Written on January 15th, 2010 at 12:01 am by Darren Rowse
Use it or lose it! 5 Tips on How to Keep Your Blogging Regular
“Use it or lose it!”
It’s a statement that can be applied to many aspects of life – not the least of which is building an online business.
I discovered this the hard way recently with one of my email lists – in fact the newsletter associated with this very blog here at ProBlogger.
Over two years ago I was sending out weekly newsletters to readers of this blog. They contained updates from the site, a few extra tips exclusive for subscribers, the odd competition, the occasional promotion and a bit of behind the scenes information on what I was doing.
The emails were converting well in terms of driving traffic and building community with readers and they even drove some affiliate sales from time to time. It was something well worth doing…..
But then I stopped.
I can’t really put my finger on why I stopped (it was a gradual thing and something I intended to get back to ) – perhaps it was because I started doing some of what I’d been doing in newsletters on Twitter, perhaps it was because I was simply getting too busy, or perhaps I was just getting lazy…. for whatever reason – I stopped sending weekly newsletters. In fact they slowed down to a point where I was lucky if I were sending them out every six months.
The problem is – six months is too long to go between newsletters. If you don’t use it – you lose it.
Six months without contact with subscribers is not a great way to build brand, trust, relationship, familiarity – it means that when you do send something it’s less likely to be read.
People forget they subscribed, people are more likely to view you with suspicion, people could feel slighted.
Some might call it letting your list go ‘cold‘ – I call it a big mistake.
It meant that when I recently restarted my newsletter that a large percentage of those who had subscribed were inactive, unresponsive and a few were quite angry about me emailing them because they had little idea why I was sending them emails out of the blue!
The same principle applies in other places too.
- Blogging/RSS Feeds – I recently spoke with a blogger who decided to take 12 months off blogging – he returned expecting traffic and reader engagement to pick up where he left off – he was surprised to find that while Feedburner still reported him as having subscribers that it was like starting again in building traffic.
- Social Media – people often describe using social media as developing a ‘presence’. Problem is – when you’re not actually ‘present’ for any length of time that ‘presence’ is hard to build. Whether it be on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn – when you let your account become inactive – in time the relationships that you have with those that you’ve previously connected with can go ‘cold’.
I guess it’s pretty much the same as real life – when you disappear unexpectedly from a circle of friends it can be a little awkward coming back to them – it sometimes takes time for the friendships to ‘warm up’ again.
5 Lessons to Help You Keep ‘Using It’ – Not ‘Losing It’
A few quick tips on keeping thing going – whether it be your blog, newsletter, Twitter account etc.
1. Don’t bite off more than you can chew
The temptation in this game is to commit to being active in too many places at once. Newsletters, Twitter, Blog, Facebook, Forums, LinkedIn…. and when you have more than one blog – multiply the accounts that you might potentially have!
In most cases it is better to do a few things well than to do many things poorly.
2. Regularity is more important than High Frequency
When asked ‘how much should I post on my blog’ I generally answer with ‘regularly’ and with ‘regularity’.
In my experience the actual frequency of posting doesn’t tend to matter as much as the ‘regularity’ of your posts. Bloggers tend to get into trouble when they move from posting at one level and then changing their frequency. Going from 3 posts a week to 5 posts a day is going to aggravate some of your readers. Going from 5 posts a day to once a month is also going to have a detrimental impact.
Post as regularly as you are able to sustain and try to develop a pattern to it so that readers know what to expect.
3. Under Promise and Over Deliver
If you’re not sure how much of something you’re able to sustain – pull back not he promises you make.
If you’re starting an email newsletter and you ‘hope’ to make it weekly but wonder if you can keep that up – advertise it as being ‘at least every month’ or every second week.
I guess it’s about identifying what the minimum is that you need to do to keep your list/blog/social media presence ‘warm’ and at least sticking to that as a minimum rather than attempting to do more than you can realistically do.
4. Build a Schedule
I used to be very impulsive in my online business. These days I’m much more reliant upon schedules. I set myself deadlines for blog posts, newsletters, forum interaction, social media interactions…. and more.
I still don’t achieve them all but without a schedule areas of what I do would fall dormant very quickly.
5. Have Someone (or Something) Manage You
Extending the schedule strategy is that I like to be ‘managed’ by someone or something.
This means that I have people around me who ‘remind’ (or tell) me when I need to do certain things.
‘Darren you need to get a newsletter out today’ is something I heard last Thursday from one of the people involved in my photography site.
‘Darren here are 3 threads you need to respond to in the forum’ is something that Lara told me earlier today (we use Basecamp to send these type of reminders/to do tasks).
I also set up systems for these type of alerts.
I use iCal on my mac and iPhone to set up alerts at certain intervals to remind/tell me to do certain tasks. These range from monthly alerts to pay affiliates, to weekly alerts to send newsletters, to daily alerts to have certain articles written by.
I do have some internal alerts too – by this I mean that I know before I go to bed each night that I need to have 3 posts set to go off on my blogs while I sleep. I don’t need to set myself an alert for these because its just what I do each day – they’ve become automatic internalized rhythms.
What do You Do?
How do you keep your blogging and other activities regular so that you don’t let things go cold? Looking forward to reading some of how you approach this.
