How to blog consistently – Michael Hyatt
Updated on April 6th, 2015
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.
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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