Hello once again for another weekly episode of the Better Blogging Series.

We’ve already got a WordPress.org blog installation covered, as well as making it beautiful and creating awesome pictures that will go with your layout. Next task at hand? Creating content that becomes a hit every single time.

I totally understand — blogging is a lot of work; so, where so we start?

1) Find inspiration.

While I do have a lot of topics that I feel I want to write about, I always feel like they just aren’t good enough at the very last minute. So where do I head to for inspiration? Pinterest, of course! Pinterest is pretty much like Facebook but often with a lot of really cool looking graphics that inspire you to write about something right off the bat.

Other ways to get you inspired to write would be your Facebook news feeds and the groups that you belong to. Or you could just think about your everyday life — things or places or people that surround you — and turn it into something really good.

I often try to come up with a working title first and then write my ideas around it. Coschedule* has a really great headline analyzer that lets you find out how your intended titles fare based on certain criteria.

2) Create an outline.

If you try to read the Coschedule blog, you are bound to see tons of information on how you could create great content for your blog and market it to existing and potential readers. If you aren’t sure how to write your posts, they show you five different content types (or you could also check out another similar post here) in which you could write them.

If your topic is slightly broad, break them down into multiple subtopics and talk about each in detail. Or you could split them into a series instead which means you could potentially entice readers to come back again for the next installment of your post.

3) Prepare your graphics and images.

Graphics and images, for me, are the most time-grueling. I hate having to choose only a max of five images from a gazillion that we have taken in a recent mountain hiking trip so even the first part of this task is a lot of work already. However, once I got that covered, I often head out to Canva (others also use PicMonkey).

Twelve Skip shows this amazing round-up of equally awesome bloggers who totally rock at graphics creation. Your graphics can make-or-break your post, especially in Pinterest. If you do not have original photos that you could use, you can always try out stock photos — just make sure they are free to use both personally and commercially.

4) Start writing.

There are many times that I feel uninspired to write (I’m sure you have to – and that’s okay). However, I realize that whenever I do start writing, the creative juices just flow and before I know it, I’m already done with the post and ready to hit publish. If you don’t know James Clear, you should subscribe to his blog. He writes about just writing and writing (actually, just doing anything you want to become a habit, even if you don’t exactly like it at that particular time) because it helps you improve. Check out his post on writer habits and how you could make them work for you, too.

5) Format your content.

There’s really no point in trying to bombard your readers with lots of information when your blog’s readability is blah. With the internet’s extremely short attention span, it is very important for a blogger/writer/digital business owner to be able to capture that attention during the first three seconds. Aside from making sure your page loads 70% faster than the others, you also have to take advantage of the so-called elevator pitch. That is, you tell your client/potential reader the benefits that they get from you in that short time that you ride on an elevator.

How to do that? A compelling first paragraph is definitely an attention-grabber. Also make sure to break your article into categories and sub-categories and utilize bullets, ordered lists and the like. Remember that every tiny detail that you try to improve will help you start blogging like a pro.

6) Add the proper links.

Selling to your readers through your content and using affiliate links is not a crime (make sure you follow rules such as no-follow links and that you disclose them too) – not especially if you really, truly believe in the product that you are recommending. So, sprinkle out your links where applicable. And, if you do have other articles or blogs to reference to, add them up too. Give credit where credit is due.

I also love what Olyvia.co has written about adding affiliate links in social media.

7) Proofread and edit.

Olyvia.co also has a free 21-Day Brand Impressions Detox that could help bloggers and online business owners in putting together a professional face to potential clients. Among her top recommended tasks to do right now? Proofread and edit your work so they sound confident and sure as well as professional and high-quality.

While you’re at it, why not head on over to Grammarly* and have your work proofread and checked for grammar blunders?

8) Share to infinity.

Admittedly, I still struggle with my content marketing workflow and I still couldn’t get it right (although I have somehow been able to grow my social media following a little bit more). Then again, even if you do try to market your content but have no goals, measuring the effectiveness of your campaigns and efforts will be difficult.

How do you promote like a boss? Schedule your pins, tweets and Facebook shares – and this is not limited to your own; do share some love if you like the work of other people. Email marketing is also a really effective way in getting an engaged audience who are (often) genuinely interested in your blog’s niche.

How do you create posts that are pin-worthy and have a huge potential to go viral?

BETTER BLOGGING SERIES

[1] Starting a WordPress.org Blog in 5 Easy Steps
[2] Six Easy Steps to a Beautiful Blog
[3] 4 Tips to Creating Better Blog Photos
[4] How to Create Killer Content for Your Blog Every Time >> YOU ARE HERE!

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