Getting a bigger readership is always wonderful, but there comes a point where you have to raise your game as a blogger to meet the expectations of this larger following. Writing posts to be read by thousands is a whole different ball game to writing for a small but loyal following.
To begin, most bloggers have a small following of readers who are willing to read pretty much whatever they post. But as you grow and pick up more and more followers you will have to begin to change your content just a tad. Of course your readers will be interested in your individuality and tone- but a broader readership means broader interests. Coping with this stylistically is something we’ll tackle later on, but for now let’s talk about time management.
Once your readership is in to the thousands- even early on- it can become pretty full on. There are comments to reply to, requests for certain posts not to mention all the time and effort that needs to be put into social media! This article will take you through each of these, with a few tips on how to manage your time and stay onto of your blog when things get hectic!
Blog Posts
The bricks holding everything together, without regularly updating your content you’ll see your readership plummet. And what can be daunting about large readerships is that they can be pretty demanding at times! If you disappear for a week you can guarantee you’ll have a follower or two on your back wondering where you’ve got to. However this is all stuff you need to take in your stride, so here are a couple of ways you can build up your content regularly without spending 24/7 in front of a screen:
- Make the most of every post opportunity!
If you’re posting about a day of vintage shopping, and planning a few outfit snaps don’t stop there! If you find yourself walking past a lovely cafe, pop in for a coffee and create a short post about that experience. One blogger who is particularly good at creating posts from all sorts of things is Carrie of Wish Wish Wish. We highly recommend you take a look with your notepad ready!
- Set aside at least one afternoon a week for content creation
We’re not including editing photos or any of that in this- just one afternoon of pure writing. Of course the time you need totally depends on how long your posts are typically. However even if your posts are incredibly short we would strongly recommend setting aside this time anyway. Use it to write more!
- Use a scheduling tool
Although it looks like a lot of blog posts are ‘in the moment’, we can bet you the vast majority of the blogging pro’s write their posts WELL in advance to posting. As long as the post isn’t about something extremely currant, like a blogger event, we would recommend storing up your posts and distributing them throughout the weeks ahead. WordPress has a great scheduling system, but if you use another hosting system there are plenty of other options out there too.
Comments and Reader Interaction
Sad news- there’s pretty much no short cut for this one! However there are a few things bloggers tend to forget: You’re allowed time off! With most jobs you pop home at the end of the night and forget about what you need to do until you’re back in the office. Of course with blogging you take that everywhere, so the urge is to reply to every comment and every tweet immediately.
Give yourself a break- literally! Dedicate at most 30 minutes a day to corresponding with readers, and see anything else past this as social time. Once your readership grows you need to be strict with yourself, make sure you don’t let it take over your life entirely.
Social Media
Social media is a tricky thing to escape; especially now we all have smart phones! Scheduling tweets to accompany each post is a great way to keep on top of promoting your posts without always having to think about it. If you’re uber organised spend Sunday evening with a cup of tea, scheduling each post and a corresponding tweet to go with it. That way you can sit back and relax for the rest of the week, and focus on interacting with your readership.
Most importantly you should try not to see any of these things as a burden- if you do it might be time to reconsider your output. If you’re really struggling to stay ahead- get in some guest posters! There will be plenty of people willing to write content for you, I even know a few bloggers who have roped in friends and family!
If you have any questions at all about this post, or would like to feature on the bloggers lounge get in touch with
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