Ever feel like the well has run dry… that you’re completely tapped out of good content ideas… that finding a drop of moisture in dry dirt would be easier than coming up with even one more blog post idea?
Usually that happens to me when I’m working too hard. I fill my schedule from dawn to dusk with projects, and there’s no time to sit back and relax. My mind is so focused on what needs to happen next, there’s no room for creative sparks to fly.
When that happens, there’s only one solution.
As a content marketer, you need input—a constant, steady stream of information that fills your well and keeps your content ideas flowing.
These seven creativity-boosting tasks may look and feel like procrastination—recreation, even—but in reality, they add to your idea bank, so you can steadily produce high-quality content without those dreaded dry spells.
7 creativity boosters you can’t ignore
1. Read more blogs
“If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.”
Stephen King should know. He’s one of the best (and most prolific) writers of our time.
Take about 30 minutes a day to read what other writers are writing. Look at their topics, how they develop them, their turns of phrases. Something you see is sure to spark an idea. At the very least, it will fill your mind with new ideas to work with.
Perhaps you aren’t struggling to create; you’re just stuck for an idea. Reading can solve that problem too.
Regular reading of industry blogs and magazines will help you know what ideas are trending and what readers are responding to. All you have to do is join the conversation.
You might also like: Repurpose and Re-imagine Your Ideas
2. Watch more videos
These days content isn’t just written. Some of it is in video format, podcasts or presentations. So go ahead and browse. Visit YouTube, SlideShare and other media channels to see what’s out there.
Every bit of additional input adds to your idea pool.
3. Read outside your niche too
Ideas have a way of making random connections if you give them a chance.
The conversation you have with your kids over breakfast can merge with the short story you read over lunch and the Prime Time television commercial you see after dinner, sparking a new idea for a terrific blog post.
It’s your “outside entertainment” that leads to titles like these:
4. Connect with your customers
Content should connect with your ideal customers by answering their questions and providing information they’re searching for.
You can do some keyword research to make an educated guess about those topics, but wouldn’t it be easier to actually talk to them?
Every time I talk to a client, they ask a question or make a comment that helps me see the knowledge gap I need to fill.
Connect with people in social media, on your website, through email and over the phone. You’ll be surprised at the number of ideas that will grow out of those interactions.
You might also like: 7 Tips to Take Your Content to the Next Level
5. Get involved with your peers
I belong to several groups on Facebook and Google+. While I’m not the most active member, I do occasionally drop in to see what topics are trending.
The questions your peers are asking may be the same questions your customers are asking. And the topics being discussed may be fodder for think pieces.
Take one person’s question or comment and respond to it in a blog post. Or draw from an entire discussion, pulling in different comments to provide well-rounded coverage of a topic.
6. Look for questions that need answering
When you read blog posts, take time to scan the comments as well. Embedded in those comments may be a question that needs answering or an idea that needs discussing.
This strategy makes for quick and easy content. The idea comes ready-made. All you have to do is tell people what you saw online, then respond to it. Perhaps you agree; tell your readers why. Perhaps you disagree; give your point of view. Perhaps it’s a question or misunderstanding. Answer it.
Here’s an example of how I did it: Should Marketers Create Content?
7. Take a break
Just as a watched pot won’t boil, creative ideas won’t surface if you’re striving for them. Give your brain a chance to percolate. Take a break from your regular tasks.
Exercise. Play with the kids or grandkids. Go shopping. Get in the car, pick a direction, and start driving. Do something silly.
It’s not until you stop looking for ideas that they come out of hiding.
Fill the reservoir and keep it full
Creativity doesn’t just happen. You’ve got to keep the well full if you want to draw from its waters.
You need input: input from other writers, from your peers, from your customers, and even from random sources that don’t (at first glance) seem useful. Then you need a little quiet time for those ideas to connect and turn into something original.
Give yourself the space to create. Slow down, and in the long run, you’ll create far more than you ever thought possible.
What are your favorite idea-generating ideas? Let me know in the comments below.
