I'm back! After taking a short, week-long break from blogging, I'm bringing you the next installment in my blogging 101 series. I've shared already shared my tips and tricks on fashion photography, using blogger, and blog design; so the next step is creating your content! Obviously, this is going to (or at least it should be) different for everyone; these tips are general ideas and guidelines that you can apply to your blog no matter what the subject is.
Find Your Niche*
At this point, you most likely know the general subject of your blog. Whether it's food, books, fashion, etc. it will be extremely helpful to narrow down your subject and find what makes you/your blog unique. Is it a vegan food blog? Is it a mystery/thriller review blog? Is it a street style blog? You don't have to be too specific or put yourself in a box, it might limit what you can do in the future, but giving yourself general guidelines about what you're going to post will make content creation much easier. *This looks a little different for personal blogs, like mine. I have a much wider scope than a niche blog because I post about my life and experiences. However, I do limit myself to 5-6 general topics so my readers can expect some of the same posts such as book talks, travel posts, and outfits.
Think Broadly
When I log on to Facebook and Pinterest and see titles like "6 Reasons You Should XYZ" or "4 Ways to blahblahblah" I get kind of overwhelmed. Titles with numbers are shown to attract more readers and get more views. Don't get overwhelmed thinking your posts have to contain multiple ideas; it'll drive you crazy and your content won't be better for it. I've done my fair share of list posts like my 4 things to do on Halloween and 3 tips for saving money in college posts. Those worked because I had that many ideas, I've also done lighter posts with just one concept or idea like my french braids post, which is super simple but one of my favorite posts I've done because it was fun and easy to write. Mix up posts that have a bunch of ideas and one main idea, it'll add balance to your blog and allow for more creativity!Make an Editorial Calendar
This can sound a little intimidating, but it's extremely easy and helpful! Towards the middle/end of each month, I start a list of post ideas and dates to post them. For the most part, I stick with this schedule because it allows me to set aside time for taking pictures and writing the posts. It also helps to make sure that I'm not posting too much similar content at once. The idea is to jot down possible posts so you can plan around them. One thing I've found is that looking at a calendar can give you inspiration. When I was creating my November editorial calendar I was able to see when Thanksgiving was in relation to my posts and what my travel schedule was like so I wouldn't plan an outfit post to be shot during a time when I was going to be on a plane. Finally, remembering that an editorial calendar is a guideline, not a mandatory schedule is important. No one else sees this but you, so if you realize that you have a post planned but you end up feeling uninspired by it or you planned to write about an event you'd be attending but bailed at the last minute, it's ok to change the plans!
I hope this was helpful! As always, leave a comment below with any other tips you have for creating blog content. xx, Lauren
