My Blogging Process (Behind the Scenes)
Hi friends! I thought I would let you in on a little secret today. Actually—a lot of little secrets! How about we go behind-the-scenes of my blogging process, so you have the inside scoop? I love hearing how other bloggers put together their incredible posts from start to finish. I hope you join me in this conversation about blog processes—let me know how you like to blog or write! So, let’s go ahead and jump in from the beginning!
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1. Brainstorming in my Blogging Notebook
If you don’t have a blog notebook, I highly suggest investing in one! I’m in love with my black, soft-cover Moleskine where I keep all of my blog inspiration. It’s my #1 blogging tool for a good reason!
When I think of a post idea, I usually write it down on my on-going list of post ideas in my journal. After a while, I will choose a blog topic and begin outlining. I choose topics that I feel like writing at the time; although, I would love to develop a structured schedule for my posts—I haven’t been good at keeping an editorial calendar (shh, don’t tell anyone!).
2. Research & Outlining on Paper
After choosing a topic, I sometimes research the subject before writing. It depends on the post idea, but research helps me to differentiate my content from others and helps me to get quality information for you guys. I will go on Pinterest to see if others have posted about my idea or to find other articles to include in my post. It’s always good to link to other bloggers when you have the chance!
After researching, I outline my basic thoughts in my blogging notebook. This is especially important for list posts. Sometimes, I will even write out my entire post on paper. It’s a great way to get blog work done, and also get away from technology.
Related Post: My Creative Workspace
3. Drafting my Post in WordPress
After outlining my post, I type it up in WordPress, proofread and add necessary links. I will also add SEO descriptions, categories and other things found in my Ultimate Blog Post Checklist. I get everything written, and then I edit images.
[bctt tweet=”Want to see how to write a blog post start to finish? This post is for you! “]
4. Making & Adding Images
For my images, I usually look through my iPhoto for images or use recent photos from a blog photo shoot with some of my favorite photo props. If I don’t have any images that fit well with my topic, I take some photos during the day or look for stock images. While I prefer using my own photography, my favorite place right now for commercial-free stock images is pixabay.com.
After I find the right photos, I color correct them in Photoshop or on Preview on my Mac. If the photo needs more editing, I edit it in Photoshop to make all necessary corrections. Then, I open my graphic templates in InDesign. Depending on the photo, I will choose a watercolor graphic template, a collage template, or another template I’ve created.
In the past, I’ve used Illustrator to make my graphics, but I have switched to InDesign for several reasons. First, I love how you can easily crop images and resize them in InDesign. It makes layouts and mood boards super easy to do. Also, text is really easy to edit and resize as well. While Illustrator also has easy ways to do these two things, I find the process much more intuitive in InDesign.
Related Post: 6 Secrets for Easy & Awesome Blog Graphics
I usually choose 3-5 images depending on the post. For travel posts, I include much more photos since I love providing visuals of destinations to visit. I always make sure to include a title image if I want to share the post on Pinterest!
6. Scheduling the Post & Social Media Promotion
After adding my images and scheduling my post (making sure everything looks good in preview mode), it’s time to share the post on social media! I usually schedule out 3-5 tweets and one Facebook post ahead of time. Then, when the post goes live, I will pin the images that day and throughout the next couple days to my collab boards. During my lunch break at work, I may post to Instagram about my new post too.
7. Responding to Comments
It’s easy to hit publish on a a post and forget about it the next week, but I always love following up with people who comment on my posts. Commenting is such a great way to build a blog community, and it’s absolutely one of the best parts of this process!
[bctt tweet=”Learn how to write a blog post from start to finish! It’s all in the process! “]
While blogging is a long process that requires much thought and work in order to produce great content for your readers, I love each part of the process. There is something about sharing things you are passionate about in a creative, unique way. We have to remember that blogging is a journey, and it’s as much about the process of creating posts as it is the posts themselves. If we don’t love the work we do for our blogs, we don’t get anywhere!
I’m so glad to be surrounded by such passionate creatives who inspire me to keep blogging and creating— I can’t wait to hear about your blogging process too!