I am a daily blogger…never set out to be but it just felt right from the beginning.
I like talking and that seems to have extended into writing…add in the excuse to go exploring and/or shopping for “research” plus new opportunities for photography, and blogging is now very much a part of our lives.
And by our lives, I mean that my husband plays a big part in Zinc Moon too!
I often get asked how I do it…how am I organised enough to work full time yet also published a post every day.
So for this week’s My Friday Five, I thought I would share the five things that need to be in place if you want to become a daily blogger…
Time
Everyone’s time is precious, and seemingly always in short supply, but to do daily posts, you need to be able to devote a certain period of time to your writing, photography, researching etc.
This is not possible for everyone…we both work full time but we don’t have kids which means we don’t have as many commitments.
But to prepare a post for every day of the week, you do need to have time…whether to do a batch once a week even perhaps once a month, or just do a post at a time.
Time can easily slip away…the weeks are flying past so fast nowadays…so I have invested in a Passion Planner to help me get more organised…I want to keep track of what I need to do, and the time it takes to do it all so I can make sure I am working efficiently.
So far, so good!
Content
This is important…if you don’t have content, you don’t have anything to write about!
To be a daily blogger, you need to have a never ending supply of topics.
I must admit I have hit a blank a few times, and started to panic that I was running out of things to write about.
But so far, each time that has occurred, something has happened or I heard/read something that set my words flowing again.
My husband is also very good at coming up with topics when I am stuck!
As my blog is not pigeon holed into a specific niche, I can take my readers wherever I want too…whether they follow me is of course up to them….but by being niche-less, the world is literally my oyster!
One handy hint to make things easier is to create regular features…for example, I have started my What I Wore roundups each Wednesday and My Friday Fives each Friday…this takes a little pressure off to find new topics on those two days.
Love
If you don’t love blogging, then being a daily blogger is definitely not for you.
You need to love it to happily spend the time and effort required to produce a post each day.
If it becomes a chore, then you need to step back and slow down….see if the passion reignites.
But if you are like me, it becomes a needed therapy…a kind of addiction…a way of making sense of the ideas crashing around in my crazy brain!
Scheduling
Just because I post daily doesn’t mean I actually physically write every day…sometimes I will get a few posts ready ahead of time, especially if we are going to be busy or travelling.
Which all means that scheduling is a daily blogger’s best friend…I don’t always use it, but it sure is handy if I can’t be near my computer when a post is due.
I have also learned to make sure I have a draft or two stored up just in case the unexpected happens, such as I get sick…nothing is worse then trying to come up with a quality post when you are stuck in bed, feeling awful.
Routine
Some bloggers shy away from this word…they run screaming from it because they don’t want to be tied down and just want to go with the flow.
But to be a daily blogger, you do need to have some kind of routine…and by that I mean a few things…
Firstly, you should work out when you want to post each day…I usually post around 4.30pm – 5.30pm each day…it means that my Australian readers can catch up with the new post on the way home from work, or after dinner, and my international readers can check it out when their day starts.
Secondly, you should have a regular allocated time to do your drafts etc and stick to it…my routine sees me doing much as I can on weekends which means I am not struggling to be creative when I get home from work…a lack of thyroid causing a foggy brain has put an end to that!
By having a routine, I can keep on top of things, and be more prepared…plus my readers know when a new post should appear!
To put all of the above simply…to be a daily blogger, you have to love blogging/writing and have the time to devote to it.
It doesn’t suit everyone, but it suits me and I will continue as long as the love and time demands allow!
Are you a daily blogger? Share your tips below as I would love to know!