How To Prepare For Taking A Blogging Break

How many times have you been disappointed by your favourite blog suddenly going cold? It’s a common phenomenon: one day the blogger is churning out posts like clockwork and then… nothing! Just as suddenly as the blog started, it stops without any explanation. This frustrates a lot of followers, with many swearing off the blog for good.

Recent statistics on blogs report that there are now more than 133+ million blogs floating around the Internet. Of all the blogs that get started, up to 80% are abandoned within the first month! Many have been intentionally left for dead, but it’s not impossible to imagine that there are other reasons behind the closing of some. Many bloggers don’t know how to do a proper comeback after taking a break. Some just took the easy way out and abandoned blogs even when they show some promise.

You don’t have to fall to this trap. Doing the necessary preparations before you go away will make returning to blogging easier and more seamless. Read on as we tackle some effective tips.

Schedule Blog Posts In Advance

Stack up your entries. Planned time away from blogging allows you to make entries in advance. A period of writing like a maniac before going on a break allows you – or the person you entrust the task to – to make your absence less obvious. Your blog gets updated and it doesn’t miss a beat. This will work without a hitch for breaks shorter than a couple of weeks. For a longer hiatus, you are better off going with other options discussed below.

Have Posts Ready For When You Get Back

Another way to get back in the groove quickly is to use entries written in advance upon your return. Just like any vacation, you need time to let the fact that it’s over sink in. Having posts ready to go will buy you some time and allow you to get your writing in gear. This is a great opportunity to make a great return post that sparks new interest for your blog.

Reinvent Yourself

Writers use chapters to mark the beginning and end of phases, so should you. Time away is a perfect opportunity to reinvent your blog. Think of a new format or possible change in direction. Also, a break is the perfect opportunity to come back bigger and better. Time spent away from blogging will replenish your creative juices and renew your passion for writing. Make sure you take advantage of this opportunity and improve upon what you have already started.

Tell People

Make it clear to your audience that you are taking a break. People lose interest and stop following a blog that ends abruptly and with no explanation. State your reason concisely and, if possible, give a time frame for your expected return. This way, people who follow your blog are informed and many will, in fact, look forward to your return. Those running pay sites need to leave instructions for credit card orders or suspend them outright. Leaving people guessing can be a potentially disastrous move.

Build Hype With Your Subscribers

Give them the option to subscribe. Either through a feed or by email newsletter, give your followers the option of being reminded of your return. You can take this a step further and create a buzz that reaches critical mass that coincides with your first post after you return from your break. Dropping hints as to what people can expect will do just that and do wonders in promoting and creating hype for your blog’s return.

Structure Your Break

Give yourself a deadline. Remember, you are only taking a break. By giving yourself a target date, you create a sense of structure that you can follow. Without a set time, a few days can turn into a couple of weeks, which can then turn into several months. And before you know it, your blog is dead.

Remember, whether due to a case of writer’s block or because of a planned vacation, there will come a time when a blogger has to take a step away from the keyboard. Make this time a productive one and create an opportunity for you to improve your blog. Just like television shows have seasons that allows them to come back with fresh material, a break may do you good.