Running a blog is fun and a creative outlet for so many people, but it also teaches you so many new skills that can be transferred to another workplace.
Whether you are a new or seasoned blogger, being consistent is the best way to grow and build a successful brand. You will hear so many bloggers say that numbers aren’t important and when you first begin, that is true. When I first started my blog in 2017 and I didn’t check my statistics, I out all my focus on writing content, sharing it on social media and building relationships with other bloggers. When you continue to post consistently, your site will grow and your hard work will pay off.
I have compiled a list of the top 5 ways you can become a consistent blogger which will then enable you to grow a successful blog.
1. Create A Blogging Schedule
When I first started blogging in 2017, I never had a schedule and to be honest, I didn’t really know what I was doing! I would just post when I could and that way of posting was not consistent.
However, when I created an effective schedule, this helped me to blog consistently. You need to work out how many times you would like to post a week, the day(s) and time(s) you would like to post each week, which are best suited to your audience. It is important that when you create your blogging schedule, you make sure that have made it achievable i.e. do not create a schedule that is unrealistic for you to keep up with. Remember, you can always change the schedule further down the line if you feel that you can post more.
Having a blogging schedule not helps you to post consistently on your blog, but it also helps to build your audience loyalty. Your loyal readers then learn when to expect new content, which will grow an engaged audience. Once you have created the best blogging schedule you need, make sure that you stick to it. These are my 4 tips to stick to your schedule:
- Plan your content ahead of time
- Do not take on too many projects
- Use to-do lists
- Batch tasks to blog faster
Other benefits of using a blogging schedule are: your writing improves, your research improves and it will drive blog traffic.
2. Plan Your Content Ahead Of Time
Now that you have a blogging schedule, you can plan your content ahead of time and schedule multiple posts. When you have your scheduled days, you can plan what posts you want to share and when.
Being able to plan your blog content ahead of time allows you to plan weeks in advance; this can be hugely beneficial when you want to collaborate with a brand on a post, you can pitch to them with a date in mind, which is favoured by brands.
Furthermore, when you plan ahead, you will be able to use your time on other blogging tasks. Having the use of a schedule, and planning your content is a great time management technique that will actually save you a lot of time in the future for other blogging tasks. This will help you to stay consistent on all aspects of your blog and you will be able to engage more with your audience.
3. Ask For Guest Posts
There may be times when even with your schedule, you may have a gap on your blog; this could be due to writers’ block! However, the use of guest posting can come in handy; requesting other bloggers to write content means that you will still have content going live. A huge benefit to having guest posts allows you to create backlinks to other blogs, which is a simple way to boost your DA score and drive a new audience to your site.
Read my guest post: 6 Steps To Help You Achieve Personal Growth
Again, this is a really useful way to save you time, so you can work on other blog posts or tasks to keep your blog maintained. There are so many benefits of guest blogging, whether you have them on your site or you chare a post on another blogger’s site, here are 4 benefits:
- Instant exposure to targeted blog traffic
- Stimulate social media shares
- Grow your brand awareness
- Grow your social media following
Photo by Lucija Ros on Unsplash
4. Time-Blocking Technique
Time-blocking is used to devote a specified period of time to a task or group of tasks. This time management hack ensures that you accomplish more by moving through one or more tasks on your list without any interruptions. As a blogger, you have a range of different tasks to complete, so time-blocking is the best way to stay consistent. You will avoid losing your concentration moving from one task to another. When you are at your most productive, batch writing your content will help you to stay posting consistently. It will also mean being present on social media, promoting your content and engaging with your audience will be more consistent with the tips from time-blocking. This technique can help to reduce stress and stop you from becoming overwhelmed, which can lead to procrastination. The last thing that you want is for your blog to feel like a chore.
