Today I’m going to give you a few tips on how to write faster blog posts. Writing can take up a large chunk of your time so unless you outsource it a lot the time spent on your on-line business is going to be writing content.
By practising the following tips you’ll free up some of your time to spend on other aspects of your business, or just for taking more breaks!
Put Yourself on a Timer
“If you fail to plan, you plan to fail” (reportedly coined by Benjamin Franklin).
So do you spend hours agonizing over a blog post? You can’t do this if you give yourself a specific period of time to complete your post. If you give yourself an exact amount of time to write a post, trust me, you’ll become more productive (ask me how I know!)
Sometimes you’ll find yourself finishing with time left on the clock, then you’ll want to expand the post..So give yourself exactly so many minutes to write your post. Maybe the first time set the timer for longer, as you become more proficient at writing, you can gradually reduce the time.
When you hear the timer go off, STOP.
Stop writing, no matter where you are. Do your spell checking, proofreading etc. and post (no cheating).
Follow This Formula
1 – The first paragraph is for explaining to your reader what you are going to tell them.
2 – The middle block is spent telling them.
3 – The last paragraph is for summarizing what you told them..
As I explained in a previous article about “What Google Likes” your first and last paragraphs should have your title (if it makes sense in reading). The middle of your post, simply tell them what you promised to tell them in the first paragraph.
Use Numbers in Your Headline
If you use a headline/title like “5 Tips for Losing Weight” your writing becomes faster and easier. A short introduction followed by numbered sections helps to get keep your writing on track and also helps you to stay focused.
Writing this way also makes your post easier to read (see post about blog formatting
Write Your Headline First
Always create your headline/title/keyword first, before you begin writing. This helps stops you wandering off topic. Remember, it’s important to follow the previous tip, deliver on the promise you make in your headline and first paragraph.
Buy Niche PLR and Rewrite It
PLR stands for “Public Label Rights” which means you can pretty much do what you like with content purchased this way. You can buy articles covering any niche or market, from a single article to a package of any amount. You can buy packages specifically aimed at solving problems your reader might have.
You do have to do a good job of rewriting the article, but the basic format and idea for your post is already laid out. It can shave off a good chuck of your writing time.
Sometimes, just using the headings of PLR articles can give you lots of ideas for writing your own. I don’t know about you, but I spend a lot of time researching ideas for posts!
Bear in mind that not all companies offering PLR articles are equal, generally as in most cases, you get what you pay for. If you’re just looking for ideas then cheap as chips is fine, if you want a decent article you can rewrite then you’ll need to pay a little more.
There are many companies offering PLR products, a Google search “PLR articles, your niche” will give you plenty of sites to look through.
Use Speech-to-Text Software
Some people have the ability to write like they talk and engagement and readability tends to be much better if you write this way. Speech-to-text voice-recognition software can help you do this. Dragon Naturally Speaking provides is software which lets you do this and is pretty accurate out-of-the-box.
Most laptops and PCs provide some type of built-in voice-recognition writing software. Windows 10 has good documentation and although I haven’t tried their speech to text inbuilt software I’ve read some good reviews. You can find out more here.
You’ve probably noticed you talk a lot faster than you type so this is a good way to get your blog posts written much faster.
Do you have any tips to share about writing faster blog posts? We’d love to hear them! Leave a comment below or on our FB page, or you can contact us.