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How to Write a Post a Day Every Day

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This is one of the questions I get all the time: how do I manage to write so much for Traffic Generation Cafe, plus guest posts for a number of other blogs?

It actually makes me chuckle to hear my name used in the same sentence as “write so much“, “great content“, etc.

Let’s start with a confession: I am a terrible writer and I always strongly disliked and never had any talent for writing.

It’s true.

I ALMOST graduated Summa Cum Laude from high school, but for the fact that I got a “B” for my final exam in creative writing - only because my teacher felt too sorry for me to give me a C.

I almost flunked college the first year, because all we seemed to be doing was writing essays and I hated it.

So how does someone like me become a blogger? I still wonder myself.

However, it is what it is: I decided to start a blog back in June of 2010 because I firmly believed I needed it to succeed in an online business.

All I needed to do was to figure out how to bypass my distaste for writing. And here’s how I did it.

How to Write a Blog Post Before You Write a Blog Post

write great blog post chapter 1

UPDATE: this post has been updated; you can find the new version here https://trafficgenerationcafe.online/write-great-blog-post/.

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107 Intelligent comments · espresso yours below

  1. Really nice article. I especially like the part that says you don’t have to use big words. And this is the part i struggle the most with. There are times when I think for a better word and that takes a lot of time. I really nee to realize that I do not write a novel and that I should just go with the flow.

  2. Great article Ana - thanks for sharing. It is the voice that I find most challenging. I appreciate your comments about not having to be funny, sarcastic, or rude. My primary blog is written as a teacher (which is what I used to be) - instructional, but sometimes lacking in personality. My goal for my new blog is to become more comfortable with my natural voice - like you have here.

  3. I love that you’ve found a way to write blog posts consistently that really works well for you. I also appreciate that you pointed out that you are not a great writer, or at least were not when you first started this blogging journey.

    It seems so often the key is simply writing consistently, with a structure or plan in place. If people do that consistently, it becomes easier and faster, not to mention that the quality improves over time, with practice.

    • You are very right, Rebecca.

      I once read somewhere that the way to improve your copywriting skills is to hand-copy great sales letters by good copywriters.

      When you commit their words to paper, you have a chance to internalize it more and thus become a better writer yourself.

  4. Hi Ana,

    Enjoyed reading this - I’ve just been writing a post on how to write both well and fast, so it was interesting to see the same subject from a different point of view.

    You mentioned usually coming up with the title last. For me, it works better if I come up with the title first - helps keep me super focused on the purpose of the post.

    Or at least that’s the idea 🙂

    • It makes sense, Caimin - for most people anyway.

      My writing style is so sporadic though that I never know where a post will take me until I finish it.

      Don’t believe I’ve seen you around in my neck of the woods before; if so, welcome!

  5. Thanks for a great summary article here Ana - it’s always really helpful to see the behind-the-scenes steps of something done well - prolific good blogposts in your case!
    I love your tip about having a summary of post urls ready to link to sorted by topic - I’ll be putting that idea to good use.
    Hope the move is/has gone well 🙂

    • It’s amazing how much difference these little time-saving steps make, Tanya!

      Still in the middle of the move (remodeling actually), but hope to wrap it up soon; thanks for asking!

  6. Read Later from Instapaper, thats what I need it. Thanks a lot Ann. Till now I did have one directory on cloud and take pages in there. Your article is just great, you are so natural and I like it.

  7. I thought this article was a little of both - both insightful and basic. Just because it’s basic, however, that doesn’t mean that it’s not useful. I blog a bit (on my website - there’s a tab for my blog - feel free to critique it if you’d like), but I wouldn’t really call myself a blogger. I’m getting there, though. I want to be more consistent at it, and this article will help me with a little more direction to my blog, so, thank you. I know that a semi-quality post can take me between 1-2 hours, but maybe I need to work more on the quality. Your style seems to be more of a no nonsense style. I like that. I’m sure I’ll start reading these again, now that I’m getting back into blogging.

    • Sometimes, we need someone to take all the things we already know, but don’t necessarily apply, and put them into one easy-to-follow step-by-step process of sorts.

      I hope that’s exactly what I did with this post, Lisa.

