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Bloggers Need Breaks Too: Top Tips To Navigating Time Off Without Losing Followers
As a blogger, your business fundamentally relies on you. You can certainly expand from a one-person enterprise into a fully-fledged team as your following grows, but the fact remains that your audience came to see you, and they’ll probably be disappointed if you’re no longer around.
After all, blogging is all about personality. Your followers probably aren’t here because they love your merch. Rather, they care about what you have to say, and they love the way you say it. This level of loyalty is what makes blogging so rewarding, but it also piles on a fair amount of pressure. And that can quickly lead to blogging burnout.
This phenomenon is a real and pressing problem in the industry, and that’s not altogether surprising. As a blogger, you likely source content from everything you do in your life, meaning that, even when you’re ‘off the clock’, you aren’t technically getting a break.
Eventually, you might reach the stage where you simply need a week or two to relax. The question is, how can you take that time off without losing your hard-won following? Keep on reading to find out.
Turn Travels Into Content
Bloggers are as deserving of overseas travel as anybody else. Unfortunately, if you spend extended periods out of the country, you’re also at risk of falling very quickly out of favor. One way around this problem is to find ways to turn your travels into content.
Admittedly, for the sake of actually getting a break, it’s best not to think too hard about this. However, simple steps like taking a small travel journal along with you on your trip to locations like London could still help prove fruitful in the long run. This won’t stop you from being able to book luggage storage Gatwick Airport and get stuck straight into a trip to remember, but it will mean that you have a go-to reference for creating plenty of travel posts about destinations like London Tower when you get home.
Or, perhaps you’re keen to stop thinking about content altogether. That’s fair enough and is an issue you could get around by simply uploading your holiday snaps on your socials. This keeps you fresh in your follower’s minds, without necessarily requiring attention when you’re supposed to be kicking back.
Be upfront
Bloggers build their businesses based on trust, and the more reliably you post, the better following you’ll be able to build. Your followers will then come to expect your posts on certain days of the week, meaning you should never take a break without explanation.
This is a sure way to leave your readers feeling out of the loop, and that’s the main reason why they might stop heading to your blog. To avoid that problem, it pays to simply be upfront about any blogging breaks you intend to take.
Of course, it’s your life, and your followers aren’t expecting to know every detail. However, it’s blogging etiquette to upload a short post, or send a short newsletter email, explaining when you’re taking a break and how long readers can expect to wait for your next upload.
Admittedly, this isn’t guaranteed to save you from a few lost followers, but it does mean that the majority of your audience will be more likely to wait around. A loyal audience may also send plenty of supportive messages, which will buy the peace of mind you need to really switch off.
Pre-Write Your Posts
You could have the most supportive blog following in the world, and it wouldn’t negate the fact that even short periods offline can stop the algorithm from showing your posts. This could see your followers simply overlooking the fact that they haven’t heard from you, which is one of the worst fates a blogger can imagine.
One way around this is to pre-write posts that you can then either automate to go up on your regular upload days or entrust to the handling of your team. The latter point is particularly beneficial, as it ensures real-time replies, which your audience is sure to appreciate if you’re honest about the fact they won’t come from you. However, automating uploads also has its benefits, ensuring reliable posting that you won’t need to think twice about.
The one downside to this option is the fact that pre-writing before you go away could double your workload in the weeks leading up to your trip. This may not be a problem with the promise of time off on the horizon but, if you’re already burnt out, there’s a risk that the additional workload could worsen the problem.
Choose Relevant Guest Bloggers
Guest bloggers are a blessing in the blogging world. On the one hand, representing other respected bloggers on your site can grow your following. Guest bloggers can also take some of the load off your shoulders by creating content for you while you’re away.
To make the most of this option, spend the weeks leading up to your time off reaching out to the best, and most relevant bloggers in your network. Bear in mind that you will need to pay a fee to secure the best bloggers in the business, but there are a multitude of benefits to doing so.
Securing posts from the best-respected bloggers in your industry can be particularly effective for growing, rather than shrinking, your following overall. Equally, ‘blog takeovers’ of this nature can see that guests share posts and reply to post comments so that you never have to sign on when you’re supposed to be relaxing.
Have a Plan for Your Return
Planning for your return is another great way to ensure your break doesn’t cost your blogging business in any significant way.
The main thing to remember here is that the algorithms will be against you if you haven’t been around for a while. If your return is quiet, it’s possible your followers simply won’t notice you’re back. That’s why it’s also worth reevaluating during your time away, and putting a plan in place to come back with a bang that’s more likely to result in blog growth.
This is an especially great time to launch something like a new series with a sharable hashtag that’s guaranteed to boost visibility. You could also hint at this new release before your break so that followers have a reason to keep checking in with you.
Alternatively, you could once again reach out to your network and pitch a few guest posts of your own. By driving new audience interest from other avenues, this could boost your algorithm standing and make your posts visible to your existing audience once again.
It’s also important to note that you should be back at full capacity as soon as you return. Whether you’ve pre-written content for your time away or not, having a few posts at least planned before you leave means you’ll be in the best position to jump in again and start posting the quality content that’s made your name.
Conclusion
It’s not always easy to carve out time for a break as a blogger, but this is a step that you’ll want to take to ensure a sustainable, enjoyable career in this industry. Whether you’re feeling the threat of blogger burnout right now, or are wondering how to plan for future vacations, let this article be your encouragement to book that time off and retain your following regardless using these tips!
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