Blogging in WordPress is pretty straightforward and a pleasing experience (to me, at least). But writing and publishing a post isn’t enough: Without the proper tools, WordPress won’t ping the right places or notify any of your visitors. Your beautiful article will sit there, without anybody reading it.
So, what do we do? Why, we make use of WordPress plugins, tips and tricks, of course! In this article, I’m going to go through what to do after you’ve finished your post and published it on your WordPress blog.
Let’s begin!
First things first: Check for errors
Wait, did I say “after publishing a blog post”?
This one can (and should) really be done before publishing a blog post in WordPress. But if you haven’t, the best time is now: Check for errors, now!
You don’t want your nitpicking readers to correct your grammar, or notify you about broken links. Even if you think you don’t make mistakes in your articles, double-check your posts. If you do think you make mistakes, triple-check. It’s a task that could be seen as “redundant”, but let me assure you that it’s not.
It’s also a good idea to use your browser’s spell checking feature, or use the “Proofreading” addon of Jetpack (using the “After the Deadline” technology).
Share the post like there’s no tomorrow.. then share again, tomorrow
You know who haven’t heard of your new blog post? Nobody. Because you haven’t posted your article to Twitter, or Facebook, or anywhere. Because you’re lazy. Or because you didn’t install a plugin.
There are tons of plugins that can either post to your social media accounts automatically, or put sharing buttons under the post, or both. I’m going to recommend Jetpack again: The “Sharing” addon adds those buttons and the “Publicize” addon shares those posts automatically.
“Sharing automatically or manually” is a somewhat controversial topic. I choose to do both: In my personal blog, I publish my posts automatically to my Twitter and LinkedIn feeds, and then share manually on Google+ and Facebook with some customized sentences.
It’s also a good idea to share again on Twitter after waiting for a few hours, and the next day. You can also share on Facebook after a couple of weeks has passed.
Oh, and you should also email the people who might be interested in the topic you’ve just wrote about.
Follow up on comments and social media
Ever wrote to someone and never got a reply? If you know (or if you can imagine) how annoying this is, then you’ll understand why you should follow up on people’s reactions.
Two of the most important places to follow up is the Comments section, and social media (especially Twitter and Facebook). Try to reply to people’s comments within the day they wrote. Some may also email you their opinion, which should be replied to in a week at the latest.
Getting replied to is a nice feeling, which increases engagement on your readers. A happy reader/user might become your next brand ambassador. Don’t underestimate the power of that.
Conclusion
Blogging in WordPress is easy, as I said before. What’s hard is to be heard, and seen in the gargantuan ocean of internet content. That’s why you should play your cards right in order to reach your target audience.
How did you like this article? Share your thoughts in the Comments section below–I promise I’ll reply! And if you liked the post, don’t forget to share it with your friends.
Thanks for reading!