111 Responses to “Use it or lose it! 5 Tips on How to Keep Your Blogging Regular” - Add Yours
My Business Listings
January 15th, 2010 12:30 am
Hmm, those are some nice tips. I use these too. I have another method to it.
There are some times, where I have ample time in my hand, and I want to write. I write some posts and schedule them to be posted automatically later on. And that helps a lot too.
I am planning to keep using the same strategy on my new blog:
http://mybusinesslistings.blogspot.com/
Let’s see how it goes.
Tom Smith @ Studentspayless
January 15th, 2010 12:31 am
Hello Darren, Brilliant post! Something I have funnily enough recently started focusing on. As my blog is extremely new I wanted to get in a routine before I got into bad habbits. So what I did was buy a diary, so I set my clear tasks for the day and make sure I complete them, it works extremely well because it starts forming a routine. Currently I post 3 times a week, which is well in my comfort zone, but in the near future, aslong as I feel comfortable I will look at increasing this!
http://www.studentspayless.com
Preston
January 15th, 2010 12:35 am
I simply set a schedule and my readers know that every 4 to 5 days, they can expect something from my blog.
Also, I think your frequency should depend on your readership. A blog like problogger can afford to put out posts on a daily basis, whereas some blogs might flounder under the weight.
That’s why blogging is so great. each person can have success even though they go about doing it in very distinct and unique ways.
Thanks for the article, Darren.
Tim Walker
January 15th, 2010 12:38 am
Love this post, Darren — right back to the brass tacks.
I’ve gone through long spells of great regularity in my blogging, but I’ve also had months (and longer periods) when everything was too haphazard. “Catch as catch can” definitely is NOT the way to build a connection to an audience, or even to figure out what the nature of that audience is.
With the start of the new year, I’ve gone back to basics myself, committing to at least one post every day on my personal blog, and at least one post per weekday on my business blog. No big deal, no particular length requirement, no specific traffic targets for now — just something every day. That takes some of the pressure off.
I track my progress in a spreadsheet, and every consecutive day in this string gets highlighted in blue, so that my momentum shows up visually right there on the screen. (This is a trick I stole from Jerry Seinfeld.) I’d hate to miss a day, because then the streak would be dead, and I’d have to take away the blue highlights and start all over again. That puts the right amount of pressure back on.
Grant Griffiths
January 15th, 2010 12:41 am
“Regularity is more important than High Frequency”
That statement alone is really the key. No matter what you do, pick a schedule and stick to it. Even if it is only posting once a week or twice a month. Your readers will come to expect this schedule and will know when you don’t stick to it.
Kathy
January 15th, 2010 12:41 am
Thanks Darren, These are things that I have been pondering and thinking about over the last month. I am a relatively new blogger but want to grow my readership and I know consistency is a large part of this. These are great guidelines and this post helps give me some direction. Thanks so much!
Nhoel
January 15th, 2010 12:47 am
Don’t bite off more than you can chew
it’s really important to do one thing at a time…
jack of all trade is a master of nothing.
thanks,
-Nhoel of http://keywordspeak.com
Salma
January 15th, 2010 12:50 am
Darren, this is just something i was thinking about today as I got a regular guest-posting offer in my email and I wondered what kind of commitment I could realistically make w.r.t. frequency. I’m also setting up a newsletter and intend to keep it once a month, rather than try and over-achieve at this early stage in the game.
I find that when I HAVE to write X number of posts every week, my inspiration tends to dry off. So instead I keep a diary with article ideas and write one whenever I have the time, energy, inspiration to do it. Of course my blog is only about 2 months old so I can get away with it at this point. But I hope to establish a more regular routine when I take up blogging more seriously.
Davor Gasparevic @ Internet marketing ebooks
January 15th, 2010 12:55 am
I have a simple goal of making 15-20 posts a month, which makes around 1 post every second day. I try to have at least 1-2 my own tweets on Twitter every day.
I don’t have a schedule written or laid out anywhere specifically, but like you said, I have an internal rythm – “Read your favorite blogs: 1-2 hours” “Get out and do some backlinking: 2-3 hours” “Participate in forums and groups: 1-2 hours” and finally make a blog post every 2nd day on average.
It doesn’t go in that order every day, because when I go by the same routine every day, I get bored and sloppy, lazy, and I start to procrastinate and delay my duties.
I still don’t have a newsletter, but those few (RSS) followers that subscribed to my blog I tend to keep them coming back to my blog as much as I can.
Hear Mum Roar
January 15th, 2010 12:55 am
I think this is just the time of year that everyone needs this wake up call. Thank you so much!
Vishal Sanjay
January 15th, 2010 12:56 am
Agree Darren, loved this post. I’ve also bookmarked it and tweeted about it. Thanks a lot.
http://www.dumblittleblogger.com/
AJ in Nashville
January 15th, 2010 1:09 am
Thank you Darren, for yet another useful, thought-provoking post! You don’t know how big an inspiration you’ve been to me! Your TwiTips post from a little more than a year ago about the “Ten People All Twitter Beginners Should be Following,” was one of the first articles I read as a newcomer to SocMed, and it totally opened my eyes to what Twitter is all about.
And again, you hit the nail right on the head with this post. Although I only got started with Twitter in late 2008, I’ve been blogging since 2004. My biggest problem has ALWAYS been consistency. Now I’m writing two blogs, so, as you say, double that problem!
