the episode

Even for the most accomplished writer, creating an effective blog post takes time.  This is especially true as the word count requirement has grown. 

So how long does it really take to write a blog post? 

• Research (1 hour) – Maybe you are writing from your own experience, but in many cases, you will need facts or data to support your arguments.
• Writing (1.5 hours) – These days your average blog post should be 500+ words. If you have a good outline, you should be able to knock out the post in the time allotted.
• Editing and SEO (.5 hours) – Assuming the post is fairly well written, editing should be just a few minutes. Then you will need time to check any links, write the meta description, and confirm that the headings and titles connect to the relevant keywords.
• Graphics (1 hour) – If you are going to share your blog post on social media (and you should) you will need a strong graphic for each post. Whether you use stock photography or create unique custom graphics, it will take time to select and edit the image to just the right size for your post.
• Scheduling social shares (.5 hours) – If you want people to find your content, you need to promote it on social channels like LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest. You don’t need to be everywhere, but you need to be consistent wherever you are.

Go ahead, add it up.  A single blog post may take 4.5 man hours (4 if it is a woman doing it).

So how many blog posts do you want to write  this year? Even one a month will easily consume as much as 50 hours. The trick is to look for ways to improve your productivity.

Looking for tips to write better content, faster?  Check out our new self-paced Blogging Basics class.

about the marketing minute

Each week, host Lorraine Ball shares just a few words on a marketing topic. She boils down creative ideas, practical tips, and decades of real-world experience into a mini podcast which is always less than two minutes.

Look for these mini bits of marketing inspiration every Sunday.  Then come back and enjoy the longer interviews every Thursday.

Look for the mini podcasts and full episodes on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play and wherever you listen  to podcasts.