To get noticed in a world overwhelmed by a million blogs, many gurus will tell you that you need to put as much content out. Who shouts the loudest wins.

I’ll be the first to confess that I fell for that line of thinking. Once upon a time, I created the fast food equivalent of blog posts, hoping that I’ll get noticed.

But it didn’t gel with my desire to slow down, simplify and be more mindful about my life.

In 2006, Todd Sielig wrote the Slow Blog Manifesto, where he defined it as a “rejection of immediacy”.

This particular point in his manifesto resonates with me the most:

Slow Blogging is a response to and a rejection of Pagerank. Pagerank, the ugly-beautiful monster that sits behind the many folded curtains of Google, deciding the question of authority and relevance to your searches. Blog early, blog often, and Google will reward you. Condition your creative self to the secret frequency, and find yourself adored by Google; you will appear where everybody looks – in the first few pages of results. Follow your own pace and find your works never found; refuse Pagerank its favours and your work is pulled as if by riptide into the deep waters of undifferentiated results. Its twisted idea of the common good has made Pagerank a terrifying enemy of the commons, setting a pace that forbids the reflection that is necessary to move past the day to day and into legacy.

I’m a content strategist/marketer in my day job, so I’m often tempted to give in to my training when it comes to this blog. But because I know how to make my page rank doesn’t mean that I should. My personal space/website is where I can be myself, and that may mean blogging at my own pace and being okay with not doing “all the things” and being a nicheless blogger.

Slow blogging is a panacea for the hurried, harried soul. It is a resistance movement against the cult of hustle. And I really believe slow blogging will benefit you, the blogger, in the long run.

What is slow blogging?

It is to slow down when the world is screaming at you to do more.

It is to write posts when you feel like you need to instead of producing a deluge of posts for the SEO gods that scream “Look at me”!

It is to not constantly check your analytics and feeling down when it doesn’t meet your expectations.

It is to take a break and a holiday from the blog and not feel guilty about it

It is to treat every post like a work of art, not a widget to throw at the Internet masses in the hopes that it’ll hit traffic gold.

It’s about honouring your inner creative. It’s about writing for people instead of SEO.

It’s to spend as much time as possible on research so that you can produce posts that you will be glad to show the world.

The many benefits of slow blogging

In a world where we’re told to hurry up and to get results fast, slow blogging seems to have no place. Yet, there are many benefits to blogging slow.

1. It prevents blog burnout

It’s tough to come up with topics to write about daily. It’s nearly impossible when you have to juggle your family, day job and other creative projects. A slow blog gives you room to breathe. Also, your blog will lasts longer as you won’t burn out as fast. You won’t run out of topics as quickly, you’ll have fun and you’ll love it more.

2. It gives you space to create other things

As much as I love blogging, I just don’t have the time to create volume. There’s real life, for one. But most of all, I have novels and short stories to write, and I’d like to give those my time too. While blogging is a creative outlet for many, for some, it’s just one of many.

3. It gives readers a chance to absorb your posts

People are busy. They have other blogs to read, emails to answer and books to devour. If you inundate them with posts that has the nutritional value of sugar candy, they may end up walking away.

4. It leaves readers hungering for more

One of my favourite bloggers, Anne R Allen, is a lover of slow blogging. She blogs only once a week, but the posts are of such high quality and so informative that I look forward to them every week. Likewise with Nat Eliason, who rails against infomania and rails against useless content.

Aim for writing new things that haven’t been talked about. Or, choose common topics that haven’t been covered effectively and write the best content out there on them. – Nat Eliason

When you take time to craft high quality posts and space them out, readers will look forward to them each time. And as Elle & Co discovered, limiting your posts may just increase the demand for them.

5. It gives you time to reach out and connect

“You reach more people by commenting on other people’s blogs than by madly posting on a blog nobody reads,” said Anne R Allen.
 
It makes sense. After all, it takes time to build SEO and Google ranking. And when nobody knows you, it’s useless to shout in a void. Best to go out there and make Internet friends.

6. It is good for your well-being

If your day job happens to be writing and creating content for a business, having the same pressure greet you during your “me time” is not good for psyche. I wrote once how it ceased to be fun when I tried to do all the things. Slow blogging gives me permission to ease up on the pedal, to savour the world around me and to write at my own pace.

How to practise slow blogging

1. Evaluate the usefulness of your content

A quick google search states that in 2019, around 4 million blog posts were published every day. “Content shock”, “content blindness” are terms many content marketers fret over these days. Will there come a day when content marketing will cease to be effective? (Personally, I think so. Do you notice how difficult it is to find quality, authentic content these days?)

As a minimalist at heart, I’m always conscious about whether I’m adding to the clutter, noise and overwhelm in the content landscape. Now, before writing a post, I ask myself: Does the Internet need another article on [topic]? Do I have anything unique to say about it?
I will only write about it I have something unique to say – even if the search volume for the keyword is low or non-existent. I’m moving away from how’ tos and listicles and now writing more long, thoughtful posts where I tell stories, and I couldn’t be happier.

2. Write something you’re passionate about

I’ve come across many bloggers who moan, “please, don’t write another article about [topic]”. While this recommendation may seem to contradict point (1), if you feel passionate about a certain topic and feel like writing about it, go ahead!
Your passion will show through your words and that is the unique sauce that you’ll contribute to the discussion out there. The key is to not write content for content’s sakes, or because your schedule says that you must have a post up every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Every post you write should be intentional and something you’re proud and happy to who the world.

3. Move certain conversations elsewhere

When blogging began in the late 1990s, they were more like online journals. While there are people who still blog to express themselves, blogs are now more like encyclopaedias – they are there to provide information and resources to help people solve problems.

The private ponderings of yore have moved to another medium – social media. So, perhaps your musings about your cat’s toe beans would be better on Instagram or Facebook. I’ve also seen some bloggers redeem email marketing by sharing more personal and intimate content via email newsletters. Rather than dread the inevitable sales pitch after signing up to their newsletters, they make me look forward to their emails because it’s like receiving an email from a friend.

4. Don’t be tyrannical about the editorial schedule

Consistency is key in blogging, so says the popular advice. While that may be true, don’t let that rule your life. While I try to post every Friday or Saturday, I will not force myself to produce a post if i have nothing to say or if the research is not complete. Yes, I spend more time chewing than churning these days and it’s lovely.

5. Don’t be afraid to take blog “holidays”

Since I began blogging in 2000, I would regularly take a 1-2 month blog hiatus each year. There would be a smidgen of worry that my stats would tank when I do so, and they often do – but I’ve accepted that my wellbeing is more important than my stats, and it’s okay.

More on slow blogging:

• The Slow Blog Manifesto…and 8 Reasons Why Slow Blogging Will Help Your Career, Your Love Life, and Protect You
• Slow blogging in a hurried world
• Slow blogging for creatives
• Blogging at a snail pace

How about you? Would you dare to blog slowly?