Halloween’s come and gone, but there’s a monster out there that content writers still have to fight off: writer’s block.
Two words that will give any content writer the heebie jeebies, writer’s block can be an unmerciful beast. It strikes often when you least expect, materializing as a looming creature, appearing as intimidating as your workload.
Whether you write content or not, surely, you’ve felt this at some point in your life. The blank page. The flickering cursor. The clock ticking away.
You wouldn’t think writing a blog post would be so difficult, but sometimes it is.
Sometimes it’s that side of us that longs to procrastinate, to find something else to keep our minds busy and prolong the inevitable.
The thing is, you have to do it. Whether it’s right now or eventually, it has to be done.
Sometimes it just takes a spark to come up with blog post ideas, like igniting a match in a dark room. Here are some ideas to shed some light and get you started in the right direction.
Tip 1: Create a List of Blog Ideas
This tip most likely won’t help you in the moment, but it will make things a lot easier for the future. If you come up with ideas, write them down and make a list. Sometimes an idea will come, and you’ll think yourself, “I’ll write that down later” – and then you get distracted and forget about it.
As soon as you think up an idea, write it down. That way, you’ll have a list of ideas handy when it comes time to write another blog post.
Coming up with ideas is a lot like exercising a muscle. It needs consistent action to make it grow stronger. Try to get into the habit of coming up with ideas every day.
Tip 2: Write About a Topic You Know
It’s always great to push the boundaries of what you are capable of. Writing about something trending in your industry can be a great idea.
The problem is, if you know nothing about the topic, it’s difficult to provide your commentary or your personality into it. A lot of times, you end up in endless research mode, especially if the topic is somewhat complicated.
To add on to this, if you are already struggling with writer’s block, sifting through endless content to try to come up with a topic may be the last thing you need.
Sometimes tried and true is the way to go, especially if it’ll help you write your content.
Tip 3: Figure Out What Questions Your Customers Have
What questions do your customers have? Do you get posts or messages to your Facebook page asking about a certain product or offering?
Talk to your sales team to see if there are any questions that are asked consistently, and produce content focusing on these subjects.
Tip 4: Check Out the Competition
If you’re not the leader in your industry, checking out what your competition is writing about is a good place to start if you’re having trouble coming up with ideas. Look at what content is performing well for them regarding social shares, comments, likes, etc. and then try to see how you can put your own unique spin on it.
Following influencers, leaders in your industry and daily news sites is an excellent way to come up with new blog ideas and writing inspiration.
Tip 5: Expand on Previous Ideas
Sometimes a good way to come up with a blog post idea is to expand or give an update on a blog you’ve written in the past.
This can also include repurposing popular past blog posts. Repurposing means taking an asset of one of your blogs and using it elsewhere. You could create a series of posts around a particular topic or idea.
Say, for example, you write fitness blogs and you created an article entitled “Top Ten Strength-Training Exercises You Can Do at Home.” If you wanted to repurpose the content, you could expand it by focusing on different muscle groups within the same topic, such as “Five Core Exercises You Can Do from Home,” etc. Taking a blog in a new direction is an easy way to come up with fresh, new content ideas.
Content Writing Can Feel Difficult at Times.
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