I usually keep a running list of things I’d like to blog about in a small notebook filled with notes, thoughts and doodles. As soon as an idea sparks, I try to write it down as soon as possible so that I won’t forget it. Of all of the blog post ideas I come up with, only a handful actually become posts.
It’s easy to run off a hundred ideas for awesome blog posts, but so much more goes into creating a post than a good idea. If it were that easy, I’d blog 3 times a day, every day… okay actually I probably wouldn’t, but you get the point.
There are a few habits you can put into practice to help take those ideas from the notebook to the ‘new post’ area of your blog. Here’s how to sift through all of those ideas, and turn your awesome brainstorms into even more awesome blog posts.
01. Write descriptive ideas.
When I get a great idea for a post, I try to write down the vision I had for it when the idea first came to me. This way, when I sit down to write, I have more than just a few keywords in front of me. The initial idea may become part of the post title, but the description is what will help you develop the concept better.
02. Keep your ideas together.
When an idea comes, I try to write it down instantly, right where I’m at. I usually have a few post-its or lines in my planner with random phrases or thoughts that I want to turn into posts. But I’m always sure to transfer these ideas into a notebook where I keep ALL of my blogging materials.
03. Create an Editorial Calendar.
Using an editorial calendar is great way to get a bird’s eye view of your upcoming posts. It makes it easy to space out different topics, so you aren’t showing any one topic more attention than others. I love the WordPress Editorial Calendar plugin, because it easily let’s me move posts around and see what I’ve focused on one week, so that I know how to plan for the next. I also use a good old fashioned pen and paper planner for my blog, because pen and paper is just that awesome.
04. Don’t just save words, save images.
Visual elements are always important when planning out a blog post. If I see something around the web or on another blog that sparks inspiration, I’ll bookmark the link, and then take a screen shot, just in case. I have a folder saved to my desktop with screenshots that became blog posts. I clean it out once I’ve made use of all of the resources inside.
If you plan on using images that aren’t yours in a post, I’d also be sure to bookmark and save the link someplace safe. There is nothing worse than finding a great image for a post, and then not being able to link back to it.
Those are just a few simple methods for organizing blog post ideas, but I know everyone has their own method to the madness. So what tricks do you use to keep your posts organized?
Great idea!! Especially since my brain operates a mile per minute!! If my idea is lost.. it’s really lost. LOL.
Thanks for the tips!
http://welovecharm.com <3
So glad that you liked the tips! I hope they help in your blog planning!
I guess I’m super old school because I only use a planner + a notebook. For some reason the on-line version of it all confuses me.
Paper + pen, old school or not, is always my favorite way to plan. Something about writing things down just makes me happy.
At the beginning of the year I found a beautiful but compact planner from Sugar Paper at Target that I’ve been using as my editorial calendar (that doesn’t necessarily mean that I actually stick to it…but hey, it’s a start). It’s awesome because it has a one month calendar where I keep track of blog posts for each month and plan out posts. Each month I choose two colored pencils: one representing days that I miss posting anything (boo!) and one representing the posts that are published or scheduled. So basically I write out all the post titles on the day that I (hope to) post them and then once they are published I color them in with the corresponding color. The planner also has a weekly section where I keep track of when ads go up and down as well as daily goes. AND each week has a page beside it for notes which is helping a ton with planning out the details of posts. BUT I need to follow your tip for writing complete descriptive ideas as well as your tip for saving images, this one will help me plan ahead better (hopefully). Sorry for the annoyingly long comment…lovely post! I’m pinning it!
I love long comments, so please don’t apologize!! I use my calendar as a guide, but the best posts are usually that ones that hit you late at night and that really inspire you. You have to go off road when you blog sometimes, to really keep things interesting.
I actually dedicate one day during the week to write and schedule that week’s posts, and then another day to edit images/create graphics for posts as well. It helps to keep me a little more organized and less stressed when it comes time to post!
I’ve been meaning to ask – is there a reason you link to the source of some images and not others?
I always link to images that aren’t mine, or aren’t stock photos that are free to use!
Ah, that second part is what I was asking (and what I suspected)! Makes perfect sense.
I always struggle with having photos for a post – I can never seem to find or take ones I’m happy with. If I have photos for a post, I feel as though it’s already 75% done.
Finding photos to use in a post and then editing them can be a challenge for me to at times. I actually dedicate one day to just making graphics/editing photos for different posts, to help make it a little easier!