5. Do Not Take On Too Many Projects
One sure way to fail at blogging is to take on too much and become overwhelmed; this leads to people giving up. Blogging is not as easy as people think it is; when running a blog, you do get a lot of PR and brand emails with opportunities. However, it is important that you do not take on too many projects at once. Also, you should remember your worth; do not sell yourself short when taking jobs i.e. ensure that you receive the fair payment for your work. The sense of pressure can make it super easy to start procrastinating and then you do not get anything done. Learn how to say no because there will always be other opportunities.
Blogging is hard work and takes a great deal of commitment, but staying consistent is one of the best and easiest ways to grow your blog and your audience. Following these simple steps will help make you a more consistent blogger.
How do you post consistently on your blog? I’d love to hear in the comments.
This is fab advice! I find that having some posts in drafts helps when I have a busy time or writing block.
That’s great! Thank you for reading and commenting.
Planning ahead of schedule especially really helps in this blogging journey
These are great tips! I especially like the blogging schedule idea which is another thing that I didn’t consider doing before. Just like a work schedule, it makes perfect sense to have a blogging schedule. Thanks for your advice, Lauren 🙂
Thank you for reading and commenting. I have tried to comment on your post but it keeps saying I am a bot x
It says that? That’s strange. I don’t think I’ve ever seen your comments to go the spam folder but I will check the spam folder and see if your comments ended up there. Thanks for letting me know.
This is such great advice, thanks so much for sharing! Writing ahead of time definitely helps me!
Thank you for reading and commenting.
My schedule really saved my blogging life! I also schedule all posts weeks if not months in advance if I can. If I need to make changes, then I can always push them forward, back or even hold them over. Write things down be it on paper or digital, and don’t be afraid to try new things like posting times.
These are some great suggestions you have shared. Thank you for reading and commenting.
Fab advice. Definitely starting with blogging schedule and planning content ahead of time. Thanks for sharing
Thank you for reading and commenting.
Planning content ahead is such an important way to be consistent- and it’s one of the ways that I’ve fallen behind on over the last couple of weeks. I need to get back on top of it! x
It can be so overwhelming when you get behind as I have been there. I hope you manage to get on top of it. Thank you for reading and commenting. X
This is great advice. We have never done a guest post, so we will definitely consider doing a couple this year.
It is a great way to improve your DA score. Thank you for reading and commenting.
While I’ve personally never been a fan of guest posting, it’s a great option for some other bloggers! I’ve been using the time blocking method recently, and it’s been a great option for me. It allows me to be more consistent without being overwhelmed! Great post xx
Melina | http://www.melinaelisa.com
That’s great. I didn’t like guest blogging before, but it has helped improve my DA massively. Thank you for reading and commenting.
Great tips! I really need to get better at planning my content more in advance, I had so many ideas last Halloween but I didn’t get around to fully planning any of them, which was super disappointing. I really want to try the time blocking technique too, that sounds super helpful! Thanks for sharing x
I hope this post helps you get ahead of planning your content. Thank you for reading and commenting. X
Great sound advise. I have to try the time blocking technique you mention. Last year I posted every week, but this year I decided to post every other week and I’m real simple I just mark my calendar so I know which week I’m posting. thank you for sharing these great tips xo
That’s great you have a system that works lol for you! Xx
Works well for you*
I’m trying, I don’t always accomplish LOL
Time blocking is a good one. I try to do my ‘blog writing’ at the same time every day, and that helps me get my drafts done, little by little. After a few days, I’ll have a new draft ready for editing or scheduling. Good tips though. Thanks for sharing, Lauren!
Thank you for reading and commenting.
These are all great tips to become and stay consistent with blogging. Having a schedule is so important! It lets your audience know when to check in. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you for reading and commenting.
Some great tips. At the moment, I am trying to work on a blog schedule that works for me and guest post. I will definitely look at your other tips. Thank you for sharing.
A lot of this applies to freelance working too – I’m interested in trying out time-blocking, I get distracted so easily so this might really help me complete things on time! x
These are great tips! Planning and writing ahead of time always helps me. I also time block and schedule when I am going to write.
Thank you for reading and commenting.
