Do you have a content plan for your blog? Are your blog post ideas well- designed to increase traffic, grow your email list and build your business?
Or does this sound more like your content creation strategy? Whenever you have a few minutes, you sit down, grab your laptop, and scroll Pinterest a few minutes and start to write whatever inspires you? If you would like to easily plan blog post ideas, keep reading.
I get it. You are a mom, you might have a full-time job, you are trying to make this blog side hustle a profitable business. Finding time to write blog post ideas and a content plan for 30, 60 or even 90 days into the future sounds like a nice thing to do, but you are asking yourself is it really necessary, right?
But wait, did you know that as a blogger and digital marketer that having a blog content plan is vital to your success?
Why do you need a blog post ideas & a content plan?
Did you know that major magazine publishers write a yearly content plan? They have an editorial plan for the next year written in September or October. That’s right the content plan for some magazine issues is planned 6 to 12 months in advance.
How do they know what content to write so far in advance? First, they can design content plans around seasonal content. For example, they publish Christmas content 6-8 weeks before Christmas. They start publishing Valentine’s content in January. They do this with all the holidays and seasons.
You can do the same thing with your blog post plan. As you look at your promotion calendar, your content marketing plan should promote holidays and seasonal content 6-8 weeks in advance. Then you can blend in popular evergreen content, too.
It’s easy to get caught up in shiny object syndrome and lose focus on the projects that matter. The best way to stay focused on your content plan and your goals is to use a content marketing planner to develop your strategy.
With a content planner, you can start to see the big picture direction for your blog and your business. You will be able to keep your content on message (not writing on random topics that don’t fit your primary audience).
Once you know the big picture plan for your blog and business, you can develop blog post ideas and a focused content creation plan.
How to Write Blog Post Ideas and a Content Creation Plan
Start by brainstorming the key topics in your niche. Focus on seasons and holidays that are popular in your niche. Write down every season and holiday you think your audience would be interested in. At this time, you just want a list of ideas not topics yet.
Next, brainstorm the popular and important topics your audience already enjoys. Write general topics, not specific blog post ideas at this point. If you have an established blog, check your stats for the most popular posts in the last 12 months. Consider additional topics you could write about expanding already popular topics.
Now, look at the list of general topics you have from the seasonal/holiday and popular categories and start to write specific blog posts for each idea. Try to come up with 5-10 ideas for each general topic.
At this point, you should have a long list of ideas you could write. Some of these blog post ideas are good and some are not good. Review the list and cross off the ideas you don’t think are good enough.
Last, with the blog posts ideas you like, take a piece of paper or a calendar and start deciding which month you should write each blog post. If you are using a calendar, assign publication dates. Remember, seasonal content should be 6-8 weeks before the holiday and 12 weeks is better to allow time for SEO and traffic to grow.
Evergreen content (content that is helpful year-round) can be divided between the months as you like.
The best way to develop a content creation plan and strategy is to use a content planner or a blog planner. The content marketing planner I recommend is PurpleTrail Content Planner. It’s perfect for bloggers.
PurpleTrail Content Planner Review
Note: This post includes affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Read my full disclosure policy here. I would also like to thank PurpleTrail for providing me a content planner for this review. All opinions are my own.
PurpleTrail designed a content planner just for bloggers and digital marketers. I love how this content planner is perfect for planning your content and social media campaigns. This blog planner is designed so you will be able to do all your content planning in one place.
The Pros
- Month at a glance 2-page spread so you can see the big picture. These pages are perfect for planning blog posts, tracking sale dates & campaigns, and special affiliate promotions.
- 2-page per week spread to for planning the daily projects, blog posts, and tasks
- Monthly goal planning & stats check page so you have monthly focus and direction
- Available in 2 sizes and 3 cover types (Synthetic, Laminate, and Hardcover)
- Many cover designs for inspiration and remembering your why (most covers can be customized)
- Start any month so you aren’t limited to just January or July start months and choose the length you need with 6, 9, 12, 15 or 18 month options.
- Daily social media planning so you can stay on top of your favorite social media channels
- Printed on high quality, thick paper so most pens don’t bleed through
- Custom add-on’s to meet your unique needs like to-do lists and notes pages so you don’t forget anything important
- Stickers to make your planner colorful and pretty
If you find pre-printed planners just don’t work for you, then take a look at the PurpleTrail content planner. You will love being able to create a planner designed just for you.
The Cons
You might be thinking this planner sounds great. But there might be reasons why you might not purchase a PurpleTrail Blog Planner.
- There might be too many choices. If you don’t like being asked to make choices and decisions at checkout, you probably will not like this planner.
- It might be too expensive. While the base price is comparable to other planners, the more you add (add-on’s, stickers, pockets, etc…), can increase the price.
- It might be too bulky. These planners are printed on a nice, thick paper. Since the paper is thick, these planners are heavy and I wouldn’t recommend them for carrying in your purse. However, I have carried the larger sized planner in my daily tote bag with no problems. These planners are also the perfect desk planners.
Overall, I highly recommend PurpleTrail planners. PurpleTrail offers the best custom planners for bloggers. I love the many choices that allow you to make your planner unique for you.
Remember, the best content planner is a planner that you use every day and that will help you create a plan you can work.
Click here to check out all the PurpleTrail Content Planners and find the best custom content planner for you.
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