While on my recent unplanned blogging break, I found myself asking these questions –
- Am I publishing too many blog posts?
- How many are too many blog posts?
- Am I overwhelming my readers?
- Am I publishing too few blog posts?
- Is anyone missing me?
- Am I really on a blogging break if I’m thinking about blogging?
No, forget those last two questions, but I did keep asking why I was asking the other questions.
When my last post got published, I hadn’t realised it was my one-hundredth post for 2021.
‘One hundred posts! That’s far too many in eight months,’ I told myself.
One hundred posts over eight months mean that, on average, I’m publishing 12 posts per month or around three per week.
I was rather shocked by the figures but told myself that it shouldn’t be about me but my audience. That’s where I hope you will step in by answering some questions and leaving your answers in the comments section.
- Are 12 posts per month too many, too few, or just right on Hugh’s Views And News?
- How many blog posts did you publish between 1st January and 31st August 2021?
- Do you think you’ve published too many, too few, or the right amount of posts so far this year?
- What are your reasons for the answer(s) you gave to the last question?
If you blog on WordPress.com, you can find out how many posts you’ve published by going to your blog’s ‘Stats And Insights’ page and clicking on the ‘Insights’ tab.
You’ll find the information towards the bottom of the page under ‘Annual Site Stats.’
Join the discussion and let me know your answers by leaving them in the comments section. You don’t need to answer all of the questions if you don’t want to, but I’d be interested in reading the answers you give.
In the meantime, if you’re wondering what I did on my unplanned blogging break, here’s a clue about one of the places I visited.
Doesn’t it look gorgeous?
Over the coming months, I’ve lots planned for Hugh’s Views And News. In the meantime, if you’d like to follow me on my other social media platforms, click on the buttons below.
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Hugh's Views & News 
I started in February/ March and had a break between May and September, so they’re a bit less than I wanted them to be. I’d usually go for a review/ day.
So far, I have 48 published posts and I’m somewhat proud of it
Good for you. But remember that the quality of posts should also be more important than how many posts you publish.
Yikes I only have maybe 1 blog post per month. I enjoy it that way and also only feel like blogging if I have something interesting to share. Maybe one day I will create more content. Time is also a factor I guess. However, I don’t think it matters how often or how little. As long as you are happy with what you’re doing 🤗🤗. Very interesting posts Hugh. I look forward to reading more 👍🏻
Yes, I agree, Wayne. If you’re happy with the number of blog posts you publish each day/week/month, then it’s a good sign. Unfortunately, I see too many bloggers publishing too much content that looks and feels as if it was written under pressure just to get it out there. I’m not sure why they do it, but many don’t last very long and end up giving up blogging.
Yes that’s very true.
Hi Hugh, good set of questions.
I’ll start by addressing one of the first set of the rhetorical questions raised ‘is it considered a blogging break if you think about blogging
I would answer yes, that downtime is good as you maybe not doing ‘the doing, but it’s allowing you time to think, assess your position and allow you to get your creative juices flowing when you are ready to start working on what is next.
For your list of closing questions I would say:
12 too many?
– if the posts are spread nicely apart, and add value to the site and are not just some random thought I would say that is okay, though for me I would struggle to keep up to that many as a set routine.
How many published?
– 32 with two a week from Jan to March then one a week up to August
Enough? + reason for answer…
– I’d have liked to keep up to two per week, but I think it’s best to keep to a schedule you can stick to than overcommit. In an ideal world I would write at least 4 times a week, I’d like to really give my readers a constant stream of useful, quality and diverse content – if I could I’d write for a living!
Agreed, James. Most bloggers work towards finding the perfect balance of how many blog posts they publish every week. Most, I believe, fall into the proper routine without really knowing that they have done so.
As for your thoughts on blogging breaks, yes, I agree. I see many bloggers taking breaks, but some continue to publish posts. For me, all those bloggers are doing is taking a break from reading other blog posts, not taking a blogging break.
Thank you for answering the questions in this post. The answers I got back have all been very interesting.
Ah I see what you mean with a blogging break, I’ll usually plan and schedule posts in advance when I go on holiday so I guess ‘business continues’ while I’m away, but when I come back I can start reading, replying to comments and doing all the blog stuff when I get back.
I’m going to take a good look at the responses, as this type of stuff is always insightful to know.
I’d be careful about continuing to publish blog posts while you’re away. You could come back to hundreds of comments, all of which need responding to which, in turn, could have the reverse effect of what you thought your blogging break was supposed to do. If one of those posts goes viral, the comments could come flooding in while you’re away.
Recently I read a great post about blogging breaks that stated the following great points –
– Don’t sacrifice your home life, health, and relationships for the next post, the next series, the next promotion, the next…
– Schedule some time to try not to blog – don’t post, don’t visit. Do something else that you enjoy – guilt-free!
– Stay grounded and humble. Although your readers are interested in your blog, they aren’t hanging on to your every word. They’ll survive without you.
Such wise words, which I think every blogger should take.
Thanks Hugh I’d never thought about it like that, I’ve only ever had two posts go viral, and the only one got lots of comments (which was kindly shared by yourself!)
