After randomly deciding to rely what number of articles I had written 1.5 years into my time at Buffer, I spotted I used to be about to hit 100 articles written for the Buffer weblog.
It’s an superior milestone, and I needed to share the sensation of accomplishment. So I tweeted and posted on LinkedIn about it and obtained many congratulations and compliments about my writing.
Then I additionally received a number of questions on my writing course of and motivation. The latter is fairly straightforward to reply – that is my job. I’m (and I say this with full genuineness) fairly chill, due to my want for constant inner motivation to do something that requires vital effort. Fortunately, Buffer’s the sort of place the place that effort feels prefer it’s price it and is at all times rewarded.
Nevertheless, there’s the primary half – my course of. I didn’t wish to repeat myself to everybody who requested – so I wrote a entire article with each reply. I’ve documented some background about my time at Buffer, my writing course of (which took longer than anticipated for one thing that’s a part of my each day routine), and a few of my recommendation for present and aspiring content material writers.
Background of my time at Buffer
Quick model: I’ve been at Buffer for 18 months and have grown considerably in my function and as a creator since I joined.
I utilized for the Content material Author function in October 2021 and began in February 2022. In between was full of pleasure, anxiousness, and anticipation as a result of
- It’s BUFFER
- The job description was actually good for me
- I hoped to maneuver in-house, away from the hustle and bustle of company life, to pursue writing for one firm in a single trade.
Nonetheless, I used to be in disbelief once I received the provide. Sure, I received by the interview course of, and naturally, I belief Hailley, the Head of Content material, and Joel, the CEO at Buffer in addition to all the oldsters who had a hand within the determination. I belief that out of all of the candidates, I truthfully was a very good match. However it’s onerous to shake self-doubt, which I take care of fairly often.
Nevertheless, I’m nonetheless right here, 18 months and greater than 100 articles later, so I have to be doing one thing proper. My function’s additionally shifted fairly a bit. Right here’s the unique posting:
In comparison with now, my function has modified fairly a bit. I now:
- Assist outline content material technique,
- Write the weekly publication,
- Monitor content material efficiency by our analytics,
- Run a visitor posting program,
- Collaborate on team-wide advertising and marketing tasks.
A take a look at my writing course of
Publishing over 100 long-form articles in 18 months (roughly 5 a month) isn’t any small feat, and I received a couple of questions concerning the writing course of that helped me obtain it. Particularly, Kuba Rogalski and Anfernee Chansamooth requested straight about my writing course of.
So, right here’s how I take an article from concept to publishing and past.
Analysis and ideation
I fill out the content material calendar with a mixture of concepts pulled from analysis about key phrases we have to goal, present traits within the social media trade, questions from our viewers, and instinctive data of our content material gaps.
Once I began, I might get content material concepts from Hailley primarily based on what made essentially the most sense for me to cowl. Over time, as I grew comfy with the social media house, I began to grasp what would greatest transfer the needle for our core metric: web page views.
Now that I perceive each the Buffer model and the social media trade/creator economic system, I function just about independently on concept era. I’ll typically place my concepts within the content material calendar as they arrive and run them by the staff as wanted.
Outlining and drafting articles and emails
Whereas hiring for the function I’d finally fill, the Content material staff was basically simply Hailley, supported by an company, so once I joined, we needed to develop a brand new system for collaboration.
We’ve refined it properly sufficient that the precise writing of articles is a science masquerading as artwork that goes like this:
- Outlining: I define articles utilizing the 30 % define format. Whereas I rely much less on this than I used to, it’s a useful body that’ll get you from concept to closing product as rapidly as potential.
- Title/H1: I’ll typically provide you with a number of choices for potential titles earlier than or after drafting. Generally I can solely inform the most effective title for an article earlier than I begin writing it; different instances, it’s apparent from the beginning.
