For this week's episode of the Creator Catalyst Podcast, I'm going to tell you how to batch and automate your blog content!
In a nutshell, I’m going to go over how to plan, write, and schedule a month worth of blog posts in one day. This way, you only have to think about keeping your blog up to date one day a month.
Sounds pretty great, right!? That’s because it IS!
A few more reasons batch work is the best:
It allows you to get much more done (who doesn’t love EFFICIENCY!?) because you aren’t swapping back and forth between tasks and getting distracted.
You put your brain into writing mode and CRANK THAT CONTENT OUT. I know, I know, you may want to take photos for these beautiful blog posts or create life altering infographics, but that side of your brain should be planned for another time or another day so that you can stay in one mind space
It allows you space for VACATIONS! If you have something exciting coming up and want or need to take a bit of a break from some of the usual biz tasks (going on a cruise, having a baby, getting ready for a big launch that needs your whole focus) Batching is a great way to get this content out of the way so you can focus on more important things or take a much needed break.
Okay, great. Now you’re totally convinced that batching your blog posts is going to solve a long list of problems
How do you do it!?
Keep track of topics that you want/need to post about, and when the post needs to go live.
I keep a running note tab in my phone of topics that could be blogged:
- Client galleries
- Frequently asked questions that could be addressed
- Big problems I’ve been able to solve in my business that sharing might help others
- Favorite apps or books I’m reading
- Anything else that comes to mind!
It's also important to keep track of new launches of products/services/offerings that you can educate your audience on as well to get them ready to purchase!
2. Write outlines
Break each of these topics down into subheadings. If I’m talking about favorite apps that have made a difference in my business, I may start with an intro about how apps have changed my life and saved me time/money/sanity. Then, I would break the content down into subheadings that cover each app I want to talk about.
3. Questions to ask yourself if you’re stumped when it comes to writing and even just creating the outline:
- What is the point of the post?
- The main message or takeaway?
- What is the goal? (to educate your reader, to show your latest photo session, to explain a special feature on a particular product, to let your audience get to know you, to solve a problem? etc!)
- What do people need to know in order to achieve the goal?
- What are the 5 W’s? Who, What, When, Where, Why
- What questions might someone have about the topic?
It’s okay if your outline and thoughts are looking like a total mess! Look for themes and go with the flow! At this point in the process you’re just getting everything out and making sure all of your thoughts are out on paper. Sometimes just getting everything out of your brain and written down can really get those juices flowing and you can start to see the post come together!
If you’re having a hard time seeing themes or where you want to go with your post, consider a few more questions to narrow all of the info down:
What is most important to include in THIS post? What could possibly used in another post?
What are the 3 steps or 3 most important points to make
4. Write the first Draft!
Now that you’ve started to narrow all of your thoughts down, it’s time to get your rough draft written! Don’t be afraid to word vomit a little more under each of your most-important points!
5. Edit!
I always like to take a small break (get a workout, grab some food, take a walk) before I dive into editing so that I have fresh eyes and am more likely to pick up on spelling and grammar mistakes
However, it’s always best to have a friend or resources spell and grammar check for you as well! I love microsoft word check and Grammarly is an awesome free resource to plug your post into!
Check your facts! Make sure if you’ve included statistics that you double and even triple check with other resources that they’re correct
SIDE NOTE:
When it comes to batching you have a couple of options. These steps are all going to be happening in one day, but it’s your decision if you want to go through the entire process for each post individually or to work through each step one at a time. You could write outlines for every post, and then the first drafts of every post, and then edit every post...
OR
You could go with one topic and work through the entire process start to finish before you start on a new one.
I personally prefer to stay on one topic at a time to keep my brain in one place but maybe you’re more task-focused rather than topic-focused and either is totally fine!
6. Add visuals!
This step is the fun step where your creativity can go wild!
Open up canva or the files on your computer and add a few images to make the post more appealing to your reader or help them to visualize steps of a process you may have outlined, etc!
You can also create infographics to make it easier for the post to be shared on social media and pinterest
7. Schedule posts to roll out on social media
A few resources for scheduling your posts to roll out on various platforms:
- Pinterest: tailwind
- Instagram: Planoly or other IG planning/scheduling apps
- Facebook: Schedule/plan posts to go live in the post/scheduling tab on your Facebook page
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