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Remember last week when I talked about how I got started blogging and asked what you if you had any and I got a few comments and emails about scheduling, mostly about how in the world do I keep up with it all? So I thought today we would dive head first into the world of scheduling apps!!
When I started blogging many moons ago I didn’t know a thing about promoting blog posts across social media or about scheduling anything. I wrote and published all my blog posts in real-time and just checked my social media sporadically throughout the day. I vividly remember checking Twitter and wondering how so many bloggers had time to sit on their computers and post stuff all day long. Bless my poor little naive self. HA!
One day I finally got up the courage to ask one of my blogger friends and she introduced me to the world of scheduling apps. The first thing I learned was how to write and schedule a blog post to post in the future. It’s really easy to do, just make sure your WordPress/Blogger/SquareSpace is set to the correct timezone. Funny story- when I made the switch from Blogger to WordPress a few years ago my site was set on a completely different time zone and so when I would schedule my posts to go live at midnight they would really go live at 3pm. Sooooo frustrating!! Luckily that is an easy fix.
So when I sit down to write a blog post I go ahead and schedule all the social media pushes for it at the same time. There is literally a scheduler for everything!
For Twitter I like to use Hootsuite. It’s super simple to connect your Twitter account to and is very user-friendly. The hardest part is figuring out what time to schedule your blog posts for! I started out only scheduling two or three tweets a day about whatever post I published that day but after a few years of trial and error, seeing what times got the best interactions and clicks, I have determined that for my site it is best to tweet new posts 6 times a day. I usually post in the 7, 10, 12, 3, 5, and 8 o’clock hours. This schedule works for me and it’s easy to just write out some tweets, schedule them and forget about them. Some people may think it’s excessive to tweet that often but if you think about twitter, it’s a constantly scrolling system so tweeting once every 2-3 hours won’t seem repetitive to your followers.
Facebook is a completely different cookie. Facebook is weird and fickle and makes me want to pull my hair out most days but I do get pretty good interaction with it, especially lately! For Facebook scheduling I just use Facebook itself. I write out my post, attach my link and photos and schedule that bad boy for whatever day I need it to publish. For some reason Facebook does NOT like third-party apps. I used to schedule all my Facebook posts through Hootsuite too but they just weren’t getting seen so I switched it up and just use the Facebook scheduler now and it’s fantastic! If you want to learn more about increasing your Facebook Fan Page Engagement check out a post I wrote about it a few years ago! As far as how many times a day I post to Facebook? I try to publish new posts twice on the day they come out. I do one midmorning and one late at night. Again, these are times I have played with over the years and they are what work for me to see the best engagement from my audience.
Now on to Instagram. Personally I just post to Instagram in real-time but I have seen people talk about scheduling via Hootsuite, Buffer and Schedugram. If you use one and love it, let me know!!
Last, but not least Pinterest. Again, I don’t use a scheduler for Pinterest but I have heard people raving about Tailwind. Tailwind is actually a scheduling app for both Pinterest and Instagram but I have only heard people talk about the Pinterest part of it. I have actually been meaning to sign up for Tailwind for a long time, maybe today is the day I finally do it??
So that is it for scheduling apps!! They have literally saved me so much time and energy and I don’t feel like I have to be online all day, especially when I am busy at work or traveling. Scheduling apps have really freed up a lot of time so I can work on more creative things, like taking photos for my blog or napping. Because napping is important. HA!
Do you use a scheduling app??
Which scheduling app is your favorite??
I have heard mixed things about scheduling apps, so I don’t use them. I am around pretty much all the time, so I just share manually.
I need to start using scheduling apps again! They make things so much easier!
Great you broke it down for each social media and what you like to use. So many different apps out there and depending on how you blog might depend on what you want to use. Everyone has different opinions so be sure to find the one that works for you and your life.
Great article…I loved how you broke it down by the different social channels. I am going to have to check them out and test them for myself. Also I love this series,keep them coming
I do use Tailwind for Pinterest. Well, my VA uses Tailwind – lol. I’m with you, I post to my FB page in real time. They don’t play well with other scheduling apps. I have Buffer for Twitter, but I have to confess that I rarely use it. I need to up my game on Twitter. I only tweet once or twice a day.
I am a huge fan of Hootsuite. Hootsuite definitely helps out when I want to schedule things like archive posts and fun quotes for Twitter. I definitely want to start using more scheduling apps though!
I just started using Tailwind for Pinterest, and I do like it. I just need to use it more! I used to use Hootsuite more than I do now. I need to get back to that!
I love using scheduling apps. It makes my life as a blogger so much easier. I wish I had started using them sooner.
I love to use Hootsuite for my Twitter. Scheduling apps have helped make my life so much easier.
I am on hootsuite, but have been trying to decide if I want to bite the bullet and pay the membership fee for the next level. I still have to look into tailwind. I hear a lot of good things about it, but, I don’t get a lot of traffic on my blog from pinterest, so I’m not sure it’s worth it for me at this point.
I have been thinking about using scheduling apps for my social media posts. Good info.
These apps are pretty awesome, however I have not gotten myself to try any of them. I post to social media manually and have someone else to take care of completing my social media chores. I am hoping to give my Pinterest a good overhaul so I might just consider looking into Tailwind.
I love using buffer. It’s so worth the money. Scheduling apps are wonderful for bloggers.
These are all great tips for any blogger. I don’t know to much about the scheduled posts but I will be using this information when I start my blog. Thanks so much for sharing the information.
I have used Tailwind before and I like it. However, it’s kinda expensive to buy a plan. I heard good things about BoardBooster and it’s less expensive than Tailwind, but there’s so much work that needs to be done upfront to get everything set up.
Scheduling apps have been a lifesaver. I can’t tell you how much they have helped keep things clean and organized for me.
Like you I wondered the same thing and I would bust my tail trying to keep up. I was such a fool, I’ve learned the way and the secrets. They are a life saver.
I love Tailwind! I don’t schedule Twitter posts but I really should!! On Facebook, I use the scheduling tool that’s integrated into the app. Saves me so much time!