As part of a little research I’m doing for a post (or a short series of them) next week here at ProBlogger I’d like to ask readers to answer this question:
How Long Do You Take To Write a Blog Post?
I know each post varies depending upon what it is – but on average how long would you say you take to write a blog post? I’d be interested to not only hear the time it takes you but also you usually write posts in one sitting or come back to them over time. Also it’d probably help a little if you told us the type of posts you generally write.
I mostly write thought provoking articles. They take me three to six hours to write and edit.
As most have said, it depends!
Blogging is usually an extension of my work and it is just a matter of putting into words the ideas that I am already working with, or information on a guest for my radio show. The blog itself may take 20-45 minutes between the writing, finding and resizing the photos (s), etc.
Then I market the blog post, putting links to it on twiter, utterz, plurk, facebook, myspace, and appropriate ning groups, etc.
By the time I am done, it is about 2-3 hours depending on the post.
Always a pleasure to read and be a part of this blog!
Sally
http://www.drsallywitt.com
Working full-time at a newspaper, I try to limit myself to about a half-hour per post. I have two blogs, so if all goes as planned, 60 minutes gives me a blog on each.
I also try to shoot for one short post — an announcement or video — and one more in-depth post with subtitles. After writing on deadline for years, I’ve learned how to crank out relatively clean copy pretty quickly.
My posts are mostly sports, fantasy sports and video games related reviews, tips and commentary.
My posts only take under half an hour to write maybe less, which leads me to think I should post more than what I already do.
And the types of posts that I write are mainly informational, which also leads me to think that I should be writing in a few different styles to keep any readers that I do have interested.
Thanks for asking the question. It is always good to re-visit the topic.
On a good morning or afternoon, probably 2-4 hours. On those days I may break things into two posts. Sadly however, it is now generally 3-5 hours, if not longer on most days.
Whilst I do need to scan a substantial amount of data from a wide array of sources, do the fact checking & double-checking, link gathering & photo collecting, it is taking longer than I want.
I have landed back in the morass of writing posts that are too long (in my opinion) and in the process I am getting swallowed by the information gathering process. I know what I need to do to turn the tide back the other way, I just need to do it.
Grins,
TP
It depends of course of the subject but let’s say 1-2 hours and sometimes upto 3 to 5 hours per post. Two hours on average
I used to the think the newspaper industry had an unhealthy obsession with blogging, Now that I’ve left a metropolitan daily to freelance I know why: Pay for professional writers is in free-fall thanks to these electronic sweatshops.
As much as web publishers say you can make money through multiple revenue streams, I’d like to meet a blogger who can support himself from this income and still have a life. The publishers are the ones profiting from your work, and your cheap labor is driving down wages for the entire profession.
In 2000 a news/content web site I worked for paid 40 cents to $1 a WORD. That’s a minimum $400 for a 1,000-word story. Writers got paid for their time, talent and expertise. Newspaper freelancers get about $350 for a feature; national consumer magazine writers are paid $1 to $3 a word. (I received $600 for a short piece in Business Week nine years ago.)
And you guys are willing to spend 2 to 8 hours on a single post for $25? Why would you accept that?
I wonder how long this comment will stay on the board.
I like to treat blog posts like stews—I have them bubbling on the stove (in the “drafts” pile) and add stuff gradually, and when one gets sufficiently edible I hit “publish”.
I am just getting started on Blogging, and am a wordsmith besides, so I am really, really slow. I appreciate all the comments above!
I like to sit down with a cup of coffee on weekends and let my mind freewheel. I write down each and every stray thought that comes into my mind. A really good source for inspiration later. Sometimes I use a software package called The Brain that lets me ‘spider web’ all of the ideas creatively together.
I do take digital pictures, and editing them, although fun, probably adds an hour or two to a longer post. But they are easy to do. Some come from my photo archives; some are ‘object shots’ done specifically for that post.
I revise two or three times. Spelling is my bugaboo, as is placement on the Web page. I go back and forth two or three times once something is posted to change a word or two.
Adding affiliate links (Amazon, etc) also takes time.
I am hoping once I start doing this on a daily basis, all of these tasks will smooth themselves out.
Case in point: I have sitting in front of me 17 motivational diet books for review. Got to write the annotated list, take a pic of the stack for visuals, log on to Amazon to get all of the links. The writing is the least onerous. This one will flow because I KNOW what I am writing about!
