Literally, every second of the day new blogs are opened. Some people blog to support their business. Other people blog to indulge their hobbies. Sometimes blogging is a great way to document a life challenge that you are going through; like training to run a marathon, starting a business, learning to cook exotic foods, raising children, or travelling the world. Professionals and entrepreneurs may blog as a way of establishing their personal brand. African billionaire Strive Masiyiwa blogs to share his experiences with a younger generation that desires to emulate his success.
Sometimes blogging can become boring and monotonous. Perhaps you feel like you have hit a plateau. Blogging just isn’t as exciting as it used to be. Here is how you can inject more creativity into your blog:
YOUR OWN TRUTH
In the rush to score traffic or blog followers, it can be tempting to write what you think other people want to read instead of your own truth. It is understandable to want to do that but that is how you drown in a sea of sameness. Speak your own truth and people will connect with you and respect you more. Be yourself. One great way Is to open up by sharing one of your success stories or one of the mistakes you have made. The title could sound like ‘How I lost a $100,000 in three months,’ or ‘How I went from intern to CEO in seven years.’
BE VISUAL
We are in the age of visual communication. Learn how to use ecards, infographics, and videos to communicate your information. For example, if you were planning to write a blog about using sales funnels, challenge yourself to communicate the same information using visual means – or audiovisual means. Be creative in your own way. Some people are good at humour while others are good at inspiration. Don’t try to do it the way someone else does it but capitalize on your own unique strengths.
Search for free pictures online and use them in your blog posts. Experiment with simple ways of editing the pictures say by adding text, borders or other graphics. Screenshots are good for visually illustrating a point. It is possible to create a blog post by curating videos, images or gifs. Use pictures to create a visual tutorial. Present text against the background of a beautiful picture. Create charts.
JOURNAL
Keep a journal right next to your bed a carry your notebook at all times. Interesting ideas can strike practically at any time. You can wake up from a dream at 3 am with an amazing idea but by the time you go back to sleep the idea is forgotten. Always have a notebook with you no matter where you are and note down what you see and what comes to mind. Evernote is a great tool for that.
INTERVIEW YOUR POLAR OPPOSITE
Interview people who have a vastly different worldview from the one you have. Your blog gives you the perfect excuse to talk to people you would otherwise never have spoken to. Think of someone who would never be your friend, and go interview that person for your blog. It is an excellent opportunity to learn and expand your worldview. Their experiences are likely to be so different from yours as to inject a fresh perspective into your blog. People who are different from you can contribute a lot toward your personal growth.
GO THROUGH A LIST
We all have things we have thought about doing but never actually did. Those would make a for a great blog series. Alternatively, you can carry out a list of things that you are afraid to do. Or you can imagine alternate realities. Popular quotes can also inspire blog posts. A-Z posts are also great ways to challenge your mind. For instance, you can create an A-Z post for visiting Italy or London.
READERS COMMENT
If you have been blogging for a while, you probably have a whole lot of comments. Use your readers’ comments to inspire new posts. It does not matter whether they agree with you or disagree with you; if the comment aroused interest you can turn it into a post. In fact, some of the most popular posts I have seen are addressed to distracters. Pick a list of people who disagree with you, and address each viewpoint in a new post. You could also turn readers’ questions into new blog posts.
It is possible to create a quiz using the Online Quiz Creator. This is also a great way to build engagement. A worksheet is also a good idea, especially if it solves a problem that the audience needs help solving.