I will take your suggestions to heart and hopefully solve my own “boy who cried ‘wolf’ issues and rebuild my readership over the coming year.
I just wanted to comment to say thanks for all you do in being the epitome of the true, ‘PRO’ Blogger! Keep up the great work!
SEAN
January 15th, 2010 1:33 am
Very interesting article here!!! I keep wondering what I can do to make this more entertaining … advice I have received follows along the same lines as your message here. I just need to keep plugging along, I read from your words …
Wilson Usman
January 15th, 2010 1:34 am
I am barely new to blogging but I really taking to heart consistency since I have to get my blog of the ground with Great content.
I don’t think it should matter much once it takes off, but that’s just my opinion.
I think people understand unless you are running a behemoth blog with 20 blogger to write for you, you are not always going to be able to write them interesting articles everyday.
If you are giving them a unique article a week they will find you more valuable.
I think psycologically I would think a blog that only posted once a week is really taking their time to write that post.
thanks for the post darren
Gbell - Internet Business Made Easy
January 15th, 2010 1:43 am
I started my blog with the desire to post everyday, but I see that it just is not really necessary. I am starting to post every other day depending on what is going on in the industry. I still try to post any crazy updates if they happen. I usually just write most of my posts in a few days and then schedule them out to keep them routine. I usually get in a writing mode for a bit, so it is easy for me to write multiple posts.
Dave
January 15th, 2010 1:44 am
Definitely important. Even the short break over the holidays killed some of my momentum.
Fate
January 15th, 2010 1:47 am
There’s not doubt that consistency is important. When a blog shows up in my RSS reader once a month or less it just tends to annoy me.
Dana @ Blogging Update
January 15th, 2010 1:57 am
Be schedulers seems can work great to improve our reputation in blogosphere.
Trevor Bowers
January 15th, 2010 1:58 am
Great post Darren, thank you. I have been using outlook for reminders and scheduling, but I am liking the looks of Basecamp, thanks for that idea.
I think the most valuable thing here is getting someone else involved and holding you accountable. We are our best boss, we are not as hard on ourselves. Great tip.
Nick@Subject2.com
January 15th, 2010 2:03 am
These are great tips! I’ve really started to increase my post count by I’m trying to slow down the pace of the increase so that those who follow my posts don’t get aggravated to quickly and become used to the increase as it happens.
beth aka confusedhomemaker
January 15th, 2010 2:06 am
For me thinking of this analogy as helped: Blogging is like a marriage. In the newlywed phase you do everything a lot, then you can settle into a routine. Sometimes if you take for granted the routine you fall into & start to just assume the relationship will stay the same when really the relationship will collapse if you don’t put for daily effort. It might not be that you blog daily but you connect in other ways that are consistent & show you care about your craft. You connect & make the connection matter because what you are doing matters to you as do the people who are kind enough to actually read it.
This Mama Works It!
January 15th, 2010 2:07 am
great post! I agree with tom’s comment from studentspayless. i am trying to establish good habits before bad ones emerge. I am trying to decide on a schedule for my blog right now. My thoughts when I started was to write on a schedule. But being a very busy working mom I find that I don’t have a lot of time to write and I pretty much write when I can.
But…I am keeping a blog journal. I carry it everywhere with me. So if something pops in my head I just write it down. SO when I actually get a minute to blog I just pull out my notebook.
So my focus this week is to get my blogging much more organized.
hinnerk
January 15th, 2010 2:10 am
Having someone to kick your a.. to get to work is always a working solution. It’s a fact, that changing the frequency of posts is for many readers a very disturbing thing. Readers want a continous flow and want to know how often they have to visit you – even if they got the news presentet via RSS-Feeds as they come up.
I am running a blog for quite a wile about my travels. Since a sailor not always has an internt at hand I am more regular when there is a wlan at a harbour and less active if I have to find other locations to access the internet. Changing back from a monthly to a weekly post level is always feels like a restart of the site. It turned out to be very useful to have someone keeping readers on the site by posting some Updates like positions or simply answering comments on behalf.
Retro Chick
January 15th, 2010 2:12 am
I’m starting to feel the need to schedule myself more recently.
Those are some excellent tips that I’ll start trying to take on board.
When I started blogging I signed up for every social media network I could find and now I can’t even remember what half of them were let alone being an active member!
Kelsey
January 15th, 2010 2:15 am
This post really couldn’t come at a better time for me. I was just kicking myself for getting so behind with my posts on my social media/internet marketing blog (http://thesocialrobot.com) and these tips really seem like they could help me. I think I just need to get into a schedule of posting, or do all my posts sunday night and schedule them to be posted throughout the week.
Jackie
January 15th, 2010 2:27 am
I use Google Calendar to schedule my time. I’ll typically have quite a few tasks on there each day, but I know that there are two things I absolutely must do no matter what: spend time with my family and write a blog post. Every other thing can be canceled if need be, but I don’t go to bed until those two are done. Basically, I prioritize and commit.
Of course, I do also “try” to write one extra post each week that I schedule for the future. That way I can build up a store of posts that I can rely on during vacation. (Because I also believe that occasional breaks are helpful. They just shouldn’t be breaks that ate visible to my readers.)
