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5 Ways to Beat Writer’s Block

Posted on February 6, 2012 by Aubrey Phelps in blog, Content Marketing 1 Comment

Content Marketing IdeasThe phrase “writer’s block” can arguably be the two most hated words for any blogger, website owner, or content strategist. It’s easy to understand why because it doesn’t take much for writers to start feeling worn out, bogged down, or completely out of ideas. However, creativity is never too far away if you know how to look for it. I have five suggestions that can help weary writers find new blog writing topics.

  1. Repurpose old posts. Even though you might feel like the biblical quote “there is nothing new under the sun” rings true, there is still plenty that you can do starting with things you have already written! Try going through your archived posts and look for opportunities for new content. Maybe a post has information that is outdated or your opinions on a topic have changed, which can make for an easy opportunity to write fresh content.
     

  2. Research your competition. Make sure you are staying up-to-date with your competitors and what they are talking about. Odds are you will find a lot of discussion about a topic and in turn, that discussion could easily be a post for your site.
     

  3. Create a guide, eBook or tutorial. If you feel like you have already covered a topic well enough, it is always a good idea to write a guide about that topic. A guide or eBook allows you to elaborate on your expertise and easily helps readers learn.
     

  4. Guest blogging. Encourage guest posters or even become a guest poster yourself. This will not only help build your site content, it will help build trust and bring in a whole new audience of readers to your site.
     

  5. Start a series or a list. Starting a list or a series helps give you a focus. It also helps engage readers by giving them something to look forward to.

There are countless other ways to help you with content writing ideas. Whatever your industry, make sure you are researching your competition, updating your content, keeping vital information easy to find on your site, and promoting your site to new audiences by guest blogging.


4 Bad Blog Writing Habits

Posted on January 6, 2012 by Taylor Donohoo in blog, Content Marketing 6 Comments

Some cynics say, “blogging is so 2004”—except it’s totally not. As new social media continually emerges additional discussions erupt debating the importance of blog writing. But while others insist blogging is broken and attempt to bury it alive, the rest of us smile inward at the accusation, grab a laptop, and start to write compelling content to solidify our online presence. Sure, it ain’t as easy as it used to be because there is a lot of competition. However, you can crush the competition by ensuring you avoid these bad blogging blunders.

1. Self absorption

This is a big one. Building a brand through blogging is less about you and more about them. A blog exists to give away information, to solve a problem, or to entertain the audience. When you write a blog, you have to focus on the reader and give them compelling reasons to stay. Once you have given all that you can give, give more. Because after you have given enough you can ask for something in return, and some people will actually respond. In essence, you need to give more than what you might be asking for. If you give something of value, a bigger fraction of the audience will take action.
Blog writing
2. Irrelevance

People are going to be interested in what they are interested in. That wasn’t a trick sentence. My point is: don’t try and sell a bag of only yellow Starbursts to everyone, even if those are your favorite. Target your content to those who are interested, and make it relevant and relatable to them.

3. Uselessness

As long as we’re talking about relevant content, remember to craft compelling content as well. I discussed some content marketing essentials here. But what I want to make sure you don’t commit is the crime of being boring. There’s always that guy at the office, the guy who gives an hour long lecture about why Star Trek devotees are Trekkies and not Trekkers despite the fact that you’ve been inching for the door. Avoid being that guy.

4. Impatience

You’re not going to gain an online presence and build the best audience known to the blogosphere fast. A lot of the frustration that comes with blog writing is the fact that it takes time, like most successful things. Plenty of blogs build slowly and then gain momentum. At the six-month mark, try asking:

  • Is my mom the only one interested in my topic? If so, choose something more interesting.
  • Am I trying to take more than I give?
  • Do I network with other bloggers? Do I support their work so they can support mine? It’s okay to have these ulterior motives–most bloggers do.



    • When it comes down to it, blog writing is an excellent and effective way to build a powerful online presence if you do it right. So how about you? What blogging blunders would you put on the list?