Blogger Organisation: How To Successfully Plan A Series

Long time no see, I mutter a bit awkwardly as I open my Power Point to explain the next topic that is on my list for blogger organisation.

The last time, you have been around and clicked on an article explaining the in and outs to run a well organised blog without stressing yourself, we discussed how to find the perfect time to post your article. Then the world went a bit quiet, as I had been abroad, and Pride Month took over. 

However, as promised, this time we are going to look at how to successfully plan a series! 

Now, what is a series to begin with? 

A string of articles that include the same topic from a different angle. It can also be a travel report split into various days or events that occurred during the trip. These are the ones most prominently featured on this blog - blogger organisation, and The Rookie Road Tripper trips respectively. 

By definition, even Pride Month and Blogmas are a series but we won't be looking at this type that is "bulk posted" because it is in the spirit of times. Instead, I'll be looking at how to manage exactly the opposite: avoid bulk posting. 

What's wrong with bulk posting? 

While there is nothing wrong with it when the time is right - e.g.: Blogmas. Bulk posting about only one thing when you have a blog that covers various topics can put people off. They might think, that you have forgotten about any other niches and topics that you write about ...

In order to avoid doing this, there are various factors that need to be looked at beforehand:

How many posts are in your series? 

This is important because it decided the time frame in which it is going to be posted. Is it a longer series, it might encourage you to posts them closer together instead of stretching them over the year. Or maybe you want them to stretch over the year. In the end, it is meant to give you an over-view of the work ahead. 

Do you plan first and then write? Or write first and then plan? 

Depending how you do it, it is going to influence your blogging schedule. If you plan first and then write, you already know when what is going to be posted. The upside is that you won't have to re-schedule things after finishing your series but you need to keep in mind, that your post has to be clean and polished on the date exactly. After all there is no back-up post waiting.

Meanwhile, do you chose to write first and then plan when the article is going to be published, it might give you more work-load until it is finished, and you need to re-schedule posts later on. However, it takes the pressure off your shoulders because what is done is done, and all the articles these ones "push away" can be stored for a later time.

Personally, I alternate between these two option depending on topic and length of the series: all Rookie Road Tripper trips - e.g. Großglockner, München, - were written before they were planned. Every week, I wrote another of those until it had been finished. This is mostly due to the fact that I am telling things from memory, and since I am getting old it is becoming grey and bristle the further we move away from the trip. 

Meanwhile, Blogger Organisation is exactly the opposite - planned first then written. It is a much longer series, and writing 9 posts consecutively would have been tiring for me. Furthermore, I could look how it was going to develop as we went along and it became a fixed reference point for me while planning other articles. On top of this, Blogger Organisation does not use my memory of events but skills I always possess, no matter when I acquired them. 

In the end, I assume that this choice is going be similar for you: it depends on length, topic, and your own enthusiasm. 

No matter if your articles are already written or still a draft, they need to be planned:

Incorporating Your Articles With Your Blogging Schedule 

There are various option available to you, and I am going to discuss the pro and cons of each of them. All of them assume that you already have a regular schedule to lean on.

Posting one article per month 

This is a relative simple way to schedule a series. Every month one article from your series takes a regular slot and viola it moves on. It also gives you more time to write all of the posts - thus, a better option for very long series. Blogger Organisation itself follows this method.

On the downside, it is a rather lengthy way of publishing. Six posts are already going to take you six month. So it is going to be difficult to keep readers hooked should you split a story-telling series into various parts. While for information that is only loosely connected it could work brilliantly. Another thing to consider is if you even want a series to last this long ...

If not ...

Post an article every second week 

This is what I prefer when posting story-telling types - e.g. road trips. On the plus, you won't lose your reader that easily and chance of them remembered what you wrote the last time is bigger than otherwise. Furthermore, it also avoids bulking because it always gives a small post between that is about something else.

However, this does take over your regular schedule, and might give the feeling that your blog is not very varied anymore.

When all else fails and you're not willing to give up a regular day for post there is always the option to ...

Use an "extra day" for the series 

By doing this, you don't have to change anything about your regular schedule.

While this sounds like a great option and it might work just right for you, there is a heavier work load involved by doing this: first you need to schedule additional days for the articles and days when you promote them. This could lead to a load of promoting and annoyed followers. Furthermore, you need to write all the posts and they won't help you build a buffer either.

In the end, it depends if you are willing and able (!) to take on the additional work load.

Another thing to keep in mind when planning a series is what you do should anything change in your schedule. This sounds like a minor inconvenience but could have great consequences.

While Blogger Organisation is a monthly feature, there have been two months between this post and the last. This is due to one holiday falling onto the week of this post, and Pride Month. Often you are left with either posting an article during your holiday and promoting it in time - which is the opposite of what a holiday is meant to do -, or finding a different slot.

This can be a bit of a hassle but personally, I often prefer that option because I am strict about my holiday. In the end, that's for you to decide, as there are enough bloggers who do not take their blog with them on holiday and keep posting despite lounging at a sunny beach on Mallorca.

Nevertheless, this is something to keep in mind before you indulge in creating a series that spans over a long time.

All in all, this is what you need to consider when planning a series: how many articles it is going to consist of, when you want to post these, and how. When push comes to shove, also have a handy back-up plan. Happy writing!