Ten Things to Do Before and After You Publish a Blog Post

Are you ever at a loss on how to get more people to read your words when you're writing a blog post? It can be daunting to even think about it. We broke it down and came up with a few tips on what to do before and after your hit publish to help you find – perhaps new – ways to get more followers on your blog.

Before:

1. Have a Compelling Title - A title can be the most important part of a blog post, because it is what draws people to your article. Include key words and make it persuasive enough to have readers click through.

2. Hyperlink to Past Posts - If you're referencing older subjects that you're revisiting in a new piece, make sure you hyperlink back, so readers can refresh their knowledge without you having to write a whole new post. This also sends traffic back to old posts and keeps people on your site for longer.

3. Have an SEO Image - Keeping your "brand" in mind, have an image that fits in with your personality, theme, and readership. Also, make sure to change the photo name to something that is searchable – ideal for SEO. For example, instead of "IMG_1234.jpg," make sure you describe what it is: "chocolate_chip_cookie.jpg"

4. Separate Text With Smaller Headings - When it comes to articles, most people will avoid posts that have large blocks of text. Thus, make sure you break your paragraphs into 3-5 sentences and divide them up with smaller headings. The average person will scan an article, and if they find something interesting, will go back and read the entire article.

5. Proofread - This should be a given, but once you finish, go back through and read your article three times. Once in the CMS (content management system) where you are blogging, next as a preview (you can often find more mistakes here because there is less "noise"), then third, look at it from the reader's point of view; ask yourself, "Do I find this subject interesting?" If not, perhaps rewrite the post.

After:

6. Share on Social Media - Post on all social media that you feel is appropriate. An article may be more relevant on LinkedIn than it would be on Twitter – or it could be relevant on both. Find what works for you, but make sure you post regularly. Followers like knowing that they can find new content on a regular basis. Read more in "Which Social Networks Should You Be On? Hint: Not All."

7. Check Analytics - Make it a habit to check your Google Analytics at the beginning of each month to see what posts are working well and connecting with people. You can also check to see what posts are getting the most comments. Stats can be very helpful in that they show how much engagement you are getting.There may be patterns that are helpful in planning future blog posts, allowing you to hone your editorial calendar.

If you haven't done enough with your analytics, use the Google Analytics resource page we put together. 

8. Reply to Comments - Make an effort to respond to anyone that has commented on posts. Responding is a good way to build a stronger audience and great readership and shows that you care that people read your articles.

9. Write a Follow-up Blog Post - This goes hand-in-hand with #2, but if you have an update to add to your current post, write something in another month and link back to the first post.

10. Reshare on Social Media (after 1-2 months) - Think shares on social media can only live for a small time frame? If you found something particularly useful, you can always reshare to refresh pages views. Check out this piece we wrote about how long posts live on social media. Hint: Pinterest is amazing for extending the life of a blog post.

If you are having trouble launching your blog or getting your strategy together, consult our team at ArcStone. We'd love to chat.