Like many bloggers, I always tell myself “post more”. Posting needs to become a habit and, if it isn’t a habit, you need to force yourself to do it. Earlier this week, after seeing that it had been several weeks since I last posted, I resolved to write & publish a post that day. That rush was a mistake, and it produced a poorly written piece. It now has taken me twice as long as usual for me to be happy with it. Worst of all, it could have easily left a negative impression with a new reader.
My usual method for writing a post starts when I’m struck with an idea, then I write a draft at night, and finally revise & publish the following morning. I find that the initial draft helps me flesh out my angle on the subject, and the re-write lets me see everything with fresh eyes. It wouldn’t be unreasonable to say that at least 40% of the post will get trashed or completely re-worked. I have no problem with this, as I feel it ensures that I’m posting quality content.
Unfortunately, in my haste to get something posted, I did one draft of my recent Yellow Pages post, and hit “Publish”. I wasn’t happy with it, but I really wanted to get something up. If I were to use the gym analogy for this, it was only a couple of laps around the track just so you can say that you worked-out.
Therefore it wasn’t a surprise to me when Josh Nason of SendLabs pointed out several examples of poor writing & grammar in my post. I was frustrated because it was all little things that I didn’t take the time to correct, like that Yellow Pages is, in fact, two words, or that I switched pronouns (i.e. “you”, “they”, etc.) like LeBron switches teams. What upset me the most were the spelling errors. Spelling errors indicate a lack of pride in your work. If you’re not proud enough of your writing to do something simple like spell-checking, what does that say to your reader?
Essentially, the concept was good, but hadn’t been given the proper amount of attention. I was upset with myself and wanted to make sure that every blogger follows the old carpentry rule of “measure twice, cut once”. Because businesses complain that they don’t have time for blogging, they certainly don’t have time to craft a poorly written post that could require PR backtracking, or worse..
So, always make sure to follow these 3 easy steps when sitting down to write:
1.) Give Yourself Enough Time – Much like running, blogging becomes easier with regularity. Set aside time in your calendar to write. If you simply tell yourself “I’ll write today”, you’ll find excuses not to do it. Then, when you finally sit down because you need to get something posted, you’ve created an unnecessary sense of urgency for yourself.
2.) Start with Something in Mind – I find a lot of inspiration for posts throughout the day, but ideas can quickly be forgotten. Keep a piece of paper, or use a Notes app, to quickly put your ideas somewhere safe for later. By having a handful of ideas ready to go, you’ll easy overcome that first hurdle of “what do I write about”.
3.) Don’t Publish Garbage – Don’t be afraid to let something sit on the shelf until it’s ready. Imagine if a potential customer comes to your site for the first time because of a poorly written post. Don’t let that bad first impression cost you money. Unless something is extremely time sensitive, let it wait overnight. Even if your post is only 200 words and written purely for SEO, make it readable.
Go forth bloggers, spend your time wisely, and be happy with your posts.