Thanks for the tips – it’s challenging getting the work-life-blog balance right. I’ll often dedicate weekends to focus on family but may spend a couple hours on blog business if the opportunity arises.
Hopeful I’m still humble, as I realise how fickle it can be with millions of other blogs out there!
This is an excellent question, Hugh. I’ve also wondered about it, what is too many blog posts and what is too little. My take on it is: it’s your blog, you can publish however much or little as you want. Like what others in the comments mentioned, post as much as you feel like it. That said, I do think if your blog was set up with a specific purpose, gaining SEO traction and growing your audience as one of your blogging aims, then blogging with intention and having a regular blogging schedule might help.
My blog is a collection of my writings on multiculturalism and observations on daily habits. When I started blogging almost ten years ago, I posted once a week. Then I got busy with work and I posted fortnightly. Then I wanted more time to refine my posts so I blogged monthly. Now coupled with work and crafting each post to my liking, and throw in writing my first book, I’ve cut back to once every couple of months or so.
It does seem like I don’t blog much anymore but it works for me – and the blogging community has always been so supportive. These days when I blog, it’s always fun and I really enjoy writing each blog post. If I’d went back to writing a post a week, it would probably be overwhelming and that would take the fun out of blogging for me. If your content is interesting and thoughtful, then I guess it’s a reason for your audience to come back no matter how much or little you post.
If it works for you and you still have people engaging with you, then that’s perfect, Mabel. I think many bloggers are fearful of cutting back because they think people will forget about them, but you’ve proved them wrong.
Feeling overwhelmed is something every blogger goes through at some stage. I’ve been there, and it was a horrible feeling. Hence I cut back, and while I was fearful that I’d lose followers, I knew deep down inside that what matters most is that I continue to write. I’m lucky that I still have an audience that engages with me, but much of that also boils down to how I promote my blog, which is something many bloggers shy away from.
Thanks so much for joining the discussion and sharing your thoughts with us on this subject.
I think so long as you blog for the enjoyment of blogging, you’ll always have an audience of some sort. I’ve enjoyed following your blog over the years. You put out content that we can relate to or need, such as your photography and blogging tips. That’s probably why you got an engaged audience – content people relate to or need.
Thanks, Mabel. Writing about blogging certainly gets lots of people talking and discussing. I’m always drawn to those types of posts.
Just come across this thanks to your September round-up (I was away when you posted it and not reading many blogs). Of course I went off to check my own stats, which show that I posted 207 posts in 2021 to date – rather more than you. I think I average five a week. I do three or four challenges (weekly currently Lens Artists, Sunday Stills, Public Art, plus fortnightly Friendly Friday, and occasionally others if a cue sparks my interest). Between those I do one or two looking back at my travels or based on recent trips in the UK, and most recently Paris. Is that too many? I don’t know, but I think I may be getting something right as I’ve seen my audience grow in the 13 months I’ve been blogging (based on followers, likes and comments).
I suspect in future I will post less often and/or do shorter posts, especially once it’s possible to travel properly again. I like to compose my posts offline and edit photos, so I don’t think I would post much if anything while actually away, so a three week trip would mean a three week break. Maybe my followers will be grateful for that! But I don’t expect anyone to read and comment on everything I post, and only a handful do so. Equally, I don’t read and comment on every post of everyone I follow, although I do try to check in with everyone at least once a week if I can 🙂
Oh, and I forgot to mention that on my one year blogging anniversary I did a post summarising my year in numbers, as I’m quite anal about collecting stats. I don’t know if it will tell you anything interesting about how I blog but here’s a link in case:
I wouldn’t read too much into the number of likes and hits posts get. I’ve written many posts about the ‘like’ button and was amazed that some left comments admitting that they press the ‘like’ button without ever reading the post. They saw it more as a way of supporting the blogger without reading the post. That mystified me. Surely reading, liking and leaving a comment is the way to support a blogger, not click ‘like’ on all their posts without ever reading them? Concentrate more on the comments your posts get as that’s a sure way of knowing that somebody hasn’t just clicked the ‘like’ button without reading the post or ended up on your blog after doing a search and left within a minute of arriving.
Participating in blogging challenges certainly help. In fact, I have a post coming out next week about that very subject. I highly recommend participating in blogging challenges as a great way to interact and meet other bloggers. It all goes on to improving stats.
How many are too many? It’s an interesting question I’m glad I asked because many of the comments on this post give the answer ‘ whatever feels right for you,’ which I agree with. If you’re happy with 207 posts, then that seems right. I was a little concerned that I was either over or underwhelming my readers, but it seems I am doing neither. Interestingly, some say they don’t follow blogs that publish more than one post a day, mainly because it overwhelms them. It’s infrequent that I publish more than once a day. The last time I did was many years ago.
And I’m glad you mentioned that you don’t expect your followers to read and comment on every post you publish. Checking in with every blog you follow once a week would overwhelm me, but you don’t mention how many blogs you follow. I follow around 130 blogs, and that’s enough for me. I go down the line of only reading the posts that interest me, although the title and excerpts have to grab my attention first. If they don’t, I move on.
Finally, I’m glad to see that my monthly round-up posts work.
