Blog organization
July 13, 2015 | Uncategorized | 19 Comments »
Today I’m going to talk about blog organization! I’m sure by now you all know that I’m pretty darn organized! But my makeup collection isn’t the only thing I keep tidy and organized. I organize my blog as well. Now before I get into it I want to mention that this is not entirely my idea. Some of you may remember that when I first started this blog I had a blog partner. Well, she had some really great ideas. Downloading the WordPress Editorial Calendar plugin had to be one of her best ideas. When we parted ways I decided to keep up with the plugin and began to rely on it heavily. Why? Well, it keeps my blog organized!
Here is what the WordPress Editorial Calendar plugin looks like.
Your unscheduled drafts are listed in the column to the right. To schedule a post you just drag a post and drop it on a date on the calendar. From there you can hover over the post and a menu will appear (Edit, Quick Edit, Delete, View). After I drop a post on the calendar I usually Quick Edit and set the time. Most of my posts are set to go live at 9:00 AM. I leave it as a draft until the post has been completed and proofread. Then I change the status from Draft to Scheduled. That’s it!
Can you be super organized without this plugin? Of course! You can still draft up as many posts as you want and schedule them accordingly. Don’t have WordPress? Since I’m not familiar with other blogging platforms all I can suggest is maybe drafting up your posts on your computer. The plugin just gives you a visual and makes it easier to plan ahead.
Now while I do plan ahead I sometimes change things up. For example, right now I have the next 2 weeks planned out. But I know sometime soon those new Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipsticks are going to be released. Since I like to blog my new things as soon as I get them I’ll have to move things around. So an older product will get pushed to next week to make room for the newer product.
Here’s a breakdown of my process. I get new product and try to photograph and swatch it as soon as I can. I apply product and photograph myself wearing it. This process is my least favorite because I HATE photographing myself. But I try and have fun with it as best as I can. And finally after about a hundred really bad photos and a dozen so/so photos, I’m left with ONE or TWO decent photos. Now for the fun stuff.
Whenever I’m trying out a product I take notes on my iPhone. I basically jot down how it applies, how it feels, how long it lasts, etc. You know… the basics! Then I’ll add whether or not I like the product. When I get a free moment I write up the draft in WordPress. So now I’ve got a draft complete with product photos, swatches, and me wearing the product. Now I schedule the post in my WordPress Editorial Calendar plugin. A few days before the post is set to go live I look it over and add the finishing touches. Usually I just have to make sure there aren’t any broken links or spelling errors. Then I hit the schedule button and I’m good to go.
It seems like a lot, but it’s actually much easier than running around all day trying to put together just ONE post. Not only that, sometimes things come up. If I weren’t feeling well my blog would still go on. I’ve got a good 2-4 weeks worth of posts to help my blog stay afloat. I have a vacation coming up, but I’m not worried about my blog because I have posts scheduled. To put it simply…
A few more notes… I’ve got a few monthly/weekly features which can easily be planned out. The very first post of every month is going to be my wishlist. So all month long I make notes of things I want. As soon as I’m sure my list is complete I’ll draft up the post. Around mid-month I receive my Birchbox. Because I’m a big fat cheater I view my box on the website as soon as it becomes available (usually around the 10th) and draft up my post. My weekly photography posts are easy because all I have to do is post one of my favorite photos. Believe it or not the hardest part there is coming up with the name for the title. Which I usually turn to Pandora for. Yes, most photography titles are actually song titles, lyrics, artists, etc. I thought it would be more interesting than labeling them Flower1/Flower2/Flower3. Oh, I’d like to mention that my photography posts aren’t ‘filler’ posts. I actually love taking photos of random things. And I love having a place to display them.
Another useful tip, if you have multiple products to post try combining them in one look. If they compliment each other of course. I actually do this a lot. When I do this I take way more photos so that I don’t use the same photo over and over again. If you play your cards right you can easily get a few posts out of one look!
So, what’s YOUR method of blogging? Do you plan ahead? Or do you have a go with the flow approach?
