There comes a time in every blogger’s life when they must take a hiatus from blogging. Usually, it’s because we either have something going on in our personal lives or we needed to get something work related off our plate.
For example, I took a short hiatus from blogging in 2015 while I was in the middle of a rebrand. It just didn’t make sense to keep blogging if the entire site was getting torn apart anyway. Besides, there was so much work going on on the back end that the front end needed to take a breather.
I’m also going to be taking a short hiatus from blogging for a couple of weeks while I travel for a much needed vacation and a conference. I had to get a lot of client work done ahead of time, so something had to give because I couldn’t realistically get everything done.
The fear most people have is they’ll lose readers if they take a short hiatus from blogging. Here’s how to keep that from happening.
Keep your readers in the loop.
When I took my first hiatus in 2015, I kept my email list in the loop via email. I let them know what was going on and that I was taking a break to take care of some things.
I’m doing the same thing this time around, too. I let my readers know during a podcast episode and via email that I would be taking a short hiatus while I travel.
This lets people know what’s going on so they don’t think you just fell off the face of the earth.
Stay active on social media.
Even though I will be taking a short hiatus from blogging, I will still be very active on social media. I kind of hang out on social media anyway, so I just make sure to continue using it while on a blogging hiatus.
For example, I directed my blog readers and podcast listeners to follow me on Instagram so they could stay in the loop while I travel and check out what The Financial Blogger Conference is like while I’m there. This gives them some behind the scenes and keeps me top of mind even while I’m not actively blogging.
Here are some other ways to stay active on social media while you take a hiatus from blogging:
- Automate your content with something like Edgar.
- Use Pinterest. This will keep increasing your blog traffic regardless of whether you’re actively blogging or not. You can automate it with Tailwind and Boardbooster.
- Make sure your social media posts are directing people back to your blog.
Spotlight good content from the past.
If you have a lot of content already, you can spotlight older content while you take a hiatus from blogging. This brings some great content back to the surface and it also introduces newer readers to some content they may have missed.
For example, I’ll be sending an email to my list with links to all the Make Money Your Honey Podcast episodes I’ve recorded to date. This will keep them busy while I take a hiatus from blogging.
Final Thoughts
You can take a hiatus from blogging without losing readership so long as you keep them in the loop and give them options. This is far different from falling off the face of the earth. You can also stay top of mind by continuing to use social media and connect with readers there.
