Blog Tips, Blogging |
Create A Mommy Blog Content Creation Schedule
When you first start blogging, coming up with ideas and blog posts comes naturally. But what happens when you’ve been writing for a while, and you feel like all your creative juices have stopped flowing? How do you get back to writing what you love?
One of the best ways to combat writer’s block is to create a content creation schedule. This schedule will help you to plan your blog posts in advance, preventing you from writer’s block and helping you stay organized and on top of things.
In this article, we will look at what a content creation schedule is, why you need one, and how to create a schedule for your Mommy Blog. Let’s get started.
Content Creation Schedule: What Is It?
A content creation schedule is a list of when, where, and what you will publish in the upcoming weeks or months. Most schedules include upcoming pieces, social media posts, promotional activities, etc. The purpose of the content creation schedule is to have a plan for all your online content.
Obviously, having a plan is helpful, but creating a content creations schedule is helpful for several other reasons as well:
- Keeps you organized
- Shows what you’ll be writing about in advance
- Allows you to publish consistently
- Can enhance your marketing plan
- Allows you to plan around other obligations in your life
- Helps prevent you from duplicating content
How To Create A Useable Content Creation Schedule For Your Mommy Blog
No matter what your blogging niche is, all content creation schedules will have a similar setup. This setup will allow all your ideas and posts to be in one location, making it easy to plan, adjust, or find any content that you need. Here’s how to create a useable content creation schedule:
Choose Your Content Creation Schedule Medium
The first step to creating a content creation schedule is choosing the medium you want to work with. We recommend using spreadsheet software such as Microsoft Excel. Excel will make it easy to organize, plan, and edit your schedule now and in the future.
If you are not comfortable using Excel, you can use Microsoft Word or a physical sheet of paper. In Word, you either insert a table or update your schedule in the form of an outline. Similarly, you can draw out your schedule in a physical notebook. These tools will be useful, but they will not be as organized as a spreadsheet.
Create The Sections
Once you have chosen your schedule medium, it is time to create your schedule sections. These sections will provide you with the specifics of each post and content. The following sections should be included in your content creation schedule:
- Blog topic
- Category
- Suggested headline
- Subheadings and topics to be discussed within the post
- Keywords
- Internal links with anchor phrases
- Image source
- Call to action
- Tools to use
- Revision ideas and edits
- Promotional posts (social media posts)
- Publication date
Fill In Your Content Creation Schedule
Once your schedule is created, it is time to fill in the schedule with your ideas and thoughts. We recommend staying at least a few weeks ahead, but most bloggers like to have their content creation schedule ready a month in advance.
Having your schedule completed a month in advance will give you time to brainstorm, schedule, write, and edit all your posts with minimal stress and anxiety. Additionally, it will allow you to market or broadcast your upcoming posts on social media or to your friends.
Keep Up With Your Schedule
Finally, you need to keep up with your schedule. This step is the most difficult to accomplish because it requires you to be accountable to yourself. Always try to follow your content creation schedule as closely as possible.
If you need to change an idea or publication date, that’s okay. Simply adjust your schedule to account for these changes. Then, follow through with the updated schedule. You will probably need to do this frequently because ideas and plans change over time.
Final Thoughts
Creating a content creation schedule is a lot of work at first, but it is worth the effort. Once the schedule is created, your blog will be more consistent, time-efficient, and relevant to your follower’s needs and wants. Better yet, once you create the first content creation schedule, most of the hard work is already done, making it easier to write, come up with new ideas, and enjoy your life as a Mommy or Daddy.
This article was originally posted at Mom Marketing Coach.
Blogging, Blogging Success |
How to start a Mom Blog
If you are just beginning your journey as a mom blogger, this may be the 87th article that you have read that promises to offer good advice. Here’s what you have probably learned so far by reading posts about the world of mom blogging.
1. Create a Niche.
Yes, this is sound advice, but if you are a beginning blogger, you may not uncover your niche for months (or years). After all, for your blog to have authenticity, you need to wait to see what comes up in your child’s world that you feel drawn to discuss.
For example, there’s no need to write about picky eaters if your child eats everything under the sun.
At this point, don’t feel like you need to be uber focused. Just begin writing and creating. You will uncover your niche at some point.
