That is an excellent question, one we often get at CDP!
We have the answer because writing blog posts is one of the things we do a lot of around here. After all we are in the business of providing content marketing services. For our writers, there have been blog posts that took 5 hours and others that were done and over in 35 minutes flat!
It Really Depends on What Blog Post Writing Includes
After all, blog writing is never only about taking to the keyboard and firing away! There is research to be done, relevant images to be found, grammar to be edited and let’s not forget scheduling the post and optimizing it for SEO.
If you are working on your first blog ever then you might as well commit 8 to 12 hours. However, the good news is that with a little experience and confidence in blog writing, the time required will shrink considerably.
Over all, the time to write each individual blog posts can vary significantly. It is important to ensure better quality rather than higher quantity when writing blog posts. Try to write at least two simple posts each week. The easiest posts are the ones where you already know what to say because you have thought about it, already researched it and have it pretty much already written in your mind.
Word To The Wise: Writing Is Writing… Writing Is Not Editing!
When you sit down to write a blog post, give yourself the freedom to simply right. Put to paper (or keyboard!) the ideas, thoughts and even rambles as and when they come to you. You will have a chance to clean things up at a later stage. Before editing it, give your blog pots some time to simmer, an hour a better perspective on how to edit it. Coming back to it with fresh eyes will give you clarity. Don’t try to edit it as you write, because chances are you will never be able to complete the post!.
Find A Comfy Place To Blog!
To write quickly and effortlessly, it is important to have a system in place that facilitates the flow of your creative juices and ensure minimal disturbance when you are in the process of creating a blog post.
If you are always on the go, an iPad + keyboard system is great for letting you write from pretty much anywhere. Find out what helps you blog! For some of us the great outdoors are an amazing inspiration, while others just want a cool, dark room and a good laptop to get them blogging.
…And Just Write!
Don’t worry about how long it will take you to write it or how many words the blog post needs to be. Hop into your distraction-free zone and let fly whatever comes to mind. If getting started looks like to big of a task, then write the intro first. This should help you focus on where the blog post is headed and make it a bit easier to start writing the post since you won’t be working from an entirely blank page. Also, don’t worry about how terrible your blog posts are, because bad blog posts are better than no blog posts!
As you write, keep these things in mind:
- Varying sentence length
- Varying paragraph size
- Reminders to come back and add stats, references and specifics
With a bit of time and practice, you will stop worrying about these things, as they become a second nature to the author within 2 or 3 blog posts. By the end of this exercise, you should have 1500 to 2000 words to work with, edit and tweak into a stellar blog post.
The Point of All This Is…
As you write your blog remember that you are about to make something great, something memorable, something worth coming back for again and again. There is absolutely no set formula for time, keyword count, word count or absolutely anything else when it comes to blog writing. There can only be a commitment to quality. If it is well-written, fun to read and search engine optimized, you have an awesome blog post at your hands.
What does your blogging process look like?
Let us know how you spend your time when writing blogs. Feel free to share your experiences and blog writing tips in the comments or call us at 1-877-897-1725 to find out how we do things at Content Development Pros.
