I’ve written a lot here about how much I work on this blog. If you take a look at my Daily Blogging Diary (see the link in the nav menu?), you’ll see that I usually work on my blog from anywhere between 8 to 13 hours a day, and that’s not including any work I do on any of my smaller blogs.
I realize, however, that the vast majority of people out there can’t spend this much time on their blogs. So this post is all about how to run a successful blog if you were to spend anywhere from 1 to 3 hours a day on your blog.
Yeah, you’ll definitely want to read this :)
So what exactly do you need to be doing?
Well, there’s a lot to do! But here are the main things I think you/we should focus on.
Hopefully that makes sense, yes?
Now let’s go over each of those real quick.
- Write your content – Duh. Writing your blog posts is a pretty important part blogging…
- Experimenting on your blog – This involves playing with the layout and design, installing and uninstalling plugins, etc. I think that this also includes testing out new traffic generation techniques to see if you get results.
- Respond to comments – I personally think you should respond to every comment on your blog; it’s a great way to strengthen your community and build up relationships with other bloggers.
- Read other blogs – You should be keeping up with what’s being talked about in your niche because 1) you’ll know what has and what hasn’t been talked about to death, 2) you’ll get smarter, and 3) you’ll get blog post ideas.
- Comment on other blogs – The purpose of this is threefold: 1) to get traffic back to your blog, 2) to get comments back on your blog, and 3) to, yet again, build a relationship with other bloggers.
- Write guest posts – Guest posting is such a fantastic way to get your name out there and get new readers fast! It’s great for you and it’s free content for the blog you’re writing for. Everybody wins.
- Be on Twitter – I love Twitter. It’s one of the best ways to start getting traffic fast. And I say “Be on Twitter,” but that means more than just having a presence there. You need to be active on it.
- Read books – Some of you might not want to do this because you feel like you can learn everything online. And this might be true for you or for your niche. But I LOVE books and I LOVE reading. I read books for some of the same reasons I read blogs: for self education purposes and for article ideas. But beyond that, I find that the quality of information is frankly just better in books than on blogs. And finally, for me, reading is very relaxing.
- Create products – If you’re like me, you’re always scheming about some other website or product. Well, stop scheming and start actually working on it! I realize that creating your own products doesn’t appeal or apply to everyone, but I think the majority of us can and should create our own digital products.
You’ll note that there are a few things that I didn’t talk about. Maybe you noticed that Facebook is missing. I think Twitter is a much faster and easier way to get traffic and readers quickly (but I don’t have a ton of experience using Facebook to promote a blog, so take that for what it’s worth). Ideally you’ll do both the Twitter thing and the Facebook thing, but since we’re talking about having limited time here, I’d recommend just using Twitter.
I also didn’t cover a ton more ways to get traffic like social bookmarking, video creation, and forum posting, just to name a few. Again, if we’ve got limited time here, for now I’d just stick with what I’ve got listed.
Keep in mind that this is all based on *my* experiences and what has worked for *me.* Your mileage may vary.
In your comment (because you ARE going to comment, right?), let me know if you think there’s something else that I should have included on that list.
Ok! Let’s prioritize!
Sweet, so we know what we have to do… But what should we do first?
Let me reiterate that I think all of the above-mentioned tasks are essential. That’s why I included them here. So even if something is a “low priority” task, it still needs to get done at some point on a fairly regular basis.
Anyway, here’s a chart showing what I believe is the relative importance of the above-mentioned tasks:
Let’s go over it.
Content is obviously #1; without content, you’ve got no blog. On tier #2 we’ve got things that 1) build a community on your blog and 2) drive traffic to your blog.
I think that for me Twitter is important enough to put on tier #2. But individually, I think each of the other tasks on tier #2 is more important that Twitter. But man, even writing that now pains me because I love Twitter so much.
I guess the reason I put Twitter on tier #3 is that I feel like the things in tier #2 get you subscribers, and then Twitter helps you kind of retain those subscribers and drive them back to your blog.
And then on tier #4 we’ve got the things that really aren’t ESSENTIAL to a blog’s success, but will definitely help you succeed.
I’d love to hear what other people have to say about the importance of all of these things.
Got it. So what should I do during my 1 to 3 hours of blogging time every day?
I’m getting there, I’m getting there…
First off, I think the main thing to keep in mind here is that you should NOT try to multitask. Do NOT try to do everything every night.
Think of your blogging in terms of a couple days or a week at a time and not a day at a time. Here’s what I mean: While you don’t need to do all of the above-mentioned tasks every day, you do need to do them at least every week, and maybe cycle through them two or three times a week depending on how much time you have and how quickly you want your blog to grow.
What should you do with your time? Let me answer that with…
The blogging cycle
Again, the cycle is the few core things you need to do once or multiple times a week. Things outside of the cycle are things you still need to do every week, but not necessarily as often as the things in the cycle. Does that make sense? (If not, keep reading; there’s a graphic a few paragraphs down that will explain it.)
IN THE CYCLE (do the things in the cycle at least 1x per week and ideally repeat 2x or 3x per week)
1. Write your post – How long this takes really depends on you and your blog. Some people can write really fast. Some write painfully slow. Some blog posts are 300 words long, some are 3000.
2. Read and comment on as many blogs as you have time for (if I’m taking my time, I can comment on 10-12 posts in an hour. If I’m rushing, I can do 20).
3. Tweet your post and retweet other people’s posts. This really doesn’t take very long, and now that I think about it, you should probably just do this as you’re reading other people’s posts. When you see one you like, retweet that sucker.
OUTSIDE OF THE CYCLE (do all of these at least once a week, regardless of how many cycles you go through)
This includes guest posting, book reading, and blog experimentation. The amount of time you spend doing these really should just depend on how much time you’ve got. Guest posting is the most important thing here, and I try to guest post at least once a week (though I missed last week). At the VERY LEAST, you should absolutely not let 2 weeks go by without guest posting.
I guess Twitter also belongs outside of the cycle, because you should be tweeting at least a little bit every day.
So in practice, how does this whole cycle thing work ?
Of course, it depends on how much time you have. But barring that…
Let’s say that after work and family responsibilities, you have a couple hours to work on your blog. First, you write a blog post. If you finish it that night, great. If not, work on it again the next night until you finish it.
Once you’ve got a post published, get out there and promote that sucker. Spending an hour or two just commenting on blogs will do wonders! Earlier today, for example, I spent about three hours just reading and commenting on other people’s blogs, and I ended up leaving 37 comments and retweeting 10 posts. Every time I do this I see a definite jump in my stats.
And speaking of Twitter, you should also spend at least few minutes on Twitter for every chunk of time you work on your blog. Twitter works best for you when you do it consistently instead of all at once.
So let’s say that on Monday you wrote your post, but didn’t quite finish it. On Tuesday you finished it and still had time so you commented on 20 blogs and retweeted 5 or 6 posts. Great job! And you’ve also completed the cycle one time!
Wednesday rolls around and you’ve got a couple more hours to burn, so you spend a few minutes doing Twitter stuff and the rest of your time writing a guest post. You put in a few extra minutes than you normally would and you finish the guest post and email it to the blogger.
[Incidentally, while you’re out commenting on blogs, you should be keeping a list of blogs you want to guest post on.]
