Feeling frustrated today about a lack of ideas to write about on your blog? If so, you’re not alone. Here’s another technique that I use to overcome it.
A couple of weeks ago I wrote a post here on ProBlogger that gave a tip for fighting blogger’s block. It asked you to identify a problem that you had three years ago and to write a post that solved that problem for your readers.
Another variation on that technique for overcoming blogger’s block is to write a post that taps into a “feeling” that your readers might typically have.
There are probably thousands of bloggers in your niche writing content to solve the problems of your readers, but I bet that in most niches, most of them don’t look after the feelings of their readers.
Acknowledge and work with those feelings, and you’ll be blogging with empathy—not only solving problems, but making emotional connections with your readers. You’ll also be connecting with different personality types than if you just write a dry how-to type post.
Which feelings should you concentrate on? While negative feelings might be the obvious choice I think there’s a case for writing about the whole gamut of feelings:
- Feeling lost? Here’s a way forward.
- Feeling paralyzed? Here’s how to get moving.
- Feeling excited? Here’s how to capture that excitement and use it for good.
- Feeling lonely? Here’s a place to connect with others.
- Feeling overwhelmed? Here’s how to navigate that.
- Feeling fearful? Here’s how to overcome your fear.
You’ll notice in the above examples I’ve taken each of the feelings and then written a how-to response, but there are other ways to tap into the feelings of your readers, too.
One great way to do it is to tell a story.
- Feeling Lost? Here’s a time I felt that, and here’s what happened.
Another way to tap into feelings is to start a discussion.
- What do you do when you’re feeling overwhelmed with your work.
So sit down today and think about what kinds of feelings and emotions your readers might have.
You might get some hints in the comments section of your blog. You may also want to think about your own feelings and emotions (past and present) as they pertain to your topic.
Once you’ve identified a feeling, write a post that starts with that feeling. Acknowledge it up front, then write something that helps your readers to move forward from that place.
I’d love to see links below to the posts you write after doing this exercise! Please do share them.
