So, How Long Does It Take to Write a Blog Post?
Research has found that blog posts are most effective when they only take the reader around 7 minutes to read. These articles get the most engagement and the highest rates of performance.
If optimal blog posts take less than 10 minutes to read, how long could they really take to write?
The truth is, there’s a lot that goes into making those 7-10 minutes count. Putting together a great blog post is about more than just getting words down on a page. There is a lot of strategy going on behind the scenes to make sure that your blog is doing everything it can to make an impact on the reader in the short amount of time they will spend with it.
To get your brand’s message across and form a meaningful connection with the audience, you’ll need a great marketing team like us on your side.
Here’s how our process usually goes:
Brief development
Content research
Writing
Content review
Revision
Approval
Production
Web review
Client approval
You’re live!
Step 1: Brief Development
The first step in completing any task is gathering the materials you need to get it done right, and when it comes to blog writing, that means creating a brief. Putting together an informative brief can make or break the quality of your writing. Key information to include in a great brief includes:
Primary and secondary messages
A focused call to action
Desired tone
Word count
SEO-keywords
Blog subject
Headline
After getting to know the desired voice, message and goals of your brand, your marketing team will develop a brief for each article written for your company’s blog.
Time Estimate: 2 hours
Step 2: Content Research
The next step in the process of writing a blog article is content research. This includes all of the preliminary research that needs to be done before the writing even begins.
Effective content research starts with searching online for other blogs that have been written on the topic detailed in the brief. This helps your marketing team:
See what competition is out there
Determine what readers are looking for
Get inspired to create an article that stands out
Once your marketing team has come up with a unique take on the topic for your blog, they will gather the information they need to actually write it. This includes:
Interviews with subject experts for quotes and key info
Relevant statistics
Facts about the topic
Resources to support the post
Time Estimate: 2-3 hours
Step 3: Writing
Now it’s time to get down to the business of actually writing the blog post. You don’t want just anyone to write the articles that will be published on your brand’s website — you want a talented writer with a thorough understanding of your company.
Finding the right writer is half the battle with blog writing — but it’s one battle you won’t have to fight when Tigar Agency is on your team. The professional journalists at Tigar Agency are expertly equipped to write about a wide range of topics. We can handle finding the right writer for your blog and assigning the blog to them, complete with a well-developed brief.
Once the topic is in the writer’s hands, they will embody your brand’s voice and create captivating copy that clearly explains the designated topic and connects it to your company’s products, services or mission. Our writers will also add SEO-optimized features to the piece like lists, subsections with headings, keywords and hyperlinks to sources and your website.
Clearly-written, SEO-friendly content from Tigar Agency will help your blog posts rank well and reach your audience.
Time Estimate: 4-6 hours
Step 4: Content Review
Now, the post is written — but it’s not time to press publish just yet. Once the writer hands in their blog post, it needs to go through content review to ensure it’s as polished as possible before going live. An experienced senior editor will give the piece a once-over to screen for grammatical or factual errors or see if tweaks need to be made to the writing style, tone or focus of the piece. These changes are then forwarded back to the writer.
Time Estimate: 1-2 hours
Step 5: Revision
Now that the blog is back in the writer’s court, they can use the senior editor’s feedback to make the post even better than before. Revision is an opportunity to take a piece to the next level, whether that means rewriting the introduction to hook the reader or adding a few extra facts to boost the piece’s authority. All of the content produced by Tigar Agency includes one revision if necessary.
Time Estimate: 1-2 Hours
Step 6: Approval
Next up is approval. The revised piece is sent back to the senior editor to get a final once-over and the seal of approval. Once the senior editor has finished proofing the piece to make sure that all of the suggested changes were made, they will sign-off on the blog.
Time Estimate: 1 hour
Step 7: Add the Blog to the CMS
Even after writing, editing and approval is complete, there is still more to be done before the blog post gets published on your brand’s website. Working with the CMS, or content management system, is an especially important part of the behind the scenes work that goes into producing blog content.
The CMS is the part of a brand’s website where content is uploaded, stored, modified and eventually published. Once a blog post has been approved, it needs to be uploaded to the CMS and key features need to be added to get it ready for posting, including:
Links
Images
Labels
Meta Descriptions
Time Estimate: 1-2 hours
Step 8: Web Page Review
Successful content marketing is all about making sure the audience gets clear, functional content. That means that blog posts need to do exactly what they’re supposed to do. For example:
Images should show up
Links should work when clicked on
Headlines should divide the blog into clear subsections
Copy should be free of typos to provide an easy reading process
Web page review ensures that all of these goals are met. In this stage, the senior editor does a final overview of the content now that it’s in the CMS to confirm that all aspects of the blog are working as intended.
Time Estimate: 30 minutes
Step 9: Client Approval
The next part of the blog writing process is about making sure the brand is happy with the content that’s been written. The senior editor will share the blog post that’s docked in the CMS with your brand. This is your chance to review the content yourself to make sure that it fits with your company’s voice and messaging goals. It’s up to you to give the final okay before the piece is considered ready for publication.
Time Estimate: 30 minutes- 1 hour
Step 10: Publication
Now, there’s nothing left to do but officially publish the piece. That means that the blog will be available on your brand’s website, where new and existing customers will be able to read all about the designated topic and find out exciting new information about your company and its key messages.
Time estimate: A minute!
Build a Successful Content Marketing Strategy with Tigar
Successful content marketing is hugely beneficial to brands looking to grow their business and connect with customers, but it’s not always easy. Creating any kind of content involves a laundry list of steps, and blog writing is no exception.
So, how long exactly does it take to write a blog post? Putting together a single blog post takes a minimum of 15 hours on average, from coming up with the initial brief to actually hitting the publish button and making the piece go live.
This is a lot longer than the 7 minutes or so the visitors to your website will spend reading it, but that’s not a bad thing.
The fact that readers spend so little time reading a single blog post means that you only have a short amount of time to make an impression on them.
An editorial-first marketing company like Tigar Agency can help make that time count. We have expertise in creating blog posts that highlight your brand’s unique personality and purpose while also engaging your audience and encouraging them to act.
Contact us today to find out more about how we can help create a successful content marketing strategy for your brand!
