I honestly wish we had more time together because just doing two parts on content is kind of silly.

It's kind of like doing two parts on how to build a city.

It doesn't make much sense but I'll make it work.

I think what I'll do is answer some of the bigger questions around content so you know what you need to do and how to approach things with your blog.

How long should my posts be?

The short answer: it depends.

The long answer: as long and as thorough as they should be to provide value and help your audience.

On Obstacle.co not a single post is less than 1,500 words. In fact, I try not to do under 2,000 words for a post.

Why?

Because when I cover a topic I want to make sure I'm hitting every angle and providing the most value that I possibly can.

Now, you might think that writing 2,000 words is crazy. Some people struggle to get 500 words out.

After a while you get used to writing.

There is a caveat. There are some posts on my blogs that aren't long at all. For example, on Thrive/Strive if we are writing a post on a 5-minute workout you can do in the bathroom then there is really no reason to write up 2,000 words.

That post might be 300 words with images and videos but that's because that is all that is needed.

Some topics really do require you to dig deep and answer all of the questions your readers might have. Some topics are just meant to provide the answers right away.

It's up to you to decide what is enough.

When you start to dive into SEO (search engine optimization) you'll quickly find that most of the top results are blog posts with at least 2,000 words. Google likes long content because it usually represents quality and answers the questions that their users have.

I can usually finish a 1,500-word blog post in an hour if I know the topic. 2 hours max. You probably won't start off at that speed but once you spend some time writing you'll find that you start to knock things out quickly.

I suck at writing, what do I do?

Then you write even more. One of the great things about blogging is that nothing is written in ink. You'll write a post today and then go back to read it 6 months from now and cringe.

That's okay because then you get to make it better. Once you publish a post that doesn't mean it is done. It means its life has just begun!

If you haven't blogged before it can take some time to find your rhythm and voice. Just try to write in a way that doesn't bore you if you read your post back to yourself.

For some reason, many bloggers lock up and try to put on a different tone than how they normally talk.

Don't do that. This is your chance for your audience to connect with you and they can't do that if you're putting on a front.

How often should I write?

This is a tough one and it's more dependent on your promotion strategy and topic.

On Thrive/Strive we hit 100 posts in 9 months. On Obstacle.co I'll probably have less than 40 in a year.

Because Thrive/Strive is in a crazy industry and its chief promotion strategy is with Pinterest, we try to continuously pump out awesome content.

On Obstacle.co, because the content is much more in-depth and it takes time I only write when I feel like I should cover a topic.

So, to answer this question there is no right or wrong answer.

Experiment and see what works for you.

How do I write an awesome post?

Check out this blog post.

What things do I need to do before, during, and after publishing content?

Check out this blog post.

What else?

Odds are you won't be hitting home runs from day 1. Just write every single chance you get with the intention of getting better at it.

You aren't sure what type of content will resonate with your audience yet. Hell, you probably don't have an audience yet.

The best thing you can do is find a writing schedule that you can stick with and stick with it.

If you're supposed to write on Wednesday nights at 7pm then always write on Wednesday nights at 7pm.

When you're blog is brand new you can't afford to slack off. You don't have enough collateral built up yet.

You might have a million more questions to ask about content so just reply to this email and I'll see what I can do to help you out.

- Scrivs

PS: Oh, a quick note about grammar. You aren't writing college essays or research papers. You're writing blog posts.

Don't be a stickler for perfect grammar unless you speak properly all of the time.

Relax, let loose, and write as if you're having a conversation with a friend at a bar.