6 Reasons You Need to Improve Your Blog Prompts

Sometimes blog prompts just don’t come. You can sit and concentrate, research, and brainstorm all you want, but the inspiration just doesn’t come. It’s not easy to consistently contribute high-quality blog posts that combine critical thinking and thought-leadership. It’s even harder to maintain a weekly frequency of posts that fosters audience engagement.

Here are six common problems that prove blog prompts just aren’t working for you anymore:

1. You’ve run out of ideas
2. It’s become monotonous
3. Your posts are repetitive
4. Your audience isn’t engaged
5. You don’t really know what you’re writing about
6. The length of your posts is less than 300 words

The real question now is, how do you overcome these blocks to continue producing stellar blog posts?

1. You’ve Run Out of Ideas

A blank page can feel like the most daunting task of the week. It’s not that you can’t write or aren’t happy with any of your ideas, you simply can’t think of any ideas. Writing fatigue is real. Here’s one way to overcome writer’s block: completely ignore grammar and instead focus on the structure of your blog post. Write “Title” in big bold letters at the top of the page, then left-align your cursor and type a column of “A’s” to represent new subheadings and paragraphs. Put some spacing between each paragraph and bold the “A’s” that will be subheadings.

You’ll be surprised how much easier it is to formulate ideas once there’s actual characters on the page. It’s not about the actual characters on the page at this point, it’s about making progress.

2. It’s Become Monotonous

Boredom is a buzzkill. It convinces you that you aren’t interested in what you’re writing about. Usually, it’s accompanied by discontent and the desire to be doing anything but writing that darn blog post. How can you overcome boredom and continue writing powerful blog posts? There’s a few blog prompts you can try to remedy the situation:

• Get away from your desk and take your laptop with you. Sometimes all you need is a window with a decent view and some sunshine.
• Take a break, get a snack, go for a short walk, bug a coworker, listen to your favorite song, or watch a funny SNL skit. Breaking up the routine of the day can do wonders.

3. Your Posts Are Repetitive

Have you ever started writing a blog post only to realize half an hour later that you wrote about the same exact topic last week…and the week before that? Variety is the spice of life, but it’s not always easy finding ways to differentiate. For example; if you’re blogging for a specific niche it’s easy to start producing repetitive content because the information available is scant.

Break the cycle by following a few simple blog prompt rules:

• Use shorter paragraphs. The content will be easier for your audience to digest and you’ll avoid lengthy, rambling sentences.
• Skim your two most recent blog posts. This will help you avoid repetition just by remembering what you already wrote in previous posts.
• Include an image, graphic, GIF or video. An image should always accompany your blog post, but you can mix things up with new types of content.

4. Your Audience Isn’t Engaged

Don’t automatically assume that because there’s a lack of engagement your blog posts suck. Sometimes it’s just a matter of being found. You can usually chalk that up to search engine optimization (SEO). Essential SEO blogging practices include:

• Acquiring backlinks
• Researching and using correct keywords
• Optimizing copy and images

5. You Don’t Really Know What You’re Writing About

This one is simple. If you don’t know enough about a topic to write about it, you only have two options:

1. Don’t write about it
2. Educate yourself enough to speak authoritatively on the subject

If you want to establish your blog as an authority in your industry you should probably choose the latter of the two options. If you don’t know about the chosen topic, there’s a good chance some of your audience is also lacking knowledge. With some solid research you can take full advantage of that opportunity.

6. The Length of Your Posts is Less Than 300 Words

If you’re struggling to get just 300 words onto a single page, you’re probably trying to write about the wrong thing, or you’re approaching it from the wrong angle. Try these tips to discover the best way to proceed:

• Write fewer blogs. Use this option only if you absolutely cannot find ways to produce longer, more interesting posts. With lower frequency you can beef up the size of each post.
• Choose a new topic. There’s no shame in abandoning a post that’s not working. All the great artists have abandoned pieces of work at one time or another.
• Find a different angle. Try looking at the topic from a different perspective. How would you customer view it? How would a child describe it?

Don’t let these common blogging issues hold you back. Find a way to break through the boredom, fatigue, and repetition of daily or weekly writing and create memorable content with effective blog prompts.