When I started blogging a year ago, I noticed all the blogs I read were posting daily. I just assumed that was protocol & jumping in head first was the way to go. I was so wrong.
After a month of blogging, I ran out of topics to blog about. Not even kidding. But, how could I run out of things to talk about if I was writing about my life? Wasn't my life filled with enough to curate such an online presence? It was. But, let's think of it this way...You attend your very first blog conference & meet your bloggy celebrity crush. If you pitch your life story in the first 15 minutes of greeting them, what else do you plan on talking about? So... here are 5 Reasons I Won't Blog Everyday.
Reason #1 - Quality vs. Quantity: You've read this before. Posting more often won't necessarily bring you more traffic. In fact, it could potentially push readers away. As bloggers, we're all vying for one anothers' attention. Posting less frequently will allow you the blogger to compose quality work for your readers. This is turn will give them a reason to "share" you - which ultimately brings more readers in. And isn't that our ultimate goal?
Reason #2 - Comment Volume: Posting less frequently gives your readers an opportunity to read ALL of your posts as opposed to choosing one out of five-six posts to read. This allows your comment volume to increase because your readers won't feel obligated to comment everyday. This is turn creates room for more quality commenting vs. "Hi - I'm --- Follow me here."
Reason #3 - Poor Content: The most successful blogs all have one thing in common = great content. Notice, I said great, not a lot. Like I said earlier, telling your life story in the first month of blogging does not a successful blog make. Unless you're an endless vessel of topics to discuss, show your readers a little anticipation and leave them coming back for more. I promise you - THEY WILL THANK YOU!
Reason #4 - Engagement: If you've been reading my blog lately, you're aware that one of my blogging goals this year is to build relationships with my readers. That means, I'll be taking more time for myself to spend getting to know these women. I want to give my readers what they want. And I can't get to know what they want if I'm spending hours a day coming up with a quality post. Instead, I'll plan ahead of time. So during the time when you all are reading ELA, I'll be emailing, Tweeting & encouraging.
Reason #5 - Life Standards: In the last year of my blogging experience, I've been more of an observer than a doer. I've watched bloggers get so obsessed with blogging that they lost themselves. And quickly. What goes up must come down, and they did. I didn't want to be one of those bloggers. Blogging is a lifestyle. It's a career for many. If I'm busy posting everyday, I have no time for my family, my friends, my education, and frankly, me. Blogging should not come first in my life. I should. And I am so confident that the more I take care of myself, the better I can serve my blog & readership.
CHALLENGE: Create a content calendar for 30 days & commit to no more than 4 posts a week. Schedule them as normal & sit back. Continue your behavior as a reader - commenting & engaging on the blogs you read. Be mindful of things like, quality of comments, stats at the beginning of the month & at the end of 30 days, and your specific content for that month. Keep a journal of how things are going. Do you find your posts are more high caliber? How is your reader engagement? Most importantly, how has the quality of your life & time improved? Aim to spend the time you would normally be posting on yourself, your family & other activities that are meaningful to you.
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DISCLAIMER: This system will not work for everyone. There are bloggers out there who should post everyday. If you're in an information niche, it's more beneficial to your readers to keep them on the cutting edge. Especially when information moves at the speed of light. If you are an established blogger whose readers are expecting daily posts, then keep it up. There are also those bloggers who feel like posting everyday encourages them to develop better writing habits. Great! If you are going to post everyday, I would suggest the following:
- KISS - Keep it simple. Short & sweet is the way to go for posting daily.
- PLAN - Have a library of posts waiting in the wings in case you run into a snag. All you have to do is publish & you won't lose out on quality content.
- VARIETY - Change up your routine. Include vlogging one day & image heavy posts another.
I hope you all find this helpful & be sure to let me know how your challenge goes!