  8. Interesting Ana, that you suggest writing post the first thing you do, if it takes hours? So you make priority to posts and nothing else I understand? For blogger it is top priority and quality posts usually took me 8-10 hours to complete.

    But agreed, while writing the post that’s the best learning curve for myself as well! And I must say your comment section, all the checkboxes and thank you message for first comment is real artwork! Something I need to do for 1WD too! Thank you!

    • I believe that building a great blog comes down to only two factors, Dainis: epic content and networking - in that order.

      Many bloggers get too distracted with “small things” - social media, emails, etc. and forget/run out of time to focus on things that have immediate impact on the bottom line.

      • Really good response and totally agreed, for 1WD good content, networking and serious promotion ( which now is even more tied with networking) was the one thing what worked.

  9. This here post is a great way to spell out all the other things I’ve been reading about SEO and blogging. Just do it! Thanks for sharing.

  10. Good ideas - I picked up a few new ones 🙂 I like the idea of saving a quick draft with a link to the site to save until you are ready to write another article.

    I have my work cut out for me - I am currently writing for 7 blogs, weekly 🙂

    Each article usually takes at least an hour - usually I take a few minutes to check up on the best keyword to use for my topic in Google Keyword Tool before I begin writing. Then I also try to use a few other variations that are good.

    Keeps me hoppin! So am happy for tips to speed things up!

    • 7 blogs - wow, Ruth. Sounds like a lot of work.

      And only an hour per post? You are a speedy writer! Takes me hours…

  11. Ana,

    Thanks for the post. I did a lot of reading and research before I began blogging but never thought about adding my signature or truly understood the whole SEO things. Appreciate your blog.

  12. Hey Ana,

    This was very insightful. I am a terrible writer myself. Though I am good at writing at given topics and discussing further on it; it takes me a lot of time to come up with ideas for a post. That is just why I really do’t have a blogging schedule (yes, very bad for the blog!) but I try my best to do it at least once a week!

    Looking forward to putting these methods to practical personal use!

    • I know what you mean, Hajra - I used to be terrible at figuring out what to write.

      However, that too comes with time and practice.

      Now I can’t turn around without turning everything into a post idea!

  13. Thanks Anna,
    Very good post with useful tips. (and encouraging and inspiring as well.)
    You seem to have perfected your steps as your posts are always enjoyable and easy to read.

  14. well, to tell you the truth, i’m a terrible writer either, and posting 3~4 post per week is already a miracle to me. But i can see a bright future ahead of me after reading your post 🙂
    Thank you very much for the tips, Ana.

      • that’s why i choose flash games to be the theme of most of the websites i have, lol
        in fact, i have some blogs to support for these websites, but really, i dont know what to write, often is just a short review.

  15. Great post! I struggle to get one blog post out per month. It is horrible and I spend way too much time writing a dissertation for each one. Thanks for breaking down the process into manageable steps.

  16. Ana, I just downloaded your report, and MAn, are you really giving out those information for FREE? I like you already. Awesome job! just RT this post as my way of showing appreciation. Thank you

  17. It’s great Ana,

    plus - you are a great writer. Maybe you didn’t used to be but you definitely are now (and that’s from a writer),

    thanks again for another great and inspiring post,
    Alan

  18. Wow… Good Job Ana! You started only back in June 2010! That gives me hope. Everyone’s blog I’ve been reading have been doing it for over 5 years and it’s hard to see the light at the end when everyone seems to have a huge lead on you.

    • I know what you mean, Joseph.

      And yes, now you know it’s very possible to get to that level in less than a year.

  19. Enjoyed reading your posts..especially appreciate you being yourself and tips re proofreading and making use of backlinks (new area for me so good to read about that) am glad to have connecetd. take care

    • You are very welcome, Ntathu - efficiency is the key to building a successful business.

      PS How the contest going?

      • Contest is great…am still in. So thankful for that. Am enjoying the journey and learning soooooo much…about all aspects of blogging. A real good experience. Thx

        • Good to hear that, Ntathu.

          I’ll be doing a little traffic generation “training” for the contestants on Monday…

          All the best with it!

