CONTENT WRITING: 101
Writing content can be challenging!
Lengthy blog posts and engaging Instagram captions, full of value, do not just get thrown together. At least that has never been my experience. It takes time, effort, and creativity to get it done.
Are you familiar with sitting in front of the computer screen and drawing a complete blank? You stare at the screen hoping for it to speak back to you and nothing! Here you are trying to be an inspiration to others, and you sit there entirely uninspired. Frustrating, right? I know. I've been there!
The next time you find yourself in a writing funk, here are a few things that can help make content writing easier:
Photography // Thalia Nino
Plan Ahead
Plan out your content in advance. I use a content planner and several apps to outline my month at a glance. Keep in mind any launches, events, holidays, or special dates coming up that you may want to center your content around specifically. Things may change, and pivots may be necessary, but it is always good to start with a plan.
Set Aside Time
Be intentional about setting the time aside to create content. Rushing to complete a blog post or Instagram caption, the day it goes live is a recipe for disaster. I recommend setting aside time monthly and weekly to batch your content. Working a full-time job, Saturdays are a great day for me to outline and batch my writing for the upcoming week.
Create Content Pillars
Having pillars (or themes) helps to form the foundation of your content. As an influencer, I genuinely believe that you can talk about anything that connects to your personal story, but having pillars is a great way to keep your thoughts and ideas organized. I keep a running list of ideas as they come to me, and it is great to refer back to when having writer's block.
Repurpose Content
Repurposing your old content may feel like cheating, but I promise you it's not. The percentage of our audience that actually sees a single piece of content is minuscule. Try going through material that was well-received or content that you'd like to revamp. Give it a fresh spin and repurpose.
Ask Your Audience
One of the lessons I have learned as a new influencer is how important community is to our businesses' success and growth. One of the best ways to find out what your audience wants to read is to ask them! Try using Instagram stories poll feature or placing a call to action in your infeed post to elicit some feedback.
The best advice of all: If you're still stuck, don't force it. If you've given all of these a try and your creativity is still not flowing, walk away and take a break. Give it some time and come back to it later. It always helps!
Xo,
Jessica