Blog Post Ideas: What to Do When Your Well Runs Dry

BLOG POST IDEAS: WHAT TO DO WHEN YOUR WELL RUNS DRY

Blog post ideas don't always come easy. Writer's block is a miserable experience but here are three hacks that may save the day.

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THE MISERY OF WRITER’S BLOCK

Normally, when I sit down to write, blog post ideas come to me fairly easily. That is not to say the writing itself comes easy, but I can usually come up with a topic.

Usually.


THE MISERY OF WRITER’S BLOCK

And then there are the times like the one I suffered through recently. I spent the better part of a day just trying to come up with a topic — never mind the actual writing.

Writer’s block by any other name is still, well, writer’s block. And it’s a miserable experience.


THE MISERY OF WRITER’S BLOCKEven professional authors have to deal with this.

And it can be even more problematic if you “simply” run a business and write blog posts as a means to an end (getting more leads and customers). You are an expert in your own right, but sometimes it’s hard to get that knowledge out there where others can reap the benefits.


WHAT CAUSES WRITER’S BLOCK?Wow. Have you ever Googled this? Apparently there are a LOT of reasons why we sometimes can’t come up with good blog post ideas.

Chief among them? Fear. Say what? I know what you’re thinking: It’s a blog post, not combat!

In a way, though, it is combat — with yourself. And you have to win that battle between knowing what you know and figuring out how to say it.


WHAT CAUSES WRITER’S BLOCK?

For instance, you understand what you know about a topic but you might not be so clear about what your audience knows.

So, your first step may need to be defining your audience. But how do you break the ice and get the words flowing?

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THREE QUICK WAYS TO GREAT BLOG POST IDEAS

Remember the KISS Principle

Keep it simple, stupid. Are you trying to impress your audience … or yourself? Stop that! Break things down to bare bones. Find the lowest common denominator — and then build on that.

The end result won’t be simplistic, but that’s where you can start.



Write Everything

In some ways this is the polar opposite of the KISS principle. Give yourself a set and a short amount of time (10–15 minutes) and write anything that comes into your head, even if what comes out doesn't relate to anything you think you’d actually write about. This may just reveal why you’re having trouble getting started.

Most of what you write will probably end up in the trash, but you’ll usually find a nugget you can take hold of and run with.



Get Creative, But in a Different Way

Walk away from the writing for a bit but toward another creative activity. Do you draw or paint? Play or write music? Construct model airplanes or build bird houses in your workshop?

Once you get fully engaged with your new creative task, you may just have a flash of insight from out of nowhere — a true “lightbulb” moment.


JUST DO ITSome people don’t believe in writer’s block, but that’s just another way of saying you’ve found some ways on your own to avoid it in the first place.

Writer’s block is real, but it doesn’t have to keep you from coming up with great blog post ideas.

Give these techniques and try … and let us know how it goes!