  20. Hey Ana,

    I enjoyed reading this post. Whenever I find articles out there that I think is relevant or I think has potential for writing, I do exactly the same thing - I create a draft, put in the link and some notes. only if i had more time! I think I have 300 drafts sitting in there 🙂

    thanks for sharing some of your insights

  21. I love your site Ana lol this is the 2nd comment I made today on one of your posts.

    I have to tell you that without a date, the beginning of this post gave me a tip that is soooo simple that I can’t believe I don’t already do it.

    I mean leave your wordpress open and create drafts with post topics…absolutely awesome. And I can imagine it comes in EXTREMELY handy on days I have no idea what the heck to write about.

    Thanks again (I’ll stop staying that soon, because soon I’m sure you’ll get tired of hearing it. Just know everytime I read a post I’m saying thanks again lol)

  22. I love this post, it goes right to the heart of blogging. In my case I am a good writer and a rotten blogger! I often find that the distance between the idea and hitting the publish button way too long so it gets put off!

    What I’ve got out of this posts is that blogging is largely a matter of technique? Is that fair?

    I love the idea of starting from drafts too!

    • I love the way you put it - the distance between the idea and the submit button. That’s why I work from drafts. What you lack for in motivation you can make up for in technique.

  23. Hi Prerak. Thanks for the kind words. I do try to explain difficult topics in layman’s terms. If you are a newbie, you will learn as you go along and when you are ready, you will know where to find the info. 🙂

  24. Great blog post. I am looking to start a blog for my business, and redefining (for want of a better word) my personal blog. I sometimes get a bit aimless in my blog post and definitely don’t have a direction or niche at the moment. I am also one to just type rather than planning out what I am going to say. Hopefully I will get a little success in the future now.

    • Thanks Amanda. To me it seems that you need to get direction and to find a niche. All the best!

  26. Another very inspiring post Ana, thankyou. I’m always finding it difficult to motivate myself to writing to my own blog each day but I guess once you are organized and get into the swing of it (which I’m not) then there are no excuses. Maybe I procrastinate too much.. Besides who said you aren’t a great writer. You must be if people are coming back to the great content on this site. :o)

    Neil T
    Dogcentral

  27. nice and usefull little tips, Ana, especially for those of us who do not outsource the writing part of blogging. thanks a lot
    awfull pic though 😉

    • What’s the point of blogging if you outsource the blogging part? 🙂

      Thanks for coming by, Steven. And yes, my pics are one of a kind.

  28. Hi,

    Not sure I agree with Jacko’s (Facebook) comment “Everyone has a bit of genius in them, they just need to go look.” I’ve been looking for my little piece for years now, even used a microscope. All I got was i strain.

    Very good post Ana, though I’m amazed you can complete all 10 steps in 20 minutes;-)

    • Can’t be that bad, Paul! 🙂

      By the way, I didn’t say in 20 minutes; I said it took me that long to write that much. 🙂 Usually takes me about an hour to put together a post from start to finish.

  29. Ana,

    I am really enjoying your posts. They are full of useful information and presented in a way that makes this stuff approachable.

    Thanks!
    Jill

  30. Thank you so much, Ana, for showing us how you create and publish a new blog post. I must admit that I am a very bad writer either, and when I read your blog, I instantly realize I have missed a lot of steps/tips in writing. Great post!

  31. Ana,
    I love the idea of Instapaper! I always find articles and posts that I want to get to but may be in a hurry or just can’t read them at the time. Instapaper let’s you read it later! What an awesome idea!

    Yet again your advice is invaluable to me. Thanks so much for this blog!

    • You are so very welcome, Allie - InstaPaper definitely does the trick!

      Problem is finding time to go back to read it. 🙂

  32. So, I’m glad to hear, Ana, that I’m not a weirdo having tons of drafts for blog ideas floating around my wordpress dashboard! I also keep a journal full of blog post ideas to play around with when I’m reader to write. For me writing is so pleasurable, that I can totally lose track of time doing it. I tend to write out a list (even if it’s not a list post) and then fill in the blanks. Kind of like an outline, but not that rigid. That way I can stay on track and save time.

    I just did a post to publish today on where I find my images and I’m interested to see your post! 🙂

    Heather

    • Wow, you actually love writing, Heather! I think you are the first commentator saying that. 🙂

      I am glad you do; you are incredibly good at it!

  33. For me writing outside of WordPress has helped immensely. For some reason when I fire up Pages (on my Mac) I feel less pressure to write a complete post in a sitting and end up finishing it up faster, or I just come back to it.

