“Your limitation - it's only your imagination.”
The quote above is telling us that when it comes to writer’s block, we really forget what happens and why it is that we’re really doing all of the content creation.
Writer’s block is the number one enemy when it comes to producing content. That is why, it is important to have a system to unlock the gaps and effectively create content that will bring good results.
So, today, we will discuss how to stop writer’s block and inspire new content with blog ideas. We will look at, in particular, some of the issues that come up when we don’t have a good plan to follow, what is writer’s block, the content elements and the new content system.
What is Writer’s Block?
In Wikipedia, it talks about writer's block being a condition primarily associated with writing in which an author loses the ability to produce new work or experiences a creative slowdown.
Now, this loss of ability to write and produce new work is not a result of commitment problems or a lack of writing skills.
Writer’s block is really just another term for mental block, which we all have and we all experience in our day to day work. This is supported by Katie Hokmes, who recently collected over 60+ personal stories from writting professionals called "How To Get Over Writer's Block".
How To Identify Writer’s Block?
If you want to be productive with your content creation, it is important that you are able to identify the possible causes of your lack of inspiration to come up with a system that would push you to go past the writer’s block stage.
So, how to identify writer’s block?
It is easy to identify writer’s block. If you are supposed to be doing your tasks but can’t seem to pull through, then, you are experiencing writer’s block.
But to give you a clearer picture of what writer’s block looks like, let’s take a look at some of the common symptoms that causes writer’s block.
Seven Common Traps That Triggers Writer’s Block
Here are some of the issues that usually come up in content creation.
1. Starting Buyer’s Journey At the Start
One of the most common issues that triggers the writing block is starting at the buyer’s journey at the start.
We often jump into our content creation process and think of the buyer’s journey. We then start to look at how we can attract new buyers into our journey.
This is where we see a lot of SEO courses teaching us to jump in there and start running articles around attracting people.
Now, the danger to this is that if you attract new people, there are many steps in your buyer’s journey that, of course, you won't have any content for.
2. I don't know what to write about
“I don't know what to write about” is another common trap to writer’s block. It simply signifies that you don't have a process.
3. I'm just not in the mood to write
Another common trap that we usually have is the, “I am just not in the mood for writing” syndrome, which let's be honest, as entrepreneurs and marketers, this one does come up a lot.
4. I can’t come up with examples to support my content
Then, of course, we also have “I can’t come up with examples to support my content”.
Now, this is a real problem, because as entrepreneurs and marketers, we need to be able to provide relevant statistics to make our content sound authoritative but also interesting enough to engage people with facts and figures. This will definitely be a challenge for you.
5. I keep getting distracted
“I keep getting distracted” is the most common trap to have writer’s block. It’s not even just for writing. There are a lot of things out there that might distract us.
6. I don’t even know where to start
Of course, we also have an “I don't even know where to start” tendency. This again, comes back to the element of not having a process in place.
7. I’m not qualified to write this
The last common trap is the “I am not qualified to write this”.
Well, this really comes down not to a lack of knowledge, but rather just about getting started.
So, these are the common issues that come up when we get training with different organizations and bringing the team together.
If you want to know more about the other common traps that people usually suffer from, you could take a look at Cori’s blog. Her blog will give you some little tips and tricks on how you could potentially overcome some of those writing traps.
How To Overcome Writer’s Block?
So, how can you overcome some of the common traps that you fall into when it comes to writing blocks?
The First Big Key Secret: Chunk Down Tasks
Writer’s block really comes more from a lack of process where you’re trying to complete more than what you're mentally able to at the time.
What you can actually do is to have a system to follow so as not to succumb to the traps of writer’s block. You need to have a good plan to follow.
To overcome writer’s block, it is best to chunk down your processes into manageable tasks that you can do each day. With this, you will be able to produce more over the period of the week. Then, over the period of the months and the quarter, you will start to see the fruits of your labor.
The Second Big Key Secret: Start At The End Of The Buyer’s Journey
Another best thing to do to overcome writer’s block and be able to successfully produce a lot of content is to always start at the end of the buyer’s journey. Always start with creating content about the bottom of the funnel.
The first reason why it’s best to start at the bottom of the funnel is that as you map out your content, your buyers will have a journey which will naturally follow.
The second reason is the ability to produce content in mass which is one of the limitations that you will suffer when it comes to creating content.
That is why, we normally suggest that you start at the bottom or at the end of the buyer's journey. Start creating content around the site stage and then build it out back to attracting the new buyers as they go down.
Content Marketing System
Now, while we know that we can chunk down our processes into manageable tasks, it would be helpful if we look deeper at the specific tasks we can work on to effectively create a process or system that will successfully defeat our writing blocks.
While there are multiple processes that you can use, it's really more about you, structuring what works for you and your team.
There is one pretty good model to actually start with our content system - and that is with the diagram on CoSchedule.
CoSchedule is actually one of our go-to resources because it has a great free tool called Headline Analyzer. But aside from their Headline Analyzer, CoSchedule does great when it comes to content creation. They are a trusted source of different techniques when it comes to creating content.
Let us dive into how CoSchedule sees content marketing as a process.
Content Elements
There are four core elements according to CoShedule which could help you improve your overall content and stay ahead of the game.
1. Planning
So, typically in the planning process, you start with content marketing strategy being your objectives, ideation as being the brainstorming of the ideas that your audience want to consume.
And then, of course, it will lead to your audience research, your buyer personas and established goals that you will be wanting from your content marketing.
2. Execution
When it comes to execution, these are the elements that typically your team structure.
Do you have content rises? Do you have researchers? Do you have subject matter experts?
And of course, you definitely can't get past having a content management process simply because when you start your content creation process, you ultimately are making a promise to your reader to produce regular content for them.
That comes down to what's the frequency? How are you planning to write blogs a week? Is there a new e-book that you're creating once a month?
The calendar management helps to keep you accountable on the creation process.
Now, one of the things about content creation is that a lot of it is repeatable. Having template development created will make life easier for those that are in the team.
Then, of course, there's the hard crunch, which is creating the content or content creation as the execution path.
3. Promotion
Once your content is created and published, you will now need to jump into a promotion mode.
This is where you potentially look at SEO, press releases, public relations, paid ads, social media, and email marketing to your existing prospects and customers.
4. Measurement
Lastly, this is coming down to analyzing or measuring performances.
This is where you gather data, analyze the performance, and report results to the upper management and to those who want to know what's going on with the overall marketing process.
Two Things To Include In Planning Stage
Now, there are two things that would be best included into the planning stage. They are the branding and content guidelines and the buyer’s journey.
1. Branding and Content Guidelines
Your branding and content guidelines are very helpful when it comes to the execution side.
2. Buyer’s Journey
More importantly, the buyer’s journey enables you to map out the different sizes of your buyer’s journey for your products that often will be based on the product and the persona or the product groupings in the personas that will potentially buy the service or product from you.
They are the two things that you should include into your overall content management or content marketing process.
Conclusion
Being able to identify the common traps that cause writer’s block will help you defeat it during content creation. It will also help you to create a content marketing process that will work for you and your team.
Start developing your own content strategy by using the content system we have introduced above.
Join our practice hub and have fun as you learn more about the content marketing process. You can practice in small groups or by yourself. Sign up for our 30-day free trial today.
