Experienced bloggers know and novice bloggers quickly learn that the fastest way to lose followers is to stop posting on your blog. Even a short absence that is unannounced can make your followers lose faith and move on. Make sure you handle your blogging absences properly so you do not lose all the momentum you have built up.
Planned Absences
Planned absences are easy to handle. You can announce on your blog when the absence will happen and you can even announce why. This will prepare your followers for the anticipated silence. You may want to consider recruiting a guest blogger if your absence will be for more than a few days.
Depending on the topic of your blog you can also consider pre-posting your blog entries. You can pre-date blog entries that will not appear on your blog until the date specified. Doing this will make it appear as if you are behind your computer screen blogging away when perhaps you are laying on the beach drinking a daiquiri.
Unplanned Absences
By their nature, unplanned absences will require you to think on the fly. You can set up your blog to allow you to blog via email. This will let you post to your blog no matter where you are. Even if you just want to post a quick message letting people know that you will be offline for a bit it is better than complete silence.
Canned Postings
If appropriate for your blog, you can have some pre-written, generic postings that you keep in your admin panel but do not post. You can then use those postings when you are out of town unexpectedly or unable to blog for any other reason.
It is a good idea to teach someone else your admin panel and let them know about any canned postings you have available. This is especially important for blogs that have a loyal following who may become concerned if they do not hear from you.
Typically you want to update your blog followers and social media followers anytime you will be silent for a period of time or have someone else update them in case you are unable to do it directly.
Silence on a blog can be costly. Make sure you plan in advance for potential or planned absences from blogging. Your pre-planning can help you sustain your followers and keep your momentum going in the right direction.