Have you ever ever written a sequence of posts on your weblog – a set of posts which might be intentionally linked collectively?
Should you haven’t, I hope I can persuade you to offer it a attempt.
Some bloggers really feel writing a sequence of posts is extra daunting than writing particular person posts. However it’s typically simpler to give you concepts for a ten-post sequence than for ten stand-alone posts.
Right here at ProBlogger we’ve run a lot of sequence over time, together with 31 Days to Construct a Higher Weblog, which I’ll be coming again to later on this put up.
So why must you write a sequence of posts as an alternative of simply particular person posts?
How a Sequence of Posts Might Increase Your Weblog
Writing a sequence of posts, even a brief one, might be helpful. Particularly, it provides you the chance to:
- Dig deep into a specific subject, showcasing your experience.
- Encourage readers to maintain coming again for extra.
- Create loads of inner hyperlinks between your posts (good for each web optimization and inspiring readers to dig deeper into your web site).
- Construct a complete piece of content material readers can bookmark, share, and hold coming again to (particularly in case you have an introduction put up or an index of posts).
Even when your weblog is new, you possibly can nonetheless run a sequence. In truth, it may be a good way to get some stable cornerstone content material up there early on.
Two Totally different Approaches to Working Your Sequence: Which is Proper for You?
Whenever you take a look at a sequence of posts on the blogs you learn, you’ll in all probability discover they fall into one in every of two classes:
Kind #1: Time-Restricted Sequence of Posts
The sort of sequence runs for a set time frame, and each put up printed on the weblog throughout that point is (often) a part of the sequence.
For example, a three-part sequence of linked posts might seem on a Learnnow, Wednesday and Friday. And on the next week, the blogger goes again to standalone posts.
We’ve finished this on ProBlogger with ‘Theme Weeks’ corresponding to Creating Products Week — a sequence of 5 weblog posts on create merchandise on your viewers.
This method works effectively if you wish to create cornerstone content material, or construct up a bit of sequence content material you would possibly use later for an e-book and even the idea of a course. (Extra on that later.)
Kind #2: Ongoing, Common Sequence of Posts
The sort of sequence can run indefinitely, with posts showing on a particular day of the week or month, and even at a specific level within the yr. And standalone posts seem as regular between installments of the sequence.
The sequence would possibly appear like:
- A roundup of reports/posts in your area of interest every Friday. (We used to do that in our “Reading Roundups”.)
- An ongoing month-to-month sequence on the primary Tuesday of every month. For instance, for those who weblog about wholesome consuming, you would possibly publish a brand new recipe in the beginning of every month.
- An annual overview of your progress in your area of interest every December or January.
If you wish to construct a way of consistency and group in your weblog, this could be a good sort of sequence to make use of. It may possibly additionally assist you beat blogger’s block, because it provides you particular issues to weblog about. (Properly, at the very least a number of the time.)
Coming Up With a Nice Thought for a Weblog Put up Sequence
It may be powerful sufficient arising with an thought for one weblog put up. So how do you give you an excellent thought for a sequence?
For a hard and fast sequence with a restricted variety of posts, you would possibly search for:
- A subject that you just’ve already coated, however not in a lot depth. A sequence might provide the likelihood to actually dig into the subject and study totally different elements of it. We did this on ProBlogger with a series on guest posting.
- Newbie-friendly matters that may make a superb introduction to your weblog or area of interest. The posts themselves might all be on totally different matters, however you possibly can hyperlink them collectively by having them aimed very a lot at newcomers.
For an everyday, ongoing sequence, you would possibly search for:
- One thing you possibly can weblog about just about indefinitely. It may very well be the week’s information in your area of interest, your month-to-month outcomes from affiliate internet marketing, or widespread errors you see newcomers making in your discipline.
- A specific type of posts. You may have a weekly “Q&A” like Trent Hamm’s “Reader Mailbag” on his weblog The Easy Greenback, or a “month-to-month motivation” put up the place you accumulate collectively inspiring quotes.
