Extra Padding: Top tip to trick yourself into getting a blog post written [try saying that fast!]

Hi hi.

I was just sitting here creating a pile of new draft blog posts when I thought I'd make the most of it ... and use it to re-cap on one of the easiest to follow tips to get you motivated to get a blog post written from my Push-Up Bra Approach to Blogging series. [The series is still all here. and it's still free!]

I've found that - in following this regime - whenever I do get a clear space in which to settle down and write a post ... it really does help me make that all important start. So let me first just reiterate the advice ... and then I'll try to convince why it's so useful! OK? OK ...

CREATE DRAFT BLOG POSTS!

There. That's it really. But I guess I should expand a bit on that. Pad it out as it were. OK then:

Create a draft post >> give it a title >> fill out the 'labels' or 'tags' section >> save the post >> close the post ...

... and repeat.

Now then ... this method is really best suited to those posts you know in advance you're going to be blogging in future. So I'm really just talking to those of you who already do - or plan to start - joining in with a regular meme or challenge or where you've created your own recurring feature where you regularly name and label your posts in a similar manner.

Alternatively it works equally well if you give your posts headings depending upon their topic [eg: I often call my posts about art journaling ... appropriately enough 'Art Journaling: ...' and then I add a more specific subtitle afterwards related to the actual item I'm sharing].

Today I've been creating drafts for future Month in Numbers posts and for the Summertime Photography Scavenger Hunt [hosted by Rinda at Gallo Organico] which I'm planning to join in with for the 3rd time this summer:

If you want to learn more about what introducing an element of repetition can do for your blogging then do settle in to read through these chapters from the Push-Up Bra series:

• Chapter 5: The Groundhog Day Approach: or 'exploiting the benefits of repetition' and also
• Chapter 11: The Dr. Who Approach: 'how travelling in time can come in useful'
• Chapter 8: The Austin Kleon Approach:  or 'how to steal like an artist'

They really do offer up a wealth of ideas and advice alongside many real-life [real-blog!] examples.

Similarly the Push-Up Bra Blogging: Extra Resources Pinterest board holds links to lots of memes and things you can join in with.

Now ... before you gallop in telling me that you prefer to blog spontaneously and therefore this won't work for you ... let me stop you right there cowboy ...

 

I know that creating content in advance isn't for everyone. In fact I wrote more about making spontaneity work for your blog in this post last month. So I hear you!

 

But this isn't about creating content in advance. It's about tricking your brain into thinking you've already made a start ...

 

Let me explain ...

• When you sit down to open, title, label and save all those posts ... you don't need to add in any content then and there.
• You just save the posts and go on your merry way.
• You can, by all means, add in a little content if you're inspired - but you don't have to.
• But if you're more one of the right-here right-now blogging minds then you only really need to add in the content right before you plan to publish the post. [It's best if you do add something, at some point ... because if you just publish lots of empty posts people will talk ...] ;-) 

So why bother creating the posts in advance?

• Because ... next time you think to yourself 'Oh, it's been ages since I blogged' or 'Ach, it's time I joined in with ...' or 'I must write that post up' ...
• Even if you're not quite feeling it [and I wrote lots on when not to blog in Chapter 9: The Kenny Rogers Approach: or 'you gotta know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em etc'] ... even when you're not feeling in the blogging mood ...
• ... when you open your dashboard and see the post already there, with a title and everything, just waiting for you ... you're more likely to open it up and make a start. 

The draft post has broken the ice.

It tricks you into thinking that, as you've already begun, there's not much more to do.

It doesn't feel like such a blank sheet of paper to fill.

In your head ... you've already worked on it ... you might as well just tinker with it and hit publish.

You know it's an empty post. I know it's an empty post. But your brain will appreciate the trick and happily go along with it feeling positive about getting that post written after all.

Well ... mine does at least. Give it a try and see if yours appreciates your efforts too!

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If you already do this or you give it a go in the months ahead... then do join in the conversation about drafting in advance.