    As for headlines and opening paragraphs, I’ll jot down an initial idea for both but find that I always change the headline after the article is written. Many times I’ll write the opening paragraph after I write the main content. That way I have a better idea of how to introduce it.

    Thanks for the plugin heads-up. Installing that one on a few blogs now.

    • I don’t have Page installed on my Mac. Something I need to try?

      I am with you on titles and opening paragraphs, Robert - it’s useless to write them first since I never know where my writing will take me. 🙂

      • Pages is like the Mac version of Microsoft Word. Pretty much the goal is to draft somewhere outside of the WordPress editor, so that could be Microsoft Word (which I have), Pages, Evernote, or something else. I like Pages as I can really lay out the page and then copy/paste into WordPress for final editing. I find the links come on over to, though I need to update them with title text.

  34. Hi Ana,

    To be frank I’m also not a good writer but after reading your inspirational post I kinda got a feeling that yes I can do it.

    First step I have to do is to read a lot about the topic.

    Thanks for another amazing post.;)

  35. As usual, Ana, you’re full of practical advice! My favorite tips were the keep “add new post” window open and the cross-linking bit.

    Ryan’s suggestion about going off-line to write is also a winner…especially helpful for those times when you don’t have an internet connection. I tend to think no connection, no ability to work.

  36. Thanks Ana. Best tip here for me, although there are a lot, was to keep my “add new post” open in another window. I come up with so many ideas while reading other blogs and comments, but I tend to forget them - or get overwhelmed mentally with repeating “I’ve got to remember x,y,z” all day long. So simple, but it will really help …

    Question though … If you’re posting so often, how the heck do you have time to do all the post promotion for each one? I think I could post each weekday, but I’d never be able to promote them properly with off-site activity.

    Best,
    Scott

    • I used to be that way as well, Scott - trying to remember every idea that came to my mind during the day. End result - it never worked.

      This little trick of mine definitely keeps all my ideas where they belong - in my blog drafts.

      How do I manage to promote? At this point, my readers are doing a great job at that. I don’t do nearly as much as I used to.

      • Ahhh. Understood, Ana. Makes sense. Evidently, all the hard work you’ve done (i.e. your “what do I do now that I’ve posted” guideline) is certainly paying off dividends for you! That certainly shows the investment value of building a loyal group of readers …

        Best,
        Scott

        • I still do some of that, but don’t always have the time to do all the steps.

          Yes, being loyal to your readers translates into loyal readership!

          Thank you for being one of my great readers, Scott.

  37. Really useful tips thank you. Will be looking up the insights plugin. I use the Windows Live Writer on windows 7, it formats like word and then just uploads to wordpress. I have found it easier than wordpress direct especially when adding images.

  38. Every time I read your stuff I learn something! I scanned along (I’m a writer so most of the stuff I already use), scan scan scan scan, ‘Drop Cap’ DING DING DING!. Thank you Ana. Every time. That little morsel of wisdom and knowledge jumps off the page at me.

    As always Ana, great stuff. And as always, thank you.

    • It’s always nice to know I manage to talk about something you didn’t know, Gibson - thanks for coming by and taking your time to comment!

  39. Hey Ana, I was just thinking about this trying to wrap my head around how to write a post a day. Glad to know it’s not a natural trait I’ve missed out on.

    I think you’re right, it does take practice but your tips have helped. The ‘insights’ plugin especially. I’ve been wondering if there was such a thing 🙂

    Thanks Ana.

  40. Wow, some excellent tips Ana.

    Sometimes people have trouble writing because they are trying to be perfect with their first draft.

    I usually go through at least five drafts, if not more, before I publish.

    Peter

    • I was just thinking of you today, Peter - what do you know… 🙂

      I don’t really have time for several drafts these days; sometimes, I don’t even have time to edit. It’s been very fast pace around here; I am sure you’ve noticed.

      Good to see you around here, Peter!

      • I have noticed how fast paced it has been here 🙂

        So you need no motivation to create your content.

        For me, given my busy day job schedule, I find if I pump out a draft without worrying about seo, links, spelling and grammar errors to refine later it at least puts me on schedule.

