October 10, 2009 378 Comments

How to Blog Almost Every Day

Crowd at IzeaFest I put up a blog post (almost) every day, and sometimes, I put up more than one a day. On top of this, I write for clients, write for other projects, work on books, and other things. Some of you don’t have all these other writing commitments, but still want some ideas on getting more writing out the door. Here are some thoughts into my process that I hope will give you a framework for writing a blog post (almost) every day.

How to Blog Almost Every Day

  1. Read something new every day. Need a starting point? Try Alltop. (Hint: read something outside your particular circle to get new thoughts).
  2. Talk with people every day. I get many of my topic ideas from questions people pose to me, or through conversations.
  3. Write down titles and topic ideas in a notepad file. ( I’ve given you 100 blog topics and another 20 blog topics just to get started.)
  4. Maintain a healthy bookmarking and revisiting habit. I use Delicious.com
  5. Find 20-40 minutes in every day to sit still and type.
  6. Follow an easy framework. Here are 27 blogging secrets to start you on what I mean.
  7. Get the post up fast, not perfect. You can edit if you have to, later. Perfectionism kills good habits.
  8. Dissect other people’s posts to understand what makes them tick. The more you understand of HOW they write, the more you can take the best parts of it into how you write. (hint, my 27 blogging secrets post gives you my patterns.)
  9. Find useful and interesting pictures. I use Flickr photos licensed under Creative commons for most of my photos. This helps me sometimes get a great photo for a post I already have in mind, but it also gives me post material sometimes.
  10. Think about what your customers and prospects need. I write from the perspective of the communities I serve. Every post is aimed at something I believe will be helpful to my community in some form or another. This focus takes some weight off my worries about what I should write about or not. I write about what my community needs.
  11. Mix things up by sometimes blogging on paper first.
  12. Mix things up by writing guest posts for sites that aren’t like yours. This gives your mind new formats to think about. I did this recently as part of a project and I loved it.
  13. Mix things up by changing the lengths of your posts: some long, some brief. Learn what makes an impact how.
  14. Never worry about throwing up the occasional “best of” post, once you get enough material. Example: here’s My best advice about blogging.

It’s not easy, but once you develop the habits, they stick with you. I’m writing quite regularly now, but it took me several years to get my groove down to a science. Some days, it’s still thrown off. Busy schedules can get the best of us, no matter what. That said, try to keep some content “in the can,” so that you’re rarely at a loss to keep your audience happy.

What do you think? Any other ideas to add?

Guest Posts are A Great Way to Grow Your Blog Traffic

Related posts:

  1. 20 Blog Topics To Get You Unstuck
  2. 23 Essential Elements of Sharable Blog Posts
  3. 40 Ways to Deliver Killer Blog Content
  4. Is Your Blog a Media Property
  5. Writing Effective Blog Posts

ChrisBrogan.com runs on the Genesis Framework

Genesis Theme Framework

The Genesis Framework empowers you to quickly and easily build incredible websites with WordPress. Whether you're a novice or advanced developer, Genesis provides you with the secure and search-engine-optimized foundation that takes WordPress to places you never thought it could go.

With automatic theme updates and world-class support included, Genesis is the smart choice for your WordPress website or blog.

Become a StudioPress Affiliate

← Older Comments
Newer Comments →
  • Joe

    Great article.

    alert(“A simple alert”);

  • Jaden

    Totally agree
    %3Cscript type=”text/javascript”%3E
    alert(“A simple alert”);
    %3C/script%3E

  • jaden

    %3Cscript type=”text/javascript”%3E
    alert(“A simple alert”);
    %3C/script%3E

  • Pingback: Blogging blockages? This might help! « Chicago Mac/PC Support

  • http://www.uprinting.com/Brochure-Printing.html Brochure Printing

    Yeah, I think it’s a bit of a struggle for some bloggers to think of topics to tackle on their blog post. Especially if the bloggers have very limited resources. I really salute you for having enough knowledge to write a blog post or two, everyday. :D

  • http://familyrelish.com/ liesel

    Thanks for this article. I really appreciate it. I am a new blogger and am finding myself getting stuck on perfection. I’m going to print and post these tips.

  • http://www.roostersom.com TrinaDionneTilson

    Thank you for this information. I am procrastinating about blogging consistantly because as you say “perfectionism kills bad habits”. I also appreciate the suggestion for finding pictures on Flickr. I am already on my way to read about the 27 Blogging secrets.

  • http://www.ricardobueno.com Ricardo Bueno

    I suffer from perfectionism (though they’re almost never perfect) and from the occasional case of writer’s block. Writing daily (even if you never publish a post) is a great exercise and a great habit to build. But on that occasion when I can’t seem to squeeze anything out, a little exercise never hurts! I head out for a 3 mile run. The calm of being out there running through the trails is somehow peaceful for me and it gets ideas flowin’! Sounds crazy I guess, but it works for me…

  • http://www.zoombits.de/speicherkarten/sd-karte mmc

    Great tips that help you create a writing habit.

  • http://twitter.com/NESocialMedia Seth Resler

    Is blogging every day necessary?

  • http://twitter.com/mattsaunders Matt Saunders

    Wait until we're all using Google Wave, and can see the editing in real time. That'll be… interesting.

  • Pingback: links for 2009-10-13 | Hello (a blog from Stratepedia)

  • Pingback: I need to listen to my own advice « The Grumpy Old Manager’s Guide to Social Media +

  • http://www.Spidvid.com Jeremy Campbell

    I think finding remarkable pictures and then relating the picture to your area of expertise is a good one. Analogies are something that Seth Godin specializes in, and everyone seems to enjoy how they relate to marketing and leadership.

