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Monday, August 22, 2016

The Complete Guide to Blogging - Part 2


To view other parts of the series click here

This is probably the hardest, and easiest part of the blogging series. Hey wait Jess, how can something be hard yet easy? I'm glad you asked. 

Getting organized is hard because it requires a level of constant planning, but once you achieve organization then the up keep is easy. Getting your blog organized will help keep you a step ahead, focused, and allow your blog to thrive. 


File Organization


All the work you do for your blog all ends up on your computer, and that alone can become chaotic. If you shoot a months worth of images, and place them all on your desk top then your workspace becomes a never ending search for the current blog post. Cluttered desk, cluttered mind. Wasted time and energy if you ask me. Try this. On your desktop create a file folder titled after your blog. Create another folder within the blog folder with the year. Within the year file folder create 12 files titled after the 12 months. 

J Petite note: What I like to personally do is title my folders 1-January, 2-Febuary, 3-March, ……. I like to do this so my months are in order. 

Once you’ve created a folder for the current month go in, and create multiple folders for each blog post you will be doing. I like to keep my blog 4-5 weeks ahead, and I will place each post images in a folder. I will then title each folder after the images inside the folder (i.e. Linkup-Chambray or Workout-Wednesday-Alo). Once I’ve decided what day of the month I will be designating each post, I will go back in and retitle the folder with the date in the front (i.e. 23-Linkup-Chambray). I like to do this so that no blog images go unused. 


Summary of file folder
J Petite —>
  2016 —>
1-January, 2-Febuary, 3-March, …. 8-August
I.E 8-August  —>
 3-Pizza , 5-Pink Lace Skirt , 10-Peach Maxi Dress


Editorial Calendar



You have now organized the technical aspect of planning your blog posts, now it’s time to implement the plan. A great way to visually see your months content, social media checklist, and maintain constancy is by using an editorial calendar. I have found that if you are serious about blogging then an editorial calendar will help you tremendously. By placing everything on a editorial calendar will help ensure that you are covering all the types of content you want. If you are at the point where you are doing sponsored posts this calendar will guarantee you post by your deadline, and mix up your sponsored/unsponsored content. 

Many people use their electronic devices to keep their schedule, but I have personally found that if you write it down on paper then you will commit. Besides my editorial calendar I use my Day Designer planner religiously to keep my life organized. The editorial calendar I created for you is a standard 8.5 by 11, and I recommend you print it out (if you want it smaller you can always resize it in photoshop). If you go to a kinkos, you can have them printout a ton of these sheets. From there you can pay less than $12 to have them spiral bind it for you. I recommend you have them add a clear plastic cover to protect your sheets. Boom! There you have it, your very own calendar for the year. 


Click here to download


Post Scheduling 


Think about your favorite blogs you visit daily. Do you visit them on Tuesdays because you know that’s a day they post? The chances are that you keep visiting this bloggers page because they are consistent, and you know their posting schedule. There is nothing more frustrating than a reader going to a blog, and the blogger’s posts are on random days at random times. One week the blogger's posts will go live at night MWF, but the next week they will post once in the morning. This inconsistency will limit you blog, and cause your audience to never visit again. Don’t let your precious following abandon ship. I personally post 5 days a week M-F, and my posts will be scheduled to go live at midnight. I have it go live early because I want to account for my readers in different time zones. 

All blogging platforms will have a scheduling option. I highly recommend you use this feature so you can stay consistent with the days and times you post.

Another great way to implement post scheduling is maybe have 1 or 2 daily topics. With my blog there are two days of the week that are designated for specific topic. On Wednesday’s I talk about health/fitness related content, and on Thursdays I create collages. Daily topics is a great way to show consistency with your readers. 


Outfit Shooting - Fashion Bloggers



Back when I was first started my blog, I tried to shoot what I was wearing everyday. This quickly ended because it was either too hot, Todd and I were on different schedules, abad lightening, and I would have to edit images every night for tomorrows post. For those of you who are fashion bloggers, when you shoot try to photograph 4-6 looks in a single session. When you get done shooting, edit the whole batch, and stick them in file folders like previously discussed. 

For those of you who work with a professional photographer, try to prepare your looks the evening prior to the shoot. Try everything on, and take a picture of each outfit so you can reference back to it during the shoot. Hang all garments on hangers to prevent the clothes wrinkling before the shoot. If you are planning to have different jewelry for each look I do recommend putting the pieces in a bag, and attached the bag to the outfit hanger. The more you can keep yourself organized during a shoot the better you will feel in front of the camera. 

I hope you enjoyed these tips on how to stay organized, and implement them into your blogging regimen. Make sure you subscribe to my newsletter here to see when part 3 of the series will go live. As always, if there is something that you want me to address specifically in the series, leave a comment below.

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16 comments:

  1. This is SUCH a great guide! Pinning for later!
    The Adored Life

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    1. Awe I'm so glad you liked it Alissa. If you subscribe to my newsletter you can see when I will be posting other parts of the series :)

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  2. Great tips! I love the idea of shooting multiple outfits all at once! That's my biggest headache since I have two little girls that come with me to my photo shoots!

    http://www.mylittlenest.org

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  3. How do you deal with shooting multiple outfits? Where do you change? Do you shoot near your house and just pop back in? My issue with trying to shoot a bunch of outfits at once is that they often end up with the same backdrop, and if I want to go somewhere interesting, it takes up a ton of shooting time to walk to and from the car or restroom to change. When I've used a professional photographer, sometimes I can only get 2 outfits per hour, which means $$$. Any tips?

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    1. I work with my photographer Jamee Edwards primarily, and we typically do 5-7 outfits within a hour. We shoot all over the valley. I love Jamee because she knows the shots I need for a blogpost such as details and full body. I tell Jamee whenever she thinks we got the shots we need then we are done. We spend less than 10 minutes per look. When we are done I go to my car for my next outfit. I used to be more concerned where to change when we shoot but now I just change behind my car door. I'm so used to changing in front of people from modeling that I don't care if someone sneaks a quick peek of me in my underwear between changing. It typically takes me a few minutes to get the next look on then we walk to shoot. We don't move far from the car and typically shoot around buildings.

      Since I work as a photographer for bloggers everyone has their own pace when they change. I consider myself fast

      Hope some of that info helped

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  4. Replies
    1. Awe I'm glad you liked them! Thanks for reading!

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  5. I love the comprehensive tips! I used to shoot what I wore before too, but that was too impractical since I was either in a hurry to leave or just completely forget about it. :)

    Abby of Life in the Fash Lane

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  6. Such great insight, thank you! I'm planning to lunch my blog next month and this has been very helpful.

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  7. Love this series! I am new to blogging and have been experimenting with shooting multiple looks in one photoshoot. The problem I keep running into is finding a good place to change outfits. I also haven't found a great solution for carrying all my outfits/accessories/bags with me. What works best for you?
    Looking forward to hearing your advice! :)

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    1. hey courtney. So we shoot in places walking distance from my car. I keep all my outfits organized in my car, and when I change I seriously just open my car door, and change behind there. I've been doing this for so long that I'm not shy if someone see's my in jeans and a bra. I am also a photographer, and my bloggers do the same thing or go behind a tree.

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