote to keep track of my blogs. It has a nice “sticky note” feature that I can record random thoughts without having to stop what I’m doing.
I carry a small notepad around with me. Whenever I get an idea, I jot it down, and then refer back to the notepad whenever I’m ready to blog. I suggest a notepad that you can stick in your pocket or purse.