Prepare backup posts for any unexpected events
When I first started Blogging Tips I got into a very good habit of writing 4 or 5 posts in advance and saving them as drafts for future use. This was very useful at times as when I was busy or had something planned for the day I simply set one of the draft posts to publish.
Unfortunately, over time I have slowly relaxed into a routine where I write and publish the posts on the same day or the day before. This does have one advantage though, it allows your blog to be responsive to the latest news and trends. I believe most successful blogs on the net either report or respond to the latest news however it’s good to get into a habit of having some posts available for publishing incase something comes up and you don’t have time to write a post.
Learning the hard way
Today was a day I remembered how important it was to have some posts ready for publishing. I didn’t have too much planned today so my plan was to wake up, get breakfast, catch up on posts via my newsreader and then write a few posts. Unfortunately, I woke up this morning feeling really run down. I didn’t have the flu or the cold or anything like that, I just felt really lethargic and just wasn’t up to doing any work. In the afternoon I was feeling a little better but by this time my new portable laptop had arrived from the USA and inevitably the geeky kid inside me spent the next few hours playing with it. If only I had some posts prepared prehand!
Prepare backup posts for the unexpected
This time last year I was travelling around New Zealand for a month. I had prepared for it by writing 4 weeks worth of posts in advance (not something I want to do again!). One of the frustrating things about this was that 4 or 5 of the topics which my posts covered were then covered on other blogging advice blogs before my blog posts were published. Of course, if you write posts in advance and save them for publishing later there is always a risk of the post being covered elsewhere which is why your drafts should not be news related. Posts which will stand the test of time are more suitable. For example, if you run an Ice Hockey blog you could save a post about the top 5 players of the 90’s. This kind of post is as relevant today as it was last year.
Better safe than sorry
Preparing back up posts is not something that you need to do every week as once you have some posts backed up you simply need to replace them when they are published ie. if you decide to publish one of your saved posts simply use the time you saved to write another backup post.
Today I was caught out by not having any posts ready. From now on I am going to go back to the good habit of having some posts ready for any unexpected events 
Written by Kevin Muldoon from Blog Themes ClubPosted on May 20th, 2008 and filed under Blogging
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15 Responses to “Prepare backup posts for any unexpected events”
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I usually have a few posts that are still in drafts and not really finished just to fill in time in case I have too much work or have to go outstation. Just pre-set the date and time and you’re good to go
I write about 15 market reports the first week of each month but set them to post over the entire month. Then I can fill in around them as time allows but if something happens I always have a post going live once every other day. This came in handy the month I was sick. Every blogger should live by this tip.
Yeah buddy. That is what I do to just to be safe. “Better safe than sorry.” Back up your work just to be safe!
I think these are some great points, well made!
Time to write me a couple posts, because I’ve had this a couple times myself.
Good to point out the obvious, people tend to forget it.
Another instance when you really need to be sure to have some really choice posts on reserve is if you get a sudden rush of new visitors arriving at your door.
I recently had an article published on Problogger.net. The influx of new traffic that resulted from this was great, but it was also kind of a “gotcha” in that I didn’t have any backup content to roll out so that these new visitors would have ample fresh stuff to read.
The content I had already live on the blog was fairly new, but I typically only publish 1 – 3 new posts a week and I think I could have capitalized better on the little burst of first-time visitors if I’d had been able to publish more frequently during that surge of new traffic. Once I realized the opportunity that was passing me by, I scrambled around and got a coupla new posts out in the following days, but having some content to publish more immediately would’ve been more effective…
Same thing can happen if one of your blog posts gets “tipped” on a social site too. During the brief time that you’ve got a sudden influx of new visitors, you want to do anything you can to convert those folks into regular readers or subscribers. Increasing your publishing rate is the best way I know to do so.
And you need to make sure that the reserve articles you have for these kinds of instances are quality stuff, not fluff posts like memes or Top 10 lists or such – unless that’s the normal fare on your blog…
Yup, I also have some backup posts in case of an any unexpected emergency. Unfortunately, I learned that the hard way
Very important to have back-up plan like this. You can also write shorter posts too if you don’t have the luxury of time writing them. In this way you won’t be missed by readers.
Work From Home Business Blog
It is a must to have a back up in everything you do..that way you’ll be sure that you’re post won’t be gone easily..^^
This is actually what I do.
I agree with you completely, my “post arsenal” could last me months if need be. And while I don’t fall to my pre-written posts often so that I can keep up with the latest news, hot trends, and keep my love for writing/publishing instantly, having the backup has been key for me many times.
To take it a step further, I have even given myself a specific writing day. I just sit down, flip through my blogging journal (a notebook I keep of ideas) and start out on my quest to write and research.
The result is that I have more time to network, respond to comments, work, and keep up with other blogs. Great post, thanks for sharing your tips!
Yes plan ahead, I think keeping your blog or site updated is the most important aspect in achieveing success. Once you get visitors you need to keep them, I have used the idea before of doing a few articles in advance as a back up so if you are out of time for an update you can use one of these.
Good points! It sure is a good idea to have a few posts ready.
that is something, i should really do. the akku (battery ) of my laptop are dead and my laptop is shooting down every 10 minutes.