Woman at laptop looking frustrated
To some bloggers I know, them’s fightin’ words up there in that title…
They hang on to their proclamations — “I CAN’T THINK OF ANYTHING TO WRITE!” — like life preservers on a sinking RMS Titanic. They claim that imagination-deprived status as if it’s a badge of honor, or something. These are probably the same people who brag about how stressed out they are, I’d imagine.
But it’s a non-issue. You should never run out of ideas for your blog. It’s impossible. Here’s why.
Your Eyes ARE Open, Correct?
Look around you. Every single day you see literally thousands of Things. Also (hopefully) People. Each one of those Things – and every single one of those People – is a potential blog source.
Don’t believe me? Let’s do a little experiment.
OK, I’m sitting in my home office (which is actually a nicely furnished basement) and here’s what I see around me:
- Television (turned off)
- Futon mattress
- Sleeping cat
- Refrigerator (running)
- Door
- Art supply cabinet
- LOTS of books
There are a lot more things, obviously but let’s just keep the list manageable. Otherwise I’ll be here all day.
Right there, I have at least seven blog topics:
- Can’t find time to engage in high-level vision planning for your business? Why your television is probably to blame
- Is your customer service a futon or a waterbed? How to tell and why it matters
- Ten things I learned from my cat about running a successful business
- Are you the television or the refrigerator? Why you need to unplug once in awhile for your business’s sake
- Out the door? Not so fast – seven things you should do before giving notice to start your own company
- Art Day! Why engaging your inner child’s creativity is crucial for your inner entrepreneur’s success
- Are you reading too much? When to put the books down and get out there and DO SOMETHING!
Not one of these ideas existed before I just put myself through that little exercise, mind you. I also have zero clue right now about how some of them will flesh out. (Hello? Have you SEEN my cat? All he does is sleep. And terrorize the dog.) But I know that each one of these could be a blog post.
And you know what? I’ll prove it to you: Right now, I commit to making these seven posts the next seven posts on The Inspired Solo. (Dang, I just screwed up my editorial calendar all to pieces. Oh well. The price you pay for social proof, I guess.)
Your Brain IS Functioning, No?
You don’t know everything. No, don’t bother denying it. Cat’s out of the bag on that one, buttercup. None of us do.
So, what don’t you know? Make a list of questions. Ask those questions. Find out the answers. Or just make the blog post about those questions — or one question — or whatever. Just get curious, and share that curiosity with your readers.
You DO Feel Emotions, Don’t You?
Sometimes when clients complain to me that they’re running out of blog post ideas, what’s really going on is that there’s something they’re itching to write but they’re afraid it’s too … personal. it’s too … touchy-feely.
What they mean is “It’s different than everything else I’ve written and that scares me.”
Completely valid feeling, by the way, but … ignore it. Seriously. Ignore the crap out of it. Do what scares you. Put yourself out there. No, I’m not talking about writing about what you had for lunch (or, God forbid, your sexual history). I’m talking about putting more of yourself into your posts. What you feel – where your sense of justice is violated — what you’re outraged by — what you’re inspired by.
You have SOME Measure of Empathy, Right?
If all else fails, put yourself in someone else’s shoes. What does the world of what-you-do look like for someone else? If you typically write from the perspective of the “you” that does what-you-do, try writing from the perspective of the person for whom you do it. If you approach your blog posts from the perspective of the targeted client, then try going at it from the viewpoint of some other kind of professional who also serves the same targeted market.
Or expand your market – think of some other kind of prospect that might benefit from what-you-know and what-you-do.
Or expand what-you-do into what-you’d-LOVE-to-do.
What if what-you-do doesn’t work? What then for your poor customer? Or if it works superbly well — what happens next? What if someone can’t afford to hire you? What does the world look like for that poor man, woman, or business?
Just try on a different pair of eyes.
The Take-Away
There’s no such thing as running out of blog ideas. There is, however, such a thing as failing to utilize your eyes, your brain, your emotions, and your empathy.
Suggested exercise: Challenge yourself to come up with twenty new blog post ideas right now. Then keep adding to that list, every day for a week.