Erica Mueller
January 15th, 2010 2:29 am
I just contributed a post to blissfullydomestic.com (Learning/Blogging cat) and used the same term: Use it or Lose It in regards to speeding up a site’s load time!
Daniel Johnston
January 15th, 2010 2:45 am
Because I am a student, it is sometimes hard to keep up my blogging schedule. I do have a schedule of how many posts I want each day, how many video posts, when to write posts, etc., but because my homework varies, it is extremely hard to keep up with. For that reason, I have an entire team of associates bloggers (though since I personally know them, I don’t actually pay them any money; they’re happy to do it for free) who I e-mail each day asking them if they’ve read a book recently (Book reviews is a big part of my blog), have a writing tip (that’s another big part), or know of any books that they don’t have the time to read but they’ve heard good things about. I also schedule posts a lot and hold these guest posts in the wings until I need a post or when it’s their turn to post. Not optimal, no, but it’s the best I can do at the moment.
Ms. Freeman
January 15th, 2010 3:00 am
I agree regularity is key to a successful newsletter campaign, but I also notice that a lot of bloggers send too many updates and I end up having to unsubscribe. Why? Because I already read their blog and I don’t want to be bombarded with affiliate links and “special” deals.
Then there are those that do it just right and I look forward to hearing from them once or twice a month. :)
abercrombie uk
January 15th, 2010 3:23 am
very good advice, it’s just it’s too difficult to stick to something for a long time.
Online Dating Tips
January 15th, 2010 3:30 am
Time management is so important therefore we should make our daily schedule. We have to accomplish each objective before doing something else
Free Article Directory
January 15th, 2010 3:32 am
Two items that stand out here:
Under Promise and Over Deliver and Regularity is more important than High Frequency. Both very important, not just in the blogging world, but it applies to pretty much any other industry or field.
If you continue to be consistent, you will see results, thats a fact.
Some best practices that we use is look for new angles or approaches to keep it interesting for our members and readers. Small things that might not seem significant at the time takes you a long way
Rick
January 15th, 2010 3:47 am
Great post. I agree, regularity is essential when blogging. I think quality is much more important than quantity, though. Personally, I’m much more likely to follow a blogger who writes one excellent post a week than another who posts every day just for the sake of it.
Srinivas Rao
January 15th, 2010 4:11 am
I think the concepts here apply to more than just blogging. Any skill you have you will lose if you do not use it. Even when playing a sport, if you practice daily you will improve at it dramatically. But if you take a ton of time off, you will make backwards progress.
Si
January 15th, 2010 4:16 am
I’m trying to decide one everything I need to do each day, and make a schedule to do so. Does anyone know of any good PC software, which is free, that I can use to keep a schedule.
Thanks for any help
Steve Churchill
January 15th, 2010 4:24 am
Darren,
I think the challenge of keeping the blogging regular goes clear back to your blog’s inception. Is the theme of the blog something you would want to write about even if you didn’t have to write about it? Is the topic the type of thing you think about when you don’t have to think about anything else?
If we can answer “yes” to these questions, the challenge won’t be so great. If we answer “no,” then the work is cut out for us!
Thanks!
Sheila Atwood
January 15th, 2010 4:25 am
I use a weekly battle plan and then narrow that down to the tasks that need to be done daily to meet the weekly plan.
I haven’t used iCal yet. Good idea.
Sheila
Calvin
January 15th, 2010 4:44 am
I find that both in my work life and my personal life (think honey-do list), my creativity and procrastination level comes and goes. When I first started my blog, I would have lots of ideas and then post one after another. When my creativity level was gone, I would sometimes have gaps in my content.
I then decided to keep more posts as drafts and only publish the content on a regular basis. I agree with you that this helps the readers to know when to expect content.
It is still a work in progress and thanks for the tips above!
Calvin @ http://www.MakingMoneyOnlineMethods.com
The Casual Observer
January 15th, 2010 4:46 am
I’ve compiled a staff of about 10 writers. There’s new content on the site every day, but I only write 3-4 times most weeks.
Kelli @ 3 Boys and a Dog
January 15th, 2010 4:48 am
I have tasks set up in my outlook and I have a blog schedule in my BusyBodyBook. Between the two.. oh, plus I have a daily to do list. So, between the 3, I get plenty of reminders to get stuff done. :-) I am a VERY busy mom of 3 little boys, so I need all the reminders I can get to keep me from getting too side-tracked with them. :-)
Michael Verhuur
January 15th, 2010 5:08 am
Hi Darren,
I especially like your third point.
Under Promise and Over Deliver
You can apply this to multiple disciplines.
It’s better to surprise someone with better work than that they expect.
But how can you handle all these sites: (Twitter, Blog, Facebook, Forums, LinkedIn)? Afterall, you have to work too.
And according to Timothy Ferriss, you can do this in 4 hours per week. See the book: The four hour work week.
Tomas Stonkus
January 15th, 2010 5:20 am
Well, I have been using Twitter Feed which posts my blog entries to both Facebook and Twitter. Also there are many social networking platforms which just link to one another. For example, LinkedIn allows you to post your Twitter post as your status on LinkedIn.
So essentially, I am using Twitter Feed to post in three places at the same time :) Seems to be working well and saves a bunch of time. I don’t even have to think about Tweeting about my post – Twitter Feed does it automatically.
