Many years ago, as a new online business owner, content cadence was tough for me to understand. I didn\u2019t know how many blog posts per week were ideal or the best posting cadence for social media. But today, that\u2019s no longer the case.<\/p>\n\n
If you\u2019re a marketer or business owner who\u2019s clueless about content cadence \u2014 or unhappy with the results of your posting cadence \u2014 don\u2019t worry. You\u2019re not alone, and you\u2019re in the right place.<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n In this post, I\u2019ll explain what content cadence is, how to determine the best posting cadence for your business, and how often marketers publish content. I\u2019ll also share my tips on how often to post blogs, videos, and social media content.<\/p>\n Table of Contents<\/strong><\/p>\n What is content cadence?<\/a> <\/a> <\/p>\n <\/a> <\/p>\n The right content cadence can increase engagement with your target audience, keep your brand top-of-mind, and also generate more leads. But there\u2019s no one size that fits all. The best posting cadence for you may be wrong for others, and vice versa.<\/p>\n To determine the right content cadence for you, I\u2019ve identified eight actionable steps you need to take.<\/p>\n Without a solid knowledge and understanding of your target audience, you\u2019ll most likely get your content cadence wrong.<\/p>\n So, identify your target audience first, and learn everything you can about them. For example, what age range do they belong to? What\u2019s their gender, marital status, income bracket, passion, hobbies, likes and dislikes, and so on?<\/p>\n You can get your content cadence right when you create content on topics that grab and keep your target audience\u2019s attention. For example:<\/p>\n Write about topics of interest to them. Take everything you know about your target audience into consideration and create the right type of content for them. Do they love short-form or long-form content? Or do they prefer video over text?<\/p>\n Also, don\u2019t forget that members of your audience won\u2019t be at the same stage of the buyer\u2019s journey<\/a> at the same time. As a result, they will need different types of content depending on their current stage.<\/p>\n This means you need to be ready and able to provide content like blog posts, in-depth guides, case studies, white papers, videos, and so on.<\/p>\n The success of your content cadence will also depend on using the right platform.<\/p>\n Are you going to publish on your blog<\/a> or on social media platforms? Once you\u2019re focused on your target audience, you can\u2019t go wrong. In other words, my tip here is to go where your target audience is.<\/p>\n I know it\u2019s easy to get overwhelmed with the many platforms and posting times and content types and what goes where and when, but the best advice I received on this was always: start small, but start!<\/p>\n If you\u2019re just getting started on social, for instance, choose one<\/em> platform and then expand after you\u2019re comfortable and have established your content cadence there.<\/p>\n Or, if you already have an existing presence or cadence and you\u2019re just tweaking things, you can also take that slow and introduce your new posting cadence gradually.<\/p>\n Content frequency is an important part of content cadence, and it refers to the volume<\/em> of content published within a specific period of time \u2014 for example, how many blog posts per week, per day, or even per month?<\/p>\n For best results, consider a frequency that won\u2019t overwhelm your audience.<\/p>\n Or you.<\/p>\n Posting content on the wrong day or at the wrong time can mess up your content cadence and reduce engagement.<\/p>\n I recommend you find out the specific days and times your audience is most active on different platforms<\/a>. Then, try to post with this in mind.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re just starting out with posting content, check out the resources in the next section to help you get started with scheduling.<\/p>\n On the other hand, if you already have a content calendar and just want to change your content cadence, you could slowly shift your content into a new slot you\u2019ve chosen.<\/p>\n I find being methodical and making small changes is the best way to do this. Then, you can test your posting time and iterate from there (I\u2019ll share more on that below.)<\/p>\n Once you know your topics, content types, the right platforms, and content frequency, you need to create a content calendar.<\/p>\n A content calendar (aka editorial calendar) is a documented plan or schedule of all your upcoming content, where you plan to publish, and when.<\/p>\n A content calendar will give you an overview of all your tasks in advance, help you track and complete each one on time, and keep you organized.<\/p>\n Without an editorial calendar to help you juggle all these moving parts successfully, getting your content cadence right might feel unwieldy at first.<\/p>\n To help you hit the ground running, you can start with HubSpot\u2019s free content calendar<\/a> templates.<\/p>\n I have used these templates as a starting point for my content calendars for years, and whether you use one of them out of the box, or tweak it and make it your own, I always appreciated this as a solid starting point.<\/p>\n Without a calendar, your efforts are pretty much wasted (you\u2019ll lack focus and<\/em> strategy, trust me!), so I encourage you to take the time to make friends with your content calendar.<\/p>\n Identify key engagement metrics that will be measured for each platform. Then, experiment and publish relevant content for a set period of time. Next, audit your audience’s behavior and review your content’s performance<\/a>.<\/p>\n For example, you can conduct a:<\/p>\n Website audit<\/a> to assess your blog and web pages. <\/p>\n Social media audit<\/a> to review your social media channels. <\/p>\n After your audits, you\u2018ll have comprehensive information and a detailed analysis of your content\u2019s performance and audience’s behavior.<\/p>\n If you achieved your desired level of engagement, then you\u2019ve found the right content cadence for your business. But if not, use relevant insights from your audit report to tweak, optimize, and iterate on all your earlier steps. Then, experiment again until you achieve your goal.<\/p>\n Remember, content cadence varies for every organization.<\/p>\n <\/a> <\/p>\n To answer this question, HubSpot surveyed over 1,200 marketers to determine how often they publish content across various channels. The results showed that:<\/p>\n 34% of marketers publish content multiple times a week. But which posting frequency is the most effective?