Top Strategies to Break Writers Block and Become a Content Creation Pro

Fact: in order to grow, you have to promote your business. In today’s world dominated by the Internet, an easy way to do that is via blog content on your website. Many have stated that blogging is dead and online video and audio are the wave of the future — that’s far from the truth! But even if your medium IS audio or video, it all still starts with a good script—or it should.

The written word continues to be powerful, not only in ranking your website but also in enlightening customers. Also, it goes a step further — listening to audio or watching video can be a secondary activity (done in the background while you do something else) but to read a blog and truly comprehend it must be a primary activity. Your reader has to preform the activity; they cannot be expecting to learn via osmosis.

Many content creators run into blocks when creating valuable content; the key word here is “valuable.” Marketers often spit out language that has no value to anyone, because they are just trying to fill a page (with perhaps too much emphasis on key words alone) rather than educate their readership. There is nothing more painful to a reader than finishing an entire piece and reaching the end only to learn nothing at all. However, coming up with salient, scintillating content day in and day out is not always easy!

Stuck with “Writer’s Block?” Here are a few tried-and-true strategies developed by author and podcaster Jeremy Slate, to unjamming your thinking process so you can create valuable content more or less “on demand.”

1. The Brain Dump:
This is my favorite strategy. I find that many times getting started is the hardest part, but once I do so the writing quickly flows. First I come up with a topic, then I write paragraphs about all the main points I know about the topic. Next, I decide the common denominator between these main points and check if their order makes sense. Once I’ve reordered the paragraphs, I fill in the space between and create a more coherent narrative that teaches the reader a lesson. After that, I write the introduction and closing, making sure that it properly introduces the topic and ties it together nicely. Finally, I read the whole thing aloud to make sure it reads well.

2. The How To:
What do you know how to do well? We often take for granted that everyone knows how to do all of the tasks we do in our business daily, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Without giving away unique internal processes or proprietary information, you can still present your spin on what you feel is a mundane process.These processes can be done as a written “How To,” or a video that can later be transcribed, via YouTube, and rewritten into an educational and engaging blog post. Educating the audience is valuable, and may actually make enlightening clients in the future an easier process.

3. Add to the Conversation:
Are you a frequent reader of the online publications in your business niche? Well, you should be. Being familiar with what goes on in your niche is a great way to stimulate innumerable ideas regarding what to write about, especially if you disagree with the author. The more well known the author or piece you are writing about, the better chance your article has of making an effect in the space. It’s always easier to add to an existing and hot conversation than to start a new one.

4. Do an Interview:
Find someone in your space that is an expert and interview him or her. I have written about topics that are related to my field but are out of my area of expertise by using this method. I find it’s easiest to start out by asking these individuals “What are the biggest problems or misconceptions you see daily in their business?”  Answering this, they now give you a topic and allow you to find a line of questioning unique to the individual. With this method, not only have I educated my audience a lot but usually myself as well!

When your goal is educating, it becomes so much easier to write content for your audience! It is vital to write content and there is no way around it; by using these methods you will help to bring more attention to your brand and elevate it as well. No longer need you suffer writer’s block — rather you can become content creator extraordinaire! Happy writing!

Related Tag: Content Marketing Services

Jeremy Ryan Slate is an iTunes Top-Rated Podcaster, and founder of Create Your Own Life. In addition, Jeremy writes for Huffington Post, Business.com, Addicted2Success, Buzzfeed, Capitalism.com and Secret Entourage. He has been featured in INC and was rated one of CIO Magazine’s Top Entrepreneur Podcasts To Listen To in 2017.