10 tips to hit the ground running after a blogging break

Posted by Ben on April 08, 2009 | Permalink | Hits: 915 

< 10 reasons to keep writing during quiet periods | Overcoming blogger's block | 10 tips to follow before taking a blogging break >

Image by Nick Chill.

So, I'm back. Well and truly ready to roll with a shiny new design, Injader instead of WordPress, and one post a week instead of three.

It would be silly if I acted as if I'd never been away, or wrote a few below par posts just to maintain a presence. Returning from a break is an excellent opportunity to show that you're back and you mean business. Here are some tips so you too can hit the ground running when returning from a blogging break.

1. Make your first post AWESOME.

You really, really need to make a big impact on your return. So, find a topic that you haven't written about before, or revisit an earlier post with a new angle. And make it GOOD. Anything that will help your readers tune into the joy that is your blog. And if your blog sucks, maybe it's time to change that!

2. Treat it as a relaunch.

OK, so the more things you change, the more can go wrong - but don't let that stop you. Sometimes, you've got to take risks and not play it safe. It's a good time to revisit your layout, the stuff in your sidebar, and consider making some larger changes to improve the site. Top Ten Blog Tips was due for a change - and boy did it get one!

3. Set a date, and announce it.

Strictly speaking, I didn't set a specific date, but I did hype up the relaunch with a few comments on Twitter. I said I'd be back sometime this week, and I stuck to it. Don't set a date you can't keep - be realistic, and stick to your date. Why not make an event of it?

4. Plan plenty of content well in advance.

Just before I went on my break, I had a lot of ideas with 3 or 4 tips and I just couldn't get them finished. I've reallocated some of those posts to my other blogs, so they won't be lost forever, and I've been planning several new posts that I'll publish in the next few weeks. Next week, I'll be looking at some of the reasons why I moved to Injader and why I'd like to see some other bloggers doing the same.

5. Look at why you took a break.

Writing 60+ blog posts is no small task. It was the right time for me to stop, catch my breath, work on some other things, then come back with a new lease of (blogging) life. If I had kept going, I might have published some really bad posts, and I might have stopped blogging altogether. Don't let it get to that stage!

6. Review your posting frequency.

Blogging every day is hard - I used to do it at benbarden.com. At Top Ten Blog Tips, I chose to blog three times a week. However, even this posting frequency was hard to sustain after 6 months of solid posting. So, I've dropped to one post a week to avoid taking a longer break from blogging - it frees me up to work on other things, such as Injader and CMF Ads. And a few other projects...

7. Release a new design.

I already mentioned changing your layout, but you can use a relaunch to completely rebrand your site. This is a great idea if there are elements of your existing design that you'd like to work on. Make your design recognisable, memorable, and striking. Make it slick. Make it great!

8. Get other bloggers to help create some buzz.

No blogger should stand alone. If we're going to build our blogs into larger communities, we need to network with other bloggers. So if you really want to hit the ground running when you relaunch - get other bloggers to help by sharing the link. You can help me by passing the link around on Twitter.

9. Stay positive.

Getting back into blogging should not be like returning to work after a break. Be glad you're returning to your blog! Be happy to see your readers. Be excited to publish new content and get people talking about what you have to say.

10. Engage your reader community.

A blog is much more interesting if the posts receive a healthy number of comments. Ask questions and get people adding their views!

Those are my tips - how else would you hit the ground running after a blogging break?

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Comments on 10 tips to hit the ground running after a blogging break

3

Ben | April 09, 2009 | 207 comments

Thanks for the positive feedback! :)

5

Ben | April 16, 2009 | 207 comments

Thanks Kat, it's good to be back. :)