Weirdly enough, this has been a blog post that I have wanted to write for so long as I think it is something that not only other bloggers are curious about but also your average person. Some people are very quick to suggest that blogging is 'easy' and requires 'no time at all' but I'm hoping that by writing this post, I will have brought some people's attention to that fact that blogging is very timeconsuming as well as hard work. For those of us who have blogging as our hobby or for those of it who have it as their job, it is never smooth sailing and I hope this post helps some people realise this. Also, I am quite curious myself about how other people go from thinking of a blog post idea to posting it. I think the process is unique to everyone and so I would love to know any other bloggers' order when it comes to creating a blog post, so please leave it in the comments.
GENERATING IDEAS
Obviously, there is no blog post without the initial idea of it first and I would also make this perhaps the most difficult stage of the process. If you aren't in the right mindset to develop an idea that you are passionate or excited about then you will fall at the first hurdle. Most people have heard of 'writer's block' and I guess this is where those people struggle. We have all been there, trying to come up with ideas that are the perfect mix of unique in its content, yet attracts an audience.
For me, generating ideas comes from a range of different places. I tend to sit down with a notebook, open up my laptop and do several searches online. These include looking at my own previous blog posts, seeing if there is anything I can recreate, do a part two of or do a follow up on and looking on some of my favourite blogs, what posts did they do that I really loved and would that be a post I could do myself for my audience? I also like making generic searches like 'blog post ideas for autumn' or 'lifestyle-related blog post ideas' and anything in between. They tend to come up with a whole bunch of suggestions, some more common than others, however, these suggestions tend to inspire new ones which is always why I still search for the average blog post ideas. Other platforms such as Youtube and Pinterest also provide new and creative ideas for blog posts that maybe aren't as common as the ones from your initial 'blog post ideas' search. All of these places tend to inspire me to make a huge list of potential upcoming blog post ideas and so I think it is so important that this be a step in my blogging routine. Without this, when I come to sit down and write a post, or even photograph for one, I will struggle to develop the general theme or intention for the post, making me more likely to cancel it later down the line.
FITTING IT INTO THE CALENDAR
This hasn't always been in my routine, but as of recently, juggling blogging with A Levels and a part-time job, by planning when I am going to photograph, write and upload a blog post makes it much easier for me to remain consistent and inspired. I just tend to write in my planner when I am going to take pictures for a blog post, which tends to consist of more than one post I shoot for that day, and then another day for me to have the post written by. If I find that I need to write a lot of posts in a short amount of time, then by writing it in my planner ensures that I have got a lot of content, however, if I am being more flexible and inconsistent with my upload, then I tend to plan in advance less. But by writing deadlines in my planner, it also makes me more obliged to do it, as it is just like getting set a homework deadline, it means that I have to get it done.
I tend to start out with planning when I am going to upload each blog post. This allows me to see how much time I have until it needs to be ready and I am also able to work backwards, making my to-do lists for the days before consist of taking photos and writing for the upcoming posts. Also, I am able to give myself an overview of what is upcoming on my blog, whether there is enough variety in content, whether it is realistically, going to get done in time and whether it is going to work around my other commitments. I am very flexible with this stage in my process though. Sometimes, I will sit down and plan blog posts for the next month and sometimes I'll just do it for the next week. By drafting it into a planner doesn't always mean that'll it will go ahead but it just allows me to see a brief outline of what my intentions are with my blog in the near future. Obviously, if a post doesn't go ahead, then by pre-planning I am able to make a few adjustments, make a few switches with other blog posts in the works and make it work around the time I am given. As of recently, this has been a huge part of my blogging process, especially with a holiday of mine coming up and the Halloween and Christmas blog posts beginning.
GETTING PICTURES
I love taking pictures for my blog and I have definitely had my fair share of experimenting with the best way for me to get all of my pictures taken in enough time. Obviously, this is all relative to what it is that I'd be posting about. Product photos are much quicker and easier for me to take and outfit pictures tend to take more planning and more time, so obviously, there is going to be a lot of variety in this section.
When it comes to taking product shots, I tend to do them in bulk as they are quite quick to do anyway and it'd mean that I would have more blog posts in the work, which is always an aim for me. Before shooting any pictures, I will tend to have a list of the blog posts I plan to shoot for that day, it may consist of a playlist post, a makeup post and a review post. Then, I will collect all of the main products that need to be featured in each post, with maybe a few accessories to add to the background or anything else I might want in the pictures. It is then just a case of charging my camera battery overnight and then taking all of the pictures the next day, arranging them on a surface, taking more than enough pictures so that there are several options for each post. Either that same day or a few days later, I will then download all of the raw pictures onto my photo, edit them and then upload them onto my laptop. I would then put the pictures into their corresponding Blogger drafts ready for when I come to write the post. Obviously, not every all of my posts consists of just products though, outfit/ other posts tend to take more planning but the order pretty much stays the same.
WRITING
Onto perhaps the most time consuming of all the stages, the writing. This is definitely something I have to be in the mood to do, so I try and give myself as much time as possible to write posts that really require a lot of writing. Some posts are much easier to write than others like my playlist posts in comparison to a post like this where I really need to talk and explain the point I am trying to get across. Therefore, when I find myself in a really chatty and motivated mood to write, I take advantage of it as much as I can. Like today, I am in a super blog-writing mood and so I have written four different blog posts. That is how I tend to get most of my blog posts written, like the pictures, they tend to be done in bulk just because once I'm in the mood, I sort of never want to stop. Plus, by writing when I am in this mood rather than forcing myself to write when I don't want to, my posts tend to be much more authentic and enjoyable to read.
POSTING
This is pretty much just scheduling a post for a few days time or just hitting publish if I feel like posting spontaneously. With trying to stick to deadlines as much as possible, I will try and get posts scheduled in advanced but sometimes if I want to upload an extra blog post in the week or just something that I need to upload immediately then that is exactly what I'll do. I try not to restrict myself too much and so this stage can be very inconsistent.
PROMOTING
Out of all of the steps, this is my least favourite because after working so hard on a post, in order for people to see it, you need to promote it. Like everything else, depending on how motivated I'm feeling will depend on how much I promote the post. Sometimes I will use Buffer to schedule tweets promoting a post but more often than not, I tend to just share it on my Instagram story making people aware of the upload. Ensuring people see my post isn't always the most important thing to me, however, it is nice to see a positive response on a post you have worked hard on and so I try to get a balance of promoting a post I had enjoy making without shoving it in people's faces.
Let me know what you thought of this blog post, it was definitely something different but I would love to know if anything I have mentioned has surprised you or if you're a blogger, how your own routine differs from mine.
Lots of Love,
Grace xx
