How to blog consistently – Michael Hyatt

Posted by Adam Franklin

Michael Hyatt, author of Platform, has been one of my favourite writers for years.  At Social Media Marketing World, Michael shared how to blog consistently, by addressing the 4 obstacles.

4 Obstacles to Consistent Blogging.

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Obstacle #1. Lack of clarity:

Set a minimum posting goal. However you don’t need to overdo it.

Minimum effective dose:

You only need 212 degrees (fahrenheit) to boil water. Anything over that is wasted energy.  Michael started with 7 posts a week, then scaled down to 5, and now does 3 a week consistently.

“Consistency is better then frequency” ~ Michael Hyatt.

Connect with your Why

Why blog consistently?
1. build an audience
2. become a thought leader
3. increase your influence
4. eventually monetise your platform

Obstacle #2. Creativity

You need a good input source if you want good output.   You need to fill the “well” with great input.

How do you do this?

• Read books.   Michael asks, do you have a good reading program?
• Listen to podcasts.  Get healthy (by running or walking) and listen to content at the same time.
• Do a reader survey. www.michaelhyatt.com/readersurvey (feel free to borrow the questions).
• Collect a set of FAQs and post the answers on your blog.

Collect your ideas in a centralised place

Make it ubiquitous, like Evernote, so it’s all in one place.  You get the best ideas jotted down so when you settle down to write.

Michael’s Blogging Workflow

1. Write the first draft
2. Edit the first draft
3. Read it aloud
4. Insert relevant links
5. Find a compelling image
6. Publish a draft
7. Proofread the draft
8. Add SEO metadata
9. Tweak as necessary
10. Schedule for publication

Develop a blogging template!

Here is Michael’s and he said to borrow it or modify if for your own purposes.

• Title
• Subtitle
• Image
• Lead paragraph
• Personal anecdote
• Pivot
• Objective Statement
• Rationale
• Conclusion
• Questions

Obstacle #3. Competence

Subscribe to blogs about writing.

The three that Michael recommends are Copyblogger, ProBlogger, Jeff Goins
Advertising Headlines That Make You Rich by David Garfinkle.
Writing Riches by Ray Edwards

Own your own self-hosted WordPress blog. Don’t build a house on a rented lot!

Learn multi-mark down.

It’s pretty geeky but very useful. Read Michael’s post; The beginners guide to writing with markdown

Outsource the most difficult.

• Formatting and uploading stuff to WordPress
• Use VAs
• Outsource the writing. “You can be the architect without being the contractor” ~Michael Hyatt.

Obstacle #4. Commitments

We are not more busy than anyone else. We all have 168 hours a week and we make time for what’s important.  We don’t have time is just an excuse. It takes a bit of discipline though.

How do we do this?

Schedule time because what gets scheduled, gets done.

Have Courage

“It’s not the absence of fear, its doing despite the fear.”

Meeting Michael

PS. I got to meet Michael afterwards which was a great experience. He was as generous and helpful as he is online.

And I recommend reading his book Platform.

Thanks!

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About Adam Franklin

Adam Franklin is the co-author of Web Marketing That Works. He also released 33 free marketing templates (free download). He is co-host of the top rating iTunes podcast, is an international social media speaker and marketing manager of Bluewire Media.

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