When the Well Runs Dry -- How to Start a Regular Flow of Quality Content

Sometimes the words don't flow. So, if you're responsible for a corporate blog or social feed, what do you do when the creative well temporarily runs dry?

This thought was prompted by the fact that I noticed I haven't written a blog post for the Echidna blog in a while – 12 days, to be exact. Other priorities played a part, but I also didn't have anything gnawing at my mind that was appropriate to share.

Until today. And thus was born a how to avoid the potentially death-inducing blog drought that has claimed many a corporate blog.

Over the years, I've written. A lot. This represents my 86th post in just over a year writing for the Echidna blog. Between personal blogs and other corporate posts, I estimate I've written nearly 1,000 posts in the past decade. And that doesn't include regular business writing, other freelance articles, and the like.

I don't say this to brag – I say this to discredit, in part, content creators' idea that there's nothing to write about. There's always a fresh perspective to take, there's always new information to share, and there's always a topic that you can address.

But sometimes it's hard to find the motivation. When it comes to helping clients decide whether or not to pursue a corporate blog, I usually stress the level of commitment to writing that one requires. Many business owners, managers, and communications staff come with the best intentions of writing, but the reality of the process is often less attractive than the idea.

Once that new blog smell wears off, are you actually inclined to keep it up? Or are you doomed to oversee a blog that has its "Welcome to my blog!" post on the front page in perpetuity?

It should go without saying that you have to enjoy writing to write a blog. It's one thing to have an opinion and it's another to be able to write it in a clear, entertaining style. But if you're ready, willing, and able to stick with your blog for the long haul, here are some suggestions to help you through those dry spells.

Read. Then Write.

It's important to stay abreast of what's going on outside your walls. But not only are you going to want to follow industry social feeds and trade publications, you'll also want to diversify your information sources. Read everything you can. You may stumble across an issue for which you, or your business, has a solution. Or you may read about something that you can use to spark a discussion. Inspiration can come from many sources, but you have to be open to them.

Take Advantage of Your Own Knowledge

Very often we take for granted what we already know. We think, "Well, if I know that information, then everybody must." That's simply not true. Especially when you think about the potential reach of your reader/customer base.

In the tech/Web world, we frequently assume our peers know what we do. But what gets overlooked is that you're not exclusively supporting a tech clientele. Marketers, customer service staff, and finance types are dying to understand what you do. And if you can provide them valuable information in a way that makes sense to them, you've got a valuable blog.

And don't forget about those new to the business, or students trying to learn more. What you take for granted is new and exciting information.

New to Someone

I would like to think that all of my readers have been with me for 20 years of writing. But I know that's not the case. So there's no harm in revisiting older content and updating it with a new spin.

Plus, it's important to grow and evolve. What I believed 10 years ago is not necessarily what I think today. Times, technologies, and attitudes change – hopefully we will as well. So revisiting our past for content in the present isn't a bad thing.

Depending on your age, you can also translate fundamentals learned in your youth to modern environments. I got my start writing for newspapers and cropping photos manually. Those lessons are still relevant today in content production and presentation – so why not use them as the foundation for blog posts.

Evergreen Content

I've discussed evergreen content before, so I won't get into too much detail. But from annual events to holidays to lists and tutorials, there are opportunities for you to repurpose content on a regular basis.

There's always going to be a New Year's, a Christmas, a Canada Day, and a Thanksgiving – there's four goodwill messages right there. Last year I did a two-parter on Social Media – The Year in Review. That's something that could easily be revisited and updated.

What's Mundane to You is Amazing to Someone Else

You know that manufacturing line that you see every day? Your customers may love to watch a video that shows how your product is developed.

It's also a great opportunity for you to showcase some of your staff. Do an interview with some of your front-line staff, or highlight an exciting personal event or recognition (say, for example, if a staff member has been recognized for efforts with a charity).

Answer Questions

This is the easiest – and often the best – way to generate content. Talk to your customer service and sales teams. Find out what your customers are asking or complaining about. Use that information to create content that answers those questions.

Maybe you're getting negative feedback on your social sites. Find out what issues people are having and try to explain why they exist. Ideally, people want solutions, but if there's an explanation for an issue, that's often enough to dull the edge.

Conclusion

The key to creating regular content is to keep your eyes and ears open. Look around your business as if it were your first day and start cataloguing what seems exciting, interesting, or different. In business, we want to set ourselves apart from our competition, so find those features that make you different and create content to tell the world.

Inspiration can strike like lighting, but creating successful content doesn't have to be that rare of an occurence. 

Now to you. What tips do you have to help avoid a creative drought? Feel free to share them in the comments below.