Picture this: You’ve had your blog for a few months now. You were so excited to get started on it and you had about a billion ideas for what you want to do and where you want to go with it. You spent hours and hours designing the layout of the blog – making it look exactly how you envisioned it. Then you wrote a few pieces here, and a few pieces there.
But then, everything fell flat. You lost your mojo. What happened? All those millions of ideas fell flat, and your poor blog is gathering digital dust. You’re starting to think this blog idea was a bust.
Sound familiar? Maybe a little bit? Don’t worry – you’re not alone.
I made several attempts at blogs before I found one that stuck. And even that one has slow periods. But as I’ve learned to optimize my copywriting, I’ve been able to improve my so-called “writer’s block” and improve my blog overall. Here are a few things I’ve learned:
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Write Casually
One of the hardest roadblock for many writers to get over is learning how to write the way they speak. But it is absolutely crucial if you want your blog to be a success. People read your blog to get to know you, and they can’t do that if you write with a different voice than how you speak. Don’t be afraid to make jokes and tease yourself a little bit – readers love writers who can be light-hearted.
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Be Useful In Your Writing
You’re welcome to write about the musings of your mind – after all, it is your blog. You do what you want with it. But people will come to your blog when you have useful information for them – advice, tips, etc. Give your readers something they won’t be able to find on other websites. Let them know that when they have a question, they can come to you.
Be sure to write your titles in a way that’s useful, too. For example, instead of writing an article called “My night out on the town,” call it “My best date nights in Denver.”
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Be Specific
Going along with your audience coming to you when they have a question, you want them to know what exactly it is they can come to you about. Maybe you have a blog devoted to young, broke married couples. You can write posts about date nights on a budget, DIY home decor, simple casserole dishes, etc. Being specific in your writing doesn’t mean you don’t get to have a wide variety in your writing. It just means your audience will have a more clear idea of what to expect from you.
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Proofread Your Writing
Too few people understand the importance of proofreading their work. No matter how experienced of a writer you are, you can still make mistakes. And readers are not often forgiving. How interested would you be in reading a blog that has error after error? Every professional writing agency has a team of copy editors who are crucial to the success of the agency.
How forgiving are you when you spot a typo in a novel? In a news article? Blogs are the same way. While bloggers have the freedom to write more casually than other writers, it is equally as important that their writing is free of obvious errors. Don’t be afraid to ask others to proofread and edit your work!
Any kind of writer faces moments of writer’s block. The important thing is to not let it get you down! Ernest Hemingway once said “all you have to do is write one true sentence. Write the truest sentence that you know.” Once you can write your true sentence, you’ll see how easily you can move forward.
