Today I have 3 tips on how I keep blogging regularly. I’ve been blogging for five years and my schedule developed rather intuitively … it just feels right, and it works for me.

*Blogging Bits and Bytes” newsletter subscribers will have already received this information, as well as a free Lightroom Template (for personal use only).

I read a few interesting posts and comments generated by the first newsletter I sent. One that caught my attention was from Petra of Sharing my Reflections. A certain subject was brought up in the comments, and Petra answered with something I’ve always thought but never had the courage to say! Here it is:

Susan, thank you for the praise. Once I read somewhere that a blogger should never start their post saying they are sorry for not posting that long and I heartily agree with that. I also used to think I should apologize when posting after longer time than usually but I’ve changed my attitude. Firstly, I would have to apologize all the time, and secondly, it’s really annoying when you read these apologies on other blogs, exactly as you’ve mentioned. We all have our lives, not just the blogging, right?

Petra

Oh my goodness … every time someone apologizes I cringe, which I why I sneakily wrote in my first newsletter “You are the boss of your blog. NO apologies OK?” I didn’t have the nerve to say what not to apologize about. Ha! that was it! Thank you Petra.

My schedule is quite loose. There have been weeks where I’ve blogged every day, and a (very) few where I haven’t blogged at all … yikes! So I did a quick calculation (keep in mind I’m not a genius mathematician) but so far this year I’ve averaged 3 posts per week. Interesting, because I start to feel uncomfortable if I don’t get at least one post up during the week as well as one on Sunday. So my gut tells me 3 posts per week is best, 2 is OK.

So here are my top three tips on how I continue to blog regularly:

1. Every post does not have to be a blockbuster. You don’t have to write a novel, a poem, be wise, or have secret inside information every single time! No. A simple “hello, here’s what I was up to last week, and here’s a pretty photo to go with it” will be enough most of the time. One week I wrote 5 posts about a trip we took. Not earth-shattering, but I now have a journal of that trip which is part of what my blog is about. Remembering my life.
2. Create a series. It’s a great way to keep on track. It could be weekly, bi-weekly, or even monthly. But it’s something. And it doesn’t have to last forever and ever. If after a few weeks you find interest is flagging, perhaps it’s time to switch gears. Go with it. I’ve had several series that ended, and at first I felt it was a failure. Not. In fact, I now start a series with the end in mind.
3. Create one big post every so often. Put as much effort into it as possible. It could be a crafty tutorial, a behind-the-scenes description of a photo shoot, a recipe … teach your readers something! Then, after you hit publish, start promoting it. I tweet it, post it to Facebook, Pinterest, and sometimes Instagram. I also have a list of blogs I link up with when they have their parties (but remember, you should only link a project once.) Then I keep promoting it. If I have a post that seems to resonate with people, I’ll promote it weekly as well as yearly (if it’s seasonal.) Just because a post is a year old, doesn’t mean it’s not relevant. It most likely is. My 5 Wardrobe Ideas (for Women of a Certain Age) has been popular, so I’ve already pinned my “pin-worthy” image more than once.

Just a note on #3. Why bother to promote? I do not get tons of traffic, and I am not making money on my blog, so why would I bother to promote a post? The short answer is that it’s fun! and it’s encouraging! When I see that my stats have gone up on a certain day, I feel good about it … new people are finding my blog, and hopefully liking it enough to return.

#3 is how I grow my readership, and you never know who is watching! I’ve had a few sponsored posts by some great companies and I enjoyed the attention and the little bit of merchandise that came with it. A few (bigger) bloggers have come across my blog, liked my stuff, and promoted it on their site. Recently one of my favourite magazines noticed my blog, and now I have an article in the upcoming winter issue of Artful Blogging (my heart and head bursts with that one!)

Everyone says they are not about lots of readers … that’s fine, but we want some right? But don’t stress about numbers. Enjoy them … big, small, huge, minuscule, medium. One new reader is one new reader.

So, have you ever written a “big post”? one that teaches? Did you promote it in some way to grow your readership?

If so, how’d you do it? I’d love to hear! I’ve created an Inlinkz link-up on the “Blogging Bits and Bytes” page if you want to link any posts related to to this series.

I hope this will encourage you to define what blogging regularly means for you, and then to become comfortable with it. Your schedule will be different than mine, and you need to decide what works for you. It may be one post a week, it may be five. But it’s your blog so don’t apologize!

I’m off to do a bit of promoting …

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