RSS
SEO Tips
Blogging Tips.png)
6 Quick Tips To Get Ahead Of Your Posting Schedule
August 31, 2008
Still writing a post and publishing it the same day?
Why?
Things are so much easier and lighter on yourself when you have 20 posts ready to go.
This gives you much more free time to write more content and get involved in other projects you may have going.
I remember I made the mistake of not writing ahead.
It used to be a race to the finish line to get a post done on time — it drove me nuts! And to be quite honest, it’s just not fun.
Blogging isn’t fun when you feel like you have to do something. I mean, that’s the point of working from home, right?
To be able to do things when you want. So, I had to do something about it.
First, let’s get something clear, there will always be times when you have to write a post and publish it the same day: breaking news hit the blogosphere, a big event occurs, something happens that you feel you must write about to be the first — that’s understandable.
But, I’m talking about those “timeless” type of posts — not contemporary
The how-to’s, tutorials, and case studies are the posts I’m talking about. Things that will always remain the same, but still need to be taught.
Think about having 32 saved drafts in your WP admin — all high quality, researched, well-written posts. How much weight off your shoulders is that?
Now, the only thing you have to worry about is breaking news — the contemporary stuff.
Also, you’ll have more time to focus on SEO, getting advertisers, read other blogs, research and write more posts.
And, I wouldn’t recommend putting them on auto-publish. You may just change your mind about several posts, and if you set it up to follow a post frequency, it can be a headache to reorganize it all. Saving them as drafts is just fine. All you have to do when a post is due is hit publish.
Enough with the benefits, spill it!
OK, gees!
- What to write about? – get a notebook and have it with you for a few days. Start thinking. Jot down all the ideas for posts that you want to write about as they come to you. I suggest writing them as the actual headline the post is going to have — i.e, if the topic is about affiliate marketing and how it’s coming to an end, think of a title to fit that post and write that down as an idea — e.g., “The rise and fall of affiliate marketing” Also, think of about at least 30 to 40.
- Hire a guest blogger for 2 days – If your posting schedule is daily, you might want to do this in order to able to do the following steps, without being overwhelmed. You don’t even need to hire a blogger; you can buy 2 quality posts, and set them to publish while you work on getting ahead of schedule.
- Sacrifice – I really don’t like this part, but if you get this done, it’ll be worth it in the long run. Take 2 to 3 days to sacrifice and clear your entire schedule for those days.
- Write – 20 quality posts in 2 to 3 days? You can do it! Buckle up, get your coffee, crack your knuckles and get to typing. I would actually say more, because I do more, but to play it safe and make it possible for everyone, let’s stick with 20 in 2 to 3 days.
- Don’t stop - I can’t begin to tell you how many times I wanted to say, “6 is enough!” Don’t do it. Keep going. The more posts you write the more free time you will have later.
- History repeats itself - Once you write and craft your first 20, now you can clear 2 to 3 more days from your schedule next week. This time no payed post or guest blogger is required. You have 20 posts already written, that means you’re free from writing one post per day, for the next 20 days.
Why you should I do this?
In just 2 to 3 days a week, for 1 to 2 weeks, you can be ahead by 40 or more posts at that rate. Of course, you can choose to be like me, and be ahead by 57 posts — 
This may all sound dreadful, and you may not want to do it (I know I didn’t at first), but afterwards you will feel the relief you will have from having to write a daily post. And if you don’t post daily, because of just that (not wanting to commit or feel forced), then this is the perfect way to get to post daily — if it’s what your readers want.
You can keep your post frequency for now, and when you have enough posts written up, you can begin to post daily without the worry of having to write everyday and increase the amount of writing you do.
What tactics do you use to get ahead of your posting schedule?
What would you add? How do you get ahead of your posting schedule? Please, enlighten us in the comment section.
This is a really good idea and everyone should do it. I can’t, I’ve tried. I have a bunch in the bank, I just never want to use them. I always write the morning’s post, right before I go to bed. It’s ritual. It’ll probably change, but that’s where I am for now.
