Whether you’re starting with a brand new blog or you’re stumped trying to find some direction for your current one, creating a schedule can really help you grow your blog to the next level.  While the topic and type of site will greatly impact how often you post new content – sticking with a schedule can provide you with direction, and your readers with expectations.

How you benefit from a blog schedule

There are direct benefits to you as the blogger by creating a schedule:

• Provides direction - A schedule can provide you with a sense of direction of where you blog is going in regards to topics and content.
• Creates consistency – Persistence and consistency are two of the main factors to successful blogging.  A schedule helps you create a routine that keeps you growing your blog.
• Focuses your mindset – I’m sure many of you have been stumped trying to think of what or when to write about.  Schedules can help you stay focused and on-topic.

How your readers benefit from a blog schedule

If one of the goals of your blog is to create a following and build your RSS subscribers (which it should be) a schedule builds expectations in your readers’ minds:

• Creates expectations – Your readers will come to expect how often you publish new content.  This can help you condition them to check your site often or their RSS reader to stay up-to-date.
• Builds trust – One of the side effects of publishing on a consistent basis is that your readers will become more loyal as a result.
• Creates community – Due to your readers connecting with your content more often, you can start building a community and you will notice that comments, tweets, and other interaction on your site should be more prevalent.
• Builds anticipation – If you’re like me, you have a favorite blog (or even a few of them) that you visit regularly.  On my favorite blogs I find myself eager and anxious to read their next post – and since I know roughly when they will post new content, I’m able to interact – and alleviate my fix for their writing

Growing your blog through consistency

Nearly all of the top bloggers have a fairly consistent publishing schedule for their blogs.  The reasons above are just a few of the main benefits to creating a schedule for your own posts, the main point is that you must be consistent.  Consistency in your content creation can help you grow a large and devoted following of readers.