I am certain that everyone’s process for creating a blog post is a little different. However, I thought it would be fun to share a little behind the scenes of what is actually required for The Relatable Red blog posts. If you want to blog just for fun, this process would likely be quite a bit simpler. But it only took me one published post to realize how much I loved sharing my thoughts with the internet and ideally making an income from it.
Before blogging, I had no clue the amount of time, effort, and steps that are required to publish a well optimized and quality blog post. If you’re an avid blog reader, I hope this opens your eyes to the amount of effort your favorite bloggers put in to the posts they share with you. And if you’re considering starting a blog, I hope you find this post honest and informative. While it is a ton of work, making an impact on people is priceless.
Generating an idea
The all important aspect of writing is having something valuable to write about. In the beginning of blogging, I had tons of ideas. But that begins to fade over time as you start putting out more and more content. Of course, inspiration still sparks or I wouldn’t be here writing.
My process for generating a topic usually starts with a few questions. What is a common pain point for my ideal reader? Often these come from previous (and sometimes current) pain points for myself. For example, assume people are good is a blog post about becoming a more confident and positive person by instituting a practice that worked for me. Or, 6 signs you need to break up because I remember reflecting on that relationship and seeing clear signs I should have hit the road sooner.
What problem can I solve? One example for this one was my blog post about how to set New Year’s goals and actually achieve them. This is something almost everyone deals with at some point in their life and if I can impart wisdom or tips that help someone succeed, then I am winning at my goal of being your best online girlfriend that gives you great advice.
Also, what is my ideal reader looking for answers to/how can I help? This inspiration often comes from my Instagram (@TheRelatableRed) friends. I had a few friends that asked me for beginner workout ideas so I wrote blogs like, upper body exercises for beginners and dumbbell only leg exercises!
Actually writing the blog post
Most blog posts take me between 3-4 hours. More in depth blogs, generally those in the fitness or personal development categories, may take me a little longer. Some of my more entertaining or light hearted blog posts such as the 5 best cheap wines or 6 must have beauty products under $25 can be pumped out a little quicker. I love hard hitting blogs that make you feel like I just read your diary and spoke to your heart. But sometimes we just need to have a little bit of fun like girlfriends drinking wine together.
Optimizing the blog post
If you’re considering blogging, don’t let this part scare you away. I am just a beginner learning the ropes and I learned it all from scouring the internet. If I want the blog post to perform well and enhance my chances of it being seen by more people, it has to be optimized. I am no SEO (search engine optimization) expert but I do the best I can using a WordPress plugin called Yoast SEO. Essentially, this plugin gives you feedback in the form of red, orange, or green smiley faces as you write. They tell you if you’re on the right track, if you need improvements, or if you have major problems that need fixed.
Optimizing includes a whole host of things such as using a certain keyword enough, writing meta descriptions, using alt text for images, internal and external links and so on. While this all sounds scary, it can be easy to do once you get the hang of it. I try to making optimizing edits as I write and then go back in after I am done to make any last minute corrections!
If the blog has products in it such as 6 must beauty products under $25, the best Nora Roberts books, or Christmas decor on a budget, those products get links to Amazon for you to purchase from directly. I attach my Amazon affiliate link so that I can make a tiny commission off of your purchase at no additional cost to you. Linking all the products adds on extra time and effort to those specific blogs as well.
Creating pinnable images
Pinterest is your best friend if you really want to get more traffic to your blog. In fact, Pinterest is my main source of traffic. Think of Pinterest as a visual search engine, like if Google was all pictures. Most every pin you click on links to a blog. Pinnable images are generally vertical pins with visual appealing pictures, a title, and your blog URL. Again, I am not an expert in this field but my pins are getting better all the time. I use Canva to make my pins and use a combination of stock photos and my own photos.
I usually include a pinnable image at least one time during the post. The idea is that if you’re reading a blog and really enjoying it, you’ll pin that image to your Pinterest and come back to it to read again later. I usually make anywhere from 5-7 pins when creating a post. And if it is a post that performs well, I will go back in and make new ones periodically. This process usually takes me about an hour give or take. Check out one of my pinnable images for this blog post below!
Taking and editing photos
Ideally batching photo content is the way to go. This means setting aside a few hours or a day to take a bunch of photos in different locations and different outfits so you can use them over time. Unfortunately I still have not perfected this. I tend take a handful of photos in one sitting for the blog I anticipate posting that week. This is my least favorite part of blogging to be honest. When it comes to my fitness related blogs, those include more time and planning to ensure I get the necessary exercises videos to include in the blog post and usually on socials as well. Time required for taking and editing photos and videos varies a bunch.
Writing captions for social media
If I don’t share it to Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, does it even count? Usually my Facebook and Instagram captions are the same or very similar. Twitter is different due to the limited characters. Writing concise and intriguing captions is an art and I am still a work in progress but I enjoy working at it. Writing a caption and researching relevant hashtags takes me about an hour. I have a hashtag bank that I use on every post. These are things that are location specific like #floridablogger or #tampabaybloggers, as well as hashtags that relate to my overall blog like #twentysomething or #millennialblogger. From there I try to research ones more specific to each specific post.
Scheduling pins
I just recently invested in a Tailwind subscription and it has been worth every penny! Before Tailwind I was using Pinterest’s scheduling tool and it took me SO LONG. Tailwind tells you ideal times of day for your pins to be published, how well your boards are performing, and so much more. I know if you’re not yet a blogger this probably sounds like a different language but trust me when I say it has been so helpful. If you’re considering creating and monetizing a blog, go ahead and invest in Tailwind from the start. Scheduling pins takes me about roughly 2-3 hours a week.
Hitting publish
The best part. And the scariest part when I was first starting out. Every Sunday evening, I set aside a few minutes to hit publish and share the picture, caption, and link on socials. This means stepping away from life once a week to share a little bit of my heart with you. If I’m really on my game, I try to set aside at least half an hour to engage with people on social media near that time as well. This means responding to comments and engaging and supporting other bloggers and influencers.
Follow up
Later that evening or the following morning, I’ll share the IG post to my stories in the hopes that I’ll reach a few more people that may have missed the feed post. In the fews day immediately following the published blog, I’ll also create an IG story with an “in case you missed it” reminder and a blurb about the blog in the hopes that you’ll be intrigued to go read it if you haven’t already. I personally have wanted to read someones blog or post but didn’t have the time right that second, so when they remind me about on Instagram stories, I’ll go read it then.
Blogging has been more work than I ever anticipated but through it I have found a passion that I never knew I had. I have made amazing internet friends and deepened relationships with real life friends. And above all else, I feel like I have made baby traction towards making a difference in the lives of women around me and ones I’ll likely never meet. If you’re brand new to the The Relatable Red or if you’re one of my OG readers, thank you so much for hanging out with me on my little corner of the internet.
