When people ask me how they can make their blog a success, I’ll usually refer to the Triumvirate of Blogging Success. The components?
- Quality
- Consistency
- Frequency
All of these elements are brought together when you create a realistic posting schedule for your blog. A realistic schedule is one that allows you to post quality content on a consistent schedule as frequently as you feel is sustainable.
Before we dive into exactly how to create that kind of content calendar for your blog though, let’s take a quick look at why having a consistent blog schedule is so crucial for getting the most out of your blog:
Why Have a Consistent Blogging Schedule?
Keeps You On Track and Accountable
Even the most organized among us are likely to neglect our blog unless we’ve committed to updating it on specific days. With a schedule, you can easily see if you’re falling behind and make adjustments quickly before small issues become big problems.
Shows Readers that You Are Consistent and Builds Anticipation and Loyalty
It takes time to build a loyal following of readers. But part of that process is developing a relationship of trust. When you publish to your blog regularly, you’re showing readers that you are someone they can count on. It also gives them a reason to revisit your blog regularly, because they know when they can expect something new.
Forces You to Get Creative with Your Blog Content and Stretch Your Abilities
There’s a reason writers have deadlines. And it’s not just a question of logistics. When you need to have a project done by a particular date, you force yourself to work through slumps and writer’s block. Knowing you have to complete a project and sitting down to do it can give you exactly the motivation you need to get creative. Remember, a good-enough blog post that gets published is much better than a perfect blog post that never gets done.
Helps Boost Your SEO with Fresh New Content on a Regular Basis
Updating your website with fresh content helps with SEO. And the easiest and most natural place for new content is on your blog. Regular blogging also helps you keep up with current trends so you can stay relevant and address your readers’ current needs.
Creating a Sustainable Blogging Schedule
So, how do you create a blogging schedule that allows you to reap the benefits of blogging, but is still realistic enough that you can keep up with it long-term? Consistency is one of the keys to successful blogging, so it’s important to try to come up with a schedule that is sustainable.
One of the mistakes I sometimes see new bloggers make is to start out with an unrealistic posting schedule. Usually, it’s far too ambitious. You might be able to keep up with a three-times-a-week blogging schedule for a month or so, but can you keep that frequency up for a year? Probably not.
If anything, I would say start with less than you think you can handle. If you’re pretty sure you can post every week, make it your goal to update your blog once or twice a month. Set yourself up for success by setting a goal that is attainable.
This will look different for everyone. That’s okay. Just focus on creating original, high-quality content, and then set yourself a deadline. Knowing you want to post twice a month is good. Knowing you want to post on the 1st and 3rd Monday of every month—that’s better!
Can I Change My Blog Schedule?
Of course, blogging is only one part of your business. And as an entrepreneur wearing all the hats, it’s easy to bite off more than you can chew. So what happens if you start off with a posting schedule and then can’t stick to it? Is it okay to change your schedule?
Yes, you can absolutely change your blogging frequency to something more manageable. (Although I wouldn’t drop below once per month.) What’s important is how you go about it.
First, Recognize What’s Causing Your Current Schedule to be Unmanageable
Do you struggle to come up with ideas? Does sitting down to write feel like pulling teeth? Do you jot down brilliant drafts but then have a hard time motivating yourself to get it into a publishable blog format with all those complicated SEO details? Figure out why blogging is difficult, and you’ll have some idea of what to change and where you need help.
Second, Determine if Your Blogging Fatigue is Chronic or Just a Phase
Is this a long-term situation, something you keep running up against month after month? In that case, it may be time to evaluate where your business time is being spent. Is blogging the right place to cut back? And if so, what would a more sustainable schedule look like?
On the other hand, maybe your blog schedule was working out really well for a while, but life has gotten busier lately. Maybe your kids are out of school for the summer and you don’t have that focused time with no distractions to work on your blog. Maybe you’re dealing with a family emergency or a personal health crisis. Or maybe you just have an extra busy holiday season going on.
If your blogging trouble is due to a temporary situation, you might try outsourcing for a few months. This will enable you to keep your normal blogging schedule without having to do the work yourself. Or you might try cutting back to a bare-bones, once-a-month blogging schedule for a bit. In either case, it’s a good idea to set yourself a date to revisit your plan and evaluate. Can you take over blogging duty again, or have you decided you really love having that off your plate and are willing to pay someone else to do it long-term? Can you increase your blogging schedule now, or do you need another few weeks on the slower schedule?
Being deliberate about changing your schedule makes it much more likely that you’ll take the smart route rather than just the easy route.
Third, Set a New Goal
If you start out blogging twice a week and decide, “I can’t keep this up. I’m just going to cut back on a blogging a little,” guess what’s going to happen? Your blogging will peter out and become more and more sporadic until it becomes nonexistent. Setting a new goal lets you switch to a more realistic blogging schedule instead of losing your momentum and consistency altogether.
And Fourth, Inform Your Readers!
If they’ve come to expect a new blog post every Monday, they’ll be confused when you fall off the face of the earth for a month. It speaks to your sense of responsibility when you take the time to let readers know, “I’m going to be changing my blogging schedule for the rest of the year. You can still expect new posts regularly though! Just keep an eye out for them on the first of the month now.”
Testing Your Blog Schedule
Creating a blogging schedule that really works for you may take some experimentation. Be patient with yourself as you figure it out! Ideally, give yourself 6-12 months to try a particular schedule. This will give you a good idea of whether you can keep it up over a sustained period of time. It’s also important to give yourself enough time to settle into a schedule instead of just giving up after a few weeks because it’s new and challenging.
Hopefully, with these tips for creating a sustainable blogging schedule in mind, you’ll be able to come up with a blog post schedule that serves you well right from the get-go. But if not, remember, you can always tweak and adjust until you hit that sweet spot.
And of course, please feel free to reach out with questions or if you are considering outsourcing your blog. RedFox Blogging is here to help with all your blogging needs, whether that’s designing a sustainable schedule, creating an inspiring content calendar to draw from throughout the year, or taking care of blogging for you completely. I specialize in helping photographers and other small business owners maximize the benefits and minimize the hassle when it comes to blogging, and I would be happy to help you do the same. Talk soon!
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