Best,
Tomas
Pinoyblogtips
January 15th, 2010 5:35 am
Regularity and over delivering is really the key to have a successful blog, building your own schedule helps you to make blogging regular
Lynn Palermo
January 15th, 2010 5:35 am
Hi Darren
My blog is 8 months old. I didn’t think I could blog every day when I first started. I started out once a week, pushed it to 3 times a week and now I blog 5-7 times a week. I discovered the more I blogged, the more I material there was to blog about. Now, I have no lack of topics. My niche market is genealogy. I find it important to schedule topics so 3 out of 5 posts I try to stick to themes, such as beginners basics, writing a family history book and online genealogy learning. The other 2 posts are for articles that fall outside of these themes, and if I get up to 7 posts well that usually is because some hot news relevant to the genealogy industry has happened that I feel I must comment on. This works for me, now. However, I think the lesson is the more we blog the more we evolve and therefore so does our blog.
Lita C. Malicdem
January 15th, 2010 6:31 am
Too much too soon invaluable information here for me. Scheduling my writing, posting with regularity, and analyzing content- I contend with, but I’m happy to be around. I’m learning. Been to blogging barely few months. Thank you for this information-rich blog. I really need help for tips on quality time blogging.
Rod Kirby@The Success Center
January 15th, 2010 6:42 am
Hey, Darren, my editorial calendar rules my blogging life. I use Google Calendar to assign tasks and, like you, try to set up posts for the next day. What’s interesting, is that I don’t schedule my social activity because it’s always been a part of my life in general. So, I don’t have much of a problem getting on Facebook and Twitter and updating.
One thing that helps me is to choose on 3 things I know I can regularly update such as Facebook, Twitter, and my blog. I stick to those and crush my daily tasks. I don’t get caught up in using too many social networking platforms.
Lastly, interacting on other blogs tends to be the thing that gets done the least by me. So what I’ve been doing lately is, if I’m going to share an article on Twitter that someone posted, I comment first then share it.
Sudeep
January 15th, 2010 6:55 am
Being Regular as you say is the key some times . I get busy some times and those are the times when I use some guest bloggers to blog for me ..But this has to be done all in advance . End minute thing is really hard to do ..
David Walker
January 15th, 2010 8:03 am
You’re so right Darren, especially about biting off more than one could chew.
With the way blogging has evolved in recent years, there’s so much pressure to do this and that that it’s easy to get overwhelmed and then start underperforming, at the cost of readers and subscribers.
Thanks for discussing this because there was a lesson in there for all of us.
I plan to adhere to strict schedules this year with daily, weekly and monthly objectives. I find it makes it easier for me to focus on what I need to do and to get it done.
Kathy
January 15th, 2010 9:26 am
I started a calendar exactly like the ones I use for my kids’ weekly chores. You don’t work, you don’t get any allowance!
Michelle
January 15th, 2010 9:26 am
Wow, this post could not be more timely for me. I am just procrastinating about sending out my newsletter, which is just once a month updates on whats new etc.
The ironic thing is that my niche is time management, and I have just done a whole section on procrastination, and here I am – procrastinating! Ok heading off to rip off the band-aid!
Roger Harris
January 15th, 2010 9:30 am
Hey Darren,
Nice post, as always! ;) Your honesty and reflection are refreshing.
One point to expand on is the issue of content. It seems pointless to have a clockwork regular newsletter barebones of just full of advertising crap.
The key here is to have a strategy, as I always advise clients. Know who your audience is and what you’re trying to achieve with the newsletter. It’s not just a matter of regurgitating blog posts. You want unique value ad that can’t be found elsewhere.
Personally, I think a newsletter is harder than blogging. You need to plan ahead and yet keep the content exciting and fresh. That’s harder to do when you might be developing content over a couple of weeks.
But a sound strategy can help deal with that and other issues.
Nick
January 15th, 2010 9:32 am
I’m agree Darren, high frequency isn’t always important. I prefer a blogger who writes a great post every 5 days than another who writes bad post every day.
Darren Rowse
January 15th, 2010 9:39 am
nice analogy Beth – blogging is like a marriage….
Darren Rowse
January 15th, 2010 9:40 am
Ms Freeman – too much updating is the other side of the coin and something that needs to be thought through carefully. The #1 reasons people unsubscribe from blogs is too many posts (at least it was in a poll I ran a while back).
Darren Rowse
January 15th, 2010 9:41 am
Sheila Atwood – ooh, a weekly battle plan is a great idea…. love that terminology :-)
Chris
January 15th, 2010 10:12 am
I suppose that one must always be consistent. Very good point!
Stocks on Wall Street
January 15th, 2010 10:37 am
Great tips man.
Inside the Webb
January 15th, 2010 11:17 am
It’s difficult to keep up with blogging, most people lose interesting and find they don’t think it’s really possible to make money with blogs anymore. At that point they let their blogs run dry of content for months, killing their readership and any hopes of actually making money with their blogs
Nimit kashyap
January 15th, 2010 12:03 pm
“Use it or lose it!” Totally correct and i also like the point about regularity and frequency of blog posting.
Aaron - HelpCreatePlan.com
January 15th, 2010 12:13 pm
Lots of beneficial points in this article.
I was ‘biting off more than I could chew’ in terms of social media. I was spreading myself too thinly everywhere last year…and simply couldnt keep up. It all got painful and tiring. So now, i’m keeping it to a few avenues and building up slowly.
