In December I was tweeting about how I scheduled out 40 blog posts. I got a response that got me thinking: Sarah from Back To Carolina told me I should do a post about that! Well Sarah, your wish is my command! Knowing our baby was due in February, I got a lot of questions from friends and family about how I was going to balance a newborn and my blog, was I going to still blog, how would I do it? So when I was about 4 months pregnant I started a list of topics to write about. Most of them were things that were NOT time sensitive, meaning I could easily write about them in advance and easily move them around if I needed to. So I am going to tell you exactly how to schedule 3 months worth of posts ahead of time.
How To Schedule 3 Months Worth of Posts Ahead Of Time
Brainstorm: It started with lists. I just started writing down ideas as they came to me, and when something felt like it could go in the February-April column that’s where it went. Keep in mind I was still writing current posts from Fall/Winter during this time. So it was like double planning. My fall winter editorial calendar and my spring editorial calendar. I had about 50 ideas come really easily and the rest took a little time and inspiration.
Graphics/Photography(backdrops): Once I had post ideas and titles it was time to make images. Just like the one in this post. Thankfully I have a super amazing husband who makes my graphics and images for me. So I gave him a LONG list and he tackled it for me. I am someone who writes better when my images are done. Collages are a little more time consuming, so those took the longest.
Plan: This part of planning was taking all the post ideas and figuring out when I had the time to write them. I made myself an initial goal of 10 posts a month. Truthfully I was done in December. My original goal was to have all February, March, and half of April done. Well in December that was done and when ideas came to me and I had time I just kept writing. So I ended up with a lot more posts written than I had intended which made my stress level go way down!
Schedule: Once I started writing the posts I had to figure out when and how to schedule them. I knew I didn’t want similar posts the same week. Meaning not two blog advice posts, or beauty posts, or fitness posts. I also knew that I wanted to leave space in for sponsored content. Since sometimes I know about sponsored content far in advance the projects I already knew about were easy to schedule in. But I left days here and there for opportunities that always come up. So I scheduled non-sponsored content 3 days a week and left two days open for either sponsored content or for a life update type post. As I wrote posts I kept my editorial calendar tab open to check items off and make sure things were scheduled where they need to be. The best part is that most of these posts can be easily moved around so even if a date needs to be for something else I’ll just move a post! Once it’s written that part is easy!
Write: Then I actually had to sit down and write them. I gave myself a goal of 10 a month like I said and tried to write either a current or future post every day. Some days I wrote more and some days were busy and I wrote half a post or less. After a post was written, with graphics done, and scheduled it got marked off the list as complete. SEO was done, categories and tags were done etc.
Learning how to schedule 3 months worth of posts was very trial and error. But I am so glad I did it! It was really nice to look at the number of scheduled posts go up and up and up. I knew that even if this baby came a week or two early I would be set. Plus it would give me time to focus on my new baby and adjust to my new life knowing that posts were still going live 4-5 times a week as usual and that I had content up. I did not want to not have content. One of my main goals with my blog is consistency and I wanted that to still be there. But I also wanted to have a maternity leave of sorts.
Best of both world accomplished!
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This was really helpful and a much-needed motivation for me. I usually have my writing ready more than a week in advance, but my photos are always done last minute. Need to get organised with my blog!
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
Loved your tips and I can do them all. But the images are my time wasters! Thanks for writing I’m going on a holiday next month so will try your tips for that.
I agree – much easier to write when you have the images first. But I still find myself writing my posts the night before they’re on the calendar to be published. This is inspiration!
I’ll have to get into the habit of doing this. This would free up so much time that I have been losing lately. Thank you for sharing these awesome tips! 🙂
Virtuous Mama
http://www.virtuousmama.org
I have been struggling writing blog posts lately. Being a fashion blogger, that’s tough. Because my niche is so demanding and people don’t take me seriously unless my content is REALLY good. Thank you for this post! I will be sure to utilize your tips.
Sincerely Miss J
http://www.sincerelymissj.com
Wow, that’s amazing! I’m definitely going to try this time this. I have a hard time writing in advance but it’s something I really want to work on.
Brilliant tips! I SO needed this. Pinning too. 😉
The How-to Guru
I have nearly 200 posts in my drafts folder right now. I just leave them there and use them when I need them.
I seriously envy and applaud anyone that can do it. I balance two jobs, and home life (and I’ve no kids) and I just can’t crank out that much. I struggle as is and I don’t want me relationship to suffer because the only time I have in the evening, I’ve got my face buried in my laptop. Perhaps I should make it a goal of mine to try and draft an extra post a week…. It’s better than nothing.. 🙂
Happy Friday and have a great weekend! 🙂
Wow! Big goals, lady! Well done on getting all these posts written and scheduled. I know it probably takes a lot of stress off your shoulders for when baby comes. I’m going to use some of your tips to try to get a few weeks ahead. I love feeling like I don’t have to hustle to get tomorrow’s post written the night before! Thanks for sharing this. 🙂
these are great tips! i usually have my editorial calendar planned out a month ahead of time!
I love your idea to create your graphics ahead of time. I’m going to start doing that now! Such a time saver, I love it.
Wow! Three months is so impressive. This is a wonderful post and I found your tips really helpful. I usually take time off in August and I think I will try to schedule posts in advance, inspired by this post. Thanks!
This is one of my goals recently, to get ahead in my content creation. I’ll have to take a day off of work and just write and create all day so that I’m ahead of the curve.
I LOVE it! Some people spend their time pre-baby making freezer meals and some people stock up their posts. I think I’m going to be the latter. I have been so inspired by your consistent scheduling and I attempt to at least get the weeks post written ahead of time (over the weekend), but it never EVER happens. If anything, I only have a really LONG post for Monday. Hahah.
