If you think #NaNoWriMo is just for people trying to finish a novel, allow me convince you otherwise: November is the perfect month to get through writing most of your website’s blog content for next year.

At this point in the year, you’ve probably started strategizing your business’s goals and planning events for next year, even if just for the first quarter. And 30 days is long enough to get you through writing posts for the first 30 weeks of the year without hitting that dreaded burn out.

Plus, thanks to #DogTrainerNaNoWriMo, you not only have a built-in community of fellow dog trainers to chat with about your writing goals, but you can also take advantage of my weekly check-ins and prizes as a way to stay motivated.

That said, a little bit of prep will go a long way in ensuring you’re making the most of your time. Get ready for quick and effective blogging by following these tips:

Identify Your Blogging Goals

Maybe you’re trying to boost your website’s online presence, or gearing up for the launch of a new product or course. You might be trying to spread awareness of events, workshops, or seminars you’re teaching. Whatever your goals are, it’s helpful to identify them before you start writing so you can plan your strategy.

If you’re blogging get your website’s ranking up, it’s helpful to learn the basics of SEO (though you should learn them regardless — here’s a primer I wrote for you!). Figure out the keywords and topics you want to rank for. If there are products or events you’ll be marketing, gather the information you’ll want to include in those posts.

Blog smarter, not harder, by knowing exactly what you’re blogging for.

List Your Blog Writing Topics

Once you’ve established your goals, it’s time to make a list of topics. Brainstorming now means you won’t spend precious writing time trying to think about what to write (and can come in handy for discovering keywords you may want to use in your posts).

If you’re struggling to come up with ideas, I’ve got some evergreen ones here and here. If there’s a topic you want to write about that doesn’t specifically align with the goals you’ve already established, try to consider how you might tweak it to still be useful. Regardless of other goals, using your blog to boost your SEO ranking is always a good idea, so figuring out a list of writing topics you want to rank for is a very effective way of using your time!

Create Your Blog Writing (and Publishing!) Schedule

Now that you’ve figured out your blog posts, create a writing schedule — And stick to it! Set aside a certain amount of time each day that you’ll work on writing, plan to put your devices on do not disturb, and get to it for the allotted amount of time. Remember: the goal here is quantity over quality. You’re trying to get all the information in your brain out onto the page.

If you have time, feel free to go back and edit your posts for clarity, engagement, and SEO (more on that here). But the purpose of this month is just to get the writing out of the way; you can edit in depth before you post each piece next year.

(A side note: if you have trouble with focusing on just writing, I Love Your Stories is an excellent tool for getting into your flow. Tell it how many words you’re aiming for, and it will keep all your writing invisible until you hit your goal!)

Now is also a good time to figure out your publishing schedule! The goal is to post once a week, so figure out when you want to post about upcoming events, classes, product launches, etc, so you can save your drafts in order (or make a note in the title what the anticipated publishing date will be). The more organized you are now, the easier it’ll be to go back into your drafts next year and seamlessly pick up where you left off (bookmark the Hemingway App now for when you’re ready to edit!).

Most Importantly, Don’t Psych Yourself Out

The biggest piece of advice I can offer you? Try to have fun with this!

Writing 30 blog posts might sound a little daunting. But getting all of that writing out of the way is going to make you feel AMAZING at the end of the month (and free up so much of your time next year!).

Plus, I’m offering some pretty great prizes to keep you motivated. Did I mention the prizes? They’re excellent. Find details for those — and sign up to join in — here.

Can’t wait to (virtually) see you there!