Wether you’ve been blogging for a while, or just investigating getting started, you’ve probably come across advice to blog everyday or at least a couple of times a week. The idea behind this is simple – “The more you post, the greater your traffic” – Michael Hyatt. But, I must be honest – just the thought of posting everyday causes panic in me. I just can’t keep up. And I suspect my readers feel the same way too. So I’m calling it…
When it comes to blogging less is more, and quality trumps quantity.
Rather post something genuinely useful and worth reading once every two weeks, than a blog post everyday just for the sake of it. Of course, there is much debate about this: There is no doubt that a correlation exists between frequency and traffic, especially for new bloggers, but in an era of information overload, I think too much content can be more harmful than good. As Ali Luke writes,
Over the past couple of years, there’s been a shift in the blogging world. More and more prominent bloggers-on-blogging are moving away from daily posting—and reassuring their readers that you don’t have to post every day in order to be successful.
She then goes on to quote Darren Rowse of Problogger who says,
I once surveyed readers here on ProBlogger about the reasons they unsubscribed from RSS feeds, and the number one answer was ‘posting too much.’ Respondents expressed that they developed ‘burnout’ and would unsubscribe if a blog became too ‘noisy.’
Blogging shouldn’t be a chore. If you’re posting schedule isn’t working for you, then it probably isn’t working for your readers either. So figure out a routine that is sustainable for you and your audience, and then be disciplined about sticking to it.
Tom Basson 
Ditto that notion. This year I set a goal of a post per day. And it has been a challenge. I’ll finish out the year for the sake of completing my goal to say that I knew I could (without burning myself out). But 2013 will bring a new approach – probably only two or three times a week. I must say though, that my stats have more than tripled this year by posting everyday. But I’ve never been a numbers guy to I’m willing to let those stats drop off if necessary – after all blogging isn’t my life and there’s no money in it.
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In addition to posting fewer times, I have found that writing shorter posts (250 to 300 words) and including an image is effective.
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I don’t have a set posting schedule, yet, even after blogging for over a year. I did try “post a week” last year, but wasn’t always able to stick to it. My family’s ever-changing schedules make it too hard to stick to a schedule, so I just try to post when I have time and when there’s something I feel worth posting about.
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Thanks for this post! I struggle with setting a blog schedule that works for me. In the past I have found that I failed after setting a goal that was more ambitious than realistic. In the end this only caused me to be discouraged and even less motivated to write. You’re exactly right, to be successful it’s important to set a post frequency which you know you can meet with a good quality post.
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I blog first thing every morning because I like it. I like the routine of writing every morning and I like starting my day by doing something I love. I’ve been blogging for 9 months and never missed a day and never been stuck for something to write. I think that indicates more of me being a blabbermouth than any skill or dedication!
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Thank you for this. I fell off what minimal blogging schedule I had last year because of wedding planning, and am only now, three and a half months after the big day, thinking about getting back into regular blogging again, and I was wondering how to approach it. I’m thinking once a week or every other week. I think I will blog the way I like reading blogs – not every day, but when I do get the itch to read or write blogs, I like it to be something nice and meaty.
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