FAQ 11: is taking a social media break over the summer a good idea?
Borrow my approach to taking a summer break from social media
This post is part of series where I answer some of the questions I am most frequently asked about social media. To browse or read the rest of the series click here. If you’d like more tailored, personal support with your use of Instagram, as part of a supportive, encouraging community, then please consider becoming a member of TOO MUCH INSTAGRAM. This is my membership where I support writers with your use of Instagram to connect with your readers. I share exclusive content, we have a weekly content-focused chat, you’ll have access to advice from expert guest speakers as well as me, and be part of a community of writers all working towards the same goal of using Instagram to reach as many readers as they can.
Instagram is literally my business, and my bills aren’t going to pay themselves, so it might seem counter-intuitive for me to take a total break - which means I’m not even scheduling any content - for three weeks during August.
Fact is, I need a break. You need a break. We all need breaks from things, even when we enjoy them.
Risky? Possibly.
Am I feeling a little FOMO? Yes.
BUT
I know I will come back with better ideas, more motivation, and fresh energy if I take this break, but that’s not to say it’s the right thing to do for everyone.
Should you take a summer break too?
If you’re not sure if this is the right thing for you to do, then consider these questions:
Do you have anything time critical taking place in August, September (possibly even into the first half of October) e.g a book launch? If you do, this period is when you should be scaling your activity up, not back. Here are some ideas of how you might go about doing that:
The space vacated by all the people who are taking a break over the summer can play in your favour as although as people’s behaviours move away from posting their own posts they will continue scrolling and consuming content. You can take advantage of this and really build some momentum for your book launch, especially if you encourage people to save your content, or send it to themselves so they don’t forget to order your book when they get back from their holiday.
Would your book be described as a ‘summer read’? Traditionally these are light-hearted, fun books that offer their reader some escapism and entertainment. If this describes your book then, while it might be annoying to still be ‘working’ while everyone else sips cocktails and lounges around in the sun/ chases kids around the park and prepares endless meals and snacks, you might want to continue being active and visible on social media so you’re offering people what they’re looking for at this time of year.
Think about how you can clearly position your book as a summer read - what other books might you compare it too? How are people going to feel when they read your book? Where are you going to transport them to? How are you going to entertain them?
How much capacity do you have over the summer? I have two children who hate summer camps with a burning passion. I also live in South London where summer camps are insanely expensive. If my work circumstances were different they/ I might have to suck it up but I work for myself precisely so I can be flexible, so it seems like madness to pay hundreds of pounds for the pleasure of my kids being miserable. This means my work capacity over the summer more than halves and if your kids are younger than mine - who at 9 and 11 can at least make their own breakfast and manage their own morning routines while I bash away at my keyboard - you might find you have even less time. In this situation you have to be ruthless and bin any non-essential work tasks for the sake of your sanity. I have 1-2-1 clients who I must service, and I also need to ensure the TOO MUCH INSTAGRAM members are getting what they pay for - these are the two priorities I have set for my work throughout August. What will yours be?
How are you feeling about Instagram? If you’re feeling burnt out, resentful, drained, depleted or anything equally awful about showing up on social media, then TAKE A BREAK. Book marketing works best when you can have a bit of fun with it. Like
said recently:‘[book promotion] isn’t a scary challenge where you must seek as much attention as you can. This is a celebration of your ability to come up with ideas. And you love coming up with ideas, because that’s how you made the project you’re promoting!’
If you haven’t read the whole of her piece about promoting her most recent book, you really should:
How to take a break from social media
I realise suggesting there is a ‘correct’ way to take a break might sound a bit silly, and if you want to stop dead today go head and fill your boots, however, if you intend to keep using social media to promote your work, I would recommend putting a few safeguards in place before you go on your break:
Post an Out of Office. You don’t have to do this, but as my business is service-based I like to keep people in the loop about where I’ve gone, and when I’ll be back. You might want to do this in case prospective readers land on your account while you’re away and question whether your account is worth following if you’re not very active.
Set a return date. Put it in your diary. It might feel like over-kill now but trust me when I say this makes it much more likely you will come back, rather than letting time drag on and never quite taking the plunge until it becomes a massive thing that you feel crap about…! You might even set up a ‘BACK TO WORK’ dm group on your platform of choice - band together with some other writers who are in the same boat, agree a date, and egg each other on! Unit cohesion is a wonderfully motivator and you can also interact with each other’s posts so the threat of tumbleweed is mitigated.
Photo by Юра Коржик on Unsplash Make and schedule your first 3 posts back before your break begins. Future you will thank you! On Instagram I will be posting: a re-introduction to me and the work I do; a photo dump or reel of what I’ve been up to while on my break - obvs I can plan, but not make this before my break - I’ll be pairing this with a request from my audience to share what they’ve been doing; the third post will be something useful to my audience to remind them of the value they get from my account.
Mentally prepare yourself for the first few days back being a bit quiet. Sometimes, when you take an extended break, it can take your posts a few days to start showing up in people’s feeds as the algorithm relies on regular engagement to know who to show posts to. Just be ready for this so it doesn’t freak you out!
In the days before you start posting again, be active on the platform. This helps put you in front of your audience members when you post your first post back and gets the engagement-reach feedback loop working straight away.
📣 I’m going to be running a WAKE UP Instagram challenge from Mon 26th August - Sun 1st September to help you get back in the groove and ‘wake up*’ the algorithm to your return.
I’ll be hosting the FREE challenge in my Chat here on Substack where I will post a daily task designed to ‘announce*’ to your audience and to the algorithm* that you’re back.
*I’ll explain more about how this works during the challenge*.
To take part, make sure you’re subscribed here on Substack ✌🏼 More details to follow soon.
If you’d like more tailored, targeted support with your use of Instagram, as part of a supportive, encouraging community, then please consider becoming a member of TOO MUCH INSTAGRAM. This is my membership where I support writers with your use of Instagram to connect with your readers. I share exclusive content, we have a weekly content-focused chat, you’ll hear from expert guest speakers, and be part of a community of writers all working towards the same goal of reaching as many readers as they can.
Nicola, your post on taking a social media break is incredibly insightful and practical. I love your balanced approach, addressing both the need for a break and the potential risks. The questions to consider before taking a break are spot-on, and your tips for preparing and returning from a break are invaluable. We all need to pause and reflect, at times—great piece.
A break, a pause, a disconnect may create some new perspectives and stew up interesting ideas. I appreciate how you encourage to consider different elements that might influence the possibility of a break.