When you create a content schedule (or calendar) it makes it much easier to post on a regular basis. Once it’s created, there’s no need to worry about running out of interesting topics to share with your readers. Keep reading, for tips on how to get started.
Create a Spreadsheet
Create a simple spreadsheet with the names of the week running across the top. If you don’t have access to Excel, you can use something like Google Sheets. Next, add a line for each week. What else you add to your spreadsheet is up to you, but some ideas are: where the article is assigned, due dates, your objective for the article, promotion tracking, keywords, your call to action, etc. Color-coding is the simplest way quickly recognize each section.
Add Industry-Related Launch Dates, Holidays, and Events
When researching industry-related launch dates, holidays and events there are lots of resources to choose from. If you are an affiliate marketer, you can research product launches at JVZoo and MunchEye.com. Start filling your calendar with the things you feel your audience will enjoy learning more about. Don’t forget to add national holidays into the mix.
Consider Assigning Themes
Assigning a specific theme to each day of the week is an excellent way to keep your readers coming back for more. When you discuss certain things on certain days of the week, they learn to know what to expect. If you’re promoting business services or affiliate products, these posts should only be shared about 20 percent of the time, though adding an intriguing call to action in your article is perfectly acceptable in any post.
Research Individual Topic Ideas
The last step is to research individual topic ideas. Get information from sites like Google Trends and tools like BuzzSumo and Jaaxy. Taking the time to set up Google alerts for keywords related to your industry helps to generate scads of interesting ideas as well. This is also where having a great relationship with your audience comes in, as it will assist you in knowing what kinds of information they are looking for and what problems they need help with.
Once you’ve completed research on a variety of topics, start plugging the titles and other information that you’re tracking into the appropriate slots on your spreadsheet.
It’s totally up to you to decide how far you want to schedule your content in advance. But, one thing is for sure. Whether you plan for a month or a year, chances are you’ll more than appreciate the time you put into it.
