In a world where people are always on the go, it’s important to make time for the things we love the most. I’m sure if you’re here blogging or writing, in general, are important to you. If not, then welcome anyway! I’m sure this post on batching content will be beneficial for you still.
As a blogger who works full time in corporate America as well, I find it challenging to post content consistently. I simply just don’t have the time to write a post on the spot anymore, let alone the week of. This year has taught me the importance of valuing the time of others, as well as my own. I want the same thing for you.
So, how do you do that? Let me share my secret with you!
As a blogger you MUST start batching your content to create consistency and reclaim your time!
Trust me, this will leave you feeling less stressed and overall more confident about your blog. Now that the ‘secrets’ out, let’s learn more about what batching content for your blog is so that you can get started today.
What is batching content?
Content batching is a productive technique that involves setting aside a block of time to create all of your blog posts for a certain period.
This can also apply to your social media accounts. With content batching, you’re able to focus your creative energy instead of jumping from one task to the next — creating a more cohesive look and feel for your blog.
I’ve begun putting this into play for my blog and the results have been wonderful. For one, I feel that I am becoming more in tune with who my audience is and how to reach them through being authentic. To read my recent post on the importance of authenticity as a blogger click here.
Before I implemented batching content I would create blog posts the week of and wonder why I wasn’t attracting the audience I desired. If only someone had told me consistency was the problem!
Now my blog posts look a lot different because there’s a strategy behind them. Batching content has helped me blog smarter, not harder. Who knew setting aside a day, or even a few hours could save so much trouble! I’m sure other bloggers would tell you the same thing. That setting aside time to create once or twice a month has gotten them further than creating content from the spur of the moment.
How to batch content for your blog
There are four key things I do when batching content for my blog, and I’d love to share them with you. I’ve developed a system that works for my busy schedule, and I know that you can do the same!
Let’s get into it.
1. Identify your goals.
Are you someone who writes goals for the month? If not, here’s your sign to get started.
Writing goals for my blog each month gives me a guideline to work by, which is important when living a busy lifestyle. My goals allow me to be laser-focused on key things I want to accomplish and keep me from getting distracted. I’ll be the first to say that sometimes not every goal I set is crossed out at the end of the month, but that doesn’t mean progress hasn’t been made. Some goals take longer than others to accomplish and that’s okay!
I say this because as a blogger I know how easy it is to get off track and become inconsistent. That’s why it’s important to identify clear goals before you begin batching your content. If you’re unsure of how to do that ask yourself these questions.
- How many blog posts am I hoping to publish this month?
- What topics are my readers loving?
- What topics am I enjoying writing about?
- Will I be posting long form content or short form?
These are just a few questions to get your brain rolling. For example, if you answer yes to posting long form content then you’ll likely need to set aside a little more time. But that won’t be a problem because you’ll know beforehand that you need to build it into your schedule!
2. Write an outline of your blog posts.
Creating an outline doesn’t just come in handy for blogging. It’s truly a life hack!
Seriously. Batching already saves me so much time, but outlining my blog posts before writing them makes it even easier to push content out. I’ve always been an organized person and seeing my content come together piece by piece through my outline is so satisfying!
As bloggers it’s our job to hook our readers. Similar to any good book a blog post should include the following:
- Intro – Your intro is the first thing readers see. Leading with a strong intro will determine whether a reader makes it to the end of your post or circles back to Google’s search page.
- Body – The body is what ties the intro and conclusion together. This is where the bulk of your information will be, so it’s important to divide this section up with subheadings to avoid confusion.
- Conclusion – A good conclusion gives a closing summary of the blog post in its entirety.
An outline is a map that you create to strategize how you will keep your audience engaged in what you have to say.
3. Keep your content pillars front of mind.
Do you know what your blog’s content pillars are? If not, it’s time to do some analysis. You likely have pillars that you just haven’t considered yet.
Keeping your content pillars at the forefront of your mind will keep you on-brand with content creation across the board. For those who have been blogging for a while and are confident with their pillars, this step is a lot easier. But for those just starting with their blogs or those changing direction with their content, this can come as a challenge. If that sounds like you here’s what I want you to do before you batch content.
Stop and take a second to look through your blog as if you were a general reader. What content jumps out at you? What would you like to see more of? Take notes as you are doing this and see what you come up with when finished. Your notes will give you better insight as you identify your content pillars.
For those of you who are more advanced bloggers, I have a challenge for you too. Don’t think you’re safe! Only kidding, slightly.
Your challenge is to take a look at your social media account(s) and analyze what you see. Are they aligning with your content pillars or just a jumbled mess? Do your captions reflect your blog’s consistency? Make sure to take notes on what you see and make improvements where needed before batching content for the next month.
4. Have your visuals ready.
I’ll admit this was the hardest step for me to grasp. I’ve never been someone who takes a ton of pictures unless it’s a nice selfie! But with batching blog posts and social media content, I’ve learned that it’s best to have photos ready because you never know what you’ll need.
Now I take at least 5 photos every day. Often it’s photos of nature, morning coffee, videos from a morning walk, etc. Photos that can be used in the background of a graphic on social media or make an engaging Instagram story. But I also set aside time once a month to take photos of myself or hire a photographer to do so. This helps me a ton!
I’ve also learned that you don’t need thousands of photos to keep your content fresh. That sounds stressful anyway, doesn’t it? Instead, I use about 20 good photos and get creative with them. I’ll crop photos, adjust colors, and repurpose them with social media graphics to get maximum use out of them. Talk about working magic!
Now it’s your turn!
You’re ready to batch content like a pro now. What are you waiting for?
As you’re prepping your future content know that your first time may not go as planned, and that’s okay. You’ll get the hang of it. I promise!
To get you started I put together a FREE digital download that will help you strategically plan your content and make batching your content a breeze. Here you go, it’s all yours!
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