Thanks for the this post Darren.
Taylor at Household Management 101
January 15th, 2010 12:52 pm
I know what you mean about the newsletter subscribers. I had a good newsletter going, but stopped for a couple of months, and my open rates really tanked when I started back up. I’m still trying to get my open rates back up to where they were before.
Maven
January 15th, 2010 1:37 pm
I try to put out a blog everyday. I publish it at 12:01 every evening – that way it’s ready for morning reading. The biggest amount of traffic to my blog comes in the morning.
Thanks for this! It’s very important for bloggers to remember that regularity, as in life ;) is also the key in blogging.
Donny Gamble
January 15th, 2010 2:31 pm
You definitely need a schedule when it
comes to blogging because it is very
easy to get distracted from what you are
doing.
I have developed a nice routine of what
I do on a daily basis, so I don’t get caught
up with doing things that are not worth my
time
The Web Tycoon
January 15th, 2010 2:35 pm
When I was building a new website, I went from post dayly to post once every 10 days, and my stats descended by 68% in a week.
Leigh Michael Dengis
January 15th, 2010 2:41 pm
I write a sports blog, so there is always stuff happening all the time during the season. I try to write a post once a day, twice if I can. What keeps me going is the idea that I will lose readers if I don’t comment or report on an event. If nothing is going on or it’s the off-season, I think about topics to write about as I go about my day.
Diabetes Mellitus Info
January 15th, 2010 3:08 pm
I choose to use it :D
Phillip Gibb
January 15th, 2010 5:38 pm
I try to do series every now and again set them up and post them in a realistic manner.
Also I have a regular Friday post that keeps things going.
Bojan
January 15th, 2010 7:06 pm
Daren,
Thank you very much for your advices. I have just started putting all of my blogs online and I just bought myself a domain today and I am ready to get any advices from experts like yourself.
This is great tutorial on how to write regularly.
Thank you
Eric
January 15th, 2010 9:41 pm
It’s important to post something on a regular basis and keep to that. What I also think is something to look at is involving your readers in your writings. Asking them what they feel is best. What they want.
They will like it when you post on a regular basis, sure. But when you ask them how they feel and involve them in your decision as such, it gives much more power to them and shows them so much more about your blog and who you are as well as how you feel about them and your relationship.
Keep your readers involved regardless of what you do and you’ll go much further, also making sure you’re completely and one hundred percent honest with them.
Great post, Darren! :)
E-currency Directory
January 15th, 2010 11:19 pm
Very good points indeed and I especially liked the first idea because many times while surfing and searching the net you would find some blogs lacking consistency or actually biting about the bushes, incoherent and talking about everything and nothing.
Focusing over the topics you have the knowledge and would indeed love to write about is the key to success as after a while such maintained blog would be receiving targeted traffic on the net.
Mike Magan
January 16th, 2010 12:24 am
I feed it 3 tps of fiber and wheat germ a day to keep it “regular” and balanced.
BloggerDaily
January 16th, 2010 12:34 am
I got problem when trying to make blogging activities regular and I found that your point is so relevant. I’m looking to make a blogging schedule for myself. Thanks a lot!
Jimbo
January 16th, 2010 1:18 am
The excitement of starting a new blog is infectious and one’s creative juices start to conjure up other blogs to develop in conjunction with the first. Before long, it’s easy to find yourself with more than you can handle effectively. I so appreciated this article Darren, and identified personally with each problem.
ZK @ Web Marketing Blog
January 16th, 2010 1:24 am
Regularity is the MOST IMPORTANT AND VITAL FACTOR.
If you will be able to manage it than success will start following you.
BlogTech
January 16th, 2010 1:52 am
I have realized this point 1 week ago.I have decided to post 5 posts a week.
Joi
January 16th, 2010 1:58 am
Advice of the decade: “In most cases it is better to do a few things well than to do many things poorly.”
This article is, in my opinion, what separates Darren Rowse from (as far as I can tell) every other blogger in this field: He doesn’t try to come across as walking on water! He isn’t afraid to say, this is where I slipped….. so watch out!
Great post, great reminders – thanks!
Ellen
January 16th, 2010 2:25 am
Your post came at a most opportune time. I’ve been writing my gluten free blog for four years. I’d very much like to increase my gluten free presence on the internet and be considered one of the most reliable go-to gluten free blogs for those looking for gluten free information (how many times can you write gluten free in one post??!!!).
I wonder if your advice applies, no matter what type of blog. In my case, how much is enough or how much is too much when it comes to posting about gluten free recipes, gluten free cooking and adhering to a gluten free diet? I don’t know the answer and would pose it to your readers. Just exactly how much regularity is appropriate to maintain and even build my subscribers? To build my brand?
Thank you Darren. Your Problogger blog is certainly my reliable go-to blog for information on improving my blogging skills.
Best, Ellen
Melissa O'Connor
January 16th, 2010 2:53 am
Great Post! We are redeveloping one of our websites http://ceilingfan.org/ into a blog right now and reading this article helps me start off on the right foot with the blog. We are also updating our other blog http://www.bloglighting.com/ which really has been updated in the past year. That blog kinda applies to your “use it or lose it” title. But our plan this year is it to have scheduled blogs on both sites and keep them up to date.
