So you’ve set up your email newsletter publishing system and you have launched your blog. Now you need to come up with regular, valuable content. It is at this point that I often hear the screams “What do I do? How will I ever figure out what to write about?” It is a worthwhile concern. After all, one of the things that make email and blogging effective marketing tools is the fact that it is regular and consistent. So if you’ve decided that a blog and email newsletter is right for you, you need to stick to a schedule.
Sticking to a writing schedule, for some, might seem like a neverending bad nightmare of last minute paper writing in college. However, it doesn’t have to be hard. In fact it can be fun. If you’re not having fun with it (at least most of the time) it is not the right marketing tool for you (but that is a different topic altogether).
So, here’s my top ways for beating writer’s block and keeping your blog posts and email newsletter content flowing.
- Pick a reasonable schedule for you. Sure there are blogs out there that update content 24/7 multiple times each day. Unless that is how you want to live and run your business, I suggest picking something a little more in line with what you really want. The important thing is to make sure it is regular and consistent. At a minimum — at least weekly is recommended for blogs and every other week for email newsletters (although weekly is better there too).
- Write about what you know and enjoy. If you’re in business for yourself I surely hope you enjoy what you are doing because you’ll spend a lot of time doing it! If you don’t enjoy it — well, that’s a question for my coaching business. Write about your expertise and write in a way that feels good to you. This isn’t English lit… relax a bit and let your personality come through. Stay professional of course but let your written voice align with what you stand for.
- Content is everywhere. Running out of things to write about? Not possible. New ideas and content can be found everywhere you look, you just need to start looking. For example — you can find ideas from:
- Other people’s blogs and newsletters (remember to reference them where appropriate!)
- The news and current events
- Stories and examples from current clients and customers (maintain confidentiality or get permission!)
- Challenges your peers are facing (really start to listen in while at your networking events, mastermind groups, etc.)
- Your own personal experiences (metaphors abound - “what I learned about accounting from my hiking trip”, “life lessons from a kayak trip”, “business secrets from a wine tasting”… you get the idea).
- Any old place you can find a new idea - the sky’s the limit.
- Other people’s content. While you want to keep most of your offerings from your own personal pen, you can certainly augment your content through ghostwriters, guest writers, article banks, and other RSS feeds from your area of expertise.
- Create an editorial calendar. One great way to keep yourself on topic and on task is by using an editorial calendar for your blog or newsletter. I first learned about it at Problogger and Darren offers a handy download to get you started.
While it certainly takes time, commitment, and action to write for your blogs and newsletters, it can be fun. Approach it with a mindset of joy and it can be an effortless (as in struggle free) way to market your business online.
(photo by Colin Palmer under Creative Commons License)
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