Today’s post was inspired by none other than the Copywriting Success Summit – and it has to do with stomping all over “blogger’s block” when you feel like you have to write something, but the ideas just aren’t coming. Fortunately, you can crack open the “idea vault” just by following a few simple “writing prompts” – like these:
1. X Things You Didn’t Know Were Wrong With (Popular Online Service)
I’m betting you could come up with 10 things wrong with Twitter, or 7 things you feel are terrible about Facebook. When everybody’s jumping the bandwagon proclaiming how great something is, writing a controversial point of view is a good way to stand out and get noticed. Just make sure you stand behind what you write and invite comments because you’re sure to get plenty of them.
2. Share a Personal Experience Related to Your Topic
Some of the best posts written by bloggers are personal experiences relating to how they got to where they are now. Sharing one’s struggles and triumphs helps you connect with others like nothing else. Likewise, you can share something that happened to you that could be the spark for a new blog entry, like my encounter with Borders and their optin form.
3. Review Others’ Work
No blogger is an island, so reach out and review other books/blogs/products in your niche. Interviewing an up-and-coming blogger is also a great way to build your network and help both of you get more traffic.
4. Simplify Something Difficult
One of my most-commented posts details how to take a screenshot without any fancy graphics software. What can you show others how to do that’s easy for you, but seems challenging to them?
5. Create Posts that Leave ‘em Hanging
You don’t have to end every post with the full story. Make it the sort of cliff-hanger people will want to tune into the following day or week. This is a guaranteed way to get repeat traffic time and time again with your blog.
6. Write About a Certain Theme
It could be a week-long set of posts, like my Holiday E-Commerce Guide, or you could choose to focus on one particular theme one day a week, such as “Social Media Saturdays”.
7. Share the Most Common Problems in Your Niche
And what you’d do or have done to overcome them. Many people, myself included, like to sidestep pitfalls whenever possible. That’s why, if you’ve experienced a particular issue relating to your blog’s topic, we want to know how you fixed it!
8. Add to or Update Someone Else’s Work
If another blogger has prepared a list, but it’s been awhile since it was updated, here’s your time to shine. Add to or update their list with your own points (be sure to link back to the original author – it’s just good netiquette) and create a fresh, new version.
9. Check Out the Latest Trends
Use Google News, Twitter Search and Keyword Alerts to stay on top of news that’s relevant and late-breaking in your industry. Check out Digg’s top rated for today, all week and all year to discover popular headlines that you can revise and tailor to your niche.
10. When All Else Fails, Check the Dictionary
This is a strange one, but I swear by it when I’m feeling stuck. Open up a dictionary and turn to a random word. It may be something like “bandage”. Could you turn that word into the basis for a blog post? For example “ 5 Website Problems a Simple ‘Bandage’ Won’t Fix”
These writing ideas should have given you plenty of good ideas for new blog posts. Now start writing and leave the rubble from writer’s block behind for good!
Several years back, before cappuccinos and mochachinos and caramelattes became the “in” drinks of choice for my generation, I used to get my flavored coffee fix from the local convenience store. Sure, the cappuccino machine just spat out hot water half the time, and the flavors were usually limited to Vanilla and Out of Order, but when it did work – it was a real treat, and cheap too.
