Should I post every day?
“How often should I publish on my blog and social media platforms?” asks every single client. The short answer is, “as much as you can while consistently posting high-quality content.”
The long answer is more nuanced and specific to each individual or brand. The primary considerations to weigh are your business goals and budget with how much bandwidth you can dedicate to content creation and distribution. And the trick is to find the balance that will help you hit the target audience without burning yourself out, which is not easy. But if you’re trying to find your own groove, come along, we’re here to help.
Most people fall into one of two categories. The first group tends to be super-focused on their blogs or other substantive projects, like podcasts, products, or newsletters. With all the focus on high-profile projects, they tend to be unable to get any kind of audience to notice/subscribe/purchase, or care. They are so worried about the final product that they neglect the persistent grind of content publishing that is required to actually build an audience invested in them as they go. We often see this type in the traditional media landscape where building an audience on social comes as an afterthought to the big-name production that everyone focuses on. But this group tends to be missing out on the opportunities a loyal and engaged social audience can bring.
The second group is the complete opposite. They are totally focused on social platforms, jumping to every new feature, and literally chasing after audiences. Group 2 types often reference Gary Vaynerchuk, entrepreneur and internet innovator/hustler, who teaches his followers to act fast and be early adapters to the new “thing,” and then figure out what to do with the audience later. [Think “hustle porn” mindset]. It’s not a bad approach, but it’s extreme and really only works if you can back it up with great content. If not, then you’re left with a hollow audience that will eventually peak and then trickle off over time without proper engagement.
Addison Rae is another extreme case of someone working backward to figure out how to leverage a social audience. She’s experimenting in real-time with her massive TikTok following through a menu of businesses that include music, makeup, and acting. It seems to be working for her as evidenced by her attendance at the Met Ball and positive reception of her work in the “He’s All That” movie. But there’s incredible pressure and scrutiny to master all of these skills in front of an enormous audience. Not to mention it’s incredibly rare; there can only be so many Addison Rae’s.
For long-term brand building, the most reliable bet is to build a community organically from the ground up with equal focus on both the production and distribution of content. This tends to take longer, and requires a lot of patience in order to cultivate that dream group of people who support you, buy your products, and are invested in all the things you’re doing. You’ve got to prioritize them from the beginning, and hang in there over time. But if you’re up for the task, here’s how:
Start somewhere. If you’re reading this, you likely have a sense of what might work in terms of blog content and then publishing to social platforms. Create a 6-month content strategy plan and fully commit to executing it.
Use analytics. Once you’re regularly posting you’ll start to learn a lot about what works and what falls short in creating content. You’ll also quickly see what kind of bandwidth you have to accomplish it all. Use your analytics for your site and social platforms to make small adjustments to days, times, and cadence + frequency of content
Audit after 6 months. Once you hit the 6-month mark, do a deep dive into the analytics to understand performance. As you look at the numbers, see if you can extract insights and observations on the content to see what resonated the most [key themes, topics] and examine what could have been stronger + where you might need support [creating high-quality content, hitting deadlines, publishing, engagement].
Make a long-term plan. Based on the audit, lay out a fresh 6-month, 1-year, and 3-year playbook that you can re-commit to. Continue using analytics and auditing every 6 months, and get the help you need in the areas where you are falling short. As the brains of the operation, the best place for you to prioritize your time is in the content production itself, so be sure to protect that and find the support that allows you to put most of your focus there
And yes, we understand that we are essentially telling you to do it all at once, which is overwhelming. But “all at once” means different things as it relates to your individual goals and business objectives. This is new, ever-expanding territory for everyone and the rules are fluid.
What doesn’t change is that this is hard work [even though a lot of people - influencers - make it look easy!], it takes major time and consistency, it requires strategy, and most importantly - BALANCE - so that you don’t go crazy. Oh and never shy away from asking for help - for content production, distribution, etc. Remember this is your business and should be treated as such, not as an afterthought, and very few are mastering all of it on their own.