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It may seem like an overwhelming job to build and post all of your content ideas, but we’ve got a few simple tips to help you stick to your editorial calendar. By planning ahead, you can streamline processes to create more effective content and be prepared to maximize traffic and sales all year long, including busy shopping seasons.
1. Set a cadence that works for you
When you designed your editorial calendar, one of the first things you had to decide on was how regularly to publish new content. You may be tempted to load yourself up with a really ambitious content schedule. That might work fine for short spurts, but be cautious of setting a cadence that's too rigorous for you to keep up with in the long term.
A burst of posts followed by weeks of silence is worse for your traffic than a sustained, regular cadence of posts, even if that cadence is slow. Plus, the premise of quality over quantity definitely applies here. Take into consideration your website and how it fits into your life. Is this your full-time gig? Then you might want to aim for one post per day. Is blogging your side hustle while you work full time? Then you might want to consider a more manageable once-a-week posting schedule. There's no reason to overwhelm yourself, so take your other obligations into account and pick a schedule that will be easy for you to stick to.
A burst of posts followed by weeks of silence is worse for your traffic than a sustained, regular cadence of posts, even if that cadence is slow. Plus, the premise of quality over quantity definitely applies here. Take into consideration your website and how it fits into your life. Is this your full-time gig? Then you might want to aim for one post per day. Is blogging your side hustle while you work full time? Then you might want to consider a more manageable once-a-week posting schedule. There's no reason to overwhelm yourself, so take your other obligations into account and pick a schedule that will be easy for you to stick to.
2. Build content in an orderly way
Don't be afraid to make changes to your editorial calendar as you work so that it can better support your process. In addition to the basics like post titles and topics, you may want to add space for brainstormed topics, targeted SEO keywords, categories, assets needed, or dates and deadlines. The important thing isn't to cover every aspect, but to make sure that you're filling up your calendar with the information that you specifically need to build your posts ahead of time. Once you've made some refinements to your editorial calendar, you'll find that organizing your posts just gets easier and easier.
Not only will an orderly approach to content creation keep you from going crazy in the process of trying to manage all your posts, it will also help you build more effective traffic-driving posts. Working backward from SEO keywords and customer profiles can help you build strong traffic-driving content without having to go back and shoehorn keywords in later.
Not only will an orderly approach to content creation keep you from going crazy in the process of trying to manage all your posts, it will also help you build more effective traffic-driving posts. Working backward from SEO keywords and customer profiles can help you build strong traffic-driving content without having to go back and shoehorn keywords in later.
3. Make the most out of every piece of content
It's important to make sure that you're getting the most out of every post you create. The process of using the same piece of content multiple times in different ways is called a content lifecycle, and it will definitely help you maximize your traffic (and earnings!) out of everything you do.
For starters, don't just publish a post and forget about it; promote it! Make sure that every new piece of content you publish is accompanied by links and reminders on all your social channels. Then creatively reuse and repackage the content in emails, newsletters, listicles, and gift guides. Don’t forget to also promote your evergreen content and squeeze more traffic in earnings out of material that you have already spent time creating.
When planning out your calendar, alternate between new pieces of content that will take lots of time and effort to build and recycled pieces of content that can be set up easily. That way your old pieces will still generate new earnings for you even when you're busy working on big new endeavors that require extra time and effort.
For starters, don't just publish a post and forget about it; promote it! Make sure that every new piece of content you publish is accompanied by links and reminders on all your social channels. Then creatively reuse and repackage the content in emails, newsletters, listicles, and gift guides. Don’t forget to also promote your evergreen content and squeeze more traffic in earnings out of material that you have already spent time creating.
When planning out your calendar, alternate between new pieces of content that will take lots of time and effort to build and recycled pieces of content that can be set up easily. That way your old pieces will still generate new earnings for you even when you're busy working on big new endeavors that require extra time and effort.
4. Time all your posts for maximum impact
While we're on the subject of making the most out of every piece of your content, here's an easy way to maximize the traffic and conversions of everything you post: Make sure that you're posting everything at the right times.
Your readers don’t want to get a hearty soup recipe in the middle of July, or a review for air conditioners in December. Content always needs to be in sync with the season.
When setting up posts, pay close attention to your website analytics and associate reports, and plan your go-live times around any insights that you find about when your readers are most active and engaged. In addition, when planning newsletters, e-blasts, and social posts, make sure that you're timing all of those posts for maximum impact as well. Most social media networks will give you some data about what days and times your users are most active. If you make an effort to promote new content in those windows, more of your followers are likely to see it.
How will timing everything actually help you stay on track with your calendar? Well, for one thing, it's easier to keep yourself accountable to your plans when those plans are well thought out and timely. It also helps you know when you will need to brainstorm new content ideas and invest time creating more complex pieces.
Your readers don’t want to get a hearty soup recipe in the middle of July, or a review for air conditioners in December. Content always needs to be in sync with the season.
When setting up posts, pay close attention to your website analytics and associate reports, and plan your go-live times around any insights that you find about when your readers are most active and engaged. In addition, when planning newsletters, e-blasts, and social posts, make sure that you're timing all of those posts for maximum impact as well. Most social media networks will give you some data about what days and times your users are most active. If you make an effort to promote new content in those windows, more of your followers are likely to see it.
How will timing everything actually help you stay on track with your calendar? Well, for one thing, it's easier to keep yourself accountable to your plans when those plans are well thought out and timely. It also helps you know when you will need to brainstorm new content ideas and invest time creating more complex pieces.
5. Write about what you love
It's always easier to do work when you love what you're doing, and one of the great things about being an Amazon Associate is that it gives you a way to share your thoughts, creativity, and passion with the world and earn some extra cash while you're doing it.
You’ll want to find a good niche topic that will attract a devoted audience and, most important, inspire your creativity. Who wants to spend their days toiling away writing about a topic they don't care about?
Once you have a distinct topic and an established, trusted tone, you can more easily create content for holidays and events that includes your own unique spin. If you build content that you’re excited about, the whole process will be much easier and your passion will shine through in the quality of the content you make and the way your readers react to it.
You’ll want to find a good niche topic that will attract a devoted audience and, most important, inspire your creativity. Who wants to spend their days toiling away writing about a topic they don't care about?
Once you have a distinct topic and an established, trusted tone, you can more easily create content for holidays and events that includes your own unique spin. If you build content that you’re excited about, the whole process will be much easier and your passion will shine through in the quality of the content you make and the way your readers react to it.