6 Steps to Creating Traffic Generating, Time-Saving Roundup Posts

Roundup posts are fun to read. They also happen to do really well on Pinterest and drive a lot of traffic to your site. They are quick to make and help when you don’t have anything to write about. Follow these 6 simple steps to start adding these traffic generating, time-saving, posts to your crochet blog.

gefrorene_wand / Pixabay

1. Select Your Theme

(baby booties, baby sweaters, apples, coasters, scarves, etc.)

When selecting your theme, think about the weather, time of year, holidays, seasons, gifts, weddings, etc. You can also take a quick look at the crochet magazines to see what items are trending.

Here’s a sampling based on the editorial calendar for PieceWork Magazine:

• Historical projects – this could be crochet knowledge or a collection of period pieces like the roaring 20’s
• Entertainment – this could be anything to do with movies, television, theater, music, or even broadway shows
• Lace – you can highlight the best lace patterns, the best lace wedding dresses, or even antique patterns for lace curtains
• Travel – roundup patterns for travel or “travel around the world” with country inspired crochet patterns or designers
• Flora and Fauna – you can go a number of ways with this one, like selecting one single flower and sharing 10 different patterns for it OR your favorite woodland creatures patterns OR native birds to your region of the world
• Collections – this is a perfect time to highlight crochet collections like doilies, handkerchiefs, crochet hooks, or even crochet stories like “how I started crocheting” from 10 different people

2. Choose 10 – 20 crochet blogs/patterns

Ask for permission to use one photo in your roundup post. Add the link to your document.

You can ask your fellow crochet group members if they have a pattern they’d like featured or other crochet bloggers you socialize with.

When saving pictures, save to your computer hard drive or to Google Drive or Dropbox. NEVER direct link the photo on the designer’s blog. This is called “hotlinking” and is bandwidth theft. It’s not cool and when the designers know you’re doing this, they will NOT give you permission to use their photos in future roundups.

3. Write an introduction of about 100 words.

(My daughter is about to have a baby which inspired me to look at all the cute crochet projects I can make. I started imagining that I was rocking her to sleep so I thought an appropriate name would be 10 Free Crochet Patterns to Grant Sweet Dreams for Your Little Girl.)

This introduction is your personal reason for selecting the designs you featured. Were you inspired by the colors or the stitch? Maybe you really do have a daughter who’s having a little girl – just be sure that your personality shines here.

4. Make a picture collage in PicMonkey

With the photos (from step 2) Create your collage. (here’s a Youtube tutorial on how to do this.) Add your title to the collage. (10 Free Crochet Patterns to Bring Your Baby Sweet Dreams) .

You want to make a collage photo that can be easily shared on all social networks. A good size for a pinnable image is 700pix x 1000pix. This will include a tall picture for Pinterest and a wider but shorter image for Facebook and Twitter. (1200 x 650)

5. Start Your Blog Post

Go to Weebly (or BlogSpot) and sign in to your account. Start a new blog post and add your introduction, a photo (**remember only if you have permission to use it otherwise just use the collage**) and link to each crochet pattern.

Include a sentence or two about why you chose this pattern. (Twinkle Sweater Pattern by [insert designer name] on [insert blog name] is the perfect thing to keep your little one warm on chilly spring nights.)

Here’s a quick tip: When you link the patterns use your keywords for the hyperlinks. (ex. Crochet baby booties, Mittens crochet patterns for baby, etc.)

6. Ask a Question and Add a Call to Action

Finally, ask your readers which pattern they like the best and whether they know of a pattern to add to your list. You can ask anything you want here.

This is your conclusion as well as your call to action. (a fancy way of saying “invite your readers to comment or signup to your mailing list”)

Roundup posts can be used for any blogging niche and for any occasion. They are easy for you when you need a quick post and beneficial for the designers or blogs you choose to feature. It’s all good Karma!

Do you use roundup posts for your crochet blog?