How to be a Content Generating Machine

How to Be a Content Generating Machine

2 February 2008 7 Comments

If you have been blogging for very long then you might already know how difficult it can be to generate content day in and day out. There are many theories on the subject pertaining to posting frequency vs. quality of posts etc but the bottom line is this, if you are going to be successful then you need a plan to generate content.

Content is the lifeblood of your blog and without it you will quickly lose visitors, feed readers, advertising dollars and quite frankly your own interest will likely dwindle. I see dead blogs everywhere I go, week long lapses between posts are not uncommon and many of these turn into months and years.

I have a simple system that I am working on that helps to keep me focused and on topic. I am one of those bloggers who needs to build up a draft file so I have something already written when I simply don’t have time. I travel extensively during the week so maintaining a regular blog schedule can be a challenge. I’ll share my system if you share yours.

Flow Charts:

I use flow charts, mainly because I use them often in my business so it seems like a natural transition into my blogging endeavors. You could maintain these flowcharts on a whiteboard if you wish but I personally use a simple notebook. Being mobile often necessitates the use of something mobile and a whiteboard doesn’t pack very well.

Let me share. I start out with a Foundation topic. Something that is aligned with the mission of your blog, in this example we will use “Ways to Make Money With Your Blog”. I put it in the center of my flowchart like the picture below.

Once I have my Foundation Topic….I list out a number of topics related to the main topic that are more specific. Take a look at this.

For this example I have 4 specific topics to discuss that are based on my main “Ways To Make Money With Your Blog” foundation topic. Each of these 4 specific topics are a blog post themselves. We can still take it another step though as your specific topics can easily generate even more specific content. Like this:

Private Ad Sales was one of our original 4 specific topics but we’ve easily generated 3 more topics from that one. You can probably see how this is developing but this is where we are currently in the process. I apologize for the pictures, MS Paint is only so good and I am no artist.

So as you can see, we’ve quickly developed 7 topics quite easily, but are we done yet? Heck no. Once you get on a roll, you need to stay on a roll. You can flesh this out even further for each of the original 4 specific topics. Your chart would look something like this. I didn’t bother filling in the boxes as I think you get the idea.

In case you haven’t already figured this out, you could still again develop a sub topic off one of your sub topics. It’s an endless supply of content topics. Of course, this is kind of the easy part, you still need to write prolificly in order to flesh out these topics with valuable content.

That’s another challenge in itself, but it’s also one I can’t help you with.

If you put a bit of time and effort into this system you can quickly lay out a plan for your site for weeks and even months down the road. Like any other tool, it will only work if you use it. Get Started Today.

This is the system that I use but I am always open to reading about yours. Anyone have any better ideas?

7 Comments »

bloggingzoom.com said:

How to be a Content Generating Machine | The Blog Entrepreneur…

Writing Content and staying on topic can be a significant challenge for most bloggers. We tend to wander sometimes with no set plan but with the advice in this article you can easily generate blog topics for weeks and even months in advance.&nbsp…

# 2 February 2008 at 12:17 pm

Tim said:

Bill – Great post,

I never have had a plan of attach in regards to blog topics, luckily I could always come up with ideas everyday – but this system will be a great way to stay focused and give my reads a vision too.

tim

# 2 February 2008 at 2:59 pm

Heather said:

This is a great post and way of organizing your blogging ideas. The flowchart really helps visualize the idea.

Most often I can find topics to write about, but I can see how using this method would bring more of a flow to for the reader as well.

Heather’s last blog post..By: name

# 2 February 2008 at 3:56 pm

CommentURL.com | A world of interesting web pages said:

How to Be a Content Generating Machine | CommentURL.com…

theblogentrepreneur.com

If you often find yourself straying off topic or at a loss for something…

# 3 February 2008 at 8:58 am

Erica DeWolf said:

Great post. This is a great way of organizing your thoughts and giving yourself a list of topics to blog about.

Thanks!

Erica DeWolf’s last blog post..Guest Post Available- Emails for bloggers

# 3 February 2008 at 3:52 pm

AndrewPavelski said:

Definitely a nice post! I usually make lists of topics to blog about… I’m definitely going to try using a flowchart! Thanks for sharing.

AndrewPavelski’s last blog post..Maximize Blogging Forum Success

# 5 February 2008 at 3:19 pm

Bill (author) said:

@Tim – How fortunate that you can come up with great content on a daily basis. You are lucky or gifted…probably both.

@Heather – Amen…I am a visual person so the flowchart method works great for me and helps me relate posts to each other and tie them together.

@ Erica – Thanks

@Andrew – Thanks…let me know if it works for you. A lot of people use lists but for me the visual presentation helps me relate to it better. I don’t know why…it just does.

How to Be a Content Generating Machine

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