Archive for writer’s block

Blog Marketing – 7 Tips to Overcome Writer’s Block

by Andrea J. Stenberg
November 2nd, 2012

Solutions for Writer's Block when bloggingBlogging and article writing are wonderful marketing tools, particularly for people who are selling their expertise and not a product. It’s a great way to showcase your knowledge.

They are also fabulous for SEO (search engine optimization). If you’re blogging regularly, you have new content for Google to index. By automating sharing your posts with your social media profiles, you can really expand your reach. And if you’re content is great, other people will help spread the word by sharing what you write.

But what happens when the well runs dry? What do you do when you run out of ideas?

I know that was the one idea that held me back from blogging initially. And I’m a writer! So I can easily understand why you worry about the dreaded writer’s block. That’s what this post is for –

FAQs

Doesn’t matter what your business, you have certain questions that you answer over and over again. Whether it’s from a new client, a prospect or someone you meet at a networking event, people want to know certain things about what you do and how you do it.

Each of those “frequently asked questions” can and should become a blog post. If you write the answers well, and perhaps include them in an FAQ section on your website, you may find prospects have fewer questions when they talk to you.

Write a “How to” Article

Just like this article, having a post called “X ways to do Y” almost writes itself. And people love “how-to” articles. They’re quick to read and often useful.

Read other Blogs

No, I don’t mean plagiarize them. But by reading other blogs in your industry, you will get ideas.

Sometimes you might strongly disagree with the writer. Or you might agree with them but want to go deeper into the topic. In that case, refer to the original article with a link, and then write your own thoughts. It will add interest and authority to your own blog – people will see you’re not just making it all up. Additionally, you may get traffic from the original blog. If they like what they wrote, they may share a link to your article.

I use Google Reader to subscribe to blogs. Then I use the Feedly plugin for my web browers to peruse the blogs I subscribe to. I use Feedly because it makes things look “pretty” so it’s more fun reading article using it.

Share Resources

Are there tools you use that your audience might find useful? For example, I have written a number of articles about various tools for automating posts to social media or plugins for a WordPress blog. You could create a list of your favourite blogs or podcasts from your industry. Include the name of the resource, a paragraph about why you like this resource and where your readers can get the resource.

Book Reviews

Do you have a stack of books related to your field sitting in your office? Read one of them and write a review of the book.

Ask What Your Readers Want

Post to Facebook or LinkedIn, asking what people want to know about your industry. You may get enough topics to keep you going for months.

Get Personal

Sometimes things going on in your own life will resonate with your readers. Are you getting married, expecting a child, going to a graduation or winning an award. Share it. It allows your reader to get to know you as a person, not just the business.

Bonus Tip

Post a white board next to your desk or keep a notepad on it. Get in the habit of recording your blog post ideas on it. At first you won’t have many ideas on the board, but when you get used to writing them down as they occur, you’ll find you’ll never run out of ideas again.

Do you blog as a marketing tool? Leave a comment and share a link to your blog or share one of your tips for keeping the ideas coming.

Categories Blogging, Information Marketing, Marketing Basics, social media
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Five Ways to Deal With Writer’s Block For Your Blog or Newsletter

by Andrea J. Stenberg
July 9th, 2008

Some days I sit down to my computer and the words just flow. I know exactly what I want to say and my fingers can barely keep up with my ideas. Other days … nothing. There is nothing in my head; I can’t think of a thing to say.Writer's block can be frustrating

Having written a blog almost daily for ten months now, I’ve learned some tricks to help me through. Here they are:

1. Whenever you leave a detailed comment on someone’s blog, reply to a question on LinkedIn or answer and email question, save what you’ve written in a Word document.

If you are giving information, clarifying a point or offering an opinion, this can usually be expanded into a longer article. Keep all these comments in an easily located place. You might even save all the comments in one file if you wish, deleting them as you use them.

2. On days when you’re feeling creative, brainstorm some topics to write on future dates. I write them on a file card posted to my bulletin board next to my desk and I keep a notebook in my purse for when ideas strike when I’m not at home.

3. When you read someone else’s newsletter or blog and you feel they’ve missed something or you disagree, save the article or the link. At a later date you can write your additions or rebuttal. An added bonus to this method, the writer of the original article may choose to leave a comment or create a link to your post.

4. Stick post-it notes on pages in books where there is an interesting quote or new piece of information (you are always reading books in your industry, right?). Refer to the quote and offer your opinion about what the author has to say.

5. Pick a common problem your readers have and create a list article about how to solve it (guess what kind of day I’m having). Not only is this an easy article to write, list articles are often the most read blog posts – particularly if there are enough keywords in the title.

