It’s early o’clock in the morning and you’ve finally finished writing your blog post. Now comes the critical question: do you post it now or later?
Because on one hand, you know you’re supposed to blog often. But on the other hand, you’re not sure if spam blogging is the right option. And either way, the guessing game is wearing you out.
Sound familiar?
If so, you’re like many freshman bloggers struggling with the question of how often to post, what time to post, the existential meaning of timing in posts, etc. etc. Even the thought of the clock is enough to raise your blood pressure.
Here’s the good news: according to science and marketing wizards, there is a way to determine how often and what time to post. So stop praying for salvation by the bell and bring some strategy back into your blogging schedule.
Blog Frequency, According to Science
The basic rule of thumb is familiar: the more often you post, the more followers you get.
Alright, there are a few steps skipped in between, but that’s the logic. And it’s mostly true, but it doesn’t account for the whole picture.
Fortunately, there’s data for that.
HubSpot looked at blogging data from 13,500 companies so we don’t have to. What they found is slightly more complex.
Generally speaking, companies that publish 16 or more blogs per month got 3.5 times more traffic than companies who blogged less than four times per month. However, the magic number changes based on the size of your company.
For example, companies with 26 to 200 employees saw the greatest traffic increase by publishing 11 or more posts per month, which got them twice as many followers compared to publishing once a month. However, if you have 10 or fewer employees, you’ll see three times more traffic with 11 posts per month compared to publishing once per month.
Your business type also changes your results. B2C companies had a direct correlation between blog frequency and traffic, but it was more complicated for B2B companies. There was a positive correlation, but it wasn’t as strong–companies that published six to ten posts per month only saw slightly higher traffic than those who published once per month.
Either way, 11 was once again the magic number, as both B2B and B2C companies saw marked increases publishing 11 or more posts per month compared to only publishing one.
Wait, What About Timing?
Oh, and don’t forget the time and date.
Good news: you don’t have to post at early o’clock to get hits, nor do you have to post every day of the week. In fact, according to a study by Kissmetrics, the best time to publish a blog post is Monday at 11 a.m. EST, though your blog tends to get the most page views between the hours of 7 a.m. and 1 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. on weekends.
However, this does not hold true if you live for the comment section.
If you want to post a blog to get the most comments, you’re better off posting on Saturday around 9 a.m.
It’s different again if you want links. In that case, you’ll see the most traffic on Mondays and Thursdays at 7 a.m.
That said, studies tend to return different results based on their samples, which makes sense–we already established that B2B and B2C see different results based on blog frequency.
Mastering the Art of Scheduling
As you can see, there’s something to be said for the art of scheduling. But there’s also something to be said for the old adage: know thyself.
Each marketing study produces slightly different numbers, each influenced by the composition of the sample size. Think about it. If you’re marketing to stay-at-home moms, they’re more likely to be online after the kids have gone to school, as opposed to young professionals who check posts during their commutes, coffee breaks, and lunch.
Plus, different groups tend to lurk in different corners of the internet. They’re drawn out by different things and they flock to different areas at different times.
So really, the art of knowing thyself (via scheduling, anyway) involves knowing your audience and your platform.
To know the answer, it’s time to do some soul-searching. As in, it’s time to revisit your content marketing goals, your marketing strategy, and your trusty buyer personas.
Oh, and you should revisit your blogging schedule while you’re at it. If you don’t have the resources to compile enough content to match blog frequency demands, it’s time to rethink the way you do content.
Meeting Your Content Goals Every Day
That’s where we come in.
We know content like you know your customers–like the back of your hand. If you’re a copywriting beginner already struggling to meet your blog frequency demands, why would you want to keep wading when you could invest in a resource that allows you to focus on what you do best?
Ready to change the way you do content? If so, let’s talk. Click here to check out our services.