So you have an author website and blog? Great! But are you posting interesting, new content on a regular schedule? Life can get busy: A few long days at the office, extra carpools to violin lessons and soccer matches, binge watching that show everyone’s talking about…and before you know it, you’ve neglected your blog. The experts at Web Design Relief know that one of the best ways to manage your blog and increase your website’s readership is to use an editorial calendar. Here are smart, simple tips to help you create your own author blog editorial calendar.
How To Set Up A Blog Editorial Calendar
First things first…before you start planning your editorial calendar, you’ll need to consider the following things:
Goals: What is the goal of your author blog? Maybe you want to market your self-published book, gain more readers, or promote a cause that is meaningful to you and your writing. Once you know what you hope to accomplish with your blog, you’ll have the foundation for your editorial calendar.
Scheduling: The next step is determining when and how often you expect to post on your blog. Scheduling conflicts are one of the biggest problems writers face when maintaining a blog. If you know you work late on a certain day or are preoccupied with other commitments, avoid scheduling posts on these days. This will prevent blogger burnout and make it easier for you to post regularly!
Topics: If you don’t have any ideas or topics to write about on your blog, it will be difficult to stay on track! Plan as many topics as you can in advance. Here are a few blog post ideas that can apply to almost every genre of writer: a day in your writing life, what inspires you, or your latest project. Really stumped about what to post next? Try out some of these 40 blog post ideas.
More Elements Of A Successful Editorial Calendar
Due Dates: For blogging consistency, include a section to schedule both the date you need your blog post completed and the date you want the post to go live. This will give you ample time to edit and adjust the post while still keeping to your schedule. Check out how to stay sane when you’re on a writing schedule.
Blog Post Title: Every professional blog post needs a title! You’ll definitely want to add a section for titles and even subtitles in your editorial calendar. Engaging, clever titles can be tough to come up with, so if you need some inspiration, check out this guide on how to title just about anything.
Content Details: When you outline the details of your blog post right in your editorial calendar, it makes actually writing it so much easier. You’ll have the basis for your post readily available, and a few key points to get you started. For more easy tips, take a look at this weary writer’s guide to better blogging.
Keywords: Keywords give the SEO of your blog post a boost! When readers search for the keywords that appear in your article, having good SEO improves the odds that they’ll find your blog and visit your author website. Make a list in your editorial calendar so these keywords are included in your post!
Target Audience: Knowing the type of reader you want to attract to your blog helps you focus your blog posts to best appeal to your audience. You may wish to reach longtime readers with your content or connect with new fans. With targeted posts, it can even increase your number of comments.
How To Create Your Actual Calendar
There are many programs available that you can use to create your editorial calendar. The most popular is Microsoft Excel, which boasts an extensive array of options, layouts, tabs, and more. Google Sheets is an online alternative that lets you create an editorial calendar where you can upload files. And there are many other programs available that will help you create a blog editorial calendar that works best for you as a writer.
An editorial calendar can keep you organized and consistent—and make it easier for your author blog to effectively function as a powerful promotional element on your website.
Question: Which type of calendar do you use to track your blog posts?
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