- Key phrase (if the article is Web optimization-driven): The key phrase will decide the ultimate URL we publish an article beneath, so it’s useful for our social media supervisor Mitra, to have it earlier than the weblog goes stay
- Introduction: I’ll usually begin with one hook paragraph to seize a reader’s consideration, then end up with one thesis paragraph that’ll inform you what to anticipate from the article
- Headings and accompanying content material: I’ll break up the article into H2s, 3s, and 4s for simple skimming and the on-page Web optimization advantages. I view headings as a “inform them what to anticipate” then ship by the sections all the way in which to the conclusion.
I additionally write the weekly Social Media publication, which is extra “fill-in-the-blanks” than something. Probably the most hands-on work there may be optimizing the publication by A/B testing headlines, experimenting with new sections, and incorporating viewers suggestions about our design or present content material codecs.
Modifying suggestions and revisions
Once I first joined, Hailley would assessment my work, and I might assessment to make modifications; she’d look once more after which give me the go-ahead to publish. Over time, I’ve gotten higher at writing basically and for Buffer particularly, so we solely do one spherical of revisions earlier than publishing.
I proofread utilizing Grammarly as I’m writing, so modifying is normally centered on making structural modifications or fixing the general tone and magnificence of an article. As soon as performed, I schedule the article in Ghost, our content material administration system.
Zero-click repurposing
I just lately began sharing older articles to my private social media to contribute to distribution. That is nonetheless a brand new a part of my course of and is a drop within the ocean for the time being. However it helps drive visitors to the weblog and offers me one thing to schedule once I’m out of latest concepts.
I work with a lot of instruments each day, however right here’s the stack I work with daily:
- Analysis & ideation: Key phrase analysis in Ahrefs; an array of newsletters; content material gaps; analytics, previous efficiency
- Content material administration: Notion
- Outlining & drafting: Google Docs, Clearscope
- Article optimization (graphics, modifying & proofreading): Grammarly, Unsplash, Canva
- Article publishing: Ghost
- Publication publishing: Buyer.io
- Zero-click repurposing: ChatGPT, scheduling in Buffer
- Admin: Calendly, Slack, Otter.ai, Zoom, Spotify, Issues 3, Arc browser
After all, this doesn’t absolutely contemplate that I additionally write the publication, conduct interviews, maintain monitor of analytics, and handle our visitor posting program.
Some challenges I face as a content material author
Whereas my writing and advertising and marketing expertise look like they’re actually nice, I battle with a variety of issues, principally as a result of I used to be a “gifted child.” I may learn very early, and for so long as I’ve understood how you can put pen to paper, writing has come naturally to me. Nevertheless, as I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized that writing’s about the one factor I discover straightforward. And I’ve discovered myself in a profession that’s solely 5 % expertise.
As I shared within the introduction, I would like inner motivation to work at one thing, particularly issues that frustrate me. And I’m not superb at sticking to a process if I don’t perceive it, so I don’t do properly with these irritating issues. Nevertheless, that wouldn’t have given me the wanted progress, so I needed to be taught or be left behind.
So, since I received my first writing job, I’ve approached every little thing with a newbie’s mindset. Analytics, coding fundamentals, and constructing Notion databases have all change into a part of my job, however I didn’t know them initially.
It typically took me a variety of trial and error to grasp how a bit of content material or a undertaking or process I took on would match into the broader scheme of a model (whether or not private or enterprise). I positively didn’t achieve that instinctive understanding at Buffer till about six months in, and I’m nonetheless figuring it out for my private model.
I additionally nonetheless battle with overestimating (after which overextending) myself by considering I can tackle greater than I can. I battle with procrastination on account of perfectionism (these are previous nemeses). I battle as a result of my setting isn’t at all times supreme, and my sense of creativity is delicate to the slightest change.
So it doesn’t matter what it appears like on the skin, I’m removed from good and nonetheless have a variety of rising to do. Fortunately, I’ve the assist of the Buffer staff and the community of pros that cheer me on daily.
