It feels so good to be writing this blog post. I have taken 3 weeks off of writing any fresh content on my blog. May was a strange month. I really struggled to focus on my business. I didn’t know where I needed to go or how to get there so I took a step back.

I feel ready to go and am so excited to begin this next chapter in Samantha Laycock Blogging. This is the best reason for having your own business. You really learn to go with the flow. Allowing your business to take shape fluidly is a hard process but necessary.

I hope that you are LOVING my new branding on my website. I am in LOVE with it!! It feels unique. It feels like it is a piece of me even more than my last branding was. A few things are changing as I go down this new path.

My website is now set up a little bit differently than it was before. I now have separate sections for beginner bloggers and women looking to start a blog called Simplified Blogging. I also have a section called Trauma Blogging that is specific to women who want to start a blog based on their stories. This is going to allow me to keep everything organized between all of my clients.

It is super important to me to have these two separate options available because this is WHY I started blogging. I would love to hear what you think of my new website. Now let’s get into the good learning stuff for today’s blog post.

WHAT ARE BLOGGING CONTENT PILLARS?

If you have followed me for a while now, you know that I love to really simplify the blogging process. There are so many moving parts that it can quickly become overwhelming. Today we are going to go back to the basics and make sure that your site is set up to benefit your readers and ensure that you are getting your message across to those ideal readers in a way that they understand.

Your blogging pillars are going to consist of the main topics and ideas that your blog covers. I am not talking about blogging categories here even though you can use your blogging pillars as a few of your blogging categories.

All of the content that I create is created with these blogging pillars in mind. They are the biggest pieces of my business. They are what I want to teach my clients and readers about when they come to my website.

My blogging pillars are the same as my business pillars because they cover all the aspects of my business and blog. My blogging pillars are…

1. Storytelling
2. Healing and Transformation
3. Acceptance and Self-love
4. Blogging
5. Motivation and Organization

These pillars also help me to create course material, masterclasses and digital products. I know that my audience is looking for help in these pillars as well because I get questions about them.

Can you see how both simplified blogging and trauma blogging can fit into my blogging pillars?

So now I want you to focus on creating your blogging pillars. You can create between 4-5 pillars. If you do more than that then you may begin to confuse your readers and you may even begin to feel too overwhelmed and like you aren’t niched down enough.

If you look above, I have the numbers two, three and five that have two words. It is because those words go together to create one pillar. I don’t think you can have one without the other and so they create one pillar for me.

I want you to remember that there is no right or wrong way to create your blogging pillars. It comes down to what you know and what is important for you to teach when it comes to your blogging niche.

QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF WHEN CREATING YOUR BLOGGING PILLARS

Now you may be wondering where to actually begin when it comes to creating these pillars for your blog. I want you to think about your niche. Write your niche down on a piece of paper.

We have done this exercise before as well in choosing a niche but I want you to write down what it is that you can teach in the niche.

These questions are going to help you start to narrow down the content that you already create. The content pillars are for you to know. If you grab my FREE Trello board template, there is a spot where you can write your blogging pillars in.

1. What are you currently talking about when it comes to your niche?
2. What do you find that you are super passionate about when it comes to your niche?
3. What content do you currently have that has the most views or most comments?
4. Are there specific questions about your niche that you love to answer?
5. What are your strengths when it comes to your specific blogging niche?

Do you have your content pillars figured out? This may take a few days and that is okay. Take your time to really know what your blogging content pillars are. There is no rush to doing this. So now you are probably wondering what to do when you have your content pillars figured out. How do you use them to help you with your blogging?

USING YOUR BLOGGING CONTENT PILLARS

Think of these pillars as the foundation of your blog. They are there to show you what it is within your niche that you talk about. These pillars are showcasing your expertise inside of your blogging niche. Looking for more ways to become an expert in your niche? Read my post, 11 Ways to Become an Expert in Your Blogging Niche.

They are going to help you to create content when it comes to your blog. By getting super clear on the content pillars that you are going to cover, you will know what to talk about to your readers.

There are more ways for you to use these content pillars to help you though. Knowing these pillars means that you will also be able to use them to help you create content for your social media platforms. It means that you have a way to begin showcasing your expertise with your followers.

As I said above, you will also use these content pillars to create programs, services, workbooks and anything else that you can use in your business. Things that your ideal readers are searching for and looking for, even if they don’t yet know they need it.

Have fun creating these blogging pillars. They should showcase what your business is about in a way that is unique to you. You have a unique strength when it comes to your blogging niche and these pillars will help you to pinpoint what that strength is.

I would love to hear what you came up with as your blogging pillars. If you are looking for more 1:1 help when it comes to starting or growing your blog, I am taking two coaching clients for June. Want to read about a client’s experience from her point of view? Check out this post written by Jody Laird from Jody Laird Blogging.

I would love to help you get clear, organized and help you grow your blog through private coaching. Contact me today to get started with blog coaching today.