Hi Hugh,
I try to post my own writing once a week on Thursdays. Mondays I host the linky party. The other days of the week, I publish for contributing authors. I say the more posts the better. Google likes active blogs, and you get more internally linking options which also boosts SEO.
Congratulations! You won the Inspire Me Monday Linky Party. This post will be featured on my site tomorrow.
Janice
Thank you for joining the discussion and sharing how often you post on your blog, Janice.
And what excellent news about winning the Monday Linky party. Thank you so much.
Have a great week.
I typically do 3 posts per week. One for Senior Salon on a Monday, then 2 others, usually on a Wednesday and Friday, but it may vary from week to week. So to answer your question, about the number of posts, I do not feel that you are doing too many posts. I may not leave a comment on all but I will read most as I have a lot of other especially SeniorSalon posts to read and have to be selective when to leave comments, or else my entire week will be taken up with ONLY reading and commenting and responding. Do not stop what you’re doing Hugh, please keep up the good work! It may sound cliche to say that, but I truly mean that I LOVE your blog and posts as I always walk away with something new after I read your posts.
What lovely feedback; thank you so much, Esmé. I’m delighted you walk away with something new after reading some of my posts.
And just to put your mind at rest, I don’t think the majority of bloggers expect their followers to read and comment on all their posts. If they do, that may be a reason to ask why we’re following them.
I’ve no plans to stop blogging. And it seems, from the comments, that two to three posts a week is a good balance.
Hugh, please do NOT stop blogging please please please
Hugh, for my first 10 years of blogging, I posted once a week, like clockwork. Then I decided to go to once every other week, so I’ve been posting every other Thursday for the past year and a half. Feels about right! I had multiple reasons for choosing once a week in the beginning, and one of them was that I can never find the time to visit anyone else’s blog more frequently than that and figured many others must feel the same way. So, while you might post three times a week—and excellent posts at that!—I can’t possibly visit three times a week! 😁 But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it! Gives us more to choose from, even if we can’t read every post. I always find something useful on your site.
Thank you for joining the discussion, Jean.
I never expect anyone to read every new blog post I publish. After all, we all have lives outside of the blogging world, so I’d be very suspicious if somebody who was reading all my blog posts really was doing so (rather than just clicking the ‘like’ button without reading the post first). I don’t think many bloggers expect all their followers to read and comment on every single one of their posts, but I’d certainly not follow a blogger who expected it of me.
And thank you for the lovely feedback about the contents of my blog. That’s made my day.
Wow, 3 post a week!? That to me is a sign you’re passionate about blogging and the topic you’re writing about! I mean if it’s fun for you, then numbers doesn’t matter!
You’re absolutely right, although what may be fun to me may not always produce content that anyone finds interesting. That’s why nobody should ever force themselves to blog. Write and publish when the time feels right.
I’m new to blogging, so I have no experience to share. However, I feel like you should post as much as you feel like posting. I’m in my 2nd week of blogging and have pushed 4 posts. I don’t get many views or likes, I’m jot necessarily after a tone of views. If my posts reaches 1 person and changes their life then it was worth it. What is some advice you can give to a new blogger?
Hi Sam. Many others have said the same as you – post as often as you like (providing you have something interesting to say). I wouldn’t recommend forcing yourself to blog, though, or feel you have to post every day. I’ve seen too many bloggers suffer guilt and get stressed out by trying that.
I have lots of blogging tips. You can access those posts by clicking on ‘Blogging Tips’ on the menubar of my blog. However, my top 3 tips for a new blogger are –
1. Be yourself (don’t try copying or being like any other bloggers).
2. Engage with other bloggers by reading and leaving comments on their posts (but only read posts that interest you).
3. Don’t follow for a follow. Only follow the blogs that publish content you know will interest you and prompt you to leave comments.
I hope that helps?
Welcome to the world of blogging.
Hi Hugh, thanks for the tips! They’re greatly appreciated!
You’re welcome, Sam.
Hey, Hugh. First, what a stunning photo. I’d love to visit there someday. I love old castles, abbeys, graveyards etc.
I only have twenty-five posts this year, which is less than I would have liked. My goal was always to publish once a week, but clearly haven’t been able to keep that up. I only have time to read and write on the weekends, so that makes it tough. I need to make a better effort in the times that I can’t write, to at least post older pieces that I haven’t shared yet. I always worry the few followers I have will lose interest if I’m away for too long. Plus I worry that I’ll forget how to use WordPress if I’m so sporadic. With me and technology, that’s a legit concern lol!
Congrats on a hundred posts, I think that’s a great milestone, and it kinda inspires me to work harder to get there.
Thank you very much. The cathedral in the photo was first mentioned way back in 550AD. It’s an incredible building full of history.
Time can always be a bloggers’ number one enemy (if we allow it), so finding that perfect balance is something I hope you will find. I know of many successful bloggers who publish once a month. The most important point is trying to keep to a schedule; otherwise, you may lose readers. The WordPress platform has changed a lot over the last few years when the Block editor was introduced, but I believe it has taken blogging to a whole new level. Keep up with the changes, and you can’t go wrong.
And never be afraid to reach out to the blogging community. They are always happy to help.