Have you hit a slump in your blogging?
Perhaps you haven’t posted anything in weeks or even months because your enthusiasm for the topic has gone and you’re finding it hard to be consistent.
Or maybe you have been posting regularly, but are now starting to feel fed up, exhausted, or even burned out.
Here are six ways to turn things around.
#1: Take a Proper Break from Blogging
If your blogging enthusiasm has been waning for a while, or if feels like yet another chore on your to-do list, it’s probably time for a break.
Take some time off from your blog. If you’ve been blogging regularly, let readers know you’ll be away for a month, or however long you want to take.
You might be worried it will have a detrimental effect on your blog, or lead to people unsubscribing in droves. But instead, think of it as an opportunity. Post links to some of your best posts and/or products for them to look at while you’re gone. And encourage people to sign up for your newsletter so they’ll know when you start blogging again.
Tip: Before you start posting again, make sure you’ve got a content calendar in place and (ideally) some posts drafted. It will make it much easier to start blogging again the way you want to.
#2: Reconnect With the Reasons Why You Wanted to Blog
Why did you start blogging? It might have been to make money. But it might also have been to share your ideas with the world, or to enjoy exploring and writing about one of your passions.
Have you lost your “Why?” in the busy day to day of blogging? Look at what you’ve already achieved. Even if you haven’t met your financial goals, you’ll have learnt a lot. And chances are you’ll be able to check off some key blogging milestones.
Tip: Save the nice emails and comments you get from readers. Knowing one of your posts made a difference to someone’s day can be motivating – especially when your enthusiasm is waning.
#3: Reduce How Often You Blog
Are you trying to blog too much? It’s easy to lose enthusiasm when you have to crank out post after post without having enough time to:
- think up truly good ideas
- promote the content you’re creating to make the most of it.
You definitely don’t need to post every day to have a successful blog. Some bloggers do fine blogging just once a week, or even less. The quality of what you produce is much more important than the quantity.
If dropping down from three posts a week to one would make blogging more enjoyable for you, then do it.
Tip: There’s no ‘perfect’ blogging frequency. But try not to change it around too much. Readers like to know roughly what to expect. Pick a frequency that you can easily stick with (e.g. one post a week).
#4: Make Sure Your Content Aligns With Your Goals
Trying to make money from your blog? Then your posts need to help you do that.
Of course, you’ll want to write content you think will appeal to your readers. But try to pick post ideas that work well for things such as affiliate links and reminding readers about your products and services.
This will help:
- engage your current readers, and give new ones an additional portal into your blog
- prompt your fans to check out something you recommend or purchase something from you.
Tip: If you’re struggling to find ways to monetize your blog, take a look at these six income streams recommended for bloggers.
#5: Get Some Help
Blogging can be lonely, especially in the early days when you’re trying to grow your blog and build an audience. It can also be difficult to handle everything yourself. You may have lost enthusiasm after a lengthy technical battle with your WordPress theme, or trying and failing to design a great-looking logo.
There’s lots of help out there, from fellow bloggers in the ProBlogger Community Facebook group to designers, developers, assistants and others who can help you manage and grow your blog.
Tip: If you enjoy growing your blog and business but struggle with writing, why not hire some writers to help create content for you?
#6: Consider Whether You’re in the Right Niche
Have you lost enthusiasm for your niche? New bloggers often pick a niche they think will be lucrative. But while that’s completely understandable, it can also lead to writing in a niche you don’t really care about.
If you feel you’ve said everything you want to say about your niche, or if it’s a topic that no longer feels like a good fit, then perhaps it’s time to change the direction of your blog. You could even start a new blog in a completely different niche. Plenty of well-known bloggers went through several different ideas before finding one that stuck.
Tip: While some bloggers run more than one blog at a time, it’s tough to do this successfully. If you’re struggling with enthusiasm for your blog, don’t try to start a new blog and keep up with the original one. Put the old blog on hiatus.
Are you less than enthusiastic about blogging right now? Share what you’re going through with us in the comments below, and tell us what you’ll be doing to rekindle your enthusiasm.
Image credit: Kristopher Roller