Thanks again :)
Melissa
sheila glazov
January 16th, 2010 3:26 am
Perfect timing. I was just chatting with a blogger friend about feeling overwhelmed. This post is just what I needed. I appreicated everyone’s comments. Nice to learn some new tips to reorganize my BRAIN!
Dr. Tyson
January 16th, 2010 3:59 am
Good tips. I would also add that linking your accounts together is a great way to save time & keep current. I have my blog linked to my Facebook which is linked to my Twitter which is linked to my LinkedIn so when I post a new blog it is automatically posted on Facebook,Twitter & LinkedIn. =)
Marcus Sheridan, The Sales Lion
January 16th, 2010 5:06 am
Thanks for such a transparent post Darren, this really helped me understand a few of the issues I’ve been dealing with. Keep up the great work.
Janice
January 16th, 2010 7:21 am
I’m one of those people who, once they make a commitment they stick to it. I’ve promised readers 3 posts a week and that’s what I deliver. But the cost can be high. It can be stressful.
Beyond being stickler on delivering what I promise, I also have a blogging partner. We’re both travel bloggers and we help each other stay on track. We brainstorm ideas and answer questions because, after all, we’re travel people first – not bloggers. Any blogger can get a partner at the Global Bloggers Network.
Terry
January 16th, 2010 7:44 am
Great post as usual. Darren!
What I would like to see you make a future post about – is blogs on hiatus. Making sure you leave with notice instead of abandon.
I have recently come across many abandoned blogs. Often the info is valuable and it would be nice to have an official ending or a statement announcing the reason for the “holiday/vacation”.
What do you think?
Daquan Wright
January 16th, 2010 12:01 pm
Since I work with web development and such I’ll need to be working on projects consistently. Plan to blog about what work I do, so I figure that is the best way to stay afloat. I agree that consistency is key and often that applies to many things in life.
Nadja Specht
January 16th, 2010 12:16 pm
Great Post! I really liked the point about “under promise and over deliver”.
I am at the beginning of my blogging career :0) and I am still trying to find the right rhythm.
I started out telling my readers that each Monday I would post a review about a tool (social media/ marketing/ entrepreneurship). Pretty quickly I found myself not being able to keep that Monday deadline. So I went back and communicated that I would post these reviews “regularly” and I am trying to do so weekly.
So what that taught me is to better not commit to a specific day. But to keep it a little bit vague, so that I have some wiggling room.
Daryl Williams
January 16th, 2010 2:51 pm
I have a website that has gone stagnant. I have lost motivation. Recently I started a blog (1 website and 1 blog) and hesitating to write a post. Double trouble now. Thanks Darren for your blog and newsletter because it is urging me on to get moving. A schedule seems like the answer to get a rythm going. Keep the articles and motivating prompts coming Darren. It is most appreciated.
Dave
January 16th, 2010 6:16 pm
Interesting article.
What I found most interesting was how you can anger readers by going from once a week to 5 times a week.
I would love for someone to elaborate on how you make readers mad by posting too much. I’m new to this, and I don’t see how that works…
Sami Malallah
January 16th, 2010 9:23 pm
I started bogging recently with the energy to write one post every day, but then I held my self back and started writing posts and schedule them for future publication. By scheduling I had time for my self when I am busy and my readers would not miss my posting. I set my expectation to have regular traffic after one year from now, not before that.
Biang
January 16th, 2010 9:24 pm
I build a blog schedule for my site. I just started doing that & so far it worked!
Sabrina
January 17th, 2010 12:36 am
As you’ve now heard about a million times…..”Thanks for this post”. I’ve been having a hard time figuring out why I’m dealing this recent lag. I have posts (good ones, I think) but for some reason I haven’t felt good about publishing. I’m motivated when I started these post but as I’m drawing to a close, I start doubting them.
My blog is only a few months old as well and I think my biggest problem has been comparing my blog to others and, like you mentioned, implement too many things at once. I think I started trying to promote my blog too soon, adding unnecessary stress. After awhile, blogging started feeling like another job.
Like many, I take a pen and pad everywhere so writing isn’t the problem….posting is. I think blogging first thing in the morning and scheduling my posts to publish at a later time will take the pressure off a little. Working from a “blog today/publish today” mindset leaves little room for drafts, do overs and life. Having blogs waiting in the wings might just work for me.
There appears to be a number of ways to get consistency under your belt. Thanks to all for sharing the “hows”.
Blog Marketing Diva
January 17th, 2010 3:22 am
Great Post!
This is something that I do regularly. When it comes to blogging we can very distracted by the many different things we can do when it comes to internet marketing.I have very narrowed down approach when it comes to marketing my blog and participating on my blog. I have also learned the importance of “use it or lose it”. I am constantly sending out FREE goodies to my list to make sure I keep them focused.
http://www.blogmarketingdiva.com
blogging for money
January 17th, 2010 4:45 am
There’s nothing wrong with having a lot on your plate. You just have to prioritize and schedule tasks so the readers don’t lose interest or forget about you altogether. Good luck.
Onepot
January 17th, 2010 1:27 pm
I have identified 4 days that are best for me and try to post then every week. There’s usually an additional mini-post at some point over the weekend as well. It’s a nice pattern that’s become quite ingrained even after only 3 months of blogging.
