HOW I STORE MY CONTENT IDEAS (EVERNOTE TUTORIAL)
Have you ever had loads of ideas for your blog, written them all down in notebooks or on sticky notes, then completely forgotten where they are? If you want to build a successful online presence, you have to stay on top of your ideas.
I've been using Evernote to store all of my content ideas for a while now, and it really helps me have a steady stream of ideas for my blog, mailing list, and YouTube channel.
Once or twice a month I usually have a content inspiration session where I come up with some new content ideas. This helps me keep track of what ideas I have and haven't used for each category, means I always have a running list of ideas and also means I can see how each piece of content flows on from one another.
The first thing you'll need to do is create an Evernote account which you can do here. I signed up with my Google account and it took less than 10 seconds.
HERE'S HOW I STORE MY CONTENT IDEAS:
BLOG POSTS
For each new month, I create a notebook called "[MONTH] Content Ideas", so this most recent one is called "December Content Ideas."
Within that notebook, I have a note for each of my blog categories, as well as for my mailing list content and my YouTube channel.
Each note has a bullet-pointed list with tick boxes, so I can list my ideas down and then tick then when I've put them into my editorial calendar. I also move ideas around if I think they're best suited to other categories. I always try to make sure I never delete anything either. If I use an idea, I don't get rid of it, I just tick it, and I do the same for each category.
OTHER PROJECTS (THE BLOGGING BREAKTHROUGH MAGAZINE)
You can also use Evernote to stay on top of other projects for your online presence, like your Instagram scheduling, guest post schedule, and in this example, I'm going to use the Blogging Breakthrough magazine.
For this project, I start of by creating a new notebook within Evernote called Blogging Breakthrough 2017. Each note within that notebook then relates to each issue of the magazine and when it's due to go live. So the latest note in there is called "December 2017 (Tuesday 12th).
Like with my blog post ideas, I use the same tick box lists within these notes. But instead, I list out all the tasks I need to complete for the issue and all the content I need to send over to the designer.
Each article that is being published in the issue is split into two sections: proof and send. That way, I know where I'm up to with each article and the issue as a whole.
Again, I never delete anything, so if someone tells me they can't write for a particular issue, I put a line through their tasks, so I can always keep track.
Those are the basics of how I use Evernote to store my content ideas. For me it’s a great way of seeing all my ideas at a glance and what I want to work on for the month ahead.
Leave a comment below if you are interested in organisational tips and other ways I use systems for my blog and business.
Organise, plan and get things done so you can get one step closer to a breakthrough.