Blogging Frequency: How to Find Your Sweet Spot

Do you ever wonder how to make everything work more efficiently with your blogging efforts?

You’re not alone.

There’s so much to do when you’re a blogger. You need to write, design images, network with other bloggers, read up on marketing techniques, and (probably most importantly) figure out a general marketing strategy.

So how do you know what to do when, and how much?

Today I want to focus specifically on blogging frequency.

I really don’t think there’s any one right answer to this question, I think it’s quite personal.

Ultimately, blogging success can sometimes be just a numbers game: the more the better– but the question is, more of what?

You can get yourself out there in one of two ways:

1. You can create a lot of content, or
2. You can do a lot of outreach.

Both of these methods have their own merit.

Personally, I tend to stay more on the side of #1, not necessarily because it’s more effective, but because it’s more fun to me. =) I’m a writer, I love to write. I can’t help myself.

But if I’m being really honest (and of course I want to be!) I would say that the bloggers I know who’ve been most successful are the ones who put all of their energy into creating one high-quality post every once in a while, and then they market the crap out of it.

I could use fancier language, but that’s the long and the short of it. 

You might hear it said that “Content is King”– but it’s also said that “Distribution is Queen”.

Distribution, of course, just means getting your work in front of as many people as you can. There are lots of ways to do this:

• Posting on social media
• Guest posting on other blogs
• Commenting on other blogs
• Listening for social media conversations and chiming in
• Networking with other bloggers
• Submitting your stuff on scoop.it
• Adding posts to the IBA ShareBank
• Interacting in forums to establish your authority

And so on, and so forth.

There are two ways to make the decision about what your “sweet spot” will be as far as blogging frequency:

1. Go with what you enjoy
2. Go with what gets results

Ideally, your decision should meet both needs. The first is easier to satisfy just because it’s a lot easier to know what makes you happy than it is to know what’s really working.

Your analytics can tell you that, if you can take a minute to understand what they really mean.

In the meantime, in my book it’s fine to just take stock of where you are in life and think about what kind of schedule would make you the happiest… because honestly, the chances of “making it big” with your blog are statistically quite slim, (and pardon my pessimism here) so you might as well do it in a way that makes you happy.

I try to write three new posts on my blog a week, and one guest post. I’d probably write a new one each day, but with my freelance blogging work that’s all I have the time and energy to do.

Am I doing it the right way?

I don’t think so. I think ideally I’d spend a lot more time on my outreach efforts than I do on my post-creation efforts… but oh well.

I’m happy.

And isn’t that what this blogging thing is all about, really?

About the Author: Brittany Bullen is the founder of the International Bloggers Association. Her consulting business, NerdyGirlSites.com, is helping bloggers worldwide realize their dreams of turning their blogging hobby into a real career. You can read more of Brittany’s tips and tricks at her personal website, brittanybullen.com.