Andrea J. Stenberg

Categories Business Basics
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Having Trouble Creating Content For Your Blog or Newsletter? Change the scenery

by Andrea J. Stenberg
May 30th, 2008

Yesterday morning I was sitting in my home office after getting my son off to the bus. My cat, Nemo, was rolling around in front of the computer while I checked my email (he likes a morning cuddle before he gets down to some serious napping for the day).

I read my email, read some blogs, played a game of solitaire Hearts. Generally, I was wasting time. I had lots of writing to do – a blog post, a new e-book, and my ezine. But I just couldn’t get started.

In an unusual move for me, I packed up my trusty laptop, grabbed a notebook and headed off to my favorite coffee shop. Other than the distraction of Nemo, my home office is wonderfully suited for work. I have a full-sized keyboard and mouse for my laptop, high speed internet access, every business book I could possibly need. It is quiet, well-lit with natural light and the beverages are free.

The coffee shop, on the other hand, is not. It’s a busy place, with lots of caffeine junkies coming in to get their morning fix. There’s tons of seating for people to catch up on gossip or to have meetings. There is a steady stream of interesting people walking by the floor to ceiling windows. Funky jazz is playing on the speakers. And the beverages are decidedly NOT free. It’s a very busy place.

I walked to the shop – a leisurely 20 minute stroll in the sunshine – ordered my coffee and muffin and set up my laptop. Words started pouring out of me. Great stuff – if I do say so myself – and quick. Work that would normally sweat out of me in about two hours took 30 minutes. Ideas flowed. It was great. It was magic. Why had I never done this before?

So, the next time you’re stuck, try packing up your laptop and finding a change of scenery. What have you got to lose? You’re not getting anything done anyway. Maybe the new locale will be just what you brain needs to jumpstart your creativity.

Andrea J. Stenberg

When you have these lack of motivation moments, what gets you out of your funk? Leave a comment and share what works for you.

Categories Information Marketing, Marketing Basics
Comments (3)

Ten Ways To Get Ideas For Your Blog or Newsletter

by Andrea J. Stenberg
April 17th, 2008

As a writer I write daily blog posts, weekly newsletters plus comments on other blogs and social networking sites. And that’s just for my own business. Never mind the writing I dowriters-block-2.jpg for clients – newsletters, websites, articles and more.

With all this writing I need to do in any given week, it’s not surprising that occasionally, even as a professional writer, I get writers’ block. I sit down and don’t know what to write.

But because I’m a professional writer, I don’t have the luxury of letting writer’s block stop me. I don’t have any other tasks to do for my business – until someone figures out a way to make a living from Solitaire.

So today I’m going to share some tricks of the trade; things I – and other writers – do to keep the ideas flowing.

1. Use Questions From Customers

Keep track of questions you get from clients and prospects about your industry. If one person is asking you, odds are there are many more who are wondering the same thing. Write an article answering the question.

2. Read other blogs and newsletters in your industry

No, you don’t want to copy what they write – that’s plagiarism. But you can summarize another article – with a link to the original. Even better, you can add your own perspective on the subject.

3. Read books and magazines in your industry

An interesting fact my spark your interest and you can start an article with it. Or you can write a review of the book, letting readers know if it’s worth their time.

4. Use a quotation

I have a copy of Forbes Book of Business Quotations. I browse through it for a quotation that grabs my attention. Then I write about what that quote means to me and how it relates to my readers.

5. Use LinkedIn Answers

LinkedIn Answers is a great way to get ideas for articles. You can see what other people are asking and use those subjects as topics. Or you can plan ahead and ask a question of your own and use the responses you get in your article.

6. Interview an expert

Interview an expert in your industry and then write about it. If you’re lucky, you’ll get several article ideas from one interview.

7. Use current events

Look at current events and try to connect your industry to them. For example, a public relations expert could use the protests over the Olympic Torch Relay to talk about how to manage negative publicity. A business coach could use the Ottawa Senators failure in the playoffs to lead into a talk about team building.

8. Use Google Alerts

Set up Google Alerts for important keywords in your industry. Check your most recent Alerts for ideas. Often just the headlines of what’s on the internet will spark an idea.

9. Do a case study

Write a case study of a success you had with a client. Focus on the problem your client had and how things changed for them after you solved this problem.

10. Create a list

Create a list of ways to do something your audience needs to know. A list like this one is quick and easy to write. The number of items on the list depends on how much information you have.

Summary

If every time you sit down to write you run into writer’s block, consider carrying a notebook where you can jot down ideas as they occur. Then the next time you need to write for your blog or newsletter, you just need to pick one from the list.

Andrea J. Stenberg

Categories Business Basics, Information Marketing
Comments (1)
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