2. Be careful about what you reveal.
You do need to be careful about what you reveal about your children. You need to consider their safety as well as whether or not the content will prove embarrassing as they grow older.
While this is sound advice, don’t become paralyzed by fear when writing your blog. Write about how your three-month-old blew out her diaper while you were in Target. Will she think that story is embarrassing when she turns 14? Yes, but everything you do and say will be embarrassing to your 14-year-old girl.
3. Authentic Mom Blog Topics.
You probably have read a lot of advice about being authentic in your blogs. This, also, sounds like great advice. But if you follow a lot of mom blogs, you may notice that a lot of these women have seemingly perfect lives.
Hmmm. We are told to be authentic, but do readers want to follow you if your house and kids are always a mess? Aren’t we supposed to learn from bloggers on how to create the best life for our kids?
The Best Advice for Getting Started on Your Mom Blog
The best advice we can give you for getting started on your mom blog is to START! Quit reading all the input from the experts. Quit worrying about creating a style guide or finding sponsors. Don’t worry if you don’t have a niche.
Just
Start
Writing.
Here are some mom blog topics to get you started.
Introduce yourself to your reader
Tell your reader about yourself, kind of like what you would share during a job interview. Your potential reader may be more likely to follow you if she feels connected to you somehow.
Tell your birthing stories
New moms love sharing birthing stories. Share a PG version with your readers on your website. Ask them to write about their own experiences.
Tell about your childhood
For good or for bad, our own childhoods affect how we parent. It takes a self-aware person to realize this, so you may use your blog to sort through the complicated feelings you may have about your upbringing.
Write about your area
One of the best niches that you may want to consider is becoming an expert on all things “children” in your neck of the woods. You can start this journey by writing about local parks that your toddlers enjoy. Write about the “moms day out” groups hosted by your local churches. Share the best local pumpkin patches that offer hayrides and cider.
Write about your passion
Some moms go into the role with a drive and passion for one particular subject. For example, perhaps you are a former teacher, and you want to create a language-rich environment for your children. Write about your strategies for instilling the love of reading in your child.
Write about your favorite things
Have you found products or services that have made parenting easier? Write about your sleep machine, breast pump, pacifier, or meal delivery service that has made life easier for you as you transition into your new role.
Write about relationship changes
Perhaps you are starting a mom blog because you are staying at home with your kids. Write about that transition. What were the challenges? Do you miss work? What are the benefits for staying at home that you never considered?
How has your relationship with your spouse changed since you began your mom blog? Does he support your idea or have reservations?
Hopefully, we have given you some great advice on how to get started on your new venture. Remember, it will take time to gain followers and find your voice. But don’t fret. Enjoy the journey.
This article was originally posted at Mom Marketing Coach.
Blog Tips, Blogging, Mom Marketing Coach |
Funny Content That Entertains Your Audience
Your followers are tired, stressed, and bored. They have organized their closets, completed all the cheap home improvement projects that they can, and they have thrown their carefully-planned children’s schedules out the window. Their favorite festivals have been canceled as well as their children’s summer camps. They don’t want any more “how to articles” or “let’s stay calm” articles. Instead, your readers are bored, and they are ready to laugh.
While recommending a particular product or service, consider sharing funny motherhood content to liven up your affiliate marketing Facebook page. Not only will funny content get you more shares, but it may encourage your readers to take a closer look at the products you are recommending — especially if you can present them in funny ways.
But humor is hard. It’s much easier to inform, persuade, and encourage. How do you improve the humor of your marketing page if that has never been your thing? Here are some tips.
1. Read funny writers.
There are lots of funny women to turn to for inspiration. Consider reading Tina Fey, Nora Ephron, and Mindy Kaling. These women have written about pregnancy, motherhood, and being a woman. They will give you ideas for topics and how to present funny material.
Here are some quotes to inspire you:
“Having a child is like getting a tattoo … on your face. You better be committed.” Elizabeth Gilbert
“When your children are teenagers, it’s important to have a dog so that someone in the house is happy to see you.” Nora Ephron
“Having children is like living in a frat house — nobody sleeps, everything’s broken, and there’s a lot of throwing up.” Ray Romano
2. Post old content that seems new.
The only problem with much of this material is that it has been posted to death. Your readers will have read most of these quotes and books from modern writers.