Writer Dads last blog post..Nominate Writer Dad
Writing posts ahead of time is a must. I still write “under pressure” at SuiteJ.com, but always timestamp a load of articles for other projects, flips, etc.
Sometimes I work well under pressure, but that still doesn’t make it fun or decrease the stress involved. lol
Great advice
Cheers!
Jay
SuiteJs last blog post..Sunday Morning Sacrifice: You Could Be $37 Richer Just By Reading This
Though I write time-insensitive posts at my blogs, I always feel the pressure of time and am always behind schedule which forces me to finish posts in one sitting.
A great article and everyone should try to follow these awesome steps. Thanks for sharing.
meghnaks last blog post..Can Younger People Teach The Old?
Thank you for this post. It was very informative and very needed. I can never keep up with all the things I need to do and post on time.
Tony Cathey
http://www.imablogger.net
Where False Doctrine and Heresy Get PWND
Tony Catheys last blog post..False Doctrine : The Movie
Great tips! Although, I do like the auto post (timestamp) for when I plan on taking a “day off.”
Mirandas last blog post..Gas Prices Still High? It’s Probably Your Fault
Writer Dad – It is! I’m sure it must be more difficult for you than the rest of us. Your writing’s are much more difficult to word together, than any of my posts — so, it’s definitely understandable.
SuiteJ – Thanks! No worries, I’m sure that “pressure” will burst soon enough. And, I see this tactic is working well for your other projects — allowing you to write those great articles you post over there at SuiteJ!
Meghnak – Yes, I was the same way. It really made me feel like this was a 9-5, so I had to do something about it. I’m sure you will too.
Tony – Anytime! Hope this helps clear up some of your schedule!
Miranda – Thanks! And yes, the auto-post feature is awesome — I still use it occasionally, but with so many posts written ahead of time things can get a little messy on my end. Thanks for reading!
Man dude….I SOOOOOOOOO need to do that. At one point, I had a few post written, but…that’s slowly dwindled and I never got back ahead. Most days, I feel no pressure to write, it just flows. Some days though, I may have stuff going on, or just may not feel like writing, I could use my reserves for that.
Great post dude, good advice and very practical.
Normal Joes last blog post..Google Chrome, Asus eePC, Free Hostgator Hosting, and a Monkeyblogger
@Normal Joe – Thanks. Yeah, I know what you mean. It’s real stressful, which is exactly why we need to do what this post describes
I can’t tell you how many times I passed up a night out to get a post done. After that, that was it man; I got to it. Thanks for reading Joe!
I really need to follow some of these tips. Make my day to day a little easier.
ProofPositivitys last blog post..Proof Positivity: What inspires you?
I completely agree. I write continually, and always have posts that I can just pop out of my archives and publish when my brainstorming runs a bit dry. I prefer to blog on the fly, writing about what strikes me, but having articles in the can is definitely a good way to go to keep fresh content on your blog regularly.
thes last blog post..Is Compassion Learned or Innate?
One thing you mentioned kind of in passing is to have a notebook – I always do this cos I always seem to have ideas for posts when I’m in the shower or walking to the bus stop, or whatever. I don’t do too well with having a lot of posts in the bank, but just this one thing takes the pressure off – having a list of posts I’m planning to write. So when I do get time to write, I don’t have to waste half my time wondering what to write about. Also because I’ve kind of been mulling over the ideas in my head, the actual writing comes quite easily cos I already know what I want to say.
Rods last blog post..Easiest way to manage broken links
I’m a fool for scheduling things…I have to or else I can’t keep my marketing straight. This article is for people like me who need a clear, definable path to take to make sure the marketing that needs to get done gets done. Plan, plan, and plan some more!
I don’t have a posting schedule, but I do have a minimum number of time that I need to post per week. If I go over that-great, but I need to at least hit the minimum or what is commonly known as a benchmark.
Good stuff as always Luis.
Corrisa