Should you’ve bought a number of concepts and aren’t which might work greatest, why not ask another bloggers for enter? (Should you don’t know many different bloggers but, the ProBlogger Facebook group is a good place to satisfy some.)
Structuring a Sequence of Weblog Posts
Hopefully, you already really feel assured about structuring particular person weblog posts. If not (otherwise you want a fast refresher), take a look at these posts from our subject material knowledgeable Ali Luke:
However whenever you’re structuring a sequence, you additionally should make structural choices about:
- The sequence as an entire. It's going to want a starting and, if it isn’t an ongoing sequence, an finish. These is likely to be brief sections of a put up, or posts in their very own proper (for an extended sequence). For example, you would possibly write a put up to introduce the sequence and clarify what’s coming. You possibly can then replace this put up with hyperlinks to the totally different elements of the sequence.
- The person posts throughout the sequence. How will you construction these in order that they ‘match’ as elements of a coherent entire? You may:
- use a particular sort of picture, or model your photographs in a specific approach
- title the posts constantly
- have a specific format for every put up, corresponding to a fast recap in the beginning and a activity or task on the finish.
Interlinking the Posts in Your Sequence
It’s essential to hyperlink the elements of your sequence collectively so readers can simply navigate between them. Bear in mind, not everybody will learn your sequence as you publish it.
Some readers can be busy, and can wish to meet up with the entire sequence later. However many extra (hopefully) will come to your sequence in future weeks and months via search engines like google and yahoo or social media.
You possibly can interlink posts in any variety of methods. Listed here are some you possibly can attempt. (You could even wish to use two or three in every put up.)
- Create a tag or class for the sequence, which is what we did with our guest posting series. Readers can then get all of the elements of the sequence by clicking that tag/class identify. Should you’re working an ongoing sequence of weekly/month-to-month posts, that is in all probability the easiest way to organise it.
- Put a hyperlink on the high of every put up resulting in the earlier half(s), so readers can simply return to any posts they missed.
- Create a web page or put up with hyperlinks to each put up within the sequence. You are able to do this earlier than you run the sequence and replace it as you publish every half, or do it retrospectively.
- Put hyperlinks on the backside of every put up resulting in the following half, so readers can simply undergo the sequence. (Clearly, you’ll want to return and add these in when you’ve printed the later elements.)
- Add hyperlinks to the physique of the put up everytime you point out a subject you’ve already written about within the sequence. (You can even return to earlier posts and hyperlink them to later posts within the sequence.) This protects you having to repeat your self rather a lot, and makes it straightforward for readers to seek out the knowledge they want at any given level.
An instance of hyperlinks to all of the posts within the sequence on the backside of the put up
Nevertheless you select to hyperlink your posts collectively, be sure to’re constant. And keep in mind to verify again after ending the sequence to see if there are alternatives to work in some additional hyperlinks.
Taking Your Weblog Put up Sequence Additional
When you’ve accomplished a sequence, or have been writing an ongoing sequence for some time, it’s price contemplating whether or not you possibly can repurpose your sequence into one thing else.
Which may imply:
- Bringing your posts collectively as a free e-book, maybe with some bonus content material. For example, for those who’ve printed ten month-to-month recipes in your weblog, you possibly can put these recipes into an e-book and add 5 additional recipes you haven’t printed.
- Publishing your posts as a product, corresponding to a paid-for e-book and even an ecourse. (31 Days to Construct a Higher Weblog went from a sequence of posts to an e-book, and now we’ve turned it into a course.)
You may additionally use a brief sequence because the inspiration for an extended one, or an ongoing sequence as a chance to get readers concerned in your weblog.
I’d love to listen to how you’re utilizing a put up sequence, or what concepts you have got for utilizing them sooner or later. Go away a remark under to share your ideas with us.
For extra assist creating content material, why not attempt one in every of my 7-day Content Sprints the place I'll information and help you to create a plan and 6 new items of content material on your weblog in simply 7 days.
This text was up to date 1 December 2022.