Now we’re back at the beginning and ready to start the cycle again on Thursday.
Ta-da!
Click for the larger version.
Want to see me practice what I preach?
As most of you probably know, I spend many, many hours a day on Blogging Bookshelf. It is my main blog and the love of my life (if you’re reading this, Girlfriend, I apologize). But I realize of course that not everyone can spend that much time blogging. That’s why I wrote this post.
But in the last week I’ve created a couple new small sites. One is a blog called Blog Tips to Go, where I write about blogging tips in 250 words or less (which is a TON of fun, by the way!). The other isn’t quite a blog (it’s more of a static site now, but there WILL be a blog there at some point), and you can find it at KeywordLuv.com. I’ll eventually have a very large listing of all KeywordLuv-enabled blogs, plus tips on keyword research and stuff like that.
I won’t spend more than 3 hours a day on any one of these projects. You can check out what I do over at the Daily Blogging Diary here on Blogging Bookshelf. You can see how much I do and what I do for each of the blogs, including Blogging Bookshelf.
Over to you
I’d love to hear your opinion regarding the following:
- Are there other tasks you think bloggers should be doing regularly? (Like maybe link building should be on there?)
- What tasks do you think are most important?
- Do you blog with the blogging cycle, or do you do a little bit of everything at once?
- How many hours a day do YOU spend working on your blog, and what things do YOU do that have worked well for you?
- Anything else you’d like to add. I’m all ears!
I’m really, really excited about Wednesday’s post. Stay tuned :)
{ 144 comments… read them below or add one }
Great content is the cornerstone, that’s for sure.
I wouldn’t underestimate the value reading good books brings, though as it helps keep you ahead of the game and generates new ideas.
Ivan
I agree, I think book reading is essential, and that’s why I have it included here. I read daily, but other people might not feel the need or have the desire to do so.
Thanks for the comment, Ivan!
Hi Tristan
Another very informative post. As we now say MVP ;-) I spend anything from 10-13 hrs day on my blogging. Includes all the things you have mentioned.
However I have not been as active as you with doing Guest Posts. Maybe it’s just I don’t have the confidence. Even when I am invited, I hesitate. Guess it is about looking at some of the quality posts I read every day and find myself lacking. Maybe this will improve, the longer I blog.
Have done 2 GP so far and they have both been well received. Maybe do some more in the New Year. I have seen you on heaps of sites; so you are walking the walk that’s for sure Tristan.
The other thing I am planning is an ebook. Will take me longer than it has taken you to write! I also believe it is important to have a supportive community around; which you rightly say will be built through blog hopping and staying to comment and RT other bloggers’ posts. The interaction builds up trust and also I’ve got to meet some lovely people by networking.
Don’t plan to dive into any other aspects of blogging for the moment. Have some plans for 2011, but as there is so much to learn, doing it at a pace I can manage.
Thanks for sharing how you do it. And it is definitely working for you. You are rockin’ the blogosphere with your presence that’ s for sure :-)
Patricia Perth Australia
Great comment, Patricia!
I’ve found that a lot of people are unnecessarily afraid of guest posting, and that’s a little bit puzzling to me. What’s the worst case scenario? You get rejected. And that’s really not all that scary, is it? And then you can just keep submitting it until it gets posted. SOMEONE will publish any guest post anyone writes! Best case scenario? It’s accepted and you get tons of new traffic and subscribers. It’s definitely worth any perceived “risk” out there.
Ebooks I think are another thing that a lot of bloggers are intimidated by, but they’re not that scary. Free ones especially. When’s the last time someone complained about getting something for free? I don’t know. It’s never happened to me!
I definitely believe that you spend 10-13 hours a day working on your blog and business. It’s obvious in the fact that you’re everywhere, which, as you stated, is something I’m working on, too.
And I definitely understand about the whole pacing yourself thing. There IS a ton to learn and do. I have a list of a bunch of things I’d like to learn more about. But even if we’re working 10-13 hours a day, there’s only so much we can do!
Thanks for the great comment, Patricia! I always really appreciate your input and feedback.
I’ve been asked to GP so it isn’t about being rejected. More about whether what I write for someone else’s post lives up to the blog owner’s expectation. So far both been happy, so now just have to get on with it eh??!! Been asked by high PR site and maybe do something for them in the New Year. Was bit surprised to be asked. Got another request today for a review!
Maybe Gen Y just very confident and goes out and grabs the oppurtunities with both hands ;-) us baby boomers need a bit of a push lol
Patricia Perth Australia
I have a small whiteboard which I use for my “dailies” in terms of my work and blogging; it’s something like:
(not in any particular order)
1. Answer comments on blogs
2. Leave comments on blogs
3. Answer emails
4. Write content for Murlu
5. Write content for other blogs
6. Misc blogging/business tasks
Between all of the projects and things that I need to do each day, I’d say (besides full time work) that I’m putting in about 6-8 hours of work into my blogs and business; it’s certainly a grind but it has to be done.
You can bump it down to just 1 – 3 hours if you’re streamlining the process but I like to have a lot of fun with just playing around most of the time because it’s a hobby and interest of mine. I could do it all in 2 – 3 hours if I pushed hard but hey, I’m going to be doing it throughout the afternoon so I generally take my time.
The thing that I’d like to add is the overall post maturity – publishing too often, in my mind, really neglects the ability for a post to fully mature and reach its full discussion. Publishing every day doesn’t allow you to promote the day-lights out of your posts since you’re already working on the next – you also overload visitors if they are trying to complete a tutorial which could take days. Just my two cents.
I really like what you said about post maturity, Murray. It’s something I’ve been thinking about a lot, too. I definitely wouldn’t want to post more than three times a week here on Blogging Bookshelf, both for my own sanity and for that of my readers. Even if I have guest posts in the future, I’ll never post here more than three times a week. Like you said, there just isn’t time for your readers to make their rounds and get back to your blog when you post too often. And then you as a blogger get all sorts of stressed out and blogging isn’t fun anymore.
I actually got a whiteboard after reading about yours. It was actually sitting behind a couch in my living room, so I repositioned it. I don’t use it as often as I should, though. I think I’ll make it a goal to use it on a daily basis, as I think it could really help me.
And I’m in the same boat as you… I COULD probably get all of my stuff done faster and streamline it all… But I too am enjoying the whole thing immensely. This is a hobby in addition to being a future business. And that’s the way it should be, eh?
Thanks for the great comment, Murray!
I usually spend an hour or less per day average (over a week) on my main site. My days are pretty full and hectic right now, so I am trying to free up more time by eliminating dead weight, networking with other bloggers, partnering with a few on projects (some new some old) etc…
I hear ya, Keith. I’ve got plenty of time to work on my projects, so I do work on them for that amount of time! If I only had an hour a day, I’d have to look long and hard at my priorities.
BTW, I did look at the Google Doc you sent me. And I’ll write my 2 cents on it later today. But in short, I’m in :)
Once again, awesome post Tristan, I love the graphics man! You are killing it!
It’s so true as well, I feel so identified because it’s exactly what I do.
Keep up the good stuff man, your graphics are killing it!
Thanks, Fernando!
