How Often Should You Post?

There’s a writing forum I visit from time to time to read news and catch up on what’s going on in the freelance writing world. In the blogging section, one of the regulars wondered if it was really necessary to update daily. He cited an expert who claimed to regret posting so often. He felt if he only drops a post every few days his readers have a chance to really understand and digest the information leading to more comments. Besides this being rather insulting to his readers, I think this is the wrong approach.

Here’s why I don’t think it’s a good idea:

It’s not good for traffic. While you may get a couple of people who check back often for comments, the majority of your readers are only going to stop by every few days if you’re only posting every few days. Maybe even less if they don’t feel you’re making an effort. The best trafficked blogs are those that post often, meaning several times per day. Your post will still be available for digestion even with new content.

It’s not good for revenue. Really, it isn’t. The only way to get people to click on your links or buy whatever it is your selling, is to get them to visit – often. How is this going to happen if you’re only posting once or twice a week? You want daily revenue, not just on the days you post something.

It’s great for the competition – Here’s the deal. People who read blogs want to read them every day. They read blogs to procrastinate at work, pass time during their lunch hours and learn something new. If you’re providing good, engaging content, people will take the time to read and comment, even if you post several times a day. By suggesting your readers aren’t digesting what you write is rather insulting to them. So don’t post often. Meanwhile, other blogs in your niche will post once or several times a day and that’s where your traffic will go.

Lazy blogging

It was suggested in that same thread that if you post often, your content is watered down and useless. That’s crap. Lazy bloggers post watered down content. People who blog outside their realm of expertise post watered down content. Bloggers who truly know their niche, can blog all day and still hold the attention of their readers because they always have something useful to throw out there.

No time? Enlist help

After school ended last spring, I found myself with less time for trolling for job leads. I made the mistake of only posting job leads to Freelance Writing Jobs two or three times a week, so I could concentrate on building up my other blogs. My visitors were still loyal, but they spent the rest of the time visiting my competition and traffic went way down. Though revenue was down too, I paid someone to post leads in my absence, plus I posted discussion topics once or twice a day. I also brought in guest bloggers to pick up the slack. Traffic soared and continues to rise. Is the rise in traffic due to my posting job leads every day only, or could it have to do with also posting great content? This week, I found out.

Thanks to construction across the road, my power or cable is knocked out at least once a month. Yesterday, my power was out for a good chunk of the day, and the day before it was sporadic. As a result, my helper posted job leads on Thursday and Friday, but I didn’t post any discussion topics. Traffic and revenue took a dive, as did the amount of comments I receive on a regular basis.

It’s not just FWJ. I maintain several blogs for myself and for others. I learn during these power outages that you truly get from blogging what you put into it. If you’re only going to post the network minimum, you’ll get paid the network minimum. If you want the traffic and revenue bonuses, you have to post often. Sometimes that means several times a day.

Don’t underestimate your readers

Don’t underestimate your audience. By thinking they don’t take enough time to digest your information, you’re inadvertently sending them to seek out information elsewhere. They may not abandon you altogether, but you’re missing out on some great traffic and revenue opportunities.