How to Take Time Off From Your Blog (Without Losing Readers)
Ah, summer! The perfect time to get outside, relax, and take a break!
Do you have any fun trips or vacations planned? A family road trip, maybe? A trip to BlogPaws, perhaps?
Wherever summer takes you, you might not want to take your blog along for the ride. And, frankly, everyone needs a break now and again. Even if you don’t have a vacation or conference scheduled for this year, a break from blogging can help you clear your head, refresh, and recharge!
The trick with blogging, though, is that our blogs and our readership thrive on fresh, new content. So, how do you keep that content coming when you need to take time off?
Here are three ways to take time off from your blog without losing readers:
Schedule ahead.
Obvious, yes, but often overlooked! Almost all platforms, even social networks, allow for advanced scheduling. Your readers don’t even have to know you went on vacation to enjoy your time away. Build a few extra minutes of content creation into your calendar for the month or so leading up to your trip to write fresh posts and schedule social shares for those posts. This method works especially well if you share your content regularly on social media; you aren’t broadcasting to the world that you’re out of town and your home is empty. (You’ve seen those stories, right? They’re rare, but if you can err on the side of safety…)
Invite guest bloggers.
Invite friends or experts to cover your content needs for that time you’re away. You can harness the power of tip #1 and collect guest posts and schedule them in advance, or–if it’s someone you know super well–create an account that gives them access to write only and allow them to takeover. I’ve always thought it would be fun to “trade spaces” with another blogger for a week to enliven both sites with a fresh perspective; maybe offer your services in exchange for when your guest poster is heading out on her next vacation!
Post a BRB.
The simplest–and possibly most relaxing–way to take time off from your blog is to post up a BRB message. It can say anything, not necessarily that you’re out of town. Consider a fun image like an old fashioned “Gone Fishin’” sign, or whatever fits your brand. The same goes for social channels, too, especially if you field a lot of messages and comments. A quick graphic that indicates you’re taking a much-needed R&R or digital day off and that you’ll reply as soon as you’re back online is sufficient.
Once that’s done, all that’s left is to unplug, unwind, and enjoy your time away! (But keep that notebook handy… the best post ideas always seem to come when you’re not thinking about your blog!)
How do you take time away from your blog? Have you ever taken a blog vacation? What worked (or what didn’t)?
Maggie Marton serves as the BlogPaws senior editor. When not hiking with her two pit mixes, Emmett and Cooper, or playing with Newt the Cat, Maggie writes about them (and the pet industry) at ohmydogblog.com and maggiemarton.com.
Images: Caleb Maclot/Shutterstock.com and everst/Shutterstock.com
