14 Feb 2024
- 08 Mar 2016
- 6 Min read
5 tips to get over your content marketing writer’s block
As someone whose job it is to put out interesting content every day, one of the most frustrating things that can happen is for that well of ideas to dry up. You know you’ve got to write something, but you just can’t get your head in gear to do it. Maybe you’ve just overloaded your mind with too much information or you try to overthink things.
But fear not: there are a few easy things that you can do to get your mind running again. Take a look at our five awesome tips for getting over your content marketing writer’s block.
Keep your marketing brain switched on
Some of the most interesting ideas for content can come from outside of the office: your friends and family, what you watch on TV, and the books that you read are all potential sources of inspiration for great content ideas.
If you are in the routine of leaving your writer’s mindset behind when you walk out of work in the evening, then you should probably try leaving it on. This doesn’t mean that you should be using all of your free time to sit and come up with ideas for the next day, but you should be receptive to any flashes of inspiration that present themselves in your off-duty hours.
Keep a notepad or recording device nearby to catch any off-the-cuff thoughts. You can even use the notes function on your smartphone to stash a few quick nuggets away. Even if you don’t use them immediately, when you’re stuck for creativity you can take a look and see if anything sparks a good idea. Apps like Evernote are useful for keeping all of your ideas in one easily accessible place, so you can take a peek whenever you need to.
Choose a topic that you want to learn more about
Being a content writer, having a naturally curious nature is part and parcel of the job. If you come across a topic that interests you, or you feel you should be more knowledgeable about, why not combine it with your need for new topics and research it.
One of the best ways you can motivate yourself to put together a great bit of content is to choose something that you have a genuine interest in exploring. As your role is to learn and report, you should take the opportunity to increase your knowledge and share it with your audience. Remember: if you are interested in a topic, chances are that other people are as well.
Delve into your network for ideas
Social media is a great place for finding content inspiration. These networks are like a little slice of society where you can see what people are talking about and what they are interested in. These networks have millions of people sharing thoughts, feelings, and media — all of which have the potential to generate ideas in your own mind. Sure, there are likely to be a lot of meaningless and inconsequential posts made to social platforms, but being able to spot a post that is insightful enough to get people to share or discuss it is a skill that can lead to some interesting points for your own work. Look at what’s trending; both Facebook and Twitter have easy top access functions that allow you to view the top global trends. You can also search under hashtags (#) on Twitter to find tweets that relate to a certain trend.
You can even look to public figures for some inspiration, as many people of note have social media accounts where they share their own thoughts. Their posts usually attract thousands of comments and shares from many of the people who follow them, allowing you to gauge what kind of reaction people are having towards it. Twitter and Instagram are both good sources for posts like this as they allow for public posting, while LinkedIn is a good place to go for more professional opinions. If the post comes from someone like a politician, it may well be newsworthy and worth your time adding to your list of ideas for stories or content. Likewise, if a brand shares something like a new product or update, you can often tell what people’s reaction is from their responses on social media.
There are other places you can find out what interesting topics people are discussing — sites like Reddit and Quora are great for finding questions and subjects that people are intrigued or confused about. With such wide-ranging discussions going on, you can find original ideas on almost any subject you would like to cover. You can also find what people are searching for on the internet by taking a look at the suggested searches that pop up on Google when you start typing something in.
Use other industry blogs as inspiration
There isn’t anything wrong with casting a sideways glance towards your industry rivals to see what it is they are writing about. Doing so makes sure that you aren’t missing out on something that they have found and it also gives you the opportunity to think of a more interesting twist on what they have to say. You should also make a note of what they aren’t writing about, as this can pin-point exactly where the gaps in the market are for your content.
Go talk to your colleagues
If you work in an office, there is a good chance that some of your colleagues are experts in other fields of marketing. If you are looking for content ideas, seeking a second opinion on what’s hot and what’s not can present you with some topics that you might not have thought about on your own. Getting your colleagues’ take on your content can offer a unique viewpoint, especially if they are more knowledgeable about a subject than you are. They may also be able to point you towards some useful material for your content, or they might have material that they have produced themselves that can really help you out. You can also ask your colleagues in other departments or branches of the business, for example, asking someone in customer services what questions they are regularly asked can give you an insight into what customers are concerned about.
Follow these top five tips to keep your brain going during periods of content writer’s block. If you feel that you need advice on your own work, help producing high-quality content for your site or assistance creating an effective content strategy, why not get in touch or connect with us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or Google+.