I'm interested to hear your experiences and thoughts so let me know in a comment here or over on my Facebook page.

See you soon.

Julie :-)

Extra Padding: Prepare to hook yourself in again. A re-introduction to the Push-Up Bra series.

Hello hello.

So ... Push-Up Bra blogging eh?

• The 12 part [free!] series aimed at getting you blogging more often, more confidently, more happily!
• The series that was launched in Spring 2013 and is all still available [for free! Did I mention that part?] to anyone to work through in their own time, any time.
• The series whose title which - judging by the search terms in my blog statistics - has led many searchers to my blog who no doubt left pretty hastily once they noted the distinct lack of actual push-up bras on display! Sorry to disappoint ...

So, why am I back here peddling my push-up again?

Well, I wanted to return to the series for two main reasons:

1. To re-inspire lapsed bloggers. Including myself.

Towards the end of last year / the start of 2014 I'd really slowed down on the blogging front.
 

Which, in itself didn't worry me. It's like I say in Chapter 9. The Kenny Rogers Approach you gotta know when to walk away, know when to run!

So I just recognised that it was a natural lull in my blogging and just waited until I felt like running back! Which was sometime this spring.

Over that time my creative motivations and focus shifted slightly ... which had a knock-on effect on how I felt about my blog.

For instance I know in the original series I wrote that I often had plenty of things to blog about as I blogged ever scrapbook page I make. But the thing is ... I've only blogged 4 scrapbook pages this year ... and I haven't made a new 12x12 since February.

So ... I've been starting to question just what it is I should be using my blog space for. Things change. People, creativity, focus, motivations and blogs ... all change.

But, fortunately, I remembered I'd written an entire series aimed at helping other people get around precisely this kind of issue ... and I took it as an opportunity to take my own medicine.

 Physician heal thyself and all that!

And the second reason I wanted to take another look at the Push-Up Approach was ...

2. Because, quite honestly, it was a lot of work and I wanted to promote it again!

• If it was a book [and it almost could be!] I'd like to think it would be something you could return to, slide off the shelf from time to time, dip in and out of.

But things move fast in this online world ... and they get forgotten quickly. And new people make their way on to our blogs all the time ... and so ... I thought I'd create a space to shout about it again.

And here we are ...

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So let's begin properly [this is the part where you can revel in having a legitimate excuse to crack open a fresh new notebook. Go on ... you know you want to. Yes, even that lovely one you've been saving 'for best'. Go fetch! I'll wait ...]
 
Let's have another look at the course structure [which you can also apply to the bare bones structure of your own blogging.]

The series is divided into three parts:

1. Why ::  Why would I want to blog more? What's in it for me?
2. What :: What am I going to find to blog about?
3. How :: How am I going to get organised for blogging more regularly? How can I streamline my blogging time?

[You can read all the posts in the series from the ink on this page]

But, while the course is divided into those distinct sections I know that parts of the series aren't for everyone. [Read the introduction to the course for more of an idea on whether any of it's for you or not!]

Some of you have told me directly, and I've seen it mentioned elsewhere, that it's not for them.

So I wanted to address this:

• not because I'm in a mood about it [I rarely indulge in passive-aggressive mumblings ... least of all on my blog!]
• and not to club you over the head with my push-up bra [OK, that should really say 'my push-up bra way of thinking].

But because I don't want that idea to put anyone off ...

It's not ONE approach; it's at least eight. And they're all intended to be pick 'n' mix.

Think of it like all those 'extras' you can put in a bra to boost the end results ... 

• there's the regular under-wiring and the soft padding ...
• then there's that thicker padding which can make the bra look like there's 'someone' in it even when it's empty ...
• and then there's those soft gel pocket inserts and the bigger 'chicken-fillet' style boosters [or fish fillets as my Mam's been known to call them, which really isn't something you'd want in a bra.]
• and then ... there's even air filled sacks ... which look like very small buoyancy aids ...