I love the graphics because 1) I get to be more creative, 2) making them is fun, 3) readers respond really well to them, 4) they help readers understand things better and faster, and 4) posts with graphics tend to get shared more often. Sure, they take some time to make, but they also help me to understand the concepts better.
As always, I appreciate the kind words and the comment!
Hi Tristan,
Wonderful and informative post. Writing content is indeed the most important of all. I don’t have 10-13 hours, so the most i have is around 3-4 hours. I normally focus on content, then go ahead to visit other blogs and commenting on them. I use twitter only when i am retweeting other post. The interesting thing is i made use of iphone to chat on twitter. I tweet when i am on the walk :)
Thanks for sharing another “pillar” articles.
Lye
Man, I wish I had an iPhone. I’d love to be able to Tweet while walking :)
3-4 hours a day is still a solid chunk of time. You can (and do, from the looks of your blog) get a log done in that amount of time. Great job!
Thanks for the comment, Lye!
Hi Tristan
I am fairly new to blogging so I found your post so very helpful, thank you for sharing it.
I do not have many tips to share just yet, but what I have found is that feeding my content (through rss) into various other sites does help me spread my blog content further, and I have especially found facebook to be a a great source of traffic so far.
I am trying to work out a schedule to complete all my blog “tasks” and it’s just finding the time to do it all, what with working full time offline too.
This was my first time on your blog and I got a wealth of help from it, so will be back again for sure.
Alex.
Great! Glad you found the post useful, Alex!
As I said in this post, I haven’t had much success with Facebook for blog marketing in the past. What tips can you give me that you’ve found worked well for you? Are you using your personal account or a fan page or both?
And feeding content through various RSS aggregators is a great idea. It’s something I’ve done a little bit of and plan to do more in the future.
Thanks for leaving the comment, and I’m glad your first visit here was enough to keep you around :) I hope to see you again!
Hi Tristan,
I love how you’ve built community here!
I think content creation is farther up the ladder for me but I do agree that there should be a conscious effort to follow a cycle with your blogging and I like how you’ve broken it down.
Thanks,
Peggy Baron
P.S. I’m currently reading The Pledge by Michael Masterson. Interesting reading about how to get the most done in your day.
I’ve been very pleased with the community that’s building up here on the blog. It’s a lot of fun, and have found that the comments usually provide just as much (if not more) useful info than the posts! And it’s all thanks to great readers and commenters like you :)
Thanks for the tip about The Pledge. I just checked it out and added it to my Amazon wishlist. I’d normally just order it right away, but my Amazon spending habits have become a bit too much recently!
Thanks for the great comment, Peggy! It’s always a pleasure to see you here.
Awesome post bro. I agree with your points. I think experimenting your blog should be done once a month! If you are fond of experimenting your blog everyday, you will get tired and you’ll get mad at yourself with doing other things. Thanks a lot for sharing. Have fun.
Thanks, Samuel! I agree that it’s easy to go overboard with blog experimentation. It’s easy for it to suck up way too much time and to just end up frustrated.
Thanks for taking the time to read the post and leave a comment!
I think writing a little everyday will help you when it comes to blog posts, and it also will improve your writing in itself.
I agree. I personally write something every day, even if it’s not blog content every day. It definitely helps get the creative juices flowing and helps make you a better writer.
Thanks, Edwin!
Thanks for this insight — very clear and specific about what needs to be done — while being motivational as well! (That’s why I’m posting a comment right now…you inspired me to do it, and I’m following your advice…and what more could a blogger ask for than people DO what he or she recommends?)
By the way, I ran across this from your Twitter feed, again proving what you are blogging about really works!
Thanks again…
Scott
Awesome! I love to see testimonials like that in my comments, Keith :D And I really couldn’t expect more than to motivate a reader enough to leave a comment, so I definitely do appreciate you mentioning that!
All of these things that I’ve mentioned here really do work! All of my tips come from my own blogging experiences based on whatever successes or failures I have.
And it’s great to hear that you came here through my Twitter feed! Man… I love Twitter!
I appreciate the great comment, Scott, and I hope to see you around!
Hi Tristan, Thank you for writing such a long, detailed post, full of information and great tips about how to run a blog in a few hours per day. The fact is that most of us have a very busy lifestyle and find it difficult to spend the entire day in a blog as you do. Therefore, learning how to do the important things in just 1-2 hours is key to our success. I like the charts and graphics that you used to illustrate your points, particularly the weekly blogging cycle example. You have put so much time and effort in this blog post – thanks again!!
I’m really glad you liked my post, Alex. I’ve seen your guest posts all over the place and admire your work ethic!
And yes, I did put a lot of time and effort into the graphics and writing this post… But I loved doing it! It’s fun for me to do and it creates a better end result for my readers, so there’s really no downside!
Thanks so much for commenting! I really do appreciate it.
Excellent post although as a marketer, I think that ‘creating products’ should be among the most important things you can do (something I need to zoom up to speed as well!).
For me, I’m a marketer who blogs, not a blogger who markets, so income creation is very important indeed.
And like Patricia, I need to ramp up there with guest posting – anyone want me? I’m considering cloning myself more…. :)
I agree that creating products is a hugely important thing to do. I really struggled with figuring out where to put that, too. I think it depends to a huge extent on where you’re at with a blog. For someone like you with an established blog and readership, I can see how creating products would be a top priority. For someone who only gets 10 visitors a day on their blog, though, coming out with a product won’t do them any good or make them any money.
Once I start accepting guest posts (whenever that is… probably sometime in January or February), I’d love to have you blog here!
Thanks for commenting, Barbara!
Hell yes! :-) Have a look at my GP guidelines to see if anything takes your fancy.
I’d love to have something from you, Barbara, I really enjoy your writing style.
Kind regards,
Steve
Excellent write up – everytime I visit your blog I learn something – and not just learn something and then forget it. You go into so much detail and explain things thouroughly enough that they stay with me, embedded in my brain haha!
I am actually thinking about upgrading my theme to a premium theme. I do write content everyday (sometimes its hard on the weekends) but it is paying off – after only having a blog for a few months I am already seeing an imporvement in traffic and ranking.
The only thing I dont have from your list is twitter – I think I will get an account after I change my theme
good write up – keep them coming!
Chris, you’ve paid me a HUGE compliment there. There are a few blogs that I read religiously, and they’re the ones that leave a lasting impression on me and spurn me to action. And knowing that I’m having that kind of effect on people makes all of the hard work worth it. So I really do appreciate that kind of feedback!
If you want to talk about premium themes, send me an email. I’m something of a theme collector. I’ve got the major ones like Thesis, Headway, Genesis, Frugal, and several from Woo Themes. So let me know if you’d like some input on that; I’d love to give you my 2 cents.
And Twitter is essential, man. Get on it! It’s my #1 traffic source.
Thanks for the great comment, Chris!
Good read!
I agree with you on the “NO MULTITASKING” part, and I have a similar schedule myself, however not for your 12 hours a day of course.
What I am not sure about is the guest posting part. I can find around as many “pro” people and “cons” people, and I can’t make my mind clear.
Of course I should just try and experiment its benefits (or lack of) myself, so probably I am just being lazy here ;)
Gabriele, what kinds of “cons” are you hearing about guest posting? To me, the only con is that it takes time and possibly content away from your blog. But for someone like you who is such a great writer and who seems to have so much to say, I don’t see any downsides.
