Black Friday Sale! 50% Off All Access

The Rule of 5 for Bloggers Paradoxically, nothing boosts the creative process like routine.

By William Ballard Edited by Dan Bova

Entrepreneur+ Black Friday Sale

Our biggest sale — Get unlimited access to Entrepreneur.com at an unbeatable price. Use code SAVE50 at checkout.*

Claim Offer

*Offer only available to new subscribers

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

I learned the concept of the Rule of 5 at a seminar, "The Rule of 5 for Leadership," by John Maxwell. Since then, I've heard the Rule of 5 for just about everything. The Rule of 5 is a list of the five essentials every day for our business or whatever is our main goal in life.

As an example, imagine you are standing on the back patio of your dream home. A tree that stands dead-center blocks your view of the glorious prairie hills behind your home. Your goal is to enjoy the prairie scenery but, to do so, you must get rid of the tree. You get your axe but this tree is massive, so you apply the "Rule of 5." You swing your axe five times a day until, one day, you have given that tree the final whack it needs to fall down. Now you can enjoy your prairie scenery. You fix a cup of coffee and enjoy your view in peace.

Related: 6 Strategies for Launching a Successful Blog

Your blog is that stubborn tree. Your goal is having thousands of people subscribing, buying your products and reaching out for your services. The five things you must do every day to achieve your goal are:

1. Create. Emphasize headlines and calls to action, as well as developing an editorial calendar. To begin learning the art of crafting persuasive headlines, read Advertising Headlines That Make You Rich (AFF) by David Garfinkel.

After the headline, focus on a call to action. Whether it is to comment on the blog, sign up to a newsletter, buy a product or service, every blog should lead the reader to an action step. Have a specific call to action for each blog post before you start writing. Knowing the action that you want the reader to take will inspire the content.

Finally, crafting an editorial calendar will save you time down the road. Have the entire month of blog posts scheduled on your editorial calendar. I usually spend the end of the month scheduling my editorial calendar for the next month. When next month comes along, all of my posts are filed away in the draft folder ready to be edited.

2. List hyperlinks and backlinks. Backlinks and hyperlinks direct the reader to an archived post on your website/blog, sales pages that you may have or to affiliate products that you promote. This step is very important for monetizing your blog effectively. Making a list of links to be added to the post will save time when you're ready to publish. Merge this with the first step.

Related: Bring Traffic to Your Site With These 4 Blogging Alternatives

3. Write. All you have to do is let the creative juices flow through your fingertips to produce valuable content your readers love. When you have completed the first two swings of the axe, writing the actual blog post is much easier.

The brain has a creative side and an editorial side. Which side is dominate varies by person. During the writing stage, shut off the editor side of the brain and let the creative side dominat, at least for the moment. Developing this skill will take some time but becomes second nature with intentional practice.

4. Edit. Editing is when you turn off the creative side of the brain and allow the editing side to take on the dominating role. Plug in those backlinks we talked about. Pay attention to your design and layout. Determine the best location on your blog for ads and other eye-catching promotions.

5. Publish. Now you are ready to publish your blog posts and share it with your raving fans. Provide a social sharing system on your blog so that readers can readily share their favorite posts with their friends. Don't forget to also connect your blogs RSS feed to your autoresponder email service provider (ESP) so that your blog post will automatically be sent out to your blogs loyal email subscribers.

Take these five swings of the axe daily and you will be well on your way to earning six figures directly from your blog.

Related: How to Get Paid to Blog

William Ballard

CEO and Founder of William Ballard Enterprise, LLC

William Ballard is the CEO of William Ballard Enterprise, where he blogs about writing, publishing, business, and entrepreneurship.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Science & Technology

I've Spent 20 Years Studying Focus. Here's How I Use AI to Multiply My Time and Save 21 Weeks of Work a Year

AI is supposed to save time, but 77% of employees say it often costs more time due to all the editing it requires. Instead of helping, it can become a distraction. But don't worry — there's a better way.

Money & Finance

Why Donald Trump's Business-First Policies Trump Harris' Consumer-Centric Approach

President Donald Trump's pro-business agenda is packed with policy moves encouraging investment to drive economic growth. The next Congress has a unique opportunity to support entrepreneurship and innovation, improving U.S. competitiveness with the rest of the world.

Business News

The Two Richest People in the World Are Fighting on Social Media Again

Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk had a new, contentious exchange on X.

Starting a Business

Why Are So Many Course Creators Struggling if It's 'Such an Easy Business'? Here's the Truth Behind the $800 Billion Industry

Creating an online course is so easy — at least, that's what many "gurus" would like you to believe. There's a lot of potential in the $800 billion industry, but here's why so many course creators are struggling.

Business News

Barbara Corcoran Says This Is the Interest Rate Magic Number That Will Make the Market 'Go Ballistic'

Corcoran said she praying for lower interest rates and people are "tired of waiting."

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.