And sure they're all things you could put in your bra to ... erm ... raise your profile ...

... but maybe not every time.

I mean, some days you might be required to see over the top of your chest!

Same thing applies to your blogging and which ideas form the series you want to take on board at any given time.

From what I've understood from the feedback I've received it seems like it's the HOW approaches - revolving around the ideas of draft posts / scheduling / organising posts - which have tended to stick in people's minds the most:

• Chapter 9: The Kenny Rogers Approach: or 'you gotta know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em etc'
• Chapter 10: The Freezer Meals Approach: 'making in bulk but savouring one at a time' and ...
• Chapter 11: The Dr. Who Approach: 'how travelling in time can come in useful'

And, funnily enough ... it's the advice in these chapters which seems to have struck a chord with both those people who loved the idea and can see how it would work for them ... and those who couldn't even contemplate it!!

I'm considering that some kind of achievement! At least there's a reaction!

Those who are turned off by the HOWs refer to how they prefer spontaneity in their blogging and I can't disagree with that. If that's how you are motivated then go with it! I'm meant to be doing something else right now .. but here I am finishing off this post as it felt like the right time!

If you're more of a spontaneous kind of blogger I would still say you can pick up tips in the WHY and WHAT sections of the course. There's nothing there that talks about structure or forward planning really and I still believe you'll find something to spark off a blogging idea there.

But really, if you're entirely happy doing what you're doing, blogging whatever whenever, then you probably don't need any blogging advice from a series like mine!

However ... if you'd like a few ideas on how your 'ooooh, now!' nature can actually help you shape your blog [at whatever time frame you fancy!] then here are a few ways you can exploit that spontaneity of yours ...

Making spontaneity in blogging work for you:

What is it that you last spontaneously blogged?

• What was the topic?
• Was it something that had just happened?
• Was it something that felt time sensitive?
• Something you were bursting to share?

Look at that post.

Mine it for inspiration.

There's a lot you can learn from analysing the kind of post you felt you just had to share, that instant.

• Maybe it reveals your passions [there's a LOT more about this in the McFly Approaches both one and two.]
• Maybe you can make a note of the kind of post it was then ... the next time a similar occasion arrives ... you'll remember that 'oh, last time this happened I blogged about it' ... and you can do the same again.
• You'll be gradually building up a recognisable style / segment / feature. Something which - although maintaining that element of 'here and now' can still become an occasional spot on your blogging calendar. Something readers will come to recognise and connect to your unique style / voice [there's lots on finding your blogging 'voice' in The McFlyApproach Part One]

My Month in Numbers series [now in it's 5th year] began as an entirely spur of the moment post.

I didn't go and draft up 52 new posts in advance ... I didn't even anticipate repeating the same idea the following month.  And I had no overarching grand plan to still be sharing a monthly statistical summary four years down the line!!

So I know from experience that when you follow a spontaneous idea that just grabs you ... you can really make it work for you blog for years to come!

Another great example of making spontaneity work more than once - which is nothing to do with me or my push-up bra, I'm not taking any credit here - is something my friend Sian Fair at From High in the Sky has been doing recently.

In her 'Me on Monday' spot [the latest episode of which is here] Sian shares a glimpse into her weekend with a fun list of what she's got up to and a few photos. Of course she can't write these  posts in advance ... but she can, and does, repeat the idea the following week with the fresh things that happened that weekend.

So ... if you hate the idea of drafting and scheduling posts in advance ... don't let that deter you from following the Push-Up Bra course - it's much more than the HOW.

The WHATs are all there for the taking, whether you take them and schedule something for the next month or the next five minutes! These are all still worth a look:

• Chapter 4: The Push-Up Bra Approach : or 'making the most of what you've already got'
• Chapter 5: The Groundhog Day Approach: or 'exploiting the benefits of repetition' 
• Chapter 8: The Austin Kleon Approach:  or 'how to steal like an artist'

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If you are inspired to share something you've learned/used/developed from The Push-Up Bra Approach to Blogging series on your own blog - please visit this post for details on what you could do + what I'll do in return!