I say go for it. Every time I guest post I see new subscribers, commenters, and bigger traffic numbers.
Thanks for commenting here!
I’m loving the info-graphics you create. Great way to engage the visual learners. I also just discovered your blogging diary, great idea and very informative.
I really love the making the infographics. It might be my favorite part of new posts, and I’m going to try to use them in just about every post.
And thanks for the feedback on the blogging diary. It’s something I’ve been wanting to do for a while but only recently started.
Thanks, Jason! You’re going to be mentioned in my Friday post, btw. I’ll shoot you an email about it.
Woohoooo, Tristan!!
this is THE post I’ve been waiting for … and I didn’t even know it until I read it :) (that’s why it’s so much fun to come to your blog!)
I try to dedicate as much time as I can to my blogs, but work, family and other priorities often take the lead. This is perfect! I love the idea of a cycle to follow, it helps me to understand that blogging IS possible even with a few hours a day.
As far as prioritizing within the blog, I agree that posting and commenting on other blogs should be of primary focus. Tweeting definitely works but, as you say, you must be present and really connect out there.
Up until now I was trying to do a little bit of everything all at once, but “the cycle” is definitely what I need, so that’s where I will focus my energies.
As always, great post!
Alright! I’m glad I was finally write this post for you, Carolina ;)
I’ve heard before that the best posts are the ones that you didn’t even know you needed until you read them so thank you for saying that!
Doing everything at once might work for some people, but it just hasn’t worked out well for me in the past. I end up getting a little bit of something done but not much of anything completed.
Thanks for the awesome kind words, Carolina, and thanks so much for commenting!
Well, writing is the most important part for any blog and that has to be priority for anyone. My priority list is almost similar to you and I almost always perform tasks in that order.
I am maintaining a list of all the blogs I comment on and those that I want to guest post on just to make sure that I have goals in mind.
Great post!
Thanks for the great comment, Ishan, my long-lost Indian brother :D It’s funny how we can have so much in common!
Ha ha! :) Well, co-incidence!
Between, you might want to install “Reply to Comments” plugin to help people get notified about reply to their comments. It is really handy for you as well as us!
Very good and important topic you’ve addressed here Tristan, as the majority of people have a finite time (1-3 hours a day) to work on their blog.
But the problem with answering this question, like so many others in the world of marketing, is that it really depends on the industry.
Let me give you an example. Before I was a marketing/web guy I was a pool guy. In other words, I built (still own the biz) swimming pools. My swimming pool blog is the most popular in the world right now of its kind, but I’ve never done one guest post, have done very little with twitter, and FB, and have done almost zero comments on other blogs. But because the content is freaking awesome, and because the search engines dig it for a million long-tail phrases, it rocks. (plus it helps that most pool companies don’t do content marketing)
On the other hand, I have my small biz/marketing blog at The Sales Lion. It has done pretty well in a year’s time but I’ve invested way more time in commenting, twitter, I’ve done guest posts, etc. In other words, these are things I have to do in this niche because these are the tools consumers are using and there is a tremendous amount of competition when it comes to an effective keyword/SEO strategy. Ya feel me?
Notwithstanding all my blabbing though, I feel your recommendations, for many businesses, are spot-on.
As always, good stuff Tristan.
You make an great point, Marcus. Not every blogging tip will work for every blog in every niche and industry, and I think that your pool blog example is the exception rather than the rule.
As you said, a ton of it has to do with competition in the industry and SEO. You’ve firmly cemented in what seems to be an awesome niche, and you’re killing it. Most of the rest of us poor schmucks are in niches where there is more competition, both for readers’ attention and in the SERPs.
Thanks for sharing your personal experience and examples in an awesome comment, Marcus!
Another killer post man! This one is really good for me because I have a full time job. I can only dedicate so many hours to my blog, which I’m hoping to turn into a part time business. I put some time into Facebook and not very much into Twitter. Mostly because I know FB and don’t know Twitter. Dude, I’m begging for a Twitter article! I need to know the secrets of it! Would you recommend retweeting anything in our niche that we find interesting? Thanks again Tristan.
Ok, ok, I’ll work on a Twitter post for next week :) What specific questions do you have?
And yep, I’d recommend retweeting whatever you find in your niche that is interesting.
Thanks, Gif!
Twitter questions:
Whats the deal with the @ thing? Is this a reply? Do you have to type @ then the name of the person? How to use the @
Same question goes for the # symbol… Is this a search thing? do I have to type it in manually? etc…
Should we retweet everything we like? How does this drive traffic to my site?
I notice you retweet yourself… is this just to move the same post further up the list so people will see it? Will this annoy people?
How do you know if someone is talking to you? Do you just look at the @Mentions?
What are lists and what do I do with them?
Maybe other general twitter tips and techniques to get the most out of it and make it work for you and your blog.
Thanks!
Awesome, Gif! I’ll definitely try to answer these as best I can.
Another awesome post! It’s amazing how you are able to create the stunning infographics, keep adding them. It’s so much easier to read blog posts when you add them.
This is a little like my 1 hour a day blog traffic technique. I usually don’t spend more than 1 hour a day. But I would love to spend more time, but I can’t right now. What I do is exactly what you describe, except that I am spending a little time on discussion forums as well (digital point).
I’m right now testing one thing, and that’s a plugin called Better Feed where I can add the footer of my choice to my RSS feed. So, what I’m doing is adding a subscription form to my newsletter in my RSS feed. I’m not sure how it’s going to work, but I’m looking forward to see the results.
I’m also thinking about using Facebook more than I’m using it right now. I’ve just bought Like Spinner, and it looks like a brilliant script to get more friends and to automate the process.
Thanks, Jens! I love creating the infographics, and I’m always looking for excuses to use them in my posts.
That Better Feed plugin sounds really cool, actually. Be sure to let me know how it works out, as I can see that as being really, really useful.
I just checked out Like Spinner, and it looks really interesting! I’d also like to hear about your experiences with that.
Thanks as always, Jens!
With having two brick and mortar businesses I really can’t always schedule in the time I would like to work on my blog. Since the time I have is really limited it’s safe to say most of my posts take less than an hour.
That’s definitely understandable, John. You’re a busy man! It’s amazing that you find time to blog at all :) Thanks for the comment!
Fine post, Tristan.
I work on blog related activities about 10 to 12 hours many days. Sunday’s are for recharging so I only put in 3 or 4 hours. My goal is to work this schedule over the next 2 or 3 years while I build out the empire, then scale back to a friendlier schedule. But anyone who wants to make a serious go at this and reap some real benefits will have to commit to putting lots of time, at least in the early stages.
To many this sounds terrible, but it’s not really work when you have that passion for what you’re doing. :-)
I have a couple of projects on the horizon that will have me doing 12 to 15 hour days for a bit, but once these things are built out I can fall back to a maintenance position and work… 30 minutes less. LOL
Good stuff, man.
Amen to that, Jimi!
I’ve got pretty much the same goals and schedule as you. Work hard now to set everything up and get it going, and then hopefully not have to spend so much time on it in the future.
I totally agree that if you’ve got the passion and the drive, it’s really not work, is it?
Thanks for taking the time to comment, I really appreciate it!
