July 4 2014: Copyblogger.com is a great site if you want to write a superior blog (not an easy task however easy it looks). Highly recommended for those seeking blogging wisdom—and how to improve your writing generally (like myself). Some fascinating, and little known, details about the art of blogging—and a challenge.

My blogging life is basically goalless. I like the zen nature of that, and paradoxically, it improves results.

Seth Godin

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Apparently the actual research was done by Orbit Media Studios. Be that is it may, here are some of the details courtesy of Copyblogger.com The results are based on a survey of more than 1,000 bloggers. Let me quote:

• 54 percent of bloggers spend fewer than 2 hours on a typical post
• Just 5.5 percent of bloggers spend 6+ hours per post
• Only 15 percent of bloggers have a formal editing process
• 4.9 percent of bloggers write 1500+ words in a typical post
• Less than half of bloggers use multiple images
• 14.7 percent are adding video

In case you’re curious, on Copyblogger, the typical post takes about 5-7 hours to create (sometimes quite a bit more), but that work is spread out over several content creators. Because we have the luxury of an editorial staff, we have a multi-stage editorial process in addition to the time that the original writer spends on each post.

If you don’t have a team of writers, don’t worry. Solo content creators can absolutely create excellent content, and some of the most wonderful blogs on the web are produced by individuals.

One key is to give yourself enough time to create quality work. Strong writing is a product of many factors, but those factors always include time for proofreading, editing, fact-checking, and rewriting.

Make the commitment to producing your content in several phases — a draft phase, an editing phase, a fact-check phase, and a final “picky” proofreading phase.

The Rule of 24 is an excellent one for every writer. Allow at least 24 hours between your draft phase and your editing phase whenever humanly possible.

• 54 percent of bloggers are publishing at least weekly
• 32 percent publish more than once per week
• 3.3 percent publish daily
• Only 4.3 percent of the bloggers who publish weekly are spending 6+ hours per post. In the trade-off between quality and quantity, they’ve made a choice.
• Most bloggers spend around 2.5 hours writing 800-word posts and publish weekly. They share it on social media (94 percent) and move on to the next post. Only half check analytics on a regular basis.

Make sure to head over to Orbit Media Studios and read Survey of 1,000+ Bloggers: How to Be in the Top 5 Percent.

Copyblogger’s main point is as follows: Maybe it’s time to publish less, but write more.

The internet wants quality.

It doesn’t want more … it wants more original.

I try and blog daily (which puts me among the 3.3%)—and normally succeed—because I find the discipline helpful. I like to have to write every day—and have the facility to do so.

 

Is that frequency optimum for a thoughtful piece of maximum

quality?

 

Probably not—but that is not exactly what I’m trying to achieve. Primarily, I’m seeking to interest, entertain, amuse, inform—and keep in touch.

 

Should I strive for a higher purpose—even if only from time to time? That is worthy of the most serious thought?

 

Copyblogger.com have a talent for making you think—and work!

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