        I am looking forward to the day (let me know if it exists) where I can be driving in my car dictating a draft blog post into phone using an headset and it is automatically uploaded to my blog.

        Peter

  41. You nailed it.

    The biggest takeaway here for me is the cross-linking text file. I was just thinking to myself last night how to better cross-link, especially with so many guests and contributors that I have now.

    For anyone looking for some ease, I have an old plugin that I don’t even know is available anymore that really helps with internal links called RB Internal Links or something like that. It may still be available from the original creator but I also know it doesn’t work with every PHP environment.

    Cheers for this, Ana!

    • I’ve been looking into better linking options as well, Tia - even asked a few bloggers to see what they are using. Doesn’t look like there’s a perfect solution out there.

      Between Insights and my Text doc, I am pretty much covered, although I am still looking. 🙂

  42. I envy you for always being able to write such quality content on a daily basis Ana 😀

    Seriously though, I do think I’m a terrible writer, but that’s because my English language doesn’t help me a lot (it ain’t my native language anyways..)

    Also I’ve always wanted to write about SEO, but I know there are much much better experts than me on the field out there, so I would rather stick to teaching German through my website for now. At least till I become one of those SEO gurus, with enough expertise to open my own blog 🙂

    • Two things, Amr:

      -English is not my first language either (I grew up in Russia). So your excuse is not good enough 🙂 ; your English is at least as good as mine!

      -There are plenty of SEO experts out there that are so far ahead of me, it’s not even funny. However, I tell people about SEO in terms they can understand and that makes me a different kind of SEO expert.

      You don’t have to be a guru to publish useful content!

  43. Ana, make no mistake, you are an accomplished writer. You get your point across. You’re not trying to get us to see dragons in the mist (though I know you could, if you wanted to.) You’re sharing valuable information about a vital piece of the Internet Marketing puzzle and I am glad your system helps you maintain your prolific pace.

    My system intersect yours at points two, three and four. I actually am able to visualize the finished post just by looking at the raw HTML. I start with a blank page in Word. I make my outline by inserting a bunch of h2 tags. This, as you said, is a great way to stay on topic and side-step writer’s block. The links usually come in as I type because I use a nifty text-replacement utility called PhraseExpress.

    Where we differ, as I already mentioned, is that I use Word. The pain of losing a draft due to a dropped Internet connection was enough to curb that habit once and for all :). I know the copy/paste is a pain, but here’s what I do. I select everything and copy it. Then I paste it into Notepad! Voila! No more formatting gremlins. I repeat the copy/paste from Notepad to the dashboard.

    Proof-reading is fun, since I’m getting the first peek at the actual post. I still get a thrill when that opening picture pops up with my words. 🙂 It’s a good thing I enjoy it because, even after spell-checking in Word, I found all kinds of stupid typos. Also, I tend to rephrase things because I like to make people see dragons in the mist. That’s just my style.

    I am going to experiment with the points that I don’t currently use: especially the final one about post slugs. I never really got the point of them beyond making the title look prettier in the url. I guess I’ll know more after I finish reading your linked post on SEO slugs.

    Interesting aside: I have that post opened in another tab and I noticed that the slug is completely different from the browser title bar which, in turn, doesn’t match the blog post title. That’s really cool. Thanks!

    Cheers,

    Mitch

    • I’ll start from the end, Mitch - shorter slugs with your main keywords in them could help you with search engine rankings as well as become eye-candy for your viewers’ eyes.

      See, I use Mac and instead of Notepad, we use TextEdit, which is pretty much the same, but still adds some of its own styling when copying and pasting.

      By the way, even if your internet connection drops, your post won’t disappear! In very rare occasion it does happen, I am still able to save the post after the internet is back and running. Just in case, I “copy” the post before I save it. 🙂

      This was a great comment, by the way - definitely enjoyed getting to know you better.

      Ana

      • Thanks, Ana. I’m going to try to start a new slug habit.
        Speaking of habit, offline post composition has been my habit since 2006, so it’s second nature, now. (I was on Drupal at the time and there was no backup of drafts.)

        Cheers,

        Mitch

  44. You’re absolutely right about your brain needing the practice. Not only does writing often make you a better, more efficient writer, it also gives you a nearly endless supply of topics to write about.