Hi Tristan,
As usual a very productive post :)
I’m a part-time blogger and I can’t have those hours so your tips can be extremely handy.
I’m trying to increase my writing hours (I’m not pretty fast in English, is my second language), also slowing down the social networking to a reasonable minimum (twitter) but my case include StumbleUpon which is great too. I use them in bursts of 15 – 20 minutes to avoid spending all the productive day there.
Cheers,
Gera
Thanks Gera! I can’t imagine blogging in another language… That would be so hard!
I think you make a great point of limiting your time spent on Twitter and StumbleUpon to relatively short bursts.
I really appreciate the comment!
Another very timely post for me, Tristan. As you know I’m just starting out and I’ve really picked a bad time to begin a blog! I have two small children, I work 3 days a week in a job that requires a long commute and we’re emigrating to the other side of the world in less than two months time so you can imagine the amount of stuff that needs doing in our house! I’m lucky if I get an hour a day to sit down, let along work on my blog! But I just couldn’t wait to get started so I’m doing it anyway (my husband thinks I’m mad).
But, once again, you’ve given me a lot to think about, even if I can’t implement it all right away. Thanks!
Jo-Maree, I love hearing stories like yours! I can definitely understand that pull/allure of blogging! It definitely sounds like you’ve got your hands full, and it really is amazing that you spend as much time on your blog as you do! That’s impressive.
I’m glad you liked the post and found it helpful! Thanks for commenting!
Hey Tristan,
There’s some great ideas in this article, and some good looking graphics! I read Jens’ article yesterday about his one hour blogging schedule and yours flows on nicely from that. The key you both bring out is the important of prioritising the key tasks.
I’d add blog promotion to your list. I know that commenting etc is a form of promoting your blog, but once I’ve written an article I’ll spend a while adding it to Ezine articles, submitting it to social bookmarking sites, scheduling some tweets about it etc.
Keep up the good work!
Allan
I’m glad you liked the graphics, Allan! They’re starting to become my favorite part of this blog :)
I think adding “blog promotion” to your list is a good idea. It’s a great way to sum up all of those other things that you need to do to get the word out about your blog.
And your comment reminds me… I need to schedule my tweets more often.
Thanks for the great comment, Allan!
Hi Tristan
I try to update my blog everyday but i cant. I have full time job and sometimes when i come home, i dont have anymore energy to write for my blog. So on weekend i spend more than 5 hours for my blog which is forum posting, blog comments, write content and on working day i just spend for 30- 1 hours to check out all my blogs which is analytics , income….. And now i try to post new article on Tuesday and Thurday. If you feel free, visiting my blog on this day to find out something news my friend. Thanks for your article, awesome .
Ryan, I can definitely understand not wanting to work on a blog after being at work all day! You’re doing a great job with the time you have, though!
Thanks for stopping by to read and leave a comment. I really appreciate it.
I suspect that’s a pretty good list of what to do and how often, Tristan. I do things pretty much as you describe, except that some of my time factors are different. The biggest difference is the amount of time I spend reading and commenting on other blogs. I’m not a speed reader, I just sort of plod along and absorb every nuance of every word. I don’t skim either – if I’m not all that interested in what a blogger has to say, I won’t waste time reading that blog. That is probably a counter productive attitude as far as “marketing” goes. I wish I’d made note of when I started reading your post, but I’ll bet it’s been 20 minutes, including checking out the graphics. OK, I’m just slow… but when I leave here, I understand what you said.
Anyway, I tend to spend my free evenings reading; either blogs or books. I used to do this in the morning (so I wasn’t always the 50somethingth comment) but can’t do that anymore.
Time spent writing content varies; sometimes one will just flow off my fingertips and need almost no polishing. It’s done and ready to post in an hour. Other times I’ll spend days agonizing over one, researching, re-writing, trying to figure out why it just doesn’t “jell” for me.
I spend very little time on Twitter. I promise I’ll take time after the Christmas rush is over (another 6 days to go, anything not done by then won’t get there in time anyway) to learn how to use it more effectively. I tweet my posts and retweet your posts, but have never tried to be conversant with others on it.
So, I’d say I need to do more skimming and commenting to increase my marketing efficiency – and use Twitter more. Otherwise I’m pretty much in compliance with your guidelines. Well, no… I haven’t done any guest posts. Sigh. More work to do than I thought!
Allan, sometimes I read blog posts in commenting mode and sometimes I read them in reading mode. There are some posts (like this one, if I do say so myself) that just require more time to get the most out of them. But there are others that are 300 words and big headings and content you’re already familiar with that are more conducive to quick reading.
The writing time for my content can vary, but it usually takes me 3-5 hours to write one of my posts (including graphics and revisions). It’s usually because I don’t know exactly what I want to say when I start writing. I don’t have an outline or anything. I start with a catchy title and then just write until I don’t have anything else to say. Doing the graphics in this post took a while because I’d obviously thought about these things before, I had never organized them in such a clear and succinct way as I did here.
I have a list of guest post ideas, each one having a few bullet points that I want to talk about. My guest posts take about an hour to an hour and a half to write.
I’ve already promised someone else here in the comments that I’d write a post next week about Twitter. Are there any particular questions you have?
And you should definitely get to guest posting! It’s one of my favorite things to do (probably because 1) I love to write, and 2) I love seeing those new subscribers every time I write a guest post!).
Thanks for the great comment, Allan!
Good thought here Tristan.
I try to spend about an hour each day on my blog, but it tends to be every other day as I work a tad more than is probably healthy. For me, blogging is a great outlet.
I like how you laid out the priorities. That is key to saving time. It is funny how much my life has improved since I learned to do this at work a few years back. Sure, everything needs to get done, but not all of it needs to be done right now. That is, so long as you don’t use that idea as an excuse to not work hard. :)
By the way, Jimi Jones is a BLOGGING MACHINE! 10 to 12 hours working on blogs each day!!! Oh, that should not sound like so much fun, should it?
Anyway, have a good day.
Hey Mark! Blogging really is a great outlet, isn’t it? It’s been a while since I’ve thought about that. Which is stupid, because obviously you should only blog if you’ve got something to say. Thanks for reminding me!
And yes, Jimi Jones is indeed a blogging machine! I average about 8 hours a day, but have 2 or 3 days a week of 11 to 14 hours.
Thanks for the great comment!
Using commenting as advertising tool for new blog post is surely a brilliant move. Beside for promoting (or traffic), this commenting technique will also build the back link for it.
Exactly, Dana. Commenting is just a great idea for several reasons! Thanks for the comment here :D
Hey Tristan,
You are doing an awesome job and really know how to bring in an amazing network of people to your blog! Keep up the great work!
See you around!
Dan
Thanks, Dan. Yeah, there are definitely a lot of great people that stop by here! I really appreciate you stopping by, too. Thanks!
For some reason it takes me a long time to write a post. I check and recheck it a million times and still miss small errors. I change a sentence to make it sound better… on and on. I need to learn to leave well enough alone so I have more time to do your other suggestions.
I also prefer Twitter to Facebook. For Me.. Facebook becomes a little too chatty about personal things.
I just noticed my KeywordLuv does not keep up with my current post. I need to check into it and see why.