But we would also like to recommend a writer who your mom or grandma probably read faithfully — Erma Bombeck. Bombeck wrote a newspaper column from the 1960s to the 1990s about motherhood, middle-class life, and suburbia. She also wrote bestselling books including, “If Life is a Bowl of Cherries, What Am I Doing in the Pits?” or “The Grass is Always Greener Over the Septic Tank.” Although some of her content may feel dated, many of her observations about children and spouses are timeless. Here are some quotes from her to consider sharing with your readers.
“One thing they never tell you about child raising is that for the rest of your life, at the drop of a hat, you are expected to know your child’s name and how old he or she is.” Erma Bombeck
“I came from a family where gravy is considered a beverage.” Erma Bombeck
“I will buy any creme, cosmetics, or elixir from a woman with a European accent.” Erma Bombeck
“My kids always perceived the bathroom as a place where you wait it out until all the groceries are unloaded from the car.” Erma Bombeck
“When your mother asks, ‘Do you want a piece of advice?’ it is a mere formality. It doesn’t matter if you answer yes or no. You’re going to get it anyway.” Erma Bombeck
You may also consider looking at the work by Teresa Bloomingdale and Phyllis Diller.
“If you have older children who avoid you like the plague, buy yourself some expensive bath salts, run a hot tub, and settle in for a long soak. Teenagers who haven’t talked to you since their tenth birthday will bang on the door, demanding your immediate attention.” Teresa Bloomingdale
“I want my children to have all the things I couldn’t afford. Then I want to move in with them.” Phyllis Diller.
3. Look for the humor in your own life.
It will be easier for you to find humor in your own life after you have read current and past humorists. Besides telling stories of your four-year-old waking up with gum under her armpit, try to find the humor in even the most annoying situation.
It’s not going to be easy to add humor to your content. As we said before, comedy is hard. Luckily, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel.
If you are reviewing diaper genies for your blog, find diaper-related jokes or quotes in your post.
“Changing a diaper is a lot like getting a present from your grandmother – you’re not sure what you’ve got, but you’re pretty sure you’re not going to like it.” Jeff Foxworthy
Or if you are writing about driving schools in your area, post the following quote:
“It is amazing how quickly kids learn to drive a car, yet are unable to understand the lawnmower, the dishwasher, or vacuum cleaner.” Unknown
Start small. You aren’t going to turn into Tina Fey overnight, but you may gain more clicks and shares for your effort.
This article was originally posted at Mom Marketing Coach.
Blog Tips, Blogging, Blogging Success, Mom Marketing Coach |
Become Local Influencer Mom Blogger
Marketing experts have conducted interesting research to determine how millennials pick products or services to purchase. It shouldn’t be a surprise that old-school forms of advertising do not speak to people in their thirties. Instead, they are more likely to be swayed by the advice of a knowledgable person in their circle of social media friends.
Marketing experts are using this knowledge. Instead of making appointments with TV stations to buy local advertising spots, they are reaching out to local influencers to try to develop a relationship. Of course, this relationship will ultimately benefit the company as well as the influencer.
How do you become a local influencer with your mommy blog? It is important to know that becoming a local influencer is not going to happen overnight. It may take years of work until you are in a position of power.
Here are some tips on how to become a local influencer.
Find your niche.
We have said it before, and we will repeat it. One sure-fire way to increase the number of followers is to find your mommy niche. The choice may be yours, or it may be thrust upon you.
Examples of niches may include
Children’s fashion
Topics about ADHD
Childhood nutrition
Vegan children
Kids with peanut allergies
Special needs children
Homeschooled children
Children with dyslexia
Children with sleep issues
Musical kids
Kids who love crafting
Children and horses
Teaching kids to garden
Teaching your kids about the tenants of Catholicism, Christianity, Judaism, Islam, etc.
Country kid issues
Raising your child in an urban area
Kids who love soccer/dance/gymnastics/volleyball/football/wrestling/lacrosse/swimming
The possibilities of niches are endless.
- Grow your blog.
Work hard to give your blog some substance. Add photos. Write snappy copy. Give your readers valuable information.
This takes time and patience, especially if you have multiple kids or a full-time job. As you grow your site, you can scroll through your work with satisfaction. You will celebrate each time you meet a milestone of followers.
- Schedule a consultation with an SEO expert.
