1 // TOPICS + CATEGORIES 6 2 // BLOG POSTS 15 3 // STATIC PAGES 28 4 // NAVIGATION MENUS 36 5 // BLOG PHOTOS 39 6 // BLOG GRAPHICS 42

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2 hey epic content creator and friend, here s the deal: THE INTRO 3 THE BLOG CONTENT CHECKLIST 5 1 // TOPICS + CATEGORIES 6 2 // BLOG POSTS 15 3 // STATIC PAGES 28 4 // NAVIGATION MENUS 36 5 // BLOG PHOTOS 39 6 // BLOG GRAPHICS 42 7 // SIDEBAR CONTENT 47 8 // HEADER + FOOTER CONTENT 51 9 // CONTENT // PRODUCT CONTENT // SOCIAL MEDIA CONTENT // BRAND IDENTITY + DOCUMENTS 72 A FINAL NOTE ON STRATEGY 76 THE OUTRO 77

3 Intro.. Think about one of your favorite blogs + brands online... and do a mental inventory with me. What are all the types of content that make up that brand? blog posts static website pages (About, Services, etc.) everything in the sidebar or footer the s they send you every month everything they post on social media the graphics they use the products they sell the photos they take and post anything else? I m sure you see the point here though. A lot more goes into a content plan than simply your next 20 blog posts. This guide and workbook was created to help you think through your brand s content, whether you re starting a brand new blog + business or revamping and planning for a current brand. Let us proceed, my friend. Regina ABOUT ME I am a blogger who creates content for creative business owners, other bloggers, freelancers, and ninjas. blog >> byregina.com // Pinterest + Twitter + Instagram The Guide to Creating a stellar content plan 3

4 how is this thing set up?.. Each type of content that is addressed in this guide comes with an activity or a short lesson to help you develop your content lists. You will also have space to record your content ideas. As you use this guide, feel free to plug your ideas into your software, app, or planner of choice. You will have room to work within these pages if you print them off, but you may choose not to print them, or you may want to keep your brainstorming + ideas in another location. The important thing is not so much where you do the work (though it can help to keep it all in the same place), it is that you really take time to think through and complete the exercises. ready? Copyright 2015 by Regina Anaejionu. All rights reserved. You are welcome to print a copy of this document for your personal use. Other than that, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without the prior written permission of the author. Requests to the author and publisher for permission should be addressed to the following regina@byregina.com. Limit of liability/disclaimer of warranty: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this guide and workbook, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this document and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives, promoters, or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor author shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages. The Guide to Creating a stellar content plan 4

5 BLOG CONTENT CHECKLIST I ve decided on my major blog/brand topics. I ve defined my blog s main categories and any subcategories. I ve determined the static pages I want on my site. I ve decided what links belong in each type of navigation menu that I will use. I ve created an inspiration board for my blog photos, or I have decided the exact style of my photos. I ve narrowed down the places I will get my blog photos from, or I have determined that I will take my own photos. I ve created a template for my blog graphics, or I will be hiring someone to create my blog graphics. I ve found the software I will use to create or modify my graphics. I ve determined what belongs in the sidebar of my site (for the benefit of my visitors and my brand). I ve decided on what I will put in my header. I ve decided on any content I will place in my footer. I ve chosen one or more of the list methods that I can use to delight my readers. I ve brainstormed ideas for content that can be developed into products. I ve become familiar with the different types of social media content I can post and I have decided which ones I ll use for each platform I plan to use. I ve come up with a list of brand identity content I want developed. I ve created a list of all the documents that I need for my brand. The Guide to Creating a stellar content plan 5

6 topics + categories

7 topics + categories: the exercise.. If you haven t already done so, it s time to decide what your main topics will be (everything you cover in blog posts, s, products, and more), and how you ll divide them into categories that are not only simple for your audience to understand but also helpful for how you organize your online space. Is breaking things down into clearly defined categories really all that important? Yes. I think this is one of the most important planning exercises you can do for your brand. I m not a scientist // duh // but I d venture to say that our human brains are always trying to identify and classify things. Part of it, I m sure, is a protection mechanism. We see a person or a place/object and we want to know: am I safe? am I likely to have a good experience here? is this worth my time? Blogs and websites are no different. As soon as a visitor lands on your blog, they ll want to make sense of it, classify it, and figure out if it s worth their time. A huge part of this is aesthetics. All things visual (from your logo and header to your white space and typography) will help people make up their minds. But the often forgotten pieces of this first impression are clearly defined categories and topics. As soon as a visitor lands on your blog, they ll want to make sense of it, classify it, and figure out if it s worth their time. The Guide to Creating a stellar content plan 7

8 Among other ways, you can make your topics clear by a tagline, by your menu options, and/or by the categories or buttons in your sidebar. It s important to land on topics that (1) fit you as the creator and (2) delight visitors enough to hold their attention and hopefully turn them into regular audience members. Enough of this backstory, eh? It s time to get started. What will you need for this exercise? A fine question. Grab either note cards or sticky notes (something movable) and a pen or pencil. Gold stapler optional but highly recommended for prettiness. let s do this. The Guide to Creating a stellar content plan 8