Thanks Tristan
It takes me a long time to write posts, but mainly because it takes me a while to suss out exactly what I want to say. When I actually get to the end of what I’m writing, I re-read that sucker once and am done with it.
I feel the same way about Facebook, though there are a lot of people using it effectively for blog promotion. I guess I just need to work at it more…
Thanks Kathryn!
This is a quality blog, I need to make sure I try and do this considering the amount of success from your blog!!
Ash
Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment, Ash!
Tristan – Nice tips on how to properly diversify your time each day. I definitely have my own blogging cycle that I utilize each week. I think you pretty much covered everything as far as blogging tasks that a blogger should focus on if he/she just has a few hours in the day to devote to their blog.
If you don’t have a lot of the time during the day just focus mainly on updating your content and building your online community and presence through commenting on other blogs and replying to comments on yours.
Thanks, John, I really appreciate your comment, and it’s great to hear that your experiences have been about the same. Have a good one!
Hey Tristan,
Great content! You also describe the life of a blogger well. You know you hit a nerve when other people can identify with what you are saying.
I can write a blog post in as little as 5 minutes. But some post take me days to finish. So here is my own mini to do blog list…
I cheat lols.. I use Tweet Adder takes me 1 minute to add 200 followers a day. I do this daily
I like reading other peoples blogs, because it gives me ideas for my own blog post.
I experiment all the time. Actually if not for experimenting I would never learn anything lols…
Also I focus on just 1 aspect at a time…
Some days I work on post or several.. Other days I just comment.
Most of my time spend online I am learning. I find the more I learn and apply the more I have to write about :)
I actually do the same blogging circle you do every time I do a new post. I have been adding to that circle lately though. I am now getting in the habit of syndicating my content within different tribe groups.
Also I would like to add that learning how to be more effective with social media can really save time. Serviceing more guest posting. What I really need is more hours in the day!
Thanks for sharing!
Larry
Wow, thanks for the awesome comment, Larry!
I cheat, too :D I use TweetAttacks, which is pretty much the same thing as TweetAdder. I usually do it a couple times a week and get a couple hundred followers each time.
And I’m the same way as far as my work schedule goes. Sometimes I comment on other blogs all day, sometimes I spend most of the day writing a blog post. It just depends on the day.
I agree that more hours in the day really would be awesome :) Thanks so much for commenting!
Tristan,
Wonderful post. As always.
It is great to see what -could- be done with only three hours a day. I am like you in that I generally spend a LOT more than that daily. Of course I am also trying to keep that insane 7 days a week thing going. Almost 8 months of doing that… can’t have to at least make 1 year of doing that.
- I wouldn’t expect a Feb 16th post for SSS-
Anyhow I totally agree with your list. Even with the Twitter at #3 position, where I WOULD put it with no thinking of it being #2.
I do also try to find time to read daily, though sometimes my reading is limited to 15-20 mins.
As for what can be added.
Link building (perhaps as a task 5)
Analyzing data and process streamlining. (Maybe a level “6″ task) About 1 time a month or so every blogger should take a hard look at all data and analytics. Find out what works and what doesn’t. Target posts that have done “better” for an article or two (article marketing).
and basically apply the 80/20 principle
Goals and to do lists (perhaps a level 3) This is minor one in time consumption, but everyone should have some sort of a checklist where they keep track of tasks and hopefully slowly work on the odd long term thing (like eBooks, lead magnets, free reports and affiliate marketing and misc. “money” pages)
Thats about all I can think of now.
Great post!
Wow, thanks for the great comment, Steve!
Hahaha, man, mad props for posting every day. That’s dedication and commitment right there. I’ve done it before and it really got to me after a while!
My reading time is also usually 15-20 minutes, but I find that even doing it that much is great for my blogging and even just relaxation.
Good call with analyzing analytics. That’s a great idea!
And you’re right, goals and to-do lists should have been on there. Without a solid plan, it’s all too easy to spend time just trying to come up with something to do.
Thanks as always for stopping by, Steve!
Hey Tristan,
I think you have the cycle pretty much covered! I love twitter too, but don’t go there daily….as yet. December seems to be such a busy time – lots of things on “the to do list ” but am keeping up with the blogging cycle.
Thanks again for great post!
Mon
It’s true, December is a beast of a month when it comes to trying to get stuff done!
Thanks for commenting, Mon! It’s always great to see you here.
You are kickin’ butt on the tuts man. I better keep my eye on you. Competition is healthy, but this is nuts. lol.
Hahaha! Thanks, Brandon :D
Hey Tristan!
The key thing I got from this article, Tristan, is to have a work schedule so you’re not all over the place wondering what you should be doing instead of just doing it. :-)
I’d add into the mix, “article research”. You may very well include that in “write content”, but for me, I like to think of it as a separate task.
Kind regards,
Steve
Steve, do you ever retweet your own posts after they’ve been tweeted the first time? I just started doing this recently and have had some great success with it in terms of getting more retweets and sending readers back to my older content.
And I don’t do nearly as much article marketing as I should… Have you checked out Steve Scott’s second to last post about article marketing? Here’s the link: http://www.stevescottsite.com/11-article-marketing-lessons-you-can-learn-from-an-account-with-2338985-views . I don’t really know much about article marketing at all, so I enjoyed that post.
Thanks as always for the comment, Steve!
Hey Tristan!
Do I retweet my own articles after they’ve been tweeted once? Yes. In fact I retweet an article 5 or 6 times. I read somewhere that the peak twitter usage time was around lunch time, so I try to have a tweet go out at lunch time for 5 major timezones around the world. I just set it up in Hootsuite to schedule them.
And yep, saw Steve’s article.
Crap. I got my comments mixed up. You didn’t mention automatic tweets :)
haha! That’s cool. You got an answer to your question anyway. :-)
Hi Tristan,
I’m on a similar blogging cycle myself. I tend to write a post and take a few days in between to comment and visit other blogs. It gives people time to read my posts and me time to ruminate on my next post. My twitter account is somewhat automated in that my blog feeds my twitter. However, I try to retweet and reply to twitterers once a day. That doesn’t take very long at all. Most of my blogging time through the week is spent reading and commenting.
Nice to hear that you’ve got a similar routine, Richard.
Do you ever retweet your own posts after they’ve been tweeted the first time? I just started doing this recently and have had some great success with it in terms of getting more retweets and sending readers back to my older content.
Thanks for the comment!
Excellent layout for a blogger’s day! When I first started I was spending too much unfocused time on a million different tasks. Therefore I had NO focus at all. Once I developed a routine of write, submit, tweet, read and comment…I progressed. Sticking to whatever routine you create is key.
Exactly, Lisa. The key for me has just been to get into a groove and keep doing it until it becomes a habit that I don’t have to think about any more.
I really appreciate your comment!
Tristan,
I especially like this post because of time constraints on my daily schedule! Unlike you and Pat, I don’t have 10-13 hours a day to work on blogging.
Oh no I just realized I’m now lacking in guest posting department. I know I used to guest post at least once in 2 weeks and I noticed readership and traffic does increase when I do that. Got to cut some slack and get back into it again. I especially like your weekly blog cycle. Gonna save it and use it as a guide for myself :D Love your infographics there.
Great! Glad you liked the post and the infographics, Bryan!