Once you have worked on developing your voice, consult with an SEO strategist. Tell the strategist that you hope to become a local influencer.
There’s no need to find someone in your local area. Instead, look for someone who can assist you with your content strategy. He or she should be able to give you a list of keywords and phrases to use in your blog to make sure it can be easily found by people searching specific kid-related topics.
- Improve your content.
Take the advice you received from the SEO expert to improve your content continually. He or she may recommend that you add more tutorial videos to add to your blog. Perhaps the expert will encourage you to develop Pinterest-worthy posts. Maybe the photography on your blog is mediocre and needs to be improved. Regardless, learn a little bit each day to create the best mom blog that you can. - Check out influencers from other areas.
Do you want to write the ultimate blog for parents with dyslexic kids in Baltimore? Check out the work that is being done in other areas of the country. See how other bloggers present tedious information regarding state education mandates and tutors for dyslexic kids in your area. - See what websites pull up about your subject in your local area.
Learn from the websites that appear on the first page of a Google search in your area. What type of content appears on these sites? How is the information presented? - Finally, reach out to businesses in your community.
Once you have developed a following and your rank has continued to grow, reach out to businesses in your community that serve the same population as you do. Discover ways you can work together to give your readers and their customers quality information that would be mutually beneficial to both of you.
Perhaps you will agree to share a link on your page for private horseback riding lessons in exchange for discounts for your child. Maybe a local kids boutique will give you items at a discount for a mention on your blog. Perhaps the local plant store will donate seedlings for your children’s garden in exchange for a shout-out in your blog.
Final Thoughts
Your newfound deals and status as a local influencer may cause you to relax a bit and not post as much new content as you did previously. Unfortunately, followers are fickle. Take care to make sure you are consistently providing brand-new content for your readers, so you can keep the relationships with the companies that you developed.
This article was originally posted at Mom Marketing Coach.
Blog Tips, Blogging, Blogging Success |
Your Mommy Blog and The Kids
We are living in an interesting time. Many of us clearly remember what life was like before the internet, and we can see how much has changed because of it.
This is not going to be a rant about the evils of technology. I love having access to the world’s knowledge at my fingertips. I love checking my bank balance and transferring money from my smartphone. I love being able to text and email people instead of spending time on the phone. I love keeping in contact through social media with grade school friends (and teachers) who live far away.
Although there have always been freelance writers, I can’t imagine how difficult it would have been to make connections before the internet. I owe my living to the world wide web.
If you are considering starting a mommy blog, you must love technology as well. You must be enamored about connecting with others who are going through the same things as you are. You may love the idea of making a few extra bucks through affiliate marketing or promoting products or services through your blog. Maybe you need a creative outlet because you miss the working world.
These are all excellent reasons to start a mommy blog. We support you on this decision, and that’s why we have created this website to help you on your journey.
But recently, we have run across articles about some of the negative aspects of mommy blogging. Some of the stories were written by ex-bloggers, and some were accounts of young teens who discovered that their childhood traumas and heartaches were shared with the world.
On the one hand, you want to provide your readers with authentic accounts of life in the trenches. You want to make connections with others who have similar struggles as you.
On the other hand, how will your mommy blog affect your child — especially as they become teenagers and young adults?
We don’t have all the answers, but here are some things to consider as you start in the blogging world.
1. You may have a difficult time determining what is embarrassing or not.
Most mommy bloggers would say that they would never share “embarrassing” things about their kids, but we all know people who do. We see it on social media all the time.
We cringe at posts from the mom who shares that her 16-year-old is “refusing to go to school again.” We roll our eyes when a mom writes about the verbal screaming match she had with her 11-year-old daughter. And then there are all the discussions about potty training, bed wetting, and other bodily functions.
The fact is that you may not know what is considered embarrassing or not.
2. You may struggle with drawing a line between helping others with their journies and oversharing.
Let’s say that you have discovered that a reaction to red dye causes your daughter’s bedwetting. You want to shout this from the hilltops because others may be having the same struggle with their kids, and you want to help them fix the problem. Doing so would mean that you are sharing this embarrassing information with others about your daughter.
What if your child has a learning disability? Perhaps you have discovered techniques or strategies that have helped your child. You want to share this information, but doing so will reveal to the world your child’s struggles.