    I use Evernote to keep my posts and ideas organized, and I almost always have 30 or 40 drafts in various states of completion. When I’m drafting posts for the week, I just go through my list and pick the ones that look promising.

    I got a chuckle out of you saying you write the opening and closing paragraphs last. I rarely write in linear order, and might write the ending first, then the middle, then the opening. What’s the right way to do it? The way that works for you.

    • The way that’s best for you is definitely the way to go, Cindy - love that!

      There’s a lot of sense in this sort of “disorganization” of a bunch of unfinished post - definitely makes it simpler to write a post when you need one. Evernote - never thought of using it, but can see that it works well.

      Thanks for coming by, Cindy!

  45. Hey Ana,

    Great tips you are sharing here. It’s amazing how we share a lot of things here. Writing is not my strong skill, but as you pointed out, practice makes perfect!

    Funny thing is, whenever I read your posts, I go “wow, she is really talented!” I love ’em! The key is to just keep going and learn from other good bloggers.

    I read this post with a huge smile on my face — I follow most of the steps you are sharing here except that I don’t use the Insights plugin. And I always wondered about the drop cap code for the first letter 🙂

    Thanks for the great read, Ana.

    All the best,
    Mavis

    • You are partially responsible for inspiring this post, Mavis - you are always so complimentary about my writing style!

      Practice, practice, practice…

      “How to” titles do work great and they are the easiest for me to write for some reasons.

  46. “Let’s start with a confession: I am a terrible writer and I always strongly disliked and never had any talent for writing.”

    Ana, I’ve been a full-time professional writer since 1994. You are a good writer and you definitely have talent for writing. You may not have liked it in high school and college and therefore didn’t apply yourself, but once you saw the need for high-quality writing, you made it happen. Most people have a similar potential.

    • Coming from you, John, it means a lot.

      I suppose I never thought of it that way… That simply means that there’s hope for all of us!

      Have a great night!

  47. Hi Ana,

    I also use Insights (only just started with it last week). It is definitely limited, but really does make some things easier. Looking for a link to an old post, for example.

    The process you use for writing is quite similar to my own. I use an excel spreadsheet to handle my list of posts by keywords. That makes it so easy to find internal link options.

    Ryan’s idea about writing when offline is a good one too. I find that I am much more productive when I am away from Twitter. 😉

    Style is something I struggle with as I am not really happy with my ‘voice’ yet. But, I am working on it.

    Have a good day!

    • I’ve used Insights for a while now - not perfect, but does save time.

      I suck at Excel, but sounds like a great way to keeping track of possible interlinks.

      Style… I struggled for a while to find it, then realized I had it all along. 🙂 I think one of these days, you’ll see you already have one as well!

      Ana

  48. I know what you are taking about Ana. Practice makes writing perfect. And you can add me to the list; I was just like you a poor writer 🙂

    Well great post as always. And the thing about making drafts in WordPress.. I just learned it recently the hard way. I used to type in word and make a paste (even paste from the word option works like crap) and most of my old posts look terrible.

    I use insights and it is quite handy while writing a post to link on the go.

    The dropcap thing is cool; I’d try it. And Instapaper.. gotta try it too!

    Jane.

    • I am not sure why it’s so difficult to cut and paste the posts, Jane, but the only fix I ever found was not to have to do it at all. Works great for me and I always keep all my ideas in one handy spot.

      Instapaper is great! The only problem is finding time to go back and read everything. 🙂

  49. That’s a nice read.
    Eye catching title, perfect format, well explanation and perfect ending + proper linking to previous related article on your blog + on page seo optimization of post and finally the style you present attracts a lot of people.
    and as i think it makes a perfect post

  50. Ana,

    Some great tips, I have been writing an article a day, everyday now for a 11 months and 1 day (OK, I am counting… after 1 year I plan on cutting down to 4-5 posts a week)

    I do that with almost no guest posts yet, though. I think I have a pretty good in fluid system that lets me create some fairly good content on a regular basis, but your tips managed to give me a few new good ideas.

    Thanks for your article, and of course thanks for making such great content on a regular basis.

    • Thanks for coming by, Steve! I see you have a new post on earning online income posted - loved the previous one; will have to take a look at this one.

      So a post per day - why are you thinking of cutting down? Isn’t that kind of backwards?

      Would love for you to guest post for me some time.