You really should guest post more. I think it’s a ton of fun, and in my experience it’s been the #1 best way of getting new readership.
I really appreciate the comment, and it’s always great to see you here. Thanks!
What a thorough post. After writing content, reading others’ posts and commenting all over is definitely next my on my priority list. I tend to slack a little on the things lower down on the list, but one thing I definitely try to do is search for people on Twitter who are looking for help in my niche and offer up a little advice. Works wonders for getting new followers.
I think finding people on Twitter who need your help is a GREAT idea! I’m going to start doing that immediately :)
Thanks, Dave!
I love this post so much that I forwarded it to several of my clients and friends. Everyone can find 1 hour in a day to expand business. This article does a great job of showing specific workflow steps and the importance of each.
I wish I had read this article years ago.
Great work. Many thanks!
Wow! Awesome! Thanks so much, Olin :D
Wow, what a great post, Tristan!
This is my first time reading this blog and, I must say, I’m impressed! I never even thought about blogging with a cycle before now – amazing idea! I’ll definitely try it to see how it works.
By the way, I’m completely in love with Twitter too! I only recently became active on it, but I’m definitely glad I did. I installed TweetDeck, so now I have an account for each of my blogs (with a few blogs sharing the same account) – but it’s really great how I can separate accounts according to what I’m going to be talking about.
Christina
Christina, I’m glad you liked the post :D
Twitter really is awesome, isn’t it? For years I just thought it was stupid and pointless, but then I tried it out in earnest and was amazed at the traffic it drove to my blog!
I’ve been meaning to try out TweetDeck but haven’t yet. I too have a few different accounts and have been looking for a way to manage them better.
Thanks for the great tip and for taking the time to comment, Christina!
Heh, I had the same initial thoughts as you about Twitter, which was why I put it off for so long. :)
And you should definitely try TweetDeck – It’s awesome and even highly customizable. It’s also incredibly easy to add accounts and switch accounts when tweeting. Basically, all you have to do is click a button and your message gets tweeted from that account.
Christina
Nice article, I am a begiiner in blogging, these few rows will help me to develope my blog
Awesome, I’m glad the graphics could help you out, Cosmin!
Thanks so much for commenting!
Tristan,
I don’t really have anything to add, except I am a huge fan of your charts. They break down your ideas well so I can see them, nice and simple, all at once. Loved the post.
Russ
Thanks, Russ! You’re a stud. Be sure to stop by more often, eh?
Awesome!!! You’re an A list already!
I’m glad I discovered your blog. Seriously! :-)
Hahaha. I’m not quite an A-lister yet, but I’m working on it :)
Thanks for the comment and kind words, Constantin!
I’m not even sure I could consider myself a part-time blogger, so maybe I’m a quarter-blogger with cheese.
I seem to spend more time reading other blogs, books, and magazines than I do writing my own content. It’s something I need to correct in the new year if I want to get anywhere with my site. It’s not a priority for me, which is probably why it is more of a hobby than a business for me. With all my job prospects falling apart on me, making a blog for a business may become a more likely thing.
For people who can’t spend a lot of time on their site, I’m finding that if you write around one post a week (ideally two or more), you will get traffic – but only if you spend more time writing quality comments on other sites or write timely posts. For example, in November, my traffic was about the same as October but I wrote far less. I spent more time commenting on other sites and it seemed to help. In December, the first part of my review of 4 Hour Body was published the day after the book was released, and had 100 views in one day. That is peanuts to sites like this, but for me, it quadrupled my usual views in a day.
If you want to hit Facebook, Twitter, and StumbleUpon all in one shot, try Su.Pr
Alternatively, try importing your status updates or RSS feed into other sites to create more exposure – ie about.me, create a Tumblr, Squidoo, Digg, etc. Endless possibilities with this. Also, setup a Facebook “Like” button to have a passive interaction with Facebook.
If you’ve outlined something for me to work towards though.
“Quarter blogger with cheese.” Ha! I liked that.
I think I’m there with you James in that I spend more time reading and absorbing than I do writing. But I have a lot more time to work on my blog, so I can afford to do that.
That’s awesome that you got 100 view sin a day for the 4-Hour Body review! I finally finished the other book I was reading and will start reading it tomorrow. That sucker is BIG!
I tried Su.pr for the first time yesterday and am impressed so far. I’m not sure how good that StumbleUpon traffic is, but it’s better than nothing, I guess! And if I’m shortening URLs, I might as well be Stumbling my stuff at the same time, right?
I used to have a Facebook like button up right next to my header image, but then I replaced it with that other thing. I’m hoping to have a proper Facebook fan page by the new year.
Thanks for the great comment, James! Sorry it took me so long to get back to.
Hi Tristan .. I’m commenting! Interesting about Twitter & FB .. the two can be linked to a post .. and then tweeting can introduce each post, “writing a story on it”, so the post is eagerly anticipated; we can react to FB .. not necessary to fully participate.
Starting with a few essential items as you’ve underlined – I don’t do FB much or Twitter – but plan to in the New Year .. then as we get more experienced or comfortable with our blog space , our readers and commenters – we can ‘up our action’ because we know what we’re doing. Remember too – our readers .. more than our followers and commenters .. another layer. I get a few who say we watch what you do .. and don’t participate at all.
I don’t experiment with the blog – but I know what I will change when I go that route – because I’ve been watching and listening and learning ..
Ok .. now I can ask .. Retweet – what does this do, please?! Obviously highlights that retweeted post .. and tweeting my post when I’m active on Twitter presumably will highlight the post and blog .. I see you’ll be doing this shortly .. one question not asked .. the cross linking of Twitter and FB ..
Which programme do you use to do your graphics? If that’s in an earlier post!!!! – apologies now! Infographics?! Is it easy to use? Gosh – I’ve got lots of techie stuff to learn ..
Cheers – I look forward to the Twitter post .. and to future posts .. and I’ll jump over to your new tips blog .. thanks – Hilary
That’s true, Hilary. There are a lot of “lurkers” on our blogs out there.
As far as cross linking between Twitter and Facebook go, you can do this with either Amplify or Su.pr, and I’m sure there are other ways to do it, too. But yes, I will cover this more in my mega Twitter post.
Retweeting. When you retweet others’ posts, you share that post with the people following you. It’s common courtesy to retweet the posts of those that retweet yours, so if you want retweets, you need to retweet.
For my graphics I use Adobe Illustrator. It’s not SUPER easy to use, but easy enough. If you’re familiar with Photoshop, the difference isn’t too much. The problem is that Illustrator is pricey. There’s a free, open-source equivalent called Inkscape.
I said that the Twitter post would be out sometime this week, but I want to do it when people aren’t busy with holiday stuff (plus I need more time to write it). So it’ll be another week or two.
Hi Tristan,
I really enjoy this post and all those images:) Great staff delivered again. My blogging circle is similar to one you mentioned. It is like this:
1. Reply to all comments on my blog and approve the ones from new commenter
2. Reply to all the emails (BTW this is probably the activity you should add to the cycle you mentioned:)
3. Start writing new article
4. Once the first draft is ready, I move to my yesterday’s draft and finish it
5. Do all the editorial work, find the image & Publish new article
6. Retweet new article
7. Heading to the Feed reader to check for new content
8. Read articles + leaving comments + retweeting
9. Checking for other’s tweets searching for new blogs
Sometimes it is hard to do all these activities in one day. But basically what i consider the most important are first five points. I know I am missing guest posting here, but unfortunately I am not able to schedule this and trying to guest post only I got some more time.
