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So, you’ve committed to writing a blog or a newsletter and things have been going well. Then one day you feel like you’ve run out of ideas.
You’ve contracted a case of writer’s block and the symptoms are unmistakable: a blank page, the urge to do something – anything – else, insecurity.
Have no fear. Writer’s block is no big deal if you’ve got the right prescription, and here are three things that you can do immediately:
Check in with your Twitter feed
This is highly counterintuitive because social media is rarely mentioned as a way to be moreproductive. But there are a millions of writing ideas dropping through your Twitter feed right now. Reach out and grab one.
There are ways to refine what you’re looking at on Twitter. First, create a locked list of your competitors. If you haven’t created one yet, make one today and see what they are writing about. Now build off or critique the ideas regarding something they’ve shared.
Second, turn to specific people who have great ideas and see what they’ve done recently. Now write your take on an idea of theirs.
Carry your idea journal
If you’re going to be a reliable source of content, an idea journal stores your ideas before you forget them. After work today, go out and buy a notebook. It can be a stylish Moleskin or a tried-and-true Hilroy. Just make sure it has space to write down your ideas when they pop into your head, no matter how odd they may seem at the time.
We get our best ideas when we’re nowhere near a computer. We got the idea for this post while walking to a client meeting.
Seek the opinion of your clients
Asking your clients for topics they’d like you to cover acts as a good touch point, plus their feedback will hopefully provide many ideas for future posts.
There are a few ways you can ask: face to face or by personal email, SurveyMonkey, blog post or social networks like Twitter and LinkedIn. Pick one or two and see if it works for you.
We’ll be writing more about advisor communications in the coming months. Until then, give these three strategies a try – they may be the cure for writer’s block that you’ve been seeking.