Update: we’ve compiled your answers on your weekend blogging strategy and have posted them here.
What is your weekend blogging strategy?
- Do you post less because people are not online as much?
- Do you post more to try to keep traffic levels up?
- Do you just take a couple of days off and just take a break?
- Do you write posts in advance and schedule them to go off automatically?
- Do you use the weekend to write posts for the next week because you’ve got extra time on my hands?
Interested to hear your strategy.
PS: I’ve written a little more about what I do on the weekends here and here.
PS2: the weekend’s the perfect time to kick start your blog. Why not start the 31 Days to Build a Better Blog challenge!
My strategy is.. I have no strategy… However, I do tend to post more on the weekends as I have more time to spend. I figure that there are lots of people surfing the internet on the weekends as they have more time too. Not sure if that’s a good strategy so I’ll head to read yours now Darren.
This is perfect timing for me Darren. I’m still trying to figure out my weekend blogging strategy. I didn’t post anything last weekend and my blog still sustained its traffic, but I felt bad that my readers didn’t have anything to check out. I plan to post both days this weekend to see what kind of results I have in terms of traffic, comments and retweets.
My other concern is what I should actually be posting on the weekends. I was thinking that instead of a normal blog post, I should post a book review or some other lighter topic that won’t take up too much time for a reader.
The Casual Observer is a 7 day a week operation. Saturdays feature “Saturday Stew”, short recaps of news stories from the week.
Sundays feature “North of the Border”, featuring the writing of our Canadian writer, to bring a different flavor to the magazine.
On Mondays, I recap (and link to) the weekend’s post.
My stats are usually a bit lower on weekends, but the 7-day-a-week strategy is designed to build loyalty among readers who have something fresh to read every day.
I do usually try to get some future articles written during the weekend and scheduled for future publication. I already have Monday’s article written.
Hi Darren,
Thanks for the information that in weekends the traffic of many websites goes down. Because I was worrying that why my traffic is going down during weekends. It,s a pleasure to share my Weekend Blogging Strategy to you.
Weekend Blogging Strategy
1. During weekends I focus on posting more articles.
2. But as you now for witting pillar articles it takes time and thus on Saturday I use to write general articles and on Sunday i introspect my skills to write niche of some 1200 -1500 words for each article.
3. As i started serious blogging from some 49 days back and almost posted more than 780 articles. And thus these days no time for merry making.
4. For me promoting by blog is as essentials as breathing. Although I don’t have any financial problems but a decision is a decision and I have decided to take my blog to the top most level …
Thanking You
Rajput
Found some less traffic than before but trying to improve.
A have add some new books …
I tend not to post a lot on the weekends for some of my sites, simply because I do see a decrease in traffic for the weekends. If I post something on the weekend, by the time Monday rolls around, it’s not fresh. I try to keep the fresh content rolling.
At the moment, I’m posting as and when I have an idea.. weekday, nights, weekends, anytime, but that’s because I’m of the opinion that my site is still new enough to just need content, not a strategy on how to get the most visitors/diggs/comments from a single post.
I can imagine if you’re a professional blogger, you may want to keep weekends free from posting (if you’ve done it all week), or, use that time to write a few posts for the next week.
Maybe my strategy will change, if I do start generating lots of traffic and/or spending more time doing it – I may even need a bit of a break at times, and that’ll be a nice position to be in!
I first started my Blog last month, so in fact i haven’t actually a strategy. But i think i will go in the same direction like Kosmo – write future articels and prepare the monday articel vor pupblication.
I’m still trying to figure out a good strategy, but I usually just start writing posts for the next week.
I usually fill up the Saturday post with a Gadget of the Week, which gives me a break from having to come up with something creative and thought-provoking on Friday night.
Then I skip Sunday because it gives me a small break and gets me amped up and recharged to go again on Monday morning.
I spend a lot of time with the family on the weekend, which is more important to me than my blog!
I usually do a Weekend Links post of my favorites from the week.
This takes little time, keeps traffic up, and lets me devote the rest of my free time to preparing posts for the upcoming week.
Jamie
Weekends are used for behind the scenes stuff…New templates, ad campaigns, pages and maintenance. I don’t want to be stuck inside any more than my readers.
It really depends on how much I go out drinking that weekend. Sometimes I try to stay in and make sure I can post at least once a day. Other times I just say screw it, and leave the work for monday.
I was just thinking about to post or not to post. I think I will post something light during the weekend and prepare for better things during weekdays.
Interestingly enough, I tend to get more traffic and comments on weekends than on weekdays – I guess that depends on your niche.
So the weekends are when I publish and interact most. Funny…
Anthony
i have a weekly feature that posts on sundays. i typically do not post on saturdays. and i do use the weekend to prewrite posts for the week.
I tend to write more on the weekends. Proof is there on my blog where my last 3 posts were written on the weekends.