Oh yeah… I totally should have added responding to emails to the cycle! Good call, Adam.
Your cycle looks solid! Thanks a ton for taking the time to comment, man. I appreciate it.
I love how systematic your approach is. On my biggest project of all, we use a 3 leaf matrix for our content strategy and on other blogs, I just shoot from the hip when I feel inspired.
I’m the same way, Brandon. On some blogs I have a very structured approach. On others I just work on them whenever I darn well please!
I’ve probably got 8 books right now that I’m in the middle of plus the book I’m listening to on Audible. I guess that makes me a nerd, but at least an educated nerd =)
I’m definitely not a blogging guru yet. I do it part time with the intent of adding SEO value to our website for our primary business. I’ve found that I can make 1 good blog post per week, and I spend the rest of the week promoting that post. When I get the time (HA!) I may move it to 2 posts per week.
Ha! Yes! I’m the same way with all the books! I’m in the middle of waaaay too many. But it sure is fun.
I think posting once a week and spending the rest of your time promoting that post is a great way to go. I mean, writing more posts does you no good if there’s no one there to see them right?
Great stuff here, bloggers must really check on things like that. Reading books? Yes very helpful to any blogger, it somehow give you new ideas that you can use on your blogs. This is what I always do.
Yeah, Lee, I personally am a huge reader. There’s just info in books that you can get from blogging!
Just HAD to pipe in again, Tristan. I was thinking about your cycle concept today, and I remembered back in my college days when I used to do a lot of weight lifting. I was on a 3 on-1 off cycle and it was great for making sure I was working a well-rounded program. Almost the exact concept you explained above! Thanks again for the awesome content …
Best,
Scott
Wow! Thanks for mapping this out and making it so simple to understand. So many times we read tips and tips but don’t actually see a mapped out plan. I believe promoting plays a huge part in things.
I really liked this a lot. Tweeting it now :)
All the best,
Eren
Excellent post Tristan. For a lot of people it’s not real clear how to make great use of your time when blogging, you time map is a great idea.
Experimenting and reading is what takes up a lot of time for me. Some of the simplest things can turn into a full day project, arggggh! Overall though, once you get into a routine things do go a lot faster. Great post, thanks!
Really helpful post once again, Tristan. You really break it down for us and answer a lot of the questions I’ve been having for awhile now. Thanks!
i take some useful ideas from this article..its interesting and helpful.thx
Cool… I haven’t seen a good movie in a long time. I’ll have to see if this is available for rent. I hope my wife will like it.
This is AWESOME! I plan on implementing this cycle right now!
Ah yes true, but when am I going to get the time to revamp the website, produce the product, deal with customers etc etc (joke!)
Fantastic content Tristian!
I’ll need to try and incorporate this type of work ethic into my blogging career. For me I just work on whatever I find pressing at the moment. I don’t allot time for particular projects/tasks. However I really should be doing that.
Thanks for the input. I’ll try doing this moving forward.
I like this post. Am new to blogging and look forward to using youre “schedule” to help me build my blog while managing my time.
Thanks
Blogging is fantastic and these tips are ace. Has anyone tried their hand at video blogging yet? Or Vlogging as the kids are calling it these days. It seems like a far more engaging and entertaining way of blogging, but it’s got to be far more time consuming. Perhaps you should try do an article in the same vain as this, but in regards to video blogging? I certainly think it’s going to become the future of blogging.
AH
Skeleton Productions
Hey,
Thanks for the tips :) WIll definetly be keeping these in mind.
Okay so I’m totally not begging for traffic, but would you mind checking out my new blog and telling me what I’m doing right/wrong so far? http://www.thevivacityblog.blogspot.com
You can email me :)
THANK YOU
Wow, Tristan! I know this is going to sound spammy and cheesy, but I am going to say it anyway. I have bookmarked this post!
I have been struggling with keeping up with all the requiem tasks of running a successful blog for a long time. You see, I have 2 full time offline jobs, so, finding enough time to do what I need to do is really hard.
I tried many different methods, some exactly like the ones you mentioned above. But, somehow I never stick with them. But, reading this post and realizing that it does work for other people, gives me more motivation to go through with it.
Hi Tristan,
Great post. Basic but very helpful.
Tristan,
I believe there’s a lot more work to be done in 3 hours a day :) However, you need to focus on the most important tasks and schedule them veryy carefully to achieve success. Yes, I do think you need to include link building in your list as I believe it can drive more traffic to your website. I like this post by the way!
I just want to say that your blog post has been very helpful for what I’m trying to do. I’m starting a retail clothing store online and I am starting a blog along side that with my partner. We want to start getting traffic to our site and think that a blog would be a great way! if anyone has any questions about the business im starting feel free to ask by sending me a message on twitter @homespuncc or emailing me at info@homespuncc.com. thanks again!
Hi Tristan, great blogging tips. I am glad that I came across your site and this post! …very timely for me.
Blogging is not that easy as it seems, I think it takes your valuable time and you have to give.
As stated here by Tristan, it is quite true to work on any blog for at least 1-3 hours a day for making it successful.
Very informative. Thanks for putting this out.
Thank you for some great tips! I will be sure to start following these, nice and easy to follow and to get me motivated!
Vicki
This is a very good post on the topic of making time table for blogging.
I am also living internet life and running some blogs and a reseller website but I found it very difficult to manage time for tasks. your post give me some useful tips regarding time management.
Thanks
Hi Tristan,
I realize I am a little late to the party but great post! I’m very new to the blogosphere and trying with some difficulty to find my own voice. But, with your advice and expertise I feel much more optimistic about this endeavor. Ultimately, my desire to write a blog was to gain exposure as a writer and hopefully turn writing into a career. My initial format for my blog was news and current events with a twist but quickly realized how complicated it was with copywright law. Not to mention coming up with original content, so it’s time for some retooling! Anyway, as I work on that, thanks for the great tips and I will continue to read your blog!
Love this post! It’s helping me a lot. :)
I am a newbie and have some questions for you
1) how do you become a guest blogger on someone else’s blog
2) why do you feel it is so important to get onto twitter?
Thanks,
Amay
Amay,
Thank you for your helpful ideas on how to stay organized about posting blogs. I was blogging in 520 cities on a medical website about healthy living, and medical issues but have recently launched my site.
I’ve been overwhelmed by the positive responses. The site is cllean, exciting and reveals the passion I have to share my information about living a healthy, more energized lifestyle. My social media team is dynamic and have taught me all about Pinterest and Twitter amoung other things. My Facebook business page has 845 likes in 6 weeks and I love all the feedback.
I want to continue to broaden my audience and grow as a writer, and info source for others.
I’ll take your advice and see if it helps broaden that reach.
Warmest Regards,
Paula Maier (@PaulaMaier3 on Twitter)
Thanks for the great tips. I am going to practice what you have written. Thanks!!!
Hey, thank you for this post. As you said I believe every successful project requires a good level of organization and blogging is no exception. Good work!
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