If this re-cap or my new notes on spontaneity stir up anything you want to feed back to me ... drop me a comment! [Who doesn't love blog comments? Well, the nice ones at least!]

I'm currently testing out the 'reply' function on my comments, so if there's something you really want to ask, I'll do my best to reply beneath ... and maybe you could check back to see it sometime or tick the 'notify me' box. [Email notifications of replies seems a bit hit and miss].

Or you can always catch me on my Facebook page or Twitter.

Ill see you soon push-uppers.

Julie :-)

Extra Padding: The Push-Up Bra Approach to Blogging needs *you*!

Hi you.

How does this sound?

Before you say anything, I know.

When you give a post the title "The Push-Up Bra Approach to Blogging needs you!" ...

... it really ought to be accompanied by an image of someone in a push-up bra pointing out of the screen to you like the Lord Kitchener wartime poster. And all I'll say to that suggestion is ...

... after you!

Moving swiftly on ...

Believe it or not it's been over a year since I first published my free, metaphor-heavy, motivational series The Push-Up Bra Approach to Blogging!

• Over a year since we looked at ways we can all blog more often without it overtaking our lives;
• Over a year since we learned how with our blogs, as with a good push-up bra, we can all make the most of what we've already got!
• Over a year since, together, we raised over £500 for Save the Children charity in the duration of the series.

 Over a year!! Can you believe it?

Clearly time flies when you're blogging more often and with more confidence! Or are you?

I know from personal experience, and from conversations I've had with some of you on my Facebook page, that as useful as the original series was in helping lots of us feel more motivated to blog and more happy with our online content ... a lot of forgetting and falling back into old habits can happen in a 12 month span too!

And so ... I'm going to be embarking on a little push-up bra 'refresher' course.

Over the coming weeks I'll write a few posts reminding you of, and pointing you to towards, various aspects of the original course content.

A note to all self-starters or those of you who are new to my blog and to Push-Up Bra Blogging:

• ALL OF THE CONTENT IS AVAILABLE - for instant access - RIGHT NOW HERE. THERE'S NO NEED TO WAIT!
• Plunge right in!  
• Work through the 12 chapters [for free] at your own pace whenever you like!
• No need to stand on ceremony here!

Plus over the coming weeks, as I remind you of OR introduce you to the Push-Up Bra's hints, tips and philosophy ... I'm sure I'll be sneaking in a few new thoughts and updates too.

And here's where you can get involved!!

I'd like to hand part of this re-cap over to you. On your blogs. And the way I see it working is something like this ...

Hello Push-Up Bra Blogging alumni!

• Are you one of the bloggers who, last year, worked through the course materials?
• Which elements did you apply to your own blog?
• Which of the 'approaches' did you put into action?
• Which parts of the course made a positive change to the way you thought about your blog ... and maybe even yourself?
• 12 months on ... how is your blog/attitude to blogging different to it was prior to reading the series?

OK then ... now I've got you thinking about it ...

Would you consider writing a blog post about your experience of the series?

• Your post could be as long/short/broad/specific as you fancy.
• It could simply be about one small change you made or share one tip you remember from the series.
• It could have a link back to the series page ... so your readers know where to find it.
• It would be great to think that people new to the series [which was, and remains, entirely free to access!] could learn from your experiences  and feel motivated to follow along themselves!

Reasons you might like to take part:

1. Because ... you like me. [If this isn't the case ... feel free to keep that info to yourself ... and I'll carry on in blissful ignorance.]
2. Because ...  in order to make my advice memorable to you I gave it a title that's had an interesting knock-on effect to my SEO.  [Let's just say that over the last 12 months some people using the search term 'push-up bras' must have been really disappointed to have landed on a series about blogging tips ...]