My site is self-help motivational, which covers a lot of territory.
I am happy to help with the research. My average post takes about an hour. However there have been a few in the past few weeks that have taken about six hours and a few that have taken 15 minutes.
wow. it really depends. Good posts take 30 mins plus – when I write for IheartPGH.com – I like to fact check events and places – I want to provide readers with the best, accurate info. I also like to add lots of links for additional info. I have been using Zemanta for the past week and that has helped me locate lots of great info, but I find I am now spending a lot of time reading related blog posts.
ooh probably an hour, sometimes more depending on the links and processing the images.
I have a food blog…the cooking part is easy but I like to add little stories on how the recipe intertwine with my daily life. You know, dot.com family “sitting on the dinner table, sharing both food and life.” A regular post for me takes around one hour with all the photos and links and all. But sometimes, recipes and pictures will be in my hard drive for weeks because I can’t seem find “the exact words” to make them come alive.
Total post time ranges from 10 mins to 1 hour inclusive of the research.
This varies tremendously for me- I have two main blogs and many subsidiary sites.
For my environmental site, Chemistry for a Sustainable World (link above), if I’m passing along a key bit of news, 10-30 minutes. If I’m writing an analysis of multiple news stories on related topics, I take a couple of hours, maybe more.
For my book review site, nearlynothingbutnovels.blogspot.com/, I have to read the book, which could takes a day, several days or, in rare cases, a week or more. Writing the review takes me 4-6 hours, typically, including proofing (I know I still miss things!).
Author interviews on the book site are also pretty time consuming- my first involved about 90 minutes with the author and three separate posts, each taking three hours or more. I did a lot of cross-checking and searching for relevant links.
For my four Squidoo lenses and two groups published under the pseudonym chemrat, between 5 minutes and 2-3 hours (some posts are just a link and a few words, though I do have to read the original story and I typically check facts with some searching and reading).
For photographs, either for Flickr, Gather.com (James B.) or uber.com, I vary from just dumping the disk to trying to learn PhotoShop methods better, and then applying them to have a better final image. A heavy processing job might take me a few hours (I’m still slow!).
Usually I can write a short utility post in about 30 minutes.If a post needs a lot of research it can take up to 4 hours sometimes.
I’ve done a post in under an hour… if:
I see a pic that sparks something I’ve already been thinking about, so I have the theme and the illustration.
I’ve put in the “back of head work” all along, so it’s just a matter of getting it down and tidying it up.
I’ve taken much longer if I’m not sure what I’m saying, it takes a path I wasn’t anticipated, or it needs research or just the right picture.
I have both pics and notes in my drafts folder, and try to work ahead, so I’m never faced with a looming deadline. That’s how sloppy stuff gets out on the web for all the world to see.
Of course, it helps I’m working with a timeless topic that is not usually dependent on breaking news or anything that’s urgent.
Hi Darren,
I usually spend about 15 mins. writing my posts, without formatting them, adding a picture, etc. I usually do it all at once, once I’ve figured out my topic.
Thanks,
Richard Rinyai
http://www.theprofessionalassistant.net
Hi Darren: Short answer: Too long!
I just launched my first of an eventual three blogs I will have; it’s been up just over a month and I’ve done about 40 posts. It’s a Detroit-focused blog on history, fun facts, op-eds, and things to see and do in Detroit.
I spent a month just studying Problogger and other blog-writing sites, and learned so very much that has been helpful…especially having an “editorial calendar” since I have a specific theme or topic for each day of the week Monday-Friday. That way, I can often pre-write a post and schedule it for later.
But whenever I think I’ll get a post done in about 20 minutes, it’s usually an hour including research, pictures, linking, credits to others, etc.
Plus, I’m teaching myself as I go along, so that takes time, too.
But I am loving it…and that’s for all of the great ideas…I’ve used some of your ads…you got paid!
http://thedspotredeux.blogspot.com
an hour and a half on average
Approximate average data per post:
– 700 words
– 90 minutes
Blog info: encyclopedia-like, features and research on finance. All posts are in Russian. Always pay close attention to proofreading, correcting and formatting (which is something your posts lack, Darren).
Hi, Darren, wow, you are getting phenomenal responses to your latest posts posing questions for readers. Quite impressive!
