With the popularity of content marketing as a strategy and the rise of blogging, more and more we find people are struggling with writer’s block. While writer’s block likely plagues even the most trained authors and journalists. But when this is a central aspect of your marketing strategy you can’t just write when the feeling strikes. Instead, you have to be proactive about consistently producing great content to build a following and engage them over time.
Here are a few of my favorite ways to beat writer’s block:
Plan Your Content In Advance
Every year as part of my business planning, I compile what feels like an exhaustive list of topics, posts, etc. that I can use throughout the year. It helps me get in the mode of thinking about them all the time vs. just when I sit down to write. Then, I keep it as a working document where I’ll take notes of major points I want to focus on to make writing easier. We’ve all heard the saying that “prior planning prevents piss-poor performance” and it holds true when it comes to writing. Taking the time to thoughtfully plan your topics and when you will write allows you to be mindful about your strategy and tackle it in stages rather than all at once.
Write in Bulk
You’ve all heard me talk about Parkinson’s Law (that we will use how much of whatever we have - time, resources, money, food, etc.) and that certainly applies when it comes to writing too. When you write a list of blogs to write in 2020 and then you put it off until the day you want to execute the blog, what happens? Almost immediate, certain writer’s block, right? Those that execute a fantastic content strategy benefit from writing retreats where they will escape their day-to-day for a few days and write 50-200 blog posts in one stint. Of course, they have taken the time to prep adequately and they are going someplace they will feel inspired and not face tons of distractions, but limiting your timeframe and distractions can be a hugely effective way to overcome writer’s block.
Develop Accountability
Just like creating any habit, accountability can be a great way to provide that reinforcement we all benefit from when trying something new. While coaching can help, you can also set up more informal forms of accountability by creating small groups within your office or with friends to help hold each other accountable.
Are You Well Informed On The Topic?
This last piece of advice comes from one of our favorite writers, Baxter Holmes, Senior National NBA Writer for ESPN. When we asked him how he beats writer’s block he responded saying, “If I’m stuck, it means I haven’t reported enough and don’t know the full story. When I’ve reported something thoroughly and know enough information to know the story, then there aren’t any holes and I know where to start, where to go, and where to end.”
The same applies to any topic - you have to have the information before you begin to know the start, middle, and end. Holmes compared it to cooking, saying, “if you have ingredients, you can cook. If you don’t, you can’t.” As you make your list, make your research and note taking part of your initial preparation and then you’ll be less likely to struggle with where to start from there.