I don't usually write eight blog posts a month. If I'm honest, usually, I would aim for four. I'd be lucky if I did two.

As part of Toastmasters Visionary Communication Level Four, there is an elective task to write 8 blog posts in a month. Toastmasters call it a task however, I saw it as a challenge. I realise that this may not seem like a huge task for some of you. Running a small business can mean that you spend more time working on client work than you do on your own business. We’ve all heard the phrase working in your business as opposed to working on your business.

It seemed outrageous to me. I really didn't think that I could do eight blog posts in one month. However, I do like a challenge. This is my eighth blog post for August.

I found out a lot about myself and my business during this challenge and they may help you too.

How long does a blog post take you to create?

I can spend hours in the process of writing a blog post. There can be panic about what to write. Assuming I’ve written something, then I need to check whether the title is SEO (Search Engine Optimisation friendly to get found in search engines). Do I have the correct amount of keywords? What image will I choose to go with it? What call to action will I use at the end? The Toastmasters task didn’t cover all those extras. I’ve been using WordPress for over ten years so I know what I wanted to include in my posts.

It’s no wonder that it takes me ages to write a blog post because I’m trying to do ALL OF IT AT THE SAME TIME.

You know how to eat an elephant, don’t you? With lots of chocolate! No, I mean one bite at a time.

I needed to speed up the production of my blog post, yet still, keep it valuable to readers.

How to get around writer's block?

I could become stuck simply thinking about what to write. Once you're stuck in writer's block it can be hard to see a way out.

There are content meditations to help clear your mind, get connected to allow the ideas to flow.

If a big blank page is daunting, then dictate your article instead. I dictated this article to my phone, sent it to my laptop, then had Happy Scribe transcribe it. Otter.ai will transcribe some audio for free if you don’t want to pay for a transcription service.

Some days it can be easier to write and other days easier to talk.

Where to find ideas?

What do your ideal clients want to know? If you can’t ask them directly then there are other ways to find out. Answer the Public has loads of questions on various topics. In the free version, you’re allowed several searches. You can also use searches in Quora and your favourite search engine. Check out your competitors or collaborators to see what they are blogging about.

I've written a review of Peppertype.ai. I have the paid version. I don't know what the free version is like, but that can certainly be used to give ideas. It's only as good as the input that you put in.

Knowing that I had to write so many blog posts meant that part of my brain always seemed to be on the lookout for something to use. I had several chocolate and chat sessions during the month and any questions I was asked then became blog ideas.

How to be consistent with your publishing?

Did you notice how I said be consistent with your publishing? I didn’t mention writing on purpose. Although I set aside Monday mornings to create content it’s not always that easy. If a client has a serious issue with their WordPress website, I am going to help them out, especially if they are on a website care plan. Once I’ve used that time for a client I don’t always reschedule that time. In a busy week, I may not have the time available.

For me, I’ve found that batching my content works well. I write several posts at a time. I’m in creation mode and it’s easier for me.

With WordPress, you can create the posts any time you like as a draft or pending review post. It won’t appear on your website until you set a scheduled date and publish it. This means that you can publish consistently and still write them in a batch.

Any time I have an idea I email it to myself, or add it to a spreadsheet. Make sure that you have somewhere to keep your blog post ideas because you never know when one might pop up. A bit like ideas for Toastmasters speeches!

What’s your marketing strategy?

I realised that if I had planned out my quarter more carefully (or at all) I could have planned the blog posts topics to fit in with my business promotions.

Confession, I decided on July 29th that I was going to do this task. I had originally thought I would do it in July but that didn’t happen.

In August, I was also launching my Basic WordPress Website Maintenance Course, as well as my usual client work. My timing could have been better.

Within your strategy, you can also repurpose your posts. This is not part of the Toastmasters task but now you have all this content it would be a waste not to repurpose it. Posts can be turned into videos using services such as Lumen5. Quotes can be taken from the article to create social media and so lead your followers back to the article. You can post your blogs directly to social media as well. Most social media tools will do this for you if you connect your website and your social media channels. I use Social Bee for this since it will rotate my posts through my socials.

My lessons learnt

Plan out my marketing strategy. For me, planning is a different mode than being creative. Plan out my blog posts with my promotions, socials and call to action. Create an idea of the title and even the outline.

Write (or dictate) the posts in batches. This works best for me 2 - 3 times a month. Set aside a day or more when I can get into the creative mode without having to think about planning. Once I’ve written the blog post, check the title again. I put the title through a few headlines checkers to see if I can create a better title to lure people in.

Don’t edit while I’m writing. If I have more time I would rather go with the flow and then edit it another day. I don’t want to interrupt my flow by going to find some research or links.

Will I continue to write 8 blog posts in a month?

I would like to say yes. In reality probably not. However, I think that four blog posts a month is not just something I’ll aim for. It’s something that I’ll achieve.

If you have any questions about Toastmasters (it’s so much more than public speaking) then check out the Limestone Coast Toastmasters club website. We hold meetings in person and at the same time via Zoom so visitors can visit us from anywhere in the world.

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