The majority of the time, I'm able to crank out a post in less than 60 minutes. That skill has allowed me to churn out more content than the average writer, and allows me to focus on many more projects in a day.
If I couldn't write legitimately good content that quickly, my business would crash.
You see, I have a full-time job. I am a content writer for an Orem-based Internet services company. I write all of their blog posts, work on their social media, and occasionally write content for email and other platforms.
I go to the gym every day, and I'm taking online classes through Rasmussen College.
I literally don't have a choice when it comes to efficiency. I have a very small window of time to get my writing and marketing in.
For that reason I've developed a very simple, yet extraordinarily efficient and productive writing system that will help you take control of your writing and produce out-of-this-world content!
But I'll get to that in a minute.
4 types of Posts
I know that not every single post can be written in 60 minutes. Some just require a more deft touch, or maybe you're not feeling particularly creative that day. Here are the 4 different types of posts I write:
Pillar Content - Super in-depth posts that require research, brainstorming, and just a flat-out long time typing. These usually require 1,200 - 1,500 words to write.
These are usually resource type posts that cover an entire topic from beginning to end, such as "Top 15 Ways to Find the Promised Land of Blog Monetization."
Pillar Content For Guest Posts - Same as above, except these are the types of posts I submit to large blogs around the Internet, such as Copyblogger and Problogger. Sites like that accept only the very best tips, so I try to write well-researched articles that cover the whole picture.
Specific Idea Posts - These posts cover only a slice of the larger pie. Instead of explaining SEO in a general sense, I might write about "3 Ways to Improve Your On-Site SEO." A post like that can be extremely useful, but also something my readers can digest in a couple of minutes.
These posts are designed to be posted more frequently in order to keep your blog fresh and alive (to help appease the Google Monster). These make up the majority of my posts, and they tend to be around 500 words.
Specific Idea Posts for Guest Posting - The same idea, but these posts are submitted to small blogs around the Internet for SEO purposes. These are the posts that I write when I'm trying to increase the sheer quantity of backlinks - I still write quality posts, but they are shorter and less time-intensive so that I can pump these suckers out.
Those last two ideas are the articles that I can easily write in less than 1 hour. Most days, I'll have maybe 1-2 hours of time to work, so it's imperative that I can fit in 1-2 posts during that time to stay on top of both my own blog content and increase my Internet influence with guest posts.
My 5 Step Time-Saving Writing Process
1. Keep a File With Topics
Every few weeks, I spend about 1-2 hours and jot down as many topic ideas as humanly possible. I'll visit my favorite sites for inspiration (Copyblogger and Ezine Articles), and I'll write down any topic I might consider writing.
I usually have 30-40 ideas sitting in a Word Document at any one time. At the beginning of each week, I select the ideas I want to work with that week. If I realize an idea has been sitting in that file for a few months, it usually means I'm not ever going to get to it - so it gets the boot.
2. Sketch a Quick Outline
By quick, I'm talking 5-10 minutes. Usually I'll jot down sub-headlines and then organize some talking points for each one. I put down just enough on paper that when I write I'm not floundering in 6 directions at once.
3. Write, Write, Write
Once I begin writing, nothing short of a tornado ripping apart my house could tear me away from my article. I vomit all my ideas into the page as quickly as I can. This works tremendously well because you're working from the outline you wrote in step 2. No matter how cruddy the grammar, spelling, or word usage is in the first draft, at least your ideas will be in the order you want.
This is definitely a learned skill. It takes me a tremendous amount of willpower to not continuously edit as I go along, but I've learned to trust my writing process. If I realize I'm daydreaming, or I've stopped to consider just the right word, I have to tell myself to just keep plowing through! I put in some kind of placeholder word or phrase, and figure out just the right way to say it during the edit.
Usually I can finish a rough draft in about 25-30 minutes, sometimes faster.
4. Leave Overnight
This is the latest addition to my writing process - but it's probably the one I most recommend nowadays.
For some reason, I find it harder to edit to my draft immediately after writing it. I think it's because I become enamored with a certain phrase or order of ideas. It's like I'm too close to it, if that makes sense.
By waiting overnight, I tend to be more objective. Often, something that sounded great the day before now sounds so dumb it'll make me laugh.
5. Edit With A Vengeance
Now, you might think your first draft will be horrid, like you spewed some jumbled mess. But trust me, it won't be as bad as you think. Your outline will usually keep you from venturing on random tangents. The evolution of ideas will make sense, and all your main points will be there on the page.
When I edit, I rip myself apart. I try to be objective and say "Do I want this in here because I think it sounds cool, or does it actually improve the message of my article?"
I take out anything that sounds redundant. I take out fluff words like "very" and "really."
My purpose in editing is to make my article as clear and direct as possible. I try to deliver an undiluted message that no one can misunderstand. You have to learn not to be attached to certain phrases or words and get rid of 'em if need be. You have to be ruthless in your editing.
Take Your Process Seriously
I stick to my process religiously. After writing thousands of articles, blog posts, and emails, I've learned what works for me. I know that I can get 2-3 times as much work done. I have to stick to it, or my business would begin to fail immediately.
By finishing articles quickly, I'm free to work on other marketing strategies to grow my business.
By the way, this 1,200+ word article took me about 75 minutes active time before I posted it on my blog. So... not quite 60 minutes, but this is definitely longer than most posts I produce.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7584419
0 comments:
Post a Comment