This would be my nightmare: To wake up one morning without an inquiry in weeks. To watch subscriber numbers drop like like it’s the second coming of Christ. To see all that I’ve worked for start to recede instead of grow. Shudder.
Actually, it used to be a reality for me. I’d have a time of impressive growth followed by a period of screeching-halt slow-down. And I couldn’t figure it out.
Eventually, one of my blogging superheroes pointed out my sporadic publishing schedule. I would publish every day for a while; then I wouldn’t publish for a week. I was busy, so I would write when I had free time between projects. I figured that paid work had to come first. Wrong.
Crazy things that happen when publishing isn’t a high priority
Your readers stop taking you seriously. They don’t see you working away on your many projects. All they see is “sometimes she’s around; sometimes she’s not”. They decide you’re a flake. And all of your “sorry I haven’t posted in a while” posts don’t help. (Sidenote: Even if you haven’t posted in a while, don’t apologize.)
Your content becomes cheap. In your readers’ brains, flaky writer = flaky content. What you put out to the world gets branded as an afterthought.
People stop checking in. A BIG portion of your visitors don’t subscribe. They bookmark your site and come back periodically to check for new content. It’s like they’re coming to your show, and you’re not there. Eventually they stop coming, and in their place…crickets. (Darn those crickets!)
People forget about you. Your content is the online equivalent of showing your face. Reminding people, “Hey, I exist!”. If you stop showing up, you’ll be forgotten in a sea of people who DO show up.
How to make publishing a priority when EVERYTHING is a priority
Create a publishing schedule. When will you post? Every Tuesday? Tuesdays and Thursdays? Write it on the calendar as an actual event that you can’t miss. Give yourself no loopholes. You ARE sticking to the schedule. Repeat: no excuses.
Schedule posts in advance. I’ve never been good with this, but many professional bloggers live and die by scheduled posts. It releases the pressure to write while simultaneously ensuring that you stick to your publishing schedule. It can also help you batch process your writing, which can cut down on your writing time. (Bonus: You can then make full advantage of those times when the words flow…write several posts during those times instead of just one.)
Test the theory. Go ahead. Ignore my advice. Personal experience (and the ensuing pain) are world-famous teachers. (And I know that from…ahemmm…experience.)
3 Comments
You are right, right, right.
I do one of these already: I have a publishing schedule, and I usually follow it. On the other hand, your advice about a specific day for posting is good. Mine has been more general–once per week.
I’ll give it a shot. (What am I getting myself into?)
Precise Edit´s last blog ..What Do Your Characters Want?
Someone once explained it to me like this: Your content is a channel. The Precise Edit Show. If your show comes on the same day(s) every week, people feel comfortable. They will come back again and again. If it’s sporadic, they’re less likely to watch.
Yup, you nailed me. I get involved in a big project and the blog goes fallow. Seems all my creative energy gets sucked out into what I’m doing, and I ended up just posting some kind of “filler” piece that I wasn’t very proud of.
I’m going to have to give myself some standing appointments in the ol’ Outlook Calendar and stick to it.
Dick Carlson´s last blog ..Letter To My Soon-To-Be-Ex Client: “It’s Not You, It’s Meâ€
One Trackback
[...] Bray talks a lot about sticking to a blogging schedule. She’s right. You hafta. You gotta. Unless you want to start looking like a total flake and [...]