<\/p>\n Most marketers (35%) who publish once daily described their 2022 marketing strategy as effective. <\/p>\n However, 33% of the marketers who publish multiple times a week said their marketing strategy was effective, 39% described the same cadence as neither effective nor ineffective, and most (43%) described it as ineffective.<\/p>\n For me, this just reiterates the advice I shared earlier: how often you should post content really depends on when and where your audience is most active online.<\/p>\n <\/a> <\/p>\n Next, I\u2019m going to share a few tips for posting blog, video and social media content. You can also use what you learned from your experiments and audit to inform your decision-making here.<\/p>\n I think how often you publish a blog post<\/a> will depend on various factors, such as:<\/p>\n Your goal For example, if your main goal is to boost organic traffic, I recommend posting optimized content as frequently as possible.<\/p>\n Consider educational content like how-to’s, listicles, and campaign round-ups to keep your blog posts fresh and consistent.<\/p>\n Running out of ideas? Check out 101 blog post ideas<\/a> for inspiration.<\/p>\n For organic traffic, I think:<\/p>\n Small blogs should post new content 3-4 times a week. If your goal is to raise brand awareness, you likely won\u2018t need to post as often as you would for organic traffic. That\u2019s because you need to focus more on building your brand\u2018s voice than on boosting numbers.<\/p>\n You\u2019ll also need to diversify your posts and provide more informative content to boost brand awareness.<\/p>\n Therefore, for brand awareness:<\/p>\n Small blogs should post new content once or twice a month. With so many social media platforms out there, how often you post<\/a> depends on the platform, how it works, and when your target audience is active there. But here\u2019s what I recommend as a jumping-off point:<\/p>\n Post multiple times a day, especially between 12 PM and 3 PM on Fridays and Saturdays.<\/p>\n Post multiple times a day from 12 PM to 3 PM or from 6 PM to 9 PM on Fridays and Saturdays.<\/p>\n Post multiple times per week from 3 PM to 6 PM on Mondays, Fridays, and Saturdays.<\/p>\n Post multiple times a day from 12 PM to 3 PM on Fridays and Saturdays.<\/p>\n Post multiple times a day between 6 PM and 9 PM on Fridays and Saturdays.<\/p>\n Post multiple times a day from 12 PM to 3 PM on Thursdays and Saturdays.<\/p>\n Video consumption<\/a> has risen over the years and is still going up. For instance:<\/p>\n 89% of consumers want to see more videos from brands in 2024, according to Wyzowl.<\/a><\/p>\n In 2023, companies hosting their videos on Wistia<\/a> saw video plays jump by 15% and total watch time soar by 44%. <\/p>\n According to Kyle Denhoff<\/a>, senior director of marketing and audience development at HubSpot:<\/p>\n \u201cThere are two changes in the market indicating a need for more video content.<\/p>\n First, the search landscape is being disrupted by AI. Second, we\u2019re seeing a shift to a video-first consumption of content for audiences.\u201d<\/p>\n In short, consumers are watching more and more videos, and marketers can use that to their advantage.<\/strong><\/p>\n How often you post videos will vary depending on the following factors:<\/p>\n The platform and how it works. Here are my tips for maximizing your video content output.<\/strong><\/p>\n Post content on:<\/p>\n Your blog. <\/strong>Every time you publish a new blog post<\/a>, find a way to incorporate a video. For example, your blog post can be repurposed into a video and published within the post itself or somewhere else on the blog. This way, your audience can choose to read the post, or watch it as a video, or both. <\/p>\n YouTube. <\/strong>Post videos three times a week, or daily, if you can. But if not, posting once a week is also a good starting point. <\/p>\n Other <\/strong>s<\/strong>ocial <\/strong>m<\/strong>edia <\/strong>p<\/strong>latform<\/strong>s. <\/strong>Consider videos as part of your social media content, and use the posting frequency discussed earlier for each platform. <\/p>\n Pro tip:<\/strong> If you need a quick way to maximize your video content output, try HubSpot\u2019s Clip Creator<\/a>, a free AI-powered tool that converts text to video.<\/p>\n
\n How to Determine Content Cadence<\/a>
\n How often do marketers publish content?<\/a>
\n How often should you post content?<\/a> <\/p>\nHow to Determine Content Cadence<\/strong><\/h2>\n
1. Know and understand your target audience.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
2. Identify relevant topics to write about.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\n Create content that provides solutions to their problems and challenges.
\n Give them the information they are searching for.
\n Answer their questions.
\n Provide tips and tricks that can help them succeed. <\/p>\n3. Determine the types of content to create.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
4. Choose the right platform.<\/h3>\n
5. Identify the right content frequency.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
6. Know the best times to post.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
7. Create a content calendar.<\/h3>\n
8. Experiment, audit, and tweak.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
How often do marketers publish content?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\n 33% publish content once a day.
\n Only 13% reported publishing content multiple times a day.
\n 10% said they publish weekly.
\n 6% said multiple times per month.
\n 4% said once a month or less. <\/p>\nHow often should you post content?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
How often should marketers post blog content?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\n Your target audience preferences
\n Your budget and resources
\n Your blog\u2019s age and size
\n Number of new and old posts on your blog <\/p>\n
\n Larger blogs should post new and updated content 4-5 times a week. <\/p>\n
\n Larger blogs should post new and updated content 3-4 times a week. <\/p>\nHow often should marketers post social media content?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Facebook<\/h4>\n
Instagram<\/h4>\n
LinkedIn<\/h4>\n
X (formerly Twitter)<\/h4>\n
TikTok<\/h4>\n
Pinterest<\/h4>\n
How often should marketers post video content?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\n Your target audience\u2019s appetite for video content.
\n Types of video content.
\n Length of the video. <\/p>\n