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8:10 am
February 11, 2010
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When you launch a new blog, it's always good to have some starter content up before the launch day. A "welcome" post isn't nearly as good of an idea as getting into the meat of the site. After all, that's what the About page is for. You want to give people real information so they have an incentive to come back.
With that in mind, how many posts do you think you should have before publicly promoting a new blog?
Personally I prefer to have five posts on the launch day, but I've gone with as little as three in more recent launches. I haven't noticed a huge difference as long as I have other fresh content quickly populating the site. Single post launches have never worked as well.
I also try to have anywhere from 5 to 20 posts in draft form these days. That's because I know I'll be busy with other things, and I don't want to risk a distraction stopping the flow of new content for my new readers. It might take longer to get ready for the launch, but it can get you off to a much better start. You don't have to worry about content creation. You can focus initially on fixing theme or plugin glitches, dealing with launch marketing, and responding to comments while you get to know your new readers.
My next blog launch will be a blog on better blog writing (called Writing for Bloggers). I'm waiting until I have those 25 posts before I move forward with it. And I'll do the same on other upcoming projects which will be multi-author launches and re-launches.
What about you? How much content do you like to have before launching a blog? Why? If you were to launch another one soon, would you do things differently than you have in the past?
Jenn
7:51 am
June 6, 2011
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I think I had four on my launch day for the risk management blog. I intend to put up one post every week or so, so I wanted to have "extra" content there. I have fodder for about three more posts (launched in late March), but the word is starting to get out, so I'm getting offers for guest posts.
What I've done differently is to build my reputation in the industry before launching the blog. Plus now, as opposed to five years ago when I last tried it, my goal is different. I'm using it as a reference and a credibility builder. Then I was trying to launch a blog that complemented a newsletter I sold. Too much at once. This time, the newsletter will come only after the audience is in place.
8:21 pm
November 1, 2012
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I think it's good to have around 10,000 words if you are trying to launch a new website. That's not easy though!
10:33 pm
February 11, 2010
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Is there any particular reason you have that word count in mind? I've launched successful blogs with very little content and others with quite a bit. My newest will have 8-10 posts before it's officially launched, although it's already bringing in traffic and income with just the starter content and word getting out thanks to a few colleagues.
And do you mean you would want 10,000 words already published on the launch date, or is that how much content you'd like to have in draft form so you can roll out regular updates easily after the launch?
I'm just curious, as I'm always interested to hear others' strategies and how they've played out in the past. 
Jenn
1:26 pm
December 3, 2012
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Hello everyone,
This is a great topic. What is actually involved in a blog launch? I'm outlining a couple of different ideas now and I would like to plan and launch a couple of blogs properly.
Thanks,
mo
4:35 pm
February 11, 2010
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There's a lot involved in a blog launch. But here are some of the basics:
- Get a domain name and hosting.
- Choose a blog platform (like Wordpress) and install it.
- Choose a theme (the design) and install that.
- Customize the theme and logo if necessary.
- Install any plugins you plan to use (for SEO, spam protection, social media, etc.).
- Set up your permalink structure (changing this later could screw up incoming links).
- Set up your blog category structure.
- Write your site copy (anything static -- about page, contact page, policies, etc.).
- Write your initial pre-launch content.
- Come up with a content strategy for ongoing posts. You might even opt to write some of this before the launch and schedule them to go live later. This way you'll have more time for early launch marketing.
- Come up with a marketing plan for the blog.
- Announce the official launch and deal with launch promotion.
6:17 am
January 2, 2013
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I guess that you should have at least several posts done so that you can dedicate more time to your blog promotion. Concerning the number of words, it's a little bit strange for me, as I believe that it's of more importance if your post are interesting for readers or not.
8:49 pm
March 2, 2012
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I don't know that a particular number is the right or wrong way but I'd start my next blog with some already published and enough to get me through the first month (whatever my weekly posting happens to be). I launched my new website and blog in December and have been snowed in with other projects since. Getting around to writing a post has been low on the priority list, which isn't a good thing. In fact, I think it's hurt me a couple times already. So, for a new blog, I'd definitely start with enough to auto-post if things got crazy.
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