October 16, 2013

Scheduling blog posts {pros & cons}


This is a post for all of my viewers who are also bloggers. I get this question a lot -- when to write posts? Well I think it depends. Sometimes I write and schedule a post a week in advance, and sometimes I write them minutes before posting. For me it depends. But I'm curious to find out how you go about writing and publishing your posts.

These are my thoughts on the pros and cons of scheduling...


Pros
convenience 
less stressful than trying to blog every day
you'll feel more organized/planned
viewers know what time to expect a new post...and if you have new posts around midnight like I do, you don't have to stay up until then to press "publish"

Cons
it may feel like a deadline/too much pressure to complete posts
your posts may turn into quantity over quality
defeats the "diary" feel of a blog by not having daily thoughts
if you schedule them at the wrong time, they may not be read by as many people


Please share your thoughts on the pros & cons of scheduling/pre-planning blog posts, and we'll add them to the list!


When do you write your posts and how do you 
feel about scheduling blog posts?

P.S. this post was scheduled :)

17 comments:

  1. I recently started thinking about scheduling my blog posts, but for the year that I've been writing my blog, I haven't. I feel like it is more authentic when I just write the post out one at a time, but sometimes its really hard to get a post out every day. When I know I'm going to be super busy, I schedule it, but that's definitely a huge rarity!

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  2. I almost always schedule my posts. Generally I write them in the evening the day or two before. But sometimes (maybe once a week), I will write a post spur of the moment. I actually assume most people schedule most of their posts these days. But perhaps I'm wrong. I'll be curious to read these comments...

    KK @ Preppy Pink Crocodile

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  3. When I first started blogging I scheduled my post to be published at a certain time, because I thought readers would know what time to expect a new post and it would be more organized that way. This summer I had so much going on that I ran out of posts and it became harder and harder for me to schedule them. For the past few months I have just been publishing post as I write and it is a much better fit for me; my posts are more thought out this way and I feel like it gives me more flexibility and my post have more of an authentic feel to them.

    Lauren,
    http://www.atouchofsoutherngrace.com/

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  4. Hello from Spain: the blog has to be a hobby not an obligation. I update the blog two days a week. Keep in touch

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  5. ah blog posts! u know i wish people understood how much time and effort go into each...its like a full time second job!! love this article girl :)

    XO Meghan
    citrus fashion

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  6. I normally write a post the night before it gets posted, mainly because I don't have time in the morning. But on weekends I do have them pre-planned for the most part because I try to give myself the weekends off, away from a computer.
    -Alex
    http://www.monstermisa.blogspot.com/

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  7. Because I've become a more fluent blogger I schedule mine mostly. Meaning I'll write it a night or so before so I don't think thats too too far off. However I do have drafts saved for when i KNOW I want to post something but my life is less than par.

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  8. I try to keep things current as possible. So I write 1-2 days in advance. I then schedule them around midnight, mainly because I have more International than US readers. So they're up 6hrs ahead of me. You have to know your audience.
    http://www.averysweetblog.com/

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  9. I have read a book about blogs and there were information about writing posts. One of the most famous bloggers in Poland claimed that the best time for writing posts is in the evening. Perfect blogger should write at least two-three posts during one week.
    I usually add posts every two days in the evenings. And sometimes I plan my posts, sometimes not, it depends on many things ;) when I have some free time, I try to write a post and save it on my computer - maybe one day I'll publish it.

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  10. I usually write and post at the same time... I did do a weeks worth one time which was fine... I just don't have the time to do that now :-)

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  11. I think each have a place in a regularly maintained blog. I normally do a mix of informational content that I normally schedule with some more personal spur-of-the-moment blogs. Scheduling for the weekend has def helped too if I'm going to be busy. Great topic!

    ~Joanie
    www.flonmymind.com

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  12. I actually post whatever I want whenever I want. I try to have a minimum in mind and that is 2-3 posts per week, if I wanna do more, I figure hey what the heck lol. I don't feel pressured by views because I live 95% of my content so if I post something and it is well received, great, if I post something and it's barely read, great. I do pre-plan things though that I would like to posts but as for scheduling posts, it is not something that I typically do. Although I do understand the benefits of doing so. This was a great topic to write about because I've always wondered what works for other bloggers :)

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  13. I usually schedule my posts. I like having two posts a week every on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Sometimes I have posts scheduled for a week or two ahead of time. Other times I don't have anything planned so I write something that day and I schedule my posts to posts in a couple of hours because I like having my posts post right on the hour, preferably at 12 am or 12pm. I try to write most of my posts soon after the event I write about happens so it's immediate when I write it and then I'll schedule it for the next day Tuesday or Thursday.

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  14. I schedule blog post ahead of time, only if they are completed and I don't need to make any changes. The only posts that go up the same day are my music stuff for Soundtrack Saturdays. Other than that, I don't really have a set schedule. I have a number in mind that I want to accomplish per week, and if I don't, it's not a huge issue to me. Scheduling does help, I will say, especially if you have a hectic real life schedule and don't just want to abandon your blog. So that's the biggest pro there, and you mentioned something along the lines for your pros also. Definitely helps with the time management factor.

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  15. Great post! I always thought I would be one of those who planned their posts, but in the two months I've been blogging I don't think I've ever scheduled one! I know it sounds strange, but I think I need the pressure of wanting to get a post out right away so I can stay focused!

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  16. I usually schedule my post for the afternoon (1pm) after I write it. So if I write the post on Monday at 3pm, I schedule it for Tuesday at 1pm.

    As far as timing goes, you want to schedule your posts for the times when people are on their computers and visiting your blog most often. You can either determine this through your analytics or by research. The best times are usually early mornings (8am-9am), the afternoon "lunch break" hours (12pm-1pm) and the "getting off work" hours " (3pm-5pm).

    I definitely see it as more of a pro than a con.

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  17. I try scheduling my posts, but it doesn't always work. I started more for accountability reasons. Lately, I know my blogs will go out by Friday at the latest.

    This is a great read! I'm loving the comments also!

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