And also it gives more time analyze what happening around you. So it allows to write un-pre-planned posts.
Ultimately my weekend strategy is I write more on the weekends:)
My strategy is that I post little, if not anything on the weekends. Traffic does sink but I feel that traffic would shrink down since the majority of my audience reads at work when they are bored.
Instead I use the time to write 5-6 posts that I schedule through the week, thus giving me balance in my own blog/work schedule.
Also the adventures I have on the weekend makes for great posts for Mondays.
Hi Darren,
Have you disabled including URL’s in the comments section?
I tried to include few examples 2 times, but I was unsuccessful.
Akila.
Intresting timing ..
I always find Friday night the traffic is high .. but saturday for me and my blog is just boring time .. Even if you write .. hardly any views …
Sunday I have never posted .. but in the last few week do get good response on Sunday ..
Sunday is my day to think on some killer article and work for it ..
Regards
Sudeep
I’ve been thinking about this lately. I tend not to post on the weekends because traffic to my site is lower. But as a personal preference, I wish the blogs I read on the weekends posted more because I have more time to read! Still haven’t figured out my own balance.
Hello Darren- Lately, I’ve been trying to establish a regular posting schedule, so that I do a post twice during the work week, and one post on the weekend. A lot of other blogs I read use a weekend post to give a round up of links to other blog posts they liked, so I’m experimenting with doing the same thing.
I’m new to blogging (or I should say, new to blogging to an audience beyond my mom) and I’m just now starting to pay attention to what factors increase and decrease hits and unique visitors. I’ve just recently learned that certain days of the week are heavier internet days than others. Interesting. Not sure how that will impact my strategy yet.
In the past, I tried to write extra posts to keep traffic up, but the results weren’t really worth the extra work for me. Now, I use the additional time to get ahead with my writing and to work on related projects.
I take a weekend break :D
I had try to post everyday to keep traffic level up but still it seems like my traffic is remain low. I got try to write all the posts and schedule it to show off automatically.
As i post offers from airlines/travel sites that have just released special offers, discounts, upgrades etc, I try to post on as quickly as possible. However, during the week, when i’m actually paid to work, this can be hard, so I save it for the venings, and Saturdays as soon as possible.
Motto: The sooner the better for me !
Blogging, especially if you do it full-time, can be very stressful. I reserve the weekend for myself and my family. I usually do one post that is geared towards lightening up the mood.
I usually try to write on or two posts for the upcoming week on Saturday morning and unplug until Saturday night. I try to take Sunday off completely. I believe there is less traffic on the weekends especially during the summer.
I have recently started posting on Saturdays since some seem to think that’s a good day to see some stickiness. I also lay out my strategy for the rest of the week — especially if there is a big holiday or event I had hook into.
My blog has been live for a little over 3 months now and I’ve sustained posting every single day, even on weekends. It’s been rough some days and I still haven’t gotten into my “groove” yet as I still struggle to figure out the best way to schedule my postings.
Even though my traffic dips on the weekend like a lot of sites, I’ve now scheduled a series of posts that are strictly fun that go up on Sundays. These posts are fairly quick and easy to write (well, okay, an hour) for 500-600 words but my readers seem to enjoy them. Oddly enough, I’ve gotten more comments for these posts than for some of my pillar content or more heavily researched posts.
As my blog and I keep evolving, I’ll continue to fine tune. Hopefully the 7-day posting can ease up a bit as I find the clue to writing posts in batches. I can usually do 2-3 days worth, but it still takes me hours to do them and eats up a big chunk of time.
So far…I don’t have one. My blog is new, and so I think I’m going to focus on writing more articles, and maybe use the weekends for special posts, such as news, reviews, etc?
I usually post on Saturdays, but take Sunday off – though I’m not sure this is the best strategy. In my niche, I’ve actually seen some traffic spikes on Sunday evenings as folks get ready for the new workweek.
My readers are moms so they are mostly offline with their families on the weekends, so we don’t usually post on the weekends at all. Our regular schedule is to post Mon – Fri.
I just started a new feature called “Sponsor Saturdays” where I will write a blog post about one of my six sponsors each Saturday. I have 6 125×125 banners on my site and I want to create a way to draw more attention for my sponsors. Today is the first one with a giveaway and it seems to be working!
Great questions and I’ll try not to English professor your post. ;)
I do most of my writing during the week. The items on my site can be categorized in two ways, according to how they’re written and how long they are: in-depth pieces (lengthy) and shorter/newsier items (“blurbs”).
The longer pieces I tend to publish during the week and generally alone (that’s the only post that day). I often run one of those on Sunday as well, which is a big day for my blog’s traffic and bleeds over into Monday’s crowd without being pushed too far down the RSS list.
The other, shorter pieces I tend to run in groups with 2-4 of them publishing during the day and Saturday (my blog’s slowest traffic day).
