You’re all excited because you’re creating something new – from the heart! It’s your baby. You’re eager to share your blog with the world. Yet the one question that keeps haunting you is: “How many posts should you have before you launch?”
The reality is, that the answer may surprise you.
In this post, I’ll share with you some thoughts on doing a “soft launch” and a full launch of your blog. You’ll learn how many blog posts you actually should have before you officially launch your new blog.
I’ll also share some key tips on what to do when writing your first blog post.
And you’ll get a little bit of peace of mind!
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How Many Posts Should You Have Before You Launch?
The question that’s haunting you!
I’m going to give you some peace of mind, quickly.
You need ZERO.
It all depends on what your strategy is for your new blog launch.
Do you want to do a “soft launch” where you have the bare bones up, and you’re creating content as you go?
Or do you want to do a splashy “TA-DA! Here’s my awesome blog” approach with content already in place?
Strategy matters, as do your own personal deadlines that you set for yourself. We’ll talk about that in a moment.
So what’s the answer to how many posts should you have before you launch?
I always share this recommended approach with my coaching clients and Facebook group members: Always have about three posts, so you can do a soft launch and work out any issues before doing an official blog launch.
| RELATED: Key Steps Before Launching Your Blog For No Regrets Later
Soft Launch Approach To Launching A Blog
What is a soft launch? It’s a term used in retail and marketing where a product or a shop is made available to the public, even though it’s not perfected yet.
There are things to be completed and fixed before an “official launch”.
For a soft launch, have at least three blog posts up on the site.
They don’t have to be perfect. With a soft launch approach, you can do several things with these three blog posts:
- Check to see what your blog post formatting looks like on a screen. Create a “template” for a consistent look for your blog posts. This includes where you place Pinterest pin images, disclaimers, etc.
- Figure out your visual needs: e.g. the perfect size for your images, colour scheme, etc.
- Test to see if your chosen colours for links contrast enough with the background
The soft launch approach helps you figure out any issues your site has before you officially launch it. It’s in the real world, so your friends can check it out and give you feedback.
Write Three GREAT Blog Posts That Resonate With Readers
One of the mistakes I see many new bloggers make is to write a ”Hello!” blog post as their first blog post.
The one that tells readers why they started their blog. Bluntly put, your audience doesn’t care. This information should be briefly mentioned on your About Me page instead.
Learn about writing your first blog post like a pro and impress your readers from the start.
Don’t make the same mistake I made many years ago when I started my lifestyle blog – Suburban Tourist.
Although you may be new to blogging, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t try to start off with blog posts that actually help your readers.
The blogs answer a question your readers may be struggling with and need to be answered.
Why do I recommend this approach?
Because you want to start populating your blog from the start with blog posts that will start ranking in Google searches.
Work on three posts that:
- Answer your readers’ burning questions – what is a popular problem your key audience has?
- Are well researched and are over 1000 words long (this will keep readers on your site longer, which is good for SEO)
- Are optimized with keywords and follow good SEO on-page practices
Your first blog posts will be ones that you will come back to again to improve and tweak over time.
So don’t beat yourself up over these if they don’t seem perfect.
Here’s a secret: every professional blogger updates old blog posts.
This is a good thing to do, to keep keywords fresh (helping you to keep ranking in Google searches) and your content up-to-date.
PRO TIP: Don’t forget to add visuals, including Pinterest pin images, so that your readers can easily share your posts to Pinterest. Use a plugin that includes a Pin It button, such as WP Tasty Pins (also makes it super easy to add pin titles and descriptions to your pin images so that they are Pinterest SEO optimized!).
Need Pinterest pin templates to design those pins quickly? Here are 10 free templates you can use with Canva:
| RELATED: Common Blogging Mistakes And How To Fix Them
Why You Should Never “Borrow” Content From Other Bloggers
Get Organized And Figure Out Your Categories
Now that you know the answer to how many posts should you have before you launch, let’s chat briefly about other key activities.
When you’re writing the posts you need for your new blog, it’s the perfect time to start figuring out your blog categories.
Determining your categories from the start will help you organize your future blog posts and keep you on track.
I have a complete blog post on what are blog categories and how to figure them out.
As a rule of thumb, try to keep to a maximum of 3 to 5 main blog categories.
