Creating content can be so rewarding. If creating content is only one small part of your day-to-day, it can be challenging to stay consistent. In fact, you may struggle to come up with content ideas.
Sometimes the ideas stop flowing. Here are some tips for breaking through that block and getting back on the creative bandwagon.
Get outside
Getting fresh air helps with clearing the mind, but it also brings clarity, improves concentration and increases energy levels. So next time you have trouble creating content, take a 10-15 minute walk around the block, and you’ll see how much sharper you’ll be and how good you’ll feel.
Take your work elsewhere
When your tasks are repetitive, and your work environment doesn’t change, you risk getting into a routine that can stall your creative thinking. If possible, try working from a cafe, park or library. A new environment may trigger new content ideas, and meeting and talking to people may bring fresh inspiration.
Read something
A great way to get inspired and find new content ideas is to expose yourself to other people’s work. Make time to read your daily newspaper, your favourite newsletters or a book of interest.
It’s important to step away from your content to get a fresh perspective and stay motivated.
Talk to people
If you’re stuck on topic ideas, ask your audience, friends and family what they’d like to see more from you. Sometimes we are so invested in our content and a specific topic that we don’t realise there might be more to it.
For example, if you focus on stress management and how yoga relieves stress, talking to people might help you realise other ways to reduce stress through proper nutrition and exercise. It’s also a great way to expand your reach and attract a bigger audience.
Take yourself out of your comfort zone
Put yourself into a new environment for inspiration. You’ve exhausted all of your ideas because you’re doing the same thing day in, day out and not allowing yourself to find new inspiration.
If I get stuck in that rut, I like to do something I’ve never done before.
Book an event you’ve never been to, buy some food you’ve never tried, and read a type of book you’ve never read before. Inspiration tends to come to me when I least expect it, so don’t focus on finding new ideas. Instead, focus on just doing something different that you enjoy.
Start experiencing things, and I guarantee the ideas will start to flow.
When you feel it, act on it
Sometimes you do feel in the mood to create content. Suddenly, you have different content ideas, and whilst it may not happen often, I try to seize this moment!
You don’t have to write the whole post, but I tend to grab my notebook and write down a quick summary of what I want the position to be about, any key points and when I’d like to write it.
That might mean one day of a weekend I sit and write loads and loads of posts that I can then post gradually over the next few months, but it saves wracking my brains for post ideas last minute and means I generally feel much more organised on the ball.
Collaborate with content creators
Other creators I’ve met over the last year have become great friends. There’s no need to compete with each other. We will all do better if we work together!
So speak to fellow creators and collaborate. They might have an excellent idea for interviews, videos or podcasts.
In fact, you can use each other and swap ideas as much as possible. Just make sure it’s a two-way street, and you don’t take lots of other people’s ideas without lending some of your own!
Ask your followers what they’d like to see
Whilst creating content is excellent for personal growth and can be very therapeutic, one of the main reasons for producing content is to engage with your audience and keep them coming back for more. So if you’re struggling for ideas on what to say, then ask what they’d like to hear about, run a poll on Twitter or Facebook, or ask people to comment on your Instagram.
Take a break
You may be just overworked, and you should take a break. There is no harm in knowing when to rest, just so long as you don’t quit. Give yourself as much time as you need to feel back to your usual self, and I guarantee you’ll be back on top blogging form. It goes back to the first point that your inspiration is likely to come when you’re not looking for it, so a bit of time off won’t harm anybody.
Blogging shouldn’t become a chore that you resent because you’re forcing yourself to sit at your laptop for hours on end, so come back to it when you’re ready and raring to go!
Ready to get started with positive impact marketing?
Set up power marketing systems build a marketing strategy that drives results, when you join our certification.
Develop an advanced set of marketing skills that drive more measurable results to any project and harness the power of psychology, purpose, storytelling, and impact to build trust in an increasingly skeptical world.
Take our certification, build your marketing plan and build your ultimate marketing toolkit.
