How to Create a Wonderful Blog Post in an Hour
The first thing to do? Set that timer for an hour. Another good thing to do is make sure you have a reward for yourself once you’re done. How about a frozen yogurt with sprinkles?
First 15 Minutes
Brainstorm ten topics. Here are some ideas to kickstart you:
- A question that your clients always ask. Or one they rarely ask.
- A news story you could discuss and how it affects your clients.
- A recent testimonial, and how happy you were to receive it.
- Reasons you’re better than your competitors.
- What people don’t ask about your business but you wish they would.
Photo by Helen.Yang 
- Funny things you’ve learned plying your trade.
- Tell a story about a crazy client you’ve worked with (anonymous, of course!).
- How you work with people in another field (for instance an app developer and a website developer).
- How people can work with you (for instance, Social Media Managers: Ten Secrets to Care for Yours).
- Behind the scenes in your business–describe some of the people who work at your company.
This tweet from Randy Clark might make you think twice:
Don’t limit yourself to blogs about your product. Learn your target audience’s interests and write about those topics. #digiblogchat
— randy clark (@randyclarktko) June 7, 2016
Second 15 Minutes
Pick the best topic from your brainstormed list.
Choose only one! If you like two, write about the other one next time. Here’s a bit to help with blogging in a post I wrote about Orange County WordCamp, by the way (create five topics). Now speak out loud and write down what you say. Pretend someone else is there, or call a friend and talk into the phone. If you can use speak to text, even better and faster. I like an “hourglass shaped” post, starting with the macro, going to the micro, and back out to the macro. That is, begin with something generic and then get specific. Now write three short paragraphs about whatever your point is. And then wrap it up with another short paragraph.
Third 15 Minutes
Add Links. Add at least two inbound links to your own blog (if you don’t have any, don’t worry–you will soon!), and two outbound links. For an article of 350 words, I like to have a total of four links. For instance, for this post, I linked to my own blog twice, and two external links. Search on a topic or two that could use more explaining, and add the URLs.
Add Tags. Pick a few to identify the content of your post.
Fourth 15 Minutes
Add Images and a call to action.
Images
Go to Creative Commons and find something you like and plug it in. I like Flickr, but you may find another favorite–be sure the image you like is available for commercial use and modification. You don’t need a lot of images, but at least one or two at a minimum. Find something compelling that represents your words, but don’t stress over it too much. If you have your own images, that’s even better.
Call to Action
Here are some typical CTAs:
- Join us now!
- Add a comment!
- Sign up for our newsletter!
Here’s a list of 11 Kick-Ass Call to Action Examples that you might like!
Photo by Mark Berry – Photographer & Graphic Designer
Enjoy Your Reward!
Are you enjoying your reward now? Tell me what your reward is in the comments below! (And how did you like that Call to Action?)
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