I was an Information Writer II with the Division of Instructional Innovation and Assessment at the University of Texas at Austin for nearly 4 years. This included posting to our internal blog, writing articles about IT at UT on a weekly basis or more, and editing/re-writing all the content that went up on our Web site; setting general communication styles, standards, and procedures, and “other writing duties as assigned.”
I began Fried Okra Productions as a sandbox to learn about blogging so that I could help UT faculty use it appropriately. It didn’t take long to capture my imagination, and I’ve loved every second of blogging at FOP.
Recently, I was promoted to Marketing and Promotion Coordinator for our division, and I do more managing than original writing, but I’m still responsible for all the Web and Print material. We have contracted out to renovate our site, and I work with an outstanding systems analyst to see that this process goes smoothly.
In the meantime, I have been experimenting with ways to turn all of the above to my advantage in creating a “retirement gig” using my writing/editing/IA skills. The 4 months I spent as The Good Musician for b5media gave me a clear picture of what is required as a professional blogger: lots of energy, lots of time, and lots of resources.
For work, it takes from 15 minutes to weeks to create new content, depending on the use. Communications and short articles 15-60 minutes, depending on the complexity, who I have to fact-check with, how long it takes them to get back to me, and adding audio or visual.
For FOP, which is a personal blog, it’s a fluid process, working around the day gig, night gig as The Good Musician, and ongoing gigs as a professional performing musician. I don’t limit myself in any way on this blog, except to keep it G-rated :)
For TGM, I felt that I was just beginning to hit a stride when the down-sizing took place. I am quite proud of the stats, which while modest, showed steady growth each month. Those posts took 1-2 hours, as I tried to find musical examples and/or visuals for the subject of each post.
In general, I think the time I take for any piece of writing depends more on the level of complexity, the political correctness required for the type of post, and how long it takes to hear back from resources or to check facts.
Excellent question to pose for your readers, Darren. I find I’m most likely to respond to invitations to post or comment that make me reflect on my knowledge and experiences, and articulate my thoughts in an authentic, helpful manner.
Once again, you are encouraging your readers to expand their boundaries and think!
Thanks,
Claudia
Really, really depends on the suject. If it is just news, maybe 30 minutes. If it is on something that doesn’t need much research, but is somewhat lengthy, 1hr. If it is something I need to research, take screenshots of, etc. probably 2 hours.
OMG, way too long, it seems… perhaps I’m an outlier on the bell curve! Simple posts, less than a couple hundred words, no images, requiring little research, perhaps 45 minutes. A 400-700 word post which requires some research and includes images, could take me 3-4 hours. It should be noted that I AM obsessive-compulsive, however. :-)
Love the blog, Darren – thank you so much!
-kc
For me it take not less than 10 minutes and no more then 1 hour (not included research)
With research It takes me around an hour or two. If its what I think is a great post I spread it over a few days.
I am currently authoring five blogs… I know… why? Four of them are monetized, the fifth is to learn WordPress. I generally write one blog post in about 20-25 minutes, a bit longer if I’m including images. I really enjoy writing, having let this skill go dormant since college.
I am trying to track the blog with the most visitors, using Lijit worldmap on each blog to show location and city of each visitor.
My hope is that one of the four will, ‘float to the top’ connected to the appropriate market niche. Your blog is very professional, and I read it as soon as the notification arrives.
Respectfully, Nicholas Chase http://www.donotreadthisblogunless.blogspot.com
I write two kinds of posts, basically. Items or reviews.
An item — news analysis, how-to, top 10 list, etc. — takes about 45 minutes.
A review — usually of a DVD or two — takes about 2 hours.
I normally write longer posts that require creativity, research and a lot of thought.
I almost never do it in one sitting so it’s tough to estimate, but I’d guess 4-6 hours. Then I spend another hour or so on finding and arranging images, making sure links are right, setting up the closing quote (when i used one) and so on.
I’m amazed at how little time many people say they’re spending on posts. Makes me wonder if how many of us have actually timed it!
Darren, it can take me up to 5 hours to write some blogs, depending on the topic. I usually write a draft and would do this in two hours, but I keep coming back to it and refining it. I sometimes wonder if I’m being too obsessive but I like to craft my writing. My blog is for professional women in leadership and I respect their need for high quality comment which is the reason it takes me so long to produce it.
