Black Girls Blogging

Five Reasons Why Bloggers Need Editorial Calendars

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 10:32:00 -0400

When we started our blogs we wanted to put out our best content, grow our readership, and get the opportunity to work with brands. We know that creating quality content on a regular basis is key to reaching those goals. But we all lead busy lives and can’t just sit around and blog all day (wouldn’t that be nice!). That’s why having an editorial calendar is such a lifesaver! Whether it’s your Outlook Calendar or a good old fashioned planner, taking an hour or so a week or the beginning of the month to sit down and write out what blog posts you’re going to publish keeps you organized and focused. Here are five reasons why bloggers should have an editorial calendar.

It Helps You Keep Your Blog Posting on Track

Ever have a week go by before realizing you haven’t posted a thing? Real life can get pretty busy with day jobs, vacations, and family obligations. When you have an editorial calendar you can easily write and schedule your posts ahead of time. Whenever I have a vacation or family visit coming up, I break out my calendar and get my content written and ready to go beforehand so I don’t have to worry about it! My readers still have something to read while I’m away and I can get other things done with the blogger’s guilt.

Makes Writing Posts Easier and Less Time Consuming

Trying to figure out what you’re going to write about usually takes longer than the actual writing, eating into your precious time. By keeping a calendar you already know what your topic is before you sit down in front of your laptop. My blog Fierce covers beauty and fashion, so when I have a post that needs images from the web or outfit shots, I gather those up a day or two before I want to post. Then I can write the post the day of, plop the pictures in, and publish!

You Can Use It to Jot Down Future Post Ideas

If you’re like me, an idea can strike you at the weirdest times (I’m notorious for coming up with ideas in the shower!) When that happens, I write them down either on my calendar or in an empty space around it. Then when it’s time to plan, I already have a pool of ideas to choose from.

You Can Plan Ahead for Holidays and Other Events

Magazines plan for holidays and major industry events months in advance and with good reason. Those are the stories that their readers will be eating up and want to make sure they’re not only good but timely. Gift guides, seasonal trends, conferences, and expo coverage are topics that not only keep your readers up to date but show that you as a blogger are on top of the latest news. By using your calendar, you can tackle these types of posts ahead of time – do research, reach out to brands for product ideas, gather up images, etc – making them the best posts they can be. Once they’re done, you are sure to get them up on the blog when those events roll around!

Helps You Create a Good Mix of Content

This especially goes for blogs who cover two or more topics. You want to give your readers a good variety of content that makes your blog unique. By looking at your calendar you can see at a glance what topics you’re covering and see if you need to switch things around. Too many product reviews? Not enough DIY tutorials? Haven’t written an opinion piece in awhile? Looking at your calendar can help you make those necessary adjustments.

Do you keep an editorial calendar? How does it help you?

Margaret “MJ” McGriff is a style blogger, freelance writer, and freelance social media manager. She writes for her blog Fierce¸ on Yahoo! Shine as a Beauty Guru, and for other small retail and beauty businesses.

A Sample Editorial Calendar

5 Essential Books on Blogging

Sun, 12 May 2013 16:12:00 -0400

I do my best to offer the knowledge I’ve learned from years of blogging here, but I often get asked for more in-depth resources from women who want to blog seriously. I’ve read each of these books, and I personally recommend them. A couple are specifically about blogging, and others are about social media and monetization. If you’ve read any of them, please let me know what you thought.

ConcreteLoop.com Presents: Angel’s Laws of Blogging: What You Need to Know if You Want to Have a Successful and Profitable Blog - Angel is the founder of the popular entertainment blog Concrete Loop. Her book is half advice guide and half memoir. This is a great read particularly if you’re interested in entertainment blogging. The story of her incredible success will inspire you.

ProBlogger: Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income- Darren Rowse’s ProBlogger was the first blogging blog I began to read regularly. Darren offers specific tips on how to grow a successful blog. This book is a result of a partnership with Chris Garrett. Together they provide clear, step-by-step blogging guidance.

Trust Agents: Using the Web to Build Influence, Improve Reputation, and Earn Trust- At its heart, this is a business book. If you’re looking to become influential by blogging, this book examines strategies on how to develop relationships that build your reach.

