At some point, all bloggers feel the pressure of trying to blog consistently. No one ever said blogging was easy. Sometimes it can be a fun activity while other times it can feel like a daunting chore. A little bit of pressure is a good thing, because it can motivate you to write high quality articles on a regular basis. However, too much pressure can get in the way of one’s natural ability to post frequently.
Fortunately, there are many ways to effectively deal with the pressures of blogging. The following is a list of the pressures I have experienced and the methods I have used to overcome them:
Pressure #1: Regularly posting articles. My best posts seem to come in waves. If I don’t post for a few days, it only gets more difficult to write the next article. If you are feeling especially creative, instead of letting that creative energy go to waste, write a few articles in one sitting. You can post-date them in the queue and save them for later.
A question that arises a lot is “how many articles should I post per week?” That is entirely up to the individual. Some blogs post 4-5x per day while others only post 2-3x per week. My goal is to post 5-6 articles per week. It has been said that there is such thing as posting too much, but that really depends on the blog itself. That being said, I believe it is important to think of good blogging as posting for quality instead quantity.
Whatever posting frequency you decide, stick to that. For most new bloggers, I recommend trying to post 4-5x per week.
Pressure #2. Ever-increasing expectations. I have been blogging consistently for over four months now. Over the past month, I have started to expect more out of myself as a blogger because my readership has increased due to a few well-received articles.
Once someone experiences some degree of success, s/he wants to experience that feeling again and again. Thus, the pressure to keep raising the bar becomes an issue. Lately, I have even gone so far as to completely scrap an article only to rewrite it because it did not meet my standards of a high-quality post.
The best way to deal with higher expectations is to sit back, relax, and remember what makes blogging fun. Perhaps even go back and read some of your better posts and comments. This should not only motivate you, but also possibly give you ideas for new articles.
Pressure #3. Catering to a larger audience. As audience increases, so too do the critcs. Writing for an increasingly larger audience can be especially intimidating. One reader may love what you wrote while another might think it was garbage. This is just part of the game, but of course, it also adds to that pressure to keep raising the bar.
This is something that Matt from Take More Risks has experienced in the past — as soon as he ordered a ReviewMe from John Chow, he experienced a large influx of readers. It became somewhat daunting for him to keep writing great content. At one point, Matt was concerned that his blog wasn’t ready for such a large influx of readers. Since then, he made a dedicated effort provide his readers with quality content and according to a recent post, it was all worth it.
Pressure #4. Lacking confidence. Lack of confidence is something that has plagued all new bloggers at one point or another. Perhaps you are not confident about which topics your visitors want to read more of, or maybe you are not confident about the quality of your articles.
The first thing to know is that confidence comes with experience. A while back I wrote about why you must clearly defining your blog’s purpose. Once you know exactly which topics you are best at covering, it becomes that much easier to blog better and consistently. You can’t deliver the goods until you know what you are delivering.
If you are unsure about whether an article you wrote is ready to be published, try having a friend or a family member look it over and give you some advice. I do this quite often just to ensure the post both made sense and was easy to read. This kind of feedback can greatly improve the quality of your writing over time.
If you are at a loss for an article topic to write about, read my 5 methods for overcoming writer’s block. One of the best methods I use to come up with article topics is by having conversations with friends. If a topic arises that I have strong feelings about, I instantly know that would make a good blog article (assuming it is on topic with the rest of your blog).
Conclusion
We all experience the pressures of trying to blog consistently – the most important thing is to just work through it. Hopefully, by being aware of what causes blogging pressure, it will allow you to ease through those difficult posting periods.
Most bloggers agree – post frequency is far more important than post length. If you are having trouble writing consistently, stop worrying, sit down, and just start writing whatever is on your mind. You may not want to publish what you just wrote, but at least it will get the creative juices flowing. Once you build that initial momentum, it will be that much easier to write a quality article.
What blogging pressures have you experienced and how have you overcome them?
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Great article Nate. I can relate to most things you write but what most fits me is the pressure of regulary posting new qualit content. I want to post everyday and I mostly do, but it is not always quality articles, sometimes when I got a real writers block or if I am too tired I just post some random update och industry news.
// Andreas Bard
Writing a blog is a relatively new pursuit for me, and this article touched on many of my concerns. I have already had occasions when my daily posting goal has been a test. Like Andreas said in his comment above, I will often post short referential comments when feeling uninspired. Oddly, at least to me, I have received positive feedback on that variation in length. Sometimes, my readers (a very, very small group right now) seem to want something shorter and less involved.
Those are all valid pressures.
The one I pay the most attention to is posting frequency. Not every post you write is gonna be amazing. Not every post you think is amazing will resonate with your readers … I did one of each last week …
And writing and posting consistently is how I keep learning how to do less of both.
Good article nate !! Sometimes I also havve problems with new articles, great read ///11
Hi, even if on my Blog there are mostly pictures and videos I admit that it is sometime stressing to keep up with the up to date posts….but it is also fun!
http://www.lucianobove.blogspot.com
Another quality post by Nate….the points made in the post echo the feelings and reality of many a blogger and will probably continue to do so in the future! i guess the best way to overcome increasing expectations, lack of confidence and a regular posting routine is to think of your blogging endeauvor as a regular job.
Great point, Wolf. If blogging is something you truly enjoy, then we could not ask for a better job. Thanks for the kind words.
