When you first start blogging your mind is probably full of imaginative ideas and excellent ideas that you just can’t wait to talk about. You might even have a huge list of ideas that you could turn into written content that you know will please the viewers and bring in a wide audience. Perhaps you do manage to be successful and you build up a loyal following within just a couple of weeks - a milestone that very few bloggers manage to reach.
Unfortunately, that honeymoon period won’t last forever. Sooner or later, you’re going to run into a creativity block and your content will start to look dull and boring, and you might even contemplate starting a new blog with new ideas because you simply can’t think of anything good to write about!
Ensure your blog has the right support
Blogs can exist on their own, but it’s much easier to stay afloat if you have the right support. One of the major factors when it comes to curing a stale blog is having a reliable web hosting provider to prevent downtime and an inaccessible blog. If you aren’t using a stable web host, then your readers won’t be able to access your content and it might even cost you a few points in Google’s search ranking system. You have to remember that your content is accessible 24/7 assuming your website is actually up. If you dip below 99.9% uptime, then it’s time to swap your host because those valuable few hours or minutes that your website is down could cost you a lot of exposure.
You also need to think about your personal support. Running a blog is surprisingly difficult and it’s hard getting the motivation required to keep writing if you don’t have any support. One of the most popular ways to get support for your creative writing is to sign yourself up for Patreon. Patreon runs on a very simple system; you sign up and write a small description about what it is you do. If people want to support you, simply show them your Patreon page and they can choose how much they want to support you. Depending on the type of content you create, you can set up your own payment conditions. For instance, if you are a video creator your supporters will pay you per video you make. If you are an artist, you could be paid for every picture you draw. If you are a blogger, you might be paid for each post you make.
Focusing on original content
One of the key components of a successful blog is to have original content—but what does that actually imply? Original content doesn’t have to mean that everything you write is a hundred percent original. For instance, the concept of a “top ten list” or “favourite things of the past year” isn’t copyrighted, so you won’t be flagged for plagiarism if you use those formats for a blog post. However, if you decide to steal the same items from someone else’s top ten list, then that is copying and you could be blacklisted by Google if someone reports your content.
Original content is ranked highly by Google because, as a service, Google intends to give the user the best possible internet browsing experience possible. Google constantly refines its search engine algorithms so that they can give you the best results for whatever terms you search. Google indexes every website they come across and records most of the information on your website. If it detects that you are writing original content that isn’t seen elsewhere and that your content is popular enough to be linked on other websites, then Google will give you good marks for contributing to quality content on the internet and you’ll get bumped up a couple of search ranks. If you continue to put out high-quality original content, Google will continue to work in your favour and make you appear higher in people’s search results assuming they are relevant to you.
So instead of following trends that other websites are over-using, focus on trying to create new blog post formats and content that other websites haven’t utilised yet. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel to create original content—you just need to repurpose the wheel.
Removing creative blocks
Breaking through a creative wall isn’t simple. You need to find the source of your creative block because there will always be a reason why your ideas aren’t flowing. Perhaps you have other commitments and responsibilities to take care of that are eating up your free time. Maybe you’re simply running out of ideas because your subjects no longer interest you, or maybe you’ve not been exposed to new ideas for a long time.
One of the best ways to tackle new content and get more ideas is to step outside of your comfort zone. Let’s say you write a lot about Asian cuisines and you specifically write about Thai food. You’re eventually going to cover almost everything you know about Thai food, so it’s only natural to spread your wings and talk about Vietnamese foods, Chinese foods and other Asian countries. If you step out of your comfort zone, not only are you diversifying your blog’s content, you’re also opening up your blog to various other subjects and thus, you’ll have a whole lot more content to talk about.
It’s also a good idea to take a break from writing. Keeping a blog updated can take a considerable amount of time. For a blogger, time is perhaps the most precious resource because you need to balance indulging yourself in your subject and actually writing about it. Someone that spends all of their time writing about a hobby such as video games will have no time to actually play video games in order to have material to write about. Give yourself some time to enjoy your hobbies or research your chosen subject by keeping up with discussions and news and you’ll find it much easier to keep ideas flowing.
Interact with your readers
Many popular blogs on the internet don’t bring anything new to the table but they have a ridiculous amount of readers. How is this possible? User interaction!
Not every reader wants to stay as a reader forever. Readers might be bloggers themselves or they might want to participate in discussions about your content and the best way to do this is to utilise social media and engage in conversations in the comment section of your blog. If you aren’t responding to the comments you’re getting then you’re doing your blog a disservice. Readers want to know that the blogger actually cares about building a brand and building an audience instead of just using them for money and ad revenue.
Next time you get some comments in your latest blog posts, respond to them and engage in conversations to encourage your readers to come back for more discussions. You might also want to consider guest blogging for other popular blogs or having people write for you. You should also engage in discussions in communities that cover your subjects. For instance, if you write about movies then you can visit a community such as Reddit and participate in discussions. Some people might recognise your name if they visit your blog, and you might be able to find a sneaky time to plug in your blog’s website to get more exposure—just don’t spam it around everywhere! Interacting with your users and talking about your content could spark new ideas, or your readers might even request you write about certain topics. It’s a great way to build a better brand and you’ll get some new ideas in the process - it’s a win/win situation!
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