When you read tips about blogging, it almost always comes down to “content is king.” And there’s certainly truth to that statement. If you don’t have quality, compelling content, you’re never going to have a successful blog. People won’t have any incentive to read it.

However, there’s a flipside to this that rarely gets discussed. That is: Just because you have quality, compelling content doesn’t mean your blog will be successful. In other words, “if you build it” they still might not come.

You have to be able to promote your blog successfully so that readers will know you exist. This can take time, but if you keep putting out great content and promoting it the right way, eventually word will spread about your blog, allowing you to build a base of loyal readers.

Now, when promoting your blog, there are two key things that a lot of people overlook: Timing and frequency.

Timing

Timing has to do with when you publish your post. The blogosphere moves fast, so you need to start promoting your post as soon as it’s published. Think about it: You don’t see old, outdated content on the front page of Digg or ReddIt do you? Of course not. You see content that was published within the past few hours.

Now, that means you have to publish your content at a time of day when you can attract the most readers. This is a subject I’ve discussed at length with other bloggers, and the opinions have been quite varied. Some bloggers pay no attention to when they click “publish” (a dangerous move in my opinion) and others have a specific day and time they feel is ideal for promoting linkbait.

The truth is the best time depends on your location, your audience, and your network, but here are a few general guidelines to consider.

• Where are most of your readers located? If you have a truly worldwide audience, this can be a bit tricky, but most bloggers get at least the majority of their readers from the same region. Knowing where your readers are allows you to figure out the time they’re likeliest to read your content. In the U.S., you can usually get readers’ attention if you publish your content at the beginning of the work day in the middle of the week.
• When can your social media pals help you? Do you have a network of friends that help you promote your content? I do, and my group has specific times that they’re available to do this. With that in mind, I have to try to publish my content within that window of time so I can get help promoting my new posts.
• Is the information time-sensitive? If you’re publishing breaking news or information that is only relevant for a short period of time, then it’s best just to publish it immediately, regardless of what time or day it is.
• Is the weekend or a holiday coming up? Weekend posts have a hard time getting much attention because readers are out doing other things. The same goes for posting on the holidays. Sure, you have less competition from other blogs vying for the reader’s attention, but you also have fewer readers.

Frequency

Now that you have a better idea of what time to publish your posts, let’s move on to discussing how often you should be posting new content. Again, this is a subject a lot of bloggers disagree on, and my opinion is that there isn’t a one-size-fits-all posting frequency. However, there are some rules of thumb that can help you be more successful with your blog.

• Give your best posts a little space—If you’re publishing a piece of linkbait that you want to go viral, you need to give the post a little room to work. In other words, don’t publish another post while you’re still in the middle of promoting this one.
• Create expectations for your readers—Whether you publish new content every day, three times a week, or just once a week, you need to set a schedule and stick with it. If your readers know when to expect new content from you, it’ll be easier to keep them coming back. If you only post haphazardly, you’ll have a hard time building a base of readers.
• Beware of declining frequency over time—Many bloggers wear out over time, and they start posting less and less frequently. Blogger’s burnout is common, but it’s very deadly. You need to keep up the pace so you don’t lose your readers.

So, when do you publish your posts? And how often do you write new content? Share your thoughts by leaving a comment.

Guest Author: John Smith manages the nursing scrubs website NursingUniforms.net, one stop online shop for branded lab coats, scrub tops and all kind of medical uniforms.