Crush It!: Why NOW Is the Time to Cash In on Your Passion - In this short book, social media superstar Gary Vaynerchuk conveys the urgency of attacking your goals. Not only is his book extremely motivating for entrepreneurial bloggers, but he offers concrete tips on how to attract sponsors.

Grouped: How small groups of friends are the key to influence on the social web - One no longer needs millions of followers to be influential, this book by Paul Adams explores how each of us can utilize more intimate networks to spread our message. The book is a well-researched guide to social media marketing.

Have you read any of these books? Which do you recommend?

Kimberly Foster is the founder and editor of For Harriet and Black Girls Blogging. Email or Follow @KimberlyNFoster

Collaboration Is Key: 4 Ways To Build Relationships With Fellow Bloggers

Sat, 11 May 2013 18:46:00 -0400

Building a successful blog isn’t a solo endeavor. This isn’t a competition. You need allies, supporters, and advisers in order to get your blog off the ground, so connect with as many bloggers as possible. Smartly executed collaborations can help you expand your reach and expose your blog to new followers.

Remember that you’re never too small to connect, but if you’re just starting out, asking for a collaboration with a big name blogger isn’t advisable. Unless you have a compelling idea that will net the more influential blogger tangible benefits, set your sights on bloggers with similar size readership.

Here are a few ideas for ways you can collaborate with other bloggers.

Attend or Host Offline Events Together - Throwing events are a lot of works. Sharing those duties with another blogger can save you headaches; additionally, teaming up will make your event more appealing to potential sponsors. Host a brunch, in-store event, or cocktail party to increase your visibility and meet new faces.

Co-Host A Spreecast or Google Hangout - Broadcast a mini-webshow with another blogger whose voice you value. Give your readers an opportunity to see your face and connect with you beyond your words.

Throw a Blog Carnival - During blog carnivals a select group of bloggers choose a single topic to blog about during a set time period (It could be on a single day or week) and post links to each other’s blog posts.

Start A Tweet Chat - Tweet chats are one of the most effective forms of joint social media engagement. Choose a topic, set a date, and publicize your chat. This will give you an opportunity to gain more followers and discuss topics you normally cover on your blog.

If you’re worried about participation, don’t be. Avid Twitter users spend a lot of time hanging around discussing a bevy of random topics that cross our timelines. A scheduled tweet chat can attract those social media lingerers. You might even make this a regular event. Come up with a snappy hashtag and chat away.

What other collaboration ideas have you tried? Did they work for you?

Black Girls Blogging

Five Reasons Why Bloggers Need Editorial Calendars

5 Essential Books on Blogging

Collaboration Is Key: 4 Ways To Build Relationships With Fellow Bloggers

Your Blog is Bigger Than You

Why It's Important to Build Your Blog on a Firm Foundation

How to Handle Negative Feedback on Your Blog and Avoid a Scandal

8 Things Bloggers Should Tweet About

Why the Blogosphere is Like High School and How to Conquer It

Care About Your Readers And They Will Care About You

Why You Have To Get Up Close And Personal With Your Readers

7 Ways To Build Deeper Connections With Bloggers You Admire

How To Ignite Your Community By Ignoring The Numbers

Tune In To What’s Being Said

Increase Your Blog Traffic

A Sample Editorial Calendar

The Secret of Creating Compelling Content (Hint: You Need A Plan)

Remember Your Focus

Who Will Produce It?

What Type of Content?

When Will You Publish?

I Blog Because Storytelling Saves Lives

Why do you blog?

How To Create Headlines That Will Get Retweeted

The 4 “Bes” To Building A Massively Popular Blog

How To Uncover Your Blog's Mission

Pick Your Perfect Fan

What Problem Will You Solve?

What’s Your Mission?

What’s your blog’s mission? Share with us in the comments!

Four Important Lessons I Learned From My Latest Blogging Failure

Don’t Overcommit

Listen To The Readers

Be Organized

Follow Through

What has been your biggest blogging mistake? What did you learn from it?

The Importance of Blogging Focus

You Can’t Please Everyone

A Couple of Examples

So tell me: How have you set your blog apart? What’s your focus?