google.com, pub-5142297015994151, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 How to Run a Successful Blog Series

How to Run a Successful Blog Series


Creating a blog series is a great way to build authority and fill your content calendars. When you created a series, often time, you are dissecting a complex topic or elaborating on an extended narrative. Though an exciting venture to tackle, many are unsure of the mechanics of it all. In this post, I will be walking you through just that.



What I'll Be Covering


Benefits of Running a Blog Series

  • Consumable
  • Explain Complex Topics
  • Fill Your Content Calendar
  • Returning Readers
  • Build an Email List
  • Build Authority

How to Run a Successful Blog

  • Begin with an Outline
  • Make Your Post Consumable
    • Word Count and SEO
    • Headers
  • Introductory Post
    • Set the Expectations
  • Schedule Posts
    • Starting Your Series
    • Wednesdays
  • Connect Your Posts


Benefits of Running a Blog Series


They are Shorter and More Consumable

When you create a series you are creating a guide whose parts can act as stand-alone posts. This allows your audience to have something to look forward to without feeling committed to the entire work. Though your page views tend to complete the series more often than not it is still nice to cater to both end.


Explain Complex Topics

Going back how digestible are your posts, with a series you are able to zero in on a topic and go in-depth on that topic.


Fill Your Content Calendar

If you have been having trouble coming up with posts to generate or you are looking to add more posts to your blog, this is a great option.


Keep Readers Coming Back

When you create a series you are feeding information to your readers. Those interested in your content will come back for more.


Build Your Email List

Because you are feeding the information to your audience they will be returning because they want to know more about what you are putting out; so why not build an email list and reach out to them in the with a newsletter as well?

Build Authority

As you release your posts and your audience returns to your page you are establishing yourself as a person of insight on your series topic. This will help build a mentor-mentee relationship with your audience.




HOW TO RUN A SUCCESSFUL BLOG SERIES


Begin with an Outline

When you are creating a blog series you are creating a bunch of blog posts that work together in a set. In doing so, order, consistency, and fluidity matter. In your series, you want to be as thorough as possible while maintaining consumable proportions. Blog posts, for the most parts, are short and information packed reads. Creating an outline will better ensure you do just that.


Make Your Post Consumable and Informative

Blog posts are known for being quick reads packed full with information. In your series, you want to offer just that. While creating your outline, keep in mind the minimum and maximum word counts you want to shoot for when creating your posts. When you create a reasonable range for your blog posts they appear uniform. 

Word Count and SEO | A good range of words to shoot for is between 1500 and 2000 words. Most will recommend reads as short as 500-700words. I recommend a larger count because it pushed you to deliver more content and it is great for SEO. The average top result on google has about 1900 words (read more here). The longer the post the longer readers spend on your blog and the better your ranking on google. Google likes to see views coming to your site and staying on it for an extended period of time. This indicates to them that your site most likely has good content.

The total word count for this post is a little over 1380 words.

To put things into perspective 2000 words is about a 4-page paper give or take. The average person reads about 130 words a minute. So, if your post is 2000 words the reader will spend an average of 16 minutes a post. 

Use Headers | Now, what about the skimmers? What about those who truly do like a short informative read? There are an easy solution and its all in your headings. When you blog it is nice to break your post into digestible sections. When you label the sections clearly you are able to meet the needs of those looking for a quick read and those looking for details in your post. Take this post, for example, each section is labeled so even if you just skimmed over the entire post, you would still have a tangible idea of the subject matter in this case "How to Run a Successful Blog Series".


Series Introductory Post 

It's great that you want to create a series however if no one knows about it then what's the point? Creating an Introductory Post is a great way to let your readers in on your "next big thing". It will also get them excited because they will have something to look forward to.

Set The Expectations | In the introductory post be sure to post it prior to the start of the series, a good time frame to work with is about a weeks notice. In the post, you want to be sure to set the expectations for the readers. You want to walk them through the who, what, when, where, how and why of your series, this way they will know what they are in for.

It is best to write the introduction after the series has been written. The Introduction Post is an overview of everything that you are going to cover in the series after all. Now, there are some exceptions to this, like if you are creating an ongoing work such as a story or ongoing content like a travel series.


Schedule Posts

Many recommended keeping your blog series to span no longer than a week's time. Since is not HERE always practical so I recommend you
The point of scheduling the posts goes back to the introduction post and setting the expectations around the length of the series itself and how much content they can expect to receive.

This blog is geared towards writing for creators, creators are a spontaneous group. They can have an idea pop into their head and if that thought is not nurtured then it can disappear just as fast as it came. On this blog, I aim to create content that will cater to that trait and then some. Some series have an indefinite schedule so do what is best for you, your post, and your audience.

Starting your Series | Saturday, Sunday, and Mondays are great times to start a series. Sundays start off the week, Mondays begin the work week, and Saturdays begin the weekend. Any of these days are great to begin your series.

Wednesdays | If you are looking to schedule an indefinite series, maybe consider Wednesdays when you are posting. Wednesday is the middle of the week and by offering a post on this day can break up the week for many in your audience.


Connect Your Posts

Now that you have gone through the trouble of putting the post together, it is time to connect them. This is done by interlinking the posts. Using your outline go through and add the next post to the bottom of the post so that your audience continues through to the next post. In the event that your series is slowly being released remember to link to the previous post and leave a Coming Soon Note so that your readers who may be visiting your blog for the first time know that this is apart of a series and to check back or review the previous posts.



Tips Take Your Series to The Next Level

  • Maintain the Same Formatting
  • Add Infographics and Images
  • Consider a Guest Post
  • Consider doing an Interview
  • Consider a giveaway based around Series after it is completed
  • Engage with your audience members who comment


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