I really need to establish a schedule for my blog again. I’ve been completely haphazard about it lately. Especially over December and January where my motivation completely disappeared
I hope you manage to organise a blog schedule. Thank you for reading and commenting.
Nice tips. Planning ahead is what helps me 🙂
Great tips! I think consistency is key and I finally cracked it with my blog. I have definitely seen amazing results and I hope to keep my schedule on track as much as possible (sometimes life happens and that’s okay too).
That’s great you have seen great changes. Thank you for reading and commenting.
I really need to get better at planning ahead! I feel like I’m always scrambling to get my posts up. I definitely agree with the guest blogging helping a lot! Thanks for sharing
Thank you for reading and commenting. Good luck with your planning.
Such great tips. I like the blocking out time idea and I’ve tried it. I also add a manageable amount of tasks to a list and feel happy when I manage to complete them. Nothing worse than unrealistic task setting or taking on too much!
It sounds like you have a great system to keep you organised. Thank you for reading and commenting.
Very helpful post! I have been working on improving consistency lately. I’ve been finding it hard to keep a writing schedule, but I’m working on it. Batching is a big help. Knocking out the same tasks for different posts makes it a lot easier when the time comes to write or promote. As much as I didn’t think I needed it before, I do think a schedule will make a difference for me. I started by scheduling some of my social posts this week and will do the same for blogging tasks/ writing. So many great suggestions. Thank you for the guidance.
~ Cassie | letsgrowmom.com
Scheduling social media posts can take the weight off your task list. A blogging schedule has really helped me, I hope it helps you. Thank you for reading and commenting.
Great tips! I’m working on time management at the moment. I will try the rest of these tips! Thank you for sharing!
I hope these tips help! Thank you for reading and commenting.
Some really fab tips, especially for us relatively new bloggers! So great to see a fellow UK blogger too! Xx
I am glad it is helpful as you are relatively new to the blogging world. The great things is I am nearly 5 years in and still learning so much. Thank you for reading and commenting.
These are great tips! I ought take some time to really take them under my wing and see if I can use my time more wisely.
For me, another big challenge is the simple look of my page & thus not very attractive to a professional. Also since i dont add images to my blogs, it looks quite plain and i am not sure how to make the wordpress site aesthetically good.
Add photos to your posts – it makes people want to read them. You don’t need to take them, you can use Unsplash.com and use stock images.
I’m always looking for ways to help with consistency when it comes to my blog so I’ll defiantly be keeping these tips in mind. Thank you so much for sharing these with us, they are really helpful Xo
Elle – ellegracedeveson.com
I am glad I could be of some help. Thank you for reading and commenting.
Amazing advice! There are many other posts which talk about having a bigger audience and blogging tips and tricks but I found this one to be the most helpful one so thank you!
I am so glad that this was a helpful post. You don’t need a big audience – just a loyal one! Thank you for reading and commenting!
Not taking on too many posts is beyond key. Bloggers tend to lack consistency because they try td do too many things, online and offline. This is a serious gig. Blogging the right way means investing ample time and energy to this venture. Excellent post.
We have a schedule in place, we start it 6 months in advance but keep it flexible as trends etc might change it. Also, we schedule as much as possible, at least when it comes to social promotion so that we are not left with no posts etc. And because there is (now) two of us, we sit down quite regularly to discuss anything we might want to do or try out. We love blogging and hope to make this a long term situation!
That’s great you have a system that works well for you. Thank you for reading and commenting.
These are all great tips and advice. I heard of time blocking from a productivity YouTuber one time and sort of forgot about it, but I’m glad I found it again through your post. Will definitely try more than a few out!
This post is super informative.
These are all such great suggestions! I need to have someone do a guest post for me! Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for reading and commenting. X
Thank you Lauren for a great post. The is a lot of helpful advice I’m definitely going to be taking away with me to help. I’m also heading to look at your other posts now!
I am glad you found it helpful. I hope you enjoyed some of my other posts. Thank you for reading and commenting.