This is an audio post, which is now happening every Thursday according to my new & improved editorial calendar. I have some written notes that I’ve added some helpful links to, but the real meat is in the audio, so I hope you enjoy it.
Yesterday’s post was on The Top 10 Ways to NOT Launch a Blog. With apologies to internet marketer Jeff Walker’s Product Launch Formula, this audio post covers how to launch a blog step by step. I’m calling it The Blog Launch Formula. I’ve identified 6 stages in a blog launch:
- Discovery
- Initial Writing
- Setup
- Design
- Launch
- Networking/Promotion
Discovery
Questions to ask and answer for yourself in writing:
Why do you want to blog?
What do you want to accomplish?
Who is your audience?
Is there a market?
What are the keywords? (keyword research: Free WordTracker Keyword Tool)
Initial Writing
Don’t need the blog yet for this!
About page
Subscription Incentive content – white paper, report, audio, video, or ebook
A month’s worth of posts if possible
Setup
Get a domain name, preferably one with your primary keywords in it
Get hosting
Install/set up the blog
Or…
Fantastico/Metropolis
Or…
Database creation
FTP upload
Upload, activate, and configure plugins
Upload and switch to a theme
Change permalinks
Get a FeedBurner account and the FeedSmith plugin
Get a Technorati account
Get social media accounts
Design
Logo
Choose a theme
Tweak theme
Graphics – istockphoto.com
Flickr CC-licensed images
Launch
Promotion begins before launch!
Commenting
Emails to other bloggers
Social media presence/buildup
Networking/Promotion
Commenting
Social media
(all this is why you want blog content created in advance)
Here’s to your blogging success!
Michael Martine, Remarkablogger
Blog marketing is what I blog about, Blog consulting is what I do
Oh, nice list, Michael. That’s something easy someone can print and just check off steps as they go. Well thought of!
Oh yeah! This one’s a keeper! A great recipe for success.
Thanks, guys. Of course, the real work is in the details as they relate to an individual’s blog and situation. So I can put information like this up without worrying about “giving away the store.” A blog consulting client would get highly specific help.
Nice list, and very true about the list requiring custom tweaking to unique situations. I still think the web is missing out on your design skills
@Chris – Thank you. My design skills may make a comeback in a different form down the road, but that’s all I’ll say about it for now.
Yay! How exciting! I went through this list saying “yes, done, yes, done” – no wonder the new incarnation of my blog is doing so well! hehehehe
@Alex – Great to hear! Nice to see confirmation from others on the steps, too, so thanks for that.
I was actually enjoying listening to the audio portion of the post. However it ends at 3:04….but it is obviously just cut off. Is there a way to get the full audio version? Thanks!
@Brandon – Holy cow, you’re right! I’ll get that fixed as soon as I can. Thanks for pointing that out.
OK, wow, the whole original file was borked and I had to rerecord the entire thing! It’s a better recording and it now covers everything at about 18 minutes in length.
nice list your are the king of blogs about blogs