HOW MANY BLOG POSTS SHOULD YOU LAUNCH WITH?
Starting something new is major fun. Once you make the decision to go after that shiny new dream you’re filled with all of this hope and motivation, and in your head you’ve got these big plans and the path to success seems super clear. Find out exactly how many blog posts you need to launch your brand new site.
“I am finally going to start this blog. I’m going to start this blog, and I’m going to use it to sell my products/services/ideas/purple penguin seat cushions/whatever and I’m gonna network all over the place, and get a bunch of traffic and I’m going to be freaking rich.”
In that moment (that one up there^) this whole blog launching thing seems like a piece of cake. It’s not until you sit down and start writing….and keep writing….and write some more…and a little more….still writing….aaaaaaaahhhh……………that you are actually confronted with all these doofy little details.
Like “how many posts, exactly, should I be launching with? 1? 5? 20?”
Let’s get real for a second (you knew this was coming). There is no one right answer. Every blogger does it differently. I’ve launched brand new blogs for global brands with 1 post, and with 50 posts. Its up to you to look at your unique situation and find Your Number.
When you’re just starting out, no matter what you are using your blog for, you will probably fall into 1 of 2 categories.
1. More is Better
This is the club where you are attaching content to credibility, and are determined to avoid the “newbie blogger” label at all costs.
You’re ready to invest the time into creating a collection of posts to launch with but need to know when to stop. How many is too many? When can you move on and start working on other things? Is this your life now? Will you ever get this thing launched?
2. Let’s Go On This Journey Together
If you’re planning on writing that first, “welcome to my blog” post and taking your readers on a journey from day 1, congrats. You’re in group 2.
“1 post should be enough to get started.” “I won’t have any readers when I start, why not grow content at the same pace that I’m growing readers?”
Well, Grasshopper…the secret sauce on this kung pow chicken here is….that it is unlikely either of these categories will serve you very well. There is a medium somewhere between 1 and a freaking billion that will set you up for faster growth and the beginnings of a large and loyal audience.
DON’T LAUNCH WITH JUST 1
If you’re thinking about starting a blog, or a small business, or even looking to join really sick drop in volleyball league, you’ve probably had someone hit you up with the hard facts. “Most blogs fail. Most business never make it. Most volleyball players don’t get to wear the Nike sponsored speedos.”
Sure. That’s true.
But, you’ve also got to consider the fact that MOST bloggers never invest the serious time it takes to build a business. When you throw out all of those people from the equation, the pool suddenly becomes a heck of alot smaller.
If you throw up 1 post, click “publish” and wait, it’s pretty much guaranteed that you are not taking this seriously enough. Do you even want to build a kick ass business and roll around in a big pile of money and champagne?
Money/champagne rolling is definitely possible (I’ve worked with bloggers who have been paid 50-60-70,000 dollars for just 1 project. One!) but 1 post aint gonna get you there.
People like content. If there is just the one post on your whole site, it’s likely that your reader, although totally digging your message, will move on with no way of ever finding you again.
Find your perfect target market with this post, “How To Identify Your Ideal Customers”
THE MAGIC NUMBER
Regardless of the company, big or small, product or service, based in the US or Antarctica, I’ve found that readers look for about 3 separate pieces of content that they completely fall in love with before committing to follow that blog. Before you get bookmarked, subscribed to, or even “liked”, be ready to serve up at least 3 pieces of content per user.
Before you get bookmarked, subscribed to, or even “liked”, be ready to serve up at least 3 pieces of content per user. #momboss #hustle
— Olivia Derby (@OliviaRDerby) May 16, 2016
But that DOES NOT mean that 3 posts is the magic number.
Your Number is probably considerable higher than that. 3 posts per reader means that you must deliver 3 posts that perfectly match each new subscriber. Not every reader will be looking for the same things when they come to your blog.
If your goal is to attract quirky brides to-be who are looking for some amazing DIY wedding tips some of those women are going to be interested in dresses, some are going to be looking for awesome decor, and some are going to want inspiration for their invitations.
All 3 of those women are interested in different things. Decide on how many blog posts you should launch with by considering the amount of content necessary to deliver 3 solid posts to each of them.
DON’T TRY TO PLEASE EVERYONE
A quick note here. I am not telling you to write on every subject under the sun. Check out this post for more on why a niche is important.
Find out exactly why you should choose a niche for your blog with this article.
DECIDE HOW MANY BLOG POSTS YOU SHOULD LAUNCH WITH
Now, you didn’t come here for fluffy, nonspecific answers. Let’s figure out Your Number.
1. FILL UP YOUR FIRST PAGE
How many blog posts does it take to fill up the first full page of your theme’s blog page? People love to scroll, so give them a solid list of posts.
I’ve found that the posts which get shifted onto page 2 of your blog don’t get nearly as much engagement. I would recommend launching with enough posts to fill up almost 1 full page of your blog, but not so many that readers need to click over to page 2.
2. ADDRESS YOUR CUSTOMER’S PAIN POINTS
Consider your customer’s top 3 or 4 reasons for working with you. What is it that they need? What problem can you fix? Why are they searching for help? Figure out the answers to these questions and make sure you’ve written a blog post for each of them.
Posts that address your reader’s pain points make them stop and think “Wow! This person really gets me! This is exactly what I need.”
Posts that address your reader’s pain points make them stop and think “Wow! This person really gets me! This is exactly what I need.”
— Olivia Derby (@OliviaRDerby) May 16, 2016
These articles make sales easier and lend credibility to your brand. Don’t launch without them.
3. REFERENCE YOUR PRODUCTS OR SERVICES
Include at least one post in your launch lineup that references whatever it is that you’re selling. Even though blogging is all about providing value to readers, don’t lose sight of what you’re actually doing here.
You need to have this post in your arsenal so that you link to it when you’re talking about your business, so that you can motivate your social media followers to buy from you, and so that you don’t lose sight of your personal mission.
DON’T WRITE TOO MANY
Find your number and bang out those posts in time for your launch. Don’t commit to writing too many though. Launching your blog requires a shit ton of work and that means more than just writing a great collection of blog posts.
Plan out every post you need for your launch and start budgeting your time to get more done. Download my free Content Calendar and start writing.
