Before going into this “blog news” post, let me say that I am thankful for all of my readers, both new ones and ones who have been around awhile. It is truly amazing to see how much my readership has grown, as well as how much engagement on my posts among my readers has grown, so I thank all who visit my blog.
That being said, there are some things that I notice with my readership patterns, and those things I’ve noticed are the basis of my two pieces of blog news today.
One thing I’ve noticed is that an overwhelming majority of my readers are from the United States. Now, that’s not a surprise, as many of the issues I focus on are specific to the States. That being said, since most of my readers are in the United States, I’m thinking that noon on Tuesdays (for my regular content) and noon on Fridays (when I do things like blog news, re-publishing old blog posts, etc.) might not be the best time for readers. After all, 12 PM East Coast time is 10 AM in the Mountain States and 9 AM on the West Coast—hardly ideal times for people in that part of the country who have regular work schedules and want to read my blog. Additionally, 12 PM on Tuesdays and Fridays are in the middle of workdays for me—something that was not the case in the past because I was a part-time intern when I started my blog. Therefore, I will publish my new posts at 6 PM on Mondays (except holiday weeks) and save things like blog news and re-published old posts for 6 PM on Thursdays (but not every Thursday, just as I don’t publish those things every Friday at the moment). This way, my posts publish right after work for many in the Eastern and Central U.S., and publish near the end of the workday for everyone else in the Lower 48 States.
Another thing I’ve noticed is that my readers seem to prefer my original content over posts I share from other bloggers. My interim solution has therefore been to not share as much content from other bloggers as I have in the past, but that’s not a good long-term solution, as I would still like to share posts from other bloggers. Therefore, I will not publish shared posts on Monday/Tuesday as I have in the past (so that I can stick to original content in my Monday/Tuesday posts), but instead on Thursdays at 6 PM, when I feel there’s share-worthy content. Note that the content I’ll share will stick with the theme of my blog, which focuses on exposing injustices that we may be blind to and/or blindly commit.
In summary, this is my new blog post schedule:
- On Mondays at 6 PM (except for holiday weeks), I will publish new blog posts.
- On select Thursdays at 6 PM, I will publish blog news, re-publish old blog posts, and share interesting posts I’ve seen from other bloggers. Note that I will not publish every Thursday evening, because there are some Thursdays when I will not have blog news, old blog posts to re-publish, or posts to share.
Happy reading!
Blind Injustice 
I have also struggled with finding the right time to publish. Right now, it’s 1-2 p.m. on Fridays…which is pretty early for the west coast yet kinda late in the UK. I’m gonna go see if my readership majority is in the US now.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Lily-Yes, it can be a struggle to find the right time to publish, especially if your readership is split between two or more countries in two or more vastly different time zones (as is the case with you).
With me, most of my readers are in the U.S. so therefore it’s somewhat easy for me, I think, to figure out which times are best (either early morning or in the evening). The problem though was that when I created my previous schedule, I had no idea that most of my readers would be in the U.S. and that noon might not be the best time to publish my posts.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Since I follow bloggers from all over the world, I haven’t concerned myself with the best time for posting.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s fair. Each of us have our different preference in terms of when is the best time to blog.
For me, I’ve noticed that most of my readers are in the U.S. and that therefore it made most sense for me to pick a post time that’s good in the States.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I receive your blog as a weekly post (which I do with most of the blogs I read) so always receive it Monday 3 AM Eastern time. So probably my comments are out-of-sync with others, but I am always truly glad for your blog.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for the compliment, Maren!
I didn’t know there was such a way to receive a blog as a weekly post on your own time. Regardless of whether your comments are in-sync or not, I’m glad you read my blog and like my blog!
LikeLike
I think this is a great plan. You are a gifted writer. I look forward to reading more from you!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for the compliment, Laura!
I’m thinking that timing my posts in this way will give more people to read my writing, as well as give me an opportunity to reply to comments more promptly than before.
LikeLike
I never thought so much about timing for it’ll show in the reader and people who care to read will look.
Makes sense about reblogging. I always wonder whether I should reblog the awesome posts I come across and want to share. For the most part I choose not to, for I too hate reading reblogs.
Love, light and glitter
LikeLiked by 1 person
I thought a lot about timing. It seems like people in general want bloggers who are predictable in terms of when we post. So, I look to be predictable with when I post. I also look to post at a time when people are most likely to read my blog.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I played around a bit with the timing of my posts a couple of years ago, and interestingly found that 3:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. work best for me. The 3:00 a.m. is, no doubt, because about half of my readers are on the other side of the pond, and they are just waking with their morning coffee around that time.
LikeLike
I like publishing mostly on weekends to avoid disruptions of time during the busy week.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yeah, I definitely understand the wisdom of publishing on weekends as well.
I think one of the important things is that you just publish regularly, instead of going for, say, three months without blogging.
LikeLike