Additional reasons you might like to take part:

1. It'll give you something fun to share on your own blog. Woohoo!
2. I'll promote your post  across social media [potential new blog readers; new sets of eyes!] as follows ...
3. If you link up to me in your post then send me a link I'll share your post on my Facebook page [which currently has 427 likes].
4. If you include an image/photo I'll also pin your post to the Push-Up Bra Blogging 'Extra Resources' Pinterest board [which currently has 694 followers]. [I can only pin a post that contains an image because that's how Pinterest saves posts]
5. And I'll Tweet it too! [Where I have 1019 Twitter followers.]

And if you're new to the series ...

Hello Push-Up Bra Blogging newbies!
Do you wish you had the time or inspiration to blog more often? Do you keep promising yourself you'll blog more regularly? Do you wish you could blog as confidently as some of the bloggers you admire? 

If you do and you feel like getting more comfortable in your blog space then I'd say you're ready for a fitting for your first Push-Up Bra Approach!  

Would you read the series and write a blog post about your experiences as you work through it applying what you're learning to your own blog?

• It would be great to hear feedback from you as you took on board those hints and tips you felt were most useful.
• You could simply blog about one single small thing that's working for you.
• No pressure ... just a fun post!

Reasons you might like to take part:

1. See the reasons for the alumni! Plus ...
2. If you've been looking for a good reason to invest some time and effort into a new or neglected blog ... then here's all the excuse you'll need! You're testing a theory!! One which compares blogging techniques to padded bras, freezer meals, Kenny Rogers and more ...
3. And ... it's an easy way to get one of your posts seem by lots of new readers!

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OK ... that's it. I'm all out of persuasion here! So:

• Have a think ...
• Have a read ...
• Wait for my refresher posts  ... OR else leap straight in now ... whichever!
• And if you do get around to writing a post [any time at all between now and whenever!] link me up and I'll swing by to share your post when I can.

I'll look forward to hearing from you!

Julie :-)

Push-Up Bra blogging [4]: the Push-Up Bra Approach

Hello again.

Before we jump into today's edition of this *free* e-course I'd like to thank all of those who've already donated to my fund-raising via my Just Giving page.  And if you're not one of those ... and you find anything even vaguely useful or entertaining today ... please consider a small donation to help me reach my £500 target. It's for the Save the Children charity ... not me!

Onwards ...

The first couple of posts in the Push-Up Bra Blogging series - from The McFly Approach Part 1 and Part 2 to elements of Caroline South's lovely guest spot yesterday - covered the 'WHY?'element of this course.

• We've looked at a few general reasons why someone might feel like boosting their current blogging schedule and why occasionally making a little extra effort might be worthwhile.

And, if it did its job correctly, and it motivated you to think again about what you could get out of blogging ... :

• then round about now you might just be starting to feel like logging back in and drafting out a post. Maybe?
• So let's take advantage of that boost to your motivation shall we? Because today I've got some suggestions as to what you could fill that draft post with in ...

The first of our'WHAT?'based approaches [and the approach after which I named the entire series]:-

It's been tricky for me to describe this series in a brief, easily tweetable, lift-pitch, headline phrase because: yes, it is kind of about blogging more... but, then again ... not really.

[Who wants to blog more for the sake of blogging more?]

But ... then again, at the same time ... it kind of is about blogging more often ... so ... well ... errrrm ...

You see my difficulty?

More is more ... except when it's just an illusion!

Just because you might be wanting to blog more often it doesn't necessarily mean you're going to need to find the time to make more crafty things or visit more blog-worthy places etc etc 

[Unless of course you've been wanting to do more of all those things anyway. In which case, why aren’t you doing them already? With or without a blog? But, hey, stop getting me side-tracked! That sounds like the topic for a whole other e-course!]

No, what I’m actually suggesting is that you follow the example set by the average cleavage enhancing brassiere, because:

A push-up bra doesn't physically create any more 'boobage' ... it just collects together what's already there ... and puts it on more prominent display!

