Blog Requirements

• Blog Post Template 
  • • Download copy from shared drive
• Web Copy Doc Template
  • • Download copy from shared drive
• Naming Conventions
  • Naming convention = Content Type – Client Name – Date (mmyy) – Title – Version
  • Example: Blog – KasparLugay – 0922 – Love Divorce! – v1
  • Note – any time we receive edits or make revisions to a document, it must be saved with the new version. This will reduce questions on back-and-forth emails

• Images
  • Writer is responsible for getting image for blog post from one of our stock image services
    • Adobe Stock
    • iStockphoto
    • Envato Elements
    • Pixabay

• Categories
  • Within the document, the writer is responsible for noting the Category to be used for the blog post

• Meta Tags
  • Writer is responsible for including the following in the blog post document
    • Title Tags
    • Meta Description
    • Page URL / Permalink

• Publishing Blog Content
  • Writer uploads blog post to relevant Client folder in Drive
  • Writer places the link to the blog post inside the ClickUp task
  • Writer follows the necessary client approval process 
  • Writer changes task status to “Ready To Publish” once client is ready to publish
  • Clickup automation creates a subtask and assigns it to a developer to publish blogs 
  • Developer inputs all necessary SEO/Meta fields per the blog doc
  • Developer downloads the stock image from the URL provided in the blog document
  • Developer resizes featured image accordingly and adds as featured image
  • Developer publishes or schedules publish date for post depending on the status of the website

Client Approvals

• By default, we do not allow approval of content.
• To have approval of content, it must first be approved by Operations Manager
• If approved, client must acknowledge in writing the following caveats:
  • The approval window is not to exceed 4 business days
  • If the content is not approved in that time frame, and there was no other communication from the client about the specific piece of content, then we will publish to the website.
  • If client has made edits to the content, we will incorporate those and publish the content on the website.
  • If a client’s edits contradict or interfere with our Best Practices, our Best Practices will override the relevant edits and we will publish.

Content Calendar

• By default, we do not set up content calendars for clients.
• If it has been agreed to set one up, It will be done on a Google Sheet, which will live in the Client Facing folder in Google Drive.
• It is the Writer’s responsibility to monitor and update the sheet with topical ideas, and review suggestions from the client.
• After three months of using the calendar, the salesperson needs to weigh in with the client to encourage them to stop using the calendar, and trust our judgment and expertise.
• The client should be encouraged to continue sending any topical ideas they may have, via email, to the salesperson and the writer. If the writer is not CCd, the salesperson needs to forward the email to the writer and the account strategist.

Writing Blogs During Development

• Write the posts per our usual, post-fulfillment, process.
  • You can write these posts at any point during the project so long as they are ready to go by the time the site launches. 
• If client approval on blogs is required, follow the standard content process for approvals.
• When posts are ready to be added to the site, upload them to the client folder and close your task
• There is a task setup after the post-launch QA process to publish any blog posts written during development. “Write Blogs” subtasks are setup as blockers for all “Publish Blogs” subtasks, so dev can’t complete their subtask until the blocking task is completed. 
• When dev adds the posts, they will publish one blog and schedule the rest to publish a day apart from each other

FAQs:

• Why shouldn’t we “publish” the blogs before the site launches?
  • We need to set staggered publish dates on blog posts and schedule them to publish after the site is launched. If we don’t do this, when we publish the site only one blog gets auto-posted and any others that were added must be posted to all social profiles manually, and then manually boosted on Facebook. 
• In what scenarios does it typically make sense to post blogs before the site launches?
  • If the new site has a blog feed on the home page design, but the client does not have any blog posts on the site.
  • If the client doesn’t receive paid promotion for blogs (uncommon)
  • If we don’t have access to their FB and would need to manually promote anyway.
  • If the client explicitly requested that the blogs be posted to their live site while the site is in development
  • Check with the project owner for clarification on these circumstances if you are unsure if they apply. As a rule of thumb, assume that they don’t apply
• What if I don’t want to begin writing blogs right now?
  • We are typically setting the expectation with the client that blogs begin after the website launches and will be made up over the span of their contract. If the content writer needs to hold off on writing the blog posts until they have more bandwidth, they are allowed to do so as long as the decision is communicated to the Account Strategist and it does not conflict with expectations that may have already been set with the client. 
  • If the writer does decide to delay writing blogs during development, they will be accountable for communicating how they intend to make up the posts following launch so tasks can be setup accordingly and so that the account owner can communicate expectations to the client