Have you ever been in a blogging rut? You know you need to publish a post with quality content but you have writer’s block or are simply unfocused? Do you find yourself jumping from task to task and need to find a way to speed up the writing process a bit? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, batch blogging might be something you want to consider.
Chances are that if you are a running a blog, you are also running social media accounts, interacting on other blogs, replying to emails, searching the web for inspiration, editing photos, and brainstorming for future posts. If you find yourself getting distracted with other tasks when you sit down to write a blog post, before you know it, hours will pass and you won’t have any quality content to show for your time! That is where batch blogging comes into play.
What is batch blogging?
Batching is when you dedicate chunks of time to a specific process. Instead of going back and forth between tasks, you focus on one activity for a set amount of time.
Multi-tasking leads to distractions. Batching, or in other words, “single-tasking,” helps complete tasks efficiently.
In blogging terms, this means rather than take one blog post through the entire process of drafting, editing, finding images and publishing in one sitting, you break up each task into separate time frames.
If you really want to crank out quality content for your posts, it is recommended to block out 90 minutes or more each time you sit down to batch blog. Blocking out time means turning off your phone, clearing your desk, closing your email tab, putting a “Do Not Disturb” sign on the door; whatever it takes to eliminate distractions!
The most important part about batching is that you need to complete the same task all at once. Let’s talk about 5 tasks that you can break up into different sittings.
1. Brainstorm Blog Titles
When it comes to writing blog posts if you want to write several in one sitting you will need to first start by creating a list of blog titles.
Your list of titles do not need to be set in stone but they should give you enough general direction to start. Coming up with your titles in advance allows you to think about your content and add variety to your posts.
RELATED: 6 Tips for Writing Attention Grabbing Post Titles
Once you have a list of titles, it is also helpful to add them to a calendar. The editorial calendar page in our Ultimate Blog Planner helps you schedule your weekly posts in advance.
2. Create Outlines
Instead of writing one post from start to finish, spend some time outlining the main points you want to include. You may feel like you are back in a high school creative writing class, but those teachers were on to something!
Start with three to five key points that you want to get across. What’s important? What’s not? If you can only think of one or two ideas, your topic might be too narrow. If you need to list 25 points to be thorough, narrow it down.
Do some quick research, if needed, and use words from your blog title as search terms. Then add a rough introduction and conclusion and move on to the next post before developing each point word for word.
3. Write Your Posts
This step may seem daunting if you are writing several posts in one sitting, but if you already have your titles and your outlines in place, you will be surprised at how quickly you will breeze through writing content. You have already done the leg-work of brainstorming topics and coming up with main ideas, and now all that is left is developing your key points into paragraphs.
If you find yourself starting to lose focus after writing and writing, take a break for 20 minutes or so and then come back to continue.
4. Add Images
After you’ve written your blog posts, it’s time to add in images to pretty them up a bit.
Depending on the type of post you are writing, you may want to upload all of your images before doing your writing. The key is to do this task all at once instead of alternating between writing a few sentences and adding images individually.
RELATED: 10 Ways to Use Stock Photos for Your Blog and Beyond
5. Edit, Proofread and Publish
Your final batching task should be editing. It is good to take a break from your posts after you write them and come back and read them with a fresh pair of eyes. You may have things to add or may want to remove parts that are not needed. Check for spelling mistakes and grammatical errors.
You should also use this task as a chance to add in any links to other relevant blog posts you’ve written, affiliate links or product promotion.
RELATED: The Importance of Internal and External Linking in Posts
Once your posts are ready to go, schedule them to publish on your pre-determined dates.
You don’t want them going live all at once because you will want to take time to promote each blog post individually without overwhelming your audience!
Batch blogging can help keep blogging fun and consistent. One of the most satisfying things you can do as a blogger is to get ahead of your deadlines. Sticking to your blogging schedule by batch blogging allows you some breathing space so you can have a life too!
Now that you know how beneficial batch blogging can be, will you be giving it a try? Let us know in the comments below.
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