I post to my blog 7 days a week, but usually schedule posts rather than doing them on the spot. I generally post 2-3 days’ worth of stuff all at once and take the interim time to write he lengthier pieces, which are often a week ahead of themselves for posting (what I write today may not publish until Sunday next week).
Since my blog’s focus is environmental issues, the only thing I have to publish in a very timely manner is political news. Otherwise, it’s all about seasons, not minutes. :)
That’s my strategy and I’m building my blog based on that. I’m tweaking some of the timing here and there to try to maximize the days of the week postings, since the only day I have down for sure is Sunday/Monday and Saturday.
I’m also working on blog back-end items (aka the website as a whole) and am working on a free giveaway pamphlet/ebook to start building a list with a planned followup ebook for sale.
My main focus is content and my particular niche, of course.
Thanks for the post and questions! Made me think a bit.
I tend to write more indepth, thoughtful articles on the weekend because I have more time to spend on them. I think it’s the perfect opportuntity to work on your blog – week days are often very busy due to work.
If I’m home, I do some articles that I post later on for the week since I don’t have that much time during the week. I also do some tweaking on my blog, or just read up on how to improve or drive traffic for my blog.
If I have some more time for overs, I do some work on some projects that I want to sell later on after I have managed to get readers.
Weekends are when I get all of my story ideas straight. Usually, I have 3-4 draft posts going at once, so the weekend allows me to focus on any new material I might need for those posts and finish them up.
It’s also a great time to do research for new posts. I don’t worry too much about the low traffic on the weekends. For me, the blog is practice for writing my management book. The more practice, the better the book.
I use weekend to write my posts and schedule it day wise all the week.From two weeks I am publishing 1 post a day.
http://www.tips4blogging.co.cc
Well, my strategy is to write a good post, and market my blog..
Marketing is very important especially for bloggers like me who are new to the blogosphere and don’t use adsense..!!
http://www.jammyspeak.blogspot.com
I generally try to post one article per day six days per week. I generally don’t post anything on Sunday and if I do it is usually an update about changes to my blog or a reminder of any existing contest that is taking place.
I generally spend Saturday morning developing and finalizing my articles for the coming week.
Hi Darren,
I only post articles twice a week, Monday and Thursday, and the weekend is when I get a fair amount of my writing done.
I may add another very short post on the weekend.
This weekend I plan to work on three blogs. On one I will be working mainly on pages and not posts to build content. On another I’ll be adding about 8 to 12 articles to it and doing some “under the hood work” and on the third I’ll probably just put a few posts up just to freshen it up a bit. Oh yeah and I’ll create a few new hubpages, possibly add to an existing squidoo lens.
Sounds like a lot of work but aside from the 8-12 new articles most of it is filling in some blanks on templates and cleaning up some articles that I’ve let sit and stew for a while.
Hilarious Freudian slip on your part, Darren. “Do you use the weekend to write posts for the next week because you’ve got extra time on my hands?” Well, we know who does do this, LOL.
I have had some family problems lately that have paralyzed my blogging muscles. I’m just getting ready to start again. But when I am in my normal blogging mode I use the weekend to stock up my editorial calendar, maybe start a few posts with notes in them in draft form, find some images to put in them, and also to brainstorm.
I keep two lists, one on the calendar with actual scheduled posts, and one on just a pad where I write random bits of inspiration. Then over time these bits of inspiration find their way from the pad to the calendar.
You’re the greatest and a continual source of motivation and admiration! Thanks for your blog, Darren.
For me, is not to post on the Sunday (rest day for me), Saturday will still post (not that frequent).
Will focus more on weekdays (as I am a full time Internet marketer).
Saturday will be days for me to plan my blog on what to do and what to post.
I post more in the weekends to get my monthly average to 10 post / day, due to lot of work at my profession, So need to keep the pace on both sides.
Kamal
http://burnyourfuel.com
I don’t tend to blog post at weekends. I do marketing and learning. I am a member of several memberships and we share ideas, learn from each other and I catch up on what other experts and gurus recommend. If I like the ideas I try them out – could be as simple as a new WP plugin or a complete layout/redesign of my blogs.
Andrew
I have seen from my past historical analytics data that on saturday and sunday i get least traffic , I use thiknowledge and post the least on weekends . I mainly work on weekend on articles and publish it on days when most traffic is likely to arrive , thats Tuesday or Wednesday .
Its works for me , Is it true for others also :)
Manish
http://www.jagoinvestor.com
I post about twice a week.
sometimes on weekends.
my strategy is to write good and interesting posts
http://www.sporteilat.co.il
I fall into the category of:
“Do you write posts in advance and schedule them to go off automatically?”
and
“Do you use the weekend to write posts for the next week because you’ve got extra time on my hands?”
It really is about catching up for me because the rest of the week is dedicated to the 9-to-5.