When I first heard the words slow blogging I was immediately intrigued. Then I researched it further and found out it could be just what I need to take my blog to the next level.
So What Is Slow Blogging?
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I like the definition of slow blogging that I found over at JenCarrington.com
It’s when you commit to focusing on quality over quantity in your blogging process
Slow blogging means you produce fewer blog posts, but those you do produce go into greater depth. So instead of posting daily or even a few times a week, you post perhaps just once a month.
What Are The Advantages Of Slow Blogging?
More Pageviews Per Post
Producing less content frees up hours in your week to research your blog post topic so that when you do write, you provide your readers with a post that will truly help them with their needs instead of something that just scratches the surface of the problem you’re addressing.
When you fully meet the needs of your readers, they tend to want to share your wisdom with others naturally–that means more pageviews per post.
But What If You Already Do Write Detailed Posts?
Perhaps you are like me, and you already do write lengthy, detailed posts. If so, you and your blog readers can still benefit from slow blogging.
More Time To Be Inspired
If you are not spending as much time writing blog posts, you can spend more of your time doing what inspires you to write.
You can try out new recipes–tweaking them until they have your personal touch and then write a blog post sharing your new creation. You can redecorate your living room, challenging yourself to do it for under $500, and then write a detailed blog post about how you did it.
Last year I felt like I was losing my blogging spark and couldn’t understand why–until my family took our 22-week RV road trip. During the trip, I decided to do just one evergreen-style blog post a week and one conversation-style trip update.
Mostly I did this because I knew I was going to be spending a good chunk of each day exploring with my family and simply didn’t have time to write more. But it ended up giving me time to really think about why I had lost my blogging spark. I was all words and very little action. I simply didn’t have time to keep cranking out so many lengthy evergreen posts and live my blog topic.
Now that the trip is over, I want to use the time I have been using to explore to live the type of life I blog about. I want to challenge myself to cut our living expenses, to toss more clutter, to create new simple recipes, and essentially transform my life inch by inch, as my blog tagline suggests.
More Time For Blog Readers
From day one, I have wanted a blog with a close-knit community. I don’t want a fast food blog where people take the information and run. I want a slow food blog. One where people stay at the table for hours, engaging in conversation after the meal has been devoured.
For me, that means more social media interactions. Notice I didn’t say more social media posts. I have one. My decluttering Facebook group is very active and growing I want to make sure I spend time talking with the people in there/
More Time For Product Creation
I have been blogging since 2011, and yet I have only one product, my book, Thrifty & Thriving: More Life For Less Money. This book took me two years from start to finish. Why? Because long, in-depth posts take a lot of time. Some of my longest evergreen posts, which are also some of my most popular posts, are over 2,000 words long and took me as much as 10 hours to complete.
I was publishing two evergreen posts a month: one here and one over at my travel blog.
Cutting back to one post a week will allow me to devote much more time to product creation.
More Time For Bigger And Smaller Blog Projects
Yes, creating a product is a big blog project, but I am thinking about other types of big blog projects here, like site updates, email subscriber freebies, and moving your email list to another email list provider that better serves you and your readers.
And then there are the smaller blog projects such as writing guest posts, updating popular posts for maximum return on their exposure, cleaning up sidebars, redoing your About Me page, and the list goes on and on.
More Time To Study How To Be A Better Blogger
I ordered the Ultimate Bundle for bloggers last year, and although I have read all the eBooks in it, I have yet to take the video-driven courses. Spending less time creating content will allow me to take these courses, which will help me improve in areas as a blogger I need help in. Areas such as how to grow a Facebook page, how to increase my SEO ratings, and how to design a better blog.
The End Result
The end result of slow blogging is a more reader-friendly blog with an active community of readers–meaning people love what they find on your blog so much they can’t help but share it, and that means more pageviews.
More pageviews lead to more profit, which means you have more money to hire to help create an even better blog reader experience–plus you also get more money for your own personal use, making blogging even more rewarding.
So who is joining me in making the switch to slow blogging? What do you think is the best advantage and why? Let me know in the comment section.
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I love this! I didn’t know that there was an official term for it, but it’s really the direction I’ve been moving in with my blogging and the direction I decided to go with when I started YourBloggingMentor.com.
A slower pace is so much more realistic and I think it allows you to be a lot more thoughtful and strategic in what you put out on the internet. Plus, it gives you time to engage with people at a much deeper level!
Thanks so much for writing this. Lots of food for thought here!
Thanks Crystal! And I am enjoying your new blog.
Thank you for putting the slow blog concept out there. I’ve been thinking about this for some time. Way back in the day of magazines, the “clickbait” style where the cover draws you to buy, only to find fluff inside, always frustrated me. Kudos to you. I am busy with content creation for my new slow blog. I’ll be checking out your facebook pages!
Thanks! And I hope your new blog goes well.
I just found the Slow Blogging Movement tonight and I am grateful I did. Last summer, I fell into the trap of trying to post every day (sometimes, even multiple times a day) and it caused me to lose that same blogging spark you speak of. Since then, we have rebranded (choosing not to niche-down) and that spark has returned. My posts have the views but not the engagement and I can see why. They’re short. They’re not as helpful as they could be if I took more time.
Thank you for sharing this!
You are welcome. And I wish you great success with slow blogging!
Always good to articulate ideas like these.
But I wouldn’t call once a week slow blogging. Once or several times a day is ridiculous, once a week is often. Slow blogging for me would mean several weeks between posts. Well, I guess it depends on the space you blog in. Mine is more technical, which requires more research and experimentation.