I have a love-hate relationship with blogging. There are many times I dread the idea of sitting down to my laptop to bang out yet another post (sometimes facing the dismal thought that no one is going to read it). Other times, something creates an inspiration so intense that I just can’t wait to open up WordPress and get cracking. One thing seems to never fail, though; once I get started, I can’t seem to stop.
Blogging isn’t easy. It takes time, energy, research, creativity and a bit of your sanity. It can be frustrating and draining. Many times I’ve just wanted to throw in the towel, but I always think back to a post I read in the first days of my blog and I just “keep on blogging.” With two plus years behind me now, I’ve learned a lot about this business practice.
Using a blog post checklist
By now, you know all the benefits a blog provides – content for your customers, establishes your expertise, being able to call yourself a blogger is really cool, etc. How do you make sure each post is hitting the mark though? Below is a blog post checklist you can use each time you sit in front of your keyboard.
√Inspiration
-Before you write, have an idea in mind what you want to write about. Staring at a blank screen is the death of all creativity.
-Ask yourself “What is valuable to my readers?”
-Use an outline to sketch out your idea and speed up the process
√Title
-Draw the reader in
-Be catchy and alluring
-Consider the two-part method
√Opening
-Draw the reader in deeper
-Be intriguing
√Format
-No one size fits all here and there are many options to chose from
-Be aware of your readers’ preferences
-Use subheadings and lists for easy scanability
√Call to Action
-Tell your readers what you want them to do next
-Ask/invite them to participate in the comments, sign-up for your newsletter, purchase your product, etc.
-Move readers from passive to active
√Closing
-Bring attention to your Call to Action by introducing it with a final headline
-Ask a question readers can answer or creates discussion
√Photo and Other Media
-In general, visual media brings more attention to your post
-Choose interesting and eye-catching photos, charts, graphics or video to complement your text
-I use Photo Pin for a selection of thousands of free photos
√Editing
-After you’ve finished writing, walk away. Give yourself a break before you polish
-Look for and correct any grammatical errors
-Tighten up loose copy
-Ensure you’ve correctly categorized your post and added the most relevant tags
√SEO
-Before you write a post, decided what keyword(s) you want to be found for
-Include them strategically throughout your post, in your headlines, title, URL and meta description
-Link back to resources that support your focus
-I like the WordPress SEO plugin by Yoast
√Publishing
-Many studies have been conducted to find the most active times to publish blogs and share on social media
-Find the time that works best for your audience
-Be consistent
√Promoting
-Share your new post on your social media platforms, with your mailing list and fellow bloggers, submit it to a free articles site, pitch it to mainstream media, and any other ideas you might have for getting your post in front of new readers
How can a blog post checklist help you?
Use the blog post checklist above in writing your next outstanding post. I would love to see it in action on your own blogs, so leave a link to your post in the comments. Are there any other steps you use in your blog post writing?
