Everyone who creates content for their business will be familiar with the grinding feeling in the pit of their stomach as they agonise over what, exactly, to write about.
No matter how long you’ve been at it or how proficient you are, writer’s block comes to us all.
Plinky is a website that helps get you started by encouraging you to answer prompts like ‘name a book that changed your mind or opened your eyes’ or ‘name a movie character that reminded you or yourself or someone you know’.
It’s certainly worth a shot if you’re stuck, but …
How else can you find inspiration for your content?
- Read Widely: What are other people talking about? Online, in magazines, in books? I often find forums are useful places to find inspiration – based on the topics and questions being discussed there.
- Subscribe to RSS feeds outside your industry
- Sign up for news release services
- Read books outside your niche
- Read the newspaper or news magazine
- Talk to People: Have a conversation with someone new, ideally outside your field, about their business. How can you apply their insights to your business?
- Think Like Your Customer: What one thing would they love to know about X? What piece of insider information could you give away?
- Think Like a Newspaper: What’s new, what’s exciting, what new businesses are launching, how will news events affect your customers?
Have your say: What tricks and tips do you use to get inspiration? Share them with your fellow readers in the comments below.
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Hi Mark. Nice article and good point – it is difficult to continually come up with new ideas for content. I find a good way is to listen carefully to the questions my clients ask me. I then write articles that try to solve their specific problems. Hope this helps. See you on Twitter! Sonja
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