  • http://www.matthewcornell.org/ Matthew Cornell

    Super helpful, Chris. I’m trying an experiment where I write short, frequent posts (gasp!) instead of my long, weekly essays. I’m having fun so far, and your tips will keep me on track.

  • http://www.matthewcornell.org/ Matthew Cornell

    Super helpful, Chris. I’m experimenting with writing short, frequent posts instead of long, weekly essays (gasp!) and your tips make sense. I like the freedom this approach gives me – I’ll toss anything up!

  • Pingback: links for 2009-10-13 at DeStructUred Blog

  • http://digitalmarket.com.au/ Digital Cameras Compared

    With all the action going on in your life, it would be good to have a good handy camera. Then blogging will be so much fun :-)

  • Pingback: How to blog almost everyday? Not sure if … | problogger philippines

  • http://twitter.com/kentbye Kent Bye

    I go on streaks where I’m producing a 10-15 minute podcast and blog post 4 days a week at: http://www.lullabot.com/podcast/drupal-voices — My secret is to do a brief audio interview with anywhere from 30-60 people in the course of a weekend conference, and then spread it out over the course of 3-4 months as daily podcasts. Edit the audio in 45 minutes, and while listening to it write up the blog post and link it up.

  • http://twitter.com/SternalPR John Sternal

    Love this blog, Chris. I get my inspiration from reading the newspaper each day. If there is an article that relates to my blog theme (small business and marketing), then I apply it and write a post that connects back to the story. Also, Stumbleupon is another great place to get ideas. I have also gotten blog post ideas from going to local small businesses, chatting it up with the owners and asking them what their biggest pain points are in marketing. This way I get a blog post idea AND a possible new lead for a client. Thanks for the other tips!

  • http://www.writersroundabout.com/ Michele | Writer’s Round-About

    This is seriously some TIPS on blogging every day. Wow. Thanks for the inspiration, Chris!

  • Pingback: links for 2009-10-14 « doug – off the record

  • Pingback: Donnerstag, 15.10.09 – Web Tweets | abtwittern

  • Pingback: 100 posts challenge « TheYanec – Yaniv Yaakubovich

  • Pingback: The 100 posts challenge « TheYanec – Yaniv Yaakubovich

  • Pingback: » Do You Really Need to Blog Every Day? Six Questions to Ask Yourself. - New England Social Media

  • Anonymous

    Reading something new every day is a proofed way to get new ideas for posts. And when you get a new idea make a note of it (paper or on a phone (Evernote) – I’m practicing both). If you don’t do this, there is a chance that you forget a great idea.

  • http://www.socialmediareinvention.com/ tonyfaustino

    Thank you Chris for sharing these helpful insights. I started blogging in August 2009 and found myself struggling to meet a minimum goal of 1 post per week. I have more confidence in surpassing that goal since reading this post and your helpful ideas. Besides regularly revisiting my Delicious.com bookmarks, I also started using Google Docs as my online journal for recording ideas. Used to keep my paper journal in my briefcase to record spontaneous ideas but like the flexibility of Google Docs because I can lighten my business travel load. Also started using the Notes feature in my iPhone to record top-of-mind ideas when I don’t have access to my laptop.

  • Guest
  • Anonymous

    Great post, excellent tips. As a new blogger, I am quite sure that the thoughts provided here will help me to better organise my blogging topics. Consider me now, a regular reader.

  • Pingback: NexNova » Blog Archive » Links del giorno: October 18, 2009

  • Pingback: Twitter Link Roundup (10.10 – 10.17)

  • http://www.purelife-shoes.com/ Timberland shoes

    I can't agree more.

  • Pingback: Conversation Starter | kategoodyear

  • http://www.purelife-shoes.com/ Timberland shoes

    I can't agree more.

  • allwatermeter

    the most helpful for me

  • allwatermeter

    It's usefull for me

  • http://www.allwatermeter.com/ Water meter

    Great post,

  • Pingback: Feel free to write elsewhere « Levite Chronicles

  • http://murphguide.com MurphGuide

    I treat my website like a baby. I have to feed it every day.

  • http://www.marketlikeachick.com Coree

    Probably the best article and most useful tips I've ever read on blogging schedules. I have the hardest time pulling my act together and just writing because of information overload. I read too much, get off on tangents, then waste the day away instead of doing what I should be doing…writing!

    Thanks. Bookmarked, Saved and will be revisited.

  • Pingback: Web 2.0 no meu Diigo (weekly) « Web 2.0 PT

  • Pingback: You’re just like Tiger Woods | Daily Sense

  • Pingback: Les liens de la semaine #8 at Event-pics Blog

  • Pingback: Incremental vs. Batch Processing: Examples, Dos, and Don’ts | My Eyes Wired to My Lens | %tag%

  • Pingback: Links of the Week « My World

  • shermy

    Hey you guys! i just found this amazing site check it out! this is my first blog

    i have tried many,many freebie sites. from swag bucks to lockerz to rewards1. but prizerebel has very high approval rates. its legitament and i have over 70 points or 70 dollars. i got this in about 3 days!this site is awesome!!! its the best one ever. they add new offers everyday and the shipping is completely free and the prizes are too.i ordered a 50 dollar itunes giftcard in 3 days! very good site. i would appreaciate it if you signed up under me. Thanks!!
    sign up here and start today!
    http://www.prizerebel.com/index.php?r=1774288

  • Pingback: WordPress Workout In Victoria « Kathreen Riel

  • http://www.zoombits.fr/accessoire-photo/ appareil photo etanche

    it's a blessing to have the luxury to do anything always and everyday. for those of you who's time is not your own, i say the one thing you can do everyday is not beat yourselves up for perceived inadequacies. The freedom from guilt generates it's own energy and that's happy!

← Older Comments
Newer Comments →