Yeah, writer’s block is a hell of a thing to get over. If anything, you can try writing the bottom half of your story/blog post/novel/whatever first. Then you’ll get your lede/thesis/etc.
Thanks for this post, it will keep me going for few days probably.
Thats best idea for me to get out of my “block”, to realize that I’m on a path to creating a great blog, and that there are people experiencing same problem, and if they get over it, I can as well.
About pressures, so more on topic, I have a profile on a kind of community, where I get feedback and ideas for posts from people, and sometimes I hear “dude, your blog is rubbish” or “hey, that post didn’t quite answer my question”.
Those negative comments, readers demanding more, create a sort of pressure, but it’s great because it motivates me.
I then, try to get more info on that topic, learn more and provide better content, and thats what blogging is about, isn’t it?
Quality post right here! I even like your conclusion. I know you’ve been including that in most of your posts lately…great job!
Very good I was having similar problems the other day. The pressure issue, I try to at least make one post per day, and then make some link baits every once and awhile, and see what type of traffic I get from it, or links to my site.
This is a post that I can definitely relate to. My blog has been running since January, and I’ve adopted a “twice a day” posting schedule that has been ideal for me as I a) write for a living and b) also blog at another site. Growth has been better than I had hoped and I have to say, the most important aspect of blogging for me as been to write posts in clumps, as there are days when I just want to unplug. Unplugging really helps recharge the mental battery.
This article was very inspirational. When I started my blog, only my Mom read it. She said it was the best blog she’d ever seen (but I don’t think she knew what a blog was before that). Now, more people have started visiting, and it makes me nervous.
Janet, thanks for the comment. Funny thing is, my mom still reads my blog to this day. She even reads all of the other blogs that link to mine. I find it is a nice way to connect with her. Best of luck with your new blog – I will be sure to check it out!
hi
very informative useful article. I have bookmarked your site.
Thanks
So true, Unless you write with some passion, you’re going to have a tough time establishing a large readership with your blog.
My problem with writing several posts while I’m in the flow of creativity is that I almost always end up succombing to the temptation of posting them all that day. But now, reading what you’ve written, it occurs to me that it’s probably because I don’t have a set “frequency of posts” per day that I’ve committed to.
For the longest while, I tried to stay away from committing to a posting frequency – it made me feel like I was too tied to my blogs – but now that I’m gunning to do this full-time, I’m seeing reminders everywhere that it’s the type of commitment that I need to make.
I’ve dealt with the first pressure more often than the others. It’s so hard to come up with a fresh point of view for so much of the same stuff that is just being repeated everyday in the blogosphere.
That’s not to say the bloggers don’t come up with new methods or ways, it’s just harder to do so that’s all. This is where the best of the best are separated from the rest of the pack.
I still manage to post frequently though as I have a few diff. categories that I always find something to come up with. When I don’t I just post some videos and go RSS surfing.
Ahh, videos. The ultimate cop-out. I know I do that too.
No worries, we have all been guilty of the video cop-out. (Thanks to YouTube!)
Hey nate, this great article has been appreciated by Darren Rowse in one of his recent post.
Great article, you touched on some things that I’ve been giving a lot of thought to lately. However, I never really considered that you could post too often. I’ll have to give that some thought.
^yeah same here. Now that I’ve tweaked my site a bit(according to some of your tips in the ‘7 Ways to get readers to stick’) I need to get everything else sorted out. I only really post once maybe twice a week, is that not enough?
In anycase, I can definetly relate to what you have posted. Another excellent article Nate. BTW congrats on your recent successes, I’ve noticed your subscribers jump by 70 since I first started off reading your articles. Well done mate. ^_^
I’ve also found that organizing your time each day is essential to being productive. I like to set aside my first hour each day toward writing posts. If an idea hits me later in the day I write it down to remember it for the next day.
I really can’t agree more. Your article makes tons of sense. I look up to you as a inspiration, and wanted to let you know you have my support. Those struggles are all part of the business, and you just got to keep pushing. I just wanted to stop by and give you a friendly holler. I really enjoy reading your blog! Mabey you would be interested in some link exchange if your up to it!
-Randall
Randall,
I am honored to hear that you find my blog inspiring. That was one of my original goals in blogging – to help others. I checked out your blog today and I was very impressed with what I saw. Yes, I would be more than happy to do a link-exchange with you. Let me know when. Take care, friend, and thanks for the kind words.
where do you think I’ve been for the past week! i’ll admit . . the pressures got to me, but all i had to do was recharge and now I’m back!
I find that by blogging as much as possible in the morning, I can just write about anything new that happens during the day.
Where should I draw the line, though? Sometimes I feel as if I’m writing TOO many blog posts.
Cool…
Cool.
Nice
This is especially hard if you are not good at that about what you write or you don’t look enough for inspiration.
I am aiming to post once every couple of days, but it is difficult when you have so many project on going!
You are right in all aspects. BUt if to avoid constant blogging one can use his readers
I blog in the morning and then the evening. It was really hard at first, but soon It became apart of my life.
Great post. I do that sometimes when I have a hard time trying to write something for my blog or I get a writers block. I just sit down and write what is on my mind.
There are many blogger out there who fails in blogging because of lack of consistency however they are good writers and their post are really interesting to read. But what one need is consistency and new foods every day they can get.
Outstanding post over again. Thank you.