9 topics + categories: the exercise STEP ONE // Grab your note cards, set a timer for 20 minutes, and write out each topic you re interested in creating content for. Use a separate card for each topic. I like to cut my cards in half because I typically have a ton of initial categories. Below are example topics for a lifestyle blog for men. Try to use the whole 20 minutes to think deeply about what you ll enjoy creating. Write down all your ideas. When the time is up, look at what you ve created and: eliminate any duplicates take out anything you don t think makes sense for your audience If you end up with 3 5 topics, you may already have your main categories. If you re like me and had 18 note cards, you re going to want to set up a hierarchy. 3 7 categories = ideal. It s an amount that gives enough variety but hopefully doesn t overwhelm your readers. The Guide to Creating a stellar content plan 9

10 STEP TWO // For each card you ve written, flip it over and see if you can immediately come up with 3 5 content ideas for that topic/ category. Make sure to do this for each card, and write your ideas clearly on the back of the card. Don t hurt your brain. If a handful of ideas don t come to you in under a minute, move on to the next card. STEP THREE // Separate your cards into three sections. Face them up on the side with the main topic/category written on it. If the ideas were flowing for a card and you have 3 5 content ideas or topics written on the back of it, put it in your first section (I call mine Ideas for Days or Ideas Galore ). If you only had one or two ideas for a card, it may be better as a series of posts, but not a major blog category, so put it in your second section (mine is called Maybe a Series ). And lastly, if you couldn t come up with anything for the back of the card, it may be better as a single post, or it may need some more developing, so put it in your third section (mine is called One-time Pieces ). The Guide to Creating a stellar content plan 10

11 Side note: if you had the most epic blog post or blog series idea ever, don t stop yourself, create a space where you can jot them all down. Don t forget epicness. Moving on: If in your first column, you have between 3 to 7 cards, look them over and see if they feel good to you as your main categories. Are any of them actually logical subcategories under another card? Do two of them need to be grouped together? Let s hit up the next step then. Oh, and if you re like me, and still had 9 cards, the next step is definitely for you. STEP FOUR // Group the cards in your first section ( Ideas Galore ) together under other related cards or under an entirely new card that combines your topics. As an example, you can see on the next page to the left that I had multiple ideas for general style + wardrobe tips, but also for dressing for specific occasions. I grouped both cards under Man Wardrobe. Your titles don t have to be perfect yet, just something that you get. The Guide to Creating a stellar content plan 11

12 Once you ve grouped each of the cards in your main Ideas Galore section of note cards, you hopefully have between 3 to 7 major groupings. I ended up with 5. Even though you may change around the names or wording later, you should now have your blog s main categories. The Guide to Creating a stellar content plan 12

13 STEP FIVE // Take the cards in your second section (the one I called Maybe a Series ) and group them under your categories. If they fit more than one, put them in between the categories they fit under (as I did in the images on the previous page). STEP SIX // Take the cards in your third section ( One-time Pieces ) and record them in the place you keep all your content ideas. It s ideal to keep all your content ideas in one place so that you (1) don t forget anything, (2) can eliminate duplicates as they come up, (3) can easily see any themes/trends, and (4) can keep a constant flow of topics so that you always have something to create. STEP SEVEN // Record your final categories (and a few example content ideas for each category) in your blog planner of choice and on the next page. The Guide to Creating a stellar content plan 13

14 BLOG CATEGORIES BLOG CATEGORIES EXAMPLE CONTENT The Guide to Creating a stellar content plan 14

15 a final note on strategy.. Once you ve planned all the types of content you want to, and need to, create for your successful brand, it s important to create an editorial calendar of that content that fits in all the important pieces. Here s One Way to Tackle It 1. Start with your cornerstone content. What is the most important thing you create? Let s say it s your blog posts. Split your blog post ideas into monthly or quarterly themes/goals (ex: Getting in Shape for the Summer, Spring Cleaning Your Business, The Fundamentals of PR, etc.). 2. Schedule your posts for that month/quarter into your editorial calendar, spread them out by the dates and order that make most sense for you (the creator) and for your audience (the consumers). 3. Go through each section of this workbook and pull out applicable content to schedule in your editorial calendar: Do you need to update any static pages with new information from your posts? Do you need to add content to your sidebar or header as you release new stuff? What s will complement the posts you have scheduled? Do you need to plan several social media campaigns, images, or pushes based on your content calendar? Schedule them in. Will you be releasing a new product in conjunction with these posts? Schedule it in to make sure it gets done in time. 4. Then look over your whole schedule to make sure it s cohesive and beneficial to your audience. 5. Set reminders for deadlines that you ll need to meet in order to have your pieces of content ready for their release dates, and do it, yo. Just get it done you re awesome by the way. The Guide to Creating a stellar content plan 76