Thanks for this! The writing part is easiest for me. However finding or making images takes the most time. Trying to find a way to get that done faster.
Great tips for getting ahead of schedule with posting, especially since you have a little one on the way. I need to be better about blogging ahead, since I am not a typical blogger my editorial calendar is weird but it is getting better every year!
Great tips! That is so awesome that your husband does the images! I’m jealous! 😉
So smart! I love your suggestions! I’m usually only a week or two ahead of schedule but you’ve motivated me to try to get more planned ahead of time.
This is so awesome! I try to schedule out ahead of time but if I get one or two weeks ahead I feel pretty cool, I can’t even imagine three months worth! I feel like for a blog that’s more heavily diy/food it’s a little harder, because you actually have to do make the project or food and photograph and do all that. But I do apply the same principle of having some posts that are flexible that I can move around. And sometimes I shoot stuff for holidays the year before I end up posting them. So for example, I have a post coming up in April that I actually shot after Easter LAST year, then wrote up and scheduled a year in advance. It seemed a little crazy at the time, but now I’m glad I have one last post to do!
This is something I really need to get better about. I’ve been slacking and my blog is definitely showing it. This is the perfect inspiration. Thank you for sharing.
I love these tips! With three kids and a newborn I like to plan ahead and I’m in the process of doing that now. On my hubby’s days off and the weekend I am cooking, baking and crafting for my next post and prepping them in advance!
That’s amazing!! Also cheers to Andrew – best husband award for doing your graphics for you! How sweet!
Coming Up Roses
This is a fantastic post. I’ve just got a couple of weeks worth of posts scheduled in now and it feels great.
SO helpful…and I totally needed this to start planning today!
This is so helpful if I ever need to schedule posts this far in advance! You were so prepared for your maternity leave!
Greta | http://www.gretahollar.com
Scheduling ahead is certainly the way to go. Only problem is you’ll need to go back and crosslink your content for good SEO!
These are really great tips and thank you! I have been blogging for almost 3 years and still cant seem to get on a consistent schedule. Its super challenging with a full time job and being over 50…lol I get super tired. My friend told me to batch posts..so I am trying to do that when I can!
Congrats on the new baby!
VAlerie
This sounds great! I am trying to figure how to do outfit posts that way. I think it can be done with some reworking.
I’m so impressed that you were able to do that! One of my goals is to get back ahead of posts!
Great tips. I need to do this too but I find no-schedule works out better (for now) with three kids. One day I hope to get this organized about my blogging schedule. I agree about switching topics up though. And I don’t like writing sponsored back to back either.
It’s been a goal of mine to schedule more content in advance. I never thought of getting the graphics and photography done before writing my post – I should try it! I work a full-time job along with blogging, so getting things scheduled and out of the way ahead of time would be so much better!
This would be super challenging for me, but I think it would definitely be worthwhile!
These are actually REALLY great tips and I’ve been struggling with my editorial calendar lately. I love the idea of getting all the titles AND the images done and then tackling the writing as you go.
It doesn’t sound so hard when you put it like that! I’m brainstorming this weekend. Thanks for the motivation!
Love your tips! I do write some of my posts ahead of time. I have a number of things that are time/news related to my niche that I do too so I wouldn’t really be able to do those in advance, but I’m definitely going to try and schedule a couple of posts per week far in advance with more evergreen content!
Girl, you are a beast! This is awesome and you’ve made something that seems very overwhelming completely doable! Pinned for future reference.
I always find myself getting a month ahead with 100% complete and scheduled posts, but then i dk what happens and I lose my lead!
This is so awesome – I seriously commend you on your hard work, dedication, and foresight! I need to get ahead on my posts, too–I tend to overestimate how much time I’ll have to work over the weekend, which is a bad habit to get into. (Also, had a laugh because the SEO title of your page is so perfect: “How to Schedule 3 Months’ Worth of Posts Ahead of Time – It Starts with Coffee”! SO true, it DOES start with coffee 😉
I schedule out my content way in advance too! I am not so good at having it all written in advance though lol. Such a good idea, especially with a baby on the way! Great planning on your part!
That is friggin incredible and very inspiring! Thanks so much for sharing. I always come up with blog post topics but (shudder!) I don’t always write them down so of course I forget. This seems attainable in bite-sized pieces. Thanks for this 🙂
These are such great tips! I always struggle with planning out content far in advance, BUT I seem to be getting better at the actual writing and scheduling part! Haha!
Girllll, that’s IMPRESSIVE! But I totally need to get myself on a schedule!
I would love to be able to schedule that many posts in advance. I’m going to work on that so I can be ahead of the game.
These are great tips! I need to do this soon because I want to focus on promoting and other things and not just planning and writing posts.
wow! 3 months worth, that’s amazing I struggle to get even a couple of weeks ahead! I’m going to try and use your advice and get organised, if I could just be one month ahead on my posts I would be ecstatic!
Lianne | Makes, Bakes and Decor
WRrighting with the images first is easier for me well.
This post is so inspiring to me that I’ve read it several times. Thanks so much for the motivation that it CAN be done!
the How-to Guru
This is EXACTLY the motivation and advice I need! I’m back to blogging after a break so I only have about 2 weeks of posts prepped right now… 3 months is ideal because then you can stay on top of future posts and community
Thanks for the tips!
Xxox
Laura @ http://www.cookwineandthinker.com
I have the goal to have 3 months of content ready so I can work on a book idea that is rolling around in my head.
Wow, this sounds absolutely amazing! I am extremely impressed that you managed to do this, haha. Love it!
I love to be ahead with my posts. The fear of getting behind and never catching up again freaks me out!
Great tips- especially asking for help. I have not been doing a very good job with that one but as summer sets in I am going to have to do a better job if I want to get anything done!.
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