8 Tips to Write Blog Posts Quickly (While Entertaining an Audience)

Content marketing has really changed the game for business owners everywhere.  While it is totally true that content marketing offers serious revenue generating opportunity to the marketer who does it well, the fact is many of my clients often tell me that they feel seriously bogged down with their content creation and development.

Yes, the successful content marketing strategy includes creating material for many platforms, but let’s focus on blogging specifically.  As a business owner and writer who is tasked not only with coming up for material for my own blog, but also for the blogs of others, I regularly follow these eight tips for creating blog posts quickly while ensuring readability.

1.)   Assign a deadline.  At Grammar Chic, my writers and I live and die by the “job board,” or internal calendar that assigns daily deadlines.  Know that we have a mantra that subscribes to the idea that what is on the job board for the day gets done that day.  Let’s face it, work will expand to fill the time you have allotted for it.  If you say, “Oh, I have a couple days to write this blog,” you more than likely will not do it within an assigned space of time and the blog post may go unwritten or take much longer than it should.  However, when you have a deadline to meet, whether imposed by a client or self-imposed, you are more likely to focus and get it done.  Think of every piece of writing you engage in as an assignment that is non-negotiable.  Eventually, this mindset will become a habit and you will not procrastinate or take more time than necessary to complete a post.

2.)   Use an editorial calendar.  Just as Grammar Chic has an internal job board that handles our scheduling and manages the external and internal writing we do for business purposes, you too should create an editorial calendar to handle your content marketing.  When you get started, set the calendar months ahead and, as you develop some discipline, modify it accordingly.

1.)   Make a topic list.  It’s hard to engage in daily or weekly blog writing blindly, so you should brainstorm on topics (using the editorial calendar outlined in the second tip) and plan accordingly.  This will allow you to plan around holidays relevant to your business or product, incorporate happenings in your industry and also avoid repetition.

2.)   Control your ADD and remove distractions.  Face it, there are a ton of things out there begging for your attention; the Internet, your phone, what your friends are doing on Facebook—all serious time wasters.  To write quickly, you have to be focused.  Turn off your phone, close Internet browser screens and ignore your email.  Pretend you have a non-negotiable deadline that needs to be met in the next 30 minutes.

3.)   Consider your ending.  Before you begin writing, determine what you want a reader to take away from the post.  Do you want them to click on a link?  Visit a website?  Submit their contact information?  If you identify your goal, you can better determine the drivers that will provide for this result to be attained.

4.)   Save the editing for later.  One of the big mistakes most writers make is that they try to edit themselves as they write.  Know this is an amateur move and one that will drain you of your time and dedication.  Rule to follow: write first, edit later.  What’s more, proof after all of that.

5.)   Focus on flow.  As you are writing you might realize that, to make a point, you have to look up a fact or substantiate a claim.  Resist the urge to do that right now.  Instead just write XXX or make a small note to yourself to fact check later.  Fact checking is part of the editing process.  Doing it this way will make you more efficient and save time.

6.)   Remember you are telling a story.  Therefore, at the end of everything read it aloud to yourself to first ensure you are making a point; second, that it is entertaining to read; and third, that you are catching any final errors.  Reading aloud is one of the most efficient forms of proofreading.

Blogging can feel like a major chore, but if you follow these tips, you can make it much easier on yourself.  But remember, if you feel like you have just way too much to do as a business owner or marketer to add one more thing to your daily to-do list, call Grammar Chic.  Our team can handle any blogging need for your business, no matter your industry or topic matter or how often you need a blog written.  Call 803-831-7444 or email info@grammarchic.net to set up a consultation. We invite you to learn more about Grammar Chic by visiting our website at www.grammarchic.net and “liking” us on Facebook.