I take a long time usually around 3 hours sometimes longer, mostly because I try to always write very detailed and step-by-step posts. I usually do not doing in one sitting but write it all out the first time and come back after a couple of breaks and edit, clean-up and reedit again.
General subject of my blog is Internet Marketing with Affiliate Marketing, SEO, Article Marketing and Website Promotion.
JR
For my reviews (the main content of my blog) anywhere between 30 minutes to an hour per post.
About 8 hours to do the research and writing. I tend to break this up into chucks over a few days.
My posts usually take between half an hour and half a day. THe ‘quickie’ posts like my Friday freebie links don’t take vary long. I try to collect the freebie links whenever I have a spare moment and store them so I can pull the post together quickly. And posts where I find interesting stuff on YouTube etc don’t take too long either. But a lot of the original posts can take up to half a day or more. That’s because If I write about a scrapbooking technique (that’s my niche) I will create a scrapbook layout to illustrate it. That can be very time consuming. Just as well i love it, eh?
about an hour total after you take in account for research.. research takes the most time for me. After the research is done and notes are taken then the actual writing part is down-hill from there.
I’m a fashion/culture blogger, so I often spend WAY more time than expected finding just the right photos and images. I’d say my chattier, more tongue-in-cheek posts tend to be quicker to write (e.g. “Why Crocs Are The Worst Shoes Ever”) but require tons of images, while the more serious, advice or analysis-oriented posts take much longer to write but tend to be less illustrated. Overall, I’d say 2 hours a post, on average.
But recently I’ve been doing more infrequent posts with more content, so maybe that will start to change….
I can spend hours writing a blog. Especially when I have to incorporate diagrams as well. Because I give away patterns that takes time as well – sometimes days to make the actual design. The photography… The research…
Wow…it really is time consuming.
jess
On my sports blog about 15min for an update up to an hour for an athlete profile or longer piece.
On my writing blog, sometimes a poem takes 1 hour from concept to publication, sometimes not.
I take normally one hour to write a post. They are normally about tech (.net in general).
For my tool blog.
1 hour Brainstoming
2-3 hours writing content.
1 hour making grammatical changes.
2-5 sittings over 2 days
My blog is related to home maintenance.
I usually took pictures (carry and digital camara all the time)during my work or training.
To write up a post took me about 2 hr.
4 hours to 8 hours to write a 5 – 15 paragraph article on personal development. Most of the time I come back to the article instead of one sitting, it allows my mind to refresh and reach its peek again where intuition, inspiration, and intention is formed.
Hello! First of all, I’ve been reading this blog for over a year but never commented since I was shy and also because my mother language is Spanish and my blogs are in Spanish and so on…
Well, I certainly take some time to write a post, no less than an hour and sometimes even three or four hours, since I like to publish research articles on different subjects at least once a week. On sundays instead, I only publish entertainment suggestion for users so it takes only one hour or so.
I always write posts in one go, once I start I don’t stop until I am glad with the results.
Congrats on this great and useful blog!
Longer than I want to
I try to have a mix of short, medium and long posts on my blog. Short posts I use mostly to pass along a snippit information, so it usually only takes me a few minutes to write and grammar check those sorts of posts. For a medium-legth post, I do about 15 minutes of research and reading, 15-20 minutes of writing, and 3-4 minutes of editing and looking for an appropriate image. For a long post, I’ll often write and edit it over several days. I’d say I do 20-30 minutes of research and an hour-and-a-half or so of writing and editing.
Short posts probably five minutes or less. Long posts less than 30. It’s not uncommon to have a 1000-word post written and edited in about 24 minutes.
I really don’t understand how people can spend upwards of 30 minutes working on these tiny 213 word posts.
It’s so much a range for me….a few have only been 20 minutes, but a researched article can be 2 hours, success stories are much more involved b/c there’s all the prep/contact work, the actual interview, the back and forth after the interview and the writing of the story is usually about 2 hours with revisions/ proofreading! I also am often writing with a toddler smearing finger paint on the wall or an infant attached to me in some way….so perhaps my full attention isn’t on writing when i am writing!
jennifer, http://www.lost100.com
depending what the topic, ya… maybe about 5 – 15 minutes.
Hey!
It takes me about 3-4 hours to write a post on my movie review blog. For my personal blogs about an hour.
I’d usually take around 15 – 20 minutes to write a post as they tend to be between 100 – 200 words.