Five Ways To Fill Your Blog Calendar
Post by Blog Manager Robbi Hess
This is the year you’re going to get organized, blog more frequently and start an editorial calendar, right? Of course it is! Why? Because getting organized will help you blog more frequently and an editorial calendar will take away the “fear of the blank screen, or the blinking cursor.”
When I used to teach writing classes I always told the students in my sessions that I didn’t believe in writer’s block. The reason for 
that was because I keep an idea journal, now I call it my blog log, but no matter what you call it, it’s a great idea to do that. Why? Because when an idea strikes will you remember it later? I know my brain is like swiss cheese at some points so if I don’t capture an idea immediately it will float away on the winter winds. If I am driving and am struck with a brilliant idea I pull over, open my Evernote program on my phone and dictate a few lines about my idea. Viola. Caught, captured and available for future use.
Here are my five top tips to fill your blog calendar:
- Keep an idea journal or a blog log and transfer that information to an editorial calendar. Your editorial calendar can be paper or electronic but should give you a month’s overview of what you will blog about. It’s also great to develop themes for the month and then write blog posts based on that theme. Eavesdropping is one way to glean blog post ideas.
- Blog your opinion. Check world events (Sarah Palin anyone?) and blog about how it makes you feel. Is there something new in your field that you want to share your thoughts on? Don’t be afraid to be controversial, just make certain you’re willing to stand behind your convictions. Be aware that opinion pieces let your readers get to know you.
- Be a thought leader. Chances are you started your blog because you have an in-depth knowledge of a particular topic. If that’s the case, use that knowledge to become the go-to expert in that niche. When someone wants to know about your area of expertise make certain you are the first person they go to.
- Plan a series of how-tos or choose one day a week or one day a month to post a how-to on your area of expertise.
Whether you’re a dog groomer, grammar expert, product manufacturer, etc. share your knowledge with a how-to piece. A great way to know what to write a how-to about is to listen to your readers. What are they asking? What issues keep cropping up that you can address? - Do a review whether of a product or a book. If you’ve just read a book that you love that you feel your readers would enjoy, blog about it. Have you purchased a product that your pets love (or didn’t) blog about your experience with that as well.
Don’t let the excitement of a new year fade away without setting your blogging intentions for the year, getting your blogging organized and be a more productive and prolific blogger.
(Photo Shutterstock Idea and Lady Writing)