Dan Pressler
January 18th, 2010 1:32 pm
Hey Robert! Good info, thanx! I’m brand new to blogging (have not yet done my first post) and appreciate the ‘real world’ advice. I find a number of the comments to be most useful as well…thanx again! BTW…yours is a great blog too!
All the best,
Dan
free online games for kids
January 18th, 2010 6:20 pm
Nice tips. One of my regularity is visiting problogger and learn new stuff. I love this site :)
Myrtle Beach Condos
January 18th, 2010 8:06 pm
One thing is certain, you cannot rehash your content or quote others. Readers have a way of seeing through that. You need to be new and bright and unique all the time.
Facebook Developer
January 18th, 2010 8:17 pm
Peoples are really getting intrest in Blogging today. Many of them actually dont know how to update it and how often update it. I almost update my blog on regular purpose. But your points are seems to be effective for newbie bloggers. Really appreciated!
TC
January 19th, 2010 2:32 am
Good advice. I should take your tip and try to have more regularity with my blog postings.
(As an aside, I noticed some typos in your writing; what’s the first thought that comes to your mind when you notice it on blogs you read?)
Kim inspirational thoughts
January 19th, 2010 2:40 am
Darren,
Thank you so much for this post. I’ve recently decided to dedicate myself to building a successful blog. Problogger and you are one of my main sources of inspiration and information. I greatly appreciate your willingness to share your expertise, knowledge, and experience.
Marsanne
January 19th, 2010 7:16 am
I am constantly trying to build traffic to my blog, but have fallen short. For a good while, my posting was sporadic, and so was my traffic. For the past several weeks, my posting has been fairly regular and it seems my traffic has seen a boost as a result. So I definitely agree with being regular. Even if it is more difficult to keep up with, it is worth it.
fas
January 19th, 2010 7:17 am
Whilte I feel keeping the readers in check with newsletter outflows is good but some perceive too much as too spammy.
Leah MacVie
January 19th, 2010 11:36 am
Great post! Unlike many of your other commenters, I am just starting out blogging. I finished my Master’s last semester, and decided to take on a new crusade: blogging about educational technology trends. With a full-time job, and a small business, it has been really hard to find that “regularity” you speak of. I’ve determined that I have time before work every morning that I can use- and so I do. I now split my time between working out, writing and blogging. I don’t have any subscribers or readers yet- but I’m working on it (hence my recent 31 days download that I am so excited about!!). I’ll have my schedule down when they do start showing up. :) http://www.leahmacvie.com
Sally Ferguson
January 19th, 2010 1:42 pm
I started up a work calendar again, after the hit and miss of last year. I’m listing the word count accomplished for the day, the amount of reading done, and projects tackled. I think it will help me get back on task. I appreciate the tips for ideas to get organized…much needed here!
sd cards
January 19th, 2010 3:51 pm
Great insights! I like how you connect the motivation to keep blogging to the feeling that nobody looks at it. I had never thought of it this way.
It’s really important to keep in mind that creating the content ON your blog is only half the effort. The other part is creating content and/or sociable activities OFF your blog to attract and engage an audience to your blog.
Guganeshan.T
January 20th, 2010 3:39 am
Some very useful tips as always Darren. I have to add, that I keep returning to Problogger, primarily because of your newsletters.
And I still can’t understand the magic in your writing style that makes me read all your posts in full!
Thanks for the tips.
Website Promotion Blog
January 20th, 2010 10:58 pm
I used to write and publish 3 posts a week. It kept me quite busy being a green blogger to the job. I liked the frequency, but as I needed to conduct a lot of other stuff and travel at the same time, I invited two guest authors to write two posts a week for me and I do only one post a week.
This has given me a lot of time to handle other jobs. My readers received the same number of posts in wider range of topics and regularity is there. I’m happy with this system as I won’t change this feeling of contentment with anything else.
So, now every week my readers get a post on copywriting, one on Twitter and my post on SEO, article marketing, press release marketing and web analytics.
MrWes
January 25th, 2010 8:30 am
Scheduling & Accountability are the two biggest ones for me.
For scheduling – My main reminder is Google Calendar. I use the SMS Text Messaging feature to send an email & text message reminder in the morning & then another text message before the end of the day. I can’t tell you how many times Google Calendar has kept me on task. I try to blog 5 days a week.
For accountability – I’m still working on that one. I haven’t developed accountability with any bloggers yet. Maybe that will happen this year.
Neales
February 15th, 2010 10:57 pm
Blogging is certainly a full time creativity endeavor. You need to keep up to date on the knowledge front and also have enough perkiness to make desultory matters interesting.
r4i gold
February 26th, 2010 12:25 am
Some people enlist the help of a blogging buddy or a small group to keep them accountable and cheer them on.
Houston Librarian
February 26th, 2010 6:33 am
This is one I need to focus on right now. I think I need to make a schedule and stick to it. The problem I have is that there is always something I could be doing to help the blog. I could be thinking of a new article, I could be doing some SEO work, I could be promoting the blog in some fashion. It’s tough to find a cutoff point.
Strategy Consulting
March 29th, 2010 3:32 pm
Does your advice apply to all types of blogs.
In my own case, how much is adequate for my own particular key words. Just exactly how much regularity is appropriate to maintain and even build my subscribers? To build my brand?
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