It’s one hour before your blog is supposed to be published and your kid just spiked a fever. You’re in a panic. Instead of poking around WordPress, you find yourself sitting in the doctor’s waiting room, worrying about your sick child. Underneath your parental worries, you feel anxious about missing a post. (Why? Because you know that consistency is a key to blogging success.)
Does it always have to be this way? NO!
You can have on hand Plan B blog posts for when life interrupts your publishing schedule. With a little advance planning, you can have several posts in “draft” mode on your website, waiting to save the day. (I recommend having three “just-in-case posts at all times.)
Here are ideas for easy Plan B posts you can create.
One: Ask your audience a question on Facebook
If you have an active business page or group, this is a great place to mine for information. (You can also ask the same question on your personal page.) A Plan B question might be, “When you achieved a major goal, what was one thing you did to make it happen?” This kind of question will yield all kinds of helpful tips. Grab the “Top Ten” and make a Plan B post of “The Top Ten Tips for Achieving Your Dreams.” Include an image and voila! a draft post is created.
Two: Find a compelling image quote on Pinterest
Pinterest is not only a great place to share your blog post image with a link to your website, it’s excellent fodder for gorgeous inspirational quotes. Brainstorm a list of general themes which support your overall blog theme and goals. Then search for quotes that support those items. You can build a short post around an inspirational quote.
For example, a writer might share Flannery O’Connor’s quote, “I write because I don’t know what I think until I read what I say.” A blog post based upon this quote could be ways to capture your thoughts by journaling, voice recording, sending emails to yourself, etc.
Three: Pull from your running list of questions that your clients ask
You often get asked questions by your clients and prospects. Keep a running list either in a Word or Google document (I use Evernote) of these questions as they are great fodder for compelling blog posts, in general.
You can also create a survey (via SurveyMonkey) or a poll in Facebook to pose a question of your audience. For example, if you’re a life coach, ask something like, “[Blank] keeps me from living my dreams.” As people reply, add their responses to notes. You can create a list post or write a short blog about dream-killers.
If you pre-plan for those times when you just can get to writing, editing, or publishing your posts, the stress and overwhelmed feeling can be avoided. The only question remains: When will you begin?
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