As a WordPress consultant with over 5 years of experience running complex websites, I often get asked by clients about managing lengthy blog post series effectively.
Whether you want to turn your website into a mini-publishing empire with serialized novels or simply believe quality content requires an in-depth approach – structuring posts in a series has clear advantages.
But keeping your audience engaged across multiple installments poses challenges.
In this comprehensive guide, you‘ll get actionable tips to seamlessly manage post series in WordPress – so more readers stick around for the full journey.
Why Readers Can’t Resist Post Series
Well-executed post series compel readers to keep returning until the satisfying conclusion.
But more importantly, they also deliver other tangible benefits:
Higher engagement metrics: Post series receive 300% more comments and shares compared to one-off posts on average.
Better conversions: Callbox increased lead gen by 156% by switching to an educational 3-part email series.
More links & exposure: Each installment is another page that can rank and draw traffic through search/social shares. 79% of brands saw a traffic bump after launching a 5-7 part series.
Clearly, there are phenomenal marketing and growth opportunities with post series if you can retain audience interest.
Top Challenges of Running Post Series (And How to Solve Them)
After consulting countless bloggers and business owners on content strategy, I‘ve seen the same pitfalls trip them up when managing multi-part posts:
| Challenge | Solution |
|---|---|
| Keeping the storyline cohesive as new installments get added | – Outline the full narrative arc upfront – Stick to uniform title conventions e.g. Part 1, Part 2 |
| No system for organizing content across 20+ pieces | – Save all posts in a Collection to track status – Assign series-specific Categories/Tags |
| Order or links break when old posts need changes | – Reorder anytime with Issues and Series plugin – Use {post_title} text links between installments |
| Forgetting to promote new additions to regular readers | – Create an opt-in newsletter alerting subscribers of new releases – Promote on social media channels |
| Mixing up topics that should have separate series | – Limit to 5-8 posts per series – Create new Series categories as needed |
With the right WordPress tools and systematic approach, these hurdles disappear.
Next, let‘s explore how to effortlessly manage post series step-by-step.
Getting Started: 3 Quick Wins for Planning Your Series
Before you publish that first installment, here are a few best practices I recommend during strategy and writing:
1. Devise an editorial calendar
Map out all the entry titles or topics upfront so the narrative connects. This also helps:
- Forecast writing/promotion time: No more wondering "what‘s next?"
- Promote future releases: Share scheduled release dates to drum up anticipation
2. Determine optimal series length
Balance depth of content with audience appetite. I suggest:
- 5-8 posts for detailed topical coverage
- 10-15 parts for memoirs, novels etc.
The median number of posts per series is 7.2 if you need a benchmark.
3. Outline connections between each post
Readers need context tying posts together into one cohesive unit. Tactics include:
- Summarize previous key learnings at the start
- Link internally using anchor text e.g. As covered in Part 3…
- Write segue summaries previewing what’s next
Now let’s tackle WordPress management best practices once you start publishing.
Managing Live Post Series in WordPress
Once you click Publish on that first piece, stay organized with these proven systems:
Automate Series Navigation
Issues and Series is by far the most popular solution to automate connections. With 57,000+ installs, key perks are:
- Auto-inserts “This is Part X of Y” messaging
- Previous/next links between installments
- Rearrange order anytime
The free version works fine for basic needs.
Track All Installments in One Place
Rather than endlessly hunting for the next draft scattered among hundredsof posts – group together logically.
I recommend a private Series Collection including published and unpublished drafts. This streamlines:
- Monitoring progress: Stats overview shows # of completed vs. outstanding posts
- Managing workflow: Set all to “In Progress” status initially
- Planning promotions: See scheduled dates for all at a glance
Compare Top WordPress Series Plugins
While Issues and Series is adequate for most, here are leading alternatives with specialized features:
| Plugin | Benefits | Downsides |
|---|---|---|
| Series Engine | Custom post types for multi-media series, custom URLs, widget | No post order management |
| WP Series Widget | Lightweight, simple to add series navigation widget | Few other features |
| Text design for series, JSON feeds | Complex, techy |
Promote New Installments to Regular Readers
My clients often complain of seeing traffic slowly tail off with each new release. Don’t lose momentum!
- Notify email/SMS subscribers instantly through a newsletter
- Promote on social media to rerengage fans
- Relink within related content to redirect readers
- Refresh metadata so series surfaces prominently in search
Conclusion & Next Steps
With the right systematic approach, managing post series doesn‘t have to be painful or confusing even with 100+ pieces.
Hopefully the advice and actionable strategies in this guide gave you confidence to move forward with an ambitious series.
If you still have questions, don‘t hesitate to reach out via the comments or my contact page. I‘m always happy to offer 1-on-1 WordPress consulting for bloggers and business owners looking to take their sites to the next level.
Here‘s to effortlessly juggling post series like a pro!
