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Over the last few years I’ve come to realise that I’m one of very few people who actually enjoy writing. I don’t really have an answer for why this is, but every time I ask someone to write a paragraph for an article, they almost have a meltdown.
It was the same back when I was studying: everyone hated writing essays on whatever subject, even if it interested them. As for me, I never knew what I wanted to be when I “grew up” so I used writing as a way to create different worlds and scenarios to see what I would do if a certain thing was to happen.
Once school was over and it was time to choose what I would do for a living, I turned to writing not because I thought I could build a career out of it, but because it was the only thing I really enjoyed doing and was sort of good at. Actually, that decision ended up being a great thing for me, because thanks to this passion of mine I managed to become important to companies as a member of that rare species of people who love to spend their day reading and writing.
That being said, I understand that not everyone is like me and that sometimes you have to write a social media post or create content for a website, even if you don’t really feel like it. Actually, I get stuck writing articles all the time (I’ve written this paragraph three times now) and some days no matter what I do I just can’t produce anything remotely good. So if the same thing happens to you, don’t worry, because it’s part of the process.
Sometimes you have to let your brain rest and look at random cat videos on YouTube for an hour until you get your mojo back.
If, however, cat videos don’t cut it for you, there are a few tricks you can use to get your creative juices flowing, especially when you have a deadline coming up or if you have to create social media posts and you’re just not feeling inspired.
#1: Keep it simple
This may sound obvious but actually, when we know a lot about something and feel passionate about it, we tend to overthink things. For example, if you’re a business owner you probably know all there is to know about your product or service and feel the need to share all the exciting details with your clients and followers.
But unless you have a B2B business and are addressing a very technical audience, the odds are that no one really cares about all the behind-the-scenes aspects and would rather just learn what they can get out of it.
Although I understand the feeling of wanting to show all your expertise, you should try to keep your message as simple as possible. Take advertio, for example. We use artificial intelligence to get the best results for our customers online ads but, instead of explaining that technology in detail when I’m asked about what we do, I focus on the benefits of using said technology.
Here’s a practical example: if you own a bakery, instead of saying that you bake your pastries every hour in a special oven at 200º C using a secret type of flour, you can simply say you use the best ingredients to produce freshly baked pastries.
Ultimately, it’s all about letting your customers know the benefits of using your product instead of letting them know exactly how your product is built.
#2: Brainstorm
When I’m feeling stuck, I find it helpful to talk to someone about the topic I’m writing about. This allows me to explain what I really want to say and get instant feedback that will help me create better content.
Talking to someone who’s not as invested in the task as you are can be a great way to get new and fresh ideas. If you don’t really like writing and are trying to come up with an article or a social media post for a few hours, you’ll run out of ideas and options quickly, so talking to another person about it will give you a fresh perspective on the theme.
This happens because you will probably have to explain what you want to say and why it’s relevant, so making it easier for you to understand how you should be tackling the subject.
#3: Take a break
Finally, when you’ve tried everything and nothing is helping, just take a break. It’s better not to post than to post something you don’t feel confident about. So if today is not your day, embrace that.
My experience tells me that the more I try to force myself to write, the worse the result is. Sometimes we just have to accept defeat and try again another day. Since this happens to me from time to time, I try to plan my content in advance to make sure that if something goes wrong with an article or post, I have something else ready to post that day.
Having a few backup posts will also help you relax when you’re feeling stuck because you know that there is another solution — a plan B. Finally, just remember: if nothing else works, at least YouTube has endless hours of cat videos to share.
Need help with your content? Let me know how I can help!
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