Forget Timing. Focus on Rhythm.
I often get the question:
“What is the right timing to post on social media?”
“When should I launch my next program?”
Here’s what I say in response:
What’s your rhythm, and are you following it?
Asking about “timing” means two possible things are going on:
- You have a fantasy that timing will either make or break your social media visibility or product launch.
- You are tempted to use “timing” as an excuse to delay, for fear of rejection or disappointment.
Your Fantasy re: the Timing of Social Media Postings
“If I post at the right time, the response could be huge.
If I don’t get the timing right, it’ll fall flat.”
This is a myth.
If something is valuable to your audience, you can post it at 3am in the morning and it’ll go viral within a few days.
If something is so-so, you can post it at the ideal social media time, and the response will still be flat!
If you don’t know this, it tells me one thing: you haven’t yet enough experience posting on social media.
It’s more about the quality of your post, not the timing. But please don’t use that as another reason to delay. (“Ok so I need to perfect my post, before I post it!”)
Do you realize that quantity leads to quality, so the faster you are willing to post/publish/launch, the sooner you will understand what your audience cares about, i.e. what “quality” means to them. You can’t do that by guessing. You’ll almost certainly be surprised.
It’s not that timing doesn’t make a difference. It does. But it is only an amplifier, not a savior of content.
Posting at 3am will still get you great response (within a few days) if the content is what the audience wants.
And if it’s getting above-average response, you can then post it again at a more ideal time. If you haven’t yet, read my post The 3 Stages of Content.
Your Fantasy re: The Timing of Launches
I have launched things during Christmas break, between Dec 26-Dec 31. It did pretty well, even though “everyone” was supposed to be on vacation.
I’ve also launched things during the supposed ideal times of January-March or Sept-Nov. And yet, some of those launches have fallen completely flat!
Once again, it comes back to the question: am I giving something the audience cares about?
How will I really know what the audience cares about?
Only by launching.
Yes, conversations with audience members will give you ideas and deepen your understanding of them. Surveys can also help.
But only by launching will you know whether or not they buy.
Therefore: launch quickly and often. This is why I launch something every month. No launch is that big of a deal. I give myself very little pressure, because I know I’ll have another chance the next month.
My definition of launch is simply “A concerted effort to announce a new product/service.” I do minimalistic launches: 2 emails, a Facebook event, and two Facebook ads.
If you launch only once a year or quarter, then there’s a lot more pressure for each launch. You’re only giving yourself 1 chance, or 4 chances, per year.
I give myself 12.
This brings us to the important topic of Rhythm.
Your Rhythm of Content & Offerings is the Heartbeat of Your Business.
Imagine if your heart says:
“I’ll just beat when I feel inspired / when I feel ready.”
“I’ll beat really fast for 30 days of a video challenge, and then exhausted, I’ll be resting for months.”
You hope your heart doesn’t say that! Instead, you want a consistent, gentle heartbeat.
Same thing with your rhythm of content and offerings: consistent and gentle.
Lots of real learning from low-pressure action, and consistent audience growth as a result.
Beware of the thoughts “I’ll do it when I feel inspired / when I feel ready” because like a heart, this kind of thought virus will lead to the death of your business.
Instead:
Just do it, then you’ll feel more ready to do it.
Take action, and then you’ll feel inspired.
For the life & growth of your business, rhythm is the most important thing.
Recommended Next:
- The 3 Stages of Content
- Quantity Leads to Quality
- Most importantly, go and tend to your rhythm ❦
