Blogging Basics 4: Posting Frequency

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Blogging Basics 4: Posting Frequency

March 29th 2009 12:04

Now that you have your blog subject and you've chosen where you're going to set up shop, the question of how frequently to post often springs to mind. Most bloggers start out enthusiastically posting several times a day, then slacken off, get bored or run out of ideas and quit: the best way to avoid this is to enforce a posting schedule on yourself.

It's generally accepted that the main reason for blogging is one of two things: to have a voice or to make some money. To this end, the important thing is to have an audience, preferably of regular visitors. It takes time to build this readership, of course - as we will see in a later issue of Blogging Basics - but the basis of traffic is regular posting.

In reality, even a single, weekly post will get visitors. Unfortunately, it will also mean that your readership grows extremely slowly. Remember that, unless your blog is truly stunning and people subscribe after a single visit, they'll have to remember to come back a whole seven days later.

The biggest, most popular blogs tend to post several times a day. They have the advantage of multiple authors or a single person dedicated almost full-time to the task, which is more than a new, individual blog has. However, the vast majority of blog readers tend to drop in on their favourite sites once or maybe twice a day. Consequently, the ideal frequency for posting would seem to be daily.

The best advice is given on a multitude of blogging sites all over the Internet: try to post five times a week, at least. A daily post is even better, but five is enough that one or two days with no activity pass as a sort of weekend, rather than indicating an inconsistent, dying blog. Most blogging software allows the user to pre-post items as well, so a second can be written and set to publish the next day if you know you'll be away, for example.

When it comes down to it, most successful blogs post between three and seven times a week, and usually on a regular schedule. That's not to say that it's always at the same time of day, but on the same days - or close. This not only gives the visitors a regular feed of new articles, but it also allows the blogger time to come up with interesting new ideas about which to write.

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Comments

16 Comments. [ Add A Comment ]

Comment by Janet Collins

March 29th 2009 13:06

Acceptable Etiquette
The Social Critic
Janet Collins Blog

Yes, I post several times a week but I've yet to get the regularity thing going. I know I should be more consistent but it just hasn't happened that way yet.

Comment by Spike 2

March 29th 2009 15:16

Qwerk
Peanut Butter

Same here, Janet. I think most folks are like that: trying to stick to a regime, but not finding it easy!

Comment by Morgan Bell

March 29th 2009 17:31

Deep Pencil
Business News
Movie Train

i just checked the archives of Deep Pencil and it seems for quite a few months i was doing up to 22 posts per month, but recently ive only been doing 10 or less per month . . . i guess ive been slacking!

Comment by Spike 2

March 29th 2009 17:53

Qwerk
Peanut Butter

Slapped wrists for Morgan!

I'll bet if you included all your blogs, there's a post somewhere every day, though!

Comment by Samantha Elley

March 29th 2009 23:58

Food Journo
The Sandwich Shak
Vintage Foodie
Little House among the Canefields

I am probably much newer than all you guys and am struggling with the regularity issue. Shall have to put more fibre into my writing

Sam

Comment by Spike 2

March 30th 2009 00:08

Qwerk
Peanut Butter

Hi Sam! Thanks for dropping in. I'm actually pretty new to it this time round (though I did blog for a year or two back around 2000). I struggle with the regularity thing as well, precisely because of wanting fibre in the writing, as you so eloquently put it. It's easy to say you'll post five times a week... but harder to find five subjects!

Comment by Wilson Pon

March 30th 2009 04:35

Health 2 Know
Adventure Toes
boxing sound
Business Rope
Fun Places 2 Travel

Hmm..., Spike. I would like to follow your instruction, as my blog posting schedule is really inconsistent. I tried to post at least twice per week and once I get time, I will post at least two posts per day!

Comment by Spike 2

March 30th 2009 08:35

Qwerk
Peanut Butter

Hi Wilson. If your blog's getting traffic with two posts a week, that's great - no reason to force a change! If you do have a two-post day, though, you can always schedule one to publish the next day. That way it spreads things out a bit. It doesn't work if it's a news item, of course...!

Comment by Postmodern Critic

March 30th 2009 10:38

Postmodern Critic
Relativity Watch
Padsoc

Hi Spike,

I post irregularly on most of my blogs... I try to update my primary blog (PmC) at least once a week, though.

Epiphanie

Comment by Spike 2

March 30th 2009 12:55

Qwerk
Peanut Butter

PmC strikes me as a blog that has a fairly dedicated readership (like Morgan's Pencil and Janet's Critic, among others). Fewer postings are normal because they're longer and more considered than something like daily sheep-herding news! They always seem to show up on the most popular (and I don't miss many, personally speaking!).

Comment by Postmodern Critic

March 30th 2009 13:00

Postmodern Critic
Relativity Watch
Padsoc

Thank you; you have cheered me up!

Best of luck with your blog too - I'll be back.

Comment by Whitney

March 30th 2009 13:42

The Female View
Pet Advice
Tech Stripe
Alternative Look

Good advice. I've heard for newer blogs, you should try posting at least 2 or 3 short blogs a day, and then as traffic starts to build go to at least 3 a week. Have you heard of this?

I try to post every other day for my pet advice and tech stripe blogs, and daily for female view. The other two I try to at least do one a week, although I would love to post more for the gaming blog; it's just hard when I can't look at gaming sites at work.

Comment by Spike 2

March 30th 2009 18:58

Qwerk
Peanut Butter

Hi Whitney. I'd heard that for new blogs, too - I suppose the idea is to establish a presence. Personally, I've not found it makes much of a difference posting a lot quickly, though it can be god to help build up a little stock of posts for the first visitors - gives more of an impression of having been there longer or something!

Comment by Whitney

March 30th 2009 20:20

The Female View
Pet Advice
Tech Stripe
Alternative Look

That makes sense. When I started female view, I posted a 3 a work-day and 2 a week-day, but decided one a day until traffic builds was good enough. I was running out of ideas posting so many in a day.

Comment by Carolyn Cordon

March 30th 2009 21:44

Light Within
How do You Express Your Creativity?
Food Leaf

I try to post at least once a week for all of my blogs, and am aiming for twice a week or more often.

I find that my oldest blog, on Blogger, gets the most traffic, even though I now post to it least often. I'm wondering how much daily traffic is a good amount, but then, the daily traffic numbers are rising, so I guess that's the important thing.

I'm still a long from the $100 payout that Adsense has. I dream of the day I'll get payout every month.

Got to go, blogs to post on.

I'm actually doing best on the blog I have on another website $10 payout and I got to that in a couple of weeks.

Comment by Spike 2

March 30th 2009 22:05

Qwerk
Peanut Butter

Whitney: That's why so many blogs die before they get to the point of making a little cash - the ideas run dry from posting too quickly!

Carolyn: Some things are better with age, eh? For a good overview of traffic and earnings, have a look at Chris's recent post on Bloggercises.

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