We all know that content drives a blog and a never ending flow of content is one of the keys to long term growth. However, even the best of us will eventually run into writer’s block and just can’t think of anything to blog about. If this happens to you, then here are five things to do when you have nothing to blog about. If you have any more things you would like to add, feel free to do so.
1 – Check The Comments
When I have writer’s block, the first thing I do is read my blog comments. I get many blog story ideas from reading my comments. In fact, the last two posts came about because of comments made to my Three Hour Photo Session for BC Business post. These type of posts do really well because your readers are asking for them. It also re-enforce rule number three of the Seven Habits of Highly Successful Bloggers – interact with your readers.
2 – Check Out Other Blogs In Your Community
With 60+ million blogs out there, I’m sure a few of them must have something interesting for you to write about. While you don’t have to check all 60 million blogs, it’s a good idea to check out some of the blogs in your MyBlogLog community or the blogs of your commentators. Most blogs write these types of post up as news or “speed linking.†Whatever you want to call it, you should try to inject your own views into the topic. You can see an example in my What’s Happening In the Community post.
Sometimes you will come across a good story (like List of Blogger Salaries) that deserves its own post instead of being grouped with a speed linking session. Make sure you give your views on the topic. Just copying a pasting a quote and telling the readers to go read the full story isn’t going to provide much incentives for the reader to come back to your blog.
3 – Look In Your Archives
If your blog has been around for a while and has amassed a good number of posts, then try looking in your archives to see if there are any posts that you can update into a new post. If you’re really lazy you don’t even need to update them. Just change the date and bring the post back to the front page. The chance of anyone noticing is very slim. John Chow dot Com has 1,097 blog posts. How many here have read every single one of them? Many posts are timeless. If I were to bring one of them back to the front, most would think it’s a brand new post. However, the better way is to do a brand new updated post and link to the old post. This way you add new content to your blog and help bring traffic to the old post as well. You can also try a Blast From The Past.
4 – Check Your Email
While most readers interact by leaving comments, some will do it with emails. Sometimes, I will come across a question from a reader that I know many would like the answer to. Instead of replying to the author, I would answer the question in a blog post. That was the case when HMTKSteve ask me for my breakdown of Google CPM and CPC ads. Not only did I answer the question but I also explain how to display your Google contextual and SiteMatch stats.
5 – Look At YouTube
When all else fails, go to YouTube (or any other video sharing site) find a funny or thought provoking video and post it. Remember to add your own comments/views to the video.