Three Questions to Ask Before You Post

I tell clients to start a blog only if they intend to write things their target reader will really want to read. They manage this for a while.

Then they run out of things to say on the topic they’ve chosen, or begin to use the blog like a free press-release distribution site to promote their products, or lose interest and post whatever random thought hits them on the day that “blog post” shows up on their calendar.

Bad idea.

Too many blogs fill with dull rehashings or off-topic rants, in an attempt to satisfy the dictum that bloggers must post three times a week or it isn’t a good blog. It’s the fabled sweet spot.

It’s a myth.

Posting thee times per week does help you — slightly — with SEO. Slightly.

Not enough to offset annoying your readers, particularly those readers who sign up for RSS feeds or other permission marketing. If you send drivel to their email three times a week, they’ll filter you out in week.

There’s a solution: Post less and make it count.

The real sweet spot is great content. Post when you have something interesting and useful.

Three quick questions to identify topics for great posts:

1. Do people ask about this topic? If customers or target readers are talking about it or searching for it, it’s a good topic.

2. Do I have something useful to say? Advice, how-to, unique perspectives, or not-so-common common sense make your post useful. People read things because they get something out of it. They learn something new, challenge their brains, get validation for their beliefs, or escape their troubles. Otherwise, they won’t bother — and neither should you.

3. Will saying it further my goals? Remember why your blog exists. If you’re selling professional services and what you say is both off topic and polarizing, better to save it for coffee with friends or your personal blog. If what you say is polarizing but on topic, weigh the pros and cons of alienating potential customers before you post. I’ll write more on this issue later.

Your written words follow you longer than spoken ones. That was true before the Internet, but it’s even more true now. Even your Twitter posts are archived at the Library of Congress. Think about that before each post.