Hi everyone! This week I will be participating in the 2014 Ultimate Blog Party, organized…
Produce Blog Content like a Champion Using These Five Simple Steps
This summer, I couldn’t help but become inspired by the Summer Games.
The dedication, the consistency, the mindset, the power, the drive of all the athletes-so motivating.
These champions are amazing role models from which we can learn so much, not just in regards to athleticism but also business and blogging.
Fully inspired, I developed a list of five simple steps that each of us can use to produce blog content like a champion and included it in an article I wrote for the International Bloggers’ Association. You can read the full report here.
Sidebar: This article also accompanied our weekly #IBAChat Twitter Party which occurs Thursday evenings at 8:30pm EDT. Learn more about our business and blogging chat here.
Blogging is hard work. There’s no doubt about it.
To have a consistent readership, you need consistent content. But what happens when life happens (commitments with our kids, our families, maybe another job)? It becomes difficult to churn out quality content, and our blogs take a hit. To produce blog content like a champion, you need to strategize, plan, and think creatively!
Where do we begin?
Like any real champion, get back to the starting block and come up with a plan. And for bloggers that starting block is our category menu.
Step 1: Review your blog categories to produce blog content like a champion.
The best rule of thumb is to use a 5:7 ratio – Limit your categories to five (5) and your subcategories to seven (7).
What’s so magical about this ratio? Read more here.
Did you know there's a magic formula for creating blog categories? Share on XStep 2: Up your content calendar game, so you’re producing content like a champion..
Use color to create your content calendar!
Color can be a powerful tool when planning content online. Learn why plus 4 other #biztips Share on XColor coding the different categories will help you view the information more quickly, process the highlights and keep important information front and center. I go into greater detail about the science behind this in my full article on the IBA website.
So what happens if you have no time to write?
Step 3: Strategize your blog posts.
Limited time to plan is probably the biggest problem facing bloggers. Your ideas seem to come way faster than you can possible complete them.
Plan, Plan, Plan.
Just as a champion athlete will plan out their plays or visualize their run or winning serve, we, as bloggers, need to plan out our every move via content calendars and outlines. Learn more here.
Step 4: Plan out your Game Plan
Now that you have your blog posts planned out, you need to plan out how you’ll tackle each one.
Make a game plan noting all the of the supplies you’ll need, pictures you’ll need to take, video you’ll want to shoot, etc. Think about every aspect of the post and how you want to attack it!
Step 5: Think Creatively to Create Blog Content Like a Champion
One of my favorite things about watching great athletes is their unparalleled ability to think fast on their feet-creative thinking resulting in surprise plays that tie a game or the winning goal in the final seconds of a match.
How do we use creative thinking as bloggers to make the most of our content?
Take advantage of multi-modal learning to expand the reach and the life of your content!
What is multi-modal learning? Learn more here.
Or watch this video that I did on Periscope.
Pin this so you can reference it later.
Don’t forget to head over to the International Bloggers’ Association and read more about how to produce blog content like a champion!
So what do you think? I’m sure there are ways that you’re performing like a champion everyday. Leave me a comment below!
HI! I’m a Shana, self-proclaimed Media Mixologist, wife, and mom to two little girls. I love to mix up cocktails of crafts, recipes, wellness, family and business with just the right amount of sparkle to help you shine everyday. So, grab a glass, and let’s celebrate the cocktail of life!
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