What if your child makes bad decisions and gets into trouble? You know that many people out there have similar experiences, and you want to connect with them. How do you do so without sharing too much about your situation?
3. You may find yourself teetering on the line between authenticity and perceived perfection.
Since you don’t want to be accused of oversharing or posting content that could be embarrassing, you may find yourself only writing about those lighthearted parenting moments.
Instead of telling your readers about how it took you an hour to get the shoes and socks on your screaming toddler, you share about how your family had a magical time at the local petting zoo.
Instead of discussing how hard it is to be the parent of a goalie in soccer because you have to hear the comments from other parents sitting in the stands, you post photos of your daughter making fantastic saves.
Final Thoughts
We think that mommy blogs are a great way to share your parenting journey with others. We love how blogging can provide extra income to struggling families. But as you embark on this journey, be thoughtful of your content.
This article was originally posted at Mom Marketing Coach.
Blog Tips, Blogging, Blogging Success |
2020 Top Momy Blogs
One of the ultimate authorities on Mommy Bloggers is this list that is periodically updated. You can scan this list to learn about the content and focus of the websites. You can learn about how many followers each one has earned.
While this list gives a quick summary of information, we would like to share a more in-depth look at some of the top mommy bloggers out there. We will discuss their appeal, and what you can learn from each as you begin your life as a new mommy blogger.
Please note that when making our list, we tried to narrow our choices down to blogs that seem to be operated by fewer than five people. Some of the blogs that receive a considerable following have staffs of people, such as Scary Mommy and Moms Rising Blog.
We mean no disrespect for the women who grew those blogs from scratch. In fact, we are impressed with the work they have achieved. We just know that as beginning bloggers, you may connect more with the bloggers who are achieving some success while just starting in the blogging world.
About A Mom
About A Mom was created by a mother and daughter living in the south. The content is pretty straightforward. Visitors of the website will see recipes, simple craft ideas, and Florida travel tips.
About A Mom uses affiliate marketing links well. For example, in this post, where she describes how to make a sundae bar, she provides a link for the galvanized trays she shows in the photos.
She’s active on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. She is savvy with each platform. Her topics may appeal to older moms and less to those who are just entering the parenting game.
One thing that we love about this blog is that it is well crafted. We know that she is trying to make a living by providing useful content.
We also like her writing style. She’s upbeat without being braggy. She asks interesting and helpful questions of her readers periodically. She uses photos of herself and her child, but we don’t feel as if she is oversharing. She makes no claims of having a perfect life, but you can tell that she works hard to provide content to make ours better.
Design Mom
Design Mom is a mother of six living in Oakland. She has won a ton of awards for her blog and has received serious accolades for her work.
Her blog focuses on interiors (she is a designer), parenting, foods, crafts, style, and travel. But most of her posts are hard to categorize. She has written about women who have lost sexual desire and dentist scams. She writes a lot about women’s issues, religion, and politics. It’s easy to get sucked into her website.
She uses affiliate marketing to sell products related to her life. For example, on one post about lice (ew!), she has a link to a metal lice comb from Amazon. Many of her blogs have no affiliate links, so the marketing side hustle is not over the top.
It’s hard to tell if she has a staff assisting her with her blog. It has a ton of content, but she’s been in the business for over a decade, so that’s not surprising.
We love this blog, but it may not appeal to everyone. She is “fancier” than most middle-class moms. Her kids are older now, so she doesn’t write about breast or bottle. What is most appealing about her work is that her topics are unique.
Baby Boy Bakery
Looking for sweet stories about a young family? Baby Boy Bakery offers a blog that describes life with young ones.
Written by a mom of two living in California, the blog focuses on family, food, and fitness. Besides covering these topics (that you would expect in a mommy blog), she also shares personal stories as well.
Instead of offering affiliate marketing links, she has a page on her website called “collaborations.” By clicking the “shop now” buttons, you can purchase jewelry, shoes, clothing, and swimwear.
Unlike the previous two examples, Baby Boy Bakery shares a lot about the children. There are many photos of the young family. She also shares cooking videos as well.
As a beginning blogger, it would benefit you to spend a great deal of time looking at the most successful mommy blogs out there now.
But don’t try to mimic these three examples. Find your own voice.
This article was originally posted at Mom Marketing Coach.
