The Ultimate Guide to Blogmas

We’re at the end of the year now, and while most industries are winding down in anticipation of the Christmas season, marketers are revving up. This is usually because Christmas is many businesses’ busiest time of the year. This is why we need to be on the ball at all times, even at Christmas. 

But for bloggers and content creators, the end of November into the start of December is just the start, especially if Blogmas is on your radar. In this article, we’ll be detailing what Blogmas is, when you should start planning for it and how you can easily come up with the ideas needed to get the job done. 

What is ‘Blogmas’?

Blogmas is a challenge for bloggers that involves uploading a blog post every day during December. While most bloggers will upload the full 31 blog posts, starting on the 1st and ending on the 31st of December, others will end their challenge on Christmas Day, publishing 25 blog posts throughout the month. 

The blog posts uploaded throughout Blogmas should, ideally, be Christmas-themed, but they could be unrelated to the festive season, if you like. There are other variations of Blogmas, including ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’, but Blogmas is the most favoured of the two. 

When should I start planning for Blogmas?

You should start planning for Blogmas in November, at the very latest. Ideally, you should have started as early as September or October, but all is not lost if you’ve only just started. Essentially, planning as early as possible will make your life easier in the long run. It means that you’ll be able to enjoy more of Christmas and spend less time sitting behind your computer or on your laptop. Let’s take a closer look at how you can generate ideas for Blogmas this year, all of which have been outlined below.

How to create blog posts for Blogmas

It’s all very well and good when you hear a blogger say, “I’m going to do Blogmas”, but do they understand what that really requires? There’s a lot of effort, time and dedication involved with completing a full month of Blogmas, and it can be a difficult thing to keep up for the next 31 days. But there are some simple ways to come up with ideas to keep your readers guessing every day of the festive period. Here are some tips for creating blog posts for your Blogmas journey this Christmas:

Set goals & make plans 

Set out the goals you want to achieve and make those plans accordingly. Ensure that you’re committed to the process. Don’t be tempted to start and then stop halfway through the month. Planning ahead and setting out goals is a great way to keep you motivated throughout the season. 

Brainstorm

Generating Christmas blog posts for every day of the month can be a challenge, but once you get pen to paper and jot down all of your ideas, even the bad ones, you’re off to a good start. There are multiple easy ways in which you can brainstorm your Christmas ideas for Blogmas, from having a simple pen and notepad to using online tools like Answer the Public. Here are a few brainstorming ideas for your Blogmas venture:

• Pen and paper – write down all of your ideas, no matter how good or bad they are. You can always come back later and filter the good ones from the bad. You could even show your peers or friend and family to see which ideas they like or think need more work
• Using online tools – Answer the Public is a great way of seeing what people are searching for online. Put these keywords into a content pillar and see what else you can come up with by way of Blogmas ideas. Pinterest is also a great online tool to use if you’re struggling for ideas
• See what posts did well last year – if you wrote some Christmas blog posts last year, take a look to see which post got more views and general interaction and then see if you can repurpose it or put a new spin on it 
• Look at other blogs – take a look at other blogs to see what they’re posting, or have posted in previous years, throughout the Blogmas season. While you shouldn’t copy what they’re doing, it will give you some much-needed inspiration

Set a schedule

You can set out a schedule before you’ve even started writing your blog posts. It’s simply done with a content calendar. Perhaps have a separate Christmas content calendar to make things easier, rather than lumping it all into one sheet. Once you have your list of ideas, you can begin to sort through them. Choose which ones would be best suited for which date. You can do this based on theming, timing or even logistics.

Batch create your content

One of the best ways to make sure that you’re producing quality content while also having a break from writing is to batch-write your blog posts. Carve out some time where you sit and write Christmas-related content. While it isn’t for everyone, batching-writing your blog posts can be done in a way that works for you. You don’t have to write all 31 (or 25 if you’re only doing Blogmas up till Christmas Day) blog posts at once. 

Maybe write five at a time once a week, starting in November or even October. November is a nice month to begin, as Christmas theming and decorations are well and truly out for all to see, which is great if you also produce your own photographic content. Make it work for you, but writing a blog post a day might end up taking its toll on you, one way or another.

How to survive Blogmas

Blogmas can be a very busy and stressful time of year. It can also produce a very pressurised environment. If you’re planning on doing Blogmas this year, then there are a few things you should know in order to remain sane. Here are a few simple tips for surviving Blogmas this year, and for the coming years, if you want to do it again:

• Plan ahead
• Plan a schedule
• Take a chunk of time out of your week to get it done
• You don’t have to do all 31 posts; you can stop on Christmas Day
• Don’t get too bogged down in the details
• Don’t spend too much time looking at other people’s Blogmas posts
• Get yourself involved in a blogging community
• Give yourself some grace and cut yourself some slack

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