This post is Day 12 of the 28 Day Blogging Breakthrough Challenge. You can chat about the challenge on social media using the hashtag #BloggingBreakthrough. Click here to view all of the challenge prompts.

This online space has been running for over two years now. But I've actually enjoyed it and learnt the most about it during these past six months. This is my number one side project above all others, and it makes me so happy to create content for you and interact with you all each day.

Don’t get me wrong – it’s not easy. There have been plenty of tears and stress levels have been high. But it’s been more valuable and rewarding than I ever could have imagined. Now, I can't imagine my life without this blog. I know it won’t stay the same – it’ll grow as my life does, and I want it to always be there.

But there’s something I always wanted to try – daily blogging. When I first started out, I posted three times a week. Then for a while I went up to five posts a week. As of this year, I'm pushing myself to publish a blog post every single day.

Why? Well that’s exactly what this post is going to tell you.

On Day 12 of the #BloggingBreakthrough challenge, I want to talk to you about why you should definitely consider blogging consistently for a whole week. By the time you’ve finished reading this post, I think you’ll start to see the benefits.

The More You Create, the More Ideas You'll Have

One of the biggest problems we share as bloggers is running out of ideas. It’s a big fear and it usually strikes us all at some point. But actually, once you being to publish content more regularly, you’ll get more ideas than you realise.

You see, publishing on a daily basis pushes you to come up with more ideas. And once you start doing that, you become more used to it, meaning ideas are easier to find. Right now, all my content for January is planned because of this challenge. But I'm already racing ahead thinking about what I can create in February, March and even April! All due to a more regular posting schedule.

Plus, the more you publish content, the better you get to know your audience. I've seen a huge spike in interaction over the past two weeks and I know it’s partly down to blogging seven days a week. You’ll start to see what type of posts your readers enjoy the most – that will give you so many opportunities for new ideas.

It Teaches You What You Truly Want to Write About

Let’s be honest – you won’t want to publish content every day if you’re not interested or passionate about what you’re writing. If you’re doing something “just for the sake of it”, it makes you less likely to do it.

You don’t have to start doing sponsored posts just because lots of other people are – that’s not the only way you can make money on your blog! Just like you don’t have to start blogging about blogging because lots of other people are.

Sure, try new things out and see how they go. Then if you find you enjoy writing about them and your audience enjoys reading them, do them a bit more. But if you’re not feeling it, don’t do it. Stick to what you know, what you love and what you believe in.

You'll Be Pushed

Blogging pushes you anyway. But the more time and effort you put into it, the more you’ll be pushed. You’ll be pushed to prepare and be organised, which is why a brilliant to-do list and strong editorial calendar are vital tools you need. You’ll be pushed to come up with new ideas. And you’ll definitely be pushed out of your comfort zone.

I used to hate the sound of my own voice. Videos and presenting were two things I never would have seen myself doing. Now, I've done my first live workshop, got another one coming up, I'm addicted to Snapchat and I'm thinking about trying YouTube. All because of blogging!

Your Audience Relationships Will Grow

If you talk to someone on a daily basis, your relationship grows with them. I speak to a blogger on a daily basis now. Three months ago, I didn't even know she existed. It’s exactly the same with blogging.

Publishing content more regularly means you’re giving your audience more of a reason to come to your site. You’re giving them opportunities to check in with you and interact with you. What’s better – giving them this chance once a week or seven times a week?

I've talked before on ABOH about how your audience is one of the most important things. You've got to nurture your relationships with them. If you make an effort with them, you’ll benefit from the results.

It'll Increase Your Traffic

Before I get into this point I just want to clear something up – you do not have to post daily if you want to build a following and grow your traffic. This is not the only answer. There are so many other things you can do to grow your online presence and it’s worth trying out lots of different methods.

But, daily posting does increase your traffic. On the first day I started blogging in 2016, I saw a spike in my traffic and it’s not gone down since.

By publishing content every day you’re giving people a reason to visit your site. Plus, everything works together. If you’re publishing content more regularly, you’ll be on social media more, you’ll be interacting with your audience more, you’ll get more ideas – and you’ll continue to grow in all of those areas and many more.

Today’s Task

If you’re still not convinced, it’s at least worth considering publishing content for a whole week. I’m not asking you to change your schedule for good. But just try it for a week. You’ll never know unless you give it a go.

If you want to try this task out, that’s great! Here are a few steps to follow:

Mark a week in your diary when you want to give this a go.
Relate that back to your editorial calendar – it’s best to do it next month or the month after so you’ve got time to prepare.
Decide whether all your posts during this time are going to have a theme or be a seven-part series. You can relate this directly to what you blog about. It could be a week’s worth of healthy recipes, a week’s worth of beauty looks, or like this – a challenge.
Give yourself enough time in advance to prepare and write up the posts. This isn’t meant to be you staying up until 1am getting your next post ready. Plan so you really get chance to see the results.
Tell people about it. Tell people you’re trying it out. Then when you’ve done it, come back to this post and write up what you’ve learnt and whether it worked to share with your audience.

Daily blogging is hard. But actually, it seems totally worth it too.

Remember, if you’ve got any questions, reach out to me on Twitter at @abranchofholly or leave a comment. And if you take any pictures of your progress be sure to use the #BloggingBreakthrough hashtag!