Take this approach to your blogging and you'll easily have at least one good solid post per week for the rest of your life!

Example 1:

• Scrappers: I don't know how many scrapbook pages you make each month ... but there's a good chance it adds up to more than I make [remember, I've read some of your Month in Numbers posts ... I know what you get up to ... so I'm not just talking out of the top of my hat here! ;-)]. 
• Now ... how many do you blog?
• Because I blog just about all of mine in a post of their own.

Example 2:

• Cardmakers: you know when you make birthday cards for everyone close to you because if you gave them a shop-bought one they'd feel slighted?
• Do you photograph each one and then blog it?
• Because I do. Pretty much.

In fact ... here's my Dad's latest birthday card as evidence!

And, do you know what?

I probably don't make any greater amount of 'stuff' than you ...

... I just happen to blog the majority of the 'stuff' I do make ...
 and that has the tendency to fool the eye ... like a blogging tromp l'oeil!

This is an idea I develop even further - including the number one tip of the series about how to get all the necessary photographing and blogging of stuff completed - in a post 3 weeks from today [I know, I'm a tease!].

But, until then, before we move on to thrusting it all out there, you can get yourself prepared by beginning to think about how much you already have to push together and fool the eye!

Carry out a 'blogworthiness' audit!

Spend a short while with your diary, notebook, scrappy bit of paper [I know from experience that papercrafters are the least likely people to have any scrap paper on hand in an emergency, but do try!] ... and:

• Make a list of everything you already do [within reason people ... within reason! Oh my!] eg. hobbies, activities, pastimes etc ...
• Be specific eg. "make samples for the classes I teach" / "make a handful of cards per month to give to the kids' school friends"/ "read with the kids"/ "walk the dog" /etc etc
• And be general too! List other things you dabble in or which only happen occasionally eg. scrapbook layouts / cards / journal pages / try a new recipe / fiddle with your DSLR settings / take photos on your phone / listen-in to other people's conversations on the bus / receive gifts which other people might like to see /  experiment with clothes or make-up... etc etc
• Be thorough ... I bet you're far more interesting than you're giving yourself credit for!
• Now read back through the list looking for which items fit in with and reflect with that blogging 'voice' we talked about last week. 

You might want to:

• focus on one key area on that list to give your blog a specialised theme ...
• or you might want to bring in a more 'lifestyle' / eclectic approach ... and combine several of your favourites. Whatever works for you!

Based solely upon what it is you're looking to share, what the theme of your blog is, what category you fit into, what best reflects what you're trying to portray etc on your blog ...

... start thinking how, without having to do anything more than you already do, you can make the most of all those current very 'bloggable' opportunities you're neglecting!

• Stop trying to find time to make more or do more if you're already busy enough ... and pay more attention to what it is you're already doing!
• Start seeing them all as individual blogging opportunities;
• If appropriate / feasible ... collect some of them together or photos you've taken of them previously;
• Or else decide to take more photos of them from now on.
• And, pretty soon, you'll inevitably have a basis for several - if not plenty - more posts!

As I mentioned earlier ... do hang on in there for my best piece of advice [coming in 3 weeks' time] on just this subject [I love it so much I gave it a title and post all to itself!!] But until then, in short:

Start shoving all that perfectly share-able fodder - that you're currently hiding under your jumper - into a virtual push-up bra for all to see!  

Now ... with that image floating awkwardly in the air around us ... let's move along swiftly to just a couple more ideas for the kinds of posts you could turn to to boost that blog of yours.

How about blogging a review, demo or some hints + tips about things you already have or already know about?

 

This kind of thing needn't be a full-blown professional type of post or one which is sponsored.

[That said, plenty of bloggers do go down that route if that's something you feel like following-up. Just bear in mind that it's seen as good blogging practice to mention when you're getting payment for a post or when you've been given something for review purposes. OK. End of lecture.]

