The Pain
That’s what I went through these past few days. And it’s a kind of ‘thing’ we should talk about when writing blog posts. (What?!)
After finalizing the content creation strategy I shared in the last issue, I jumped right into building a content plan. I focused on four key points that I believe will lead to better results.
Today, I want to share them with you.
Evergreen Content
First, most of the posts I need to write should be evergreen, the kind of content that stays relevant for a long time. This is important if you want to see steady growth on your blog over time. Let me explain.
Publishing evergreen content is like slowly building your own library filled with timeless books.
Say in the first month, you write 10 blog posts, each one like adding a book to your shelf, and they bring in 100 readers. In the second month, you write 10 more, and they bring in another 100. But the first 10 posts are still relevant, so they keep attracting their original readers. Now you’ve got 20 posts bringing in 200 readers every month.
See the pattern? It builds on itself.
More posts mean more readers, and that leads to steady, lasting growth.
Your blog keeps growing not just from new content but also from everything you’ve already published.
Now compare that to publishing non-evergreen content. That’s like filling your library with newspapers. They might get some attention for a day or two, but after that, no one’s coming back to read them.
Over time, your total reader count stays flat because nothing from the past holds up. And we don’t want that.
In my case, that’s the last thing I want happening to my blog. It would feel like running on a treadmill. Exhausting, draining, and going nowhere. It would end up feeling just like another 9 to 5, where I felt stuck, burned out, and completely weighed down.
That said, publishing non-evergreen content isn’t actually bad at all.
In fact, it can be an opportunity too. Non-evergreen content that goes viral, like rare experiences, achievements, or unique discoveries, can bring in a lot of attention. That kind of reach can speed up your blog’s growth, especially when it creates backlinks.
Backlinks or links from other blogs are another signal that helps search engines rank your blog higher in the results.
With all that in mind, finding the right balance when planning your content is important. Personally, I try to make sure that for every topic I publish, there’s at least one piece that has the potential to go viral or is simply worth sharing.
For example, if you write about travel, don’t just share the useful tips. Also tell the story behind the trip.
So yeah, the plan should be a mix of evergreen and non-evergreen content, with more focus on evergreen pieces.
Topic Clusters
The second thing I look at when planning content is making sure each blog post is connected to the others, forming a topical cluster.
This helps readers find more answers if they have follow-up questions, and it also shows them that we know the topic well.
It builds trust and makes the content feel more reliable, which helps keep people engaged.
Topical clusters are also great for SEO.
When related topics are linked together, readers are more likely to click through and explore. That tells search engines the content is engaging and high quality.
Once search engines pick up on that, the chances of your article ranking higher and attracting more readers go up.
Problem-Solution
Another thing I always keep in mind when planning content is the nature of the articles I’m going to write.
As much as possible, the posts should be a solution to a problem, something that feels like a painkiller, not just a set of tips or a nice-to-have.
Why?
Because that kind of content drives better engagement and can be more profitable, especially for people coming from search engines. It also helps shape the impression that our blog is actually helpful.
And why is it more engaging?
Because it feels relevant and urgent to the reader, which naturally gets more attention.
For example, just recently, I had pain in my upper abdomen. Before seeing a doctor, I searched online for some kind of relief or medicine. I ended up reading the first few articles that showed up in the results carefully and completely. I was fully engaged because I needed answers. I was in pain, and skimming the article wouldn’t help me fix it. I had to read every word to figure out what might give me even a bit of relief.
Just sharing—part of this newsletter was written while I was at the hospital for a follow-up checkup. I used only my phone and quickly jotted down thoughts in Apple Notes. I’ll tell you more about that later. For now, back to content planning!
Personal Experience
The fourth thing I consider when planning content is personal experience.
It’s one of the main reasons people read blogs in the first place. If that element isn’t there, it turns into just another generic post that AI could easily write. And that’s not what we want for our blog.
Others
There’s more to think about when creating a content plan.
Things like the season, yearly events, holidays, and trends can all play a role. Depending on your niche, these can be great opportunities, so don’t overlook them.
That’s it!
I hope you picked up something useful from what I shared today. In the next newsletter, I’ll go deeper into content planning and share the exact prompts I use with ChatGPT to help me build the plan.
As for the progress on Explore to Thrive, there’s not much to share this week. :(
I had some bad stomach issues and ended up in the hospital twice. I was confined for two days. Turns out I have gastritis and gallstones.
The doctor also said one of the stones blocked the bile pathway from my gallbladder to my intestine, which caused a lot of the pain.
I have to tell you: the pain was intense. I honestly thought I was going to die. No position was comfortable. Lying down, standing, sitting, everything hurt. It felt like my stomach was about to burst and my back was constantly cramping.
Thankfully, the stone passed and the pain is gone now.
But I still have a few more stones, so the doctor gave me medication to help dissolve them over the next three months.
That means no more fatty food for me. It’s a real wake-up call for a lifestyle change.
How about you? I hope you’re doing well.
See you in the next newsletter!