Picture this. You’re sitting in front of your screen, cursor flashing, and….nothing.
Writer’s block is pretty sneaky that way, and I can tell you that I’ve certainly dealt with my fair share of it too. Is it a right of passage? Perhaps. Does it make it any better? Ha! Nope. In light of that, I wanted to share some tips and tricks that I use when I’m struggling to write anything that sounds even remotely good. Make sure you save this post in a handy place for when you need a little bit of inspiration to get you going.
My top 3 writing tips for your blog articles
Here’s a few pointers for writing a blog article that will resonate with your readers.
1. WRITE THE WAY YOU TALK
Back in my corporate days, I was reading an email from an industry colleague. It was lengthy, wordy, and I yawned a few times before getting to the end. We had a meeting the next day, and I was NOT looking forward to it. Yep, I expected them to be the same way on the phone. Instead, it seemed like I was talking to an entirely different person.
Not literally – but hear me out. Short and punchy, exciting and charismatic – total 180 from email guy that had me heading to the kitchen for my second coffee of the day by 10am.
My point is, writing the way you ACTUALLY talk gets your point across faster – and probably better too – but it makes your content so much more relatable to the people you’re trying to connect with. It’s also more likely that you’ll attract the folks to your website that are more likely to LOVE you, rather than “eh, kind of. I guess I’ll keep them in mind.”.
2. GET TO THE POINT
I had gotten to thinking one day that I should write a blog post full of ideas for when people don’t know what to write. I’ve needed a list like this before, so now seemed like the perfect time. I didn’t know if people would find it helpful or not, but it reminded me of what I wished I had when I first started getting into blogging…
No.
Your reader doesn’t need all of the context and thought trails that led you to a concept or an idea. Get to the point, and don’t bury the lead.
3. ADD VALUE FOR YOUR READER
Some articles are entertaining, inspirational or educational. Whatever the topic is, add some value for your reader. That can look like is one key takeaway that they can apply, or even a list of ideas – like this one!
30 blog topic ideas for when you don’t know what to write:
Let’s dig into some blog topic ideas! Save this post somewhere handy so you’ll always have a bit of inspiration when you need it. Here are some of my favorite prompts that help me get unstuck:
- A recent trip you took or an experience you’ve enjoyed
- A podcast episode that you recently listened to that helped you learn something
- A book that you loved, and why you loved it
- Some advice you received
- A challenge you overcame and how you did it
- An embarrassing story that you’re willing to share and what you learned from it
- A healthy habit you’ve recently created
- Some photos from life lately
- Your favorite cocktail recipe
- Where your business started vs where it is now
- Reflecting on the last year
- A lesson you learned recently
- Your “why” story
- Helpful resources that could help your readers
- The 10 things you COULD. NOT. EVER live without
- Success tips for using your product or service
- Share your favorite inspo board on pinterest
- A photo that never made it to your instagram
- 5 books about a business topic you love
- A dream that you love but scares you
- Feedback from your customers
- A celebration story
- A funny story that someone told you
- Your favorite trend right now (and why it’s taken your top spot!)
- A new opportunity that gets you excited
- A letter to your younger self
- A letter to your future self
- A vision for the future
- A behind-the-scenes look at your life or your business
- A success story for one of your clients
Whether it’s a story, an info dump, embarrassing moment or recent win – all of these make for good blog content. One thing to remember – make sure that as you’re writing, you keep your reader in the back of your mind, and take them on a journey from start to finish.
Read the Comments +