Many bloggers don't have blogging strategy clear. They jump from task to task, trying out the latest ideas they hear about… never getting far.

If this sounds like you, don't feel bad. Even among business-to-business marketing professionals, only 65% (just over a third) have a documented blogging strategy.

You may have already tried to adopt a strategy for your blog, but it all seemed overwhelming: it's about getting an idea of ​​monetization, traffic and all that it takes to Create a blog et make money.

Or maybe you tried to clearly define a content strategy, but all your plans fell apart as soon as you got busy and couldn't find the time to write.

How to create a blogging strategy

Today I'm going to walk you through how to create a blog strategy. We'll take it step by step, so you can build your strategy without getting stuck or overwhelmed. Let's start by clarifying what we want to do, and why.

What is a Blogging Strategy?

A blog strategy is not as formal as a business plan. It's usually not focused on the small details (like how exactly you'll close each blog post). Instead of that, your blogging strategy is a broad map of how you are going to achieve your blogging goals.

Your blogging strategy can address many different areas such as when you are going to create products, what type of affiliate programs you will promote, blogging tools that you are going to use and more.

In this step-by-step guide, I'm going to focus on a key part of your blogging strategy — your blog content strategy. This is all about the articles (and/or other content) you post on your blog. Your content ties into all the other areas of your blogging strategy, making it a great place to start.

Why You Need a Clear Blog Content Strategy in 2023

Imagine two bloggers. Let's call them Andy and Bella. They both blog in the same niche for the same audience.

Andy has no strategy. He intends to publish a new article every Monday, but he is often busy and does not publish anything.

He doesn't always know what to write, so he chooses any topic that comes to mind or is in the news. He always intends to get into affiliate marketing, but never manages to write the articles he has in mind.

Bella, on the other hand, has a blogging strategy. She publishes a new article every Monday without fail, sends a newsletter every Wednesday and queues up a week's worth of social media updates every Friday.

Thanks to the keyword research (and to using the right free keyword research tool), she knows exactly which articles are likely to help her target audience – andattract traffic on his blog. In each newsletter, it offers a section “ Recommended Resources where she shares an affiliate resource she likes.

After a year, which blogger is most likely to succeed? Obviously it's Bella… Yet most bloggers behave more like Andy.

Andy's blog isn't necessarily doomed. He may get lucky with an article and get an influx of traffic. He will end up writing affiliate reviews and making some money.

But her blog is definitely more of a hobby than a business. There is no real momentum towards Andy's goals.

If you're more like Andy than Bella, don't worry. We're going to look at exactly what you need to do to create your blog content strategy.

How to Create a Blogging Strategy in 6 Easy Steps

Let's get your strategy started. If your blog is already in place, you may have already completed the first three steps, but I highly recommend that you read them at least, in case you need to change anything.

Step 1: Set your blogging goals

How to Create a Blogging Strategy (Blog Content Strategy Example)

First and foremost, you need to figure out what you want to get out of blogging. These blogging goals will determine your overall strategy.

It is impossible to know how Create a blog to success if you don't even know what " succès " for you.

  • Do you want to make a name for yourself in your industry?
  • Do you want to earn some money on the side?
  • Do you want to fundraise for a charity or a cause?
  • Do you want to earn a full-time living?
  • Do you just want to write for fun?

All of these goals are valid. You can choose one of them or find another that resonates with you.

Once you've determined your overall goal, start thinking about the details. For example, let's say your goal is to make a living blogging full time. What does this look like to you?

Maybe you want to earn $35 a year working only during school hours, for example. Or do you want to earn at least $000 a year, but are willing to work 100 hours a week.

Task : Write down the main purpose of your blog, using target numbers if that helps. You can also set a target date.

Step 2: Choose your niche

Once your goal is clear, it's time to choose your niche.. If you already have a niche for your blog, pause and ask yourself if your niche is totally compatible with your purpose.

If your goal is to make money (especially to earn a full-time living), you need to opt for a niche that is easy to monetize.

However, it's important not to pick a niche just because you think it will earn you money. Unless you are strongly motivated by money alone, you need to pick a niche that you will enjoy writing about for years to come.

If you need a little help with this stage of planning your blog, check out my in-depth guide to choosing a blog niche.

Task: Write down your niche. If you're not sure, write down a list of possible niches and rank them based on (a) what you value most and (b) whether it would help you achieve your goals.

