Kalkan, Turkey
(Updated 6/23/2022)
Trying to figure out the best time to publish a blog post feels daunting at first. What is the best time to publish a blog post?
Different time frames work for different blogging audiences.
Varying time frames work for different objectives.
Do you want the best publishing time for:
- blog traffic?
- blogging profits?
- blog comments?
- social shares?
Based on the most fundamental human psychology, people genuinely feel energized from early to mid-morning and lazy from late afternoon to evening hours.
Typically, most people spend weekends relaxing with family and friends. Reading blogs does not appear to be high on the to-do list on Saturday and Sunday.
When Is the Best Time to Publish a Blog Post : 14 Years of Blogging From Paradise
Rather than referencing a commonly-followed blogging statistic regarding the optimal time to publish a post I want to share my observations from blogging for the past 14 years.
Blog readers tend to find, read and share your posts from 7 AM to 12 PM EST in the United States spanning from Monday to Wednesday. Publishing posts within this time frame serves current and prospective blog readers based on my 20,000 hours’ worth of blogging observation since 2008.
Like it or not, the USA is an empire built on capitalism. Global markets center around the NYC (EST) time zone in the United States. Factor in how roughly 47% of the US population lives in the Eastern Time Zone and that means a little under 115 million human beings from the most financially influential time zone on earth can in some part influence your blog traffic and blogging income. Keeping these people and this time zone in mind can accelerate your blogging success if you publish posts when this group seems most likely to find, read and share blog posts.
But forget about statistics for a moment.
When do you want to:
- read?
- acquire information?
- study?
- share content?
- comment in response to content?
- invest in courses, eBooks or coaching?
As a blogger, the best publish date is when readers desire to do any one or all of these things collectively.
The best time to publish a post yields the most targeted traffic, blogging profits and engagement because each stat factors heavily in to building a thriving blogging business.
Finding the best publish time accelerates your blogging success because engaged readers enhance critical aspects of your blogging campaign.
Publishing posts at the ideal time:
- increases blog traffic
- boosts social shares
- maximizes blogging profits
- expands referral business
Readers who see, read and share your content encourage exponential blogging growth.
Publishing posts at the best time expands your blogging reach far and wide.
But finding the perfect publish time frame seems challenging because niche statistics may differ from the preferences of your blogging community.
Blogging From Paradise followers live in the US, the UK, Australia, Germany, Ireland, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Thailand, among other places. Publishing posts between 7 AM and 11 AM EST during the early week period in the USA benefits my East Coast US readers. However, readers in the UK, Australia and India deem this time frame as being “odd hours”.
Most of my readers reside in the US. But highly loyal readers who:
- promote my content aggressively across various channels
- became customers
- became clients
- open every email I send
live on the West Coast of the US, in Thailand, India and Europe, in addition to living in the Eastern Time Zone of the US.
Should you publish posts to appease your most loyal followers?
Should you publish within a time frame most attractive to the majority of your readers?
Or should you simply follow statistics based on industry norms shared by established professional bloggers?
Keep these ideas in mind to choose the best time to publish a blog post.
Do Not Blindly Follow Niche Statistics
Never follow niche statistics without consulting your reader’s:
- needs
- preferences
- time zone
Consider your blog community before publishing posts at times suggested based on other blogging communities.
Humans tend to follow the herd. Common statistics regarding publish times and days may fit the desires of your blogging community.
But people maintain different schedules based on personal preferences. One reader may wake up at 5 AM to work online for a few hours before tending to parental responsibilities. Another follower might read your blog after a long day at school and work.
Pay close attention to your most loyal readers. When do these folks tend to read and share your content?
Consider your readers first before following niche statistics regarding the ideal time to publish a blog post.
Experiment with Different Publish Times
Publish posts at different times for a trial period.
Experiment to determine:
- when you write most effortlessly
- when readers see, read and share your blog posts most quickly
- how readers engage your posts at various times
I write smoothly from about 8 AM to 1 PM in the NYC time zone of the US.
Readers typically visit my blog quickly after publishing posts within this time frame from Monday to Friday.
Blogging From Paradise readers visit new posts less swiftly on weekends no matter the publish time.
Varying publish dates from 8 AM to midnight EST for every day of the week over months revealed each reader habit.
Be flexible. Publish posts on different days at different times. Find what works for you and your readers by experimenting.
Observe Reader Feedback
Reader feedback determines the best time for publishing blog posts.
Spot the quickest:
- traffic surges
- social sharing
- blog comments
- blogging profits
after publishing blog posts at specific times.
For example, after publishing a recent post between 1 PM and 2Â PM EST comments surged almost instantly.
Sticking to the 1 PM to 2 PM EST publish time frame revealed how my:
- US readers
- European readers
- African readers
- Asian readers
seemed to consume my content most quickly during this period.
Every blogging community is different. Listen to their collective needs to find the best publish date.
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Do not overlook receiving feedback because you fear being criticized.
The Big Debate
Should you find the best publish time based on:
- a few highly loyal readers who share your content most quickly?
- a large collection of more passive readers who eventually show up to read your post?
Timing posts for rabid fans creates a quick traffic surge while tailoring posts for more passive readers accelerates long term growth.
Rather than debate the importance of each reader simply find the happy medium between rabid fans and passive readers in terms of the best time to publish posts. You want your most active and passive readers to:
- see
- read
- share
your blog posts.
Find the optimal time to make both parties as happy as possible.
Know that the Perfect Publish Date Cannot Save Low Quality Content
How you publish content matters far more then when you publish content.
SEO-optimized, long form posts spanning 1500 words generate passive traffic around the clock. Google ranks these posts whether you publish targeted, in-depth content at 12 AM or 12 PM anywhere in the world. However, publishing posts at the best time may create an initial traffic surge that increases SERPs.
Publishing in-depth content at any time positions you to go pro. Publishing thin or non-targeted content at the best time leads to failure.
First, create highly-detailed content. Experiment with the optimal publish time and day (or days) after creating SEO-optimized blog posts.
Loyal Readers Consume Blog Content at any Time
Loyal blog readers consume posts at any hour.
Rabid fans read your posts:
- when you email your list
- when they wake up
- before they go to sleep
Build a large, loyal blogging community. Listen to readers. Solve their problems. Publish thorough content.
Loyal readers will eventually get around to reading your latest posts. Publishing posts at the best time simply enhances quick traffic surges created by rabid blogging fans.
Conclusion
Publishing posts early during the week from 7 AM to 12 noon EST in the US may be the best time for you but listen closely to reader feedback before establishing your blogging schedule.
Gaining blog exposure in front of an affluent demographic which makes up nearly 1/2 of the US population makes sense.
But your readers ultimately dictate the best time for publishing blog posts.
Listen to their feedback to grow a large, loyal tribe. Follow your blog metrics based on their preferences to find the best time for publishing posts.
Publish at the right time for them and you to accelerate your blogging success.