Any more than that and you’re going to confuse your readers as to what your blog is about. Not to mention, you’ll have way too much content to write!
| Read More: What Are Blog Categories And Tags And How To Set Them Up In WordPress
How Many Posts You Need For A New Blog Depends On You
So have I answered the question of how many posts you need for a new blog?
Yes.
You can have zero or three, or more. It’s up to you.
Preferably, it’s good to have at least three published so you can work out any issues with formatting, and fix your content.
It gives your trusted friends something to read and check out, to provide you with feedback.
You’re new to blogging: don’t be so hard on yourself!
To understand more about how to write blog posts, read my tips on drafting and formatting blog posts for a great reading experience.
And remember, you aren’t writing for yourself. You are writing for a reader. Make it something of value to them.
Your style doesn’t matter. But the content should be doing something of value: informing, inspiring or entertaining.
Finally, it may seem overwhelming, but learning the basics of SEO is important. It will help jumpstart Google indexing your blog sooner, which improves your opportunities to rank in searches faster.
Start your SEO journey with my FREE 5-day SEO course, sent directly to your email inbox:
Want to jump right in and learn more about SEO?
You can get an in-depth introduction by reading my ebook – Optimize It: A Guide To SEO For Blogs – written for beginners who want to learn and get started.
PRO TIP: Join a few Facebook groups for bloggers and start promoting your blog content! It’s a great way to jumpstart blog traffic.
How Many Posts Do You Need Before Launching Your Blog? As Many You Like…
Are you feeling more at ease now?
Less stress? If you’ve answered yes, I’ve succeeded in my mission.
Decide on whether you want to do a soft launch for your blog (recommended) or wait until you have enough content for a full launch.
Write with the intention to succeed!
Remember, a great blog takes time to build, promote and grow. Yours will be a success if you have a plan and blog goals in place.
Launching a blog is an exciting thing, but it’s always wise to have a plan in place.
A few more great resources for you as you start blogging:
- 15 Ways To Make Your New Blog Look Professional
- How To Create A Blog Logo Quickly And Easily
- Over 100+ Lifestyle Blog Post Ideas – Perfect For Beginners
- How To Write A Great Blog Post Your Readers Will Love
- Key Types Of Blog Posts You Can Write For Your Readers
- How To End A Blog Post In An Engaging, Smart Way
Happy blogging!
QUESTION: In your opinion, how many posts should you have before you launch?
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I like you’re answer to this question, and it definitely did ease my mind. Knowing my hectic life, when I do get a chance to create blog posts, I will probably shoot for several at once, so that if I find a few weeks go by without being able to do this, I’ll still have content to post. Originally, I was going to try to have 12-15 blog posts comprised before launching. Not now! Thank you, I am so excited to get started!
Hi Julia! I’m glad to have eased your mind. You can always write several in advance, and then schedule to post one a week to give you some time inbetween to promote them over a span of a few weeks. Great idea to have several “in the hopper”.
I just found your blog today as I start the process of creating my own blog and I could cry at all the amazing info you’re providing! Thank you!
You’re welcome!
Thank you so much for all the great information. I’m still a baby blogger so this was super helpful.
We all had to start somewhere! Glad to share the info and tips!
Thanks, Margaret, for all your inspirational and informative posts. I started with about 17, but some weren’t long enough. And over time, when I had some spare time, I added more content. Blogging is certainly a learning process.
Thank you, Christine! I agree – I’m still learning something new every day!
I started with zero. Nice to know I got something right! Just wanted to start and not worry about having everything perfect beforehand…
Thanks for sharing this…
Sometimes that’s the best approach – less stress! Just go with the flow.
So informative! I wish I had discovered this article when I was just getting started. I put a lot of pressure on myself trying to get everything perfect before launching AND have 10 quality posts to boot. Looking back, I wish I would’ve launched sooner and tweaked things as I went. As it turns out, I’m still tweaking things anyway as I learn new strategies and approaches 😉 Thank you for sharing!
Exactly! The tweaking never stops. I still tweak my site every week as well. 🙂 Glad to see this resonated with you!
Thank you for the info. Very helpful. I’m just starting my blog. I sometimes don’t know what direction to go. I wonder if I’m actually ready to show. This is really helping me go in the right direction.
You’re welcome Nikki! It can be overwhelming, trying to figure out if you’re doing the right thing. I hope this helps you feel more confident as a blogger!