 

... but these kinds of posts can be another simple way to connect with your readership without having to have spent hours planning / preparing unique craft projects etc. For example:

 

What about a simple, quick, overview of a new product you've just bought?

 

Be it a new range of paints, a new tool, a new lens or yarn etc etc ... as we tend to buy so many of our crafting materials online these days we're shopping without the benefit of being able to see, squeeze, prod and scrutinise items before we make a purchase.

 

Your readers might find it useful to see ...

• a quick 'compare and contrast' with an earlier version or a different brand;
• whatever it is out of its packet and in your hand - to judge its size for example. [Leave that one alone ... I was, for a change, not trying to sound risque there!]
• how many items / sheets there are of something in a pack;
• a few detailed close-ups to be better able to judge quality or colour etc;
•  and so on and so on ....

It can be so annoying to spot something in an online shop which you think you might like .... but then not be able to find a decent photo of the full contents anywhere? Not even on the manufacturer's site! So it's great when someone shares better images and more accurate details on their blog.

I still recall how useful I found a post of this kind on the Sarah's Cards Design Team blog a while ago now [I know it's a DT blog, but I think the principle would apply anywhere]. The blogger had opened a packet of journaling tags / cards and laid out all the different designs to demonstrate exactly what was inside because, from the packaging you just couldn't tell. And they didn't have to make anything from the tags for it to be a useful post. [And, for the record ... no, I didn't get paid to mention them! I genuinely just remember it being a practical category of post!]

Maybe you could demonstrate a tool or a product and explain or explore how it works to share your knowledge and build links with less experienced readers: 

• Can you demystify the inner workings of the ATG gun, the Bind-it-All, the Gelli plate? etc etc 
• Can you share it in a couple of photos or a quick video?
• Can you remember back to when you were confused by a new technology / software / techniques etc ...?
• Can you blog a list of shortcuts, things to avoid and general advice for newbies to .. whatever it is you can demonstrate!  

This kind of peer-to-peer learning,in normal, friendly, everyday language can often make more of a lasting impression on us than any dry, technical manufacturer's instruction sheet.

 

For example ...

 

... ever since hearing one crafty-friend yelling 'die face up' across the room at another crafty-friend ...

 

... I've never forgotten the best way to load cutting dies into a Big Shot  !

 

And finally, while we're on the subject of useful advice, why not ...

 

Try a'skills audit'to identify some of the skills you've picked up over time + build them into a set of posts.

• Just jot down a few of the things you can already do ...
• then break it down into one key piece of advice ... or several understandable chunks ....or a series of step-by-steps  ... or short video  ... etc

And suddenly ... without having to learn anything new yourself, without making anything new, reinventing the wheel or even leaving the house ... you're filling your blog with content which makes you a useful person to follow, to subscribe to, to engage with.

The sharing of personal, genuine, tried + tested advice is a staple of many a successful blog. and there's no reason yours can't be added to that list any time soon!

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Any responses, bursts of inspiration, nods of recognition ... send them all my way - it's great finding out which bits of the series are ringing true with you and hitting the intended target! 

So, drop me comment, use my Facebook page or if you use Twitter I'm @notesonpaper over there.

If you miss a chapter then you can catch up any time via  the full 6 week Push-Up Bra Blogging course schedule.

• The next installment - another of the 'WHAT?' approaches to blogging - will land here one week today [on Thurs April 4th].
• But I'll be back this Sunday [March 31st] with a business-as-usual Month in Numbers post.

Until then ... keep pushing it all up where we can see it!!

Julie ;-)
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**Again ... IF YOU'VE FOUND ANYTHING IN THIS POST WORTH READING THEN PLEASE CONSIDER SHOWING YOUR APPRECIATION BY MAKING A SMALL DONATION TO THE 'SAVE THE CHILDREN' FUND.

You can do this via my Just Giving page where I'm hoping to use this blog series to raise at least £500 worth of aid for children worldwide. I can't do it without you.