Post Protocol | What to Do Before and After Each Blog Post

I’m aware through interaction with you all that many of The B Werd readers are aspiring to have blogs and businesses of their own, if they don’t already. The reason why I launched this site to begin with, was to be able to provide effective resources for the women who are brave enough to go out on a whim and strategically attack their goals. Building a brand takes up a large portion of your time and I know first hand how important it is to get the most out of the blog posts that you will you spend hours compiling. Not only do you want to create engaging content, you also want to make sure you put your content on a pedestal that allows maximum exposure, creating a gateway to new readers + money making opportunities (if that’s what you’re aiming for, of course).

We live in a day and age where the world is at your fingertips (shout out to the Internet!). You have the resources to connect with anyone, dig up all of the information that you need, and ensure what you’re doing gets seen by the right people. Why wouldn’t you take advantage of that? Here’s what I do to make the most of each post of create –

Before I Post

Use a compelling post title that includes a keyword

• Your audience should have a pretty good idea of what they’re about to read. Consider using words that you think people would use if they were going to Google your article.

Group paragraphs accordingly

• According to studies, paragraphs should be seven sentences or less in order to keep your readers attention. P.S. Georgia and Arial fonts are easiest to read.

Use 300+ words

• A blog post should contain at least 300 words in order to rank well in the search engines. Longer posts will rank more easily than short posts but keep in mind, all readers may not finish your post if it’s too lengthy.

Use questions to get readers to engage

• Feedback is essential. Not only does it let you know what your tribe enjoys but it also shows that you’re not speaking into an empty room.

Add “alt text” to your uploaded images

• Adding alternative text descriptions to your photos help with your SEO (search engine optimization), allowing your posts to be searchable outside of what their title is.

Link to previous posts

• If it applies, link a relevant post that you’ve posted previously. This helps keep readers on your site and will minimize your bounce rate.

Read, then read it again.

• Proofread. We’re human. We make mistakes and our eyes skip over errors we should’ve caught. Try your best to create typo-proof content. Not only does it turn off your audience but it doesn’t leave a good impression for potential brand collaborations or business opportunities.

After I Post

Share your posts on social media

• As difficult as it is to stay afloat on all the relevant social media platforms, I strongly advise it. You will know which platform works best with what you’re doing but that doesn’t mean neglect those what don’t. Different outlets will reach different people.

Pin your post image

• I didn’t think my brand had a place on Pinterest, but I was wrong. Not only was I wrong, I was late and behind. People use Pinterest as a visual search engine

Schedule additional tweets and pins

• As mentioned in this post, the average lifespan of a tweet is only 18 minutes. There’s no harm in scheduling it to go out a few more times. Hootsuite is a great tool to schedule posts on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram. Boardbooster works magic with scheduling and organizing pins on Pinterest.

Respond to comments

• On Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, your site and everywhere else someone may have taken time out of their day to speak. These people appreciate what you’re doing and the least you can do is thank them with a reply.

Check your analytics

• How many views did your post get? Did people comment? Analytics tell you what particular posts your audience enjoy seeing most. Use this info to tailor your content around what you know they enjoy.

What does your to-do list look like when you create blog posts?