Answering some FAQs about my writing course of
What I’ve realized alongside the way in which
Michaela Mendes requested what I’ve realized alongside the way in which. It took me a little bit of considering, however I can pinpoint three major classes from once I began at Buffer until now;
- When rising a weblog, you’re on the mercy of the various search engines however solely as much as a sure level – observe the foundations as vital, however don’t let that overcome the writing and its objective.
- There’s no such factor as “too apparent” when breaking down info. Each major matter has sub-topics that even have sub-topics. You have not run out of concepts till you get to the final atom of an concept.
- Give your readers what they wish to the most effective of your skill. On-line writing (as in writing from a model, enterprise, or in any other case) is to affect another person. Generally that affect is for info or data sharing (“Belief me, I’m an skilled at [topic]”); different instances, it’s transactional (“That is your problem, that is how my product solves it, purchase it from me.”)
I’ve additionally realized that I solely have one expertise (writing), and I’m lucky it’s so versatile.
How knowledge informs Buffer’s content material
Danny Groner requested, “Are you able to share a few the metrics you take note of after you’ve got printed that determines the cadence and which subjects, too, will observe go well with?”
We primarily monitor pageviews and signups. Particularly, we give attention to pageviews over 7, 28, and 84 days and wider pageviews damaged up by weblog, timeframe, and so forth. That is in order that we will get an image of how items carry out individually and the way our weblog visitors goes.
Nevertheless, as detailed as our monitoring is, we’ve solely been analyzing at a excessive degree, which we’re working to alter. We used to work with a mixture of month-to-month analyses of content material efficiency, a yearly overview, and an instinctive understanding of what content material performs greatest to find out how you can transfer ahead however found we weren’t considering high-level sufficient.
Now, Hailley and I are engaged on a undertaking to investigate the previous eighteen months of content material efficiency throughout our major metrics. We’ve positioned all of the content material we’ve ever tracked into related classes and plan to investigate the information to seek out prime performers and their frequent threads (like our readers’ jobs-to-be-done or content material format) and incorporate all our findings into future content material.
Our thesis is that understanding and specializing in what content material performs greatest will assist the weblog develop and inform us what our viewers gravitates in the direction of most, and assist us assist them.
What has helped me construct out my workflow and write quicker
Alice Lemee requested what helped me construct my workflow and write quicker.
Nothing has helped me greater than immersing myself in every factor I have to deal with. There have been issues I already knew earlier than becoming a member of Buffer. I knew how you can write an honest Web optimization-optimized article, I knew how you can use many on-line instruments to allow my writing. However I’ve realized a lot it makes my prior progress appear to be going from crawling to working a half-marathon.
- To get concepts for articles, I began following all of the thought leaders, even remotely related to social media after which, later, the creator economic system.
- To find out about Buffer customers’ most probably frustrations and get hands-on expertise with their challenges, I began posting to social media extra steadily utilizing Buffer.
- To be taught extra about electronic mail writing and automation, I began a publication.
- To enhance my advertising and marketing expertise, I took Amanda Natividad’s Content material Advertising and marketing 201, and I’m at the moment taking CXL’s Technical Content material Advertising and marketing course.
- To grasp Notion higher, I constructed a database of assets.
Mixed, all this effort has made writing for Buffer’s viewers – excuse the drama – a part of my existence. I stay and breathe being a creator now, so I basically write for myself.
What lies forward
A structured writing course of, coupled with steady studying and adaptation, can result in prolific content material output that resonates along with your viewers. I don’t contemplate myself an skilled, but when I needed to give any recommendation on changing into a greater author, it’d be:
- Assume past techniques and construction. When you’ve realized the fundamentals of writing on-line, you’ll have to additional perceive advertising and marketing, branding, and market analysis. Immerse your self in your trade to generate impactful concepts and create significant work.
- When doubtful, use a template. With a structured define (just like the 30 % format), you may keep away from many of the fear about whether or not an article is optimized and give attention to delivering high quality writing to your reader.
Reflecting on my journey, from the primary month at Buffer until now, it is clear that progress is a continuing effort. I plan on being at Buffer for some time – I can’t wait to see how a lot I’ve grown in one other 100 articles.