Step 3: Identify your target market

Who is your blog for? Sometimes your target market (or target audience) will be indicated by your niche, but most niches will have multiple possible audiences.

Let's say your niche is "fitness for beginners." Your target market is clearly "beginners", but you need to go beyond that. Ask yourself the question:

  • Do you write primarily for men or women?
  • How old are your readers?
  • What country do they live in?
  • What are their political views?
  • What is their level of education?

All of these factors will affect the topics you discuss, the products/services you recommend, the advice you give, and even how you phrase things.

They will also impact things other than content, like the color palette, branding, and social media channels you use to promote your blog.

For example, a fitness blog for beginners might be aimed at “women in their 40s and 50s in Europe, on the left, with a college education or more.”

Another might be for "men in their twenties in America, right-wing, with only a high school diploma." These blogs will likely look very different.

Please note: : you can have – and will have – readers who do not correspond to your target market. This is completely normal. What matters is that you have a target market in mind. Other people are also welcome on your blog… but you do not specifically target your content.

Task : Define your target market by considering at least some of the factors above.

Step 4: Conduct Keyword Research

The next step is to determine the keywords that people in your target market are likely to use, related to your blog's niche.

“Keywords” are not complicated. These are simply words or (more often) short phrases that people type into Google.

You can probably think of a whole bunch of keywords that come to mind. For example, if you are blogging about knitting patterns, some keywords might be:

  • Knitting
  • Knitting patterns
  • Free Knitting Patterns
  • Dress Knitting Patterns
  • Sweater Knitting Patterns
  • How to knit a Christmas sweater
  • … And so on.

Keyword research is the process of finding keywords and determining which keywords you should base your content on.

It's basically finding keywords that (a) are searched for by a lot of people, but (b) aren't so popular that you'll never have a chance of getting your content to appear at the top of Google. .

There are a number of techniques and tools you can use to help you, and I have a detailed article here with everything you need to know about keyword research and an in-depth guide to way to rank better on google too.

Task : Read my keyword research guide, then make a list of 10 or more keywords you can use to create content.

Step 5: Create a content calendar

How to Create a Blog Strategy (Image of creating a content calendar)

A content calendar is simply a list of upcoming dates and the content you plan to publish. With your calendar at hand, you can find many blog post ideas in one go, perform keyword research and even plan an entire batch of items.

There are many different options for creating your content calendar. Many bloggers use a simple spreadsheet to manage their content calendar. Others use a task management system like Asana.

You can even use a sheet of paper. What matters is that you plan in advance what you are going to post and when.

Your content calendar can include more than just blog posts. You can include newsletter, guest articles and any other content you want to create regularly.

You can even plan to create more in-depth free resources, perhaps once a month or quarter.

It's also a great idea to include content promotion in your schedule, as it's part of your blog marketing strategy.

This could be just scheduling a few social media posts to share your content, or a list of people to email about specific pieces of content.

To speed up your content planning, you can choose a particular topic or post type for different days or weeks.

For example, you can to write an article for beginners every Monday and a top tips article every Friday. You can also write an article about the experts the last week of each month.

Task: Plan your next blog posts for the next month, using the keywords you researched in Step 4. If you can, take it a step further and plan the emails you'll send to your list.

Step 6: Plan your blog monetization strategy

If you're hoping to make a living as a blogger, you'll have thought a little about monetization when choosing your niche. But now is the time to think about how best to incorporate monetization into your blogging strategy as a whole.

Here are some of the main ways people make money blogging :

  • Using affiliate marketing : Promote other people's products/services and receive a commission on sales.
  • Broadcast advertising : often paid per view or per click, it works well if you have a lot of traffic.
  • Posting sponsored content : articles written by (or on behalf of) an advertiser, which you are paid to publish on your blog.
  • Create and sell their own products : often virtual products (like ebooks or software), but physical products are also possible.
  • Offer services : freelancing, coaching and consulting are common activities.
  • Provide online courses : often through a platform like Teachable or Udemy.

Many bloggers use a combination of methods, although some blogs only monetize through one method.

It's important to think about how you plan to monetize your blog, so you can fit it into your content plan.

For example, if you promote affiliate products, you can write review articles — but you can also look for opportunities to mention those products in other articles.

Task: Choose a monetization method (that you already use or want to use). Find at least 3 posts on your content calendar where you can add a section or link that would help generate more money through this method.

So! you have just discovered how to create a blogging strategy. If you have any concerns, we'll give you an appointment in the comments.